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Douglas County is kicking off the process to update the Master Plan Text and is calling on residents to help shape the future of their community. A webpage has been constructed to provide the public with additional information regarding the update and public outreach has begun.

Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe (SISLT) awarded scholarships to a group of local students from South Tahoe High, George Whittell High, the Lake Tahoe Basin Fire Academy and Lake Tahoe Community College. The club, serving the community since 1959, has given out over one-million dollars to local graduates over the years.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Al Tahoe neighborhood of South Lake Tahoe has been working on becoming a Fire Wise community, and this weekend's defensible space project took them closer to obtaining this recognition.

ZEPHYR COVE, Nev. - The Zephyr Cove Elementary Parents Club and Whittell Boosters are reaching out to the community for support in the safe reopening of the two Douglas County Lake Schools on August 31.

Both of the schools will begin the 2020/2021 school year on Aug 31 with in person, daily instruction utilizing social distancing and other safety protocols.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Food Bank of El Dorado County is looking for volunteers to help distribute food to individuals in need on August 26 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in South Lake Tahoe.

Distribution will be located at St.Theresa's Catholic Church parking lots located at 1041 Lyons Avenue. Volunteers will be bagging up fresh produce and pushing shopping carts full of food to the recipient's vehicles.

If you are interested in volunteering please email info@foodbankedc.org to sign up.

If in need of food assistance, the food giveaway will be from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - In a unified move, all fire agencies around the Lake Tahoe Basin have banned all open burning utilizing wood and charcoal for the remainder of the summer, or longer if needed. This includes campgrounds with fire rings, fire pits at homes and all charcoal barbeques whether at home or at public and private facilities.

The suspension takes effect at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, August 21, 2020 and will be enforced with extinguishment and possible citations and fines.

With about four million 18-year-olds nation-wide able to vote in the November 3 election, local voting advocates are reaching out to first-time voters to help them register in South Lake Tahoe.

On Thursday, August 20 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., a group of volunteers will be at Regan Beach on the lawn to help get those first-time voters registered.

Bring identification and wear a mask.

Coordinator Holly Greenough, former principal at Tallac High School, use to registere students at the high school, but since her retirement and her group of volunteers moving, she changed venues.

NV Energy is urging its electric customers in both northern and southern Nevada to conserve electricity Tuesday and Wednesday between 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. in order to offset energy supply issues caused by record-breaking heat throughout the Western United States. Conservation is the best way to reduce strain on the local power grid.

Liberty Utilities gets some of its power from NV Energy so they too are asking for customers to limit unnecessary power use and stay prepared for potential outage.

Effective measures to conserve energy during this time period include:
 Turn off lights

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - As most in the South Lake Tahoe and Meyers area already know, getting out of town over US50 and Echo Summit on Sundays and holidays can be slow moving during summer, but during the winter it can be a miserable time both for visitors and locals.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Lake Tahoe is the vacation destination for millions of people annually, but recent behaviors of many of the tourists have the residents on edge. Trash is being left behind on beaches, trails and picnic areas, overflowing trash containers are shown daily on social media pages, stores are packed and roads are crowded, all during a pandemic while travel orders are still in place for the California.

With international travel at a standstill many are keeping their vacationing during the coronavirus to locations near their homes, and Lake Tahoe is one of those spots.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - If you are accustomed to paying premium prices for parking in towns like San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento, how much would you be willing to pay for a parking ticket in Lake Tahoe?

Apprently whatever it costs.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) issued 297 parking citations along SR89 at Emerald Bay in July and 273 during the first 11 days of August. Six vehicles were towed from the area during this time.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It has been a wild two weeks for the Howard family, ever since ten-year-old Maeson entered the UC Davis Children’s Hospital with what appeared to be a COVID-19-releated multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), or Kawasaki disease.

Maeson Howard is on the road to recovery and back in his Christmas Valley home with his parents and sister.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Tahoe Resource Conservation District (TRCD) is inviting the community to attend a virtual field tour for the Johnson Meadow Restoration Project on August 18 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

TRCD acquired the Johnson Meadow property in 2018. The 206-acre meadow, located along Upper Truckee River in the heart of South Lake Tahoe, provides valuable habitat and ecosystem services as well as community open space for all the residents and visitors of South Lake Tahoe.

ALPINE COUNTY, Calif. - There is a new schedule for COVID testing in Woodfords in Alpine County. Starting this week, testing will take place every week on Thursdays instead of the previous every other week schedule. These tests are for those with or without symptoms.

Tests are in the parking lot of Alpine County Health and Human Services in Woodfords, across the street from the Fire Station.

Leadership Lake Tahoe is a ten-month-long course held every two years on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe. It began in 2003 with a mission to identify and develop current and future leaders through a comprehensive program designed to increase knowledge and awareness of the issues and challenges facing our community. At the beginning, the program was sponsored by the Tahoe Douglas Chamber and South Lake Tahoe Chamber, they merged a few years later and became the Tahoe Chamber (or Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce).

Please join Make Tahoe Records at Scott Forrest Fine Art Studio for The Art and Music of Yvonne McGrath in the premiere of “Sound and Vision”, a series of introductions to the work of visual artists and the reciprocal connections of music and their art. In the spirit of reciprocity, a portion of the proceeds from sales of Yvonne McGrath’s work and vinyl from the Make Tahoe Records pop-up exhibit will be donated to the Tahoe Art League as part of the “Saturday Show of Support” series.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There has been an outpouring of concern for 10-year-old Maeson Howard who is currently in the UC Davis Children’s Hospital fighting multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) or Kawasaki disease. Since we shared Maeson's story on Monday, many had asked how they can help the family. Maeson attends Lake Tahoe Environmental Magnet School and lives with his parents and sister in Christmas Valley.

I am excited to share that Tahoe Youth & Family Services has two new board members: Captain Ron Mitchitarian of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and Jen Tune Regional Manager of Anytime Fitness with facilities in Gardnerville, Fernley, Yerington and Reno. Both bring skills, talents and excitement to our organization along with a passion for our mission and vision. They understand the need and importance of providing mental health and substance abuse services along with education.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - During their May 11 meeting, the South Lake Tahoe City Council approved $200,000 to be used in the South Lake Tahoe community through business grants, COVID-related expenses, and a restaurant voucher program to help regain momentum and recover costs during the pandemic.

The grant money has been disbursed through the El Dorado Community Foundation, the restaurant vouchers are currently being redeemed at local restaurants and local businesses are being reimbursed for expenses incurred through COVID-related purchases.

People around the country are receiving mysterious seed packets in the mail from China. While the shipping package may be mislabeled as jewelry or other merchandise, the contents are instead unlabeled seeds.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has become aware of a number of reports regarding these seeds.

Some have been mailed to homes in El Dorado County.

El Dorado County Department of Agriculture officials are instructing residents not to open, plant, or dispose of any unsolicited seed packets received, but to contact their office.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) will soon be getting body cameras after a unanimous decision by City Council during their meeting on Tuesday.

They approved spending up to $470,000 on 42 body cameras, 28 in-car cameras, and cloud based storage for both.

Single lane closures will take place on U.S. 50 between Carson City and Spooner Summit beginning July 30 as the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) wraps up a project to reduce roadside erosion and help preserve water quality.

Between July 30 and Aug. 7, drivers will see single lane closures from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. weekdays on both directions of U.S. 50 in areas between Tahoe Golf Club Drive and Spooner Summit.

ZEPHYR COVE, Nev. - In a move to increase safety along the highway in Zephyr Cove, the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) will be installing a new traffic signal at the intersection of US50 and Warrior Way next summer.

Almost 20,000 drivers travel that section of US50 on a daily basis. By controlling all directions of travel, the signal will help provide designated and safer access to and from the highway at the busy intersection.

Barton Health’s Attic Thrift Store is joining Bread & Broth in their efforts to help members of the community struggling during the economic downturn brought about by the Coronavirus pandemic. The Attic Thrift Store is providing free clothing, home goods and toys for all of the clients coming to Bread & Broth’s food giveaways on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at St. Theresa Church Grace Hall, 1041 Lyons Avenue (one block east of the Tahoe Middle School).