future

Dear South Shore Tahoe,

I attended a forum of City Council candidates this week. As I listened to the candidates, I realized, this is America the beautiful.

Each candidate spoke with integrity, well-founded opinions, intelligence, and (above all else) commitment to our city. Their views were all over the map, each represented different groups across town, defended their positions, advertised their experience. But ‒ most importantly ‒ they were there, giving themselves, in discussion and listening, for our community.

Let’s hold onto this America: E Pluribus Unum ‒ Of Many, One.

Warming temperatures pose major challenges for Lake Tahoe's environment, communities, and the outdoor recreation that drives its economy. Research by University of California, Davis's Tahoe Environmental Research Center, University of Nevada, Reno, and Desert Research Institute clearly shows Lake Tahoe is warming.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Have you ever wondered where the extra gas tax money you now pay at the pump is going? The increase on the excise taxes on gasoline and diesel along with new registration fee for cars based on their value have so far created 26 projects in District 3 as well as in other districts across the state.

But now that funding is being challenged.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - After a referendum to put a halt to the South Lake Tahoe cannabis ordinance was successful, a meeting held Monday was to work through the points of the ordinance Cody Bass and Tahoe Wellness Cooperative took issue with.

Led by the City Council representatives Austin Sass and Brooke Laine, members of the original cannabis workgroup, Cody Bass and some members of the public, about two dozen in total, spent three hours trying to come up direction for the city attorney to use in creating a new ordinance.

SOUTH LAKE THAOE, Caif. - What does the future Bijou Community Park look like? Will it expand, offer different recreational opportunities or does it remain the same?

The City of South Lake Tahoe Parks and Recreation Commissioners and City staff will host a public workshop at Bijou Community Park on Wednesday, October 10, 2018 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. to obtain feedback from community members on opportunities to expand and create access to outdoor recreation.

The workshop is going to be "fun and interactive," according to organizers and will also include refreshments.

A South Lake Tahoe man won gold in the Heavyweight Para-Division of the Abu-Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu Tournament recently in Los Angeles.

Ryan Wallace, who we've written many stories about over the last four years, competed against para-athletes from around the world for the second consecutive year at the tournament. In 2017 Wallace won the silver medal and he spent the last year working tirelessly to improve, capping his 2018 performance with a hard fought 7-0 victory.

"I was grateful for the opportunity to demonstrate that improvement," said Wallace.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - October 7-13, 2018 is National Fire Prevention Week, and the two local fire stations will be celebrating with each having an open house along with a Firefighter Halloween Costume Contest for K-3 graders on Saturday, October 13.

From 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., take a tour of the stations, learn how to escape a fire in your home, learn about the water-safety vest loaner program and get information and giveaways.

Kids who come in a public safety/firefighter costume will be entered to win a future breakfast with the crew!

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Each of the nine candidates for City Council answered the same ten questions that were given to them by South Tahoe Now. For nine consecutive days the candidate's responses will be shared in the order received.

Today, the first-time candidate Devin Middlebrook gives his responses as he seeks a seat on the South Lake Tahoe City Council:

The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) is seeking public input on the draft One Nevada Transportation Plan which will guide future Nevada transportation investments and strategies.

NDOT closely coordinates with partner agencies to prioritize transportation needs and expectations. The One Nevada Transportation Plan is a unified plan that brings the entire state together with one clear focus on transportation for the next 20 years and beyond.

Let’s face it – summer can be expensive between vacations, home improvements, the cost of children’s camps and dining out. Now that the calendar has flipped to fall, you may want to take this opportunity to check in on your financial well-being and ensure you’re on track for the remainder of the year. Here are some tips to help you along the way.

In classic Tahoe style, when there is a problem we study it. In the past five years, the housing issue has been studied on several fronts. In that time, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Placer County and the North Tahoe-Truckee area have all conducted Housing Studies and the City of South Lake Tahoe updated its Housing Element. What has been the result of all these studies? This column highlights the key recommendations from those studies and where we are now in terms of implementation.

What rattles our communities across our nation to their core? Drug abuse. Approximately 100 people each day die from drug overdoses. Whole industries of products and programs are being developed to combat this problem. Every day more grandparents are now “parenting” their grandchildren so they can be raised in a stable and healthy environment. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the abuse of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs is costing our Nation over $740 billion annually in costs related to crime, lost work productivity and health care.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A first-year bear cub hit by a car on Pioneer Trail on August 21, 2018 is recuperating at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC).

The bear, named Pioneer by LTWC, was knocked out after being hit, so those tending to him were concerned at first, especially when he wasn't eating. "He is doing really well," said Denise Upton, LTWC animal care director. "He is acting like a bear and eating now."

The cub was 42 pounds when he arrived and is now healthy.

The "Angel of Tahoe" has struck again, this time with a $3,000,000 check for the Boys and Girls Club of Lake Tahoe (BGCLT).

On Friday, August 24, 2018, Lisa "The Angel of Tahoe" Maloff stopped by the club in South Lake Tahoe to not only present the check, but to have fun at the annual end-of-summer party she hosts.

Over 200 current, past and future club members enjoyed a marionette puppet show, the largest bounce houses in local memory, face painting, lunch, ice pops and special angel-shaped cookies by Squishiebaby Sweets in honor of Lisa and all she does for the community.

I ran for Supervisor as I thought I was the best candidate, with the best qualifications, that could solve the issues we face. After the race for Supervisor concluded with the top two advancing to November, I have bowed out of the public eye to focus on my business. I am hearing recently that I have endorsed a candidate for the November election. I declare I have not endorsed anyone. There are concerns with each of the remaining candidates. That was my whole motivation for running; to give voters a real choice.

A new chapter for Lake Tahoe Community College started Thursday, 32 years after ground broke on the South Lake Tahoe campus, moving the school from an old motel into a new home on Al Tahoe Blvd. Construction is now complete on the $5.8M Lisa Maloff University Center and the doors are open, ready to welcome students enrolled in upper division classes with Sierra Nevada College, Brandman University and Washington State.

On August 16, a groundbreaking ceremony was held to officially open the center, located adjacent to Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC).

As part of its annual monitoring program, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) will be surveying residents and tourists at several dozen commercial and recreation sites in the Lake Tahoe Basin from Thursday, Aug. 16 to Monday, Aug. 27.

The short surveys will gather demographic data and information about how people are traveling to commercial and recreation areas at Lake Tahoe. Data will be used only to assess transit, trail, and private vehicle usage and help plan multi-modal transportation improvements in the Tahoe Basin.

Trees on the 46.52 acre Lake Tahoe Airport property will soon be removed as required (and overdue) by the California Department of Transportation Division of Aeronautics. It has been 11 years since trees have been removed on the property and there is increasing threat into the navigable airspace at north end of runway from trees. The aircraft that frequent the airport would be unable to takeoff with the increased growth.

For the past five years, the department has issued letters of correction to remove multiple tree obstructions on the runway.

Last month, the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center released the Tahoe: State of the Lake Report, which included their finding of an average of 59.7 feet depth of water clarity for 2017, the lowest since they began taking measurements. In advance of the 2018 Lake Tahoe Summit, the following is from Darcie Goodman Collins, PhD, chief executive officer for the League to Save Lake Tahoe, on the findings:

To the community:

On August 4, I will begin my retirement from the City of South Lake Tahoe after 32 years of public service, 16 years as your elected City Clerk. It has been an honor and privilege to serve our community and I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to serve and the generous support provided to me during my tenure. I have been extremely fortunate to have worked with so many wonderful community members who genuinely care about our community, and I have also been blessed working with many hardworking and dedicated city councilmembers and city employees.

In June, 2018, we found out the epic clarity of Lake Tahoe was measured at an average of 59.7 feet in 2017, a 9.5 foot drop from the previous year and 10.3 feet lower than the five-year average according to a report compiled by the Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) at the University of California, Davis.

This measurement surpassed the previous lowest level of 64.1 feet which was recorded in 1997, but far below the record high of over 100 feet in the mid-1960s.

Chariot, the new microtransit service in South Lake Tahoe, was officially welcomed to the community Tuesday during a Tahoe Chamber ribbon cutting ceremony with representatives from the League to Save Lake Tahoe, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, the City of South Lake Tahoe and chamber members.

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).

For 12 years the antics of a group of Sacramento friends on the 7th hole at Edgewood Tahoe have drawn the attention of not only those attending the American Century Championship Pro-Am round in South Lake Tahoe, but also the attention of Justin Timberlake, NBC Sports, Corona, AJ Hawk, Mark Rypien, Steph Curry and many others.