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Talking about suicide can be uncomfortable. If you have a loved one that you are concerned about, you may be nervous to ask personal questions such as, “Have you thought about ending your life?” After all, what if you offend them? What if they get angry? Or, what if they have just been waiting for someone to ask, and now that you have, they feel safe sharing their feelings and no longer feel alone.

Suicide is a public health issue that impacts everyone. For some of us, we are reminded of suicide daily. Yet, it is important to know that suicide can be prevented.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide is one of the top ten causes of death in the United States. The leading reason for suicide is unmanaged depression or a mood disorder. Considering that 20 to 25 percent of Americans are affected by depression, it is important to know the signs that may help save someone’s life.

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and a good time to familiarize yourself with the tools, resources and steps you can take in addressing suicide.

Suicide can be prevented if the signs are detected and the right actions are taken. Healthy coping skills are critical for dealing with incidents of trauma throughout life. Unfortunately, some people find that life stressors are too difficult and some choose negative ways to cope.

The most critical warning signs of suicide are:
- Talking about wanting to die or about suicide

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Behind the scenes at Barton Health is a thriving culture of teaching and learning through specialized fellowship and medical residency programs. Just as Lake Tahoe attracts visitors from around the world, these programs attract doctors from around the world to gain experience in their medical specialty. By facilitating a constant exchange of experience and new practices, fellowship and residency programs elevate the clinical environment for Barton physicians and enhance quality care for patients.

Last month this column focused on the faces of Tahoe’s housing crisis. This month we look at a few promising solutions from other tourist communities.

One example is the Town of Vail’s “Vail InDEED” program. Like Tahoe, the Town of Vail is constrained by a lack of available land and high construction costs. Development of new housing is slow and costly. The Vail InDEED program was created to deed restrict existing properties to create a market for locals only.

Nearly 25 years ago, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and dozens of partners embarked on an unprecedented mission to conserve and restore the Lake Tahoe Basin’s treasured natural resources through the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP).

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – As part of ongoing efforts to control aquatic invasive plants, the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association, working with the League to Save Lake Tahoe, is testing out new technology never used before in Lake Tahoe.

Lake Tahoe’s shoreline is a place of majestic beauty with sandy beaches and secluded, boulder-strewn coves. It’s where residents and visitors alike go to enjoy Tahoe’s famously cold, clear water, whether they are dipping their toes in for the first time or launching their boat, kayak, or paddleboard for a daily outing.

Did you know that one in three American adults is at risk for kidney disease? Major risk factors for kidney disease include diabetes, high blood pressure, a family history of kidney failure, and being age 60 or older.

The best way to fight kidney disease is to find it before trouble starts. But if you’ve already been diagnosed, Medicare can help you make informed decisions about your care.

Earth Day at Lake Tahoe has a special meaning. Working together through the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program, more than 50 local, state, federal, nonprofit, and private sector partners are implementing projects and programs to conserve the Tahoe Basin’s environment and fix past environmental harms.

Conserving and restoring Lake Tahoe’s natural environment and revitalizing its communities requires a delicate balancing act. Historically, building consensus around how to strike that balance has been one of the region’s greatest difficulties.

Lake Tahoe reached its strongest-ever consensus on that balance with the 2012 Regional Plan and its focus on sustainable redevelopment to restore natural areas, bring legacy development up to modern environmental standards, and create walkable, bikeable, and vibrant town centers.

In their annual reorganization, the South Lake Tahoe City Council has voted in a new mayor and mayor pro tem for the year 2018.

Wendy David returns as mayor, a position she held in 2016. She was mayor pro tem during 2017.

Tom Davis returns as vice mayor for the fifth time.

"I want to thank the Council for your support," said Mayor David. "I want to look at how we want to move forward and focus on community conversation. It's what brings us together. Community conversation is the most important thing we'll do next year."

The heartbreaking fires in Northern California’s wine country this month have upended hundreds of thousands of people’s lives. In just over one week, the fires across Northern California burned more than 220,000 acres, destroyed 6,000 buildings, and killed more than 40 people. Our hearts go out to our neighbors in Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties.

Casinos on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe had a gaming "win" of $16,742,788 in June, bringing their fiscal year totals to $223,038,389, 7.37 percent ahead of last year. The "win" represents the computed income of casinos before business expenses and taxes.

Their June win was an 9.38 percent increase over the same month in 2016.

The South Shore casinos came in second on the percentage of annual wins, beat by downtown Las Vegas casinos, whose fiscal year win was up 10.75 percent.

Does it just seem like we need more than 24 hours in a day? I often think if I had eight more hours in a day that I could get so much more done. I realize this is an illusion and, in reality, the items on my list are never-ending. But for some reason the cultural message is that we are superhumans. We can do it all, get everything done, and look good while doing it.

Casinos on the South Shore are once again on the positive end of the monthly income report from the Nevada Gaming Board (NGB) released Thursday.

For three of the first four months of the fiscal year, a combination of Harrah's, Harvey's, MontBleu, Hard Rock and Lakeside Inn had positive gains in income for the month of October.

NGB reports that casinos in the area had a "win" of $15,978,745, a gain of 12.58 percent over the same month in 2015. They led the state of Nevada in the plus column, with a net "win" of $103,786,215 to date this fiscal year.

May is Hepatitis Awareness Month. Do you know the facts about hepatitis and if you may have it?

Hepatitis is a viral infection of the liver. There are three major types: A, B and C. Vaccines are available to protect against Hepatitis A and B, but none are available for Hepatitis C.

Hepatitis B and C can cause chronic infections that if left untreated can lead to liver damage, liver failure or even cancer. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Hepatitis C is the leading cause of liver transplants in this country.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, in its capacity as the Tahoe Metropolitan Planning Organization, on Wednesday adopted an active transportation plan that will help communities continue to improve transportation options for bicyclists and pedestrians in the Tahoe Basin.

Transportation projects that improve infrastructure for bicyclists and pedestrians also help improve air and water quality, revitalize the economy, improve public health, and enhance recreation opportunities.

Restoring and conserving our environment at Lake Tahoe means setting our aspirations at the right scale. That’s what TRPA and many partners are working to do through strategic initiatives to ensure the health of our basin’s forests, streams, and lake, and to improve our communities and transportation infrastructure.

Good News…Crime for 2014 is down!

Police officials recently completed the official Uniform Crime Report for 2014. Overall, the “part 1” violent and property crimes are down.

Here are some details comparing 2013 and 2014:

Violent Crime - the first column of numbers is for 2013, second is for2014

Homicide ..........3..........0

Forcible Rape..........8..........14

Robbery..........16..........21

Aggravated Assault..........89..........77

The Whittell Warriors Varsity football team improved their record to 8-0 after a double overtime win over Mineral County on Friday night. The Warriors fell behind in the first quarter 22-8 and went into the locker room at half time trailing 44-22. At the end of regulation play the score was tied at 44 after Whittell came back with two touchdown passes by Colin Buchholtz late in the game. Max Primo's 6 yard rushing TD in overtime was followed by a pass by Buccholtz to Armando Rodgriquez for a touchdown put Whittell on the win column with a final score of 56-50.

This was a full weekend for high school soccer on the south shore. The Whittell Warriors and South Tahoe Vikings boys and girls soccer teams all made a showing at regional soccer championships, resulting in one team headed to state.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of Aug. 1-6.

My name is Ellie Waller. I am writing as a volunteer on behalf of many community members concerned about the future of Lake Tahoe.I attended the vast majority of the Regional Plan Update meetings h...