public health

El Dorado County Animal Services is reminding residents to keep pets current on rabies vaccines and notify Animal Services of any animal bite. Last week, Animal Services identified a skunk on the 5600 block of Pony Express Trail in Pollock Pines that tested positive for rabies. This is the second rabid skunk to be found in El Dorado County in the past six months.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county. The following are calls that only pertain to the South and West Shore, including Meyers, South Lake Tahoe, Meeks Bay, Tahoma, and the Echo Summit area. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at the time of the story.

Some of those recently added to last week's log:

2/7

5:41 p.m. - Lost Property - Highway 50 - VICTIM REPORTED LOST PROPERTY.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - As part of Operation Sierra Storm, the National Television Meteorologists' Conference held annually in Lake Tahoe, the public is invited to attend a lecture and panel discussion on living with climate change and wildland fires.

On Wednesday, January 30, 2019 from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Living the New Reality: What You Should Know About Climate Change & Wildland Fires will be held at Harveys in the Cabaret Theater. It is free to the public and offers free validated parking in Harveys parking garage.

Progress for Tahoe, a grassroots group of concerned local citizens who gathered together to address the most pressing issues in Tahoe, have endorsed the following for South Lake Tahoe City Council, Measure T, El Dorado County Supervisors and U.S. Representative California District 4:

South Lake Tahoe City Council – Wendy David, Devin Middlebrook and Tamara Wallace

SOUT LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It is often said, “It takes a village to raise a child.” In South Lake Tahoe, the same could be said about keeping kids healthy. October is National Farm to School Month, and in South Lake Tahoe, the UC Cooperative Extension CalFresh nutrition education program has partnered with Barton Health and Lake Tahoe Unified School District to implement Harvest of the Month, a statewide initiative that motivates students to make healthier choices and brings fresh, in season produce to all South Lake Tahoe elementary schools.

Suicide is a public health issue that impacts everyone. For some of us, we are reminded of suicide daily. Yet, it is important to know that suicide can be prevented.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide is one of the top ten causes of death in the United States. The leading reason for suicide is unmanaged depression or a mood disorder. Considering that 20 to 25 percent of Americans are affected by depression, it is important to know the signs that may help save someone’s life.

Fire Fest 2018 will be held on Saturday, September 29, 2018, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. outside the Hard Rock Casino Lake Tahoe. Admission is free and it's a great opportunity for families to have fun while learning about fire safety and conservation.

Helicopters will star again this year as they land just outside the venue at the Hard Rock Casino Lake Tahoe. What an incredible opportunity to get a close-up look at these amazing machines. Crews will be on hand to answer questions and explain how they help us when we need them most.

The Fourth of July holiday period is upon us and signifies the busiest time of year in the Lake Tahoe Basin. The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) asks residents and visitors to keep the following tips in mind to help everyone enjoy a safe and fun holiday.

To promote public safety, the annual alcohol ban will be in effect at the following locations:

· Nevada Beach on July 4, from 6 a.m. until midnight.

It has been a very tough and tragic week, with the passing of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, and because of their suicides and a report released by the CDC, NAMI ((National Alliance on Mental Illness) El Dorado County is seeing an increase in phone calls from the community.

Suicide rates have been rising in nearly every state, according to the latest Vital Signs report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is the 10th leading cause of death and is one of just three leading causes that are on the rise (behind diseases of the heart and Cerebrovascular diseases).

The first El Dorado County case of West Nile virus has been confirmed in South Lake Tahoe. County health officials received confirmation this week that a Stellar Jay found on May 7 has tested positive for the virus.

This bird was the first one for the county in 2018. Besides El Dorado COunty, West Nile virus activity in dead birds has been reported in two other California counties, San Mateo and Santa Clara.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Governing Board on Wednesday approved a temporary, transitional shorezone permitting process that will take effect in May and remain in place until January 2019 as the agency works to develop and adopt an updated Shoreline Plan this fall.

National Public Health Week (NPHW) is April 2–8, 2018. It is an annual event intended to raise awareness about the importance of public health in the United States. What is public health and why is it important in El Dorado County?

The old Bijou Post Office on Sandy Way in South Lake Tahoe may soon be home to new El Dorado County offices. This property is across the street from their current government center at the corner of Takela Drive and Lake Tahoe Boulevard.

During the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, March 13, 2018, there will be a vote on the agenda item regarding purchase of the property for $1,250,000. Supervisor Sue Novasel said they have been putting money aside to be used in an El Dorado Center Campus in South Lake Tahoe. The project includes a major remodel of both buildings.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) went to 27 local businesses on February 1 to conduct an operation to make sure they were being compliant with state law with reference to alcohol sales to minors.

The following 25 businesses were checked and they successfully passed the alcohol compliance check and did not sell alcohol to a minor.

Flu season is ramping up and the El Dorado County Public Health is reminding people to get vaccinated. Two Washoe County residents in their 80s died this week due to the flu.

“Thanksgiving week was the first week this fall that the numbers of people in the U.S. who saw their healthcare providers for flu-like symptoms were higher than baseline, heralding the onset of the flu season,” said El Dorado County Health Officer, Dr. Nancy Williams. “Vaccination can prevent the flu.”

A bird found on the west slope of El Dorado County has tested positive for West Nile virus, the second for 2017. The bird found near Garden Valley, an Acorn Woodpecker, was tested on September 29 and county health officials just received confirmation this week it had the virus.

To date there have been 463 dead birds to test positive in 38 counties in California. Nearby Sacramento has had 86 birds and Placer County, three birds.

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval signed a Declaration of Emergency for Clark County and a Public Health and Medical Disaster declaration on Monday following the mass shooting incident in Las Vegas Sunday night that killed at least 59 people and wounded more than 500.

Through the order, Sandoval has directed all state agencies to supplement the local efforts to save lives and protect the health and safety the victims of Sunday night’s attack.

The El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency, Public Health Nursing, will begin conducting low-cost community flu shot clinics on September 27, 2017, with additional clinics offered through November.

El Dorado County reorganized what is now Community Development Services to include directors of three primary departments, and they recently announced the hiring of two of those new directors, one for Planning & Building and the other for Environmental Management. Both men were interim directors as the departments were being reorganized and the search for director was underway.

South Lake Tahoe, Calif. - Residents of South Lake Tahoe take pride in their city, its beauty, charm and recreational opportunities, and action during Tuesday's City Council gave people another reason to appreciate their community.

In honor of Earth Day, the City of South Lake Tahoe joined at least 26 other municipalities in the United States, and the latest in a growing coalition of mountain communities, to commit to 100 percent clean and renewable electricity by the year 2032.

In their ongoing battle with aquatic invasive plants in the Tahoe Keys, the area's property owners association has applied for a permit to test herbicides in the lagoon in 2018.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The South Lake Tahoe man arrested on November 22, 2016 in connection with a food tampering case at the Stateline area Raley's has been charged with two more felony counts.

9:00AM Update 11/22/16: The South Lake Tahoe Police Department believes the same person is responsible for recent food tampering incidents at Baja Fresh and Raley's due to similarities in the cases. The unidentified suspect is described as a white male adult, 5'7" with a thin build.

It is an exciting time to live on the South Shore – during a critical point in our region’s evolution and potential. It is time to set our course: moving away from bickering and blaming, exclusionary special interests and single-industry dominance to consensus-building and proactively choosing progress. Whether we live in Nevada or California, everyone benefits from uniting towards a sustainable vision for the South Shore.