UPDATE 510PM: Fire burns more than 3,000 acres with zero containment; 4,000 evacuated; no count on home and structure losses.

At 4:40 pm this afternoon, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, under his constitutional and statutory authority, made a state declaration of emergency which qualifies local governments for federal assistance associated with this event. The National Guard is on standby at the request of Sandoval and Washoe County. California has also provided fire assistance as part of a Governor to Governor agreement with Jerry Brown. “Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been and are being affected by this fire,” Sandoval said. “Declaring a state of emergency ensures that every resource from the local, state and federal level is available to assist. The Nevada Division of Forestry and the Department of Public Safety have also engaged with local responders.” Additionally, Nevada has been approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG). As a result, Nevada is eligible for up to 75 percent funding assistance for eligible costs. The request was made by the Nevada Division of Forestry on behalf of Washoe County at the onset of the fire.

More below the fold.

Forget the partridge in a pear tree, Tahoe South has 13 days of Christmas at Heavenly Village spanning Dec. 19 to Dec. 31 with live music, ice sculpting, fire dancers, professional ice skaters, interactive games, dining, shopping, photo opportunities inside a giant snow globe and a fireworks display.

Tahoe's original ski resort, Granlibakken, near Tahoe City, is lodging central in 2012 with various ski and stay packages for seven area resorts.

“How much more warm weather and sunshine can we take,” laughed Kay Williams, deadpanning over last season’s epic seven-month winter and 700+ inches of snow. “Sure, various ski resorts like to be the first to open or last to close, but we want folks to know that we’re ready with early-season offerings.”

I caught up with her by phone from Dallas, where she was packing boxes and providing instructions for movers as she prepared to leave for Carson City. Vecchio not only has the challenge of applying 20 years of professional experience in Ohio, ...

A research project at the University of Nevada, Reno has received a $410,220 grant to explore how video exercise games can be played without using visual feedback so the visually impaired, especially adolescents, can improve their health through increased activity. The funding comes from the human-centered computing program of the National Science Foundation.

Update: The meeting will resume at 4 p.m.

You can catch the live video feed here, and the agenda is here. You can also join the discussion by going to the live video page and clicking on the comment tab underneath the video, or posting to Twitter with hashtag #ccsupes.

LAKE TAHOE — If another La Nina visits the Sierra this winter – all-time records were approached in 2010-11 with more than 700 inches of snow – Tahoe South ski resorts are ready to roll on another epic season.

Fire crews are finishing up work on a small brush fire that broke out on the east side of Carson City, south of Highway 50 East.

A Nevada Division of Forestry helicopter was seen dropping several loads of water on the area after personnel from Carson City Fire Department and the Bureau of Land Management contained the fire on the ground. There were no structures visible near the fire.

When it first started, a big column of smoke was visible throughout the city, and reports at the time said it is more than one acre and spreading toward Rifle Range Road.

CARSON CITY, Nev — Walmart and Carson Tahoe Regional Healthcare announce Carson City’s newest location for basic health care services – “The Clinic at Walmart” operated by Carson Tahoe Physician Clinics.

By Andrew Doughman
CARSON CITY — A Republican Hispanic governor will soon decide the fate of a Democratic redistricting plan that has both political parties embroiled in a debate over fairness to Nevada’s Hispanic population.

CARSON CITY – As Gov. Brian Sandoval today said it is premature to speculate on who he will appoint to replace GOP U.S. Senator John Ensign, Democrats in the Nevada Legislature said they will seek a resolution urging a “fair, open, and transparent process for appointing a temporary replacement.”

NEWS RELEASE — Jimmer Fredette, the All-American scoring guard for Brigham Young University will join the celebrity-studded field at the American Century Championship, July 12 – 17 at Edgewood Tahoe, in what is becoming one of the strongest line-ups in the tournament’s 22-year history.

CARSON CITY – Two bills relating to illegal immigrants sparked heated debate in an Assembly committee this morning.
One from Assemblyman Ira Hansen, R-Sparks, would impose penalties and restrictions on illegal immigrants in a way similar to a controversial Arizona law enacted this past year.

At the request of Spread the Word Nevada, a local children's literacy nonprofit group, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval flew in from Carson City to Las Vegas on March 31 to read at Cambeiro Elementary School.

This was his last stop after visiting three other schools in Las Vegas, which concluded the governor's reading tour as part of Read Across America and Nevada Reading Month. During his first school visit in Reno on March 2 Sandoval signed a proclamation declaring March 2011 Nevada Reading Month.

CARSON CITY — Bethany Drysdale, who has promoted Nevada's tourism attractions for more than five years for the Nevada Commission on Tourism will head the Public Relations department beginning April 23, Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki announced this week.

Drysdale has served as Public Relations specialist for NCOT since October 2005. She succeeds Chris Chrystal, who is retiring as manager April 22 after a 48-year career in news reporting and public relations that included 13 years with the Commission.

We have set up a link to watch live video from the Nevada Legislature, and follow along with Twitter messages and comments on the same page. Give it a try.

(Press Release) LAKE TAHOE — From spandex to black tie — set your sights on some of the world’s top cyclists for an elegant evening celebrating the overall start of the 2011 Amgen Tour of California, the largest cycling event in North America. Wine, dine and mingle during the Opening Gala and Official Team Introduction, Friday, May 13 at MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa’s Theater in South Lake Tahoe.

The 2011 Amgen Tour of California will feature 19 elite teams, including:

By the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe
Pyramid Lake is located about 35 miles Northeast of Reno, and is the property of and managed by the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.

Pyramid Lake is known as being North America’s most beautiful desert lake and home to many year round recreational activities.

The lake occupies 112,000 surface acres inside the reservation boundary and has a shoreline of approximately 125 miles.

The lake has no outlet and is a residual body remaining from the prehistoric Great Lake Lahontan water body.

Recent indicators show tourism at Lake Tahoe South Shore is improving, according to the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority.

December occupancy was up three percent compared to last year (Smith Travel Research). The No. 1 ski destination in the U.S. (Rand McNally 2011; TripAdvisor 2010) has seen a rise of 1.7 percent through Reno-Tahoe International Airport since July; 14 percent more skiers and snowboarders on the slopes, increased bookings over holiday weekends, and advance reservations for summer.

The 2011 Amgen Tour of California, the largest cycling event in North America, recently announced that volunteer opportunities have been posted on their official website, www.AmgenTourofCalifornia.com, for the race, including opportunities for Stage 1 and 2 at Lake Tahoe.

This may be the biggest agenda for a Carson City Board of Supervisors meeting in a very long time. The three big items will be a proposed 14 percent property tax rate increase, the $4.5 million first phase of the Multi-Purpose Athletic Complex (MAC), then followed up by the Carson City Center/Nugget Project after lunch. (The full agenda is here)

If you don't have the free time to spend the entire day in the Sierra Room at the Community Center (and limited seating may be an issue), you can keep track of the fun with our live video feed right here. We'll also be liveblogging the meeting via Twitter, as there is sure to be a lot to comment on, so we invite people to join in.

As a warm-up for the Nugget Project discussion, here is a story from the Appeal about that issue, that lists a lot of commentary from locals about the project.

Update: The meeting is in recess until 2, when they take up the Nugget Project.

Organizers of the the 2011 Amgen Tour of California, the largest cycling event in North America, announced today the Stage 1 and Stage 2 race routes for Lake Tahoe.

Lake Tahoe’s first-ever involvement in the race as the official Overall Start is Sunday, May 15 and begins at South Lake Tahoe at 6,300 feet, the highest start elevation in the six-year history of the competition. Stage 1 wraps up in North Lake Tahoe at Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort, with the Stage 2 Start taking place nearby at Squaw Valley USA on Monday, May 16.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noZSi7ccd08

Four days of parties, games, competitions and tournaments are in the works to celebrate Super Bowl XLV at Lake Tahoe's MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa. The resort is pulling out all the stops in preparation for its Big Game Weekend, Feb. 3-6.

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
New state legislators got the low-down this past Friday about how to deal with the press. The theme woven throughout the legislative training seminar was one of transparency.