safety

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The South Lake Tahoe man who led multiple law enforcement agencies on a high-speed pursuit in El Dorado County and Sacramento in May was indicted by a federal grand jury today on two counts.

Paddlers enjoying Lake Tahoe now have an updated resource available to navigate the 72 miles of the lake's shoreline.

The Sierra Business Council has just released the 2019 Lake Tahoe Water Trail Map & Access Guide to help paddlers safely find their way along the water route. It pinpoints all of the 37 public launch and landing sites, including the Lake Tahoe Water Trail's 20 trailhead sites with wayfinding signage, restrooms and parking.

When tested exactly three years ago, I called the Mitsubishi Outlander a high value, bang for the buck CUV. Now with compact, small-midsize CUVs all costing in the mid $30K range and more, the Mitsubishi stands out even more as my extremely loaded three rows of seats Outlander GT stickered for $36K all in including the boat from Japan. While the price is up a minuscule three percent, additional content and improvements have increased the value quotient. And that quotient grows as inflation would have boosted the price by at least six percent.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Lake Tahoe Basin and El Dorado County Roadwork schedule for Caltrans projects:

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

State Routes 28/89 (El Dorado and Placer County): Work continues on a $4.8 million project to remove dead and dying trees from State Routes 28 and 89 in various locations of El Dorado and Placer counties. Completion is expected this fall.

The Sierra Boulevard street project is progressing and the next phase between Barbara Avenue and Alma Avenue is requiring El Dorado County to temporarily close Barbara Avenue until August 15.

The project consists of full roadway reconstruction and pedestrian and drainage improvements along Sierra Boulevard from Palmira Blvd. to Barbara Ave.

The Barbara Avenue closure is necessary to ensure motorist and worker safety. Prior to July 1 the road was kept open on weekends and other non-construction hours but that will no longer be the case.

ALPINE COUNTY, Calif. - "Pristine pure premium quality drinking water is freely
available to all in Alpine County," said Dr. Richard O. Johnson, the Alpine County Health Officer.

LAKE TAHOE, Nev. - The Tahoe East Shore Trail at Lake Tahoe is now open to non-motorized bicycle and foot traffic. The Nevada Department of Transportation and Tahoe Transportation District, along with their partners in the project, celebrated during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday afternoon the three-mile path between southern Incline Village and Sand Harbor State Park.

Welcome to summer! The solstice officially arrived Friday at 8:54 a.m., welcoming in the longest day of the year. As the snowpack melts away, and the lake fills above rim, we enter the warm and dry months that we relish after winter. As Lake Tahoe’s landscape begins to dry out, wildfire danger will grow.

Our respite from the seasonal dangers of wildfire here in the basin is coming to an end. With temperatures climbing, relative humidity lowering, and afternoon winds blowing across the lake, the basin will become susceptible to wildfire.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The California Tahoe Conservancy (CTC) will limit public access and temporarily close portions of some south shore beaches starting Friday, June 28, 2019. They announced beaches they own near Lakeview Commons and the Upper Truckee Marsh will close for public safety and to protect sensitive wildlife habitat and areas prone to erosion.

Summer road trips are a well-loved tradition for many. To make sure a trip is enjoyable, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) reminds everyone that prevention and planning for summer driving may take time up front, but can spare drivers from dealing with the consequences of a breakdown or worse.

“Get your vehicle ready, plan your route, and above all, drive safely,” CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley said. “When you are the driver, your only responsibility is to keep your eyes on the road, hands on the wheel, and concentrate on the task of driving.”

PLACERVILLE, Calif. - The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the 2019-20 budget on Monday, one that spends $688 million to fund the County’s programs and services. $313 million of that amount is the County’s general fund which primarily funds public safety and general government services.

Overnight road closures will take place on State Route 28 south of Incline Village June 17 and 18 as the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) places final roadway striping as part of the installation of the State Route 28 shared used path.

Both directions of SR 28 will be closed between Lakeshore Boulevard in southern Incline Village and the U.S. 50 junction from 8:00 p.m.-6:30 a.m. nightly June 17 and 18 as final roadway striping is placed on the highway.

A change is proposed for the Pioneer Trail - Highway 50 intersection in Meyers, but what that change will look like is unknown.

During a public meeting on Wednesday, the El Dorado County Transportation Department (EDCDOT) and their planning partners unveiled posters of the two options for the intersection: a roundabout or an upgraded signal (doing nothing is also an option). Community members asked questions, left ideas on a map and are now encouraged to continue in the process by submitting comments.

In anticipation of traffic congestion during the upcoming 4th of July and Labor Day holidays, El Dorado County (EDC) is hosting a public meeting to discuss traffic control measures in the Lake Tahoe Basin on Tuesday, June 18 at 6:00 p.m. at the California Conservation Corps building.

El Dorado County Department of Transportation (EDCDOT) will present a traffic congestion circulation alternative that officially and temporarily closes portions of both Sawmill Road and North Upper Truckee at Highway 50.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - If you've been near the shore of South Lake Tahoe at Regan Beach at any time since fall you've most likely seen a partially sunken sailboat sitting just offshore. The boat's mast and wet sails have been sticking up through the water, an eyesore to many trying to take photos of the scenic view, a topic of conversation to others trying to figure out what happened.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - After 21 applications for cannabis retail, cultivation and micro-business licenses in South Lake Tahoe were received, reviewed, evaluated and scored, the City has announced the chosen six.

The top applicants are invited to apply for a special public safety license and negotiate a formal development agreement with the City. By fall, three retail permits, two microbusiness permits, and one cultivation permit will be awarded.

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - The Board of Supervisors will hold a public meeting on June 17 to go over the El Dorado County Fiscal Year 2019-20 Recommended Budget of $688.7 million. This special meeting starts at 10:00 a.m. and will be held in the Board's Placerville meeting room at 330 Fair Lane.

The County's Chief Administrative Officer, Don Ashton delivered the budget to the supervisors and it is also available online for review. State law mandates that the Recommended Budget be submitted to the Board on or before June 30th of each year.

Mazda has an “all new” Mazda 3. It has some resemblance to the prior generation Mazda 3 but it is a new fourth generation and it had a new designer, Yasutake Tsuchida. Tsuchida continued with the “Kodo” design theme using a very similar, aggressive front end while smoothing out the body ridges and incorporating a sleeker, less complicated rear end. It uses a similar window line except for the “Hofmeister kink” now present in the termination of the rear side windows. It is a better-looking car (then its prior generation) and retains the title of the best-looking compact car.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The University of California Master Food Preserver Program is returning to the South Shore with their Vegetables: Preserve & Serve class on Tuesday, June 18 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the South Lake Tahoe Library.

UC Master Food Preservers will explain each step of canning, dehydrating and freezing as methods of preserving vegetables to use throughout the year. This follows up their June 3 class on preserving fruit.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - When the City formed in 1965 it was incorporated as a general law city for the purpose of having more local control over public services such as police, fire, and snow removal.

Now there is discussion about changing to a charter city. During their March 5 meeting, Councilmember Cody Bass asked that this subject come forward at a future meeting and Councilmembers Jason Collin and Devin Middlebrook said they were interested in learning more about what the differences are between the two, and what it would mean to South Lake Tahoe to switch.

The County of El Dorado will be holding a public workshop to receive residents’ input on the Pioneer Trail/ U.S. 50 Intersection Safety Improvement Project on Wednesday, June 12 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the California Conservation Corps in Meyers.

Project alternatives currently being evaluated include a ‘no build’ option, a larger signalized intersection, and a roundabout.

If you are interested in learning more about the Project, this would be an excellent
opportunity for you to help influence the future of Meyers.

The next phase of the Highway 50 South Shore Community Revitalization Project (SSCRP) begins with an open house on its Main Street Management Plan on Wednesday, May 29 at the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) office from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The public is welcome to drop in any time.

SSCRP, commonly referred to as the Loop Road Project, will include seven more key components to be completed by the TRPA and Tahoe Transportation District (TTD). The first of those components is the Main Street Management Plan.

2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback XSE, A new direction for the Corolla iM and it’s the right way to go.

Corolla iM evolved originally from the Scion brand, it was a second-generation Scion and when the brand was folded into Toyota it became a Corolla iM. I liked the iM as it had good performance, great styling looking a bit like a lowered and sleeker RAV4 with excellent fuel economy.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The almost 180 registered nurses at Barton Hospital went out on a planned strike Friday morning to show the South Lake Tahoe hospital they want a fair contract, one that honors all of their demands.