Planes like the Super Scooper are the U.S. Forest Service’s choice for fire suppression. Photo/LTN file

By Keith Ridler, AP

A giant aircraft that can fly high above oceans on intercontinental flights instead jets in low and slow over a flaming forest, trailing a long plume that settles on the ground and creates a wildfire-stopping barrier.

The operators of the Boeing 747 converted from a passenger jet into a firefighting air tanker say it has proven itself battling forest fires in countries outside the U.S. The modifications allow it to drop more than 19,000 gallons of a flame-squelching combination of ammonium phosphate and sulfate mixed with water that comes billowing out in a red-colored line.

“We just happen to be the biggest, fastest firetruck in the air,” said Jim Wheeler, CEO of Global SuperTanker Services.

But the company says the U.S. Forest Service is seeking to keep the plane grounded by offering a contract limiting firefighting aircraft to 5,000 gallons of fire suppressant and won’t say why. The company says the federal agency is putting homes and lives at risk just as the current wildfire season surges past the 10-year average for land area burned in a decade that includes some of the most destructive and deadly wildfire seasons on record.

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By Richard N. Velotta, Las Vegas Review-Journal

The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent announcement that it would review a New Jersey case on sports wagering and the American Gaming Association’s continued push to repeal the law forbidding state-authorized sports gambling are clear indicators that sports betting is on its way to some major changes.

But will those changes be good for Nevada?

For years, sports books have been supportive of efforts to repeal the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, the federal legislation that blocks states from allowing sports gambling.

Industry leaders argue that a repeal would bite more into illegal offshore betting than in the four states where some form of wagering is legal — Nevada, Oregon, Montana and Delaware.

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Dmitri Pajitnov

Dmitri Pajitnov moved to South Lake Tahoe from Seattle in the fall of 2011 to begin pursuing passions for the mountains and medicine. 

He became a ski patroller for Heavenly Mountain Resort as well as an emergency room technician for Barton Memorial Hospital. 

Dmitri’s enthusiasm for everything outdoors and utmost respect for anyone who he met was an inspiring tribute to the type of person he was. 

In the spring of 2016, Dmitri was accepted into medical school. After completing his first year of studies, he returned to Tahoe to get as much skiing in as possible. On his way back to school this month he stopped by one of his favorite mountains, Mt. Rainier, to get one last ski day in. Tragically, July 3, 2017, would be the last day he ever skied. He fell through a 5-foot snowbridge into an icy creek.

He was 30.

Everyone who had the pleasure of meeting Dmitri knows the impact that he had on everyone around him. He will be forever missed in the community. 

A celebration for Dmitri Pajitnov will be July 18 at 5pm at Lakeside Beach House Grill.

Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park is hosting a free Western Heritage Celebration on July 22 from 11am-5:30pm.

Carson Valley Quilt Guild will give a demonstration, there will be a Comstock Civil War re-enactment, and people will see the seven to 11 undergarments women had to wear in that era.

There will be live music,  cowboy poetry and children’s activities, along with food and drink.

No dogs allowed. 

For more details, go online.

A Marin County-based company is advertising trips via seaplane to Tahoe City. The problem is they don’t have a permit to do so.

Seaplane Adventures’ website lists a Sausalito to Tahoe City flight and a Palo Alto to Tahoe flight. It’s not specific about where exactly in Tahoe for that second excursion.

“Seaplane operations – which includes the use of a permanent facility for the landing, takeoff, fueling, maintenance, or storage of a seaplane, are not a permissible use at Tahoe City Marina,” Tom Lotshaw with that Tahoe Regional Planning Agency told Lake Tahoe News. “There is one area on the lake – Homewood commercial area – where seaplane operations were grandfathered in as a permissible, but special use. Any such activity would require a public hearing and TRPA approval.”

That hasn’t happened.

When Lake Tahoe News contacted Seaplane Adventures regarding a permit there was silence. Blackbird is the company that books the charter flights

Ana C. Henriquez with Seaplane Adventures just wanted to explain how a flight could be booked.

It is OK for recreational seaplanes to land and take off from Tahoe as long as they’ve going through the decontamination process that is similar to what boats go through.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Sean Whaley, Las Vegas Review-Journal

CARSON CITY — The leadership of the National Governors Association, including incoming chairman Gov. Brian Sandoval, repeated a plea to Congress on Friday to create a national committee to address cybersecurity threats.

Outgoing chairman and Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said cybersecurity, which has become a major threat as evidenced by recent actions including during the 2016 presidential campaign, does not have a single point of contact in Congress.

“We have implored the Congress to have a cybersecurity committee,” he said. “One does not exist today in the Congress.”

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By Sean Whaley, Las Vegas Review-Journal

CARSON CITY — Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to headline the third annual Basque Fry in Gardnerville in August.

The event, hosted by Attorney General Adam Laxalt, is to celebrate Nevada’s rich Basque heritage.

The third incarnation of the event will be held Aug. 26 at the Corley Ranch.

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By Marcella Corona, Reno Gazette-Journal

The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for the Reno area.

As temperatures rise, the winds will picks up and low humidity will continues into Tuesday.

“The winds are so strong that any fire currently going will have a chance to spread rapidly, which is not good,” meteorologist Brian O’Hara said Sunday.

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Nala

Nala is a 2-year-old Chihuahua who is very sweet. She is very happy and wags her tail all the time.

Nala is house trained and walks nicely on the leash. She likes other dogs, but would be best in a home without small children. Nala would love to have an owner who is home a lot and likes to cuddle.

Nala is spayed, microchipped, tested for heart worm, and vaccinated. She is at the El Dorado County Animal Services shelter in Meyers, along with many other dogs and cats who are waiting for their new homes. Go to the Tahoe animal shelter’s Facebook page to see photos and descriptions of all pets at the shelter.

Call 530.573.7925 for directions, hours, and other information on adopting a pet.

For spay-neuter assistance for South Tahoe residents, go to online or call the animal shelter. Vouchers are available there also: bring $25 and a copy of a photo ID and a local utility bill.

— Karen Kuentz

By Kathryn Reed

Light is usually a good thing to help plants grow. That’s not the case with ultra violet C light.

Invasive plants have been withering to nothing in the boat slips at Lakeside Marina. And that’s a good thing.

John Paoluccio, president of Inventive Resources Inc., is the creative genius behind this system. His special boat with a slew of devices was designed specifically to kill unwanted weeds in waterways.

Below the boat is a device that can hover just above the lake bottom. It’s air tight. No fish can get in, nor can they be killed if they touch the machine. It can be so precise that native plants can be left alone.

UVC light works by damaging the DNA and cellular structure of the plants. This then stops reproduction. Because there isn’t much cellular structure the plants essentially shrivel up and decompose in a matter of days. Eurasian milfoil, curly leaf pondweed and coontail are three of the main targets.

John Paoluccio is confident in his creation to rid invasive plants with UVC light. Photo/Kathryn Reed

This summer Paoluccio is testing his theory and equipment in a pilot program funded and overseen by the Tahoe Fund, California Tahoe Conservancy and Tahoe Resource Conservation District. The agencies have more than $260,000 invested, while Paoluccio has about the same just in the vessel and gear. That doesn’t take into account his research and sample tests to get to this point.

Paoluccio is almost giddy as he talks about the success so far this summer. Invasive weeds at Lake Tahoe may have met their match.

It will be a two-year study, with more definitive results coming out in late 2018. But for now it’s working just like the engineer surmised it would.

Data about water temperature and turbidity are being collected. The amount of time to kill a plant, how far it is from the bottom and other data are also documented. The plant height is noted; some were 8-feet tall.

Paoluccio’s vessel moved through the marina working in each 20-foot-by-20-foot slip. If it weren’t for the generator powering the UV lights, it would be a silent process. Next up is going to the mouth of the marina and beyond to see how it works in more of an open water environment.

Those tasked with protecting Lake Tahoe are hopeful the success of this venture will allow for expanded use. So far it looks like the UVC combined with mats that suffocate the invasive plants could be the desired one, two punch.

Assuming the data proves the UVC effective, the next hurdle will be funding. After all, Lakeside is just one location with the weeds so cost-effective solution is desired by many. The Tahoe Keys is ground zero for the problem. The homeowners there have voted to use herbicides to deal with the weeds, though that project has not been permitted.