2020

Teens 4 Tahoe, an environmental stewardship group formed by six teens in collaboration with the nonprofit Tahoe Fund, will host a free virtual screening of the award-winning documentary Wilder Than Wild: Fire, Forests, and the Future on October 4, 2020 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The virtual event, proposed by the teens living in Tahoe and around the Bay Area, will be the group’s first effort to help educate their peers about wildfire preparedness. It will include viewing of the one-hour long documentary followed by an online Q&A session with Kevin White, the film’s producer.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) will be adopting their previously released Pandemic Educational Plan with some modifications as they move into Phase 2 starting October 12, 2020.

During their special meeting Monday, several parents, teachers and trustees voiced their opinions and concerns representing all sides, from keeping students in Phase 1, moving to Phase 2, as well as skipping to Phase 3.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - As a part of the 2020 Road Rehabilitation Program, the City of South Lake Tahoe will working on two projects over the next two weeks. They will be reconstructing 3rd & 4th Streets from Lake Tahoe Boulevard to South Avenue and working on the Bellamy Court parking project.

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/09/13/2020/el-dorado-county-sheriffs-report

Calls added

9/19

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The American Legion Stella Van Dyke Post 795, the American Legion Auxiliary and the Sons of the American Legion of South Lake Tahoe will hold their annual Toy Drive on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020, from noon to 3 p.m. at the American Legion Hall, 2748 Lake Tahoe Boulevard, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - A fire ban continues in the Lake Tahoe Basin. On non-red flag days, home use of BBQs with propane or gas are allowed. All charcoal and wood fires are banned at this time. With all of the recent closures of forests due to fire danger, here is an update of what is open around Lake Tahoe:

National Forest trails, trailheads, beaches in Tahoe Basin are open for day-use only.

All camping, overnighting is temporarily prohibited, including camping in Desolation Wilderness, Meiss Country, Pacific Crest, and Tahoe Rim trails.

USFS campgrounds remain closed.

Clean Up the Lake dive teams have removed 8,183 pounds of trash from Donner Lake and Lake Tahoe, most from the summer of 2020.

The team completed a circumnavigation of Donner Lake, covering every inch of eight-mile shoreline at depths up to 25 feet. They removed all they could find in that area, resulting in 5151.5 pounds. They removed 3,032 pounds of trash from the depths of Lake Tahoe.

Census results shape the future of communities, as census data informs how billions of dollars in federal funds are distributed for health clinics, school lunch programs, disaster recovery initiatives, and other critical programs and services for the next 10 years.

If you haven’t completed the 2020 Census yet, you can still respond online, by phone, or by mail. The deadline to respond is September 30, 2020. There are still census takers out in neighborhoods trying to wrap up the county. For more information, visit https://my2020census.gov/.

Top 5 states to respond:
Idaho - 99.8%

As a result of COVID-19, the V&T Railway Commission has announced that fan favorite, Polar Express, has been canceled for the 2020 season. In its place, the railway will host Santa’s Drive-Thru Village, a socially distanced holiday event, December 11 through 13 and December 18 through 24.

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/09/13/2020/el-dorado-county-sheriffs-report
This Week's Report:

9/13

Each year flu causes millions of illnesses, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations, and tens of thousands of deaths in the United States. While it is unclear what will happen this fall and winter, if there is COVID-19 and
flu at the same time, this could place a tremendous burden on our health care systems and cause many additional illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths. Now more than ever, it’s important that everyone do their part to help prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses, like flu and COVID-19, according to Alpine County Health Officer Dr. Richard Johnson.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - National Forest trails, trailheads, beaches and other day-use areas in the Lake Tahoe Basin will re-open for day-use only beginning Saturday, Sep. 19, 2020. Camping and overnight stays will not be permitted, and campgrounds will remain closed. Resorts will reopen for day-use only. Emergency Fire Restrictions will remain in effect through Nov. 30. I’ve attached the Forest Orders for your awareness.

The prohibition of the use of any ignition source on all National Forest System lands (campfires, gas stoves, etc.) throughout California remains in place.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless (TCH) will be receiving $9,576,000 to help their goal of ending homelessness in South Lake Tahoe. The community was one of seven California cities and counties to receive the first wave of Project Homekey grants totaling $76.5 million.

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and a good time check in with yourself and loved ones. So many of us are struggling to keep our mental health in check right now. It’s normal to feel anxious about the impacts of COVID-19. Preventing our worries from consuming us can reduce stress and uncertainty—and even more severe behavioral health issues like suicide.

The 26th annual Lake Tahoe Marathon scheduled for October 9-11 has been canceled for 2020.

Due to the volume of participants and required bus transportation to starting points, the popular three-day event was canceled since gathering and social distancing protocols couldn't be met. The date for the event will be October 8-10, 2021.

Organizer Les Wright of South Lake Tahoe sent out the following letter to participants this week:

The odds of being able to have the 25th Lake Tahoe Marathon this year on Oct 9-11th have dropped to about 1%.

The long-running tradition of the Freaker's Ball is taking a year. The 42nd annual event will be waiting one more year but organizers promise it will be better than ever. Originally scheduled to take place Saturday, October 31, MontBleu found itself, like so many venues, unable to host the annual event due to Covid-19 and social distancing guidelines in effect statewide.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Motorists over US50 Echo Summit will have continuous one-way traffic control starting Sunday, September 13 at 8:00 p.m. The Sidehill Viaduct Project enters its final stages with almost five days of bridge destruction and then complete road closure for two weeks as seven precast, prestressed 96-foot bridge girders are installed, along with associated work.

Sunday, Sept. 13 - 8:00 p.m. - Continuous one-way traffic control begins
Friday, Sept. 18 - About 3:00 a.m. - Full closure of highway

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - After being moved from a planned speaking event at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, President Trump will be making a stop at the Minden-Tahoe Airport on Saturday, September 12 according to a Douglas County spokesperson.

Douglas County was contacted by the Secret Service and representatives of the Trump Campaign late in the evening on Wednesday September 9, 2020 requesting use of the Minden-Tahoe Airport for a campaign rally.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - 2020 is turning out to be a year of large fires in California, and the South Lake Tahoe area is not immune from the danger of wildfire. It is very important to be prepared in case you must evacuate.

Benjamin Franklin said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”

Listed below are ways those in the South Lake Tahoe can start to plan, in hopes the plans never have to be used.

If there were just two things residents should know, South Lake Tahoe Fire Chief Clive Savacol said it would be to "evacuate early" and "have a plan."

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Due to dangerous fire conditions, the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Regional Forester Randy Moore has just announced that ALL National Forests in California will close Wednesday, September 9, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. until further notice. This order includes the California and Nevada sides of the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. On Monday, eight National Forests were closed and now an additional ten from the state have been added to the list.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - On August 2, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law the resolution that annually celebrated the Constitution during the week of September 17 to 23.

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Lake Tahoe Chapter will honor the Constitution with a display in the South Lake Tahoe branch of the El Dorado library. It went up September 1 and will be there the entire month.

UPDATE Monday 4:20PM: The National Weather Service had changed their previous Fire Weather Watch to a Red Flag Warning and Lake Wind Advisory day, starting at 3:00 a.m. Tuesday. For more info, visit http://southtahoenow.com/story/09/07/2020/red-flag-warning-and-lake-wind-advisory-place-lake-tahoe-t...

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The National Weather Service (NWS) in Reno has issued a Fire Weather Watch for Tuesday, September 8 from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (timeframe was expanded Monday).

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.

Most traffic-interfering work will be restricted from 6:00 a.m. Friday, Sept. 4 until 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8 due to the Labor Day holiday.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - El Dorado County Animal Services is looking for information from the public about a Cocker Spaniel dog that was abandoned on the side of the road in South Lake Tahoe. The severely neglected dog was found on August 22, 2020, by a Good Samaritan who brought the dog to the El Dorado County Animal Services Shelter in Meyers.

The female Cocker Spaniel is about eight-years-old with tan fur. She wasn’t wearing a collar or identification tag and was found lying on the side of the road on Spruce Avenue by Bijou School in South Lake Tahoe.