Douglas County Sheriff’s Department and Reno Police Department are partnering to support the Crime Prevention Conference for area property owners, managers, and law enforcement officials.

This is an innovative, law enforcement based crime prevention solution designed to help “Keep Illegal Activity out of Rental Property”.

The free conference is Jan. 13 from 8am-5pm at the Carson Valley Inn, 1627 Highway 395, Minden.

The program was developed in 1992 by Tim Zehring, a retired 22-year veteran of the Mesa (Ariz.) Police Department.

The program consists of three phases that must be completed under the supervision of your local law enforcement agency. Property managers can become individually certified after completing training in each phase and the property becomes certified upon successful completion of all three phases.

The anticipated benefits are reduced law enforcement calls for service, a more stable resident base, and reduced exposure to civil liability.

When drug criminals and other destructive tenants operate out of rental property, neighborhoods suffer and owners and landlords pay a high price. That price may include:

• Decline in property values — particularly when the activity begins affecting the reputation of the neighborhood.

• Property damage arising from abuse, retaliation, or neglect; property damage from police raids.

• Fire resulting from manufacturing or growing operations. Civil penalties, including temporary closure of the property — or even property seizure. Loss of rent during the eviction and repair periods.

• Fear and frustration when dealing with dangerous and threatening tenants. Increased resentment and anger between neighbors and property managers.

• The loss of other valued tenants.

To reserve a spot, call Melanie Arnold at (775) 790.6694.

A brother and sister team shared top honors at Saturday’s North Face Park and Pipe Open Series Slopestyle Finals at Northstar Resort – winning on the same pair of skis.

Following a broken ski in practice, Chris Logan borrowed sister Devin’s skis for the final round. Following their top-notch runs on Pinball, they are heading to the X Games, with Chris qualifying for the final spot based on his points in this event.

With a two-run, best run score format, Chris Logan crashed in the quarter pipe during his first run, but dominated with a 95.40 on his second final run, and a mash-up of tricks including a blind-side switch-up on the rail, 450 on to 450 off the flat rail, switch right 10 to a switch left 1260 to a 7 on the quarter pipe.

Devin Logan, a 17-year old from West Dover, Vt., landed both of her final runs, with scores of 80.5 and 88. Her goals coming into

It’s going to be a gorgeous day on the slopes of Lake Tahoe. Lather up with sunscreen.

Here is the ski report from Curtis Fong, the Guy from Tahoe.

By Elizabeth Karam, U.S. Ski Team

ZAUCHENSEE, Austria -– Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn of Vail kept the podium streak alive in Zauchensee, finishing second in Sunday’s super G behind Switzerland’s Lara Gut. Vonn continued to close the gap in the overall World Cup standings, gaining 40 points on German Maria Riesch. Vonn now has five consecutive top three results in the postcard Austrian valley.

Vonn, once again proved her focus, fighting the entire way to the finish. While exiting the extremely difficult Panorama turn, Vonn went down on her right hip, bounced back to her feet and nearly flew over the tip of her skis before regaining her balance and diving back into her tuck. It was the fourth speed race this season where Vonn was able to turn what could have been a serious crash into a World Cup podium and Sunday was her career 71st World Cup podium.

“I really have to stop making those saves. It’s probably pretty fun to watch on TV, but they’re definitely not fast,” joked Vonn. “But first and second is a great weekend. I’m skiing well but I could have cleaned up some sections and skied a little bit better.”

Vonn led a trio of U.S. athletes inside the top 30. Julia Mancuso of Squaw Valley finished 16th and Laurenne Ross of Klamath Falls, Ore., in 23rd.

The remainder of the U.S. women finished just outside of the World Cup points with Stacey Cook of Mammoth Mountain 31st, Leanne Smith of Conway, N.H., 32nd and Chelsea Marshall of Pittsfield, Vt., 34th.

Mancuso had a near mishap just out of the start, losing balance in her tuck, but was able to recover without losing a considerable amount of time to place just outside the top 15.

“It’s a really fun course the way it turns through the trees – it’s exciting. I’m just still looking for speed, things have been a little off lately,” said Mancuso. “Things are good. I just have to find it again. I hopefully figure it out for the next races.”

Official Results, Audi FIS World Cup, Zauchensee, Austria, Super G

1. Lara Gut, Switzerland, 1:12.82

2. Lindsey Vonn, Vail, CO, 1:13.35

3. Dominique Gisin, Switzerland, 1:13.54

–

16. Julia Mancuso, Squaw Valley, CA, 1:14.64

23. Laurenne Ross, Klamath Falls, OR, 1:15.13

–

31. Stacey Cook, Mammoth Mountain, CA, 1:16.05

32. Leanne Smith, Conway, NH, 1:16.25

34. Chelsea Marshall, Pittsfield, VT, 1:16.62

Publisher’s note: Tom McClintock, R-Granite Bay, delivered the following remarks Jan. 7 on the House floor about National Forests and the U.S. Forest Service. McClintock represents the California side of Lake Tahoe in the House of Representatives.

Much of my district comprises forests managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Over the last two years, I have received a growing volume of complaints protesting the increasingly exclusionary and elitist policies of this agency.

These complaints charge the Forest Service, among other things, with:

• Imposing inflated fees that are forcing the abandonment of family cabins held for generations;

• Charging exorbitant new fees that are closing down long-established community events upon which many small and struggling mountain towns depend for tourism;

• Expelling long-standing grazing operations on specious grounds – causing damage both to the local economy and the federal government’s revenues; and

• Obstructing the sound management of our forests through a policy that can only be described as benign neglect, creating both severe fire dangers and massive unemployment.

Practiced in the marketplace, we would renounce these tactics as predatory and abusive. In the public service sector, they are intolerable.

Combined, these actions evince an ideologically driven hostility to the public’s enjoyment of the public’s land – and a clear intention to deny the public the responsible and sustainable use of that land.

Most recently, the Forest Service has placed severe restrictions on vehicle access to the Plumas National Forest, despite volumes of public protests. Supervisor Bill Connelly, chairman of the Butte County Board of Supervisors, writes that, “The restriction applies to such activities as: collecting firewood, retrieving game, loading or unloading horses or other livestock, and camping.” He writes, “The National Forests are part of the local fabric. The roads within the National Forests are used by thousands of residents and visitors for transportation and recreation. These activities generate revenue for our rural communities, which are critical for their survival.”

This is not a small matter. The Forest Service now controls 193 million acres within our nation – a land area equivalent to the size of Texas.

During the despotic eras of Norman and Plantagenet England, the crown declared one-third of the land area of Southern England to be the royal forest, the exclusive preserve of the monarch, his forestry officials and his favored aristocrats. The people of Britain were forbidden access to and enjoyment of these forests under harsh penalties. This exclusionary system became so despised by the people that in 1215, five clauses of the Magna Carta were devoted to redress of grievances that are hauntingly similar to those that are now flooding my office.

The attitude that now permeates the U.S. Forest Service from top to bottom is becoming far more reminiscent of the management of the royal forests during the autocracy of King John than of an agency that is supposed to encourage, welcome, facilitate and maximize the public’s use of the public’s land in a nation of free men and women.

After all, that was the vision for the Forest Service set forth by its legendary founder, Gifford Pinchot in 1905: “to provide the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people in the long run.”

In May of 2009 and April of 2010, some of my California colleagues and I sent letters to the Forest Service expressing these concerns. I have also personally met with senior officials of that agency on several occasions in which I have referenced more than 500 specific complaints of Forest Service abuses received by my office.

All that I have received to date from these officials are smarmy assurances that they will address these concerns – assurances that their own actions have belied at every turn.

It is time for Congress to conduct a top-to-bottom review of the abuses by this increasingly unaccountable and elitist agency, to demand accountability for the damage it has done – and is doing – to our forests’ health, to the public’s trust, to the government’s revenues and to the nation’s economy – and to take whatever actions are necessary to restore an attitude of consumer-friendly public service which was Gifford Pinchot’s original vision and for which the U.S. Forest Service was once renowned and respected.

Wireless calling, text messaging and surfing the Web on the Verizon Wireless high-speed 3G network is now easier and faster for residents and travelers in the Lake Tahoe area thanks to a new cell site in Truckee.

The site improves 3G wireless coverage along Highlands View Drive – the road that leads to the Ritz-Carlton. It is designed to provide better coverage throughout Northstar-at-Tahoe.

The company has also made upgrades in Reno. The site improves 3G wireless coverage and capacity within the El Dorado and Silver Legacy hotels.

By Cathy Locke, Sacramento Bee

Bill Holmes, chief of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Amador-El Dorado Unit, has been named Cal Fire’s Northern Region chief.

In his new position, Holmes, a Cameron Park resident, will oversee 12 units from the Oregon border to the Bay Area, according to a Cal Fire news release.

Holmes worked his way up through the ranks of the state fire agency. He also is a qualified national incident commander, operations section chief and agency administrator who has served on major incidents throughout California, Wyoming, Montana and Oregon.

In 2007, Holmes co-chaired the committee that developed and recommended the new Cal Fire logo.

Read the whole story

By Jessie Marchesseau

STATELINE — For the most part, the trek was silent, save for the sounds of nature and the crunching of crusty snow beneath nearly a hundred snowshoes.

The troupe of 37 participants and six guides traveled single file along the already packed down trail. The snow was unusually deep for this time of year, with a crunchy crust on top from the sunny days of the previous week.

Tahoe Rim Trail Association volunteer trail designer and builder Clay Grubb took the lead, stopping periodically to share interesting tidbits about the trail and its natural environment such as the species of trees growing in the surrounding forest, the type of animals making tracks in the nearby snow or where any forks in the road may take you.

Winter Trails Day introduces three dozen people to the Tahoe Rim Trail. Photos/Jessie Marchesseau

The 2.8-mile guided snowshoe hike Jan. 8 was hosted by Explore Tahoe and the Tahoe Rim Trail Association. Participants departed the Kingsbury North Trailhead at 9am to hike the Castle Rock loop that follows the Tahoe Rim Trail part of the way and then switches to the Castle Rock Trail.

Starting under blue skies and morning sunshine it was perfect conditions for a jaunt on the Tahoe Rim Trail in honor of the 16th annual National Winter Trails Day.

As the tour neared its destination of Castle Rock, clouds began to roll in, turning the morning bluebird skies a soft gray. The clouds, however, did little to wilt the cheery demeanor of the hikers or the beauty of the views from the series of vistas along the way.

“One thing we try to do when we build a trail is make sure it leads to great view points,” said Chuck Kelley, a volunteer trail builder for the Tahoe Rim Trail Association and guide for the day. “It makes it attractive to hike to and keeps people on the trail.”

There is no shortage of spectacular view points on the Castle Rock loop. With the overall pace for the day being rather leisurely, participants took full advantage of the numerous photo ops along the way, especially from the top of Castle Rock.

Jared Odell of Brentwood and Mary Visceglia of San Mateo had their photo taken at the top of Castle Rock with Lake Tahoe glistening in the background. The couple was in town celebrating Odell’s 40th birthday and testing out his new snowshoes. They had learned to cross country ski at Kirkwood last year on National Winter Trails Day and wanted to give snowshoeing a try this time.

“I’m liking it,” Odell said halfway through the hike. “I’m thinking we might try Yosemite in the winter next year.”

By the time the trek was over, Visceglia was in full agreement. “It was awesome,” she declared. “We’re addicted.”

That was exactly the outcome Lauren Thomaselli from Explore Tahoe was hoping for. She said the whole point of National Winter Trails Day is to “promote winter recreation and the health and social benefits of winter recreation.”

Thomaselli pointed out how this coincides with Explore Tahoe’s focus “to encourage people to be involved in the natural environment and outdoor recreation opportunities right out our backdoor.”

“This is the kind of recreation really in demand right now,” she said. “People want to have a deeper connection to the environment.”

This was evident in the fact that the event had originally been limited to 15 participants. However, the overwhelming response prompted organizers to open it up to everyone interested, resulting in more than twice the original expectations.

The second goal for the event was to inspire people to get involved in the Tahoe Rim Trail and other stewardship projects. That goal was reached as well.

“People at the end, they didn’t care about the refreshments or anything else,” Thomaselli said. “They wanted to know how to sign up and make donations.”

Odell and Visceglia were among those ready to donate time to trail building this summer. Since they enjoy using the trails, Odell said it would be a great way for them to give back. He also pointed out that any excuse to come to Tahoe is worth taking.

This was the inaugural Winter Trails Day event on Lake Tahoe’s South Shore, but, considering the success of the event, Thomaselli predicts more National Winter Trails Day events on the South Shore in the future.

Meanwhile, locals and visitors to the Lake Tahoe area may enjoy free guided snowshoe hikes on the Tahoe Rim Trail every Saturday through the end of March. Visit the website for more information.

ngg_shortcode_0_placeholder (Click on photos to enlarge.)

By Michael Doyle, Sacramento Bee Washington Bureau

The shooting of Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on Saturday struck home with California public officials of all stripes, reminding them anew of their own vulnerabilities.

Shortly after the shooting, Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Atwater, said he and other House members received multiple e-mail warnings from Capitol Hill law enforcement officials.

“They told us to increase our vigilance, and to have more security at our public events,” Cardoza said, adding that “we will follow the recommendations of the police.”

One e-mail advised lawmakers that “the U.S. Capitol Police are directly involved in this investigation” and urged members and staff to “take reasonable and prudent precautions regarding their personal security.”

The Saturday meet-and-greet Giffords was attending with constituents is not unlike those that occur frequently in federal and state legislative districts across California.

U.S. Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Gold River, called the shooting a tragedy and said Democrat Giffords is an upbeat and open member of Congress who, by virtue of her Republican past and moderate present stances, is known on both sides of the aisle.

“We’ll keep her in our prayers,” Lungren told The Bee.

Such a shooting would be less likely there. “We have, I consider, very good security at the Capitol, at the office buildings and so forth,” said Lungren, who serves on the committee that oversees security. “Obviously, the Capitol of the United States is a tremendous symbol. … When members go to their districts, security does not follow them,” Lungren said.

“It’s a real problem,” Cardoza said of the security conundrum. “You want to be accessible, but I also care very deeply about the security of my staff and of the people who attend these public events.”

Cardoza said security considerations contributed to his previous decision to relocate his Modesto and Merced congressional district offices to government buildings that already maintain a security presence. He indicated security concerns also played into his earlier decision to curtail some public town hall meetings during the politically heated summer of 2009.

Threats against lawmakers are not uncommon. Cardoza said his office has been on the receiving end of some. He added that Giffords, a friend and political ally for whom he campaigned in Arizona during 2008, had previously reported that one of her own congressional offices had been vandalized.

“She’s been concerned,” Cardoza said.

Giffords and Cardoza are both members of the so-called Blue Dog Caucus, largely comprised of moderate House Democrats.

One of the conservative Republicans in the House, Rep. Tom McClintock, whose Northern California district includes Placer and El Dorado counties, expressed outrage that Giffords “was struck down in the performance of a duty central to representative democracy – reaching out and listening to her constituents.

Read the whole story

By Arizona Republic

Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik said Arizona U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was the intended target in the shooting and he described suspect Jared Loughner as one with a criminal record and one with mental issues. Dupnik also said he was “not convinced” that the suspect acted alone, but he declined to elaborate.

Giffords, 40, a third-term Democrat, was shot through the head at shortly after 10am Saturday at a Safeway at Ina and Oracle roads in northwest Tucson. Loughner, 22, is currently in custody. (Initial news accounts and reports from authorities misidentified the name as Laughner.)

Giffords has undergone brain surgery after being shot by a man who opened fire with a handgun when the Congresswoman was holding a public appearance in Tucson.

One of the surgeons who operated on Giffords said afterwards, “I’m very optimistic about her recovery.”

Six people were killed, including U.S. District Judge John Roll, a Giffords aide and a young girl, and 13 others were wounded in the shooting, authorities said. The aide was identified as Gabe Zimmerman, 30, Giffords’ community outreach director; he was engaged to be married.

Read the whole story