medical

California's legal marijuana marketplace is coming with a kaleidoscope of new taxes and fees that could influence where it's grown, how pot cookies and other munchies are produced and the price tag on just about everything.

Be ready for sticker shock.

On a retail level, it costs about $35 to buy a small bag of good quality medical marijuana in Los Angeles, enough to roll five or six joints.

But in 2018, when legal sales take hold and additional taxes kick in, the cost of that same purchase in the new recreational market is expected to increase at the retail counter to $50 or $60.

Have you ever made a decision that took you down the wrong path in life? Boy. I sure have.

Have you ever stumbled and fallen when facing challenges that seemed insurmountable? I’m raising my hand.

Did life ever throw you a curveball that you didn’t see coming, and perhaps you reacted in a way that didn’t serve you well? This has happened to me more times than I can count.

Do you or someone close to you struggle with addiction or mental health challenges? My family and personal relationships certainly haven’t been immune to either of these troubling issues.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Even though the busy summer season is over, those hiking in the mountains around Lake Tahoe needing help getting to safety are on the rise.

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Search and Rescue (SAR) team has been busy this fall, responding to almost double the number of calls.

From September 1 to October 30, 2016, the SAR volunteers responded to 12 incidents. So far in 2017 during the period, they are been called out 22 times.

Two people died Wednesday afternoon after a Suzuki SUV collided with a cement truck on State Route 88 at Centerville Lane in Minden according to the Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP).

One of the occupants of the SUV died at the scene and the other occupant was transported to Renown Medical Center via Care Flight with life-threatening injuries. They later died at the hospital according to NHP's Twitter page.

Both lanes of SR-88 were closed for awhile as emergency crews responded to the crash.

No names have been released.

Dr. Kyle Swanson may be the first surgeon to ride in an F-16. On Thursday, October 5, the Minden Airshow and U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds recognized the orthopedic surgeon and veteran as a “Hometown Hero.” As part of the honoring, Dr. Swanson was rewarded with a practice ride in an F-16 Fighting Falcon.

One important component to living a long and healthy life is to get preventive health screening for serious diseases. If your doctor finds a disease early, it’s often easier to treat and may cause less damage.

In addition to celebrating milestone birthdays as celebrations, consider them reminders for important health checks. Here's a timeline for health screenings through the decades:

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval signed a Declaration of Emergency for Clark County and a Public Health and Medical Disaster declaration on Monday following the mass shooting incident in Las Vegas Sunday night that killed at least 59 people and wounded more than 500.

Through the order, Sandoval has directed all state agencies to supplement the local efforts to save lives and protect the health and safety the victims of Sunday night’s attack.

The Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee for El Dorado County will meet again on Thursday, October 12 in Placerville to discuss proposed ordinance changes to both the cannabis cultivation ordinance and code compliance ordinance that will create a civil enforcement process for marijuana cultivation.

Supervisors Sue Novasel and Michael Ranalli were appointed to the ad hoc committee in March 2016 and have been meeting with stakeholders since then as well as looking at what similar counties are doing in their communities. The Medical

Susan (Susie) Patricia Laney, age 49, passed away peacefully at home on September 12, 2017 surrounded by her family after a two-year battle with cancer.

Susie was born November 24, 1967 with her surviving twin sister, Lisa Watson of South Lake Tahoe, California to Paul Watson of Gardnerville, Nevada and Beverly Pinkley, deceased.

A Lake Valley Fire Protection District (LVFPD) Captain who was injured when he fell off a fire truck is home recovering and the investigation into his accident has concluded.

On August 27, 2017 at approximately 3:11 p.m., Lake Valley Fire Engine 7 was returning to the South Shore after responding to a traffic collision near Strawberry. As the truck with its occupants began an incline on Highway 50 around a curve between Twin Bridges and Camp Sacramento, the captain began to remove his turncoat. In order to fully remove it, he disconnected his seat belt and headset.

A fundraiser will be held in South Lake Tahoe on Saturday, September 9 for long-time local Bill Horning. The South Tahoe High graduate has had some recent major medical issues but is on the road to recovery.

Horning has spent the last 35 years playing Santa Claus for the community at events such as the Barton Foundation Festival of Trees. He not only worked at the High Sierra and MontBleu, and most recently the Marriott, but has also been a coordinator with Bread and Broth and Second Serving.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE - A local woman was injured Saturday afternoon and she crashed her van into the light signal at the corner of Lake Tahoe Boulevard and Takela Drive.

The unidentified woman was transported to Barton Hospital with serious injuries.

A traffic signal was knocked off the pole, leaving it dangling over Lake Tahoe Blvd. Caltrans is on their way to South Lake Tahoe from Sacramento to fix the light.

To help one of their own, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) and community members are holding a Dodgeball Tournament fundraiser on September 10 at Sierra Lutheran High School at 1:00 p.m.

DCSO Investigator Nate Almeida and his wife Jen learned their son Trent had B-Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in April of this year. Last week, the family received good new when bone marrow test results show no leukemia. Trent is now undergoing a 100-day cycle of chemotherapy and undergoing the next phase of treatment to keep those negative test results.

There is no need to rush into an ordinance regulating the sale of marijuana in South Lake Tahoe. That was the overwhelming opinion of the SLT City Council Tuesday night after a special, four-hour long Cannabis Workshop.

"We owe it to our community to make sure we take every measure to protect them," said SLT Mayor Austin Sass.

Two men were injured and hospitalized and one dog died after two hit-and-run incidents in Lake Tahoe on Monday, August 28, 2017.

The California Highway Patrol is looking for the driver of a vehicle involved in a hit-and-run on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe Monday afternoon, leaving a man with serious injuries.

At 1:40 p.m., 58-year-old Larry D. Ferguson was riding east on McKinney Rubicon Springs Road in Tahoma when he was struck by a gray mid-sized SUV traveling west as he made a turn onto Bellevue Avenue.

The South Lake Tahoe City Council is holding a Cannabis Workshop on Tuesday, August 29 at 5:00 p.m. in their chambers at the Lake Tahoe Airport.

They decided to hold the meeting during the evening hours instead of their normal 9:00 a.m. meeting time in hopes more citizens would attend and speak.

No sales of cannabis are currently allowed in California outside of medical marijuana dispensaries. The state is finalizing their regulations and the City wants to be prepared as those are slated to start January 1, 2018.

The search for a new Assistant County Manager for Douglas County is almost over as Bradley Hurley and Philip Ritger have been chosen as the final two candidates. The public is invited to meet the two on August 21 from 5:00 p.m to 7:00 p.m. at the Carson Valley Inn.

Last Monday, panel interviews were conducted for eight applicants, and from that group Hurley and Ritger were chosen to be interviewed by County Manager Larry Werner.

Ritger is the current Town of Genoa Manager and Hurley the Deputy Communications Officer with the Department of Defense. Both are residents of Douglas County.

8/13/17 7:10 p.m. update: The witnesses in the photo have been identified but DCSO is still looking for the identity of the two male suspects.

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One man was stabbed and two other men are being sought after an altercation led to a stabbing outside Harrah's Tahoe on Sunday, August 13 at about 3:10 a.m.

Deputies from Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) were called to the Stateline casino valet area on a report of a stabbing and robbery. When they arrived they found the unidentified man with a serious stab wound.

SnowGlobe, the annual outdoor music festival in South Lake Tahoe, has come to town over the New Year's Eve holiday since 2011, and now they want to add ten years to their contract that expires this year.

During Tuesday, August 15th's South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting, promoters will make a presentation to the City outlining their plans, showing how they think they can become the largest funding source of South Lake Tahoe projects and non-profits.

South Lake Tahoe, CA – Recovering from a major joint surgery doesn’t usually inspire the idea of snowshoeing by moonlight, but that’s exactly what Carol Bennis, age 75, was asked to do during her recovery last February.

Carol had never been on snowshoes before, or hiked at night, but when she heard her surgeon and other patients at a similar stage of recovery would be there, she decided to try it out.

A South Tahoe High graduate has come back to the South Shore community to become the new spine specialist at the Tahoe Center for Orthopedics and Tahoe Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.

Zachary Child, MD, a 1991 graduate of STHS, is a board certified orthopedic spine surgeon and musculoskeletal oncologist. He is skilled in addressing back pain and finding surgical and non-surgical options that help patients reach optimal spine health.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Sandra Taylor, MD, FACS, MS has been added to the team at Barton Health as their third general surgery surgeon. Besides her expertise in general surgery and minimally invasive surgery., Taylor also has experience in trauma life support. As a Level III Trauma Center, Barton Health is equipped to quickly provide specialized, in-depth care for patients in the critical, “golden hour” of trauma.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Everyone knows what Barton Hospital does. We have all used it for one reason or another. Yet many people in our community may not fully appreciate what Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) brings to our community. On June 30, LTCC held its graduation ceremony with over 150 students getting a degree or certificate. Many will go on to a 4-year university to get a bachelor’s degree. We now know where last year’s 163 students who graduated from LTCC went.

More money is on the way to the South Shore to fund ambulance services thanks to a unanimous vote by the El Dorado County Supervisors during their June 27 meeting. An amendment was made to the original contract between the Cal Tahoe Emergency Services Operations Authority (Cal Tahoe) and the County, giving an extra $790,000 per year as well as funds to buy a new ambulance.

The extra money will help fund a special team for interfacility transfers.