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Man dies of cocaine overdose in Jackson

Allen Best/Special to the Daily

JACKSON, Wyo. A 25-year-old man died of what authorities said was a cocaine overdose. The Jackson Hole News & Guide says that police believe the victim, Enrique Sanchez Morales, of Mexico, was not a dealer, and that the cocaine found at the scene was intended for his own use.High-end haven emerges in SierrasTRUCKEE, Calif. Usually trends and fads begin in California and then spread across the West. But in mountain development, Colorado particularly Vail and Aspen are the epicenter, and this time California is getting the high-end ripples.The story here is at the Martis Valley, located between Truckee and North Lake Tahoe. Some years ago restrictions on development along Lake Tahoe were instituted. That makes the Martis Valley, already an attractive place, with Northstar and other ski resorts close at hand, all that much more attractive. A plan approved in the mid-1970s allowed up to 12,000 houses in the valley, but only 2,000 homes have been built.During the last four years officials in Placer County, where the valley is located, have heard from developers, environmental groups, and residents. Recently they approved a new plan that caps development at 8,500 houses plus one small new ski area and a few hundred units of affordable housing. High-end homes are contemplated in a valley where $800,000 is already the average price.This is still too much, say a trio of local environmental groups, who call it a “nightmare of traffic, pavement, and smog.” They are backed by the San Francisco Chronicle, which has repeatedly inveighed in the matter.The newspaper accuses Placer county supervisors of being “too willing to rubber stamp the developers’ wishes a reckless approach that seems destined to get them a lawsuit.”Among the developers are East West Partners and Booth Creek Ski Holdings, both headquartered in the Vail Valley.Truckee officials vexed about gatesTRUCKEE, Calf. Town officials in Truckee were reported to be vexed by a proposal being entertained by public officials for a gated community in a nearby but unincorporated area.The project, called Siller Ranch, would have 700 residential units, two golf courses, even a 500-seat amphitheater, all of it behind gates. Town officials object that there is too much density, and that the project would create heavy impacts upon the town. In particular, they object to the lack of affordable housing. In Placer County, where the proposal is being entertained, public officials said that it’s still early, and that affordable housing requirements are yet to be worked out, reports the Sierra Sun.


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