A recirculated draft environmental impact report has been prepared for the California Highway Patrol Communications Facilities Replacement Project in Truckee.

The public review period is extended to Sept. 13.

To view a copy of the recirculated draft EIR, click here.

The proposed project would replace and upgrade CHP telecommunications facilities at the CHP Truckee office in order to meet the CHP’s enhanced radio system requirements.

The proposed project includes construction of a new self-supporting, four-leg, 120-foot-tall tower and an equipment vault, as well as underground utility line installation and fence installation. Upon completion of construction, two existing towers at the office would be removed; these towers are approximately 55 feet and 92 feet in height.

For questions regarding this project, contact Denyelle Nishimori at (530) 582.2934 or dnishimori@townoftruckee.com.

South Tahoe Public Utility District is putting on a water meter and conservation workshop.

It will be Aug. 14 at 6pm at the district office at 1275 Meadow Crest Drive, South Lake Tahoe.

Topics will include understanding the rate structure, how to read your bill, and info about free conservation services.

By Anthony York and Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown has amassed a political war chest of more than $10 million for a potential re-election effort next year, far outpacing two possible GOP rivals and putting him in a strong position if he decides to seek a fourth term as California’s governor.

Brown has an additional $3 million left over from the campaign to pass his tax measure, Proposition 30, last fall, according to reports filed with the state Wednesday.

Each of Brown’s two potential GOP rivals has less than $50,000 in campaign cash.

Abel Maldonado, the former lieutenant governor, has just $45,000 on hand, having spent more than $200,000 during the first six months of this year.

GOP Assemblyman Tim Donnell, another potential Brown challenger, reported just $27,000 in the bank.

Read the whole story

By Chris Buckley, KOLO-TV

INCLINE VILLAGE — Nine days ago a man found a box of 10 puppies in a dumpster behind a South Lake Tahoe gas station. They were only a few hours old. Six of them survived and are now being cared for at the Pet Network Humane Society in Incline Village. Executive Director Becky Goodman says she was horrified.

“Initially the reaction when you find out that someone would take newborn puppies and pull them from their mother is bad enough but to pull them from their mother and put them in a dumpster is just unconscionable.”

The puppies spend days at the shelter and nights with several foster parents. They eyes are still shut and they need to be fed every two hours.

“It’s a little scary and a little tiring but it’s very worthwhile,” board member and foster parent Diane Finegan said. “It feel wonderful, it really does. They are so sweet and they deserve a chance in life and we’re hoping they get good homes.”

Read the whole story

Tahoe Lakeshore Lodge and Spa is hosting a benefit for Tahoe Arts Project that will feature the music of Niall McGuinness, Trey Stone and John Shipley.

The event is Aug. 15 from 7-9pm.

Bring blankets, low back chairs, food and beverages, but no pets. Soda, water and baked goods will be available for purchase and there will be a raffle.

A suggested donation of $10 per person will support Tahoe Arts Project’s mission of bringing professional performing arts into the schools and community of South Lake Tahoe. This is a family friendly event.

Tahoe Lakeshore Lodge and Spa is behind Heidi’s Restaurant in South Lake Tahoe.

Call (530) 542.3632 for more information.

Stateline casinos had a lot less money to count in June compared to a year ago.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board today released figures that show statewide the gaming revenue was down 4.8 percent in June. The win was $792 million, whereas it was $833 million in 2012.

On the South Shore the winnings were $13 million, which is 24 percent less than what they were a year ago.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

• The Bicycle Advisory Committee of the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Facilities Joint Powers Authority will meet Aug. 9 from 9-11am at Lake Tahoe Airport.

• Learn about Truckee’s railroad history at Truckee History Day on Aug. 10 from 10am-4pm at the Regional Park.

• Comedian, TV star and talk show host Whitney Cummings will be at MontBleu in Stateline on Aug. 9 at 9pm.

• The final All Comer track event of the season is Aug. 8 from 5-8:30pm at the South Tahoe Middle School oval.

• Kings Beach Commercial Core Improvement Project public meeting will be at the North Tahoe Event Center in Kings Beach on Sept. 4 at 6pm, followed by a question and answer period.

By Kathryn Reed

For the fifth consecutive year, senators from California and Nevada are asking their colleagues to come up with $415 million to fund environmental projects at Lake Tahoe.

The last four years the answer was no – or it didn’t even make out of committee for there to be a vote. When it was introduced in 2009 the cash was to be spread over eight years; this time it’s for 10 years.

Since the inaugural Lake Tahoe Environmental Summit in 1997 that was convened at the request of then-President Bill Clinton, nearly $2 billion has come to the basin to primarily help with lake clarity. Money from California, Nevada, local jurisdictions and the private sector came up with the bulk of that dollar figure.

Congress is being asked to give Lake Tahoe $415 million over the next 10 years. Photo/Kathryn Reed

Clinton is the one who launched the environmental improvement program.

In 2000, the first Lake Tahoe Restoration Act was funded at $424 million across 10 years. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., reintroduced the act on Aug. 1, with the support of Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif, Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Dean Heller, R-Nev.

Money has been used to improve the clarity and quality of Lake Tahoe, thin forests in an attempt to reduce the threat of wildfire, help fight aquatic invasive species, improve air and water quality, build bike trails, and improve wildlife habitat.

The new money would do much of the same.

“I strongly believe we have a duty to protect Lake Tahoe, one of the most beautiful and pristine spots in our country,” Feinstein said in a press release. “Even in times of fiscal austerity, we cannot ignore the natural wonders that define our country. Lake Tahoe continues to suffer from pollution and sedimentation that reduces the lake’s remarkable water clarity, the potential for devastating wildfires remains high and a variety of invasive species threaten to devastate the region’s economy.”

Her family has had a second home on the West Shore for decades.

With the annual enviro summit being Aug. 19, the LTRA will undoubtedly be a topic of conversation – especially with former Vice President Al Gore attending the Sand Harbor event.

“Having the authorizing legislation (LTRA) allows legislators to appropriate funding to protect our lake for future generations, with assurances the money is being used responsibly,” Cheva Heck with the USFS told Lake Tahoe News.

Also in the bill is $2 million that would be used to transfer all of the urban lots owned by the U.S. Forest Service on the California side to the California Tahoe Conservancy. The USFS would get some CTC parcels outside the urban area so its ownership is more contiguous.

The current USFS parcels would be deed restricted so the CTC could not put them in their rather recently created “asset lands bank”; which allows the CTC to sell them for development purposes.

Nevada did not want to be part of the urban lot transfer.

The Forest Service manages more than 3,200 urban parcels throughout the basin.

This version of the LTRA would also allocate $20 million to bring back the Lahontan cutthroat trout.

The legislation requires an annual report to Congress detailing the status of all projects undertaken, including project scope, budget and justification and overall expenditures and accomplishments.

Here is a copy of Feinstein’s statement that she read into the record.

This is the LTRA summary of how the $415 million would be spent.

Dogs enjoy games at the inaugural Dawgs on the Run event. Photo/Provided

The 2nd annual Dog Carnival returns to South Lake Tahoe on Aug. 17 from 10am to 4pm.

The nonprofit Dawgs on the Run puts on the event to promote the fun and benefits of having dogs in our lives. It’s a full day for dogs and their humans to enjoy games, contests, raffles, food, prizes and informative demonstrations.

All leashed dogs are invited.

Dog games and contests during the day include:

• Play Dead Time Contest

• Peanut Butter Lick Contest

• Agility Contest

• Strut Your Mutt Runway Costume Contest

• Groom Off Makeover

• Tail Wagging Trick Contest

• I have The Music In Me Musical Chairs

• Dawgy Karaoke Contest

• Barnyard Bingo

• Bobbing For Tennis Balls.

There will be special presentations by Tammy Cowen of K9 Bliss Dog Behavior & Training, a Paw Reader, Jacki Wright Mobile Dog & Cat Grooming will be on hand with demonstrations and grooming tips, and a Big Bite Biscuit Bake Off with local chefs. Pet rescue groups will be on hand for adoptions as well as the South Lake Tahoe Humane Society.

Who’s the Tahoe Dog Contest is back. Dog owners can post their dog’s photo and short essay on why they deserve the honor on the Dawg’s on the Run. The winner will be announced during the carnival.

Ski Run Boulevard will be closed at Larch Avenue.

To the community,

In his book “Lasso the Wind” Timothy Egan wrote, “There is no institutional memory in the West, only dawn.” That statement fits the city of South Lake like a glove, a perfect fit.

That’s true when one considers the City Council lifers, Hal Cole and Tom Davis. Had they remembered the troubles with redevelopment, the scandal of the $7 million that was quietly lifted from the city’s general fund for redevelopment, and the failure of the city’s parking garage, and the bankruptcies, Cole and Davis should never have blessed the Chateau’s promises of a grand tomorrow. But they thought only of the dawn. And dawn arrived with more failure and sorrow.

Bill Crawford

Instead of memory guiding city government, we have administrators and council members puffed up with imagination. But when imagination isn’t tempered with prudence, too many city attempts to create a new dawn are a gambler’s hope, a roll of the dice, betting with other people’s money.

And an important item to remember is that city government is a representative institution, government by consent that means city councils should be good listeners. But when council hears citizens contrary, council turns off its hearing aid. Thus, a lack of trust creeps in.

And a troubling fact is in the last 12 years the City Council has hired four city managers. Two of the hires were from out of state. The same two resigned only after serving about two years of their contract. So it’s difficult to think that that office has an institutional memory. If there is a memory, it’s short. Also, city managers bring their baggage of what to do. Ideas that do not fit the history and experience of the city. They bring a “new dawn” i.e. SnowGlobe and parking meters to name a couple. The Greeks believed that without memory we live in hell.

Bill Crawford, South Lake Tahoe