Tampering with a bear trap could cost two women $1,500 if they are found guilty.

An April 9 trial date has been set for Cheryl Ann Morrison, 63, of Truckee and her daughter, Season Marie Morrison, 35, of Reno. On Jan. 21 they pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of obstructing or interfering with a Nevada Department of Wildlife officer and tampering with a vehicle. The trial is scheduled to start April 9.

A trap had been set by NDOW in Incline Village in October to snare a problem a bear. The two women allegedly tampered with the trap.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Laurel Rosenhall, Sacramento Bee

Disposable plastic bags would be banned from grocery check-out stands in California and consumers would pay at least a dime for a paper or re-usable plastic bag under a compromise proposal negotiated with key opponents of last year’s bill to ban plastic shopping bags.

Lawmakers plan to unveil the deal Friday at a Los Angeles-area manufacturing plant.

Senate Bill 270 seeks to temper some manufacturing industry opposition by providing $2 million from state recycling funds. Plastic bag makers would be able to apply for grants to re-train their workers or re-engineer their operations to make plastic bags that meet new criteria spelled out in the bill.

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This coyote was killed Jan. 22 on the South Shore. Photo/Provided

Updated Jan. 23 6:05pm:

Someone shot and killed a coyote on the South Shore Jan. 22.

The animal was left to bleed to death in the snow.

This occurred off Ottawa Drive in the unincorporated area of El Dorado County.

Neighbors have been interviewed, but there are no suspects yet, according to El Dorado County sheriff’s officials. John Setnor, the owner of the house where the coyote was found, denies involvement.

“The only gun that he owns is a BB gun, which wouldn’t have caused the large bullet hole in the coyote. The coyote was shot in the woods near his home, but there are no witnesses and no one heard a shot,” sheriff’s Lt. Pete Van Arnum told Lake Tahoe News. “All indications are that he likes the animals in his back yard, and he is a supporter of (Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care). Another neighbor saw a male subject in a black raised pickup with two dogs in the truck wearing a camo jacket. He was watching a coyote in the area and appeared to want to hunt the coyote. No plate on the truck.”

It is not illegal to hunt coyote, but it is illegal to discharge a firearm in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

No one answered the phone at the Setnor residence with Lake Tahoe News called.

A neighbor told Lake Tahoe News, “ (Setnor) was one of two people who were aware of a dead coyote behind his house. The initial blood was found approximately 30 feet from his back deck and the body about 30 yards from that after following the blood trail. The other individual did not remove the coyote after it was reported. The blood trail leads directly to a spot behind his deck where he would have an unobstructed shot from his house. The blood trail is still on the ground. The coyote was removed and the only evidence that is left is boot prints from a large shoe covering the area where the coyote died and also on top of the blood trail.”

Coyotes have been heard on the South Shore in the last week in large numbers at night after a presumed kill. Some have been wandering neighborhoods without the pack.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Teri Mizuhara

With the lack of rain, our local vegetation is tinder dry. All you have to do is go outside to hear the crackle and crunch of pine needles and leaves under your feet.

Add wind to this scenario and you are looking at very critical fire conditions — red flag conditions.

We are responding to wildfires almost daily, which is not at all normal for January in the foothills of the Sierra. We have increased our staffing levels to meet the need and can quickly augment that if it becomes necessary, but we need everyone’s help if we are to remain fire safe.

Fire safety tips for red flag conditions:

· Do not burn when it is windy. As illustrated by the Colby Fire near Glendora last week, wind can cause a small fire to become a raging wildfire.

· Do not drive into tall dry weeds or brush because your vehicle can catch the vegetation on fire since the exhaust system of your vehicle is hot enough to ignite a fire. If you must pull to the side of the road, make sure the area is clear of vegetation.

· Do not use gas powered equipment when it is warm and windy because a single spark can cause a wildland fire which can quickly grow out of control. Wait for a day when there is no wind and work in the early morning hours or after 6pm when the humidity is higher and a chance of a wildfire is lessened.

We understand that many people are taking advantage of this weather and are outdoors creating additional defensible space around their homes. We want to encourage this, but at the same time, we want folks to be fire safe.

Following these fire safety tips will allow you to work safely in your yard.

Teri Mizuhara is with the El Dorado-Amador unit of Calfire.

Publisher’s note: This is one of a series of blurbs about how the lack of winter is impacting businesses in the Lake Tahoe Basin. If you have an idea, please email it to info@LakeTahoeNews.net.

Sun. No snow. Highs in the 40s and 50s. More of the same is in the forecast.

That combination forced Tahoe Donner Downhill and Tahoe Donner Cross Country to close Jan. 20. And they will remain shuttered until the conditions change. The resorts had been open sporadic days, trying to make a go of it in the season of no snow.

The Truckee downhill resort had made upgrades for this season that have barely been used. A 700-square-foot yurt was installed to provide a slopeside warming area for people taking lessons. It includes a large deck.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Sheelah Kolhatkar, Bloomberg

Bloomberg News has just completed an investigation into the plight of working mothers in America, and it’s not a pretty picture. Only 12 percent of those employed get paid time off to care for a new baby, according to U.S. Labor Department statistics. Only three states have programs offering paid family leave — California, since 2004; New Jersey, since 2009; and, as of last month, Rhode Island.

“Papua New Guinea is the only other nation that doesn’t provide or require a paid maternity leave, according to information on 185 countries compiled by the United Nations’ International Labor Organization,” Bloomberg reports. “It recommends 14 weeks off at a level no lower than two-thirds of previous earnings.”

Those who pay attention to the work-family debate have been aware of this for a long time. What is startling is how stubbornly it remains a non-issue in policy circles; even with increasing numbers of women now serving in Congress—20 in the Senate and 78 in the House, the highest ever—legislation that tries to address the current inadequate pregnancy and family policies is largely absent.

Currently, the Family and Medical Leave Act, which was passed in 1993, guarantees workers at companies with 50 or more employees 12 weeks of unpaid leave. The problem is that many people can’t afford to take it. Larger companies tend to offer more generous benefits, which have been shown to correlate strongly with an increase in women returning to their jobs after having a child.

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Quattro with the goods he found this week. Photo/Provided

Two Bay Area residents were arrested Monday morning in South Lake Tahoe on hit and run, and drug charges.

A Jaguar reportedly crashed into a fence and streetlight on Lake Tahoe Boulevard near Tata Lane and then drove off Jan. 20 at 11:38am.

South Lake Tahoe police officers found the vehicle on Julie Lane in a church parking lot.

Marleni Fuentes-Perez, 22, of San Mateo allegedly told officers she was driving when the accident occurred, however it was Jesus Cruz-Torres, 28, of San Mateo who was in the driver’s seat when they were stopped.

Quattro the K-9 was called in to search the vehicle. He found 12 ounces of suspected methamphetamine.

Fuentes-Perez and Cruz-Torres were arrested on charges of hit and run, conspiracy to commit a crime, and transportation-sales of methamphetamine.

 — Lake Tahoe News staff report

Updated Jan. 22 3pm:

A suspect accused of roughing up a 92-year-old South Lake Tahoe apartment manager Tuesday was arrested this afternoon.

South Lake Tahoe police officers were called to an apartment complex in the 1100 block of Third Street on Jan. 21 just after 11pm regarding a burglary in progress.

James Michael Valero

Officers said the victim, whose name has not been released, told them he discovered a man trespassing in the laundry room of the apartment complex. The suspect, James Michael Valero, had allegedly been on the property before.

The suspect reportedly forced his way into the manager’s apartment and shoved him twice, which hurt the victim’s disabled knee.

An arrest warrant for Valero was issued. Police tracked Valero down Jan. 22 about 2:45pm and arrested him on several charges. He was walking near Fourth and South streets, not far from apartment complex.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By David Siders, Sacramento Bee

Gov. Jerry Brown said today that California is continuing its “comeback,” with a budget surplus and am improving economy, but he urged the Legislature to restrain spending.

“This year, Californians have a lot to be proud of,” Brown told a joint session of the Legislature in his State of the State address. “For a decade, budget instability was the order of the day. … But three years later, here we are, with state spending and revenues solidly balanced, and more to come.”

However, Brown said the state budget is based on fluctuating revenue, and long-term liabilities are high. As he did in his State of the State speech a year ago, Brown offered the cautionary, biblical account of Joseph and the Pharaoh’s dream of seven cows.

The 17-minute speech was the final State of the State address of Brown’s third term. The 75-year-old Democrat is widely expected to seek re-election, and the speech served to preview his campaign.

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By Andrew Doughman, Las Vegas Sun

Nevada’s politicians dropped millions of dollars in campaign expenditures last year — and collected millions more, too.

Disclosures provided under state law last week provide a glimpse behind the curtain of Nevada’s political world and offer a first look at the strength of candidates in the 2014 election. Voters can see who’s donating to the elected officials and candidates who are vying for the right to make important decisions for Nevada’s communities, schools, roads, parks, health care, safety, business and the economy.

“It strikes at the heart of the public state and the process,” said Secretary of State Ross Miller of the campaign reports filed Jan. 15. “The public should be able to discern from publicly available information who is funding campaigns.”

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