Publisher’s note: It is not known how the ruling will affect operations at the old Bill’s Casino in Stateline.

By Richard N. Velotta, Las Vegas Sun

The Nevada Gaming Commission on Thursday amended its regulation for licensing small casinos, placing more requirements on establishments like the Dotty’s chain.

The amended regulation will require slot parlors like Dotty’s to build new amenities within two years to maintain their licenses.

Dotty’s caters primarily to women who don’t like traditional bars and taverns.

Under terms of the revised Regulation 3.015, licensees will now be required to have a permanent bar with seating for at least nine customers, a contract or service agreement with a licensed liquor distributor and facilities to serve alcohol by the drink, and a restaurant of at least 2,000 square feet with seating for at least 20 customers. Establishments also must be open at least 12 hours a day, if the company wants to have more than four slot machines. With a restricted license for small operations, companies can have up to 15 slots.

Representatives of Dotty’s, the company that has been linked to the debate, haven’t indicated what their next move will be. When Clark County passed an ordinance listing similar requirements, the company filed a lawsuit.

Dotty’s chief operating officer, Michael Eide, estimated remodeling its 60 properties in the chain could cost the company $6 million.

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A motor home fire is now a massive blaze on the outskirts of Yosemite National Park that has caused the closure of one of the main entrances to the park.

Highway 40 was closed Thursday night after the fire started earlier that day. Travelers may call (209) 372.0200 for information. The fire is outside the park in the Sierra National Forest.

More than 1,000 acres in steep terrain had burned in a matter of hours.

The town of El Portal was not threatened, but residents occupying the two dozen homes in the community of Florea are on a voluntary evacuation.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Next week South Tahoe High School will be playing a night game on its new football field. With the blue and gold Viking emblem encircled at the 50-yard line and the word Vikings in gold on a Tahoe blue end zone, the field looks nothing like what it did at graduation in June.

It has a professional feel about it. Good thing because next near minor league football games will be played on that field.

STHS football games will be played on a new field under lights. Photos/Heavenly Mountain Resort

Helping pull all of this off before the first home game on Sept. 2 was a $20,000 donation from Heavenly Mountain Resort and the South Tahoe Alliance of Resorts.

The organizations joined players, cheerleaders and other officials on the field Thursday to commemorate what is being called Friday Night Lights. Besides the field being overhauled, lights are the biggie. Last year rented light standards proved night games would be a draw.

South Tahoe Vikings Booster Club and South Tahoe High School are offering a season pass that includes all regular season Viking home athletic events. The fee directly benefits athletic programs at South Tahoe High School.

For more information about different plans, contact Debra Goodyear at (530) 544.4204 or sthsbclub@gmail.com.

Viking Stadium looks nothing like it did just two months ago.

A concern the district has is keeping the field in good condition. At the Aug. 23 school board meeting, Superintendent Jim Tarwater said people have left evidence they’ve been walking their dog on the field.

Tarwater told the board a security fence will need to be erected. This is a look at the stadium fencing plan.

TRPA required a fence be installed on the hill.

Three entry-point gates will be open during school day, when events are going and will otherwise be locked.

Here is the 2011 STHS football schedule.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

UC Davis volunteer David Long has a variety of activities planned for kids ages 6 and up at the fish hatchery in Tahoe City on Aug. 27 from 10am-2pm.

Activities include:

• Learn fly-tying and casting

• Discuss Lake Tahoe Fisheries

• Discover native fauna and macroinvertebrates

UC Davis Tahoe City Field Station is at 2400 Lake Forest Road, Tahoe City, on the corner of Highway 28 and Lake Forest Road.

For more information, call (775) 881.7566.

By Reno Gazette-Journal

The U.S. Marshals Service announced Thursday a fugitive wanted in Montana on federal drug charges has been arrested in Incline Village.

William Ray Nelson, 56, was arrested by the Nevada Fugitive Investigative Strike Team, assisted by U.S. Postal Inspectors after an investigative lead pointed to Nelson being in Incline.

Nelson had been indicted earlier this year for conspiracy to distribute heroin. A warrant was issued for his arrest in May 2011.

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By Kathryn Reed

Fire officials are calling an early morning fire at the Bijou Center in South Lake Tahoe arson.

Ray Zachau, fire marshal for the city, told Lake Tahoe News, “It was definitely a deliberate act.”

The cause is not being released. He and other officials were still at the scene at 3:30pm – about 12 hours after the 911 call was made.

Employees of Tahoe Wellness Collective alerted officials to the fire, but no one at the dispensary Thursday afternoon had been there during the fire so no one would comment.

Liz Hallen, who owns Hot Gossip in the center, said she was alerted about the fire from her employee who was trying to open the coffee shop at 7am. Police told her it was a crime scene and the opening would be delayed. (She eventually opened at 8:30am.)

The fire started on the exterior of La Promesa, four doors from Hot Gossip.

Josy Garnillo, owner of the bakery, said officers came to her house about 5am. She didn’t answer because she was sleeping. She wasn’t aware of the fire until arriving at work Thursday at 9am.

“Water did come inside the building,” Garnillo said. That was all cleaned up in time for La Promesa to open at its regular time of 10am.

Zachau said the four sprinklers that went off helped save the building.

Hallen said the sprinklers were not going to put out the fire, which is why she’s glad people work late at the marijuana collective.

“We were lucky they were here, otherwise the building would have burned down,” Hallen said.

An estimate on the dollar value of the damage won’t be available until at least Friday. All businesses were open Thursday – some just opened later than usual.

Zachau said as of late Thursday afternoon no arrests had been made, but officials want to question some possible suspects.

By Jim Sanders, Sacramento Bee

Assemblyman Roger Dickinson does not plan to release his office budget without a nod from Assembly leaders.

The Sacramento Democrat, noting that Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez is creating a task force to consider updating disclosure policies, said, “I’m going to respect that process.”

Republican Assemblywoman Beth Gaines of Roseville said she supports disclosing budgets for all 80 members. She doesn’t want to release hers, however, unless the entire house does so.

Meanwhile, tough luck for Californians who want to know if Assembly members are exceeding their budgets in a year of fiscal distress.

None of eight capital-area Assembly members argued that office records should be kept confidential, but only one – Dan Logue – has agreed to join a handful of colleagues in bucking Pérez by disclosing their spending immediately.

“The bottom line is, it’s the people’s money,” said Logue, R-Linda.

Logue released his office’s expenditures for the year thus far, $262,795. Unlike some colleagues, however, he did not release projections for coming months that would show whether he’ll end the year with a surplus or deficit.

The Assembly currently waits 12 months after the end of each legislative year to release a list of each lawmaker’s expenditures by category. This year’s statistics, for example, will be unveiled after Thanksgiving week of 2012.

Bob Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies, said the Assembly’s longtime practice of releasing year-old spending summaries each Nov. 30 curtails public interest. “It’s past, it’s old, and they do it at a time when they’re out of session,” he said.

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Members and junior volunteers from Lake Tahoe Boys & Girls Club were among those honored at last week’s Lake Tahoe Environmental Summit.

Joining legislative dignitaries on the podium were teen members Serina Pichinono, Aria D’Aintree, and Rebekah Miller. The girls were honored for their collaborative art collage depicting what they like about living at Lake Tahoe.

Also joining the ranks of being honored for her art piece was Boys & Girls Club junior volunteer and South Lake Tahoe Youth Commissioner Krisha Penolar.

Lake Tahoe youth are honored at the environmental summit by politicians like Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev. Photo/LTN

Fourth-grade member Paisley D’Aintree also attended the event.

The Boys & Girls Club submitted more than 30 art pieces created by members ages 5-18. All of the pieces were displayed for the attendees of the summit at Homewood.

The girls all received recognition and a certificate from Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Govs. Jerry Brown and Brian Sandoval.

The Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe has numerous programs and activities that empower young people to get involved in their community, leadership and stewardship of Lake Tahoe. Being honored at the summit is one example of the experiences that they might not otherwise have had.

To learn more about the Boys & Girls Club, go online.

The California Arts Council is giving Tahoe Arts Project a 2010-11 Creating Public Value grant worth $7,500.

The grant was given to support and expand participation in performing arts programs for K-12 students and public performances for residents and tourists in South Lake Tahoe. Funds support more than 5,000 K-12 students and more than 3,000 residents and tourists who attend the organization’s public performances.

TAP was one of 87 organizations that submitted a proposal.

Chris Isaak at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe on Oct. 1 at 7:30pm.

Tickets are $69.

For tickets or more information, call 800.786.8208.