activity

It has taken firefighters 10 days to contain 98 percent of the Boot Fire. The remaining open line is in the northern reaches of the fire area. Very steep slopes and thick timber made it unsafe for firefighters to work, thus delaying containment.

The fire burned 6,974 acres and at times closed US 395 between Walker and Bridgeport.

With the increased containment of the Boot Fire, the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest is now able to reopen some of the closed area on the Bridgeport Ranger District.

El Dorado County Search and Rescue is hosting SAREX 2018 (Search and Rescue Exercise) over the September 7-9 weekend at locations around South Lake Tahoe.

Lake Tahoe Community College is the base for the event which will bring in over 500 search and rescue volunteers and professionals from around California.

The weekend long exercise will include air, water, and off highway vehicle operations. The public can expect to see increased activity of emergency vehicles, including helicopters and the organizers do not want the public to be concerned.

What rattles our communities across our nation to their core? Drug abuse. Approximately 100 people each day die from drug overdoses. Whole industries of products and programs are being developed to combat this problem. Every day more grandparents are now “parenting” their grandchildren so they can be raised in a stable and healthy environment. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the abuse of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs is costing our Nation over $740 billion annually in costs related to crime, lost work productivity and health care.

Heading to Lake Tahoe this Labor Day weekend to celebrate the unofficial end of summer? Below are some tips and important information for residents and visitors to keep in mind for a safe and fun-filled holiday weekend.

There are still several fires burning in California but firefighters have gained the upper hand on many of them.

Ferguson Fire: The Ferguson Fire is now at 96,901 acres with 100 percent containment and 881 personnel currently engaged on the fire. During the most critical time in the fire, over 3,000 people were assigned to the incident from all over the world. There have been 2 fatalities and 19 injuries. 10 structures have been destroyed.

A Red Flag Warning has been issued for the Sierra, including the Donnell Fire area where 23,824 acres since starting on August 1. Northwest winds and low relative humidity may increase activity along the southern and eastern areas of the fire, keeping smoke away from Lake Tahoe. Concern areas include Long Valley, Haypass, Sardine, and Red Rock Meadows. The fire may also travel in a Southeast direction towards Kennedy Meadows within the Middle Fork Stanislaus River corridor. A Forest Order Closure has been issued for the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness and Spicer Lake.

A cub hit and killed by a car on Keller Road Monday night makes three bears who have died in the same manner in just 10 days on the South Shore. In the last three weeks, there have been a total of five hit by cars between Tahoma, South Lake Tahoe and Meyers according to Toogee Sielsch, South Lake Tahoe bear advocate.

In Monday's incident, a vehicle hit one of the three cubs born to Hazel, a neighborhood bear that residents have named and watched over. The speed limit in the area is 25 mph.

Smoke from fires west of Lake Tahoe is expected to come into the basin again today, but Sunday morning is clear. Here is an update on most fires in Northern California and Western Nevada.

Five South Lake Tahoe residents have been arrested by the Placer County Sheriff's Office on burglary charges after a Homewood, California home was broken into twice in the past week.

After the first incident on July 24, deputies responded to Sacramento Avenue in Homewood for a reported residential burglary. The burglars had broken into a home and stole numerous items, including a Mercedes Benz that had been parked in the garage.

The follow letter was given to South Tahoe Now and mailed to the South Lake Tahoe Mayor, City Councilmembers and staff:

Dear Mayor David and Council Members:

I am writing to you as a follow-up to my letter of May 12, 2018 (see at end of story) regarding Policy Priorities and Issues for City Government.

Quality and Affordable Housing for Residents is Very Important

With lightning and thunderstorms in the Lake Tahoe forecast for another few days, it's always good to review safety tips when caught in the middle of a storm.

You can protect yourself from risk even if you are caught outdoors when lightning is close by.

Safety precautions outdoors

- If the weather forecast calls for thunderstorms, postpone your trip or activity.
- Remember: When thunder roars, go indoors. Find a safe, enclosed shelter.

South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) had their hands full on Tuesday before, during and after the first of two Phish concerts at the outdoor arena at Harveys Lake Tahoe.

Trash including empty alcohol bottles and beer boxes littered much of the open space surrounding Stateline and Cedar Avenues where hundreds of fans lined the streets. In addition to the trash, pop-up tents with vendors starting selling clothing and other items illegally.

The owner of the corner property, chateau at the Village, sent out crews to help clean, according to SLTPD Lt. David Stevenson.

Another bird found in El Dorado County has tested positive for West Nile virus, the second so far for the County in 2018. The first one was in South Lake Tahoe and this one is on the west slope.

Concern over national attention on "South Lake Tahoe being the home of the $2,000 parking ticket" may soon be a thing of the past after action initiated by City Council Tuesday.

Fines will be restructured and modified, lessening fines per occurrence of many of the violations of the vacation home rental (VHRs) ordinance. Some of the fines will be against the home owner only, while others to the renter only.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – As part of ongoing efforts to control aquatic invasive plants, the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association, working with the League to Save Lake Tahoe, is testing out new technology never used before in Lake Tahoe.

Several Lake Tahoe agencies have joined together to remind residents and visitors to practice proper food storage and trash disposal at all times while in bear country. Intentional or unintentional feeding of bears can result in the bear being killed, fines and/or jail time for violators. Every year law enforcement and state wildlife officers respond to hundreds of calls in which bears may pose a public safety threat and/or are damaging property. In some cases, the animals are euthanized.

Become part of the solution and help save our Tahoe bears!

With just over 2k left to ride to the summit of Gibraltar Road, Team Sky’s 21-year-old Egan Bernal (COL) attacked and swiftly climbed away to a solo victory to close out Stage 2 of the 2018 Amgen Tour of California. Tao Geoghegan Hart and his Team Sky teammates set an unyielding pace all the way up the steep grade in support of lead rider Bernal to help launch him to his fourth victory of the 2018 season, shoring up the race lead as well as nearly all of the classification wins with today’s epic climb and overall performance.

Tuesday, April 17 will be the next South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting, starting at 9:00 a.m. in the council chambers at the airport.

A cannabis ordinance will once again be discussed during the meeting. Micro-businesses, on-site consumption, permit costs, taxes, and number of licensees will be a few of the points they will discuss as an ordinance is developed.

The Council will also be voting on steps to replace the City Attorney and City Manager.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - The following is a recap of activity the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to 955 calls for the 35 days between February 14 - March 20, 2018.

Calls Resulting in Arrests/Citations:

2/14 - 17 calls
Warrant in the 1000 block of Johnson

2/15 - 30 calls
Traffic Collision with Injury at Tahoe Keys Blvd and Venice Dr

2/16 - 23 calls
Drunk in Public in the 4100 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd
Drunk in Public in the 3800 block of Pioneer Trail

2/17 - 34 calls

For 51 years the Lake Tahoe Humane Society has offered services to animals in the South Lake Tahoe community, but today they are facing some tough times after firing their executive director almost one year ago amidst allegations of embezzlement arose when their bank called them about irregular activity on the agency's debit card.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county. The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at time of story.

Some of those recently added to last week's log:

3/4

3:20 p.m. - Vandalism - BLitzen Rd - R/P CLAIMS THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE HOUSE CAUSED BY THE 41-YEAR-OLD MALE SUSPECT.

Many Nevada schoolchildren will take part in organized events that promote walking or bicycling to school on Nevada Moves Day, held March 21.

Walking and bicycling to school events are planned for Carson City, Clark, Washoe, Lyon and many other counties across the state. Children not taking part in an organized school event are encouraged to involve their families in safely walking or bicycling to school on Nevada Moves Day and throughout the year.

What does a community "rich in art" look like? The Tahoe Arts Alliance is partnering with Nevada Arts Council to hold a Public Arts Town Meeting and to share and get public input on Tuesday, March 13 at the Tahoe Mountain Lab from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Residents, businesses and non-profits are being brought together to assess the current "state of the arts" on the South Shore.

Tahoe Friendly Garden Workshops will be hld this spring in South Lake Tahoe through a partnership of the UCCE Master Gardeners of Lake Tahoe and South Tahoe Public Utility District.

They are hosting three free garden/landscape design workshops at the South Lake Tahoe Library located at 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd.