Every metro area in Northern California, including South Lake Tahoe, saw a double-digit drop in the average price of gas over the past month, according to the latest report from AAA Northern California, Nevada and Utah Insurance Exchange.

The average price in South Lake Tahoe dropped to $3.85 from $4.20 when the survey was done June 12.

California’s average for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline is $3.70, down 40 cents since last month. Among all 50 states, California has the third highest state average price for regular, unleaded gasoline. Hawaii is first and Alaska is the second.

Northern California gas prices are now averaging $3.71, down 41 cents from last month. The national average price of $3.38 is down by 16 cents, which is 25 cents less than the national price on this date last year, when it was $3.63.

The least expensive average price in Northern California can be found in Marysville where regular is $3.54 per gallon.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

The California Community Colleges Board of Governors this week took the first step toward establishing system-wide enrollment priorities and gave final approval to regulations that prevent students from repeating courses that they have already successfully completed.

The enrollment priority regulations, which are scheduled for final adoption in September and implementation in the fall of 2014, would reward students who are progressing toward their educational goals by allowing them to register for courses ahead of students who don’t have an education plan, are not making academic progress or who accumulate units far in excess of the number needed to transfer or earn a certificate or degree.

“The proposed changes encourage successful student behaviors and ensure the system is intelligently rationing classes at a time of scarce resources to provide more students with the opportunity to achieve their goals on time,” said Chancellor Jack Scott in a statement. “Current law and practice guiding student enrollment tends to favor the continuing student, based solely on accrual of course units.”

Active-duty military and veterans and former foster youth in good academic standing who have completed orientation, assessment and education plans will continue to have first call on courses, followed by students in Extended Opportunity Programs and Services and Disabled Students Programs and Services who have done the same.

Districts would have authority to adopt policies exempting categories of students from the 100-unit limit, such as those in high-unit majors or programs. Districts also would be required to adopt an appeals policy and process for students who lose enrollment priority due to extenuating circumstances such as verified cases of accidents, illnesses or other circumstances beyond the control of the student. Public comment on the proposed change will be accepted before final adoption.

The regulation changes that will prevent students from repeating a course that they have already completed with a satisfactory grade will take effect in the fall of 2013. Students have been allowed to take some classes, such as performing arts and physical education offerings, as many as four times.

Students will be able to repeat courses needed to meet transfer requirements for a University of California or a California State University campus, or for a legally mandated course. There is also an exception for students participating in intercollegiate athletics.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency announced Tim Carlson has joined the the TRPA’s 15-member Governing Board as the new presidential appointee.

Carlson, a Nevada resident, has more than 40 years of government and business development experience in commercialization and technology transfer.

“The President has appointed someone with the background and experience needed to help TRPA and the Governing Board forge ahead into the future,” said TRPA Executive Director Joanne S. Marchetta in a statement. “Tim comes with a vast amount of environmental and development expertise, and a long history with Tahoe having lived first part and now full-time in the Basin.”

“I am looking forward to learning and working with the Board and staff to help accomplish the goals of the TRPA and the people it serves,” Carlson stated. “It is my hope that I can contribute along-side those that have put so much time and energy into protecting our beautiful Lake Tahoe.”

By KCRA-TV

At least 100 people were evacuated from their homes in a rural area outside of Foresthill as a fire burns in Placer County.

A fire that started Wednesday near Colfax continues burning Thursday. Firefighters are working to prevent the blaze from jumping a river.

Evacuations are in place near Foresthill because of a fire burning near Shirttail Canyon, Cal Fire officials said. About 50 houses are threatened, officials said Thursday morning.

Cal Fire crews are working to prevent the Robbers Fire from jumping the American River Canyon, near Colfax. If that happens, the town will be threatened, officials said.

The possibility of strong winds and triple-degree temperatures today will affect the fire — which, so far, has burned about 317 acres and is 20 percent contained.

About 250 firefighters have been called in from across the state.

Read the whole story

The gaming win at Stateline casinos fell almost 27 percent in May, to $13.3 million from $18.3 million in the same month a year earlier, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

The state’s gaming win was $885 million in May, down 10 percent from $984 million in May, 2011. Tax collections in June, based on May wins, was down 24 percent.

Carson Valley wins were down close to 10 percent to $8.2 million and revenue from Reno casinos dropped 5 percent to $45.5 million.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

The Douglas County School District Board of Trustees paved the way for changes to several policies, approved a vendor for a repaving project at schools and agreed to keep the former Kingsbury Middle School on the market after not receiving any bids for the Zephyr Cove property.

The school board also received an update from Principal Brian Frazier on Jacobsen High School in Gardnerville, a court-ordered and short-term alternative school for teens in 16 of the state’s 17 counties.

Frazier said that 55 percent of the school’s students leave the school showing one or more years’ growth in reading skills, 67 percent exit showing one or more years’ improvement in math skills and 66 percent leave with a year or more bump in their science skills.

Students are at the school for an average of four months before they are transitioned back to their school of origin.

“I think your numbers are extraordinary considering you only have them for four, four and a half months,” said Ross Chichester, board member.

Frazier also presented on changes to the school district’s policy for students in transition, or SIP. He said during the 2007-08 school year, there were 33 homeless students in Douglas County. But due to the recession, that number has jumped every year until it reached 294 homeless students in the 2010-11 school year. Last year, the number dropped to 257 students.

The changes to the county’s SIP policy that Frazier discussed, and the board approved, were to create a uniform procedure for all schools and to be sure it complied with state and federal law.

Lisa Noonan, DCSD superintendent, reported that no offers have made to buy the old Kingsbury Middle School at 1900 Echo Drive, Zephyr Cove so the board agreed to continue advertising it for another three months.

A contract to do repaving work at CC Menley and Jack Valley elementary schools and Pau-Wa-Lu Middle School was awarded to West Coast Paving, the only bidder on the project.

Lyn Gorrindo, assistant superintendent of education services, presented changes to the school’s policy on temporary guardianship of students and parent conferencing as well as a new policy called “Recognition of Religious Beliefs and Customs.” All were approved for a first reading.

The board also continued to discuss developing a form and procedure for the board to self-evaluate its performance. A decision was tabled because Sharla Hales, board president, was absent.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

The Sierra Rose luxury yacht remains submerged in water at its dock in the Tahoe Keys Marina a couple days after it first sank.

The Sierra Rose at its dock on July 9. Photo/Anne Knowles

Local officials who are monitoring the incident said owner Mike Stewart is working with a crane operator to raise the boat out the water within the next few days.

“We were told they are trying to refloat the boat,” said Lauri Kemper, assistant executive officer of the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Lahontan Region.

The water control board was called to the marina early Monday morning along with other area agencies, including the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and the California Emergency Management Agency, to ensure that the boat was not leaking oil or other fluids into the waters.

“We determined that they had a fuel tank full of diesel and a full sewage tank,” said Kemper, “but there were no leaks and the tanks were intact and completely sealed.”

“There are no environmental problems and it is being highly monitored by Lahontan, the TRPA, El Dorado County Environmental Management, Fish and Game, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, the fire department and the Coast Guard,” said a spokesperson for the marina.

Robert Spinnota, the marina general manager, was not available for comment. Stewart, the boat’s owner, did not immediately return calls.

Stewart and several guests were on the boat early Monday morning when it began to sink, according to Lt. Dave Stevenson with SLTPD. Lake Tahoe News initially reported that no one was on the boat.

“The owner was onboard and a couple couples,” Stevenson told Lake Tahoe News. “The owner found the leak and everyone stepped off the boat and onto the dock.”

SLTPD is currently conducting a vessel accident report, but Stevenson said the cause of the problem appears to have been some kind of mechanical failure with the boat’s water system.

The 85-foot Sierra Rose is a multi-million dollar yacht available to rent for $2,000 a night. It sleeps six and, according to its web site, features a fully-appointed kitchen, two master bedrooms with private baths, hardwood floors, a closed circuit video system and a 20-foot, all-mahogany speed boat.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Two motherless bear cubs captured in Nevada City last week are now at the Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care.

The California Department of Fish and Game delivered them to LTWC after the agency received a call and found the mother dead from an unknown cause and then trapped the cubs.

“I didn’t notice any trauma or a shot and scavengers had already gotten to her so it would be very difficult to determine the cause of death,” said Marc Kenyon, environmental scientist with the department’s black bear, wild pig and mountain lion program.

The bear cubs were transported Friday to LTWC, where they are being treated for body lice before they can be placed with three other bear cubs the sanctuary was already caring for.

“They were loaded with ticks and foxtails in their ears,” said Cheryl Millham who operates LWTC with her husband Tom.

Dr. Kevin Willitts, who owns Alpine Animal Hospital, treated the cubs, who weighed 25 pounds and 27 pounds, said Milham.

The cubs will stay at LTWC until the winter, when they will be placed into hibernation, tranquilized and transported to a den prepared by Fish and Game.

Two of the cubs already at LTWC are from a case in North San Juan, north of Grass Valley, in which a man was found trying to sell them after killing their mother. The third cub was found in Hoopa, near Eureka.

Two other cubs were recently captured in Alpine Meadows when Fish and Game put down their mother after she broke into a house there. Because the cubs entered the home, too, Fish and Game is holding them while looking for a permanent home for them in a zoo or wildlife sanctuary rather than re-releasing them into the wild.

 — Lake Tahoe News staff report

The Placer County Sheriff’s Office has started to phase in a new vehicle, the Chevy Tahoe two-wheel drive SUV.  Sheriff’s officials selected the Tahoe when Ford announced it would no longer manufacture the department’s current patrol car, the Crown Victoria.

The sheriff’s office evaluated the Chevy Tahoe, as well as available Ford and Chrysler products, and chose the Tahoe for the price, larger cargo area and its suitability for the county’s varied terrain. The Tahoes are lower priced than the Crown Vics; they were purchased for $26,209 versus $28,348 for the Ford vehicles.

The new patrol SUV’s also sport a new striping and lettering package. The reflective green stripe and gold lettering stand out from hundreds of yards away on the street.

Placer County is seeking information about a robbery that took place early July 10 at a construction site in the 1400 block of River Road in Tahoe City.

The police said unknown suspects broke into a shared construction yard at the location and stole gas lawn mowers, gas-powered earth compactors, power hand tools, a chop saw, welders, 1-inch, 1.5-inch and 2-inch copper tubing rolls, hundreds of copper and brass fittings, and cash.

Anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact Detective John Riella at (530) 581.6325 or Detective Sgt. John Giovannini at (530) 581.6321. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000 may call Placer County Crime Stoppers at 800.923.8191.