2015

John "Tony" Broadfoot, a deputy with the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department, was arrested by the California Highway Patrol on March 4 on charges of driving under the influence after an accident in the Shingle Springs area. This was Broadfoot's third DUI arrest in as many months.

On December 8, 2015, Broadfoot was placed on administrative leave after being arrested on DUI charges by the CHP in South Lake Tahoe. Then on February 25, 2016, he was arrested, again by CHP officers, when found to be under the influence after rolling his vehicle near Ice House Road and Highway 50.

Great news! Compared to last year, our violent crime rate is down 41% (from 112 occurrences in 2014 to 66 in 2015). The news is not all good. Our property crime rate is up 6% (from 516 in 2014 to 548 in 2015). This was not unexpected as we reported on a significant upward trend in property crime 6 months ago. Total crime is down 2.2% over last year.

The following is a recap of activity the South Lake Tahoe Police Department. They responded to 172 calls between February 23 and February 29, 2015.

Calls Resulting in Arrests:

2/23
DUI at Sierra and Lake Tahoe Blvds

2/24
Petty Theft Vehicle in the 2600 block of Kubel Ave
"Other" misdemeanor in the 3400 block of Spruce Ave
Drunk in Public in the 2300 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd
DUI at Lake Tahoe Blvd and Heavenly Village Way

2/25
DUI in the 3400 block of Pioneer Trail

“Mother Nature is not living up to predictions by some that a ‘Godzilla’ El Niño would produce much more precipitation than usual this winter,” said California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Director Mark Cowin. “We need conservation as much as ever.”

The Lake Valley Fire Protection District (LVFPD) has received the Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Blue Seal of Excellence Certification. This makes their maintenance shop one of only two facilities in the Tahoe Basin to receive this distinguished honor. ASE promotes excellence in automotive repair in every part of the automotive service industry.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department and Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) posted a 20 day liquor license suspension notice at American Gas on Thursday, February 25. The suspension comes after an undercover operation began on November 12, 2015 after the owner of the station allegedly sold a glass pipe used for smoke methamphetamine.

The owner, Stefka Dimitrova, said she wasn't arrested for selling the pipe as the ABC report claims and didn't understand the suspension.

American Gas is located at 2762 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

The Nevada Department of Transportation’s dedicated bridge inspection and rehabilitation program has helped Nevada bridges to be named the nation’s best for the second consecutive year.

While most people are aware of traditional water skiing, where a person with a ski (or skis) glides over the surface of water as they are pulled by a boat, how many are aware of "Plane Water Skiing"?

Not many, but that may change after efforts made by three pilots out of Truckee set out to create a record for Guinness World Records on February 11, 2016.

On October 27, 2015, Sue Novasel, the County Supervisor representing South Lake Tahoe, Meyers, Tahoma and Pollock Pines was served a “notice of intent to circulate a recall petition” by a group of citizens who said they are “tired of the corruption and cronyism that has plagued our county for years.” It wasn’t only Novasel, but all five of the County Supervisors, Shiva Frentzen, Ron Mikulaco, Michael Ranalli and Brian Veerkamp.

It started with a spark of energy provided by Diana Hankins in December of 2013, and Thursday night two years of constant work and determination were celebrated at the Tahoe Warm Room during an Open House.

The Tahoe Warm Room opened their doors on December 18, 2015, and since then they have served 74 different people who have come in from the cold to keep warm, get clothing and blankets, a hot cup of coffee and meet with a social worker, if desired.

At Lake Tahoe, we know our natural resources are one of our most valuable assets, and that’s why we have worked for decades to conserve and restore them. The natural wonders of the Jewel of the Sierra and the opportunities they afford are why we live here, and why millions of visitors travel here to enjoy the Tahoe Basin each year.

In their first six weeks of operation, the Tahoe Warm Room had over 60 different people usig their overnight facilities to stay out of the cold weather. Two families also stopped by to get a one-time voucher for a motel room. Over 100 volunteers have already been trained to work at the warm room.

The Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless opened the doors of the Warm Room on Friday, December 18, 2015. They have 20 cots with blankets, hot drinks and clothing for their guests.

Nevada Senators Harry Reid and Dean Heller have announced that Katherine "Kate" Krolicki has been chosen to be one of 104 student delegates who will be attending the 54th annual United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) in Washington, D.C.

"I never thought it'd happen," Krolick said of her being selected. "It's right up my alley and I am so excited to go back to Washington."

The Whittell High School senior has worked in Washington, D.C. twice, once as page for Senator Reid in 2014, and as Senator Heller's intern in 2015.

South Tahoe High's Principal Chad Houck made a phone call to parents last week, warning them of the increased use (and subsequent detection) among teens of what is known as "vaping."

Vaping is to "inhale and exhale the vapor produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device." The devices are vaporizers, and what goes inside them became popular as a way to cut back on smoking cigarettes starting in 2007, but a 2014 Science News study showed that vaping did not boost quit rates.

Annual Tahoe Chamber Community Breakfast at Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel Thursday, Feb 25th from 8:30AM to 10:00AM. This is a FREE event and open to the public! RSVP is encouraged.

Enjoy a complimentary breakfast and learn what the Tahoe Chamber has in store for the future of the South Shore. There will also be a power point presentation covering the 2016 to 2018 Strategic Plan and a recap of 2015.

Location

Crime statistics for South Lake Tahoe, Placerville and the unincorporated area of El Dorado County have been released for 2015, and while some areas have seen a decrease in some types of crime, others have seen some significant changes between 2014 and 2015.

Wednesday was National Signing Day, and eleven players on the the Lake Tahoe Community College Coyote soccer team signed letters of intent and accepted scholarships to attend four-year colleges. LTCC is the only Junior College in the country to send 100 percent of its sophomore team members to a four-year university to play sports.

Another STHS graduate and LTCC soccer player, Andres Orozco, signed a letter of intent to attend University of Antelope Valley in Lancaster, Calif.

The Coyotes made it to the state's Final Four this year and were the Golden Valley Conference Champs.

The Society of Professional Journalists has awarded Jason Paladino, Sierra Nevada College Tahoe graduate and native of Truckee, Cal., their NorCal 2016 James Madison Freedom of Information Student Award for his investigation into the Navy’s Sea Dragon program.

All three runs for South Lake Tahoe's Maddie Bowman in the Women's Ski SuperPipe X Games today beat all competitors on the course, earning her a fourth straight gold medal in the event. The 22-year-old Olympic gold medalist has also won a silver and bronze in the X Games.

Bowman scored a 85.33 on her first run Friday, followed by a 87.33 and 89.00. Second place finisher Ayana Onozuka of Japan ended up with a high run of 85.00. Bronze medalist Annalisa Drew of the USA had an 83.00.

It is still too early to know whether enough precipitation will have fallen by the end of winter's wet season to significantly impact the drought, but, snowpack and reservoir storage has benefited from recent storms.

Officials from the Department of Water Resources (DWR) will be making their monthly snowpack measurement near Sierra-at-Tahoe on Tuesday, February 2, but electronic readings taken on January 28 show the snowpack is at 116 percent of average. The statewide water content of 18.7 inches is greater now than on any January 26 since 2011.

The Lake Tahoe Restoration Act of 2015, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Nevada Sen. Dean Heller, passed the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on Wednesday.

The legislation, created alongside senators Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Harry Reid, D-Nevada and Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., provides federal, state, and local partners important tools to reduce wildfire threats, improve water clarity, jumpstart innovative infrastructure projects, and combat invasive species.

Dr. Chris Pavich, who was born and raised in South Lake Tahoe, has returned to his hometown to open Kingsbury Chiropractic.

After attending the University of Nevada, Reno and earning his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Life West Chiropractic College, Dr. Pavich opened his office located at 276 Kingsbury Grade #1050 in Stateline.

He will be celebrating the new office with a Tahoe Chamber ribbon cutting event on January 28, 2016 at 5:30 p.m. The Grand Opening is from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Pavich is the grandson of Sierra Ski Ranch founder Vern Sprock.

Sting and Peter Gabriel just announced their 2016 tour, Rock Paper Scissors, and one of those stops will be in South Lake Tahoe as part of the popular Summer Music Series at Harvey's Outdoor Arena.

The two iconic artists will bring their once in a lifetime concert to the south shore on Friday, July 15, 2015, a week before the American Century Golf Championship at Edgewood Tahoe.

Tickets will go on sale on Ticketmaster Monday, January 25.

They are the second group to confirm a stop at Harvey's. Country music star Keith Urban will be performing Friday, July 29.

The New Year is getting off to a phenomenal start with snow falling at Lake Tahoe. It seems long ago since we’ve had snow around the lake, but as California and Nevada continue to grapple with four years of drought and water shortages, the snow couldn’t be falling at a better time.