South Lake Tahoe's Top Stories of 2014

When reflecting over the past year it's hard to remember all that happened in one's life, unless you're good at keeping a journal and you have time to re-read it.

As I look back at what happened in South Lake Tahoe over the last 365 days, a lot happened, but what may seem to be a top story to me may not seem as important to a reader.

I reviewed our analytics, the numbers that are kept to show how many people read South Tahoe Now stories at any given point, and drew from those numbers to come up with the "South Lake Tahoe's Top Stories of 2014."

The following stories make up the Top 6, all listed in the order they occurred:

Golden Girls of South Lake Tahoe

It's not every day towns the size of South Lake Tahoe and Meyers can send one athlete to the Olympics, but this year the South Shore alone had three! The accomplishments of Jamie Anderson, Maddie Bowman and Hannah Teter was celebrated with a parade from the Y to Sierra-at-Tahoe, all three athlete's home resort.

Fireworks Lawsuit

A lawsuit filed by a Zephyr Cove couple could have ended the annual spectacular over the lake. Team work and numerous conversations with many locals, agencies and non-profits worked out a deal with the couple, promising to pick up the trash and firework debris left behind in the water. The pyrotechnic firm promises to have less toxic fireworks in the future.

Celebrity Golf

Always big news on the South Shore and the biggest event that comes annually to the area. Mother Nature played a round at this year's tournament with thunder, lightning, rain and the resulting power outage. Mark Rypien won the 25th annual American Century tournament (as well as the first).

Reinvestment of the South Shore

This was ongoing for the whole year. South Tahoe Now had a series of change on the South Shore, highlighting the new businesses and change occurring in the area. Hard Rock Casino and Hotel; a major reconstruction of Edgewood Tahoe and the addition of a new lodge with hole configuration and new entrance with parking garage; the covering of "The Hole" and shops opening in the new Chateau retail and restaurant space; Cold Water Brewery moving into the old Swiss Chalet along with a few new shops inside the complex; new buildings that house Auto Zone and Bev-Mo; a new convention center project and remodel of the Beach Retreat Lodge; a dilapidated mobile home park making way to luxury condos near Stateline; SUPTahoe and South Shore Bikes created a new home; the Alta Mira building torn down to create a less cluttered shoreline; the Harrison Avenue Project and the Bijou stormwater project.

King Fire

An arson fire that started near Pollock Pines on September 13 burned 97,717 acres before being completely contained on October 9. While the fire never reached Lake Tahoe there was concern about the direction the fire's path was taking. The suspect, Wayne Huntsman, was arrested and is El Dorado County Jail until his 2015 trial.

Two locals die tragically

In December Dejon Smith, a 14-year old freshman at South Tahoe High, was killed as he walked through a meadow behind homes on Rancho Drive. An outpouring of support from the community was evident at a candlelight vigil.

In November, there was a fatal collision on Pioneer Trail when South Tahoe High graduate and LTCC student Aimee Campos, 21, died when a car driven by Olga Penaarce, also a STHS graduate and LTCC student, crashed into a retaining wall.