The two people who police believe started last week’s fire at the Bijou Center in South Lake Tahoe were caught on other surveillance tape.

The two men are on video taken at MontBleu casino in Stateline attending the Atmosphere concert on Aug. 24.

Early the next morning the fire was started at the back corner of the shopping center. Sprinklers and people working late in the center who called 911 helped keep the flames to the exterior of the building.

Officers are looking for this man.

Police want to speak with this man.

“It’s unknown if it was specifically targeted or a random act,” South Lake Tahoe police Detective Doug Sentell told Lake Tahoe News.

It is also unknown if the two wanted for questioning are local or from out of town.

Regarding the suspect in the second photo, his T-shirt has a drawing of a marijuana leaf on the front and a larger marijuana leaf on the back of the shirt tail. The wording across the top front of the shirt is hard to make out but looks like it says “West Side”, according to Sentell.

The fire started when a liquid accelerant was poured into a trash can before being lighted, according to authorities.

If you recognize the people in the photos or have information on this incident, call Detective Doug Sentell at (530) 542.6100 or call Secret Witness at (530) 541-6800 to remain anonymous.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By KGW-TV

YAKIMA, Wash. — Police have a “person of interest” who they want to question in the case of a woman missing since she attended the Rainbow Family Gathering in Skamania County last July.

Marie Hanson of South Lake Tahoe vanished after attending what she had described as a “peace rally” in the remote Washington forest on July 6.

Police are looking for this man.

In the latest twist in her missing person case, police on Wednesday released a sketch of a man they described as around 45-years old, with a thin build, and around 5’8″ tall who carried a cane. They said he was last seen leaving the forest with Hanson on July 6, wearing a duster-type jacket, several rings, and many silver necklaces with medalions. (See police sketch above.)

At least one witness has come forward, describing the mystery man to police. Police have urged anyone with additional information to call detective Tim Garrity with the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office at (509) 427.9490.

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South Lake Tahoe Women’s Center’s 12th annual Sunset Gala Bali Bash fundraiser on Sept. 17 from 5-8pm at the Bali inspired home of Sean Degnan.

This year the women’s center will be using the home’s Bali design as a central theme for the gala. In addition to fine wines, hors d’oeuvres and desserts, classical guitar, and silent auction, the event will feature local fire dancers, tropical mixed drinks and a Most Fabulous Flip Flops contest.

Purchase tickets online for $50 each or stop by 2941 Lake Tahoe Blvd. to purchase tickets.

With the completion of the Eagle Rock trail, it means the summit is about a 20-minute hike. The popular West Shore trail offers panoramic views of Lake Tahoe.

Until now, severely eroded user-created trails had been the only means of accessing Eagle Rock. Gullies were trapping water and depositing fine sediment into Lake Tahoe via Blackwood Creek.

The Eagle Rock trail construction involved a collaborative effort between the California Tahoe Conservancy and California Conservation Corps. AmeriCorps interns assisted with post-construction refinements. The Tahoe Rim Trail Association and the U.S. Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit provided training and field assistance.

AmeriCorps volunteers work on the Eagle Rock trail.

Views from Eagle Rock. Photos/CTC

The project was funded by $77,310 in Proposition 84 money and Conservancy staff time equivalent to $25,000.

The Conservancy purchased Eagle Rock and the surrounding 54.5-acre parcel in 1987 to provide public access, recreation, and opportunities for restoration of environmentally sensitive lands. In the summer 2012, the Conservancy will begin construction of the adjacent Blackwood Creek project.

Parking is available on the south side of Eagle Rock adjacent to the new trailhead kiosk.

Updated Sept. 1: The safe is now scheduled to be open Sept. 13.

By KCRA-TV

A hidden safe found during the remodeling of a casino in South Lake Tahoe will be opened next week.

The safe — found underneath a stairway at the old Bill’s Casino — may be linked to an unsolved murder of the former owner of the casino.

The current owner of the casino, Mike Laub, said crews are scheduled to crack the safe Sept. 5.

Laub told KCRA 3 last week that he thinks the safe may have belonged to Richard Chartrand, the owner of the former Barney’s Casino, which operated in the building for more than two decades.

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9/11 – just say the two numbers and images of the Twin Towers emerge. Emotions run the gamut from the myriad memories of that day nearly 10 years ago.

Emotional scars linger. Sadness resonates. Fear is still real.

The world did change that day. Clearly, it changed for the thousands of families who lost loved ones. It changed for everyone who helped save the even greater number of people whose lives were not lost that day. It changed people on each coast of the United States and for those throughout the world.

It’s easy to argue the choices government officials made before and after the attacks. Hindsight being 20-20, perhaps other decisions may have been made.

South Lake Tahoe has lost two men fighting in the Iraq conflict. Phillip Brandon Williams, 21, who lived in Gardnerville and South Lake Tahoe, was killed by sniper fire in Iraq in 2006. Timothy M. Smith, 25, of South Lake Tahoe died in April 2008 in Baghdad of wounds sustained after his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.

Lake Tahoe News is taking the next 11 days to tell the stories of Lake Tahoe area residents and their connection to 9/11. Some of the articles are bound to trigger tears, some will open wounds once thought healed, others may make you see the event from an entirely different perspective.

We know this event brings out emotions. We hope as you consider making a comment on the various stories, you do so with respect. Next week’s question of the week will be about 9/11, giving everyone an opportunity to weigh-in. And if you have a story to share, please email it to info@LakeTahoeNews.net.

On Sept. 12 we will report on the event that is going at take place at Lake Tahoe Community College the day before. Also that day is the annual observance of Patriots Day at the American Legion in South Lake Tahoe at 11am.

Lake Tahoe News would like to thank everyone for sharing the stories that will unfold in the coming days.

Zephyr Associates Inc., a global leader in the development of analytical software tools for the financial management industry, is hosting its 17th annual client conference Sept. 13-14 at Harveys Lake Tahoe in Stateline.

Founded in 1994, the Zephyr Cove-based company is a global leader in the development of analytical software tools for the financial management industry. It also has offices in Memphis, New York and London.

The conference offers Zephyr clients a chance to experience hands-on training, real-world applications for Zephyr’s analysis products and an opportunity to connect with other financial professionals.

The conference also features in-depth statistical analysis by Zephyr research experts that explore emerging trends as well as keynote addresses that highlight how Zephyr’s tools can work in conjunction with other products and information to deliver exceptional analysis for financial professionals.

Since its inception in 2009, the UC Davis School of Medicine partnership with Tahoe Forest Health System for the university’s Rural-PRIME program continues to grow strong. To date, 16 UCD medical students have furthered their training at the Truckee facility with 11 students scheduled for the 2011 program.

Tahoe Forest was selected as the first clerkship-training site beyond Sacramento for this medical program in January 2010. UC Davis officially named Tahoe Forest its first Rural Center of Excellence.

Tahoe Forest Health System physicians train UC Davis medical students in the Rural-PRIME Program, which is designed to help increase health care access in California’s rural areas. Tahoe Forest Hospital offers medical students the opportunity to choose from a large spectrum of exceptional health care providers who have come from all over the nation, allowing for students to receive top-notch training in a rural clinical site rather than at an urban hospital. The result, according to research from rural medical programs around the nation, is more involvement with procedures and the real-world challenges for doctors who don’t have a legion of specialists at their disposal — like medical students at university health centers do.

While working with TFHS medical professionals, Rural-PRIME students receive extensive hands-on training in the use of telemedicine and simulation technology. Internationally recognized for its telemedicine program, UC Davis School of Medicine has incorporated this expertise into the Rural-PRIME program. Telemedicine is the diagnosis and treatment of patients in remote areas using video conferencing and medical information transmitted from another urban location, like Sacramento or San Francisco. In this case, information is transmitted from medical instructors at UC Davis to TFHS physicians and their visiting medical students. The use of telemedicine has been shown to improve access to specialty care in rural areas statewide and provides a valuable tool for training future rural physicians.

Health Talks, a free community health education series offered by Tahoe Forest Health System, will feature Jeffrey Dodd talking about a safer, less invasive approach to hip replacement, using the most advanced equipment.

Specializing in orthopedic surgery, Dodd is one of few orthopedic surgeons who have performed anterior hip surgery, an advanced approach to total hip surgery.

This free talk is Sept. 14 at 6pm at the Eskridge Conference Room, Tahoe Forest Hospital, 10121 Pine Ave., Truckee.

For more information, call (530) 587.3769.