recreation

The team of highly skilled volunteers that make up the Douglas County Search and Rescue (DCSAR) team recently had a training day that included a segment with Care Flight.

They trained on several different topics and search functions including emergency locater transmitter (ELT) search, dealing with multi-casualty patients from a mock vehicle roll over, patient packaging and loading of a patient onto Care Flight.

The segment from Care Flight personnel also gave instruction on the safety aspects of working with helicopters in their search and rescue operation.

By now, most people have heard: Federal courts upheld the 2012 Regional Plan for Lake Tahoe, affirming the blueprint that maintains development caps and strengthens environmental protections while encouraging community revitalization, redevelopment, and updated infrastructure.

Capturing the most attention these days is the traffic in our small communities from millions of people who drive up to enjoy our lake. And the transportation system is where TRPA is giving more focused attention to benefit Tahoe’s environment, economy, and quality of life.

There will be no Turkey Trot in South Lake Tahoe this year.

For over 30 years, runners both young and old have participated in the annual South Lake Tahoe Turkey Trot. They tapped into their inner turkey, donned holiday costumes and ran a lap or two and aimed for a prize. The race was normally a 5k one for the adults, and fun runs for the younger set.

Lauren Thomaselli, the City's Recreation Superintendent, tried to find a partner for the 2016 event but was unsuccessful.

The future of the Blue Granite Climbing Gym in South Lake Tahoe was made much clearer Thursday during the South Lake Tahoe Planning Commission meeting.

Who or what is Tahoe South? When the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority first started marketing the name, many locals perceived it as an attempt to rename the community, but instead, it is the branding of a concept as well as a location.

A new video about the brand launched at the Tahoe Chamber Blue Ribbon Awards Thursday night.

Tahoe South is an active, quirky, fun, young at heart lifestyle, and the “Tahoe South” logo and campaign includes elements that evoke the connection between the consumer and South Shore to inspire overnight visits.

6:00 a.m. 11/9 Update: It took awhile for ballots to be counted, but 100 percent of the precincts have now been counted for El Dorado County and South Lake Tahoe. The results are unofficial as some mail-in ballots will still be tallied.

Former councilwoman Brooke Laine and hospital executive Jason Collin will be headed to the South Lake Tahoe City Council in what turned out to be a close race with local politics newcomer, Tamara Wallace. Current Councilwoman JoAnn Conner will not be returning for a second term.

SLT City Council results, the top two vote-getters win:

Many are ready for this election to be over the national level with the negativity surrounding the campaigns. On a local level there are several choices before voters.

If you have not already submitted your ballots, find your polling place here:

California
Nevada

If you live in the South Lake Tahoe City limits, you are able to vote for two of ten candidates for City Council (in alphabetical order):

Brooke Laine
Dan McLaughlin
Jason Collin
JoAnn Conner

All candidates for South Lake Tahoe City Council were given the same questions. With just one day to go to the elections, we will be featuring their answers and a video of their interview with Tahoe Regional Young Professionals through the day.

Dan McLaughlin, 66, Sales Manager for Lake Tahoe Television, has lived in Lake Tahoe for 43 years.

Discuss your interest in serving on City Council. What is your prior experience in working with civic, community or governmental organizations?

All candidates for South Lake Tahoe City Council were given the same questions. With just one day to go to the elections, we will be featuring their answers and a video of their interview with Tahoe Regional Young Professionals through the day.

JoAnn Conner, 67, Small Business Owner, 35 years in SLT.

Discuss your interest in serving on City Council. What is your prior experience in working with civic, community or governmental organizations?

Who is John Shearer: Business owner, husband and father, captain, long-time local, and hard-worker, President of Marine Research & Education ( A non-profit educating youth about the lake and preserving the basin). Tourism Award-2014 Blue Ribbon Awards.

Focus: Tourism, recreation, infrastructure, and incentivising redevelopment and new development.

Nevada'a larger cities and counties are projected to grow by 425,000 by 2035, according to a report released November 1 by the Nevada Department of Taxation. At the same time, rural counties in the state could see a slight decrease in numbers.

Clark and Washoe Counties are likely to see the largest population growth: Clark County could see an increase of 319,501 and Washoe County an increase of 83,926. Carson City, Churchill, Douglas, Lyon, and Storey Counties could see a collective

As a sitting Council Member and Board Member of Lodging Association, I urge voters to vote Yes on Measure P – “P” for Play and Recreation. This would increase hotel taxes by 2% throughout the City. The Lodging Association is supporting this measure because Recreation is our economy; investing in our economy will encourage more visitors and visitors to stay longer, which in turn supports the rest of our local economy.

With several state parks around the Lake Tahoe Basin and surrounding Sierra Nevada, budding Van Goghs have a lot of local experience to draw upon as they enter the California State Park Foundation's art contest, "Discover State Parks."

Since the parks offer endless opportunities for inspiration, the Youth Art Contest is a way for young people to draw on those experiences to create art featuring their encounters with wildlife and nature, learning about history and culture or enjoying recreation.

Every new parent in Tahoe knows that finding quality childcare is a struggle. Facilities have long waiting lists; and only a few can offer State subsidies to low-income families.

According to Choices for Children a healthy childcare vacancy rate is 15%. That gives parents choice in where to put their child based on location, costs or personal preferences. Here in Tahoe our vacancy rate is just 5% and as our population continues to grow that percentage is likely to decrease further.

On November 8, voters in South Lake Tahoe are tasked with selecting not only local and national leadership, but they are also faced with raising taxes. Measure P is on the ballot, but it is very different than other taxes, and let me explain why.

Like many communities that are highly-desirable places to vacation and live, Lake Tahoe has affordable housing problems. Two recent studies commissioned by the Tahoe Prosperity Center and Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation clearly illustrate the housing challenges our region faces.

Median home prices of more than $500,000 on the North Shore and nearly $400,000 on the South Shore are simply too high for our region’s low wages, putting the cost of home ownership and even rent out of reach for many working people.

Boys and Girls Clubs from across the country will be having "Lights on Afterschool" on Thursday, October 20 as a way to highlight the importance of a safe place for kids to go after school.

From 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., the students who attend the Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe (BGCLT) will show how they feel about the club by designing the future building that will house them.

8:00AM update 10/15: Highway 89 remains closed in both directions from Fallen Leaf Lake Road to Emerald Bay due to the Emerald Fire which remains 80 percent contained this morning. Acreage burned is 210 acres.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

There are 3 engines and 12 firefighters still on the scene.

Opening time for Hwy 89 is still unclear. CHP estimates Saturday afternoon and Caltrans estimates the road will be closed until Monday. This is to allow crews to clean up the fallen trees and other debris on, and near, the roadway.

This summer,the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association (TKPOA) has been both combating aquatic invasive weeds while also testing out methods for future eradication of the pesky plants from their channels. They will be hosting a public meeting to update the community on their ongoing efforts on Tuesday, November 1 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the South Tahoe Public Utility District board room.

For those wanting to learn more about how the City of South Lake Tahoe works while at the same time giving back to their community, there is currently a few great opportunities to accomplish both.

The City Council is soliciting applications for two-year appointments to the following City Commissions/Boards:

Planning Commission
Airport Land Use Commission
Building/ADA Board of Appeals
Parks & Recreation Commission

Recreational facilities managed and owned by the U.S. Forest Service around the lake are starting their seasonal closures.

These winter closures apply to many Forest Service recreation sites including beaches, campgrounds, and picnic areas, which traditionally close in mid-October. Forest roads close around mid-November for soil protection and public safety.

The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) of the U.S. Forest Service has a new deputy forest supervisor on board. Teresa McClung started the new job last week after being the District Ranger for the Stanislaus National Forest for the past seven years.

“We are excited that Teresa has joined our dedicated and experienced basin team,” said Forest Supervisor, Jeff Marsolais. “Her educational background and experience as a landscape architect will greatly complement the significant, large landscape work underway here in the Lake Tahoe Basin.”

The announcement this week of a buyer for the undeveloped portion of the Chateau at the Village has been met with excitement over new investments in South Lake Tahoe.

Owens Financial announced Kawana Meadows Development, LLC entered into a purchase agreement for $42.5 million for eight acres of the project, leaving the 3.5 acres currently home to the Zalanta and completed retail Chateau portion in the hands of Owens.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – As part of ongoing efforts to evaluate and use numerous tools to fight aquatic invasive plants in the Tahoe Keys, the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association recently announced its plans to apply for a permit for a small-scale demonstration of aquatic herbicides in 2018.