By Jeff DeLong, USA TODAY

MUSTANG, Nev. — On a desert river east of Reno, experts are laboring to correct well-intended mistakes of the past.

The $7.8 million restoration of the Truckee River at Mustang Ranch — the former site of Nevada’s first legal bordello — is one of several projects ongoing nationwide in which millions are being spent to restore rivers to their natural state.

Projects are also under way in Florida, Utah and Texas to return natural bends and wetlands to places where the government took them away decades ago in efforts to avoid flooding.

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Associated Press

RENO — A former Harrah’s employee at Lake Tahoe claims he was fired in July 2008 because Ben Roethlisberger complained to the hotel-casino’s regional boss that the worker had demanded to see identification for a young-looking woman at the NFL quarterback’s table at a Harrah’s restaurant where they were drinking.

Alvaro Brito, former assistant manager at the Cabo Wabo Cantina who had worked for the company 12 years, leveled the allegations in a lawsuit filed against Harrah’s and its Lake Tahoe president John Koster.

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Today begins the trial of a man accused of killing his 4-year-old son in 1985 at his Tahoe Keys residence.

Alexander Olive’s body has never been found.

Ulysses Roberson has been in the Placerville jail since being extradited from a Washington prison in 2003.

Blood at the South Lake Tahoe house led authorities to arrest Roberson. DNA tests showed the blood was that of the boy’s.

The trial is expected to last for months.

Roberson could face life in prison without the possibility of parole if the jury finds him guilty.

Eleven people and four dogs were rescued Saturday from a sinking boat on Lake Tahoe.

When rescue personnel got to the stranded boat a quarter mile off shore between Regan and El Dorado beaches in South Lake Tahoe they found a 21-foot open bow boat taking on water with seven people and four dogs on board, with four people floating away from the vessel.

They had been stranded for 45 minutes to an hour with strong northerly winds gusting to 35mph and swells of 3 to 4 feet.

The Coast Guard had to abandon its response because of experiencing 8-foot swells responding from Tahoe City.

Three medic units transported seven of the occupants to Barton Memorial Hospital for precautions.

During the rescue, word came in of another disabled boat adrift near the Tahoe Keys. Tahoe Douglas Marine 4 stabilized that situation and towed the boat into shore.

“This is a very graphic reminder how unforgiving the combination of the sudden change in weather and the roughness of the lake can combine to form a very potentially dangerous situation,” South Lake Tahoe fire officials said in a press statement. “Knowledge of the weather conditions, adequate communications and all safety equipment (USCG approved life Jackets) are critical for safe operation on Lake Tahoe.”

Responding to the Saturday afternoon incident were South Lake Tahoe Engine 3, Engine 2, Medic 3, Battalion 3, Medic 1, Marine 17, Tahoe Douglas Marine 4, Tahoe Douglas Battalion 1, Tahoe Douglas medic 4 and one Department Reserve from the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department, as well as, units from South Lake Tahoe PD, and the US Coast Guard from Tahoe City.

Holly Young

By Kathryn Reed

Parents, children, former students — they took to the streets Saturday to show support for Kindertown and the day care-preschool’s owner Maria Barrows-Crist.

The state has told Barrows-Crist she much close the South Lake Tahoe facility Oct. 15.

Her attorney filed for reconsideration on Friday. This is to have the judge overturn the decision to close 36-year-old facility. Barrows-Crist hopes to hear something this coming week.

In the mean time, she is working with her sister, Nina Peterson, to take over the operation that cares for 130 children and employs 20 people. Peterson operates a center out of state.

“We should be able to stay open providing licensing works with us,” Barrow-Crist said as she and about 70 supports marched from the Y, down Highway 50 to the center.

However, Barrows-Crist expects the state funding to not be transferred with the ownership. That $386,000 would go to the county for it to run a center on the South Shore. The reduction of funds would affect about 60 percent of Kindertown’s kids and likely mean 10 staff positions would have to be eliminated.

Amber Alford was one of the many walking with a child along Highway 50 yesterday. She went to Kindertown and now her 13-month-old goes.

Repeatedly parents talked about how clean Kindertown is, saying this isn’t the case at all centers in the area.

“My kids have made a lot of friends there,” said Tracy Miller of her three children who attend Kindertown. She said they never cry and look forward to going — which hasn’t been the case at other centers.

“They’ve taught me how to be a better parent,” said Steven Witmond Jr. as he and his 3-year-old son walked. “It smells clean when you walk in. There are a lot of things to play with.”

Kindertown supporters walk along Highway 50 Saturday. Photos/Kathryn Reed

Trees tumble off Echo Summit to make it safer for drivers. Photo/Kathryn Reed

Expect trees and rocks to be tumbling down off Echo Summit onto Highway 50 for the next month.

This is because Caltrans is trying to make the roadway safer for motorists so slides don’t occur.

The month-long project started Sept. 30.

“We are clearing out trees 15 feet from the top to put in a cable mesh system,” explained Scott Feri, Caltrans superintendent. “It keeps the rocks from coming into the road.”

Forty-two trees from three sites along the summit that leads into South Lake Tahoe will be removed. Feri described them as mostly little trees.

Expect traffic delays while the work is being done. The inside lane is closed off while workers on the top of the slope cut trees and let them, and subsequently loose rock, fall onto the highway.

By Susan Wood

Sometimes professional development is all about the personal path one takes in life.

A project that makes this philosophical theory evident is Markleeville Village.

The proposed LEED-certified development features a 38,000-square-foot lodge and spa named Mahalee – which means acorn in Washoe. The 49 alpine-style cabins and town center will be built off Highway 89 on 38 prime acres overlooking Alpine County’s hub.

South Lake Tahoe developer Tom Abdoo, who owns close to half the town in California’s least populated county, dreamed up the more than $80 million project in the early 1980s as he was undergoing a private nightmare. His wife, Joan, was dying of cancer and in a great deal of stress.

“She got obsessed with the idea of being under stress,” he said in the serene setting of his Christmas Valley backyard.

An inventor of sorts, he developed a biofeedback capsule in which she could decompress. After dedicating his life to making her as comfortable as possible, he made it his mission in life to honor her struggle with an alternative to stress. He designed a project that would not only occupy him for almost 30 years, but would provide wellness practitioners in the retail center set just off Montgomery Street, the road leading to Grover Hot Springs.

“This is my passion now,” he said.

He is relieved to have passed the major milestone of the Alpine County Board of Supervisors a month ago approving a tentative map for his ambitious project. But the little victory seemed bittersweet at having to recall his wife’s suffering. His eyes welled up with tears at the thought of how in their 15 years together, he and his wife so often enjoyed visiting Markleeville.

The project has come a long way. In 1994, he introduced a draft of a larger project that has since been scaled down. Four years ago, the Friends of Markleeville filed a legal challenge against the county alleging environmental violations related to the project. A settlement has since been reached, county counsel Martin Fine reports.

Abdoo incorporated an advanced public water system and onsite wastewater treatment plant as part of 98 conditions of approval mandated by the county Community Development Department. One such provision includes permits from the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board and California Department of Public Health. The latter measures must be met before a final map may advance, planner Zach Wood cited.

Abdoo, who transformed the Cutthroat biker bar into a fine-dining restaurant a few years ago, said he wasn’t surprised there would be hurdles to overcome. He also realizes the turtle-like pace of government.

He’s convinced the economic slump will end by the time the project is completed in 10 years. Abdoo also believes there’s still a demand for fractional ownership units based on the advice of Global Resorts of Las Vegas. President John Sweeney, who worked on The Ridge Tahoe, said the fractional concept has “proven to be a desirable vacation home alternative” in the $8 billion vacation ownership industry.

The luxury cabins encompassing more than 1,600 square feet will be offered in five- to 10-week intervals starting at $160,000. The lodge will operate like a hotel.

The entire project is intended to use Sierra green standards featuring a progressive stormwater collection system, solar insulation and a sod-based living roof. Abdoo hopes to create a website touting the latest advances in green technology because “by the time this gets built there will be thousands of new products and ideas,” Abdoo said.

With Markleeville businesses coming and going, the Alpine County Chamber of Commerce welcomes the idea of the project, chamber officials say.

Susan Wood is a freelance writer based in South Lake Tahoe. She may be reached at copysue1@yahoo.com

Dateline NBC aired a segment on the Jaycee Lee Dugard case on Friday night.  To watch the video in it’s entirety along with a series of other videos related to the case go to the MSNBC website.

By Kathryn Reed

John Andoh was arrested two days ago. No one argues that point. But the South Lake Tahoe Police Department won’t let Andoh have a copy of the police report.

“I didn’t have any idea of what the charges were until I got to the county jail,” Andoh said the day after he posted bail. “I went to the police department on Thursday to get the police report and they wouldn’t release it me. They said they sent it to the district attorney because they are pressing charges. The district attorney’s office said wait until court or go back to the police department.”

Andoh, 29, was arrested at 12:30am Thursday on a warrant that had been issued Sept. 24 in regards him allegedly lying to officers about a traffic collision he was involved in Sept. 4.

The odd part is that Andoh, who runs the South Shore public transit system called BlueGo, was at the special City Council meeting Sept. 29 that addressed the budget for 2009-10.

At the meeting were South Lake Tahoe Police Chief Terry Daniels, Capt. Martin Hewlett, Lt. Marty Hale and another uniformed officer.

Why Andoh was not apprehended then is unknown. Why he was arrested the day before his contract was on the agenda on of the South Tahoe Area Transit Authority is unknown — or perhaps merely coincidental.

In an era where race is a hot topic, one hates to think that has a role in the matter.

The transportation board chose to postpone taking action on his contract at Friday’s meeting.

“We had some discussion on the employee policies manuals we were going to consider (Friday) in the contracts. It was brought up by all the public agency members that the legal counsel for El Dorado County, Douglas County and the city had not had a chance to fully review either of the documents,” said Rick Angelocci, South Lake Tahoe assistant city manager and vice chair of STATA. Chairwoman and Douglas County Commissioner Nancy McDermid was absent from the meeting.

Andoh’s contract and that of the finance person are scheduled to be discussed at the Nov. 6 meeting.

Andoh said he is at a loss as to why a warrant was ever issued. He plans to retain legal counsel to fight the charges.

By Andrew Kirk, Park Record

Premier Resorts International, both voluntarily and involuntarily, appears to have lost all of its significant sources of revenue in the past six weeks.

Premier also failed to pay hotel tax to the city of South Lake Tahoe for the month of August, a city official said.

On Sept. 30, The Park Record reported the company had lost significant property-management contracts in five communities, including Sun Valley, Idaho, where it managed about 100 condominiums and more than 30 homeowner associations.

Since Wednesday, The Park Record has learned that more contracts have been canceled and that the company is also late on multiple payments to associations.

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