vehicle

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - In a statement released Thursday, the U.S. Forest Service reminded snowmobilers, snowshoers, cross-country skiers, mountain bikers and off-highway vehicle users that the ...

By Kristi Boosman
To a packed house of observers, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board voted to approve Phase 1 of the Homewood Mountain Resort Ski Area Master Plan at their monthly meeting on Wednesday, December 14.

Tree top snaps in the wind and destroyed a vehicle. K & K Services removed the tree off the vehicle and removed the damaged tree. Two trees were also blown over on Highway 50 accross from Rojo's and landed in the road right in front of a tree service company. K & K services stopped and cleaned it up and hauled away all the debri as well some other hazardous trees that were getting ready to fall onto the Highway. When contacted about the cost to remove the trees on city property the owner replied "Merry Christmas."

Whether you’re heading down Echo Summit or going up Kingsbury Grade, driving in Tahoe has its own set of challenges. Your vehicle does experience stress as it climbs steep grades as well as those moments of tricky navigation during periods of heavy snow. One element to driving at Lake Tahoe that should never be overlooked is the need to have good tires on your vehicle. You should check your tires for wear at least once a month and before and after long trips.

By Li Terrell
At the Nov. 1 South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting, there was a decision passed to use grant money from the state of California to purchase a new hybrid vehicle for use in the citywide recycling program. 
The new Chevy Silverado hybrid is valued at $39,000, gets 20 miles to the gallon and will reduce emissions compared to the old truck currently in use. However, a lively discussion of whether the purchase would give the wrong impression regarding the city’s fiscal responsibility ensued.

Zimride, the largest online ride-sharing service in North America, today announced that a new route between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe will open to the public beginning Thanksgiving day, bringing Bay Area residents convenient, inexpensive access to one of the country’s top winter destinations. To celebrate the route’s launch, Zimride is giving away $20,000 worth of free gas to riders on the route.

By John Heil
California’s landscapes are under siege from a host of threats. Catastrophic wildfire, climate change, invasive species and increasing human population put these delicate ecosystems at risk. The U.S. Forest Service has recognized and battled these threats for decades, but recently the agency recognized the need for a more focused approach on Ecological Restoration as the primary goal for all land management actions.

UPDATED: Sad news to report today. KTVN-TV in Reno confirms that Channel 2 News Sports Director JK Metzker died this afternoon from injuries he suffered after being struck by a vehicle. The accident happened on North Virginia Street near 17th Street at 11:50pm last night following the University of Nevada Wolf Pack football game.

By Don Quilici
This is an annual, late fall article on how to enjoy those tiny, irresistible, tasty gourmet treats known as pine nuts.
For those unfamiliar with them, they are the seeds of the Pinon Pine Tree, which is the official tree of the State of Nevada. The Pinon is a fairly short, bushy looking, rather unattractive, full-of-pitch tree and it is one of the main physical features of our Great Basin area.

UPDATED NOV. 3: A 43-year-old woman was seriously injured and taken to Renown Regional Medical Center by Care Flight after being hit in a crosswalk on Monday afternoon in Gardnerville, the Nevada Highway Patrol reports.
Blanca Lydia Garcia-Herrera suffered some broken bones and is in stable condition at Regional Medical Center in Reno.
An accident investigation indicates Garcia-Herrera was walking in a crosswalk to an entrance to an O’Reilly vehicle parts store at 2:37 p.m. on Highway 395 north of Kingslane, said Trooper Dan Lopez.

So you’re going on a road trip and you'll cross some mountain passes. But the weather forecast calls for heavy snow and high winds. If you're going to drive in a snowstorm you'll want to be smart and safe about it. In no particular order and, depending on the circumstances, here are some must items to have in your vehicle courtesy of the Tahoe Transportation District.

Garrett Fant, the 21-year-old U.S. Army soldier who died Sept. 26, 2011 in Afghanistan, left a legacy South Lake Tahoe can be proud of, friends and family say.  The young man, who attended South Tahoe High School and considered South Lake Tahoe his home, will be remembered for his personable nature and affable character. For as young as he was, he was a gentlemen and treated everyone around him with dignity and respect, including those he didn’t personally know. 

By Don Quilici
It’s that time of the year, once again, to visit a special place known as Apple Hill. If you are a newcomer to this area or if you have never been there, fall is a great time of the year to visit Apple Hill.
And, if you are a newcomer, about now you are probably wondering, “What and where in the heck is Apple Hill?”
Well, the correct answer is: “Apple Hill is not a specific hill or a specific location; on the contrary, it is a large geographic area.”

Here is a reminder from the Nevada Department of Transportation about the handheld cell phone use law, passed this spring by the Nevada Legislature. Officers will begin issuing warnings beginning Oct. 1. The law goes into effect Jan. 1, 2012. It is already illegal to drive while talking on the phone or texting in California.

By Ray Lacey
The California Tahoe Conservancy today awarded funding for two of South Lake Tahoe's signature environmental and recreational projects: the Bijou Creek Watershed Project and the South Tahoe Greenway bike trail.

Deputies said the vehicle Wilcher was driving belongs to his mother, which he had reportedly stolen earlier today. The youth was not injured, deputies said. Wilcher was being held on $332000 bail. — L...

A gunman who opened fire inside a Carson City restaurant has torn a hole through the South Lake Tahoe community, taking the life of a long-time local woman, maiming her disabled husband, and sending shock waves in the community after learning the gunman has family business ties in town.
The brutal murder that happened inside the International House of Pancakes this week claimed the lives of three U.S. Army National Guard personnel and Lake Tahoe Keys resident Florence Donovan-Gunderson, 67. Shooter Eduardo Sencion, 32, of Carson City turned the automatic weapon he was packing on himself and left both communities stunned and asking questions about why such a senseless act of violence happened.

By the Tahoe Business Monitor
The South Lake Tahoe Planning Commission is scheduled to vote today on whether to approve a new gas station, car wash and convenience store at the “Y”
shopping center.
The project would replace the vacant service station at 1020 Emerald Bay Road, next to the Raley’s supermarket, which was recently demolished.

Names of those killed in yesterday's IHOP shooting are:

Major Heath Kelly, 35, Reno, decorated field artillery officer, husband and father, commander of Joint Force Headquarters in Carson City, served in Iraq 2004-2005. Avid student of military history, known for his dry sense of humor. See story
Sgt. 1st Class Christian Riege, 38, Carson City, father of three, served in Afghanistan 2009-2010, also served in U.S Navy for two years before joining the Guard
Sgt. 1st Class Miranda McElhiney, 31, Reno, owner of a small baking company, well known in the company for providing cupcakes for guard functions. See story
Florence Donovan-Gunderson, 67, South Lake Tahoe. See story

According to Sheriff Kenny Furlong, the names of those wounded are not going to be released at this time.

One of those wounded is Wally Gunderson, husband of Florence Donovan-Gunderson, who died in the attack.

See all stories on IHOP Shooting

5:30 p.m. Update: Press conference concludes with a few more details. Officials state that shooter Eduardo Sencion had two other weapons at his vehicle, another rifle and a handgun. Neither were used in the incident. The FBI stated that there doesn't appear to be any connection to terrorism.

Sencion was born in Mexico, and had a U.S. passport. The Lake Tahoe News reports Sencion, 32, of Carson City is the owner, along with two brothers, of Mi Pueblo market in South Lake Tahoe on Pioneer Trail. Click here to read the story.

Three victims were killed inside the restaurant, two male National Guard members, and a civilian woman. Two female and one male National Guard members were wounded. Ten of the victims were shot inside the restaurant, while one woman standing outside next to a motorcycle was shot and wounded.

Sheriff Kenny Furlong said they are still working to determine the shooter's motive, saying it is too early to tell if the National Guard members were intentionally targeted.

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3:30 p.m. Update: Carson City Sheriff Kenny Furlong released the name of the person suspected of shooting 11 people at the IHOP restaurant on South Carson Street this morning.

The person's name is Eduardo Sencion, 32, of Carson City. He allegedly shot himself after shooting 11 people, and died about two hours later.

Furlong said he works at his family's business in South Lake Tahoe, and that he might have had some "mental issues."

Three of the 11 victims have died, including two uniformed National Guard members. Three of the wounded were also National Guardsmen.

The other victim who died was a civilian female, according to Furlong.

The investigation into why Sencion carried out the shooting is still underway.

More stories about today's shooting

If you have any information about this incident, or would like to share your story, photos or video, please go here.

1-12 about how Lake Tahoe is tied to 9/11. By Susan Boulanger. On Sept. 11 at 2pm, the LTCC Theatre Arts Department will have a special theatrical presentation to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9...

I'd like to respond to a recent letter to the editor regarding being tailed by a sheriff's office vehicle recklessly with brights on.I live out near North Upper Truckee Road and drive from there al...

Complete streets are consistent with the Tahoe Regional Planning Compact mandate to reduce dependency on the automobile and green house gas emissions, meets Pathways 2007 thresholds, the Prosperity Pl...