The reported would-be child abduction on Jan. 15 of a South Lake Tahoe boys looks like it was the result of him throwing a snowball at a truck, according to police.
As a result of the investigation, the police department could find no evidence to verify an attempted abduction. It appears the incident might have been a reaction to ice or snow thrown at the truck, a press release states.
By Kathryn Reed
The chance of snow today is not as great as it has been for most of the week — it’s only at 90 percent. Totals should be less than a half foot at the lake.
The best opportunity to see the sun in Lake Tahoe will be Sunday, though Saturday looks pretty good too, according to the National Weather Service. But Sunday night the odds are at 70 percent for snow in the basin.
With all the snow that's fallen in Tahoe, a whole family of snow people could be built. Photo/Kathryn Reed
A couple feet have fallen this week at lake level, though those living in higher locales like Upper Kingsbury Grade and Truckee are reporting even more white stuff has been shoveled.
Mountain passes have been sketchy at different times. On Thursday afternoon some SUVs were driving the speed limit in near whiteout conditions at the top of Spooner Summit.
A Carson City firefighter was let out on the westbound side to cross the barrier to assist passengers in two vehicles headed toward Carson City that were smashed up on the side of the highway.
Roads should be good this weekend as the storms let up.
Bundle up — the low Saturday night might hit single digits. Highs today and Saturday should be in the low 30s, with it a balmy 41 on Monday.
Weather has been the topic of conversation throughout much of California and Nevada.
Acting Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday proclaimed a state of emergency in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Francisco and Siskiyou counties because of the storms that have brought high winds and significant amounts of precipitation. Deaths, injuries, flooding, heavy snow and mudslides are occurring up and down the state.
Flights out of Reno-Tahoe International Airport were delayed Thursday, though the bar was busy making bloody Marys.
Ski resorts in the Tahoe area are giddy about the several feet of snow that have fallen in less than a week. It’s dumped so much that Tahoe is boasting the most snow of any ski region in the country.
Kirkwood Mountain Resort, which usually receives the most snow of all Tahoe are resorts, is claiming 6 feet of snow for the week as of late Thursday. Sierra-at-Tahoe expects to hit the 6-foot mark by the time the skies clear. Heavenly says 3 feet have fallen. Alpine Meadows is saying 6 feet, too.
Northstar-at-Tahoe is having its benefit for the Sierra Avalanche Center on Jan. 24 with a limited number of $40 tickets. Click here for info.
The abundance of white stuff also means the snowpack’s water content could be above normal by the time the sun comes out in the next day or two.
By Kathryn Reed
With more than 85 percent of the houses in South Lake Tahoe having been built before 1980, it’s likely a substantial amount of lead is still on the walls of houses in the area.
The federal government banned lead paint in 1978, but it didn’t mean having to eradicate it from places where it had been used.
Now, decades later, the feds are helping to do just that.
South Lake Tahoe is one of 12 cities in the country to share $12 million to buy the equipment to test homes for lead, train contractors to rid a home of the dangerous element and pay for a house to be repainted. South Tahoe is receiving $1.5 million. The money comes from the Office of Healthy Homes.
The goal is to rehab at least 100 houses of lead paint and test another 100 within the city limits.
All of the money except for the $25,000 that will be used to buy the equipment to test the paint is expected to stay in the community. Buying the equipment is less expensive than having to pay a certified inspector about $500 per test. The machine also allows for instantaneous results instead of waiting days or weeks.
“The money allows us to train contractors how to get rid of lead based paint. (Lake Tahoe Community College) is putting together the program for training,” explained Nancy Kerry, manager of the city’s Redevelopment and Housing Department.
A meeting will be conducted Jan. 28 at 5pm at Lake Tahoe Airport for all contractors who are interested in being part of the program.
“We want them to help design the program,” Kerry said of the contractors.
She would like the training to begin in March, with work on some homes starting in May. The grant lasts three years, with the money arriving this month.
For a homeowner to be part of the project, they must meet low-income requirements, which more than half of the households in South Lake Tahoe can do. And it’s the occupant who has to meet the guidelines, not the owner.
Households with children will also go to the front of the list. The grant provides money for Barton Memorial Hospital to administer blood tests to children living in houses with lead paint.
If lead is found, grant money can be spent on relocating the home occupants while the lead is removed and the house is repainted. Relocation is necessary because lead can’t just be sanded off the walls. Everything will have to be covered up so it doesn’t get into other areas.
“We will use tax roles to look for older homes, owner occupied. We’ll send them letters telling them we’d like to test their home if they meet income requirements,” Kerry said.
For more information, call Nancy Kerry at (530) 542.6043 or click on meeting.
By Matthew Berger, ISP
WASHINGTON — As 2010, the U.N.’s International Year of Biodiversity, gets under way, a fight against some of the most damaging invasive species in U.S. waterways is heating up.
The U.N. says some experts put the rate at which species are disappearing at 1,000 times the natural rate, and invasive species – which consume the food or habitat of native species, or the native species themselves – are one factor contributing to this acceleration. Climate change is another major factor.
“Often it will be the combination of climate change and [invasive] pests operating together that will wipe species out,” says Tim Low of the Australia-based Invasive Species Council.
By Kathryn Reed
Outside Television Network will replace Resort Sports Network as of June 1.
Outside magazine’s parent company Mariah Media Inc. bought a small stake of RSN in December.
South Lake Tahoe is one of the 110 destinations where RSN is located. The entire network reaches 61 million viewers annually.
How the merging of the two entities will affect the local station remains to be seen.
“What it means for us locally is we go through a rebranding phase. We haven’t decided anything yet. There’s not even a new logo,” Pete Loughlin, South Lake Tahoe RSN general manager said.
So far the staff remains intact.
Loughlin said he has had a number of conversations with higher ups regarding programming, but no firm decisions have been made.
Some of what the local station produces goes to all the RSN stations — like the Glen Plake show.
“From a synergy and content standpoint it seems like a perfect match,” Loughlin said of the merger.
From an advertising standpoint it could mean more dollars with Outside’s name being on the marquee. Outside magazine is more widely known than RSN, which is one of the main reasons the magazine name is going to be used going forward.
RSN is continuing with its plans to thoroughly cover the Olympics in Whistler next month. A number of RSN camera crews will be at the Games, plus the network has broadcast agreements with NBC.
By Sam Stanton, Sacramento Bee
Fed up with delays in the kidnap case against Phillip and Nancy Garrido, a judge in Placerville today booted defense attorney Gilbert Maines as Nancy Garrido’s lawyer and ordered the case to move forward.
Maines said he would continue his fight to represent her, adding that Garrido wants him as her attorney.
But the judge instead appointed Stephen Tapson as the attorney to handle the case.
By Josh Kosman and Mark DeCambre, New York Post
The drama at ski resort and Winter Olympics venue Whistler Blackcomb may go beyond the competition related to the Games.
Sources tell The Post that creditors holding $1.4 billion of debt on Whistler owner Intrawest are planning to foreclose on the company within the next week and a half, casting a shadow on the resort, which will host the alpine events of the 2010 Olympics. “It will probably happen within 10 days,” a source said.
Connection fees will not increase for residents and businesses serviced by South Tahoe Public Utility District.
The board’s unanimous postponement of the proposed 36 percent increase in water capacity charges and 16 percent increase in sewer capacity charges was “in order to provide the incentive to encourage construction projects to move forward,” according to a press release.
The cap on the fees is good through June 30. The board will reassess the fee structure in a few months.
In 2006 for water and 2008 for sewer, the district undertook formal rate studies to determine appropriate capacity charges. The studies indicated the need for significant increases, according to a press release. The board’s plan was to phase the increases in over a five-year period.
By Kathryn Reed
The thermometer may say 30 something, but don’t be surprised if it feels like it’s in the teens in Lake Tahoe. Such are the hazards of a wind chill.
Winds were picking up in the basin late this morning as the next storm is slated to roll in this afternoon.
A winter weather advisory is in effect until 10 tonight. The National Weather Service has issued a storm watch for all of Wednesday.
Up to 10 inches of white stuff could accumulate at the lake with the next storm, while 16 inches may drop above 7,000 feet. The snow level is expected to drop to 5,000 feet.
More than 9 inches fell at the lake in the last 24 hours.
Skiing at Sierra-at-Tahoe was superb on Martin Luther King Jr. day because of the fresh powder and lack of people on the slopes.
The recent snow should mean Heavenly Mountain Resort will be able to turn off its snowmaking equipment, which was still on at the Stagecoach area last week.
Resorts that are prone to wind holds could see many chairs sitting idle this week as storm after storm rolls in.
Chains or 4-wheel drive will likely be mandatory on mountain passes much of the week.
The sun may return Saturday.
By Sam Stanton, Sacramento Bee
Say what you will about Gilbert Maines — and plenty of people have, recently — but no one can say he’s not a fighter.
The embattled former attorney for Nancy Garrido plans to return to court today in yet another bid to get back on the case.
“I’m doing what my client has asked me to do,” Maines said Friday. “I don’t have a choice.”