By Jeff Delong, Reno Gazette-Journal

A major flood control project planned for the Truckee River would not endanger efforts to restore threatened fish in the river, federal biologists say.

But Bob Williams, Nevada supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is concerned some components of the $1.6 billion Truckee River flood project could conflict with goals to improve habitat and free passage for the river’s fish, including the threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout and endangered cui-ui sucker fish.

“We take that responsibility very seriously,” Williams told a coalition of local governments pursuing the flood project Friday.

Local officials said they want to ensure nothing interferes with progress of the long-delayed flood project, designed to prevent events like the major flood of January 1997.

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A business loan clinic will be conducted June 22 from 9:30am–12:30pm at Lake Tahoe Community College.

Lenders will be present that support SBA lending programs that include:

* Business loans for business owner occupied commercial real estate and business equipment

* $500 – $2 million businesses loans for existing businesses with historic repayment ability

* $500 – $250,000 businesses loans for existing businesses

* Unsecured loans up to $25,000 available

* Free technical assistance

* All owners must be present to apply

Loans for start-ups businesses (less than two years in operation) require the clients to receive business counseling from a technical assistance provider before approved loans are disbursed. The counseling is free. The Greater Sacramento Small Business Development Center, the Nevada Small Business Development Center and the Nevada Microenterprise Initiative will have representatives available to schedule counseling. The loan clinic is for existing businesses only.

Begin the day with “Secrets to Success: Blue Ribbon Winners Workshop” featuring Melodie Ulman of Freshies, Jana Spano of Sealed with a Kiss and Ashley Mattila of Marcus Ashley Galleries. The workshop will be before the loan clinic from 8–9:30am at the Lake Tahoe Community College, in the Creekside Room.

Seating is limited. Call (775) 588.1728 to RSVP for one or both workshops.

Lake Tahoe South Shore and North Lake Tahoe chambers of commerce, California and Nevada Small Business Development Centers, government agencies, banks, non-bank lenders, a certified development company, and the Future Business Leaders of Lake Tahoe Club are the hosts.

Publisher’s note: The body of Leo Wescombe, 29, of Australia has yet to be recovered form the Cosumnes River after the kayaker disappeared in rapids on Sunday.

By Bill Lindelof, Sacramento Bee

A 19-year-old Mount Aukum man drowned Tuesday in the rapids of the Cosumnes River, officials said Wednesday.

El Dorado County sheriff’s deputies said that John Fagan Jr. was swimming in a large pool in the middle fork of the Cosumnes River when he was swept downstream through a series of rapids.

Witnesses lost sight of him for several minutes until his body was spotted 200 yards downstream, floating face down, according to a news release.

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An affordable housing project in Placer County’s portion of Lake Tahoe cleared a final hurdle Wednesday when the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee awarded $2,292,167 per year for 10 years ($22,921,670 total) in low income housing tax credits to the project. This last piece of a complex funding plan will complete the financing for the Kings Beach Scattered Sites Housing Project.

The Scattered Sites Project will be the first to be built in the Placer County portion of Lake Tahoe, and is also the first housing development project in the Lake Tahoe area from the Placer County Redevelopment Agency. The project, which has been more than three years in the approval process, is occurring through a development agreement between Kings Beach Housing Associates LP, through its managing partner Domus Development LLC, and the Redevelopment Agency.

The $34 million project will construct 77 units on five sites in Kings Beach. The project has been a main focus of the Redevelopment Agency, which has spent about $4.65 million acquiring the five properties for the project. In addition, RDA has provided an additional $3.3 million in project funding and obtained two competitive state grants totaling $5.4 million for the project.

Placer County will upgrade infrastructure by installing new sidewalks, curbs, and water and sewage lines. Additionally, the buildings will have environmental design features and be built to LEED certification standards.

In all, 75 of the units will be deed restricted for low-income residents who earn between 30 percent and 60 percent of the area median income. The remaining two units will be for on-site managers.

The project is expected to break ground this summer.

By Jeff Delong, Reno Gazette-Journal

A man who researched Lake Tahoe’s ecology and environmental troubles for more than a half century will join Reno’s Desert Research Institute as an adjunct professor, DRI officials announced today.

Charles Goldman, who began studying Lake Tahoe in 1958 and founded the University of California, Davis’ Tahoe Research Group, will work in DRI’s Division of Hydrologic Sciences.

Charles Goldman

“Dr. Goldman is synonymous with Lake Tahoe and science,” said DRI President Stephen Wells. “He will be an invaluable resource for our ongoing Tahoe research efforts.”

Goldman, 79, will remain a professor emeritus at UC Davis while working part-time at DRI. Goldman and his wife Nancy own a home near Tahoe City.

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By Kathryn Reed

If Susan Middleton weren’t retiring, her next title would be great in the resume building department – acting president of Lake Tahoe Community College.

She will assume the top spot of South Tahoe’s two-year college when President Paul Killpatrick heads to Seattle on July 16. She will be at the post a limited time – until Aug. 31, her retirement date.

Middleton is vice president of Academic Affairs and Student Services. She has been at the college for 24 years.

The decision came Tuesday at a special board meeting. Not many people attend LTCC board meetings, so to have about a half dozen people there at 8am was extremely unusual. Not all of them were happy to learn the board is going to hire an interim president. Faculty wanted the two VPs to share the job.

To have Middleton as acting president follows the bylaws in terms of hierarchy. Her position is No. 2 at the college, with VP of Business Services third in line.

At the board’s regular meeting on June 22 it’s possible a decision will be made as to whether to post the interim job for a short spell or to narrow the list of candidates being supplied from the chancellor’s office and elsewhere.

About a dozen names have been presented to the board as possible interim presidents. Board President Kerry David said he did not know if former college President Guy Lease was in the mix. Lease returned to the college as an interim VP of Business Services, a job he had fulltime before becoming the institution’s second president.

David said a search for the college’s fourth full-time president would begin in the fall. He would like to be interviewing candidates by January.

Michael Pukac will be in South Lake Tahoe Fourth of July weekend for the closing of his solo exhibit “Steampunk Fantasy Art.”

Cosmic Creations Tattoo is bringing back the Los Angeles-based artist.

Well known in the Los Angeles art scene for his live painting performances, his studio work basks in the land of unicorn powered zeppelins, narwhal chases, and

DJs spinning on hot air balloon rides. Close your eyes and swim into a steampunk Atlantis wonderland. He crossbreeds different genres, eras, and conventions of painting into phantasmagorical anti-epics that exist in the air or in the sea. The show has already been up for about a month and will be closing this 4th of July weekend with Pukac doing some live painting.

Cosmic Creations is at 949 Balbijou Road, South Lake Tahoe.

Fair-goers from the Lake Tahoe region will surely recognize the names of a couple of popular local bands at the fair this year — Midlife Crisis band and Jesse Kalin and the Cool Black Kettle Band.

Jesse Kalin and the Cool Black Kettle Band is an infectious rock band based out of South Lake Tahoe where they play often at Cabo Wabo and many other venues. They play June 19 at 1:30pm, 4pm, and 5:30pm on the Wells Fargo Stage.

Midlife Crisis’ lead singer,Tullio Sarra went to school in Tahoe and has spent much of his life in the local music scene. But it wasn’t until a casual jam session with a bunch of guys at the Crossroads Coffee Shop in Somerset that the five-piece Midlife Crisis band was born.

They play June 19 at 5:30pm, 7pm, and 9:30pm on the Wells Fargo Stage.

Everything changes after dark – the trails, the trees, and the lake. Experience the Tahoe Rim Trail in a whole new light with full moon hikes in the Tahoe Meadows led by experienced guides.

Enjoy views of the lake as the moon rises over the Lake Tahoe Basin. Experience the peace, tranquility and beauty of the Tahoe Rim Trail at dusk.

Expect casually paced hikes for all ages, while slowing down to enjoy the current happenings in the natural world and nighttime senses.

Bring a flashlight, a wind-proof layer and water.

This may not be the best hike for children under 10 years old. Please, to respect the night sounds, no dogs.

Dates:

June 25, July 25, Aug. 24, Sept. 23 and Oct. 23.

Details:

TRTA membership is required to attend. (Memberships start at $20 for one year.)

Space is limited, sign up in advance. All Full Moon Hikes will start at the Tahoe Meadows Trailhead.

For more information or to sign-up call (775) 298.0238 or email programs@tahoerimtrail.org.

The Forest Service is operating the Bell 212 helicopter (H514) out of Auburn, Station 10, for a month during the early part of fire season.

“Due to the wet winter and heavy snow pack the Forest Service moved their helicopter to the CalFire station in Auburn so that it would be more available for lower elevation fires while the high country is still under snow,” Jeanne Pincha-Tulley, Tahoe National Forest fire chief, said in a statement.

In early July, this helicopter will move back to White Cloud, east of Nevada City, where it’s normally based. “Helicopter 514 is very versatile and used for transporting 8 firefighters to the fire, carrying buckets of water and providing general support flights,” Pincha-Tulley said.

Also in July, the heavy helicopter, a Boeing Vertol 107, (H74D) will be stationed at the Truckee airport. This helicopter is larger and can carry 1,300 gallons of water. Both helicopters are national resources and will be on call for fires or other emergency response throughout Northern California and the nation.

A TNF 25-person helitack crew provides support to the firefighting operations involving both helicopters, plus the crew responds as an initial attack unit for wildfires. This is the 10th year that helicopters and a helitack crew have been stationed on the TNF.

The Forest Service will again be using a Shrike Commander as its Air Attack Plane (Air Attack 17). This critical resource is used for directing aerial firefighting and providing information to the ground troops regarding location and condition of a fire. Air Attack 17 will again be stationed at the FS/CalFire Air Attack Base. The air attack base located on National Forest land east of Grass Valley is operated jointly by the Forest Service and CalFire.