By Richard Lardner, AP WASHINGTON — The U.S. Forest Service is in the business of preventing fires, not starting them. Yet the agency set off alarms in Congress and state capitols across the West by citing the automatic spending cuts as the basis for demanding that dozens of states return $17.9 million in federal subsidies. […]
Read more
By Australia Network News On World Press Freedom Day, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says press freedom “does not happen automatically,” but requires the creation of a safe environment for dialogue, where journalists can do their jobs without fear of reprisal. “Every day, freedom of expression faces new threats. Because they help ensure transparency and accountability […]
Read more
By Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times SACRAMENTO — California has been flooded with revenue this tax season and is on track to finish the fiscal year with a surplus of billions of dollars, according to officials. State coffers contain about $4.5 billion more than expected in personal income tax payments. Nearly $2.8 billion of it […]
Read more
By Dan Charles, NPR Say the words “crop insurance,” and most people start to yawn. For years, few non-farmers knew much about these government-subsidized insurance policies, and even fewer found any fault with them. After all, who could criticize a safety net for farmers that saves them from getting wiped out by floods or drought? […]
Read more
Sixty-one pounds of prescription medication were turned in last weekend in South Lake Tahoe. This is the most collected in the since this program was started. On April 27 the South Lake Tahoe Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration provided the public its sixth opportunity in three years to take back unwanted prescription drugs […]
Read more
Robert Edward Mulready of Placerville was sentenced May 3 to 42 months in prions after pleading guilty to a variety of drug charges. Mulready admitted to conspiring to cultivate and distribute at least 100 marijuana plants. Court documents alleged Mulready traveled to California for the purpose of growing marijuana and that he sold the marijuana […]
Read more
By Richard Simon, Los Angeles Times WASHINGTON — Barbara Boxer has long been one of the Senate’s environmental champions, racking up perfect scores for each of the last five years on the League of Conservation Voters’ report card on key votes. But the Californian now finds herself on the opposite side of an issue from […]
Read more
By Eli Segall, Las Vegas Sun Despite a dip in revenue, NV Energy nearly doubled its first-quarter profit this year. The Las Vegas-based power company said Friday it earned $21.5 million in net income, or 9 cents per share, for the three months ending March 31. That compares to $12.2 million of profit, or 5 […]
Read more
By Kathryn Reed TRUCKEE – Federal spending, government regulations, banking, the economy, carbon emissions, immigration and the Auburn Dam dominated the discussion Thursday night between Rep. Tom McClintock and his constituents. At times it was a bit argumentative between the congressman and those in attendance, as well as between attendees – but nothing like what […]
Read more
There was no snow to be found today during the final survey of the season near Echo Summit, which comes as no surprise considering temperatures in the Lake Tahoe area have been running above normal for most of this spring. Statewide, the snowpack as of May 2 is 17 percent of normal for this date. […]
Read more