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The Kyburz Fire is burning about 25 miles west of South Lake Tahoe. It has burned both sides of Highway 50 near and around the American River. It started on Highway 50 near Whitehall.

10 a.m. update 7/27/15:

The Sand Flat Campground has reopened as firefighters can almost total control of the fire lines. They now have 98% of the fire contained.

An updated infrared look at the scene has again reduced the amount burned to 75 acres.

They will not be updating the fire command website after Tuesday as they transfer o a forest Type 4 organization.

Tom and Cheryl Millham have been operating Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC) out of their home since 1978. Since then, they've treated over 22,000 animals, released over 14,000 rehabilitated animals back into the wild, have a volunteer crew of 2,000 people, and train 50 to 100 new volunteers annually.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

State Route 89 (Placer County): Work continues on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to the "Y" junction with State Route 28 in Tahoe City on Lake Tahoe’s West Shore that will upgrade storm water drainage and treatment systems, add curb and gutter, resurface and realign the road, add new left-turn pockets and widen shoulders on a 9-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected in fall 2016.

Due to the increase of travelers expected in the Lake Tahoe basin, all road work projects will end for the week on Thursday, July 2.

On the South Shore:

Fire pits. The outdoor means to a perfect s'more and good conversation around a fire on a cool summer evening. But, in the midst of a drought are they safe? Are they legal when fire restrictions are in place?

There are three fire district jurisdictions just in South Lake Tahoe, along with the U.S. Forest Service, and they all have different rules concerning the backyard fire pit. One thing they all do share is for residents and visitors to be smart about fire and to not be careless.

Nine golfers started their day at 6 a.m. Thursday, prepared to be on the Tahoe Paradise Golf Course until 9 p.m. raising money for the South Lake Tahoe Cancer League.

In their tenth year, the concept of the Day of Golf was started over a couple of cocktails at the South Lake Tahoe Moose Lodge. Russ Wilson and Curt Emrie formulated the idea and went to the cancer league to see if they'd like to get the donations earned during the day.

Last year, the golfers got 130 holes of golf in before dark, raising $12,000.

Here is a list of road projects around the Lake Tahoe basin.

U.S. Highway 50 (El Dorado County) from the junction with State Route 89 to 3rd Street in South Lake Tahoe: Eastbound motorists can expect alternating lane closures around the clock from 7 a.m. Monday to 7 a.m. Friday for gas line relocation work.

Here is a list of road projects around the Lake Tahoe basin.

U.S. Highway 50 (El Dorado County) from the junction with State Route 89 to 2nd Street in South Lake Tahoe: Eastbound motorists can expect alternating lane closures from 5 p.m. to 11 a.m. Monday through Friday for gas line relocation work.

A South Lake Tahoe man who bilked 11 people out of $3.6 million will be spending the next 19.5 years in prisons.

Scott H. Summerhays, 56, made false statements and used phony documents to solicit the money from victims who thought they were helping him purchase the Genoa Lakes Golf Course.

On Monday, May 18, Senior U.S. District Judge Larry R. Hicks ordered Summerhays to prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $1.4 million in restitution.

Biking season is in full swing for mountain and road riders alike. Here are a few pointers to keep you riding smoother, safer, and more comfortably throughout the season!

Don’t wear underwear under bike shorts. I’ve had this conversation with several patients and it's worth mentioning, loudly and boldly. Bike shorts are supposed to be worn commando and without undergarments. It decreases chafing from seams and makes the ride more pleasant. I promise!

"This is astounding and I have not seen anything to this degree in the years I've lived here." Those were South Lake Tahoe City Councilwoman JoAnn Conner's words after hearing how several agencies will work together to make the Middle School Connectivity Plan a reality.

Her sentiments were echoed by her fellow council members and the mayor after seeing how multiple agencies can leverage their funds and plan together for a network of connecting trails through South Lake Tahoe that will keep pedestrians and bikers off unsafe roadways.

I, like many of the other citizens of this beautiful city, enjoy the recent tourist-friendly developments created in the last decade. However, the city should place greater emphasis in revitalizing the run-down residential roads because the lack of sidewalks in these areas is unacceptable. As a solution, the city should begin projects to build sidewalks in residential areas because our residents would enjoy living a healthier lifestyle as well as experience an increase in their property values.

After five years overseeing nearly 40 percent of Utah's land, Juan Palma retires Friday as the state director for the Bureau of Land Management.

While many state and local leaders would rather evict the federal agency from Utah, they don't feel the same way about Palma.

An easygoing leader who was able to navigate the fraught politics of public lands management in Utah, Palma is respected by environmentalists and oil and gas developers alike.

The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team would like to remind everyone that extra precautions need to be taken while traveling during the winter. Along with potential hazardous road conditions, motorists can expect extreme delays due to snow conditions or accidents. We recommend following these tips to ensure a safe trip to your destination:

· Ensure that your vehicle is stocked with extra warm clothing, food, water, a shovel and other survival supplies in case you become stuck on a mountain road.
· Make sure that your gas tank is full before leaving on any trip.

Area fire departments respond to fires every year that are caused by people leaving their fireplace or wood stove ashes in a paper bag on their home's deck. These accidents can easily be prevented with correct handling of ashes.

"Can Your Ashes" is a campaign that informs the public of these inherent dangers.

Embers, often concealed in what appears to be cold ashes, can remain hot enough to kindle a fire for several days.

To safely dispose of ashes, fire officials offer these tips:

• Never store ashes in bags or boxes.

El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county.

The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore.

11/8
12:40 p.m. - Chinquapin Dr - VIOLATION OF COURT ORDER.

11/9
6:36 p.m. - Cochise Cr - VERBAL DISPUTE BETWEEN A 23 YEAR OLD WOMAN AND A 25 YEAR OLD MAN.

8:45 p.m. - Lake Tahoe Blvd - 23 YEAR OLD MALE DRIVER WAS STOPPED FOR VEHICLE CODE VIOLATION AND WAS CITED FOR DRIVING ON A SUSPENDED LICENSE. VEHICLE STORED.

11/11

We just wanted to let those that knew our father, Edward Joseph McCarthy, that our father passed away at 10:25pm Thursday night, October 2, 2014, in his Lake Tahoe home at the age of 93. He was surrounded by family members as he slipped away from us.

A 4" gas line was stuck by construction crews Thursday morning at the site of the new Hard Rock Casino. Several emergency vehicles responded, lining the street, bringing concern by people passing through the casino corridor at approximately 9:30 a.m.

Tahoe-Douglas Fire Department and the The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office responded to the old Horizon Casino. Fire personnel ordered the evacuation of the 55 construction and staff workers and the closure of Highway 50.

A truck carrying tresses to a new building adjacent to the Beach Retreat & Lodge in South Lake Tahoe hit a power pole, causing a transformer to blow, a small fire and power outages to schools, businesses and homes.

The driver of the truck was lost according to South Tahoe Police, and cut through the Safeway parking lot to try and get to the building through the hotel across the street. As he came out of Safeway onto Johnson Blvd, the truck hit a pole and power lines.

With the major forest fires burning throughout California, Oregon and Washington, it's a good time to remind everyone that there are fire restrictions in place in South Lake Tahoe.

The City of South Lake Tahoe and the U.S. Forest Service both have fire bans in place. Campfires and charcoal barbecues have been restricted to designated forest service recreation sites in the Lake Tahoe Basin since June 26, even if campers and back country hikers have a fire permit.

The City of South Lake Tahoe imposed a single use, plastic bag ban for grocery stores in the city limits in October of 2013. The original ordinance was for grocery stores to implement the new policy on January 15, 2014 and for all other retail outlets to begin on October 15. During the June 17th City Council meeting, three Council members decided that the ban on all other retail outlets should be postponed and the final vote on that will be during this week's Council meeting.

Fire restrictions have gone into effect in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Campfires and charcoal barbecues will be restricted to designated recreation sites, and other fire-related activities will be prohibited until the end of fire season. “With record drought conditions in the West, agencies in both California and Nevada are anticipating increased fire activity,” said Fire Management Officer, Kit Bailey. “Fire restrictions help reduce the possibility of accidental human caused fires.”

On National Forest System land fire restrictions mean:

Expanding access to healthcare in rural communities requires innovation and collaboration. In remote areas like South Lake Tahoe with smaller populations, residents still expect high quality care and individual medical needs vary widely.

To increase specialty medical services available in our community, with consideration that unique medical conditions may not have the demand for a local office, Barton Health launched Telemedicine in 2009.

A coalition of all counties present at the lake along with residents, environmental groups, legislators and business groups were behind the Tahoe Regional Plan and urged its adoption in 2012. Since that time, the Sierra Club and "Friends of the West Shore" have sued (in February 2013) to oppose the plan, lost their motion (April 2014) and now, as of May 7, have filed an appeal to the court's decision to uphold the 2012 Lake Tahoe Regional Plan.