By Cara McCoy, Las Vegas Sun

Charges against Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki and his chief of staff tied to his alleged mismanagement of a college savings program were dismissed this morning in Clark County District Court.

Judge Valerie Adair issued a written ruling on arguments she heard Nov. 24 from attorneys for Krolicki and his chief of staff, Kathryn Besser, dismissing counts that stemmed from what prosecutors called mismanagement of a multi-billion dollar college savings program while Krolicki served as state treasurer.

Brian Krolicki

“I am greatly relieved,” Krolicki said after the hearing. “The judge has given me and my family an extraordinary Christmas present.”

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Lake Tahoe Basin Federal Advisory Committee (LTFAC) is scheduled to meet from 1-4pm Dec. 14 at the U.S. Forest Service, Emerald Bay Room, 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe.

LTFAC will address issues related to federal activities at Lake Tahoe. Items on the agenda include: aquatic invasive species management; environmental improvement plan update; forest management on the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, and public comment.

For more information on the Lake Tahoe Federal Advisory Committee, visit the Forest Service website at http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/ltbmu/.

Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe hosts the Santa Ski Crawl Dec. 12 when those in Santa suits, along with elves and Mrs. Claus, pay only $39/person for a lift ticket.

Kirkwood, Moment Skis, and the Divided Sky present Level One’s new ski movie, giveaways and Dj after party at the Dec. 18 Winter Solstice Party. Fun begins at the Divided Sky in Meyers at 8pm.

By Kathryn Reed

A cold storm is lingering throughout much of Northern California and Northern Nevada this morning, with more snow coming down in the mountains and foothills and rain in the much lower elevations.

In Tahoe-Donner on the North Shore, residents tell Lake Tahoe News they have 18 inches of white stuff.

Snow keeps falling around Lake Tahoe. Photo/Brenda Knox

In the Tahoe Keys area of South Lake Tahoe about 9 inches greeted those needing to start their workday.

Off of Elk’s Club road in El Dorado County, about 13 inches fell. As of just after 8am, the plows still had not been out there.

AAA is reporting 18 inches at its office in Carson City.

Most schools are closed in and around the Lake Tahoe Basin, including Carson City and Reno. The one exception is Lake Tahoe Community College – it’s open.

Highway 50 was closed this morning at Placerville for people trying to get to Tahoe. Spinouts are the problem. Interstate 80 has been closed off and on. Highway 89 is closed going around Emerald Bay. Be sure to check the road conditions on Lake Tahoe News’ Home page.

All El Dorado County offices are closed.

For those commuting between the Carson Valley and South Shore, Highway 50 is well plowed for those heading west. About 3-inch ruts are on the road going into the valley.

The visibility is about 100 yards on Spooner Summit. The snow is blowing horizontally. They are expecting 70mph gusts, with one driver saying she believes the forecast is accurate. The only good thing is not many people are on the highway.

It took one commuter about 30 minutes to get from South Lake Tahoe to Zephyr Point – twice the usual amount of time.

If you’re flying out of Reno-Tahoe International Airport today, call first. Some flights have been canceled. Flights got out early this morning and at 8:30am plows were on the runway.

Snow is being reported in Modesto, on the Altamont Pass (1,009 feet), and the mountains around the Bay Area.

Another foot of white stuff could fall at lake level before the day is done. More storms are lined up to keep striking the Sierra this week. Temperatures are super cold – not getting much higher than freezing as a high, with single digits for the lows.

It’s one of those days to stay on the trails, according to Curtis Fong, the Guy from Lake Tahoe. Resorts all have received more than a foot of snow, with more of the white stuff coming down this morning. And it’s light — perfect for skiing. Here’s the ski report.

Greetings Lake Tahoe News readers,

I want to let you know about advertising opportunities on Lake Tahoe News. Anyone who advertises on Lake Tahoe News in 2009 receives 20 percent off the 2010 rates.

What are you waiting for?

Today marks three months since Lake Tahoe News started bringing news to you seven days a week. It’s the only source for daily news about Lake Tahoe — daily meaning seven days a week.

Between Oct. 30-Nov. 30 this news source received more than 11,000 hits, with more than 3,000 being unique visitors. Remember, that is in less than three months.

Lake Tahoe News isn’t just for those who live in the basin. Readers are coming from across the world. More important for advertisers, a good number of readers are from the drive-up market in the Bay Area and Sacramento region. I can provide you with stats if you email me.

We have four sizes of display ads — the banner on the Home page, the square ads, and the inside small and large banner ads. Other options include enhanced listings and webpages. Details about the ads and pricing may be accessed via the Home page by hitting Advertise. The 2009 and 2010 rates are on separate PDFs.

We look forward to hearing from you soon,

Kathryn Reed, Lake Tahoe News publisher (info@LakeTahoeNews.net)

ps … If you aren’t a subscriber, please consider becoming one by hitting the Subscribe button on the bottom right of the Home page. This will give you a morning email with everything that has been posted in the last 24 hours. The headline links to the story and a few paragraphs are provided to tell you what it’s about. It’s free and your email address will not be sold.

Even though the winter storm warning took effect Sunday at 7pm, snow started falling in the Lake Tahoe Basin in the afternoon. Before midnight about 5 inches had fallen at lake level.

The snow level was expected to be at sea level, with the Bay Area and parts of the Sacramento Valley being warned of possible white stuff for today. A rare hard freeze had been forecast for Saturday night in the valley.

Snow total at Sierra-at-Tahoe on Dec. 6. Photo/Provided

As of Sunday night, snow was already accumulating in the Carson Valley and Placerville in large enough quantities to allow people to engage in snowball fights.

Chain controls are enforce on most roads leading into and out of the Lake Tahoe Basin. Road conditions may be accessed via Lake Tahoe News‘ Home page.

The winter storm warning is in effect through 7pm Monday night. Snow accumulations could be moderate to heavy through the afternoon. Above 5,000 feet (the lake is 6,200 feet) 15-25 inches could fall by the time the storm clears out. Two to 3 feet are expected above 7,000 feet.

Winter weather is expected to be the norm for Lake Tahoe for the better part of the week. Tonight’s overnight low may be 1 degree, Highs this week are not expected to reach 40 degrees.

By Kathryn Reed, San Francisco Chronicle

Recession was not a household word when the Ritz-Carlton Highlands, Lake Tahoe broke ground in July 2006. But the $300 million resort opens this week in an economic climate that is less than ideal – especially in the greater Lake Tahoe area.

The Ritz-Carlton at Northstar opens Dec. 9. Photo/Kathryn Reed

The past couple of winters have not been great snow years. In fact, 2009 is the third drought year. Skier visits were down 10 percent in the 2008-09 season compared with the prior season, according to the National Ski Area Association.

Still, Ritz-Carlton officials are optimistic that their arrival on the scene is just what’s needed to stimulate the local economy. This is the first five-star resort in the area. It’s also the first resort to be built in decades.

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By Cathy Locke, Sacramento Bee

The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider appointing Undersheriff Fred Kollar as sheriff, effective Dec. 27.

Sheriff Jeff Neves has announced that he will retire Dec. 26 with a year remaining in his term. The board last month postponed discussion of a replacement to its Jan. 12 meeting. But in a staff report, county Chief Administrative Officer Gayle Erbe-Hamlin says: “There are immediate challenges for the Sheriff’s Department which will require consistent and knowledgeable leadership.”

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