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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - And then there were four. Blaze, Yreka, Paradise, and Pioneer are now making a temporary home at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC).

On Tuesday, March 12, 2019, Tom and Cheryl Millham, founders of LTWC, drove to Rancho Cordova to pick up Blaze and Yreka, two very young cubs from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Investigation Lab.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - After a multi-year investigation into conditions at their Lake Tahoe gas stations, one local businessman is now banned from owning or operating gas stations with underground tanks in California while another faces sanctions.

Azad Amiri and Sarbjit S. Kang were accused of violating multiple underground storage tank (UST) requirements at five Lake Tahoe area gas stations: 1140 Emerald Bay Road, 913 Emerald Bay Road, and 2304 Lake Tahoe Blvd. in South Lake Tahoe, 3208 Highway 50 in Meyers, and 8070 North Lake Blvd., Kings Beach.

The following is a recap of activity for the South Lake Tahoe Police Department from March 4 - March 13, 2019. They had 463 calls and DMV checks during this period. The last report for February 20 - March 3, 2019 can be seen HERE.

Calls Resulting in Arrests:

3/4
Drug Offense in the 1000 block of Reno Ave
City Property Involved in the 1800 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd
Vandalism in the 900 block of Emerald Bay Rd
Unlicensed Driver in the 900 block of Ski Run Blvd

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) is seeking public comments for the annual California Department of Parks and Recreation, Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) Division grant application. The OHMVR application requests funding for trail maintenance, and operation of facilities for off-highway vehicle (OHV) access in the Lake Tahoe Basin. The 60-day grant application comment period ends Monday, May 6.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Three people have been arrested in connection with a domestic violence case out of South Lake Tahoe and a kidnapping case out of Stateline, Nevada that began on Saturday, March 9 in the city limits.

On that date, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) got a report of a domestic violence incident that happened at a motel on the California side of the state line. When officers arrived, they found the 24-year-old victim cleaning

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) plans to start work in April on their $4.1M project to convert the existing T-intersection at US50 and SR89 in Meyers into a three-leg roundabout.

Federal funds will be used to create what transportation officials say is a safety project by reducing the number and/or severity of collisions at the intersection. At this intersection there were 16 accidents on the Highway 50 side, and four accidents on the Highway 89 side from 2008 to 2013. There were no fatalities in those accidents.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – With a critical increase in active shooter events across the country, the Tahoe Chamber is holding a Level UP Workshop on the subject Wednesday, March 20 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in their Stateline office.

Workplace violence affects about 2 million workers in the U. S. each year. With this violence continuing to pose a looming threat, active shooter training is essential for all businesses. Active shooter events most commonly occur in businesses - 45 percent, schools - 25 percent, and government facilities - 10 percent.

September 11th, 2001 terrorists shocked the nation as Americans all across the country watched the twin towers fall. The tragic events that day changed the lives of many Americans. Some lost their mothers, fathers, sisters, friends, and brothers, and for some, like Officer Traci Trapani of the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD), the events of that day were a call to duty to protecting the general welfare of the American public against all enemies, both foreign and domestic.

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - Flu season is till here, and while cases across the country have resulted in few hospitalizations and deaths so far, people still need to take precautions.

“While it appears that influenza activity may have already peaked in El Dorado County, we are still receiving reports of flu cases. In fact, Marshall Medical Center reported nine confirmed cases of the flu this past week, a recent uptick in cases,” said El Dorado County Public Health Officer, Dr. Nancy Williams.

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - Two decades old murders in the South Lake Tahoe area have been solved using genetic genealogy, identifying a deceased local man as the murderer of two women.

During a El Dorado Cold Case Task Force press conference in Placerville Monday, District Attorney Vern Pierson said Joseph Stephen Holt of South Lake Tahoe and San Jose was responsible for killing Brynn Rainey in 1977 and Carol Ann Andersen in 1979.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Except for special events, food trucks have been missing from the South Lake Tahoe horizon, with a previous ordinance preventing an vehicle selling food items for stopping more than 15 minutes.

On Tuesday, the South Lake Tahoe City Council approved a new food truck ordinance that will take effect on March 19, 2019.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Not only has the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) added some new recruits, they've also promoted from within.

Nicholaus "Nick" Carlquist is the newest sergeant on the force.

The Cal State Monterey graduate became a paramedic before sponsoring himself through the police academy and ending up with the Hollister (CA) Police Department.
Nick then came to South Lake Tahoe and has been with the department since 2008.

In School

This week started out great at South Tahoe High School with another snow day on Monday, making it three days for the year so far. With a week-long Presidents’ Day break coming up, here are what some STHS students plan to do:

Anthony LoRe, a junior, who also plays for Tahoe Prep Hockey Academy, is traveling to the Bahamas with his family for some fun on the beach.

Senior Jordyn Yochheim said she’s going to go sledding, work on her senior project, and spend time vacationing in San Diego.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Douglas County and the City of South Lake Tahoe are urging residents to prepare for the possibility of flooding and high winds as a storm with high winds and heavy rain enters the region.

Douglas County has sandbags available at nine locations and urges residents to assemble them on their property if there is a chance of flooding. Sandbag locations can are self-fill and the current locations are:

Zephyr Cove Park, Warrior Way - Sand is located in the upper parking lot

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Wilbert Christopher Holt pleaded guilty in the South Lake Tahoe Superior Court on January 28, 2019, to Criminal Threats with a Deadly Weapon.

A month prior, Holt was highly intoxicated when he threatened his mother with a knife. He held a knife in his hand in the open position and told his mother he would "cut her." He then warned her not to call the police.

The U.S. Forest Service is preparing an annual application to the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division, to request funding for trail maintenance, restoration, law enforcement, education and safety, and potentially development of facilities, and planning for off-highway vehicle (OHV) access.

On Wednesday, February 13, 2019, the Forest Service will host an open house from 3:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. in Nevada City for individuals and organizations to provide input and review proposals for the application.

The following is a recap of activity for the South Lake Tahoe Police Department from January 25- February 7. They responded to 589 calls during this period. Last week's report for January 18 - 24, 2019.

Calls Resulting in Arrests/Citations:

1/25 - 63 calls

Warrant in the 2400 block of Osborne Ave
Transient/Homeless in the 1000 block of Emerald Bay Rd

1/26 - 93 calls

DUI in the 3700 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Multiple residents in South Lake Tahoe have alerted authorities that a scammer has been calling them, pretending to be an employee of the South Lake Tahoe Police Department. Each of the locals called were told a similar story.

Do you know what it is like to be caged like a wild animal? Do you know what it is like to scratch at the insides of a jail cell wall as you scream for your freedom? Do you know what it is like to have your nightmares as your only company?

I can’t say that I know what it’s like. I really can’t.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Due to the current blizzard, the South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting on Tuesday, February 5 will start two hours late at 11:00 a.m. The closed session portion of the meeting will start at 10:30 a.m.

City officials said this delayed start will allow attendees to get to the meeting safely.

There are 15 items on the agenda including the final vote on a cannabis use ordinance and first reading on a mobile vending ordinance.

The following is a letter created by the four agencies currently working together to try and find a solution to the traffic problem in Meyers as visitors exit Lake Tahoe after a weekend. A public meeting was held on Friday night and that story will be carried on Saturday.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - "This is a good day for the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department," said Chief Jeff Meston as he began the annual awards ceremony, celebrating the men and women of SLTFR.

To begin the afternoon, Chief Meston officially welcomed Battalion Chief Jay Manning to the department. Manning came on board at the end of November from Visalia, California where he worked for 18.5 years for the fire department. His wife Stephanie pinned his uniform as son Jacob and daughter Harley looked on. The family is wrapping up their move to the Sierra.

UPDATE 1/29/19 - The South Lake Tahoe store where the suspect allegedly committed the crimes against children was the Goodwill store at the Y. The South Lake Tahoe Police Department is thanking Goodwill and their employees for the "tremendous amount of help we got from them." They are crediting the store's quick response and assistance that allowed them to identify this suspect.

The suspect, Sergio Antonio Recendiz-Rodriguez, was not an employee at the store.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Followers of South Tahoe Now's police log have long known that the number of local auto thefts has been a concern of the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) for the last several years, but they are now seeing a disturbing trend with a large spike in the crime over the past year.

In 2018 SLTPD investigated 70 auto thefts, with 60 of them being crimes committed in the city limits. This reflects as 30 percent increase in the thefts in the last two years, 52 percent since 2008.