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Wayne Allen Huntsman, the accused King Fire arsonist, is sitting in the El Dorado County Jail in South Lake Tahoe awaiting his next court date on October 28, 2014.

Huntsman was arrested on September 17 on felony charges of Arson on Forest land with a Special Allegation of Arson with Aggravating Factors. He was arraigned in Superior Court in Placerville on Friday and transferred to the county jail in South Lake Tahoe. His bail was set at $10,000,000.

Wayne Allen Huntsman, 37. was arrested Wednesday on felony charges of Arson on Forest land with a Special Allegation of Arson with Aggravating Factors. Law enforcement officials held a press conference Thursday at the Cal Fire base in Camino, announcing the arrest.

Huntsman is being held in lieu of $10 million bail.

Arraignment is scheduled for Friday, September 19, 2014, at 1:00 p.m. in Department 7 of the El Dorado County Superior Court in Placerville.

The seven candidates for South Lake Tahoe City Council were at Wednesday nights Candidate Forum at Lake Tahoe Golf Course. The Tahoe Chamber and Tahoe Daily Tribune hosted the evening which had Rabbi Evon Yakar moderating the questions and answers.

About 100 people showed up to listen to panel who were given questions prepared by the chamber's new political committee as well as those asked by the audience. The questions were asked of different candidates so not everyone was asked the same one.

Two more vacant lots in South Lake Tahoe have been added to the increasing cache of land the U.S. Forest Service has accumulated to preserve for public use.

These two lots are 3.13 acres each and located on Tahoe Mountain. They purchased one with great lake views for $135,000 and a second one for $100,000. This second lot is adjacent to the new hiking and mountain biking trail that begins on Deveron Way.

Quagga mussels have been getting all the press lately but today it was the river mussel's turn for notoriety.

Native to the western U.S., the river mussel is now a protected species due to their population being threatened by dams, habitat modification due to the disappearance of Lahontan Cutthroat Trout from the Upper Truckee and other river habitat changing occurrences.

5:35 p.m. update: Fire crews are getting a hand on a brush fire that was burning on the valley side of Kingsbury Grade. Hwy 207 is still closed at the top.

Two heavy air tankers, one single engine air tanker and one helicopter responded as well as multiple fire agencies. Containment is expected soon on the fire.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, fire numbers were near six acres and they have reevaluated it to be 1.5 acres. There is no threat to homes or structures at this time.

The Sierra Business Council is hosting Peak Innovation, a conference for Lake Tahoe locals, small business owners, communities and local governments. During the conference, Dr. Peter Gleick, an expert in water issues especially in the context of economic and environmental justice, will be at the conference which takes place October 8-10 in Tahoe City. In a National Geographic science blog, Gleick recently repeated the common question, “Why, if the California drought is so bad, has the response been so tepid?”

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.

From May 1 through July 31 each year, dogs are kept out of the Upper Truckee Marsh in order to protect wildlife such as the Yellow Headed Blackbird during their critical breeding season.

Leashed dogs are allowed back into the marsh starting on Friday, August 1.

The California Tahoe Conservancy owns and manages the 600 acre marsh, one of the largest remaining in the Sierra Nevada, for the protection and enhancement of wildlife habitat and water quality.

The Tahoe Keys Marina is possibly facing charges for illegally grading a plot of land next to Venice Drive in order to create a temporary parking lot for the Wooden Boat Show this past weekend.

The California Tahoe Conservancy, who owns the land, will be installing temporary Best Management Practices (BMPs)in order to stabilize the approximately one acre of land where dirt was moved and vegetation cleared. The Conservancy had already spent funds on stabilizing the land.

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:

Join the California Tahoe Conservancy and Lake Tahoe Humane Society - S.P.C.A. in celebrating the dog days of summer with Doggie Day festivities at Cove East Beach on Sunday, June 22 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

This free event will feature raffle prizes, educational points and dog-related contests. Every leashed pooch in attendance will leave with a free Frisbee too! Trail access to Cove East beach begins at the end of Venice Drive near the Tahoe Keys Marina.

Come learn about the ideal plants and shrubs (for sun AND shade) in a high altitude, cold climate area like Tahoe. We will help make your garden maintenance much easier when you consider your specific soil type, land slope, existing vegetation, sun and wind exposure, microclimates, mulching and a lot more!

Know Your Site, Plant it Right is at the Lake Tahoe Community College Demonstration Garden, Lake Tahoe Community College, One College Drive, South Lake Tahoe on June 16.

It begins at 5:30 PM and is a free presentation.

Location

Fuels management operations will be held on Tuesday, just north of Zephyr Cove in the Skyland area. The U.S. Forest Service crew will be burning five acres on the east side of Hwy 50 and is expected to last one day.

People in the area should expect to see smoke.

Forest Service staff will post road signs around the areas affected by the prescribed fire, send email notifications, and update the local fire information line at 530-543-2600, #6. To receive prescribed fire notifications, send an email to pa_ltbmu@fs.fed.us.

May was deemed Wildfire Awareness Month in the basin by Lake Tahoe fire agencies.

It was well before the the cry of "gold" was heard throughout the country that wagon trains full of families and adventurers were making their way west.

In the early 1850's, one of the major land routes to California, traversing what we now know as Echo Summit and the Highway 50 corridor, became known as the "Roaring Road". Travel was so heavy, oftentimes wagon trains were forced to wait for days to have their turn on the road.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is seeking public input on a proposal to remove the Incline Lake dam and restore the area impacted by it. The Forest Service purchased the 777-acre Incline Lake parcel, located off State Route 431 in Washoe County, Nev., on July 29, 2008, for its recreational, scenic and natural resource values. During the acquisition process, a site investigation and assessment determined that the Incline Lake dam and spillway do not meet federal, state or local standards for a high-hazard dam (designated as such due to downstream development).

It was once a plumbing supply store. It was once Johnny's Basque Restaurant. It was once the Vali-Hi. It was once the China Wok. For a short time, it was Godfather's Pizza. Most recently, it was a series of Chinese buffets. But that was then.

The building was torn down last week to make way for the future home of SUP Tahoe and South Shore Bikes.

Movies were in a Quonset hut where movie goers had to bundle up to fight the cold. Lake Tahoe was full of one way roads and a 2 room school. The switchboard operator knew where all 50 winter residents were at all times. Cattle walking down Highway 50.

The history of the south shore came alive last week at the Camp Richardson Lodge during the Lake Tahoe Historical Society’s “Do You Remember?” series.

You may see smoke in three different locations around the Lake Tahoe basin this week as U.S. Forest Service fuel reduction operations continue. Starting Monday, April 7, they will be burning near Spooner Summit on the East Shore, in the Luther Pass Campground off of Highway 89 S near South Lake Tahoe, and on the west side of Highway 89 N near Tahoma on the West Shore.

Operations are ongoing and may continue through the week and next weekend if weather, staffing, and conditions allow.

April 1, 2014 (Stateline, Nev.) - Lakeside Inn and Casino has received a lot of feedback from the South Lake Tahoe community on their announcement yesterday that they would raise cattle on Rabe Meadows.

The Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe and the Sugarpine Foundation will be planting sugarpine seedlings in South Lake Tahoe on city land between Sierra Tract and the airport.

The public is invited to join them. Tools and seedlings will be provided.

Meet at 1262 Beecher Ave, South Lake Tahoe, CA.

For more information, contact Maria Marcheva at (650) 814-9565 or maria@sugarpinefoundation.org.

Clarity levels within the iconic blue waters of Lake Tahoe continued a decadelong trend of stabilization in 2013, according to University of California, Davis, scientists who study the lake.

Data released today by the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC)and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency reported the average annual clarity level for 2013 at 70.1 feet. While the reading represents a 5 foot decrease over the previous year, it is still well above the lowest value recorded in 1997 of 64.1 feet and above recent years' averages.

City Manager Nancy Kerry today announced the selection of Mark Carlson as Administrative Services Director. Mr. Carlson is anticipated to begin his service with the City in early April.