By Curtis Fong

Imagine the scenic beauty of Lake Tahoe with its crystal clear blue waters surrounded by towering majestic snow capped peaks. Imagine being able to ride a bicycle around its 72-mile shoreline or a 100-mile century ride.

On June 3, more than 3,300 bicycling enthusiasts from all over the country will participate in the 21st annual America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride around Lake Tahoe. This fun ride is not a race, but a tour and promotes the Lake Tahoe Bikeway project, the master plan to construct and inter-connect all the bike lanes around Lake Tahoe.

Curtis Fong

The event is sold out.

The ride is also the culmination of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s spring Team In Training Cycle 100 national fund raising program where 1,300-plus participants from 59 chapters and branches are participating and expect to raise more than $6.5 million.

During the past 14 years, TNT has brought nearly 19,500 participants to Lake Tahoe for America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride, bringing their total funds raised to $68.5 million.

Since its founding in 1949, the society has invested more than $750 million in research to support their mission of finding a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma and to improve the quality of life for patients and families.

Curtis Fong, in addition to being Lake Tahoe News’ ski reporter, produces America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride.

Caltrans is beginning work on Highway 89 from Tahoma to Tahoe City to upgrade stormwater drainage systems and natural gas pipelines, and improve traffic safety. Motorists are asked to allow a few minutes of extra driving time in some areas. No delays are expected during summer weekends.

Stormwater projects designed to help protect lake water quality include rehabilitating drainage and treatment systems, installing runoff collection and treatment, and adding curb and gutters.

To improve traffic safety, workers will realign the road, lower natural gas pipelines, widen shoulders to allow bicycles and places for cars to pull out of traffic, move the existing bike trail, lengthen existing left-turn pockets and continuous left turn lanes, and construct new left turn lanes at Gray Avenue, Moana Circle, McKinney Rubicon Springs Road, Ward Avenue, Sunnyside Lane, Olympic Drive (north), Granlibakken Road, and the proposed entrance to Tahoe City Transit Center.

The project will require removing some trees to improve driver visibility and provide wider shoulders. Caltrans worked closely with TRPA, Placer County, the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board and the California Tahoe Conservancy to develop plans that preserve as many trees as possible while also achieving the necessary environmental and safety improvements.

Construction is funded by stormwater improvement funds, and will last through five construction seasons until October 2016.

On June 8, the Truckee Elementary Parent Teacher Organization is bring “The Deckheads” to The Lodge at Tahoe Donner to raise money to benefit the students of Truckee and Glenshire elementary schools.

The Spring Fever fundraiser is from 7pm to midnight. It includes hors d’oeuvres from the chefs at The Lodge, live music under the tent from The Deckheads, raffle items, a live auction and dancing to midnight.

Tickets are available at Wild Cherries and Truckee and Glenshire elementary schools. Cost is $30 per person in advance; $35 at the door.

Need a sitter? For $20/child, drop your child at Trout Creek anytime after 6pm on the night of the event. Kids will be treated to an evening of pizza, movies, swimming, games, arts and crafts. Pickup is by 11pm.

River Ranch Restaurant will donate 30 percent of food bills to the Truckee Donner Land Trust on June 7.

Reservations (530.583.4264)must be made at least a day in advance, and be sure to tell the reservationist that you are dining for the Truckee Donner Land Trust.

The event is from 6-9pm.

The restaurant is on Highway 89 at Alpine Meadows Road.

Join UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center researchers for an open house at the Tahoe City Field Station at 2400 Lake Forest Road from 10am-2pm June 2.

Tour the historic building, talk to scientists about their work, and learn something about Lake Tahoe.

The UC Davis Tahoe City Field Station has evolved from its origins as a state fish hatchery to a field station for UC Davis researchers at Lake Tahoe. The Field Station houses the Eriksson Education Center, native plant demonstration garden, a small laboratory facility, and the equipment necessary for researchers to boat on, dive in, and scientifically examine Lake Tahoe.

The living laboratory and demonstration garden of native plants surrounding the Field Station provide visitors an opportunity to learn about truly “green” gardening.

Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the Eriksson Education Center offers visitors an opportunity to explore the facility at their pace with self-guided tours between 8am and 6pm daily. Volunteer docents are available on Saturdays from 10am-2pm for guided tours and hands-on science activities.

Finally — T.J. Maxx is starting to hire for its South Lake Tahoe store.

While the opening has long been delayed because of on going negotiations between the discount retail chain and the owners of the building at the Y, that appears to be history.

The Massachusetts-based company is starting by looking for a manager and assistant manager for the store. How many people will ultimately be hired is not known because officials at the company’s headquarters could not be reached. It is still unknown when the store will open as well.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Cy Ryan, Las Vegas Sun

CARSON CITY — The Nevada Tax Commission has denied the petition of Caesars Entertainment for a refund of $31 million paid on complimentary meals for gamblers and employees.

The $31 million is a tentative figure as the commission will decide next month if the state is barred in retaining part of the amount by the statute of limitations.

After an extended hearing Monday, Commissioner David Turner said the decision of the administrative law judge should be upheld, rejecting the petition of Caesars.

Commission Chairman Bob Barengo indicated an appeal to the court would probably be made. After the decision, he told Caesars lawyer Norman Azevedo, “I understand you will want to appeal.” Azevedo declined comment after the hearing.

The Nevada Supreme Court in 2008 said the state could not impose the use tax on the free meals provided by casinos to players. But it said the sales tax could be imposed.

This has opened a controversy, and the first payments of the sales tax are due June 1.

Read the whole story

By Northern Nevada Business Weekly

The amount that Nevada workers earned per week showed signs of improvement in 2011, another indication that the state’s economy is in on the mend, said Bill Anderson, chief economist for Nevada’s Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

Wages in Nevada averaged $829 per week in 2011, which represents a gain of 1.3 percent compared to 2010’s $818 average weekly wage. Gains in each of the first three quarters of the year were only partially offset by some sluggishness in the final months of the year.

Average weekly wages declined in both 2009 and 2010 before reversing course last year.

Anderson noted that the rising in wages comes at a time that unemployment is trending down in the state, job growth is slightly positive and initial claims for unemployment insurance are down.

Still, Anderson noted that the 1.3 percent gain in wages last year wasn’t enough to keep pace a 3.2 percent increase in consumer prices last year.

By Carlos Alcalá, Sacramento Bee

The high-noon showdown involving guns and El Dorado County judge candidates has been canceled, but not because anyone was chicken and ran for the hills.

The El Dorado Rod and Gun Club, which was to have been the venue for the shooting challenge Saturday, put a stop to it, saying it didn’t want to want to give the impression that it might be endorsing a winner.

“It doesn’t really fit in. Our policy is never to endorse anyone,” said Rob Charny, club president.

The competition between Superior Court judge candidates Warren Stracener, Joseph Hoffman and Stephen Valentine had been scheduled as part of a “Celebration of the Second Amendment” by the Tea Party in the Hills.

Read the whole story

Michaela Vandenberg, the South Lake Tahoe woman who went missing Tuesday morning, has been located.

South Lake Tahoe police officers said no foul play was involved in her disappearance. She was not hurt.

Officers are not releasing any more details.

 — Lake Tahoe News staff report