outside

Northstar has transitioned from winter sports to summer, and to celebrate that they have given teens a new opportunity to get outside, soak up the gorgeous sunny Lake Tahoe weather and enjoy the best summer fun they’ve ever had.

California cannabis growers may be making millions, but their thirsty plants are sucking up a priceless resource: water. Now scientists say that if no action is taken in the drought-wracked state, the consequences for fisheries and wildlife will be dire.

"If this activity continues on the trajectory it's on, we're looking at potentially streams going dry, streams that harbor endangered fish species like salmon, steelhead," said Scott Bauer of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

A 57-year old transient received a stab wound to the stomach after being confronted by two men outside the Stateline Raley's grocery store on Thursday, May 21.

At 8:20 p.m., the victim said he walked out of the store and got into a fight with two men who demanded his wallet. When he refused, one of them men stabbed him in the stomach.

When police arrived the victim had a torn shirt with blood on it.

The unidentified man was transported to the hospital for treatment of a non-life threatening wound.

The Larch Avenue neighborhood's quite Tuesday evening was disrupted by what was described as a violent explosion caused by an illegal honey oil lab.

"My mother's floor rose and fell," said neighbor Daniel Castillo. His mother and sister live in the apartment above where the explosion occurred. Their apartment has a large crack above the front door. "My nephew was standing outside when it happened," Castillo continued. "He said the windows of the apartment came out like a balloon being blown up."

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!

Maple Creek Elementary students learned the value of a dime Friday.

For collecting $4,402 — the equivalent of 44,020 dimes —for the Leon S. Peters Burn Center, they got a wave and a smile from Pete Dern, the Fresno fire captain who is recovering from severe burns he got while battling a blaze.

“It made his day,” said Dern’s wife, Kelly Dern, who accepted a check from the students for the burn center.

“His face lit up,” said Dern’s daughter, McKenzie Dern.

El Dorado County Sheriff's deputies arrested five Bay Area residents on Thursay who are accused of being part of a counterfeit credit card ring.

On April 30, 2015 at about 1:00 p.m., deputies responded to Red Hawk Casino for a fraudulent use of a credit card. Red Hawk casino security reported two persons inside the casino attempted to use forged or stolen credit cards in an attempt to obtain cash. One was described as an adult Hispanic man and the other as an adult African American woman.

"You have to adapt to changes in life or you won't survive," John Rice told a crowd at Wednesday's 'Tahoe Talks' held at LTCC.

"Change is happening, clearly we're in a drought, whether it's here for short term, or long term, time will tell," said Rice, the VP and General Manager of Sierra-at-Tahoe. "The ski industry has the most to lose in a drought."

This week, as part of the first EpicPromise Week, Vail Resorts will present the first ever EpicPromise Awards to two Heavenly or Kirkwood employees for their ongoing commitment to strengthening the local community and fostering a sustainable environment. The EpicPromise Awards are being given at Vail Resorts’ mountains across the country as part of the first annual EpicPromise Week (April 6-10, 2015), a full week dedicated to celebrating Vail Resorts’ widespread commitment to creating a more promising future for generations to come.

The following is a recap of activity the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to for the week of March 19 to April 1, 2015. They responded to 384 calls during the 14 day period.

Calls Resulting in Arrests:

3/19
Violation of Domestic Violence Court Order in the 2300 block of Eloise Ave.
Resisting in the 2600 block of Sussex Avenue
Petty theft in the 4000 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd
Resisting in the 3100 block of Harrison Avenue

3/20
Unlicensed Driver at Fawn Way and Fairway Avenue

It was a blast from the past today as I spoke with Night Ranger's drummer Kelly Keagy. We covered everything from playing discos in my hometown of Fremont, CA in the 70s to playing in large arenas with the likes of Kiss and ZZTop, to playing at the Hard Rock Casino Lake Tahoe this weekend.

Keagy is one of the founding members of the band Night Ranger. He and buddies Jack Blades and Brad Gillis formed the band in 1979, and the three are still performing around the world as well as recording albums today.

The Tahoe Chamber is advising South Lake Tahoe business owners of a scam currently in the community. Someone is contacting businesses, asking them to update their listing in the chamber's directory.

Chamber Executive Director "B" Gorman said the Tahoe Chamber is not in the midst of calling businesses to update anything, nor have they given out information to any entity for such a purpose.

Two men were attacked outside of The Bottle Shop in South Lake Tahoe on Wednesday evening, leaving one seriously injured.

On February 25 at approximately 7 p.m., two local men were rushed in an unprovoked attack by three unidentified men outside the business located at 3950 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

One of the victims, a 36-year-old hispanic man, sustained significant head injuries including lacerations to his face after having been beaten by the three suspects with fists. He was transported to Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno with non-life threatening injuries.

In the summer of 2013, I walked a demanding 500 miles and I'm damn proud of it.

After working 60-80 hour weeks for nine months, living in a crowded city, and becoming one of the thousands of tired, nerve-shaken souls John Muir spoke about, I realized the famous naturalist was right when he said, "going to the mountains is going home."

Chances are, the beast sitting on the bar stool next to you won’t be a real dog.

A measure heard Monday by the Senate Government Affairs Committee seeks to allow operators of stand-alone bars, saloons and taverns to allow dogs inside their establishments without interference from local government overseers.

But county health officials testified against Senate Bill 105, sponsored by Sen. James Settelmeyer, R-Minden.

Settelmeyer introduced the bill at the request of Karen Woodmansee, editor of the Virginia City News in Storey County. She also works at a local casino.

Catherine (Nawnie) Laing turned 100 years old and celebrated on January 25th, 2015 with family and friends at her home in South Lake Tahoe.

Cathy has been in the community for over 50 years and was once a cocktail waitress for the high rollers at the South Shore casinos.

She moved to South Lake Tahoe from Pennsylvania and has never wanted to leave. Her favorite time of year is the spring and summer months so she can be outside in her beautiful front yard, enjoying the sun.

Congratulations and tons of love from all of your children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and friends!

Location

Since the beginning of December, 2014 there have been 19 thefts, six burglaries and two robberies reported in the South Lake Tahoe city limits. While many of these are petty thefts, others have resulted in the theft of valuable jewelry, electronics and other belongings from residences while the owners weren't home.

Have you protected your home to the best of your ability? Many of us may think that "it can't happen to me," but when a home was burglarized around the corner from me, I changed that mode of thinking and started looking into ways to better protect mine.

It's not every day you see a 2,200 pound, 26-foot tall guitar being driven along Highway 50 from Sacramento into South Lake Tahoe. Nor does one normally see a huge crane lifting a metal guitar over 100 feet to be placed onto a base in front of a South Shore casino.

Cold, Cold, Cold. That is the forecast for South Lake Tahoe on Tuesday night and SnowGlobe attendees need to be prepared.

A cold front heading to the Sierra on Monday is expected to bring with it 1" to 3" of snow on Tuesday, below normal temperatures and winds at 16 mph with local gusts up to 38 mph. The higher peaks will see winds up to 80 mph.

SnowGlobe attendees will need to be prepared for very cold temps since the high on Tuesday will max out at 24 and the low of 10 will feel more like -7 with the wind chill.

Not wanting to leave animals out of the holiday excitement, the South Lake Tahoe Police Canine Association (SLTPCA) joined forces with Pet Station on Christmas Eve to give presents to some furry friends at the animal shelter.

It may have been snowing outside but it was warm inside the El Dorado County Animal Services office as gifts were brought in by the SLTPCA who had received a wish list from the agency.

Pet Station offered to help the officers in fulfilling the wish list.

If you haven't made it to the annual Festival of the Trees yet, you have through Sunday to take in all of the holiday fun. Trees and wreaths line the convention center at Harrahs and people can try and win everyone on display with a high bid.

Designer Trees
Best of Show and Most Elegant:
Noir et Blanc, Designers: Katie Long, Thran's Flowers
Best Interpretation of Theme:
Moulin Rouge, Designers: The Merry Widows and The Gallant Widowers
Most "Outside the Box" or Creative:
Sew Wonderful, Designer: Caryn Hughes

Local School Trees

Breathtaking video footage of adventure thrill seekers as they ski, bike, jump, climb and surf around the world will be featured at the 13th Annual Tahoe Adventure Film Festival on Saturday, December 13.

MontBleu Resort & Spa is hosting the madcap on-screen adventure films and non-stop, on-stage party action. There is not just one movie on the screen, but a series of 10-12 minute clips from the industry's best videographers.

"We made sacrifices to keep the fight outside of our homes." An emotional Sheryll Valencia spoke of why she joined the Army in 2004 and made three deployments to Iraq and now works for David & Johnson, Ltd in South Lake Tahoe. "It's important to always remember the ones who sacrificed their lives," Sheryll told the women gathered for Thursday's Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra meeting.

If you haven't made it to Azul Latin Kitchen yet it may be time to schedule a visit for lunch, dinner or a cocktail. The decorations are the bar are very creative and homey, including furniture hanging on the wall and crates as the light fixtures.

Azul opened in the Heavenly Village several weeks ago but they just had their official ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony on November 7. Many people from the South Lake Tahoe business community stopped by to enjoy the food and drinks, many for the first time. A band played near the fire pit outside.