Liberty Utility crews work to repair a splintered power line on Aug. 9. Photo/LTN

Updated 12:20pm: Power has been restored.

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The driver of a Ford Explorer had to be extricated from the vehicle early this morning after crashing into an electric pole at the corner of Pioneer Trail and Al Tahoe Boulevard in South Lake Tahoe.

The person, whose name has not been released, was flown to Renown Medical Center in Reno after the Aug. 9, 3:30am accident.

“The investigation is continuing as to what caused the crash and if any alcohol or drugs were involved,” police Lt. Brian Williams told Lake Tahoe News.

The accident initially left 2,200 Liberty Utilities customers without power. Two hundred people remain without power. It should be restored by 10am Tuesday or as soon as the new pole is in place.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Marcella Corona, Reno Gazette-Journal

A Truckee woman faces a DUI and child endangerment-related charges following a rollover crash that involved a total of five passengers on Mount Rose Highway Sunday night.

Nevada Highway Patrol troopers responded at 10:24pm Aug. 7 to a report of a crash on Mount Rose Highway near Timberline Drive. At least one child was in the vehicle, according to Trooper Duncan Dauber.

Dalia Rios faces several charges including driving under the influence, child abuse or neglect and failure to drive on the right side of the road. She was also charged with a child restraint violation.

Read the whole story

By Jenny Kane, Reno Gazette-Journal

The Burning Man organization has purchased a chunk of residential property in Gerlach, a town just a few miles away from the annual Burning Man site.

Black Rock City, LLC, a subsidiary of the arts nonprofit based in San Francisco, bought seven parcels of adjacent land for $169,993 on July 28 from Giovanni “Bruno” Selmi, according to Washoe County records. Selmi is a local Gerlach celebrity who owns Gerlach’s only diner (with an attached bar), gambling hall and motel.

The parcels — which make up a full town block — do not include Selmi’s business properties, which are primarily run by his adult children since he is now in his 90s.

Read the whole story

Eagle Falls Trailhead parking lot will be closed from 7pm to 6am Aug8-12  to accommodate construction on Highway 89 as part of Caltrans’ stormwater pollution prevention efforts.

The $13 million Emerald Bay water quality improvement project includes constructing new drainage facilities which will capture stormwater runoff and filter out dirt, oil and litter before it gets to the lake. The project will also repave a four-mile section of the highway from Cascade Road to just north of the Eagle Falls viaduct over Emerald Bay.

Completion is expected in summer 2017.

By Benjamin Spillman, Reno Gazette Journal

A Nevada Department of Wildlife biologist shot and killed a bear near Stateline about two weeks after it broke into an occupied home and made several other break-in attempts.

The bear, a 2-year-old female, too young to bear cubs, known as Blue 54, was shot on July 28 following an encounter in which she lashed out at a homeowner, department spokesman Chris Healy said.

It was the final human conflict for a bear that had escalated displays of dangerous behavior in the prior weeks, Healy said.

Read the whole story

By Kathryn Reed

Vail Resorts has expanded its ski resort portfolio to include Whistler Blackcomb in Canada.

The Colorado-based company is buying the Vancouver resort for $1.1 billion.

Whistler, with 8,171 acres, is the largest ski resort in North America. Coming in a close second is the Vail owned Park City-Canyons merged resorts with 7,300 acres.

“Whistler Blackcomb is one of the most iconic mountain resorts in the world with an incredible history, passionate employees and a strong community. With our combined experience and expertise, together we will build upon the guest experience at Whistler Blackcomb while preserving the unique brand and character of the resort as an iconic Canadian destination for guests around the world. We are delighted to add such a renowned resort to Vail Resorts and look forward to expanding our relationships in the Sea-to-Sky community, British Columbia and Canada,” Rob Katz, chairman and chief executive officer of Vail Resorts, said in a statement.

Whistler was the site of the downhill ski events for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games based in Vancouver.

Vail, which owns Heavenly, Kirkwood and Northstar in the Tahoe area, has been on a mission to diversify and expand its ski resort holdings.

Vail Resorts on Aug. 8 announced its purchase of Whistler Blackcomb ski resort in Canada. Photo/LTN file

With this purchase, it means a local competitor just got pushed out of the Canadian market.

KSL Capital Partners, the owners of Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows, bought nearly one-quarter of Whistler Blackcomb in 2012 for nearly $116 million from Intrawest.

Most of Whistler was owned by Whistler Blackcomb Holdings and Nippon Cable.

Dave Brownlie, Whistler Blackcomb’s chief executive officer, will remain at the resort as the chief operating officer for Vail.

“As the No. 1 ranked and most visited resort in North America, Whistler Blackcomb has enjoyed tremendous success by delivering an exceptional mountain experience for our passionate and loyal guests — both locally and from around the world.  That’s going to continue as we work with our new colleagues at Vail Resorts as well as our employees, local businesses, community and government stakeholders to make Whistler Blackcomb better than ever,” Brownlie said in a statement. Partnering with the geographically diversified Vail Resorts and extending its successful Epic Pass products to Whistler Blackcomb are customer-focused ways of securing the long-term future of our resort, our industry and our community.”

The pilot of a glider died when the aircraft crashed Sunday in the Pinenuts.

Joseph N. Lowenhardt, 74, of Minden was the only occupant.

The Nevada Civil Air Patrol, assisted by the U.S. Air Force, located the crashed glider approximately 8 miles east of the Minden Tahoe Airport. The pilot was found deceased in the wreckage.

The crash occurred about 2:50pm Aug. 7.

The FAA is handling the investigation.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Brooke Edwards Staffs, Orange County Register

A growing number of California law enforcement organizations and leaders are voicing objections to a state ballot measure that would legalize recreational marijuana, saying it would make the state less safe.

San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos said the initiative to legalize marijuana “will do nothing to curb black-market activity in California.” He is one of several police officials who is actively opposing the measure, a group that includes the Riverside Sheriffs’ Association, the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs and the California Police Chiefs Association.

Law enforcement remains one of the most influential voices when it comes to debating issues such as marijuana legalization, according to Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at USC. And its credibility doesn’t seem to have declined, he said, despite recent controversies surrounding the relationship of police and community.

But marijuana legalization advocates so far have collected 40 times more campaign cash than opponents.

Read the whole story

One person died in a structure fire in Incline Aug. 7. Photo/Provided

One person died this morning in an Incline Village house fire.

The name of the deceased has not been released pending notification of next of kin.

When North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District crews arrived just after 3am Aug. 7 the house on Tomahawk Trail was fully engulfed with flames. It wasn’t until after several hours of firefighting that crews were able to enter the structure. That is when the remains were discovered.

The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office and the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection have launched a joint investigation into the fire.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

The Alder Fire burning near Kyburz is 40 percent contained, with 25 acres charred.

The fire is burning in steep terrain on the south side of Highway 50 in the Eldorado National Forest near Sand Flat campground.

“Firefighters made good progress overnight. The north side of the fire is within the containment area. Firefighters will be working on the south side of the fire on Alder Ridge and strengthening containment lines today,” fire officials said in a statement.

The Alder lookout and the communication site on Alder Ridge are threatened.

Drivers should expect to see fire vehicles on the highway and along the road to the campground.

The cause of the fire that stared Aug. 6 at 3pm is under investigation.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report