Washoe County sheriff’s investigators have a new theory in the unsolved murder of a woman found off the Mount Rose Highway in 1982.

On July 17, 1982, a white female was found dead near the Sheep’s Flat area a few miles above Incline Village. The victim was wearing a powder blue T-shirt, blue jeans and yellow tennis shoes, and wore a bathing suit under her clothing. There was no identification.

An artist’s rendering of the victim.

Initially the victim was believed to be of European decent based upon her inoculation scar and unique dental work. The victim’s identification remains a mystery.

After taking a fresh look at the case, Washoe’s cold case unit investigators now believe the victim may have come from somewhere in the Western United States. Investigators believe she may never have been reported as missing to law enforcement because she may have become voluntarily estranged from her family and/or friends in the years prior to the murder.

Based on this new theory, investigators are hoping that someone may know of a situation where a young woman left her family in the late 1970s early 1980s and has not been heard from since.

The victim was estimated to have been between the ages of 25 and 35 in 1982. She was a Caucasian female with a medium colored complexion; 5-feet-5 to 5-feet-6; slender build; straight medium length light brown hair; and hazel eyes.

More unique descriptors include a vaccination scar on her right shoulder and a 4 to 5 inch horizontal surgical scar (possibly from a cesarean section birth) on her lower abdomen.

Although the victim’s dental health appears to have been in decline for a couple of years prior to her murder, the victim previously had extensive dental work by more than one dentist which included a unique porcelain faced three tooth gold bridge on the upper left side of her mouth as well as several other permanent and temporary fillings and crowns. One of the victim’s lower teeth was noticeably rotated and her upper front teeth were not symmetrical in appearance.

Detectives did not say how she died.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Investigators Dave Jenkins at DJenkins@washoecounty.us or Rick Bjelke at RBjelke@washoecounty.us, or call 775.328.6225.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

This car is not drivable after crashing July 21 near Cave Rock. Photo Copyright 2015 Carolyn E. Wright

A single-car accident near Cave Rock on Tuesday left the driver with minor injuries.

The car wound up in the rocks on the side of the road. The name and hometown of the driver has not been released.

The accident occurred about 4pm July 21. About an hour later officials were still waiting for the tow truck to arrive.

One lane of Highway 50 was shutdown for a short period.

The cause of the accident is under investigation. The roadway was wet at the time with a thunderstorm having rolled through shortly before the crash.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

The Super Scooper firefighting aircraft, for now, is calling Lake Tahoe Airport home. Photo/Kathryn Reed

By Kathryn Reed

Firefighting capabilities in the Lake Tahoe region have increased to a level not seen before when there wasn’t a fire already raging.

“This brings continuous water drops. That’s what sets it apart,” Kevin Merrill, national amphibious aircraft manager with the U.S. Forest Service, told Lake Tahoe News as he walked around the aircraft.

The Super Scooper firefighting aircraft – as it is known – arrived at Lake Tahoe Airport on Monday. The plane is considered a national resource so it could be pulled into service elsewhere at any even given moment. It is the only one in the country.

“It’s the perfect aircraft for this unit. It’s surrounded by the best water source,” Merrill said of Lake Tahoe.

What makes this Bombardier CL415 different than other firefighting aircraft is that it can operate more efficiently. It can scoop up 1,621 gallons of water in 20 seconds and then fly for three hours without refueling.

Other aircraft get water on land, which slows the process. Though those planes can hold up to 3,000 gallons. Helicopters are not as efficient as the Super Scooper either, according to Merrill.

“With severe drought conditions and lots of lightning fires so far, we anticipate this aircraft will greatly assist our ground-based firefighters this season,” Cheva Gabor with the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit told Lake Tahoe News.

It’s a bulky looking plane, which goes beyond the two massive turbo prop engines. There are mooring cleats on the nose and it has an anchor.

Being able to fly super slow allows it to skim a water body’s surface. The length and depth of a lake are two of the basic factors in determining if it is suitable for the Super Scooper. Fallen Leaf Lake could be used if wind were not a factor.

The 3-year-old plane will not be in Tahoe forever. This is year two of a five-year test project. The Forest Service has a contract with Aeroflite out of Spokane.

Last year it flew about 300 hours and dumped 1.5 million gallons of water. The five-member crew (two pilots, two mechanics, one flight manager) flew in Florida, Oklahoma, Michigan, Washington, Oregon and Southern California in 2014. This year the plane has been in Tennessee, Florida, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Alaska and now Lake Tahoe.

At the end of the five-year contract the Forest Service will evaluate the feasibility of the Super Scooper being used more extensively.

By Howard Stutz, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Caesars Entertainment Corp. struck an agreement with a large group of the casino company‘s second-tier debt holders, which gives the creditors “a substantial improvement in recoveries” once the bankruptcy restructuring of its largest operating division is completed.

In a statement released late Monday night, Caesars said the agreement with the creditors, who are owed billions of dollars, is effective once 50 percent of the holders have signed on to the plan. Caesars did not say what percentage of the group had approved of the deal.

Caesars owns Harrah’s Lake Tahoe and Harveys.

Under the agreement, the bond holders signing onto to the plan will receive a forbearance fee of at least $200 million in convertible debt to be issued by Caesars Entertainment “in consideration for forbearing in respect to certain alleged defaults.”

Read the whole story

By Associated Press

Nevada again ranked poorly in a national child welfare report, coming in dead last when it comes to education.

According to the latest Kids Count Data Book issued by the child advocacy group the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Nevada ranked 47th overall among the 50 states.

The state scored in the bottom five in three of the four categories, including economic well-being, education and health. It ranked 43rd in family and community.

And despite being credited for improvement on many factors, Nevada still had an increase of children living in poverty and in high-poverty areas and with a single-parent family and with parents without secure employment.

A state education spokeswoman says programs have been implemented to address the problems but that the report using 2013 data doesn’t reflect them.

By Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times

When Gov. Jerry Brown visits the Vatican this week for an international conference, he’ll be carrying a resolution from state lawmakers supporting Pope Francis’ recent encyclical on climate change.

He’s hoping the Legislature will send an even stronger message later this year by passing new environmental rules aimed at helping California slash greenhouse-gas emissions over the next few decades.

Approval of the legislation, intended to enact goals outlined by the governor this year, would bolster Brown’s calls for global action on climate change with a display of regulatory muscle in his own state.

Oil companies have ramped up opposition, and utilities are angling for changes in the bill that would make it easier for them to fulfill requirements to produce renewable energy. But so far, no one has been able to stop the legislation, which has passed the state Senate and is advancing in the Assembly.

Read the whole story

By Bethany Barnes, Las Vegas Review-Journal

As the state looks to improve education as a way to create new industry and jobs, some academics and lawmakers are asking a difficult question: Is Dan Klaich the right person to lead the state‘€™s higher education system?

The chancellor has been at the center of recent controversies involving the Nevada System of Higher Education, the latest of which has prompted an investigation. Rick Trachok, chairman of the Nevada Board of Regents, announced last week that he hired a consultant to look into concerns about Klaich‘s handling of a consultant‘s report.

The Review-Journal has reported that Klaich commissioned an out-of-state consultant to review the College of Southern Nevada and recommend a way for his office to continue governing the state‘s four community colleges. But emails among Klaich, the consultants and other state higher education officials, obtained through the state‘s public record law, show the chancellor didn‘€™t like the consultant‘€™s criticism of his operation and demanded a rewrite.

Read the whole story

A little bit of shaking has been going on in the Truckee area.

A 1.13 earthquake struck this morning at 6:24, 4.6 miles south of Truckee.

A 3.2 earthquake occurred at 6:36pm July 18, nines from Truckee and 24 miles from Reno. It was at a depth of 9.3 miles.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Marisa Agha, Sacramento Bee

Millions flock to the Southern California coast each year, often renting a cottage or condo for a respite by the sea.

But the explosive growth of online travel booking sites in recent years has prompted several coastal cities to consider tightening regulations on those who rent out their homes for short stays.

While proponents of the short-term rental industry say the additional income often is vital to property owners’ livelihoods and the local economy, city leaders and neighbors want greater oversight to protect residential neighborhoods, tax revenue and the availability of housing amid a booming industry.

Debates come as a state senator has proposed a bill that would require Web-based rental sites like San Francisco-based Airbnb to provide information about properties being rented to local governments.

But there has been pushback from Airbnb, its hosts and others in the short-term rental industry who say most renters are good neighbors whose dollars boost the economy.

Read the whole story

Flames shoot up from a fire in Rabe Meadow on July 19. Photos/Ray Fugitt

Firefighters were able to contain a blaze in Rabe Meadow to 1 acre Sunday afternoon.

The fire was near the bridge where walkers and cyclists cross coming from the parking area off Kahle Drive in Stateline.

Tahoe Douglas firefighters were the first to respond, with U.S. Forest Service crews doing mop up. This land is owned by the Forest Service.
The cause of the July 19 has not been determined.

“They still need to investigate. They are protecting the point of origin,” Tahoe Douglas Fire Chief Ben Sharit told Lake Tahoe News.

Five small brush fires in Truckee on Sunday have Glenshire Drive between Whitehorse and Hirschdale drives closed. Truckee and CalFire crews had contained the fires by 5:30pm.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report