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170
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mtdemocrat.com
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2021
– E S T. 18 51
VOLUME 170 • ISSUE 106 | 75¢
9/11 — 20 YEARS LATER
Courtesy photo
Solange Schwalbe stands next to a debris pile in “the pit” at the site of the World Trade Center in New York City months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Schwalbe assisted in the cleanup of the devastating destruction.
Local remembers World Trade Center ‘pit crew’ detail Rebecca Murphy Special to the Mountain Democrat For nearly 20 years South Lake Tahoe resident Solange Schwalbe, aka Hollywood because of her work in the film industry, spent Christmas and New Year’s in New York City. After she graduated from University of California, Los Angeles, Film School in 1980, she
moved to the city of her dreams and visited the top of the World Trade Center. “What a delight,” she said, “incredible views of my favorite city.” In 1981 Schwalbe landed her first job in the film industry as a sound editor in feature films. That sent her back to California just one year after living in the Big Apple. ■
See PIT CREW, page A8
Retired FAA official looks back on 9/11 Thomas Frey Staff writer It was just a normal Tuesday morning for William “Buck” Dodson, manager of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Quality Assurance Office Western Pacific Region based near Los Angeles. He was in an Oakland PLACE ADDRESS LABEL HERE
hotel on an out-of-town assignment preparing for another day of grievance reviews. As he was getting dressed, his pager went off at 5:46 a.m. He was told an airplane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center, which sat 1,368 feet above New York City next to its twin South Tower, 1,362 feet in the air. While the world sat glued to their televisions begging for answers, Dodson, who is now retired and living in Placerville, got to work immediately. “Initially we thought it was a hijacking that had gone wrong,” Dodson said. “But then, the other plane hit the South Tower so we knew that was not the case. It had to be something else. We started working on the plan to ground all ■
See FFA OFFICIAL, page A9
Photos courtesy of U.S. Forest Service
Dropping 1,600 gallons of water picked up out of Lake Tahoe, a Super Scooper passes over active flames on the Caldor Fire.
Caldor 15th largest Krysten Kellum Associate Editor
The Caldor Fire has been ranked the 15th largest fire in recorded history in California, according to Cal Fire officials. And the blaze isn’t quite done yet at 53% containment and 217,946 acres as of Thursday morning. The next largest fire, the 1932 Matilija Fire in Ventura County,
scorched some 220,000 acres, not outside Caldor’s reach. With just less than 90 acres of growth reported overnight Thursday, that might be a stretch. After 26 days on the line, fire crews say they are seeing most fire activity in the backcountry. Firefighters briefed the public Wednesday night. The most active area ■
See CALDOR, page 6
Firefighters battle the Caldor Fire in Desolation Wilderness.
Anthony Gumina given life term in wife’s brutal death Thomas Frey Staff writer A video slideshow flashed on the television in El Dorado County Superior Court memorializing the life of Heather GuminaWaters. Images showed the mother of three with her children and also photos of her with her killer. There wasn’t a dry eye in a courtroom filled with the Pleasant Valley woman’s friends and family. The man with the best view of the slideshow was Anthony Gumina, who in June pleaded guilty to his wife’s 2019 murder. Anthony sat silently in his orange jumpsuit and matching face mask covering
Mountain Democrat photo by Thomas Frey
Anthony Gumina enters an El Dorado County courtroom Sept. 3 before being sentenced to life in prison by Judge Mark Ralphs for the 2019 murder of his wife Heather Gumina-Waters. a long, unkept white beard. After the video was over Judge Mark Ralphs handed down a life term to Anthony Gumina
with the possibility of parole after 25 years. “Mr. Gumina, there is nothing I can say but your conduct in this has been despicable,” Ralphs
said. “You say that you killed her because she hurt your pride, your honor, your family, ■
See GUMINA, page A7
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