citizens

Coming on the heels of the announcement by U.S. News & World Report that their school was nationally ranked and placed as the 2nd best high school in Nevada, planned cuts at Whittell High School were unveiled at the May 9th Douglas County School Board Meeting.

Several concerned parents attended the last meeting and many more are planning on making the drive to Minden for this week's meeting. The parents have taken their mission to social media with starting the Facebook page: Concerned citizens and parents for Whittell High School.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department used Peace Officer Memorial Week to honor a few of their own along with some local citizens on Thursday.

In a ceremony in front of the police station, Police Chief Brian Uhler bestowed the following awards:

- Officer Andy Eissinger received an award for Distinguished Service
- Dispatcher Jillian Broadfoot awarded for Meritorius Service
- Todd and Zetta Friedel and Cory Escobar received the Citizen Award of Merit
- Explorer Daniel Loyola received the Distinguished Explorer award

A coalition of all counties present at the lake along with residents, environmental groups, legislators and business groups were behind the Tahoe Regional Plan and urged its adoption in 2012. Since that time, the Sierra Club and "Friends of the West Shore" have sued (in February 2013) to oppose the plan, lost their motion (April 2014) and now, as of May 7, have filed an appeal to the court's decision to uphold the 2012 Lake Tahoe Regional Plan.

South Tahoe Now sent a questionnaire out to all of the candidates for El Dorado County Supervisor. We will be posting them in the order received.

1)What do you see as the Number 1 issue facing residents of District 5?

The League to Save Lake Tahoe is inviting the public to its first Pipe Keepers Public Forum on April 17 at the Blue Angel Café in South Lake Tahoe, featuring five regional experts who will discuss stormwater problems and solutions in the Tahoe Basin. The event will feature free food and drinks, a free raffle, expert presentations and a question and answer session.

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.”

Putting on the annual Valhalla Art, Music and Theatre Festival takes more than a village. It requires the skills, creativity and organization of a Festival Director. The Tahoe Tallac Association, which produces the Festival, is pleased to announce its new Festival Director, Evangeline Elston.

El Dorado County Sheriff John D'Agostini announced the 2013 Sheriff's Office Award Winners in a recent ceremony. During the ceremony, employees and community members were recognized for exemplary actions and service. Prior to them receiving their awards, a review of their actions that warranted recognition was read to attendees. These actions included traumatic life threatening situations, major investigations and exemplary work performance. Those from the South Lake Tahoe portion of El Dorado County are in bold:

OFFICER OF THE YEAR - Dan Fulton

Several South Lake Tahoe residents showed up at the presentation of the Tahoe Area Plan at the airport on Thursday. Most agreed that the area known as the "Y" needs to be changed with an area plan, but which direction to a take to a final plan is where people differ.

The evening consisted of a presentation by John Hitchcock, who is on loan to the city from the TRPA for this project as Planning Project Manager. After he spoke the group broke out into three breakout sessions, each focuses on one of three choices presented as the future concept for "Y" area.

TahoeChamber was recognized at the Western Association of Chamber Executives Conference in Los Angeles recently. The award was for their publication Tahoe Future Vision 2020 and for the bi-weekly e-newsletter.
The conference included chamber professionals from 18 western states and Canada.

Paid parking remains a hot topic in the city which was proven by the packed house at Tuesday's South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting. On the agenda was discussion and possible action on an initiative to prohibit paid parking on city streets.

Tahoe 4 Tahoe (T4T), a local group organized to fight paid parking, gathered more than the required signatures to get the initiative put on the ballot, but legal precedence and unforeseen consequences of the proposed initiative led the city council to vote unanimously to have a Fiscal Impact Report completed in the next 30 days.

Selected among several local outstanding youth Josh Kornbeck will compete against other Boys & Girls Club members for the California Youth of the Year title and a $1,000 college scholarship from Tupperware Brands Corporation. As the new Youth of the Year for Boys and Girls Club of Lake Tahoe, 16-year old Josh is a true example of an extraordinary young man recognized by Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) for his sound character, leadership skills and willingness to give back to the community.

"Its not often you can come to City Council and look back to see how we got where we are today with such incredibly great news in such a short time," said South Lake Tahoe City Manager Nancy Kerry during Tuesday's City Council meeting.

Kerry highlighted the path the city has been on over the last 12 years, from the years leading to the recession, what happened during the recession, and where the city is headed now that there is a net positive cash flow of over $1,000,000.

Eight individuals who display strong personal commitment to protecting and restoring Lake Tahoe were recognized today by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) during the third annual Lake Spirit Awards ceremony at the Agency’s Governing Board meeting in Stateline.

With winter right around the corner Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort is excited to generate early season stoke and support the local community with the second annual Sierra Snowball Fight: A Dodgeball Tournament at Steamers Bar and Grill on November 14, 2013. Sierra Resort™ fans and season passholders will be able dodge, dive, dip, duck and dodge while helping support the local community. Sierra Resort is happy to continue their longstanding commitment to the community and share their excitement for the upcoming 2013-14 season.

With a vote of 3 to 2 in favor, the City Council today voted to ban single use carry out plastic bags in the South Lake Tahoe city limits. This issue was passionately debated by council members and the 8 citizens that offered their comment during today's City Council meeting. The city council is expected to finalize the ordinance later this month. The ban will take effect in grocery stores and farmers markets three months after adoption and will apply to all retail establishments after one year. Pharmacies,restaurants, and non-profits are exempted.

Enjoy Bingo Night at the South Lake Tahoe Senior Center on September 7th.
Doors open at 4pm, bingo packs start selling at 4:30 pm, early game at 5pm and the regular games start at 5:30pm. All people 18 years and older are invited.

Free refreshments for players. This is a fundraiser for Senior Center activities. The South Lake Tahoe Senior Center, 3050 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

For more information call 530-542-6094 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The main mass of a rare meteorite that exploded over California’s Sierra foothills in April 2012 will be preserved for current and future scientific discoveries, thanks to the collaborative efforts of five U.S. academic institutions.

The Lake Tahoe Outreach Collaborative is launching a survey to find out what the public thinks are the most important things people can do to help protect Lake Tahoe. The survey results will be used to inform the creation of a new Environmental Stewardship Messaging campaign for the Tahoe region. The survey takes five minutes to complete and can be found online here.

UPDATE 8:02PM: State Route 207 Kingsbury Grade is now open to motorists with controls. Please use caution around firefighters and equipment that remain working the fire.

Fire personnel will remain on scene to gain further containment of this fire. The cause of this fire is still under investigation.

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UPDATE: 7:17PM: Around 200 firefighters remain on scene tonight on the Kings fire on the Carson Valley side of Kingsbury Grade near Lake Tahoe. The fire is approximately 4 to 5 acres in size, Douglas County authorities report. Containment is estimated by 8 p.m.

The second session of the City of South Lake Tahoe’s Citizens Academy graduated today during today’s city council meeting.

The Spring 2013 academy was held from April 10-May 15, 2013 and consisted of 13 attendees including: Andrew Hawthorne, Cricket McCormick, Edita Sirusaite, Frank Papandrea, Geoff Smith, Jeanne Benin, Jennifer Anderson-Sweatt, Karen Kleiner, Kris Keesling, Paul Delvecchio, Peggy Bourland-Madison, Robert Sweatt, and Ryan Smith.

Applications are being taken for the 2013-2014 El Dorado County Grand Jury. Nineteen jurors will be picked to serve for a year beginning July 1.

The El Dorado Civil Grand Jury is an investigatory body created for the protection of society and the enforcement of the law. It is an arm of the Court and a representative of the public. Although it is an arm of the Court, it operates independently of direct Court supervision. It is a check against governmental authority. It is not a branch of the County, nor is it answerable to the District Attorney.

The City of South Lake Tahoe is offering Emergency Preparation Guides for community members. As part of the City's initiative to increase communications, we will be offering a 12 part monthly series during 2013 highlighting emergency preparedness. These useful tools will assist citizens in preparing for emergencies.

The first emergency guide in the series focuses on “Action Plans” and provides suggestions for creating a family emergency disaster plan. The guide also provides contact numbers for agencies located within City limits and throughout El Dorado County.

By now you're aware of the Sierra Club's frivolous lawsuit on the Regional Plan Update. We cannot afford to let litigation stand in the way of our future. The thousands of citizens who participated...