By Trevon Milliard, Reno Gazette-Journal

California Highway Patrol has identified the motorcyclist shot dead Saturday on Interstate 80 near Truckee.

Jeffrey Sterling Duke, 57, of Georgetown died at the scene on Saturday afternoon, according to authorities. He was shot by three motorcyclists who rode up, fired shots and then took off.

CHP Officer Pete Mann told the Sacramento Bee on Saturday that the victim was associated with the Vagos biker gang. Investigators are gathering information about the assailants and ask witnesses to come forward.

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By Mary Williams Walsh, New York Times

When one of the tiniest pension funds imaginable — for Citrus Pest Control District No. 2, serving just six people in California — decided last year to convert itself to a 401(k) plan, it seemed like a no-brainer.

After all, the little fund held far more money than it needed, according to its official numbers from California’s renowned public pension system,CalPERS.

Except it really didn’t.

In fact, it was significantly underfunded. Suddenly CalPERS began demanding a payment of more than half a million dollars.

It turns out that CalPERS, which managed the little pension plan, keeps two sets of books: the officially stated numbers, and another set that reflects the “market value” of the pensions that people have earned. The second number is not publicly disclosed. And it typically paints a much more troubling picture, according to people who follow the money.

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The woman who died in the Sept. 23 accident on Kingsbury Grade has been identified as Carrie Hilderbrand.

The 47-year-old Wellington woman was driving toward the lake when her vehicle crossed the center line and struck a motorhome driven by Jason Collin, 43, of South Lake Tahoe. Collin, a South Lake Tahoe City Council candidate, is recovering at Renown Medical Center in Reno. He sustained substantial injuries to both legs.

In the motorhome were six passengers, many of whom sustained minor to moderate injury in the crash. Their names have not been released.

Hilderbrand was the sole occupant of the Nissan. At this time, impairment is unknown.

Both drivers were wearing their seat belts at the time of the 1:20pm crash.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Ben Botkin, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Environmental groups have pumped more than $3 million into Nevada elections, investing money in ads and a ground game that will get canvassers and volunteers out knocking on doors statewide.

It’s a reflection in part of how climate change has become an increasingly visible issue, whether it’s drought-stricken farmland in California, increased wildfires, or rising sea levels, environmental advocates say.

The spending, from groups that include NextGen Climate and the League of Conservation Voters, is supporting Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Catherine Cortez Masto, the Democratic candidate for Nevada’s open U.S. Senate seat.

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The membership airline SurfAir is expanding the number of flights it has out of the Truckee Airport.

Passengers have the choice 12 destinations in California, plus Las Vegas, and this winter European locales will be added. The monthly fee is $1,950.

The company has been operating in Truckee since 2014. Initially there were seven round trip flights to San Carlos, now there are 20.

This in turn has meant the company has grown its fleet from three to 12.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Denny Walsh, Sacramento Bee

Lawrence “Jake” Spies Jr. had a long history of depression, hospitalizations for mental illness and failed suicide attempts.

Yet, he hanged himself while an inmate at the El Dorado County jail in Placerville and nobody noticed for several hours, according to a wrongful death complaint filed last week on behalf of his parents in Sacramento federal court.

The suit seeks unspecified monetary damages as compensation for alleged deliberate indifference to serious medical needs; wrongful death; professional negligence; medical malpractice; and failure on the part of the county and its medical provider to supervise, investigate and discipline those responsible for Spies’ death. The suit names several defendants including the county and California Forensic Medical Group.

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Vail Resorts’ net income was $149.8 million for fiscal 2016, an increase of 30.5 percent compared to fiscal 2015.

The Broomfield, Colo.-based company that owns Heavenly, Kirkwood and Northstar ski resorts today reported results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year that ended July 31.

The number of season pass sold for this winter through Sept. 18 have increased approximately 24 percent, while the dollar value is 29 percent higher than a year ago.

CEO Rob Katz in a statement said, “Tahoe results rebounded strongly as favorable weather conditions helped to reactivate visitation in the region. We officially launched Epic Discovery at Vail and Heavenly this summer, driving significant increases in visitation and revenue in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016 compared to the prior year. Our summer business will continue to grow as we further build out activities at Vail and Heavenly and officially launch Epic Discovery at Breckenridge next summer.”

For fiscal 2016, total mountain net revenue increased 18.2 percent to $1.3 billion. Total skier visits increased 18.5 percent to approximately 10 million, while total U.S. skier visits increased 13.2 percent. Retail, dining and ski school numbers all improved as well.

For investors, the board of directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 81 cents per share on Vail Resorts’ common stock that will be payable on Oct. 25.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Edgewood Lodge will be open for summer 2017, with views of the lake and golf course. Photo/LTN

By Kathryn Reed

Guests at Edgewood Lodge will be able to feel the cool water of Lake Tahoe without ever having to dip a toe into the lake.

This is because developers are extending the in-take line used by Edgewood Water Company, routing that water through the hotel and then to the pumping station before it becomes potable. That water will actually be the air conditioning for the hotel.

“Instead of spending money on a chiller and cooling tower we spent money on the inline to the lake,” Patrick Rhamey, executive vice president of Edgewood Companies, told Lake Tahoe News. “That way we will use less energy, less greenhouse gases, and it will go toward LEED certification for the hotel. It is a simple, but elegant way to conserve energy and provide air conditioning.”

The current line is 600-feet long, in a depth of 25- to 35-feet of water. The new line will be 3,000 feet, at a depth of 600 feet. That will allow the water coming into the building to be about a constant 46 degrees.

The water for the cooling system is never touched while it’s in the lodge. The pumping system is the same one in place for the water company.

Edgewood Water Company is extending the in-take line 3,000 feet into Lake Tahoe. Photo/LTN

Ratepayers of the Stateline water company will not be affected; the nearly $1 million price tag for the new pipe is being charged to the lodge project.

The existing pipe will remain as a backup.

Edgewood is going after LEED silver certification; this is a federal designation in regards to how green, or environmentally efficient the structure is.

The lodge is slated to open by Memorial Day 2017. It will be possible to make a reservation starting Oct. 24. About 300 more employees will be hired, essentially doubling the staff of Edgewood Tahoe. Edgewood is operating and managing the lodge.

In addition to the hotel rooms (nothing is for sale, these are not condos), there will be a restaurant that caliber-wise will be in between the fine dining restaurant and sports bar that have long been at the site. The lodge restaurant will be bistro-style, serving three meals a day – to guests and the public. It will be the largest of the three dining options, seating 200, along with outdoor tables.

The 8,000-square-foot spa will have multiple treatment rooms. There will also be a salon for people to get their hair and nails done. Edgewood is hoping this will make for a more inclusive option for wedding parties.

A pool will front the lake, as well as a fitness room. These will be exclusively for guests.

The 3,000-square-foot conference center can be divided off into smaller sections. There will also be retail, and for guests an adventure concierge service.

In the future it’s possible 40 residential style units would be built along the fairways of holes 8 and 9. Owners can also add more than 5,000-square-feet of meeting space if there is the demand.

By Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times

With the stroke of a pen, California Gov. Gray Davis signed legislation that gave prison guards, park rangers, Cal State professors and other state employees the kind of retirement security normally reserved for the wealthy.

More than 200,000 civil servants became eligible to retire at 55 — and in many cases collect more than half their highest salary for life. California Highway Patrol officers could retire at 50 and receive as much as 90% of their peak pay for as long as they lived.

Proponents sold the measure in 1999 with the promise that it would impose no new costs on California taxpayers. The state employees’ pension fund, they said, would grow fast enough to pay the bill in full.

They were off — by billions of dollars — and taxpayers will bear the consequences for decades to come.

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By Megan Messerly, Las Vegas Sun

Citizenship applications in Nevada were up 52 percent in the first six months of the year compared with the same period last year, according to data recently released by the federal government.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reported that 6,303 permanent residents in Nevada applied to become citizens between January and June, compared with 4,147 in the same period last year.

There are a number of reasons someone might apply for citizenship. However, at a citizenship drive in April, many applicants pointed to the possibility of a Donald Trump presidency as the reason they finally decided to apply for citizenship even though they had been eligible to apply for years.

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