South Lake Tahoe police officers are looking for a man accused of contaminating the food court inside Raley’s near Stateline.

Police are looking for this man.

A man walked into the grocery store Nov. 15, approached the self-serve food display in the Hot Wok food court, and dispensed an unknown substance on top of the food, according to officers. He then walked out of the store and left the area on foot.

According to officers reviewing surveillance tape, this person did the same thing at least three times this month.

The contaminated food has been sent out for analysis.

The suspect is described as a white male adult, approximately 5-feet-7-inches tall, with a thin build. He was last seen wearing a black hat, dark sunglasses, a black long-sleeve shirt, black backpack, and blue jeans.

Anyone with information is asked to call 530.542.6100 or Secret Witness at 530.541.6800.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

·      “Color the Tahoe Rim Trail” is a book now available by the South Shore’s Jared Manninen. Go online for details and to order one.

·       Deadlines for Christmas delivery of mail to U.S. Military and APO/FPO depend on the destination. For most destinations, the following cutoff dates apply: Priority packages and first-class cards and letters is Dec. 9, while priority express mail is Dec. 16.

·       Cash Only Band will play at Whiskey Dick’s in South Lake Tahoe for free on Dec. 17. Doors open at 9pm.

·       Tahoe Donner’s 11th annual tree lighting ceremony is Nov. 26. The Light Up the Night event is from 6-8pm at the Lodge Restaurant & Pub.

·       Sierraville Ranger District on the Tahoe National Forest is selling 400 Christmas tree cutting permits. Permits are $10. One tree per permit with a limit of two permits per household. For more info, call 530.994.3401.

This fire season cameras on mountaintops in the basin provided either fire discovery, early intelligence and/or situational awareness for more than 30 wildfires in Lake Tahoe.

Another 50 fires were detected in the region.

AlertTahoe is a mountaintop fire camera system started by UNR and now supported by the Tahoe Prosperity Center.

The system is designed, built and maintained by the UNR’s Seismological Laboratory. It features 15 cameras that circle Lake Tahoe and stretches north of Truckee, south to Carson City, west toward Placerville, and out into the Northern Nevada Great Basin mountain ranges, where another eight cameras are operated in conjunction with the Bureau of Land Management.

Another seven HD cameras will go live in and around the Lake Tahoe Basin before next fire season thanks to fundraising spearheaded by the Tahoe Prosperity Center. Zephyr Cove, Alpine Meadows, Martis Peak, Mt. Rose and Bald Mountain are some of the future locations.

“There was about a fourfold increase over the number of fires monitored from last year, due mostly to more cameras as well as increased fire activity near the South Shore area of Lake Tahoe,” Graham Kent, director of the seismological lab, said in a press release.

The cameras are used by wildland firefighting agencies for quicker, more efficient responses. Traditionally, fire managers would send planes to spot and monitor fires, which takes time and resources.

Significant progress was made this building season on what will be a 3-plus mile bike path from the south end of Incline Village to Sand Harbor State Park.

The project is part of the larger Stateline-to-Stateline path.

The north section will take three seasons to complete and also includes stormwater improvements.

This year an underpass was built beneath Highway 28 to bring the upcoming shared use path from the east to west side of the road near the Flume Trail. Work also began on the three parking areas located near the Ponderosa Ranch and Tunnel Creek Café. This year’s efforts also included the relocation of a sewer pipe near Hidden Beach.

The next phases will also include enhanced roadside drainage inlets, sediment filtration systems and erosion control.

By Thomas Moore, Las Vegas Sun

In the early 1980s, a battle was fought and lost in the casinos of Las Vegas and Atlantic City. The result, said two experts at the Cutting Edge Table games conference at the Flamingo Las Vegas this week, was that slot machines won the high ground on the casino floor.

“1984. What does that year mean to us?” Michael A. Meczka, president of Meczka Marketing Research Consulting, said during a session titled “We Have Met the Enemy: It is Us!” “In 1984, across Nevada and Atlantic City, it was the year when slot revenue began to exceed table revenue.”

Corporate ownership may be more to blame for the decline of table games — and also diminishing gambling revenue — than any generational shift if the arguments of Meczka and other speakers on Tuesday, the second day of the conference, hold any weight.

Read the whole story

What a difference one mile makes.

The Homewood bike trail connection is done. And while it is not very long, what it does is link sections to make a more contiguous route along the West Shore.

A consortium came together for funding purposes. It is now up to the Tahoe City Public Utility District to maintain the trail as part of its 20 miles of trails.

The new segment goes from Cherry Street to Homewood Mountain Resort. It ends at Sugar Pine Point State Park. One day the path will connect to Meeks Bay.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

The Truckee Community Christmas nonprofit organization has provided help in the form of a large box of food items, grocery store gift cards, toys and coats for more than 25 years to individuals and families identified as the most in need during the holiday season.

This program, which vets recipients and depends on the generosity of locals, will benefit several hundred Truckee families, teenage moms and their babies and low-income or homebound seniors again this year.

There are a number of ways to help:

• Look for food collection barrels placed at Save Mart beginning the Saturday after Thanksgiving and donate non-perishable food items;
• Collection bins for toys can be found at banks, real estate offices, schools, homeowners’ association clubhouses, and businesses around town;
• Warm, clean, gently used winter coats may be dropped off at Church of the Mountains in downtown Truckee and Tahoe Forest Church on Hirschdale Road;
• Donors may also provide necessities for seniors, whose wishes are often easy to fulfill and whose gratitude is always abundant. Gratitudes in downtown Truckee is coordinating senior gift donations.

In addition to goods and services, help is needed to sort, pack and wrap donated items at the SELS school gym on Donner Pass Road on Dec. 15-16. The food drive needs assistance from volunteers too.

For those who prefer to give a tax-deductible contribution, checks may be mailed to Truckee Community Christmas, PO Box 2955, Truckee, CA 96160 or go online.

For more info, call 530.587.2757.

By Rick Gross

For many of us, the holiday season is a time of joy and rest. However, planning for the season’s festivities can feel hectic and create financial stress. According to the Consumer Reports National Research Center, top holiday stressors for Americans include gift shopping, crowds and long lines, traveling and taking on some level of debt.

Rick Gross

So how can you give generously but not go overboard on your budget? Here are five ways to keep your cash outlays in check while still having a fun and memorable holiday season:

1.     Set a budget

One way to keep tabs on what you spend during the season is to set a limit and try to stick with it. Start by looking at what you spent last year and use that as a baseline for this season. Did you spend more or stay on budget? While gifts and travel may the first items that come to mind, also consider what you’ll spend on food, decorations, charitable giving and traditions, such as sending holiday cards.

2.     Use your credit card wisely

Gifts, travel and festive meals can add up. If you are going to charge expenses over the holidays, try to spend at a level that enables you to pay the bill when it arrives. Otherwise you’re “borrowing” the money by using your credit card and slowly paying down the debt you’ve accumulated with high interest costs. If you have multiple credit cards, think about using one for holiday purchases that will give you cash back for savings or airline miles for an additional perk.

3.     Focus on more than the price tag

Most of us would appreciate a smaller but more meaningful gift over something expensive that we will likely regift. One way to do this is to give experiences that create memories. For example, consider bringing your family to a holiday play or making reservations for a special dinner you can enjoy together. If you have a large family that tends to give gifts to each other, you could suggest drawing names to make the process a bit less demanding on everyone.

4.     Shop carefully

Getting a head start on gift buying usually results in savings. It gives you time to explore options and compare prices from different retailers. Planning ahead can also help you avoid expensive costs for rush shipping. If you’re an online shopper, consider sending gifts directly to the recipient’s home so you won’t have to ship the gift a second time. If you prefer to shop at the mall, look up each item online while waiting in line to checkout. Many stores have a price-match policy, so it’s worth your time to do your research.

5.     Consider an alternative to a pricey party

If you typically host a seasonal bash for a bunch of friends, consider another option – inviting that group to volunteer together instead. Contact your favorite charity or search volunteer sites such as All For Good (allforgood.org) to find opportunities that would allow your group to spend time together without the big cost. If festive parties help you get in the spirit, put a spin on tradition by asking guests to bring their favorite holiday dish or suggesting a round-robin dinner. With either option you’ll enjoy the party without the big price tag.

If you feel like you’ve overspent in the past, look at this holiday season as an opportunity to be creative as you find ways to have fun while keeping your spending in line.

Rick Gross is a financial advisor and private wealth advisor with Ameriprise Financial Services in South Lake Tahoe. He specializes in fee-based financial planning and asset management strategies and has been in practice for 20 years. 

By Benjamin Spillman, Reno Gazette-Journal

A proposal to dramatically upgrade resort offerings in Squaw Valley won approval by the Placer County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday on a 4-1 vote.

The proposal by Squaw Valley Ski Holdings, which owns Squaw Valley Resort, is a plan with multiple, village-style developments with new hotel rooms, restaurants, retail, condominiums, time shares and an indoor water park or mountain adventure center.

The project, which would take as many as 25 years to build, has divided much of the Lake Tahoe community between people who see it as an important step forward for the iconic winter resort that hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics and others who see it as a blight on some of the most scenic and lucrative real estate in the Lake Tahoe area.

“I meditated on this process for days and I relied on my head and my heart and my gut to make this decision today,” Supervisor Jennifer Montgomery said of her “no” vote.

Read the whole story

By Jane Ann Morrison, Las Vegas Review-Journal

If you had a photographic memory, how would you use it?

Robert Griffin could have used his relatively rare skill to count cards in Nevada casinos. Instead, he used it to identify card counters and stop cheaters.

Beverly Griffin, his former wife and his partner in Griffin Investigations, told how Bob Griffin’s abilities pinpointed card counters and identified cheaters as far back as 1967, when he began his business with her, a venture she still runs.

Griffin died Oct. 9 at age 88, but his passing received scant attention. His fourth wife didn’t do an obituary. But Beverly, his third wife, reached out to me, thinking he deserved attention as a trailblazer in Las Vegas’ gaming reaching back to the Howard Hughes era.

Griffin Investigations’ most notable investigation was helping identify a team of young and mostly Asian card counters from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that took casinos for millions in the 1980s.

Read the whole story