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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Saint Joseph Community Land Trust (SJCLT) has announced a new program that seeks to preserve existing housing stock for permanently affordable, full-time homes for Tahoe Basin employees and residents. It is called the TAHOE (Tahoe Affordable Home Ownership Enabling) program.

TAHOE has been created to do three things:

1. Provide assistance to income-qualified households searching for a home in the Tahoe Basin;
2. Enable SJCLT to purchase available homes to be made available to income-qualified Tahoe Basin employees or full-time residents;

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - El Dorado County is reporting three new cases of COVID-19 since Friday, all in the Lake Tahoe region, bringing the total number of cases in the county to 67. Of the new cases, all are male with two in the 18-49 age group, the other in the 65+ age group.

There were no new recoveries over the weekend, leaving 15 active cases.

505 additional tests were conducted since Friday, 4,408 to date.

There have been 25 cases in the Lake Tahoe area (including South Lake Tahoe, Meyers, Kyburz, and Tahoma).

NORTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - If you've been on SR89 near Tahoe City lately you've noticed the new roundabout that was installed south of the Fanny Bridge near the transit station. A new bridge over the Truckee River was also created during the first stage of the SR89/Fanny Bridge Revitalization Project which included another roundabout on the west end of Tahoe City on SR89.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. The annual Made in Tahoe festival held during the Memorial Day Weekend at Squaw Valley has moved their event to October, but, to highlight local craftspeople who would normally be there, a virtual weekend event has been created.

Times are hard, especially for the artisan and small business community so organizers have brought together 50 local artisans, businesses, chefs, organizations, and entertainers featuring a wide array of offerings that are made in or inspired by the Lake Tahoe Basin and Truckee areas.

All passengers on Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) buses will be required to wear a face covering while on transit buses and in transit facilities starting Monday, May 18.

This new requirement is to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in public settings where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain and in line with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) has selected a seasoned professional with two decades of experience in California state policy and politics to fill a critical role during unprecedented and uncertain times.

All special events on City property through at least July 14 have been postponed, which includes the Live at Lakeview Summer Music Series.

Originally scheduled to begin on June 25, 2020, the upcoming season of Live at Lakeview is unknown.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - The Tahoe Network of Fire Adapted Communities is presenting their eighth "Tip of the Week," an ongoing series for the public since they are unable to perform their normal community outreach services. All tips are ways people can prepare for wildfire while staying at home. They will be providing a total of ten tips.

Tip #8: Create Defensible Space

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Events on City property through at least July 14 have been postponed, including the 4th of July Parade.

As South Lake Tahoe starts to reopen with guidelines from California Governor Newsom for Phase 2, the directives toward events won't be addressed until future phases so the City took action during their meeting Tuesday.

The Tahoe Chamber has canceled its 2020 GO Local Business EXPO. They had rescheduled their spring event and moved to May 29 but with current closures and COVID-19 related restrictions, it won't be held.

The popular event will return in the spring of 2021.

"Due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions placed on our community by California Governor Newsom and Nevada Governor Sisolak, the Chamber believes that this cancellation is a precautionary decision that will protect the health of our community, businesses, and staff members," the Chamber said in a statement.

The Tahoe Chamber is inviting the business community to join them on Friday, May 15, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for another one of their popular Virtual Town Halls. This week, the Sierra Business Council and the Douglas County Vitality manager will discuss and provide guidance on the reopening of business in both California and Nevada and answer the community's questions.

Speakers will include:

- Steve Frisch, President, Sierra Business Council
- Lisa Granahan, Economic Vitality Manager, Douglas County, NV Economic Development / Vitality Department

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - Lake Tahoe is one lake, one regional economy and one known to always come together during a crisis.

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - Many South Lake Tahoe businesses will be able to open soon, but not until they have plans in place that comply with the State’s COVID-19 guidelines and the State approves and publishes the public health director's signed Variance Attestation and supporting documents.

LAKE TAHOE, Nev./Calif. - Local boats will soon be able to get into Lake Tahoe, but boaters from out of the area will have to wait until COVID-19 reopening phases allow them.

On Friday the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) announced a phased approach to boating that discourages out-of-area visitation as part of state and local coordination on recreation guidelines for Lake Tahoe this season.

Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak has unveiled his plan for the state to reopen under phase one starting May 9, 2020. Outdoor malls, restaurants, hair salons, and barber shops are among those able to reopen with new standards for safety.

"We must stay safe so we can stay open," said Sisolak of the ability to move into phase 2 by the end of May, or sooner.

"The beginning of the reopening of our economy is not the end of the coronavirus," said Sisolak during a press conference Thursday afternoon. "It's still with us, as strong as ever. It will not go away until there's a vaccine."

STATELINE, Nev. - Three candidates for the Douglas County Board of County Commissioners have been endorsed by the Tahoe Chamber Board of Directors: Larry Walsh, Nathan Tolbert, and Danny Tarkanian.

Walsh is seeking reelection for District 3, Tolbert is a candidate for the open District 5 seat, and Tarkanian is running for election against incumbent Commissioner Dave Nelson in District 1.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - The Tahoe Network of Fire Adapted Communities is presenting their fifth "Tip of the Week," an ongoing series for the public since they are unable to perform their normal community outreach services. All tips are ways people can prepare for wildfire while staying at home. They will be providing three more tips.

This Week's Tip #7: Create a non-combustible zone

NORTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Following the recent announcement the Incline Village/Crystal Bay fireworks show being canceled in 2020, North Lake Tahoe, Kings Beach and Truckee join the list in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and current state orders.

The Tahoe Chamber is holding another Virtual Town Hall this Friday, May 8 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. This week's meeting is with Barton Health and will provide the community a health update and answer questions about COVID-19 testing.

Speakers will include:

- Dr. Clint Purvance, CEO, Barton Health
- Steve Teshara, CEO, Tahoe Chamber

The following is a letter sent to El Dorado County and City of South Lake Tahoe. It is published here in its entirety at the request of the author.

The South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce would like to offer encouragement and support of a revival of the local economy, while continuing to keep the health and safety of our residents in mind. Cases of COVID-19 have remained low in our region when compared to other more populated areas around the State and Nation. We applaud the quick action taken by the County and City that has helped us keep the case count low.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Even though schools are not currently open, registration is underway for kindergarten and Transitional kindergarten in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD).

To be eligible for kindergarten enrollment a child must be five years of age on or before September 1, 2020. If the child will be five years of age between September 1, 2020, and December 2, 2020, they qualify for Transitional Kindergarten (TK); a two-year Kindergarten program located at Tahoe Valley Elementary School.

LTUSD is also offering an Early Entry TK program for students born between

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - El Dorado County officials announced Sunday they will open two appointment-only community sites for COVID-19 testing for any resident wanting to be tested for the virus, one in South Lake Tahoe and the other in Shingle Springs.

These sites follow Governor Newsom's announcement last week to add more than 80 community COVID-19 testing sites across the state, focusing on underserved communities. His goal is to test 60,000 to 80,000 people per day for the virus as the state prepares to reopen.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - With a growing need in the community, Tahoe Magic is hosting its second live-streamed concert to raise funds that will go directly back into the community.

On Wednesday, May 6, Lake Tahoe musicians are coming together again to raise money for Tahoe families in crisis because of the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdown.

In the second live stream concert hosted by Tahoe Supports Tahoe, more than a half-dozen musicians will perform from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Performers include:

Jesse Dunn and Jenni Charles of Dead Winter Carpenters

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - The Tahoe Network of Fire Adapted Communities is presenting their fifth "Tip of the Week," an ongoing series for the public since they are unable to perform their normal community outreach services. All tips are ways people can prepare for wildfire while staying at home.

This Week's Tip: Create a Home Hardening Project Plan

Now that the snow has melted, it's time to start planning and implementing projects that harden your home from embers to increase the chance of it surviving a wildfire.