Three people were hurt in a three-car accident Monday night near Cave Rock.

An SUV heading east rolled over after a vehicle going in the other direction sideswiped it. That vehicle had crossed the double-yellow line. After it hit the SUV, it then practically hit a mini van head-on, according to authorities.

The 8:45pm accident on July 30 temporarily closed Highway 50. All lanes are expected to be open by 11:30pm. The accident was about one mile east of Cave Rock.

Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Dan Gordon told Lake Tahoe News no one sustained life-threatening injuries. Names of the people involved in the accident have not been released.

The driver of the mini van and a juvenile passenger were hurt, as well as a passenger in the SUV. The woman in the SUV was pinned in the vehicle and had to be extricated.

All three were taken to Renown Medical Center in Reno – one by CareFlight, one by Calstar and the other by ground ambulance.

Gordon also said alcohol is not believed to be involved.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Several fires are bringing smoke into the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The Aspen Fire in Fresno County had burned more than 14,000 acres and is 30 percent contained.

There are also several fires in Oregon that are sending smoke into the area.

For more info about how to deal with the smoke when it comes to health concerns, go online.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

El Dorado County officials are warning people not to buy produce from people selling it on the side of the road.

“We are seeing an influx of vendors from outside of the county,” said El Dorado County Agriculture Commissioner Charlene Carveth said in a statement. “In most instances, roadside dealers are not selling produce that is locally grown, or in compliance with basic local and state food safety requirements.”

A “Protect Local Growers Campaign” has been launched to combat the rogue vendors.

“The idea of the campaign is twofold,” Farm Bureau Executive Director Valerie Zentner said in a statement. “We want to educate the public about the risks of purchasing produce from illegal roadside vendors, and in doing so protect the law-abiding local growers in our community.”

Risks from roadside produce include consuming food that is not in compliance with safe handling, pesticide, refrigeration, packaging and labeling requirements, according to officials.

People may call the county hotline at (530) 642.4968 to report suspected illegal roadside vendors.

Robert Allen Larson

A 64-year-old South Lake Tahoe man has been arrested on attempted robbery charges in the aborted heist at El Dorado Savings Bank.

According to officers, Robert Allen Larson confessed that he wrote a note demanding money from a teller, handed it to the employee on July 25, but then took it back.

Larson allegedly said he needed money and that’s why he thought of robbing the bank.

Officers said they found incriminating evidence at Larson’s house.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Hannah Dreier, AP

LAS VEGAS — Casino operator Caesars Entertainment Corp. posted a smaller loss for its fiscal second quarter on Monday, but results still missed expectations, as slots and tables drew fewer gamblers.

Caesars runs more than 50 casinos, most of them in the U.S. and Britain. This includes Harrah’s Lake Tahoe and Harveys in Stateline.

The company saw casino revenue decline by $116.8 million, or 7.5 percent. CEO Gary Loveman said food and beverage sales may ultimately replace those dollars.

“Food and beverage revenues were up very meaningfully in a year when gaming revenues were weak, and we do think that trend is with us for a long time to come,” he said during a conference call with analysts and investors. “We have visitors that are coming to Las Vegas principally for nongaming activities, though they may gamble a little while they’re here.”

Food and beverage revenue was essentially flat overall for the quarter, but rose 8.9 percent in Las Vegas, where gambling revenue was down 15.5 percent.

Caesars attributed the drop in gambling income to fewer patrons. The company also pointed to increased competition in regional markets, as states open the door to commercial gambling, and the elimination of some less profitable marketing strategies.

Loveman, a former Harvard professor, has made a name for himself with innovative loyalty programs that encourage customers to keep coming back. But casino patrons, especially younger ones, are increasingly turning away from gambling, and Las Vegas moguls are attempting to make up the difference with lavish nightclubs, decadent restaurants and boutique hotels.

Caesars said that its net loss for the three months ended June 30 shrank 12 percent, to $212.2 million, or $1.69 per share, from $241.7 million, or $1.93 a share, last year. Revenue edged down to $2.16 billion, from $2.16 billion in the 2012 second quarter.

Analysts had expected a smaller loss of $1.40 per share on higher revenue of $2.18 billion, according to FactSet.

Caesars is the largest operator of casinos in the U.S.

El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson and county Supervisor Ray Nutting have long been adversaries.

By Kathryn Reed

Two El Dorado County elected officials are accusing the other of improprieties in their respective offices.

District Attorney Vern Pierson says Supervisor Ray Nutting may have more conflicts of interest than what a grand jury indicted him on. Nutting believes Pierson is on a witch-hunt and is wasting taxpayer money in a vendetta that goes back several years between the two men.

Pierson sent a letter July 29 to board Chairman Ron Briggs that was copied to all supervisors except Nutting. It was sent to Nutting’s attorney. It also went to county counsel and the chief administrative officer.

In it Pierson says, “Last week our office discovered that District II Supervisor Nutting applied to be certified for Public Housing (Section 8), Housing and Urban Development (H.U.D.) as a landlord for property he owns in El Dorado County. On August 31, 2010, county staff correctly rejected his request due to a statutory conflict of interest: As a supervisor he also sits on the Public Housing Authority, and the federal regulations state that no member of the PHA is eligible to receive Section 8 funds as a landlord. (24 CFR 982.161).”

Nutting told Lake Tahoe News he is being criticized for looking into whether he could have a tenant at his Grizzly Flats rental who qualified for Section 8 housing. He said he was told he couldn’t have such a renter because of being on the Board of Supervisors and added that he has never had such a tenant.

“His actions speak for himself. He blurts things out and doesn’t think about what he is doing,” Nutting said of Pierson. “He is criticizing me for looking into it.”

Nutting further told Lake Tahoe News, “Again, he is abusing his office. I did all the right things. He blatantly wastes taxpayer money. It is unbelievable.”

Pierson was not available for comment. However, a reason for writing the letter is contained in the document: “I am expressing my concern so that you can take the actions you consider appropriate. … Given the pending charges and this new information and Supervisor Nutting’s seemingly cavalier attitude toward conflicts of interest, I felt an obligation to advise the board.”

The letter goes on to say, “Further, records indicate, unlike an ordinary property owner, Supervisor Nutting used his position to appeal this denial to the then Director of H.H.S. who serves at the will of this board. Supervisor Nutting then, on county official letterhead, apparently desperate to secure this rental income ($1,400 for a detached residence in Grizzly Flats), sent a letter to the regional H.U.D. Director seeking a waiver of an obvious conflict of interest. It appears this waiver was never granted under federal law; even if it had been, there is no such waiver of Section 1090 violations under state law.”

After seeing Pierson’s letter, Nutting emailed Lake Tahoe News, “I read the letter. I should be praised for asking the question for the single mom with children. I received the answer and that is the way it should work. I did everything right!”

Nutting is being prosecuted by Pierson as well as the state Attorney General’s Office.

Michael Taugher

A former Tahoe Daily Tribune and North Lake Tahoe Bonanza reporter died Saturday while snorkeling in Maui.

Michael Taugher, 50, worked for the Tahoe newspapers from 1989 to 1992.

Most recently Taugher was a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

According to the Maui News, foul play is not suspected in the July 27 death. The Hawaii paper reported Taugher had been snorkeling off Black Rock in Kaanapali when he was discovered floating. Officials were unable to revive him.

 — Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Anjeanette Damon, Las Vegas Sun

If you received all of your economic news from Gov. Brian Sandoval’s campaign Twitter feed, you’d be exuberantly optimistic about the jobs outlook and overall business climate.

As the Republican governor prepares to run for re-election on the strength of his economic record, you won’t see him tweet that Nevada has the highest unemployment rate in the nation.

Instead, you’ll see that Nevada has had “non-stop job growth” and that the state’s unemployment rate is falling faster than almost anywhere else in the country.

You won’t see that Nevada continues to have the highest foreclosure rate in the nation.

Instead, you’ll see that Nevada is in “the top three performers of overall economic performance and growth” — as measured by a U.S. Chamber of Commerce report focused on tax burdens, tort reform policies and business lending.

Read the whole story

Janet Field follows her dog’s rescuers off the peak of Mount Tallac on July 28. Photo/Provided

A CHP helicopter had to airlift a Meyers woman and her dog off Mount Tallac on Sunday.

Janet Field called El Dorado County sheriff’s deputies from the top of the South Shore peak about 3pm July 28 to alert them she could not make it down because her dog, Samson, had raw pads and could not walk any farther.

Deputies’ instructions on how to bandage the dog’s paws did not work. And the dog was too big be carried out by its owner.

Field was not in a position to stay the night or hike out in the dark because of the light clothing she was wearing and the lack of food and water.

At 6pm the California Highway Patrol helicopter was able to get Field and her dog off the mountain.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Richard Chang, Sacramento Bee

The El Dorado County Fire Protection District is teetering on the verge of insolvency after running deficits for years, according to documents obtained by the Bee.

The district’s reserve fund is down to $130,000, from a peak of $1.4 million in 2008. The department serves 74,000 residents spread over 281 square miles, including the communities of Placerville and Shingle Springs.

“We’ve been using our reserves to balance our budget,” said Michael Hardy, the fire chief who was appointed in June.

Read the whole story