U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews will continue prescribed fire operations on Kingsbury Grade near North Benjamin through June 10. In addition, operations will begin June 8 on the northwest shore of Lake Tahoe near Carnelian Bay Road in the Carnelian Bay area.

The operations at Carnelian Bay are on one small unit, approximately 4 acres, and are expected to continue through June 9.

All prescribed fire operations are dependent on weather and available staffing.

Residents and visitors can expect to see smoke from prescribed fire project areas. Smoke management is part of every prescribed fire burn plan, and efforts will be taken to reduce actual or potential smoke impacts on community areas.

This and other prescribed fire projects are designed to reduce wildfire risks to communities and critical resources.

By Kathryn Reed

It was an unlucky day for a Danville resident who allegedly robbed the El Dorado Saving Bank on Emerald Bay Road in South Lake Tahoe.

Although Kyle Facchain, 26, got out of the bank with $5,000 in cash, he never got out of the parking lot, according to officers. This is because members of the South Lake El Dorado Narcotics Enforcement Team were in the area doing surveillance – not on Facchain, but he soon became their focus.

Jeff Catchings, SLEDNET commander, said he and his guys saw Facchain driving with rubber gloves, back into a parking spot, put on a hat, sunglasses, and stuff a duffle bag under his sweat shirt before walking into the bank about 4pm June 7.

“We took the keys out of his car,” Catchings said. The suspect had left his vehicle running. “As he came back, we had our gear on and arrested him.”

As the suspect was going back to his vehicle he was ditching his clothes. Underneath what bank employees saw was a business suit, Catchings said.

“He knew what he was doing. This didn’t appear to be his first time,” Catchings said. Though, he also said he isn’t aware Facchain has any priors.

The rental vehicle Facchain was driving had false plates over the original ones, according to Catchings.

A handgun was recovered from the vehicle.

Facchain was booked into the El Dorado County Jail. South Lake Tahoe police detectives are handling the investigation. The FBI has also been called in, as is protocol with bank robberies.

Catchings wouldn’t say why SLEDNET was in the area to begin with.

A few senior citizens stand with a few bikers who stand with a family of four, including a dad in a cowboy hat and a teenager in a Led Zeppelin T-shirt, the one from the band’s ’71 tour — which happened, like, a generation before the kid was even born.

What, in the name of rock, can bring together such a disparate group of fans?

The Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Led Zeppelin, of course.

And, while it’s not possible to see the originals of these bands today, that doesn’t stop fans from coming out and it’s not stopping the folks at the El Dorado County Fair from presenting the some of the most legendary music of the rock generation, live on stage.

On June 18, the El Dorado County Fair presents a “Day On The Green” featuring three of the top tribute bands working today. The event will recreate, as close as possible, that Bill Graham inspired right-of-passage of so many teens who grew up in ’70s and ’80s.

The musical line up begins at 5pm with Fast Lane a six-piece tribute to the Eagles based out of North Texas. The band faithfully recreates all the classic hits from the Eagles’ extensive catalog, from “Take It Easy” to “Witchy Woman” and “Heartache Tonight”. Fast Lane brings a new twist to Eagles’ music by adding a female vocalist to songs like “Desperado,” “I Can’t Tell You Why,” and “Love Will Keep Us Alive.”

Next up at 7:30pm is “Skynnyn Lynnyrd Reloaded,” a band that began to take form from the moment of the tragic crash that ended the lives of Ronnie VanZant, Steve and Cassie Gains, as well as Dean Kilpatrick. This tribute band believes an American saga ended on that day in 1977, leaving a void that begs to be filled by millions of fans all over the world. It’s about the music, they say, “real, honest and often edgy.” Skynnyn Lynnyrd has stripped the music down to its finest detail and re-assembled it. Every nuance and detail is pursued with passion and determination, to be performed as if by the original band.

Last up at 10pm is “Heartbreaker,” a band the Los Angeles Times called “the best Led Zeppelin tribute act we’ve witnessed. As close to the real thing you are apt to get.” Formed in 1998 in the South Bay, fans and critics alike say Heartbreaker is the ultimate Led Zeppelin tribute band. From the wardrobe, to the musical equipment, to the nuances of onstage movement, Heartbreaker is eerily similar to the original 1970s giants of hard rock.

The Day On The Green begins at 5pm June 18 on the main stage the El Dorado County Fair and runs well into the evening with the final band taking the stage at 10pm. Bring a blanket. Admission is free with entry to the fair.

The 2011 El Dorado County Fair, themed Rockin’ & Wranglin’, takes place June 16-19 in Placerville. For more information, call (530) 621.5860.

South Lake Tahoe Fire Chief Lorenzo Gigliotti was rear-ended in his city vehicle about 4:30 Tuesday afternoon.

He was on Highway 50 stopped at the light at Tahoe Keys Boulevard headed west when he was hit by a driver in a BMW Alpina. The accident was in front of the old Broc’s Puppies store.

Occupants of the BMW that hit the fire chief's vehicle wait to be questioned by police. Photo/LTN

Gigliotti would not estimate for Lake Tahoe News how fast the driver had been going upon impact.

No one was injured.

The chief’s SUV had scratches on the back bumper. The BMW’s front end was a mess, with its coolant puddling on the highway.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Francis McCabe, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Already blacklisted from casinos, Brent Eli Morris was sentenced to eight to 20 years in prison on Monday for cheating at craps.

Morris was arrested Sept. 22 after he was spotted playing craps at Caesars Palace.

Brent Eli Morris

A District Court jury convicted the 54-year-old in March of two counts of felony commission of a fraudulent act in a gaming establishment or cheating.

In a separate trial immediately before the sentencing, Judge Jerry Tao found Morris guilty of four gross misdemeanors for entry into a gaming establishment by an excluded person. Tao also ruled Morris was a habitual criminal, a sentencing enhancement under the law that allows for a lengthier prison term.

Prosecutor Rob Stephens said Morris’ method of cheating is known as “past post betting,” meaning that after the dice had rolled, he slipped chips into winning areas on the table.

Morris was placed in the infamous Black Book, also known as the List of Excluded Persons, by the Nevada Gaming Commission in February 1994 after he served several years in the Southern Nevada Correctional Center at Indian Springs for cheating at a Lake Tahoe casino in 1989.

Read the whole story

By David Gardner, Daily Mail

An Incline Vilalge businessman has been jailed for 12 years after he was convicted of stealing $1.5 million from more than 250 customers in an eBay scam.

Darin French and his wife sold high-end home appliances on the Internet auction site and then kept the cash without sending out the products.

They used the money to finance a luxury lifestyle, buying a new $60,000 truck, a $50,000 Bayliner boat, a $5,000 stallion and tens of thousands of dollars worth of stocks and shares.

Prosecutors in Nevada said French, 40, and wife Jennifer, 38, set up an online business called ‘Look What We Got’ and advertised kitchen appliances by Sub Zero, Viking and Wolf at low, discount prices.

But although they shipped the first few stoves and refrigerators, they failed to send merchandise out to about 250 clients after receiving their victims’ money.

They claimed they were authorized dealers, set up various eBay accounts and gave themselves fake positive feedback to make it appear they were trustworthy to potential buyers, according to prosecutors at Reno Federal District Court.

Read the whole story

Dennis Franks, one-time owner of the now closed Broc’s Puppies stores in South Lake Tahoe and Carson City, failed to appear for his June 6 arraignment in El Dorado County Superior Court.

A bench warrant has been issued and the case held over to June 23.

“If he fails to appear then, the warrant will go live,” Assistant District Attorney Hans Uthe told Lake Tahoe News.

Franks was supposed to originally appear in May, but at that time he told the court he had car trouble and could not make it.

Franks is charged with 65 felony counts of grand theft by false pretense, 27 felony counts of forgery, one felony count of grand theft and a slew of misdemeanor charges.

During the short time the South Lake Tahoe pet store was open numerous complaints were filed, Animal Control raided the shop, customers complained of buying sick dogs – some of which died, and others called it a puppy mill.

— Kathryn Reed

Updated: 8:15am

By Anne Knowles

CARSON CITY – The legislation to withdraw Nevada from the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency passed in the Assembly early Tuesday morning and is on its way to the desk of Gov. Brian Sandoval, who is expected to sign the bill into law.

The bill passed 28 to 14. Before the vote, Assemblymen Pat Hickey, R-Reno, and Kelly Kite, R-Minden, voiced their support of the legislation, while Assemblywoman Peggy Pierce, D-Las Vegas, and Assemblyman David Bobzien, D-Reno, both urged lawmakers to reject it.

The Nevada side of Lake Tahoe is pulling out of TRPA. Photo/LTN file

“The bill does not do away with any environmental protections and gives Nevada the voice it deserves,” Kite said.

“A lot has been said about giving Nevada a voice. But it now takes five Nevada votes to approve a project and (the bill) reduces it to four. I don’t see how that’s an increase in power,” Pierce said.

Pierce said the bill would likely have “enormous, long-reaching consequences that the people who proposed this bill do not begin to understand.”

Senate Bill 271 came up for a vote well past midnight, with less than half an hour left in the 2011 legislative session.

The bill calls for Nevada to pull out of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Compact unless certain reforms, including a change in the TRPA voting structure, are enacted. An amendment to the bill was added that requires the Legislative Committee for the Review and Oversight of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and the Marlette Lake Water System to prepare a report on the TRPA and to assemble a delegation to meet with California legislators to negotiate changes at the agency. The amendment also gives the oversight committee the authority to submit a bill draft request to the 2013 legislative session preventing Nevada’s withdrawal from the Compact.

“We hope that passage of the bill will bring the two states to the table to seriously review policy differences on the future of Lake Tahoe,” TRPA Executive Director Joanne Marchetta said in a statement released at 8:10 this morning. “It’s important to note the final version of the bill took a more measured approach to bring policy issues to the fore and TRPA looks forward to working with Nevada lawmakers in the next few years to address the key points of the legislation.”

Here is how the lawmakers voted.

This is the text for SB271.

• Ski Run Marina in conjunction with Tahoe Sport Fishing is offering complimentary boat valet service through Labor Day — weather permitting. Hours of operation are 10:30am to dusk.

• Genoa Station Bar & Grill is planning to go in the old Tahoe Ridge Winery building in Genoa.

• Tombstone Tap and Grill is replacing the old Inn Cognito building in Genoa. It is currently undergoing a major remodel.

• Barton and Renown health care systems have delayed the launch of the electronic medical record system to a year from now. It had been planned to go live in November.

• The interior remodel of Raley’s in Carson Valley should be done June 27.

By Kathryn Reed

After reading “Permanent Vacation”, part of me feels like I missed out on something – the opportunity to work in a national park. And part of me feels an even stronger connection to these natural wonders.

Most of all, I want to go on a road trip. That’s the thought I had much of the time as I was reading the 205-page paperback. I want to go back to the parks I’ve been to like Yosemite and Yellowstone and visit ones I’ve never seen like Denali.

Bona Fide Books – the only small press in the Lake Tahoe Basin – this spring published this collection of 20 stories from people who have worked in one of the West’s national parks.

What kept me turning the pages is each story is different. It’s the variety of parks as well as subject matter that makes this a complete book.

Workers run the gamut from maid to park ranger. Men and women, various ages – they all have a story to tell.

Some entries shatter my idyllic, naïve illusion of life in a park. The partying, the drugs – why would they not be part of life for a twentysomething just because they are living and working someplace so beautiful?

Some are poetic, painting a picture of natural beauty so vivid I feel immersed in the outdoors without going outside.

Some are so incredibly personal.

Some are about adventures and bring back my own memories of rafting down the Colorado River.

Some are about the wildlife – making me want to still see a moose and grizzly bear for the first time.

“Permanent Vacation” reminded me how incredible our National Park System is and the respect these special places deserve.

My only criticism —  I wish the book were longer with more stories to read.

But I am excited to know the publisher is looking for submissions from people have worked in parks in the East – especially because I am less familiar with those playgrounds.

“Permanent Vacation” is available online for $15.