Lake Tahoe News tried to get the campaign contribution/expense forms from Douglas County, but they are not available online or via email.

Douglas County Clerk-Treasurer Ted Thran said they are available for $1 per page or can be viewed in person at the Minden office.

He said this is his office’s policy and that he checked with the Secretary of State’s Office, which he said backed up this policy.

This is in contrast to the city of South Lake Tahoe and El Dorado County which have no problem providing public documents via email to the media so they can provide it to the voters/taxpayers.

Thran may be reached at (775) 782.6273.

— Compiled by Kathryn Reed

In honor of Lead Poisoning Prevention Week and efforts to make homes healthier for children and families, South Lake Tahoe’s Lead Safe Tahoe Team will host an open house Oct. 28 beginning at 1pm in the Redevelopment/Housing Conference Room at 1901 Airport Road, Suite 107.

Partnering with the city are El Dorado County and Barton Health. Barton will provide free lead poisoning screening for qualified households.

The Lead Safe Tahoe Team will answer questions about lead paint hazards, healthy homes initiative and the city’s programs providing free assistance to residents and home owners.

In 1999 the U.S. Senate established the National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week to occur every year during the last full week in October. This year’s theme “Lead-Free Kids for a Healthy Future” underscores the importance of testing homes and children for lead poisoning to prevent serious health effects in young children.

By Cy Ryan, Las Vegas Sun

CARSON CITY – A Las Vegas company that has a license to distribute slot machines has agreed to pay a $2,500 fine for violating the regulations of the state Gaming Control Board.

Capado Gaming Corp. has admitted its violation of not keeping adequate slot machine sales records available for inspection by state agents in 2008.

Capado sold five slot machines to a restricted gaming business at Incline Village in the Lake Tahoe area. The complaint, filed Sept. 30, said Capado failed to maintain any records documenting the serial numbers of the slot machines, as required.

Read the whole story

Dear All,

It appears that someone is illegally posting our signs. For the past week, we’ve taken down signs, only to find them posted again. Furthermore, someone is nailing our campaign signs to telephone poles, something I specifically warned against to everyone we gave signs. None of my volunteers has any idea who is doing this.

Please accept my apology for this ongoing issue. We will continue to do our best to identify and remove any signs that are illegally posted.

Steve Kubby, South Lake Tahoe

Become a friend of CASA at an informational open house on Oct. 28.

CASA El Dorado is always in need of volunteers who may not have time to become an advocate for a child, a board member or CLC member but have a heart for CASA and could provide help with additional needs. The Friends of CASA program of El Dorado County serves that purpose. Consider the following opportunities:

Fundraising: Assist staff and/or board of directors with fund-raising activities, including raffles, auctions, identifying fund sources, grant research, etc.

Special Events: Participate in the planning and coordination of special events, such as volunteer recognition events, receptions, galas, golf tournaments.

Public Relations/Recruitment: Prepare PR material prior to special events, periodically distribute PR material to local organizations (e.g. libraries, clubs, churches, etc.), update media contact list.

Professional Services: Provide pro-bono or discounted services (printing, accounting, etc.). Businesses that donate goods and/or services receive acknowledgment on the website.

Create Your Own Project: El Dorado County CASA will gladly consider projects and ideas other than those previously listed.

The open house is from 5-7pm. Drinks and appetizers will be provided.

By Kathryn Reed

STATELINE — In the world of South Shore public transit, this could be one of the most monumental months on record.

On Monday, the Tahoe Transportation District board agreed to take over operation of BlueGo, the public bus system, and withdraw from the South Tahoe Area Transit Authority, which had been the overseer of the system.

STATA filed for bankruptcy this fall. At today’s hearing in Reno, TTD attorney Paul Taggart expects to ask the bankruptcy judge to let his client take over the bus system and retain the rights to the handful of buses STATA owns.

Carl Hasty, left, runs the Oct. 18 Tahoe Transporation District meeting. Photo/Kathryn Reed

TTD owns about three-quarters of the buses in the fleet. STATA members own the rest of the fleet. Those members are being asked to sign on to have TTD be the umbrella agency of public transit on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe.

“(Monday) was a big step … one of a few big steps that still need to happen,” Carl Hasty, TTD manager, said after the meeting.

The board voted on a slew of actions Oct. 18 related to the takeover. For the bulk of the votes Will Garner, Placer County’s rep on the TTD board, abstained.

The board’s action was not a surprise. Lake Tahoe News first reported the change in leadership Oct. 6 after the South Lake Tahoe City Council agreed to the changes.

Even though City Councilman Bill Crawford earlier this month as reported in that story was critical of STATA, he voted for the changes Monday.

(Bruce Grego is South Lake Tahoe’s rep on the TTD board. Minutes that were approved Monday indicate he was a no-show at the Aug. 31 meeting and arrived late for the Aug. 13 meeting. Normally the primary member to a board asks the alternate to attend, but Grego never did. In fact, it was City Attorney Patrick Enright who had to ask Bill Crawford to attend the Oct. 18 meeting.)

Russ Nygaard, with El Dorado County’s engineering department, was in the audience at the Monday meeting at the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency office. The county had pulled its membership from STATA and taken its two buses off the street. With TTD taking over, Nygaard after the meeting said the county backs this plan.

Nygaard expects the Board of Supervisors to take up the issue this month.

This week the TTD board approved the $4.2 million operating budget even though all the players involved have not agreed to be part of the new entity.

“I think the softest revenue source right now is Harrah’s and Harveys,” Hasty told his board. “We have a fair amount of work to do with them.”

For the fiscal year that began Oct. 1, their combined contribution is $240,000.

Crawford asked what the deadline is to get the public and private partners that were part of STATA to embrace TTD. Hasty said Nov. 1. He said today’s bankruptcy hearing will “have bearing on that.”

Although all parties seem to agree a coordinated public transit system is needed, it has not been made clear how changing the umbrella agency will make it run smoother or be profitable. At the Nov. 12 TTD meeting, the initial draft of a five-year transit plan for the South Shore is expected to be unveiled, which could answer those question.

U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews will begin prescribed fire operations in the South Upper Truckee area near Nahane and Kekin streets on Oct. 18. Operations will continue through the week if favorable weather conditions persist.

In addition, fuels management crews will continue prescribed fire operations on Kingsbury Grade and on the West Shore in the McKinney/Rubicon area through the week, weather permitting.

Residents and travelers can expect to see smoke from prescribed fire project areas.

By Reno Gazette-Journal

Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons has been released from a rehabilitation hospital and will continue therapy for a broken pelvis at the governor’s mansion in Carson City.

The 65-year-old Republican governor was bucked from a horse at a private ranch north of Reno on Sept. 21. He broke his pelvis in two places and underwent surgery. Doctors inserted several screws to repair the damage.

Gibbons’ office says he was released from Renown Regional Medical Center’s rehabilitation unit over the weekend. He will work from his office at the mansion and attend meetings through teleconference.

His staff says he will be using a wheelchair or walker for several weeks and will continue out-patient therapy.

By Dana M. Nichols, Stockton Record

MURPHYS – In the last decade, Mother Lode counties have spent more than $100 million on key transportation projects, including the $61 million Highway 4 bypass around downtown Angels Camp completed last year.

“If you are not going
to borrow the money,
and if you are not
going to raise taxes,
then you won’t have
a modern transportation
system in America.”

— John Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove

But Mother Lode government officials and transportation planners have more than a few worries about what may happen in the next decade, they said during a public town hall meeting this week with the California Transportation Commission at Kautz Ironstone Winery in Murphys.

They said they already can’t keep up with maintaining local roads and highways, and that state and federal budget deficits combined with bureaucratic hurdles threaten to delay or even derail needed upgrades.

Three of the 10 commissioners were present: Bob Alvarado, James Ghielmetti and Fran Inman. They appeared to listen sympathetically to local leaders’ concerns. But while the commission has historically found ways to meet the needs of the Mother Lode – it gets praise from Lode transportation leaders – there’s little the commission can do to counteract larger forces that are squeezing funds.

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Sierra-at-Tahoe’s annual Pray for Snow Party is Nov. 11 at Mo’s Place in South Lake Tahoe on Lake Tahoe Boulevard.

Seasonpass holders get in at 6pm, everyone else is welcome at 7pm.