fall

The likelihood of four-year degrees coming to Lake Tahoe Community College just got a major boost. A bill authorizing California’s Community College System to launch a limited baccalaureate degree pilot program was just approved by the State Assembly Committee on Higher Education. Senate Bill 850 (SB 850) allows 15 California community colleges to offer one 4-year degree as early as January 1, 2015, and starting no later than the 2017-18 academic year. The bill already passed through the state Senate back in May by a 34-0 vote.

After lengthy debate during Tuesday's South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting, a 3-2 vote changed the direction of the second phase of the plastic bag ban.

In January, 2014, a ban on single use bags was implemented for all grocery stores and food vendors in the city limits. That portion of the ban has not changed. What has changed is the second phase which was going to expand the ban to retail stores starting on October 15, 2014.

The Leadership Lake Tahoe class of 2014 graduated from the ten-month program produced by TahoeChamber this week. On June 12, 2014, twenty-two participants, as well as family and friends, celebrated at Aston Lakeland Village with a commencement ceremony and reception to honor the hard work and dedication these individuals displayed throughout the year. Members of the Leadership Lake Tahoe Task Force, Leadership Alumni and TahoeChamber board members congratulated the class on its diligent efforts, as well as its success at the Leadership Lake Tahoe Summit “Elevate Your View” this past March.

The statewide results for Tuesday's primary election as of 11 p.m. with 49.1% of the precincts counted:

Governor Jerry Brown has 55.2% of the Democratic vote. His opponent in the fall with most likely be either Neel Kashkari and Tim Donnelly who are running neck and neck for Republicans.

Lieutenant Governor Democrat Gavin Newsom has earned 50.2% of the vote so far, with the closest challenger being Ron Nehring with 23% of the Republican vote.

Though it's still baseball season, plans have been forming for the 2014 fall season of Pop Warner Football & Cheer.

Sign ups start Tuesday, May 27. Players have three opportunities to sign up, tonight, June 17 and June 19.

The program if open to boys and girls ages 5-14 (must be 5 as of 08/01/14 to age 14 as of 08/01/14).

How often do you get to see a Pulitzer Prize winning play in South Lake Tahoe? Most likely, not often, but here is a great chance to see the 1936 winning play, Idiot's Delight by Robert Sherwood.

PARK CITY, UT (May 7) – Olympic gold medalists Ted Ligety (Park City, UT), Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO), Bode Miller (Franconia, NH), Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) and Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley, CA) are among the 40 athletes nominated to the 2015 U.S. Alpine Ski Team. The team will formally named in the fall during Nature Valley First Tracks at Copper Mountain, CO – home of the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center.

HIGHLIGHTS
Fourty athletes have been nominated to the 2015 U.S. Alpine Ski Team.

Have bottles of prescriptions sitting unused in your medicine cabinet?

A free and anonymous disposal site for expired and unused drugs will be in the Safeway parking lot at 1020 Johnson Blvd. on April 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. as part of National Drug Take Back Day. The El Dorado County Sheriff's and South Lake Tahoe Police Departments, in conjunction with the South Lake Tahoe Drug Free Coalition will be hosting the event. The Coalition will be on hand to answer any questions or address any concerns the public may have.

Does hiking or biking the 165 miles of the Tahoe Rim Trail seem interesting but rather daunting?

The Tahoe Rim Trail Challenge may be just what the doctor ordered since you have all summer to accomplish the whole trail.

Hikers can choose to walk six easy treks of two to six miles each and become a Tahoe Rim Trail Challenger, or, if they want a bit more challenge, there are six moderate hikes of six to 12 miles each to earn Trail Blazer status.

Heavenly Mountain Resort, Northstar California and Kirkwood Mountain Resort, opened up sales for their 2014-15 season passes.

Starting at $409 with as little as $49 down and the balance due in the fall, skiers and riders have until April 13 to secure the best available price for winter 2014-15 season passes and six buddy tickets.

The South Lake Tahoe community is know for its ability to pull together when one of it own is in need of help, and that is evident once again with the story of Ryan Wallace. The life long local had a rare form of bone cancer which led to the amputation of his leg when he was just 19.

Lake Tahoe is one of California’s greatest natural treasures. It is a beauty to behold, with forested mountains surrounding the deep blue shimmering surface. It is famous for many recreational activities- snowboarding, skiing, hiking, mountain biking, boating, fishing, and sunbathing. But the clear blue waters of Tahoe are in trouble. Invasive species, climate change, and sedimentation all threaten the unique ecosystems of the lake.

A management plan that will guide management of National Forest System lands in the Lake Tahoe Basin over the next 15 years has been worked on over the last decade. The creation of the plan took the concerns and values of many different groups and citizens as to how Forest Service lands in the basin should be managed.

The Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board, along with the Tahoe
Regional Planning Agency, the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, invite members of the public to participate in upcoming meetings focused on assessing the condition of Lake Tahoe’s nearshore environment.

Cloud seeding drones may soon be used to help get more punch out of Sierra storms. The unmanned aircrafts could provide significant benefits by getting more snow on the slopes and boosting water supply.

Jeff Tilley of Reno’s Desert Research Institute (DRI) unveiled one of three drones in the country at Thursday’s Operation Sierra Storm held in South Lake Tahoe. The drone will soon be tested to seed clouds in order to get more moisture out of storms to help in times of drought.

Wintertime in Tahoe means skiing and snowboarding for visitors and locals alike. Few other places on earth have the abundance of snow sports opportunities that we enjoy in the Tahoe basin. With all the excitement and fun, we can sometimes forget the few simple measures that can help us prevent the occasional, but largely avoidable injuries.

Consider the following when you’re headed out to your favorite resort so that your après ski plans do not include a trip to the ER.

A few inches of snow fell at South Lake Tahoe overnight, helping local ski resorts prepare for opening day. Heavenly Mountain Resort opens on Friday, November 22 at 9 am with the Gondola and Tamarack Express lift operating. 1.5 miles of skiable terrain on 14 acres will be open for the first weekend.

Grammy Award winning island music superstars Shaggy & Ravon and the legendary group Black Uhuru will headline separate shows at the Lake Tahoe Fall Harvest Reggae Jam at MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa Nov. 19 and Nov. 29.

There has finally been a lot of construction action at the site of The Chateau Project in South Lake Tahoe over the last couple of months. Many locals have called this area "The Hole" since construction stalled in 2008 but they are now seeing life being put into one of the cornerstones of the South Lake Tahoe Tourist Core.

Clifford Nass, a popular professor at Stanford University, passed away at South Lake Tahoe's Stanford Camp on Saturday, November 2. He was well known for his studies on the way people interact with technology and for his work on individual differences associated with multi-tasking.

Nass, 55, was in South Lake Tahoe to attend the fall Staff and Faculty Weekend at Stanford Camp which is located on the shores of Fallen Leaf Lake. He suffered a heart attack.

In anticipation of a November 22, 2013 opening day, Heavenly Mountain Resort has fired up the West Coast’s largest snowmaking system and has begun making snow at the top of the Gondola and on California Trail. The resort received its first significant snowfall of the season last night with 6-8 inches of snow overnight on the mountain.

The Sugar Pine Foundation's goal is to save the Sugar Pine and White Pine trees from blister rust in Lake Tahoe by educating and and involving the community in hands-on forest stewardship.

The group has several opportunities this fall to help save the trees by planting seedling in areas around the lake. 850 seedlings have already been planted this fall and more will be planted at the following events:

Celebrate the changing of the seasons at TahoeChamber’s next Business After Hours Mixer (BAHM!) next Thursday, October 17. The fun will begin at 5:30pm at The Lakeview Loft, Tahoe’s newest event venue, located above Dart beverage Center. Dart Beverage will be featuring the most recent addition to their repertoire, Dedrick’s Cheeses. Guests will enjoy wine and aperitif pairings alongside gourmet cheeses, meats, olives, crackers and specialty items from around the world. Events, Ink will use their event planning expertise to set the stage with flowers, décor and more.

The City of South Lake Tahoe and the Tahoe Tri Club have partnered to provide a series of three fun runs this Fall season including Tahoe’s Freakin’ Fun Run, Turkey Trot and Jingle Jog.

The 1st Annual “Tahoe’s Freakin’ Fun Run” will be held this Sunday, October 13th at Lake Tahoe Community College Playfields located at 1300 Al Tahoe Blvd. The Fun Run will begin at 10am and participants are encouraged to dress in Halloween attire with prizes for Best Costume and Most Ridiculous Costume being awarded.