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By now you may have seen or heard about pop star Taylor Swift's ground breaking performance at the American Music Awards (AMAs) on November 23. During the production of her hit, Blank Space, Swift is carrying a rose that is set on fire by a petal she pulls off. Her hand appears to catch on fire as well.

And it's all because of Alex Ramon, the 29-year-old part time South Lake Tahoe resident and star of Illusion Fusion during its two year local run.

In 1998 the Washoe Tribe was awarded a 20 year special use permit by the US Forest Service to operate the Meeks Bay Resort. At that time their plans to keep it a family friendly vacation spot on the shores of Lake Tahoe.

The passage of Proposition 63 in 2004 gave needed funds to support county health programs. Every year the public can view the proposed budge and plans for the El Dorado County's portion of the funds received via MHSA (Mental Health Services Act).

The first meeting for the South Shore will be on November 20 at 10 a.m. at the South Lake Tahoe library located at 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd.

The plan for the 2015/16 year can be viewed on line.

Comment forms are available on line as well.

After witnessing the Tahoe Paradise Resort Improvement District (TPRID) meeting last week I starting thinking how the residents of Meyers and Tahoe Paradise could be better served.

What happened at the TPRID meeting was a sad display of a board in action. There was yelling, arguing and, what one person witnessing everything said, “don’t air your dirty laundry in a meeting like this.”

The list of people against California's Proposition 47 grew today with the addition of El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson, Sheriff John D'Agostini and County Supervisors joining the fight against what has been touted "The Safe Neighborhood and Schools Act."

Laurence:

This fall, while under your supervision, approximately 16% of the Eldorado National Forest burned due to the King Fire. You are entrusted to protect and maintain the health of this critical forest/watershed. Given the extreme drought and high fire risk conditions we experienced this summer, what fire restrictions, ranger alerts, precautionary measures, were in place the week of Sept 07, 2014? Arson yes, but could we have been more alert?

In a stunning step backwards from transparency the El Dorado County Planning Commission, holding a difficult to attend morning week-day workshop on the Draft Meyers Area Plan at City Hall in South Lake Tahoe on October 16, 2014, recommended yesterday that any new Meyers Area Advisory Council formed by the Board of Supervisor after adoption of a Meyers Area Plan not be subject to California’s Open Meeting Law, the Brown Act.

Being touted as "The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act" by proponents, Proposition 47 will mandate misdemeanors instead of felonies for “non-serious, nonviolent crimes," unless the defendant has prior convictions for murder, rape, certain sex offenses or certain gun crimes.

The reason Prop 47 got this name is because a fund bearing it's name will be created by the estimated savings of $150M to $250M the state will receive by not having to prosecute crimes that would become misdemeanors.

It's always a lot of fun for dogs and their owners to take part in one of South Lake Tahoe's favorite events, the Mutt Strut Poker Run. Join the Animal Coalition of Tahoe as they put on the 10th annual event on Sunday, October 12.

Walk with your dog along a lakefront route, play poker and try to win a host of prizes. There will be raffles, music, games and fun for two and four
legged friends.

One hand is $10, three are $20, or get two hands and a T-Shirt for $30 with advance purchase.

Three hands for $25 on the day of the event.

Tahoe Arts Project has announced the return of their Holiday Festival! The 3rd annual event will be held for two days this year, November 15 and 16.

They are looking for crafters and artists, from beginner to professionals. All items must be handmade and no imports will be allowed.

Booth prices are $100 for a 10 x 10 booth space with no additional commission fees charged. There are also have 6 x 7 booth spaces available for $75. Booth Fee's are for BOTH days, making it affordable when compared to other events.

The Lake Tahoe Bikeway which will one day go around the lake got one step closer with the news that funding is now in place for a scenic section on the North Shore. The Incline Village to Sand Harbor bike path will be started next spring due to garnering enough donations from private investors.

The Tahoe Fund announced they have received $750,000 in donations that will trigger more than 12 million dollars in public funds from federal, state and local governments.

Have you noticed the new, blue signs placed along some of the South Lake Tahoe bike trails? They are part of a pilot way finding sign project to help cyclists between Kingsbury Grade and Meyers.

There are currently eight signs up in four locations, so people using the trails can see the directions from opposing views.

According to Steve Noll, community planning consultant with Design Workshop, “the international best practices for way finding signs consist of four elements known as 'The Four D’s: distance, direction, destination and distinction'."

The Tahoe Douglas Sewer Improvement District is being sued for failure to abide by the Nevada Public Records Act and not providing payroll records when asked.

In a lawsuit filed in the Ninth Judicial District Court (covers Douglas County), the Nevada Policy Research Institute claims that the TDSI has refused to their request for the district's compensation records.

They say that, in the seven years NPRI has run TransparentNevada.com, the Tahoe Douglas Sewer Improvement District has been the least responsive government agency in Nevada.

If aquatic invasive species ever found their way into Lake Tahoe, the effects could be devastating to both the environment and the economy. The management plan in place to combat the problem through boat inspections is now known as a national role model after performing more than 37,000 watercraft inspections and 18,000 decontaminations.

“Lake Tahoe has one of the best aquatic invasive species plans in the United States,” said Donald Maclean, a biologist at the headquarters office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “Tahoe’s plan will serve as a model nationwide moving forward.”

Author and Sierra Nevada Native, Gary D. Noy, returns with his newest book, "Sierra Stories: Tales of Dreamers, Schemers, Bigots, and Rogues." This interesting collection highlights unusual or lesser-known stories of the Sierra Nevada experience with the focus of this presentation being the Yosemite Valley Grant Act of 1864, which brought the valley under government control and is considered the beginning of the California State Park system.  This year is the 150th anniversary of that event. The legislation was introduced by an El Dorado County resident, John Conness.

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A large scale disaster is about to hit South Lake Tahoe. Sirens are blaring, emergency personnel are responding to the airport, screaming people are seriously injured while others cannot be saved, a triage is set up and an incident command center has been set up in the City Council chambers. A large airplane has just crashed with hazardous cargo on board at the Tahoe Valley airport.

Premonition? No. It's a planned emergency drill that will take place on Monday, August 25.

The "Jazz & Beyond: Carson City Music Festival," in collaboration with Carson City, is proud to present five of several bands at the Nevada Sesquicentennial Fair in Fuji Park on Saturday, August 2. "Jazz & Beyond" runs from Aug. 1 to Aug. 17 and features over 50 events, mainly in the downtown Carson City area.

The five "Jazz & Beyond" bands at the Fair on August 2 are Sons of Slide Mountain, RVGS Tantalus, Lynne Colvig Latin Jazz, the Reno Jazz Orchestra with singer Jackie Landrum, and the St. Christopher Project, featuring the music of Tom Waits.

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The dream of a dedicated bike path along the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe moved one step closer to reality with a vote by the Tahoe Fund board of directors to launch a new campaign to raise $750,000 for the trail. The private money raised by the Tahoe Fund would help the Tahoe Transportation District secure $12.5 million in public funding for the new bike path from Incline Village south to Sand Harbor on the lake’s northeast corner.

The City of South Lake Tahoe Community Services department started their STAR (South Tahoe Adventure Recreation) camps this week. Youth and teens ages 6 to 16 can use this summer to explore Lake Tahoe by enjoying field trips, swimming, going to the beach and many other activities, all in a safe and fun environment.

During Ray Nutting's sentencing on six misdemeanor charges stemming from loans received for the purpose of getting bailed out of jail, Judge Timothy Buckley ordered Nutting to vacate his County Supervisor seat for District 2.

Buckley also sentenced him to three years of probation and 30 days of community service.

My name is Kenny Curtzwiler and I have lived, worked and enjoyed South Lake Tahoe as a resident since 1977 when I came here for a vacation and stayed on as so many have. Many of you know me as The Skibum. Many of you know me as the Bartender at Carlos Murphy’s for 19 years and many of you know me as a Contractor and owner of K & K Services, a Tree Service and Roofing company. Regardless of how you know me the point is you know me, you know my thoughts and position on everything that concerns our community. There is no hidden agenda with me.

A $2.8M Proposition 84 grand was received by the City of South Lake Tahoe’s Engineering Division yesterday. The Round 2 grant will correct erosion control issues in the Sierra Tract neighborhood.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is seeking public input on a proposal to remove the Incline Lake dam and restore the area impacted by it. The Forest Service purchased the 777-acre Incline Lake parcel, located off State Route 431 in Washoe County, Nev., on July 29, 2008, for its recreational, scenic and natural resource values. During the acquisition process, a site investigation and assessment determined that the Incline Lake dam and spillway do not meet federal, state or local standards for a high-hazard dam (designated as such due to downstream development).

May 1 is here, and than means road construction on Kingsbury Grade (State Route 207) which is closing off through traffic to the Carson Valley is also here.