Truckee police officers are looking for the driver of a vehicle who cut in front of a bicyclist, causing him to crash and sustain injuries.

The incident occurred July 19 at 2:20pm on Highway 89 at the Henness Road roundabout near the Henness Flats Apartments. The bicyclist was riding through the roundabout when a vehicle pulled in front of him. The bike rider hit the curb while trying to avoid the vehicle.

The cyclist was wearing a helmet. He was taken to Tahoe Forest Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Officers are looking for other witnesses to interview in a quest to track down the driver who left the scene.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Angelo Bozin

Tim Jacobsen

Mark Graham

Three men, including one from South Lake Tahoe, are accused of stealing more than $100,000 worth of lift tickets from Heavenly Mountain Resort.

Angelo Bozin, 25, of South Lake Tahoe, Tim Jacobsen, 21, of Minden, and Mark Graham, 20, of Gardnerville face felony embezzlement, theft, possession of stolen property and conspiracy charges.

Heavenly on March 10 reported 1,100 ski pass vouchers were missing from lodges on the Nevada side. The ski passes are valued at $120 each, with a total possible value of $116,520. The stolen vouchers were being redeemed at Kirkwood, Heavenly and Northstar – all resorts owned by Vail Resorts.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Two 1-acre fires in South Lake Tahoe have been contained, though crews at 6pm Tuesday were still working to fully extinguish them.

The first started about 3pm July 19 near Montreal Road on U.S. Forest Service property. This area is notorious for homeless camps. However, officials have not released the cause of the blaze.

A spot fire started about one-quarter mile away in Van Sickle Bi-state Park.

It has been windy all day, adding to the threat the fire could rapidly spread.

A smaller spot fire was reported at 5:30pm, according to Lisa Herron with the Forest Service.

At one point two helicopters were helping douse the flames. Crews from the USFS, South Lake Tahoe, Lake Valley, Tahoe Douglas and CalFire were at the scene.

Herron said personnel have started to be released, signaling the situation is under control.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Michael Doyle, McClatchy News Service

California has a stake in a sprawling public lands package moving through the Senate, including controversial water provisions that don’t even name the state.

The package includes expanding one national historic site honoring famed conservationist John Muir and designating a new historic site at the former Tule Lake camp that housed Japanese-Americans during World War II. Both proposals easily won approval Wednesday from a Senate panel.

A Western water bill inevitably is proving far trickier, squeaking through the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on a 12-10 vote and facing an uncertain future.

Read the whole story

By Martin Wisckol, Orange County Register

California’s delegates to the GOP convention are all loyal Trump supporters. But if any needed a refresher on how to give a sales pitch for a controversial candidate they might not always agree with, Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Garden Valley, offered a deft approach at Monday’s delegation breakfast.

“There’s only one candidate I’ve agreed with 100 percent,” said McClintock, a conservative favorite who is regularly ranked in the top echelon by anti-tax and small government groups. “And that’s me.”

McClintock came as close as you can come to calling Donald Trump the next Ronald Reagan without actually mentioning Trump’s name in the same breath.

“It’s been that long since I’ve been this excited about a nominee.”

Read the whole story

·       For the first time in three years, the Thunderbird will be in the water. The vessel will be at the South Tahoe Wooden Boat Classic at the Tahoe Keys Marina in South Lake Tahoe on July 29-30.

·       One-way traffic controls for pavement rehabilitation work on Highway 89 between Squaw Valley Road and West River Street in Truckee are anticipated to result in traffic delays. Pavement grinding work will take place from 6am-5pm through July 21.

·       Blues guitarist Joe Lewis Walker will be in Olympic Valley on Aug. 16 at 6pm. The concert is free.

·      El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency is presenting a six-week Powerful Tools for Caregivers series from Aug. 24-Sept. 28, 1:30-3pm at the senior center located at 937 Spring Street in Placerville. Class size is limited and registration is required. The training series is offered at no cost; donations are accepted. Call 530.621.6192.

·      The Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program is looking for a part-time volunteer counselor for South Lake Tahoe. For more info, contact Emily Haines at 916.375.3761 or ehaines@hicapservices.net

The FBI is seeking information to identify a man believed to have robbed four banks, including one in Stateline.

He is known as the Bandaged Bandit because he has made an effort to conceal his face by affixing bandages to his nose, chin, and other areas of his face and arms.

The Bandaged Bandit is wanted in four bank robberies.

The robberies were:

•  June 29, U.S. Bank located at 229 Kingsbury Grade, Stateline;
• July 1, Chase Bank located at 2215 Francisco Drive, El Dorado Hills;
• July 14, Wells Fargo located at 3935 Park Drive, El Dorado Hills;
• July 15, U.S. Bank located at 1850 Prairie City Road, Folsom.

The caucasian suspect is believed to be in his 20s or 30s, has blonde hair, is between 5-feet-8 to 5-feet-10 inches, with a large build.

The man approached the tellers with either a demand note or made a verbal demand for cash while threatening that he had a weapon. After receiving undisclosed amounts of money, the subject fled the locations on foot.

Individuals with information about this man may call 800.885.5984). Tips may also be submitted online.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

 Researchers believe tidal forces play a role in the timing of small, deep earthquakes along the San Andreas fault. Photo/U.S. Geological Survey

By Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times

The gravitational tug between the sun and moon is not just a dance of high and low tides: It can also trigger a special kind of earthquake on the San Andreas fault.

This phenomenon has fascinated scientists for years. Like sea levels, the surface of the Earth also goes up and down with the tides, flexing the crust and stressing the faults inside. Further study found that during certain phases of the tidal cycle, small tremors deep underground – known as low-frequency earthquakes – were more likely to occur.

“It’s kind of crazy, right? That the moon, when it’s pulling in the same direction that the fault is slipping, causes the fault to slip more – and faster,” said Nicholas van der Elst, a U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist and lead author of a new study on the subject published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “What it shows is that the fault is super weak – much weaker than we would expect – given that there’s 20 miles of rock sitting on top of it.”

Read the whole story

Jill Brigham, executive director of the UC Davis Sustainable Wine & Food Processing Center, is coming to Tahoe to talk about the science of wine and the technologies developed for sustainable wine production.

The program will begin at 6pm on Aug. 24, with refreshments and no-host bar from 5:30-6pm at 291 Country Club Drive in Incline Village. This is on the campus of Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village..

Seating is open at 5:3opm to guests who have preregistered, open seating starts at 5:50 p.m., and the program begins at 6pm. A $5 suggested donation will be collected at the door.

For more information or directions call 775.881.7566.

The founder of the town of Minden — Fred Dangberg Jr. — will come to life next weekend in a Chautauqua performance.

Mike Hall will portray Dangberg on July 23 at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park.

On July 24, author Steve “Dink” Achard will discuss his book “Lost Legacy of Carson Valley”. Achard is the grandson of Dangberg.

Both events are free and start at 10am.

The park is located at 1450 Highway 88 in Minden. Bring chairs. Dogs are not allowed.