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Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) officials didn't have to look far in getting a replacement for Ryan Galles, outgoing Sierra House Elementary principal.

South Lake Tahoe native Karin Holmes will take the school's top spot on an interim basis beginning August 7.

"It is very exciting," Karin told South Tahoe Now. "What they are doing at Sierra House is amazing! With the garden and health and fitness focus there is no moss growing at the school."

Every year, on the first Tuesday in August, nearly 40 million people in 16,000 communities across the United States turn out to celebrate National Night Out. The event was first hosted in 1984 as a way to bring communities together and promote stronger ties between citizens and the law enforcement personnel who serve them. Communities are at their best when neighbors feel a common bond and a sense of community not only among themselves but also with their local public servants, and National Night Out is a fun and enjoyable way to foster those important ties.

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.

The Aurelia Chamber Players will perform at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park at 6:30 pm on Thursday, July 20.

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South Lake Tahoe is about to be invaded by a fleet of 200 cutting-edge lime green "smart" bicycles. LimeBike out of the Bay Area unveiled their new dockless ride share on Tuesday, giving the public a sneak peak of what will officially start on the South Shore Saturday, July 15 for a pilot program.

"We are thrilled to be here," said Andrew Savage, Vice President of Strategic Development for LimeBike. "This will make mobility more fun."

South Lake Tahoe, Calif. - Four members of the faculty at Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) are being honored for their outstanding work in the classroom and their dedication to students.

LTCC business instructor Treva Thomas was chosen by her fellow faculty members as the Distinguished Faculty Award winner for 2017, math and physics instructor Bruce Armbrust was tapped by LTCC’s students as their choice for Teacher of the Year, and adjunct instructor/Work Experience and Internship Coordinator Jenna Palacio was selected by faculty members as Adjunct Instructor of the Year.

9:30 a.m. update: The area continues to see several earthquakes in this current swarm that started at 2:02 a.m. with a 4.0 earthquake according to the UNR Seismological Lab in Reno. Magnitude numbers have been updated and listed below.

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A series of earthquakes hit north of Donner Lake early Tuesday morning, starting at 2:02 a.m. with a 4.0 quake and a session of following 14 other tremblers over 1.0 magnitude by 5:43 a.m.

All came from an area 10.5 to 11.8 miles North/Northwest of Donner Lake, near Independence Lake.

The time and magnitude as of 8:20 a.m. Tuesday:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Work officially began on the Lisa Maloff University Center at Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) Wednesday after ground was broken during a ceremony on the South Lake Tahoe campus.

Longtime South Lake Tahoe philanthropist Lisa Maloff donated $5.8 million to build the center which will become the home for current and future bachelor degree programs on the community college campus. The donation

Pete Sonntag, the current senior vice president of Vail Resort's Lake Tahoe region, is leaving the lake to be the new chief operating officer of Vail's Whistler Blackcomb.

He will start this summer once his Canadian work visa is approved.

The appointment follows the announcement last month that longtime Whistler Blackcomb chief operating officer, Dave Brownlie, was stepping down to pursue other endeavors after a nearly 30-year career at the resort.

When the South Lake Tahoe City Council voted on a new Vacation Rental Ordinance in 2015 they also promised to hire a consultant to prepare a socioeconomic study on the impact vacation home rentals (VHRs) have on the community.

The results of the study were presented to the City Council and the public during a special meeting on Tuesday.

South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue along with multiple local agencies are coming together and hosting the 4th annual Wildfire Safety Expo on Saturday, June 17 from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the TJ Maxx parking lot located at the “Y” where
Highways 50 and 89 intersect.

Everyone one is invited to the free event with lots of information about being prepared in case of a wildfire.

In the last 48 hours there have been three dozen earthquakes, the largest being 3.74 and the smallest being about 1.0 in an area between Gardnerville and Topaz Lake.

"This is the nature of earthquakes," said Mickey Cassar, a records tech with seismic data at University of Nevada, Reno. "There are ebbs and flows. Earthquakes happen this way, a sequence goes on for awhile."

Mammoth Lakes, Calif., and Hawthorne, Nevada have had several dozen earthquakes over the past few months, 35 in Mammoth Lakes and almost 55 in Hawthorne just this week.

The much anticipated socio-economic study of the impact vacation home rentals (VHR) have on South Lake Tahoe has been released.

Michael Baker International was hired by the City to complete the study and create the report to identify emerging impacts of a growing industry, particularly impacts that may be directly affecting residents and persons who work in the city. They teamed with California State University, Sacramento on the project.

It wasn't your typical high school class at Tahoe Forest Hospital Wednesday. Approximately 60 students enrolled in advanced placement biology and human body systems classes scrubbed in to witness a total knee replacement surgery on a cadaver in the University of Nevada's advanced surgical lab at their North Shore location.

South Tahoe High's standout tight end McCallan Castles has committed to going to UC Berkeley, and he's just a junior.

Castles received dozens of offers from other top schools during the year but after a visit to Berkeley on Saturday he decided to become a Bear in the fall of 2018. He had been recruited from Utah, Colorado State, University of Colorado, Boise State, Oregon State, Arizona State, San Diego State, Washington State, Duke and many others. He told South Tahoe Now recently that he wanted to stay on the west coast and he got his wish.

The community is invited to meet artist Erin Whitman when she visits Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) June 8-9. The school's Art Department welcomes the visiting artist for two days of events, including lecture about her work and artistic inspirations on Thursday, June 8 at 6 p.m. in LTCC’s Board Room. Whitman is also hosting a hands-on demonstration of her work on Friday, June 9 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Room F101, located in the Fine Arts building. These events, sponsored by the LTCC Foundation and the LTCC Art Club, are free and open to the public.

Clarity levels at Lake Tahoe in 2016 increased in winter and decreased in summer in 2016 according to a report released on May 17 by researchers from University of California, Davis.

They said the summer values were due to the continuing effects of climate change and were so large that they outweighed the improving winter clarity which were at their highest since 2012.

Arthur "Rocky" Heether has been identified as the man killed as he rode his bike across Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe on Saturday, May 13, 2017. The 64-year-old man was struck by a vehicle.

Arthur, or Rocky as he was better known, was born in Oakland, California on January 26, 1053. He moved to the South Shore in the early 70's and worked construction on many Tahoe projects.

The local community and visitors will be taking part in the League to Save Lake Tahoe's 17th annual Snapshot Day on Saturday, May 20 from 9:00 a.m. to noon. During this annual citizen science monitoring event, community members will collect water quality samples from dozens of Lake Tahoe’s south shore tributaries.

The UCCE Master Gardeners of Lake Tahoe are having their 4th annual Plant Sale takes on a different format this year. Natives and other perennials need more time to grow out of their overwintering slumber so the sale will be held in two segments. Vegetable plants will be sold at the Ski Run Farmers Market on friday, June 9 from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (or until all plants have been sold) and the Natives and Perennials will be sold on Saturday, September 9 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Sierra House Elementary School.

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Douglas County Sheriff Ron Pierini recently swore in two new deputies for his department, Grace Strachan and Dominic Lavezzo.

Deputy Grace Strachan grew up in Nevada and, after high school graduation, attended Sul Ross University in Alpine, Texas where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice. After college she attended Texas Basic Police Academy and was hired as a police officer for Sul Ross University Police Department. Deputy Strachan returned to Nevada and recently employed as a public safety dispatcher for Nevada DPS while she sought a peace officer position.

South Lake Tahoe resident, and Tahoe Prosperity Center DEO Heidi Hill Drum was awarded Citizen of the Year by the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association, Chamber, Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Hill was given the honor during the 63rd annual Community Awards Banquet on April 6.

“I was very surprised and I am grateful to be recognized, but I am just the messenger," Heidi noted at the ceremony accepting the award. "Our dedicated Board of Directors and staff are just as deserving of the honor recognizing the importance of our work in the region.”

Liberty Utilities is once again offering academic scholarships for eligible high school and college students within its service territory which includes South Lake Tahoe, North Lake Tahoe and surrounding areas. The eight schools participating in the fifth annual scholarship program are South Tahoe High School, Loyalton High School, Douglas High School (students residing in Alpine County only), Coleville High School, North Tahoe High School, Truckee High School and Portola High School, as well as Lake Tahoe Community College.

"I'm looking for opportunities to build strategic relationships and leverage resources, and not duplicating what we already have," Craig A. Schmidt said after being on the job for five days at the Tahoe Chamber. "That is what excites me about the South Shore."

Schmidt is the new Chief Executive Officer for the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce, a job vacant since July 1, 2016 when "B" Gorman left to develop her coaching business.