Review

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - The Lake Tahoe Basin Federal Advisory Committee (LTBFAC) is scheduled to meet Tuesday, February 28, 2017, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., at the Forest Supervisor’s office, 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150. LTBFAC will address issues related to federal activities at Lake Tahoe.

Items on the agenda include an update on the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA) secondary list and priority setting, a review of LTBFAC goals and objectives, a schedule of 2017 meetings, and membership and vacancy information.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - As the State of California figures out how commercial sales of recreational marijuana will be handled in 2018, the City of South Lake Tahoe has adjusted the marijuana ordinance to handle residential grows.

With the passage of Proposition 64 in November, residents can grow up to six plants in their homes, and the City changed their medical marijuana ordinance to match the requirements of the new law legalizing recreational use.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office and several law enforcement agencies are investigating new information related to threats made against a Carson City judge, Sheriff Ken Furlong said Thursday.

On Wednesday, Carson City Sheriff’s Office detectives and Department of Public Safety investigators received information that an inmate at the Washoe County Sheriff’s Detention Center was being held on a 2011 felony contempt of court warrant out of Carson City.

After Nevada Governor Sandoval toured the flood damaged areas of Western Nevada, Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) and their emergency contractors jumped on their long list of repair needs after the flooding damaged several state routes.

Many roads in Nevada were under water Sunday after torrential rains went through, causing rivers and streams to flood. In Reno alone 50 roads were closed due to high water levels, and all bridges over the Truckee River in Reno were also closed.

The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) spent the day evaluating the state's roads affected by floods and rain. Multiple state roads in the greater Truckee Meadows and Carson Valley areas remain closed, including those in the Sparks industrial area and areas of Reno, including East McCarran Boulevard and South Virginia Street.

At the beginning of Tuesday's South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting, Austin Sass was voted in as mayor, Wendy David as vice mayor and new Councilmembers Jason Collin and Brooke Laine were sworn in.

It was an unanimous vote for Sass, but with three Councilmembers interested in being vice-mayor, the vote for that position was a much closer 3-2. Both Brooke Laine and Tom Davis also expressed a desire to serve under Sass. Collin was the only one not interested in either position, citing his being "the new kid on the block" and wanted to learn the job he was elected for first.

An unlicensed El Dorado county tax preparer was sentenced Friday to 3 1/2 years in prison and ordered to pay $1,895,833 in restitution for conspiring to file false claims and filing false claims. Her co-conspirator will be sentenced next week.

Barbara Antonucci, 49, and her co-conspirator, Sherry Taggart, 56, of El Dorado Hills, prepared tax returns for clients seeking to maximize their refunds from the Internal Revenue Service.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help in identifying a person of interest in the theft of purses in two separate incidents in Stateline on October 22, 2016.

In a press release today, DCSO said two different victims used the restrooms at both MontBleu and Harrah's Tahoe between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Within minutes, both women could not locate their purses.

An unidentified man is being sought by the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) for allegedly tampering with food on at least four different occasions in the Hot Wok self-serve section of the Raley's in the Village Center at Stateline.

On Tuesday, November 15, 2016 a suspect walked into the grocery store, approached the self-serve food display, and intentionally dispensed an unknown type of contaminating substance on top of the food. The suspect then walked out of the store and left the area on foot. Officers were unable to locate the suspect.

Legal action against the approved Martis Valley West project was taken in court Thursday as three groups, Sierra Watch, Mountain Area Preservation and the League to Save Lake Tahoe, joined forces to stop the controversial development proposal they feel threatens Lake Tahoe's clarity.

The current crime and police officer staffing statistics in City of South Lake Tahoe is consistent with the State of California as a whole. Most of the crimes for which the Safe Neighborhood and Schools Act have mandated a reduction in criminal penalties have increased in our city. Also consistent with state-wide statistics is the reduction in numbers of South Lake Tahoe police officers available to address local crime.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals today issued a ruling to uphold the Lake Tahoe Regional Plan created by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA). After approval of the plan in December 2012, a lawsuit was filed by the Tahoe Area Sierra Club and Friends of the West Shore to block implementation of the plan in February 2013.

A new project is being planned for the Town of Truckee that will include a 127 room hotel and five three-story apartment buildings with 138 rental units.

The hotel portion will be named Marriott SpringHill Suites and the apartments, Coburn Crossing.

The Triumph Development Hotel and Residential Project, will be laid out on over 11 acres adjacent to the Truckee Cemetery and Highway 80 on East Jiboom Street.

Millions of visitors and most residents interact with Lake Tahoe from the shoreline, and a plan is currently being created to protect it while also enhancing recreational access to the lake.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is inviting people to attend an upcoming community workshop on Thursday, November 3 to share input and ideas and help guide the creation of a Shoreline Plan. The workshop is open to the public and will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the TRPA offices in Stateline at 128 Market Street.

The South Lake Tahoe chapter of the Citizen's Climate Lobby recently asked all ten of the candidates their views on climate change, green buildings and our carbon footprint and how they can make a change if elected.

The Citizen's Climate Lobby is an organization focused on national policies to address climate change, and the South Lake Tahoe chapter is one of 354 in the United States and abroad.

Patricia Sussman of the local chapter said just five of the candidates responded to their questions.

A proposed 3-legged roundabout in Meyers at the intersection of Highway 89 and Highway 50 will not significantly affect the quality of the environment according to a report just released.

The Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is proposing the intersection improvements due to safety concerns for both cyclists and drivers. The purpose is to influence traffic calming with the implementation of a roundabout, something transportation officials say is needed because the intersection is experiencing a number of collisions related to the intersection type.

Brooke Laine and Jason Collin have been endorsed by the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce (Tahoe Chamber) for the two open seats on the South Lake Tahoe City Council.

The Tahoe Chamber Board of Directors unanimously chose the two after a detailed vetting of all ten candidates by their Candidate Endorsement Committee, which was comprised of six community members, including one Chamber board director.

Medicare Open Enrollment is October 15 through December 7, 2016. This enrollment period is one of the few times Medicare beneficiaries can change, enroll into or disenroll from a Part D drug plan or a Medicare Advantage Plan (such as an HMO). Changes to plans are effective January 1, 2017.

The stretch of Highway 50 from Stateline to Spooner Summit (known as the corridor) will be looked at in the near future to address numerous safety concerns from cars parked on the side to unsafe intersections.

At the last meeting of the Tahoe Transportation District Board of Directors, several residents spoke up about safety, and offered several ideas to correct the issues.

Is South Lake Tahoe bike friendly? Once known as a “Bicycle Friendly Community," the City has applied to become one again.

The application to the League of American Bicyclists has been submitted, and they will be reviewing criteria such as the number of miles of bike lanes and bike paths in South Lake Tahoe, what improvements have been made to the bike infrastructure, how the City engages with the public and encourages them to cycle, law enforcement related to cycling, educational outreach for cycling, and basic demographics of the community.

The City of South Lake Tahoe is still trying to work out a deal with the Halferty Development Company, a $4 million sale of the developable portions of the lots known as the "Knights Inn Properties."

During Tuesday's City Council meeting a purchase agreement was scheduled to be voted on, but SLT City Manager Nancy Kerry had to pull it off the agenda.

"We are still working on it," Kerry told South Tahoe Now. "We are still negotiating and have some issues to work out."

Millions of people visit our region each year, and the shoreline is where most of them go to enjoy the beauty and the cold, famously clear water of Lake Tahoe.

The shoreline is also where a challenging mix of planning issues converge: Protecting the environment and our lake’s awe-inspiring scenery, managing recreation access, and respecting private property rights.

“Last night’s vote by the Placer County Planning Commission to reject the proposed development at Martis Valley West is great news for all who love Lake Tahoe," said Darcie Goodman Collins, PhD, executive director of the League to Save Lake Tahoe.

The Placer County Planning Commission has voted to recommend denial of the Martis Valley West Parcel Specific Plan and the certification of the project environmental impact report.

The U.S. Forest Service is planning a project to restore the Taylor and Tallac creek ecosystems, an area that provides habitat for numerous protected wildlife speciesfas well as being an important hydrological connection to Lake Tahoe.

Named the Taylor and Tallac Restoration Project, the USFS Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will restore the large wetland complex where the two creeks were once connected through a series of four swales.

Public comment is sought on the Environmental Assessment, Initial Study and Initial Environmental Checklist.

Major components: