By Kathryn Reed

The parties being sued by MV Transportation have until next week to file motions to dismiss.

They all intend to.

MV is suing the agencies that made up the now bankrupt South Tahoe Area Transit Authority. After a March hearing in Reno bankruptcy court much of the Fairfield company’s case was dismissed, while other aspects were allowed to be amended. MV now has four cases of action against the member agencies.

Individual board members had been named in the original lawsuit. In MV’s amended complaint filed May 20 that aspect of the suit has been dropped.

“In general they are rehashing the same allegations as before,” South Lake Tahoe City Attorney Patrick Enright said of the amended complaint. This complaint, though, tries to say the member agencies of STATA are responsible for former transit administrator John Andoh’s fiscal actions or inactions. Andoh is not named in the suit.

With STATA’s main asset being the nearly $700,000 in a court ordered frozen bank account, MV wants to recoup the nearly $2 million it believes it is owed via the member agencies.

But the contention of STATA members is it was a legitimate nonprofit that should be held responsible and not the member agencies.

Those member agencies that are defendants in the lawsuit are now asking the bankruptcy judge to convert the matter from a Chapter 11 filing to Chapter 7.

Enright said this is so the court will liquidate the assets and pay the creditors. MV is owed the largest sum, with attorney Mike McLaughlin (STATA attorney)  and TRPA (for office rent) owed significant sums. South Lake Tahoe is owed about $30,000 by STATA for rent of the bus garage. If Chapter 7 is granted, it’s likely all creditors would be paid a percentage of the assets.

The defendants have until June 23 to file the motion to dismiss. After that, the bankruptcy judge is expected to hear the latest round of arguments in August.

On June 18 in the arena at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds, WGAS Motorsports Entertainment presents the Truck Pull & Extreme Free Style Moto X Spectacular with shows at 2pm and 7pm.

Founded more than 30 years ago by John Borba, who grew up on a dairy farm in Central California, WGAS is now based in Cool and is California’s leader in tractor and truck pulling events. Fans can expect to see 4X4 truck pulls from street to super stock classes. Plus, professional free style riders Jeff Griffin and Garrett Allf will perform “sick tricks and back flips” on motocross motorcycles, just like in the X Games.

Monster Truck rides will be offered in conjunction with the show at the El Dorado County Fair in Placerville. Ticket holders to the 2pm show can take a free Monster Truck ride from 1-2pm on June 18. Rides will also be offered after each show and before the 7pm show for $5.

Admission to the 2pm show is $12 for adults and $8 for juniors. Admission to the 7pm show is $15 for adults and $9 for juniors; entry to the fair is included.

The 2011 El Dorado County Fair is June 16 to 19 in Placerville. For more information, call (530) 621.5860.

Publisher’s note: This editorial is from the June 12, 2011, Sacramento Bee.

Unusual, to be sure. But ever so necessary. Former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt took off the gloves and aimed a one-two combo at House Republicans and President Barack Obama on environmental issues.

Babbitt’s well-rounded attack last week was richly deserved. Others should follow his example. It is time for a parade of people to stand up publicly in defense of the nation’s public lands and water resources.

House Republicans, Babbitt noted, have “declared war on our land, water and natural resources.”

This description is no exaggeration, as seen in the words and actions of the California House delegation, who are leaders of the extremist anti-environmental charge.

The troika of Reps. Devin Nunes of Visalia, Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield and Jeff Denham of Atwater are sponsoring a bill, House Resolution 1837, that would radically alter water law and policy in California and upend years of progress in resolving California’s water wars.

HR 1837 would explicitly repeal the two-decades-in-the-making settlement among various interests to restore fisheries and flows to the dewatered San Joaquin River. The bill also would undermine the historic bipartisan legislation in 2009 to find solutions for the Bay-Delta.

Read the whole story

By Cathy Locke, Sacramento Bee

El Dorado Transit will provide free parking and shuttle service for the 2011 El Dorado County Fair from June 16-19.

Shuttles will operate from 11:30am to midnight June 16 and 17, 9:30am to midnight June 18 and from 11:30am to 10:30pm June 19.

Read the whole story

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is continuing to enforce the expanded closure of the Meyers Landfill site and surrounding area while construction takes place.

The expanded closure, implemented in November 2010, is meant to protect the public from the hazards of heavy equipment operations, in addition to preventing potential exposure to contaminated materials which may be encountered during remedy construction activities.

The Meyers Landfill was a municipal landfill operated by El Dorado County under a Forest Service special use permit from 1955-71.

Groundwater beneath the site has been impacted by water leaching through the decomposing landfill waste.

For more information on the Meyers Landfill Site, including a map of the closure, go online.

A handful of the 16 retiring employees of Lake Tahoe Unified School District attended the June 14 board meeting where they were recognized for their collective 437 years of service.

The Lake Tahoe Educational Foundation presented them with a certificate for dinner and the board gave them each a plaque.

Retirees and the years they worked in LTUSD are:

Bob Anderson 1985-2011

Jerry Carter 1984-2011

Jill Carter 1984-2011

Pamela Fritz 1979-2011

Karlene Larkin 1988-2011

Sue O’Connor 1978-2011

Dianne Salzenstein 1979-2011

Charna Silver 1991-93, 2000-11

Judy Simmons 1971-2011

Jim Watson 1984-2011

Bob Caven 1991-2010

Susan Denhart 1984-2010

Patty Ellis-Magana 1988-2011

Bobby Jones 1975-2011

Cindy Sprinkles-Gibson 1987-2011.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Longtime South Lake Tahoe businessman Bob Maloff died June 2.

Mr. Maloff was 90.

Mr. Maloff was in the hotel business most of his career.

He was in business for more than 50 years with George Achilles Karadanis. The two men developed and operated the Lake Tahoe Inn and Timber Cove Lodge. Mr. Maloff in 2007 was going to sell Timber Cove Lodge to Randy Lane. However, the assessor’s office lists Karadanis Maloff Investments as the current owner.

In 1975, the business partners opened the Sundowner Hotel and Casino in Reno, which Mr. Karadanis operated.

The two bought the Mapes Hotel in Reno in 1988, but never opened it. They sold it to the city of Reno in 1996.

Mr. Maloff and Mr. Karadanis built shopping centers and apartment complexes in Reno and Sacramento.

Besides being a successful businessman who kept working until he died, Mr. Maloff was an avid bridge player. He and his friends played at Edgewood Tahoe.

Mr. Maloff is survived by his wife, Lisa of South Lake Tahoe.

Mr. Maloff in interred at Happy Homestead Cemetery in South Lake Tahoe.

Nevada State Parks invites the public to a weekend of free historic events at Mormon Station State Historic Park in Genoa.

June 18 is Pioneer Living History Day with the Sierra Nevada and Truckee Meadows Mormon Pioneers from 10am-4pm.

Learn how to make rope and corn-husk dolls, watch Dutch-oven cooking demonstrations, have children play pioneer games, see tools used by early pioneers and enjoy the cannon, muskets and black powder rifles fired each hour, on the hour throughout the day.

For more information, contact the park at (775) 782.2590.

Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy a day at the park. Visit the log-cabin museum and see an 1862 Light Cavalry sword on display for the first time in more than 40 years. Admission to the museum is $1 for adults; children 12 and under are free.

Farmers’ market coupons are available for people 60 and older who meet certain income guidelines. Coupons are good at all authorized farmers’ markets.

Distribution of coupons will be June 21 form 8am-11am at the American Legion Hall parking lot, 2732 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe.

For more information, call (530) 621.6369.