Tahoe

The inaugural Light Up the South Shore Holiday Contest lit up the community with some much-needed Christmas cheer. Over 50 businesses and residents competed with their festive displays for the five coveted awards. The contest was held by the Tahoe Chamber.

Congratulations to the winners:

Best in Show Award Winner: The Cork and More
Honorable Mention: South of North Brewing Company

The Clark Griswold Award Winner: Cold Water Brewery and Grill
Honorable Mention: Revive Coffee & Wine

Best Window Display Winner: Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe
Honorable Mention: Eagle Protect PBC

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The 'Christmas Star' made its appearance over Lake Tahoe on Monday as the planets Jupiter and Saturn aligned in what is called the 'great conjunction.'

Due to their appearing as one bright shining star so close to December 25 they have been dubbed the 'Christmas' Star, just as described in the Biblical story of the birth of Jesus Christ. It has been 800 years since the two planets have appeared together and it won't occur again until 2080.

Though the two planets appeared to be very close they were actually hundreds of millions of miles apart.

The Tahoe Chamber has launched the GO Local Tahoe Digital Gift Card program to boost immediate local spending that will support South Shore restaurants, retailers and service providers throughout the recent Covid-19 pandemic restrictions. The GO Local Tahoe Card is a community based, e-gift card that allows you to give the gift of supporting LOCAL and allows your recipient to spend with local businesses of their choice. The ease of this gift card makes it the perfect last-minute holiday gift and stocking stuffer for a Tahoe lover.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Paying it forward has spread quickly through the South Lake Tahoe community this holiday season, and now the City is joining in to help those in need while at the same time helping out small locally-owned restaurants.

The “Pay It Forward” initiative involves community members and organizations contributing money to open tabs at local restaurants. It’s a program that helps those in need and helps support the restaurants when they need it the most.

Henning Mehrens, MD, has spent over 45 years keeping the South Lake Tahoe community healthy and will be missed as he retires and is off to the next chapter of his life.
Both through his private practice as well as at Tahoe Urgent Care, Dr. Mehrens worked both tirelessly and passionately for those he cared for. Besides maintaining those offices he was also the medical director of the Skilled Nursing Facility at Barton Memorial Hospital.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - With a concern that group gatherings over the holidays could lead to another spike of COVID-19, a new local company has expanded its operations to address the concerns and protect the public with at-home testing for the coronavirus.

The Barton Foundation’s 2020 virtual gala received overwhelming support from donors, raising a record-breaking $110,000 to benefit the Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund. These donations are immediately being put to use, helping community members hit hardest by the pandemic: those facing food insecurity and other economic hardship, as well as healthcare workers on the frontline.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - El Dorado County health officers announced 465 residents have tested positive for COVID-19 since Thursday. Of those, 118 are in El Dorado Hills, 97 in Cameron Park/Shingle Springs/Rescue, 87 in Greater Placerville, 29 in Diamond Springs/El Dorado, 20 in Pollock Pines/Camino/Kyburz, 27 in North County, 7 in South County, 76 in Lake Tahoe region. Four of these cases are awaiting address confirmation, leaving the pending address confirmation count at 49.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Many people in the South Lake Tahoe area could use some extra help during the holidays, and local sources of free food are available to help ease some needs.

Bread & Broth will be open on Monday, December 21 and 28 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. with bags of food. Also, their Friday food bag operation will not be open on Christmas Day but will resume on New Year's Day, January 1, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. They are located at St. Theresa Grace Hall at 1041 Lyons Avenue, South Lake Tahoe.

Christmas started early for this guy once the pandemic hit. I put my Christmas lights up over the 4th of July and for a short while started watching Christmas movies too to try and get that feel-good feeling happening. Okay, I also did it because I wanted to watch movies where no one was wearing a mask and hugging one another without fear of being exposed. I’ve always enjoyed movies for their pure escapism and who doesn’t want to escape what we’ve been through already ya know? I also like being wrapped around a movie completely.

Seven outstanding restoration, sustainability, and construction projects were recognized as recipients of Best in the Basin awards by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) during an online meeting of the agency’s Governing Board. The projects and programs each exhibit outstanding planning and execution and lead the way in environmental stewardship in the Lake Tahoe Region, according to the agency.

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 and West Shore, including Meyers, South Lake Tahoe, Meeks Bay, Tahoma, and the Echo Summit area. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at the time of the story.

Last Week's Log: http://southtahoenow.com/story/12/13/2020/el-dorado-county-sheriffs-report

This Week's Log:

12/13

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The following is a list of the long term and short term projects the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has scheduled for the week around Lake Tahoe, in the Sierra and El Dorado County. At this time there is no work scheduled for the South Lake Tahoe area.

Most traffic-interfering work will be restricted from 6 a.m. Thursday, December 24 until 10 p.m. Sunday, December 27 due to the Christmas holiday weekend.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

Del Laine has left her mark on South Lake Tahoe in ways that many local residents might not know. She was a mover and shaker, whose focus was on making the city a better place. Her most important role, though, was promoting the well-being of women.

This pioneer died Dec. 18, 2020, at home from natural causes, with family at her side. She was 90.

She was born Dolores Mae Wright on March 20, 1930, in Oakland, Calif., to Mabel Paulson and Leslie Wright.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A true trailblazer in the forming of the City of South Lake Tahoe has died at the age of 90. Del Laine, passed away from natural causes with her family at her side.

She served on South Lake Tahoe's City Council from 1976-1980, and then again from 1984-1988 and became the City's first female Mayor in 1977. She would go on to serve one more term as Mayor during her time on council.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - Former South Lake Tahoe Police Department Community Service Officer Amy Poole was named the new clerk-treasurer for Douglas County Thursday.

Poole was one of three candidates vying to fill Clerk-Treasurer Kathy Lewis's term. During the Douglas County Commissioner meeting, Poole was selected and fill the remaining two years of Lewis' term. Lewis resigned and her last day is Friday, December 18.

“I love every aspect of government,” said Poole Thursday. “I’m willing to be trained and I’m humble enough to know that the staff knows more than I do.”

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - El Dorado County health officers announced 93 residents have tested positive for COVID-19 since yesterday. Of those, 27 are in El Dorado Hills, 20 in Cameron Park/Shingle Springs/Rescue, 13 in Greater Placerville, 4 in Diamond Springs/El Dorado, 0 in Pollock Pines/Camino/Kyburz, 2 in North County, 4 in South County, 0 in Lake Tahoe region. The pending address confirmation count is 45.

One of those new cases, 11 are under the age of 18, 30 are aged 18-49, 33 are aged 50-64, and 19 aged 65 or older.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - For over eight years Sandi Cole has been operating Simple Bliss Vegan Cafe is South Lake Tahoe inside the Swiss Chalet Village. Her homemade specialties have been treating customers to much-loved flavors and dishes, from handcrafted drinks to desserts.

Simple Bliss now has a new look and design, one that will work through the pandemic with take-out orders only to a time when all can once again sit down and enjoy a meal at a restaurant.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The local group tasked with improving and promoting tourism, the South Lake Tahoe Tourism Improvement District (SLTTID), is donating $10,000 to an Essential Food Bag Program for South Shore locals in need during these challenging times.

This follows their program this spring where $10,000 was donated to help support community members, especially those in the tourism industry and families of the Lake Tahoe Unified School District. People who were impacted with the stay-at-home order shutdowns received approximately 500 grocery bags.

The South Lake Tahoe community has not only been donating food to help their human neighbors, but also for their four-legged pets.

The Humane Society of Tahoe Truckee (HSTT) office in South Lake Tahoe has shelves full of pet food that if ready for pickup by pet owners who need assistance.

Their office is located at 3438 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - El Dorado County health officers announced 121 residents have tested positive for COVID-19 since yesterday. Of those, 14 are in El Dorado Hills, 2 in Cameron Park/Shingle Springs/Rescue, 39 in Greater Placerville, 15 in Diamond Springs/El Dorado, 15 in Pollock Pines/Camino/Kyburz, 9 in North County, 4 in South County, 43 in Lake Tahoe region. 61 of the previously reported cases awaiting address confirmation have been assigned, leaving the pending address confirmation count at 45.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - First responders in South Lake Tahoe have been dealing with an antiquated public safety communications system for years but that is about to change. On Tuesday, City Council approved the funds needed to fix the system with much more than a band-aid.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The holidays will be a bit more brighter this season after the community Toys for Tots toy drive provided special gifts for 347 kids.

Toys were collected in bins located around the community as well as online via Walmart's virtual toy drive.

The presents will be given to youth from the Family Resource Center who collected applications for the Toys for Tots organizer. Now the families will be picking up a bag full of books, toys and stuffed animals.

The South Lake Tahoe Cancer League's annual See's Candy Sale will be at the American Legion Post #795 in the entry hall Saturday and Sunday, December 19/20 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Candy purchased from the Cancer League supports the monthly grants given to local cancer patients and reimburses volunteer drivers who take local patients to their appointments in Truckee, Sacramento, Carson Valley, and Reno.