The first chief executive to visit Lake Tahoe was Ulysses S. Grant, in October 1879, two-years after leaving office. And contrary to popular belief, John Kennedy’s visits to Tahoe were before he was elected president in November 1960. It’s rumored he visited the Cal-Neva, which was owned by Frank Sinatra at the time, for a…

My wife and I were running a few errands in town before going out to lunch. We were heading north on Rock Blvd,  jus’ south of Prater Way in Sparks when I saw a black SUV fly through the intersection. The next second – I saw what looked like pieces of paper come flying out of…

The doorbell rang and I looked at the clock — 9:30. “Who the hell’s coming to our front door at his time of night?” I asked myself, “Better no be a salesman or some shit like that.” Peeking through the peephole and saw a man in uniform standing jus’ to the left of the door…

The Sierra County, California Sheriff’s Office has identified the remains of a woman found in the forest several years ago. Her skeletal remains were found in a heavily wooded area off State Route 89 that runs between Truckee and Calpine in 2003, in the central part of Sierra County. Since then, authorities have been trying to…

While completing background research about adventurer Steve Fossett, I happened across a related story. This one takes place May 9, 1957 and is still the subject of speculation. “Wife Refused to Let Hope Dwindle,” declared the front-page headline in the Reno Evening Gazette on July 3, 1957. The story of David Steeves dominated the upper half…

“Plagiarism is the sincerest form of flattery,” wrote Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Clemens, better known to the world as Mark Twain, was friends with a Comstock prospector named Jim Gillis.  The pair met when Clemens was still trying to strike it rich as a miner. Both men were first-class story tellers. They often spent their evenings…

The first Native American Folklore story I ever heard, was told to my Kindergarten class at Margaret Keating School. It was a simple tale of caution and morality. It was read to us by Jon Larson’s mother, Juanita, who had jus’ written and illustrated a book on Yurok, Kurok and Hupa myths and Legends.  I was…

Cody Green, born on Thursday, January 27, 2000, was a 12-year-old kid in Indiana who was diagnosed with leukemia at 22 months old. He loved the Marines, and his parents said he drew strength and courage from the Marine Corps as he bravely fought the battle into remission three times. Although he was cancer-free at…

Nevada City’s located roughly 90 minutes from Reno. Nestled among the firs and pines, at an elevation between 2500 and 3000 feet, it quickly became a prosperous town during California’s Gold Rush period. I love to visit Nevada City because of its rich history and Victorian elegance. The first miner to search for gold in…

Fire season is picking up steam in Nevada.  A wildfire that destroyed two homes in the rural neighborhood of Topaz Ranch Estates may have been caused by an illegal burn. The fast-moving brush fire in Douglas County forced the evacuation of residents and continues to send up huge plumes of black smoke. Sierra Front Wildfire spokeswoman…