visitors

The temperatures are rising in South Lake Tahoe and residents and visitors are spending more time outdoors.

The U.S. Forest Service announced Monday that they will be opening recreation areas early. Last year's warm temperatures in April and May brought out people who wanted to enjoy the parks and beaches, only to find them still closed.

Here is a list of opening dates:

Inspiration Point, Logan Shoals, Chimney Beach, and Secret Harbor are opening on April 21.

Sawmill Pond and the Sandpit OHV areas open May 1.

Baldwin Beach and Nevada Beach and Campground open May 9.

Starting April 1, all Barton Health buildings became smoke free. The smoking and tobacco ban includes all Barton Health facilities, parking lots, grounds, and Barton Memorial Hospital. All patients, visitors, medical staff, vendors, and employees will not be allowed to smoke at Barton. This includes the use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, pipes, marijuana smoking, and smoke-free tobacco products such as chewing tobacco. The one exception will be for the two current patients at the Skilled Nursing Center who smoke. No further smoking patients for the center will be accepted.

April 1, 2014 (Stateline, Nev.) -- Lakeside Inn and Casino announced the United States Forest Service would be processing a permit for livestock grazing in Rabe Meadow, land adjacent to the hotel/casino for the purpose of raising prime Angus beef for Brazilian Barbecue at its Latin Soul restaurant. Rabe Meadow has historically supported cattle grazing during summer periods on the shores of Lake Tahoe.

The Bean Bar has been open on the south shore of Lake Tahoe since December and has already become a favorite of both South Lake Tahoe locals and visitors.

Located in the Round Hill Shopping Center, the Bean Bar is open 7 days a week from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. for now, and once summer arrives they'll extend hours to 6 p.m.

Location

After months of building, remodeling, planning and prepping, Sonney Bruning has opened "Sonney's BBQ Shack" in South Lake Tahoe.

"We've redone everything from the plumbing to the beer chiller, from the furniture to the floors," Bruning said while taking an unusual break right before the restaurant's soft opening March 22.

It's not every day that a St.Bernard puppy not even six months old is named a city's mascot, but that is what happened this week in South Lake Tahoe.

Thor belongs to SLTPD dispatch supervisor Susan Keast. She recently took Thor to one of the monthly all city employee meetings where he was almost unanimously voted on as the mascot according to Police Chief Brian Uhler. “There was one vote against Thor,” said Chief Uhler. “I don’t see how anyone could vote against that fuzz ball puppy.”

TahoeChamber is partnering with Constant Contact to offer a special three-part series as part of the ongoing Tech Tuesday program. This three-part series begins with “Grow Your Business Email Marketing” on March 18 at 5pm at the TahoeChamber Conference Room. Constant Contact representatives will demonstrate how small businesses can utilize email marketing to engage and grow their customer base. Attendees will discover new marketing strategies and discover the elements necessary for a successful email marketing campaign.

You can do it in summer and winter, rain, snow or sunshine. You can do it if you're young or old. You can do it during daylight or nighttime. You can even do it if you're not in top physical condition. You can do it at the Olympics or at your local ice arena. And to do it you need brooms and stones and you can even wear tennis shoes.

What is it you ask? Curling!

Since there is a lack of snow through the Sierra Nevada, visitors and locals in the Lake Tahoe basin are enjoying things that are normally reserved for the summer months.

With a lack of winter storms in Lake Tahoe and the usual snow that accompanies them, visitors are looking for things to enjoy during their visit.

The calm water and mild days have been perfect for fishing, whether its boat fishing on Lake Tahoe or ice fishing on the frozen lakes in the area.

I ran into a group of fisherman just ending their venture onto the lake with Tahoe Sport Fishing on Tuesday. The group of men were from Australia, South Africa, Los Angeles and Sacramento and by the looks of their smiles and their catch, they had a great time.

PLACERVILLE, CA - El Dorado Arts Council (EDAC) announced today that Kim Wyatt, publisher of Bona Fide Books, was appointed to the nonprofit arts organization’s board of directors.

“We are excited to have Kim Wyatt join our board as EDAC prepares to launch exciting initiatives in 2014,” says Dan Cattone, EDAC board president. “The support and nurturing of the South Lake Tahoe art community is critical to our mission of ‘More Art in More Places.’ Kim will help us energize that effort and insure that EDAC brings relevant support and value to the South Lake Tahoe art community.”

Network television meteorologists from around the country will head to South Lake Tahoe for a leading national weather conference January 8-11, 2014 and two of the sessions are open to the public.

Tahoe South's Annual Operation Sierra Storm Meteorologist's Conference features leading scientists and experts discussing newsworthy topics and trends.

Wintertime in Tahoe means skiing and snowboarding for visitors and locals alike. Few other places on earth have the abundance of snow sports opportunities that we enjoy in the Tahoe basin. With all the excitement and fun, we can sometimes forget the few simple measures that can help us prevent the occasional, but largely avoidable injuries.

Consider the following when you’re headed out to your favorite resort so that your après ski plans do not include a trip to the ER.

Hearty breakfasts, gourmet burgers, fine wines, steaks, seafood, and mountains of decadent desserts are on the menu Jan. 10-17, 2014 at Tahoe South as more than a dozen of the area’s restaurants roll out an extraordinary culinary experience for California Restaurant Month.

Voters chose Lake Tahoe as "America's Best Lake" in 2012 and the local area is now up for another top honor as "America's Best Ski Destination."

The Lake Tahoe Visitor's Authority is seeking votes from the local community through the month until the contest's end on December 30 at 8:50 pm PST. Online votes can be made daily on the voting site. North Lake Tahoe is also in the running along with Sun Valley, Idaho and other big resorts.

Stephen Ditchkus has been named the new General Manager of South Lake Tahoe's MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa. “Our plan is to combine the spectacular attractions of Lake Tahoe with the amenities of the property, with a focus on the gaming experience,” said Ditchkus. “It’s a great time to be back in Tahoe with the destination moving forward with all its improvements for visitors and locals, alike.”

Lake Tahoe-based Weidinger Public Relations was presented with four awards by the Public Relations Society of American, Sierra Nevada Chapter for various campaigns at the organization’s 27th annual Silver Spike Awards.

There has finally been a lot of construction action at the site of The Chateau Project in South Lake Tahoe over the last couple of months. Many locals have called this area "The Hole" since construction stalled in 2008 but they are now seeing life being put into one of the cornerstones of the South Lake Tahoe Tourist Core.

The reauthorization of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act was introduced yesterday in the U.S. House of Representatives, following the Senate’s introduction of the bill in August.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) is working to open many Forest Service-operated facilities and restore public services that had been suspended during the government shutdown, which ended October 17, 2013. “Realizing we’re near the end of our normal operating season in Lake Tahoe, we’re focusing our efforts on those sites that typically remain open for a few more weeks and are extremely popular with locals and visitors alike,” said Forest Supervisor Nancy Gibson. “We look forward to opening these and serving our local community once again.”

Visit California’s annual “California SuperFAM,” in conjunction with British Airways, returns to the Golden State, October 10-17, 2013 for the sixth consecutive year. Sixty travel agents from the United Kingdom and Ireland will get the VIP treatment on this fast-paced, educational and entertaining California familiarization (“fam”) tour. Split into five groups, agents will embark on five different themed itineraries designed to allow them to experience all that California has to offer firsthand – from Southern California and the Desert to the North Coast and High Sierra.

The closed gates haven't stopped the droves of people drawn to Taylor Creek and the Rainbow Trail to watch the annual fall upstream trek of the Kokanee Salmon.

Visitors to the creek were locals and visitors and they all arrived via a myriad of transportation options. The Trolley running along Highway 89 through the weekend, which brought many down the road as did bicycles, motorcycles, cars as well as those that preferred to walk.

Once a year the City Council of South Lake Tahoe has a joint meeting with the Board of Supervisors from both El Dorado and Douglas Counties. This year's meeting will be held on Monday, October 7 at the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel (formerly Embassy Suites) beginning at 1:30 pm.

The agenda for the afternoon includes discussion of the Regional and Area Plans, the South Shore Recreation Plan, transportation and housing issues on the South Shore and will wrap up with discussion on shared resource opportunities in the area.

A day of food, family and fun benefiting local firefighters, veterans and LTWC. Live music all day featuring: Adient Zoo, Groovebox, Black Star Safari, 3-piece puzzle, Hot sticky mess, Deep Fryed Mojo and many more! Dog friendly, beer & wine garden, free bike valet, food vendors & BBQ, tons of free door prizes, games and contests for humans and dogs!

Free entry for local firefighters (+2 guests for half price). All profits donated to Father's House Ministries, dedicated to the rehabilitation of our veterans, LTWC and South Lake Tahoe Fire Department.