By Sarah Litz and Siobhan McAndrew, Reno Gazette-Journal
 
After scouring the shores of Lake Tahoe overnight, Sean Ascuaga, 17, was located safe and unharmed at Marlette Dam, according to officials. 

Sean Ascuaga

He is the son of John Ascuaga Jr., and the grandson of John Ascuaga, the patriarch of the well-known family that owned the Nugget casino in Sparks for 58 years.
 
A person at Marlette Dam recognized Ascuaga from media coverage. RAVEN, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office helicopter, flew in to pick Ascuaga up.

Read the whole story

Air quality at Lake Tahoe is diminished because of fires outside the basin. Photo/Lisa Huard

The Detwiler Fire burning in Mariposa County is filling the Lake Tahoe Basin with smoke.

It is near impossible to see across the lake.

The Truckee area is also being impacted by this fire, as well from what’s burning in the greater Reno area.

The Detwiler Fire has consumed nearly 20,000 acres, forced the evacuation of the town of Mariposa and has closed Highway 140 going into Yosemite National Park.

People with respiratory problems should stay indoors. Exercising outside in these conditions is not advised.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Jamie Wanzek,  Moonshine Ink

The Truckee River has returned with vigor. In addition to creating rare whitewater conditions and easing concerns about the recent drought, the raging cobalt flows have done up to $1 million worth of restoration work naturally, says David Lass, Trout Unlimited California field director.

The estimate is largely based on the amount of woody debris that has been swept into the river in the Tahoe-Truckee area, which creates fish habitat, feeds aquatic insects, and establishes “structure.”

Based on projects that TU has organized doing exactly the same thing — placing dead trees on the river bottom — he estimates that the high water has done the equivalent of $600,000 to $1 million of restoration work along the Truckee River watershed.

Read the whole story

Douglas County School District board has a new member.

Neil Freitas moved so he had to resign. The seven board members must live in the district they represent.

The remaining board members this month chose Carey Kangas to fill out the term.

Kangas is a manager for the REDCO rubber engineering and development company in Carson City. He has lived in Northern Nevada for 20 years and had children go through the local system in the Carson Valley.

John Louritt who was on the board from 2001-08 and retired teacher Martha Betcher also applied for the appointment.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Bill Lindelof, Sacramento Bee
 
The public, fellow deputies and family turned out over the weekend when a Loomis intersection was dedicated in memory of Placer County sheriff’s detective Michael Davis Jr., who was killed in the line of duty.

The dedication of the intersection of Horseshoe Bar Road and Interstate 80 in honor of Davis took place Saturday at the sheriff’s South Placer Loomis Substation, 6140 Horseshoe Bar Road.

The intersection was selected because it is near where many people who knew Davis travel. Signs on Interstate 80 will note that the intersection is named in his honor.

Read the whole story

The 16th annual Brews, Jazz and Funk Fest returns to the Village at Squaw Valley on Aug. 12-13.

There will be craft beers from breweries located in California and beyond.

All proceeds from the event benefit the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe, a nonprofit dedicated to saving and improving the lives of animals. Last year more than $13,000 was raised.

The festival will take place from 2-8pm each day; cost is $5 to enter. Tickets for 16 ounce beers are also $5 each.

·      For the third year in a row, West Shore Café has been selected as a Wine Spectator award-winning restaurant.

·      On July 21, members of the California Highway Patrol Meyers office and Alpine County Sheriff’s Office are hosting Coffee with a Cop form 9-11am at Mad Dog Cafe (formerly Woodfords Station).

·      South Tahoe Public Utility District will be working at the intersection of Tahoe Keys Boulevard and Venice Drive slip lining a sewer line. Detours will be setup between July 24-28.

·      The Douglas County Public Library celebrates the end of its Summer Reading Program with a visit from Jacques the Magician on July 31 at 6:30pm in the C.V.I.C. Hall, 1602 Esmeralda Ave. in Minden.

·      Motorists should anticipate 15- to 30-minute traffic delays on Kingsbury Grade on July 18 as NV Energy removes two large trees that are encroaching near power lines.

By Kathryn Reed

The lake or the pool? This should be the most difficult question to answer on vacation.

Out the window I could see both. After a hot hike it was time to cool off, but not freeze. The pool was the answer.

While this particular get-away was just for a night, it was still a mini vacation for me and AJ. We’re pretty much of the philosophy that if a hotel room is involved, it means work is secondary. 

She was perfectly content to rest on the large bed provided for her by Hotel Azure. She even had a bowl in the room with treats when we came in. (Dogs are $25/night extra.)

The pool at Hotel Azure is open year round. Photo/Kathryn Reed

This centrally located hotel in South Lake Tahoe recently underwent a $3.5 million renovation to provide guests with a more contemporary look and features – such as plenty of plugs for electronic gadgets. Reclaimed redwood covers one wall, giving it a woodsy feel. The grey-blue-brown color scheme is relaxing.

While the hotel is not right on the water, Lake Tahoe is directly across the street. It was wonderful to be able be in the room at sunset to see the colors dance across the lake. Rooms come with a balcony or patio; I was too lazy to go there.

Minor things that hotel designers often overlook were not at Hotel Azure. It’s actually possible to read in the bath tub because there is a light overhead. And a full length mirror is always appreciated (not always supplied).

It was nice to grab the comfy robe and head to the pool, which is heated year round. The hot tubs are like two in one with how the water from the upper one tumbles into the lower one. An added perk is that it’s accessible until 11pm, an hour later than most hotels.                                                 

A multi-million dollar remodel at Hotel Azure included making the rooms contemporary. Photo/Kathryn Reed

I thought staying above the pool/hot tub area might be excessively noisy, but on a Thursday night that was not the case.

With no glass allowed in the pool area, it would have been nice to have had plastic cups in the room. The front desk was able to supply me with a paper coffee cup and they opened my bottle of beer since I forgot to bring an opener.

Most people think of the Stateline area as the place to stay if you don’t want to get in your car again. Hotel Azure is proving it can offer that same amenity.

Nearby are several restaurants to choose from. Dinner at MacDuff’s was delightful on the patio, while breakfast on the lawn at Bear Beach Café was also good.

The hotel owners, who are from the Bay Area, also own the land where the café is located, as well as the bowling alley on the same street. They have had the property since 1976. The rooms in the building near the pool were added in 1985. All together there are 99 units.

It’s possible to walk to Lakeview Commons or even Ski Run Marina. For those who want to get places a little faster, bikes are available for free at the hotel. (Snowshoes are provided in winter.) This mode of transport expands the offerings even further. (There is bike and ski storage for those who bring their own toys.)

A workout room as well as a game room offer other ways to spend time on property.

The 3,850-square-foot event center that opened in March 2003 has never had many bookings because of its size – a capacity of 100. Going forward the hotel owners will not be taking reservations for this facility after October. They are still deciding if it will be leased to someone or be sold. (Prior to being an events center it was a Pizza Hut.)

It’s nice that there are no hidden extra costs, as in resort fees. Plus, parking is free.

By Ted Gaines

Gov. Jerry Brown is dangling elimination of the illegal “fire tax” as a sweetener for Republicans to vote for his incredibly expensive, pie-in-the-sky climate change scheme that would put billions upon billions of new costs on the backs of California families and businesses.

I hate the fire tax. It smacks of all the worst impulses of the elitist, urban, legislature and their out-of-control spending. In 2011, an overextended legislature and big spending governor cut a dirty deal to take $90 million from the CalFire budget and put it into the unaccountable general fund.

Ted Gaines

To backfill that $90 million hole (which they created), they concocted a blatantly illegal tax to punish Republicans for not playing along in sham budget negotiations. Rural property owners, mostly in Republican districts, had to pay, and are still paying, a $150 fee for every habitable structure in State Responsibility Areas.

It’s a bogus tax and it’s being challenged in court. I have tried time after time to kill it. I pushed an initiative to overturn it. I introduced bills to eliminate it in its entirety with not a drop of support from the governor. I tried to limit who had to pay the fee, and give a break to those people on limited incomes who were struggling to pay the bill. Not once did Gov. Brown step forward or lift a finger to help pass any of those bills.

I privately told the governor that since California, according to his own words, was operating with a budget surplus the past few years, that he should kill the illegal, discriminatory fire tax. He did nothing.

Now, in an incredible show of gumption, Brown is telling Republicans who don’t support his gold-plated Cap-and-Trade legislation, which includes a suspension of the fire tax, not even a repeal, that THEY will be responsible for the tax.

Brown must have missed the past six years of my and other Republican attempts to kill it.

His climate change bill would chase people out of the state with increased costs. It could add an additional seventy-three cents to every gallon of gas. It would drive up electricity rates, which are already 50-percent higher than the national average. It would drive up the price of every single good and service we buy in the state, for everyone.

Throwing the fire tax into the climate change bill is political extortion. If Governor Brown really wants to know who is responsible for shafting 800,000 rural property owners, he needs to look in the mirror.

And if the governor really believes his shakedown of rural taxpayers is a bad idea, my Senate Bill 9, which would repeal fire tax forever, is in the legislature right now.

I’m still waiting for his support.

State Sen. Ted Gaines represents the 1st Senate District, which includes all or parts of Alpine, El Dorado, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Shasta, Sierra and Siskiyou counties.

Mohamed Irfan Lakdawala returns a shot with partner Ryan Johnston in the nen’s 10.0 final in 2016. Photo/ZCTCF

The four-day Tahoe Tennis Classic tournament based out of Zephyr Cove Tennis Club boasts some of the best club tennis players in the region as well as the country and world.

The all doubles tournament is July 27-30, with 14 divisions.

It’s an opportunity for the Tahoe community to watch some high level tennis without having to travel outside the basin. And there is no cost to attend.

A record number of entrants – more than 200 – will be playing in the 34th annual event.

Dick Johnson of Ballwin, Mo., is one of the top players in his age group (70-plus) in the world. At the South Shore tournament he has won the men’s 130, 100 and A divisions. He won the 70-plus World Championship singles in Croatia in 2015. In Tahoe, Johnson will be partnering with Hersh Herschman in the 130 division. This is combination of ages – the total must be at least 130.

Herschman and his wife, Sheryl, are the founders of the tournament. The nonprofit Zephyr Cove Tennis Club Foundation is in its fourth year of running the highly-regarded event.

The Catania family may walk away with top prizes. Duane and Hannelore Catania of Incline Village are leading the pack, with their son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter all in the draw.

Zephyr Cove’s head pro, Dave Nostrant, will be playing in his first Classic, as this is his inaugural year at the facility. He and partner Neal Trebotich will be in the 130 division.

Ginny Unger, who teaches at Zephyr, is pairing with Angelina Spinnato of Gardnerville in the 9.0 division. Spinnato is a top junior player in USTA NorCal, which includes Northern Nevada.

For more information about the Tahoe Tennis Classic, go online.