Douglas County commissioners this week voted for two of the three tax measures that were before them.

The sales tax and gasoline taxes were approved, while the utility operator fee was not. This means sales tax will go from 7.1 percent to 7.35 percent.

The fuel tax is 5 cents, which is in addition to the 4 cents per gallon excise tax on fuel that was implemented by commissioners in 2001.

The second reading for the two ordinances is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 3 at 1pm in Minden. For them to be approved the gas tax requires a simple majority, while a two-thirds or four commissioners must say yes to the sales tax.

There will be a public hearing about them at the Nov. 19, 1:30pm meeting in Stateline. Also at that meeting a business impact statement will also be reviewed to determine whether the gas tax will impose a direct and significant economic burden upon a business or will directly restrict the formation, operation or expansion of a business.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

A West Slope day care provider was arrested Oct. 6 on suspicion of child endangerment and being under the influence of a controlled substance.

Country Baby Daycare, a private business located at a residence in Shingle Springs, is owned by Brigitte McAdams, 63.

El Dorado County sheriff’s deputies said, “McAdams displayed the objective signs and symptoms of being under the influence of a central nervous stimulant. McAdams was unable to account for the number of children that were in her care originally stating that there were seven children inside the residence. Deputies determined that there were only five children inside the residence.

Deputies said they found alcohol and other items considered dangerous to children that the youngsters could have accessed.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Two men were hospitalized Wednesday when the plane they were in ran off the runway at Georgetown Airport.

The NTSB and FAA are investigating why the Silvaire Luscombe 8F left the runway about 11:40am Oct. 7.

The names of the injured have not been released. They were taken via ambulance to Sutter Roseville Hospital with moderate injuries.

El Dorado County sheriff’s deputies said the plane was found down an embankment.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By J.D. Morris, Las Vegas Sun

In Nevada, gamblers can wager on a wide range of sporting events: football, boxing, horse racing and, as of earlier this year, the Olympics, to name a few.

What if video games were added to that list someday?

It’s already happening elsewhere, thanks to an explosion in the popularity of the competitive video gaming industry, known as e-sports.

In various places throughout the country and abroad, fans gather en masse to watch video game players compete in high-stakes tournaments. Increasingly, fans also bet on the outcomes.

Read the whole story

Lake Tahoe’s fire departments are reminding people that it’s dangerous to dispose of fireplace, wood stove or barbecue ashes in improper containers and locations.

Embers, often concealed in what appears to be cold ashes, can remain hot enough to kindle a fire for several days. It is recommended to wait at least 96 hours and/or four days before disposing ashes.

To safely dispose of ashes:

·      Put discarded ashes in a heavy metal container, douse with water, and cover with fitted metal lid.

·      Store the container outside and away from structures, decks, fences, wood piles and other combustible materials.

·      Never use a vacuum cleaner to pick up ashes.

·      Never put ashes in bags or boxes.

·      Contact your local trash collection agency for their disposal recommendations after ashes have cooled and embers are out.

Fire officials also say to regularly inspect chimney. Soot and creosote are combustible materials that accumulate inside chimneys and create a dangerous fire hazard unless they are removed.

Last month a lakeside home in Zephyr Cove was destroyed by an escaped fire due to a malfunctioning wood burning appliance.

By Dale Kasler, Sacramento Bee

In the latest indicator of the severity of the drought, the federal government’s main reservoirs serving California have begun the new “water year” at just a quarter full and in worse shape than last year.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said Tuesday that the six key reservoirs of the Central Valley Project were a combined 200,000 acre-feet below the same time last year, a difference of about 6 percent. An acre-foot is 326,000 gallons, or a year’s supply for a typical California household.

All told, the reservoirs, including Shasta and Folsom, are just 24 percent full.

Read the whole story

The FBI is offering reward for the successful prosecution of the person or people responsible for vandalizing churches in Incline Village, Kings Beach and Tahoe City between April 4 and Sept. 14.

One suspect is described as a tall white man with a thin build, and between 18 and 25 years old. He is possibly in possession of red, blue, and yellow spray paint cans, and several fire extinguishers.

The same person(s) is believed to be responsible for the burglary of an Incline Village elementary school, a residential burglary on Marlene Street in Incline Village, and vandalism to an Incline Village judicial court vehicle.

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $5,000.

Anyone with information is asked to call 800.225.5324.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Joe Rodriguez, San Jose Mercury News

A pension reform coalition that includes former San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed unveiled a pair of statewide ballot measures Monday to rein in retirement benefits for government employees.

The coalition, spearheaded by Reed and former San Diego City Councilman Carl DeMaio, wrote two propositions to improve its chances of winning a long-running battle with state Attorney General Kamala Harris, whose office is in charge of writing the titles and summaries of statewide ballot measures. The campaign plans to place only one measure on the November 2016 ballot after seeing how the attorney general summarizes them.

The coalition claims the Attorney General’s Office penned unfair summaries of previous measures it proposed because Harris, a Democrat, enjoys the political support of labor unions. Harris’ office denies this allegation.

Read the whole story

A South Lake Tahoe woman who accused a man of sexual assault has admitted she lied about the accusations.

The woman reported having been sexually assaulted early in the morning of Aug. 28 at a residence in the city just hours after having met the man.

The man in question voluntarily went to the police station after learning he had been singled out.

“As a result of that interview and subsequent follow up, the allegations made by the victim were unfounded. No criminal charges will be filed in this case. The victim has been refereed to support services,” South Lake Tahoe police officers said in a statement.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Michelle Rindels, AP

CARSON CITY — Nevada has tentatively agreed to pay $400,000 to the city and county of San Francisco to settle allegations that the state wrongfully and intentionally bused psychiatric patients to the city and declined to pay the costs connected with their care.

The deal, if approved by the Nevada Board of Examiners and a similar board in San Francisco, is expected to end an expensive legal battle that has lasted more than two years. Nevada officials budgeted more than $1.9 million to fight the lawsuit through the summer; a final tally of the costs wasn’t immediately available.

“The settlement will bring an amicable resolution to this matter,” Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval said in a statement. “The settlement will also validate the patient management best practices and procedures which Nevada has had in place for two years.”

Officials from the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the agreement, which would cover the city’s attorney’s fees.

San Francisco sued Nevada in September 2013, after the Sacramento Bee published accounts of patients who were apparently discharged from Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital in Las Vegas, given bus tickets to cities in California and directed to seek further care there.

San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera sued, saying that 24 people with no prior connection to his city had been bused there over a five-year period, and 20 needed medical care shortly after they arrived.

“What the defendants have been doing for years is horribly wrong on two levels,” Herrera said in a statement when he filed suit. “It cruelly victimizes a defenseless population, and punishes jurisdictions for providing health and human services that others won’t provide.”

In the months immediately after the newspaper’s investigation, Nevada health officials said policies were strengthened to ensure a patient has support at their destination, several employees were fired, and more than $30 million was added to the budget to fund mental health services.

Sandoval said he expects Nevada and San Francisco to agree on new procedures for transferring psychiatric patients.

“We look forward to working with California to ensure all patient transfers to and from both states are managed using these best practices and adhering to conditions detailed in the agreement,” the governor said.

The settlement is expected to come up for a vote at a Nevada Board of Examiners meeting on Oct. 13.