TCID officials plead not guilty in court
RENO " The Truckee-Carson Irrigation District and four district officials were arraigned in U.S. District Court Tuesday afternoon on charges of conspiracy to defraud the Bureau of Reclamation and falsification of records.
David Overvold, Lyman McConnell, Shelby Cecil, John Baker and TCID president Ernie Schank pleaded not guilty before Judge Robert McQuaid Jr.
The defendants were released on their own recognizance with no bond.
Assistant U.S. Attorney James Keller, with the help of a handcart, wheeled four large boxes into the courtroom filled with 4,500 pages of documents related to the case.
A trial was scheduled for Feb. 23 in U.S. District Court in Reno.
Reno-Tahoe Airport lays off workers
RENO " Lagging passenger counts and reduced flights at Reno-Tahoe International Airport will cost 11 more employees their jobs.
Airport officials say the staff reductions, as well as freezing salaries and positions, are part of $2.5 million in budget cuts. Eleven workers were laid off about four months ago.
Officials blame sagging revenues from leases, concessions, gambling and airline fees for the need to reduce the work force and cut costs. The facility does not receive local tax money.
Passenger traffic in November was down about 25 percent from the same month in 2007.