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Christmas Cheer, the South Lake Tahoe-based food pantry, is in need of food to give to the local community. The Tahoe Chamber has teamed up with a chamber member who is matching donations of food and cash given to Christmas Cheer this season up to $1,500.

All donating with locally purchased items and donated funds are eligible for the Chamber's Go Local Passport program. Spending locally gives the donator entries into the passport's $500 grand prize.

What is needed most this week at Christmas Cheer are hams and turkeys.

In School

This week started out great at South Tahoe High School with another snow day on Monday, making it three days for the year so far. With a week-long Presidents’ Day break coming up, here are what some STHS students plan to do:

Anthony LoRe, a junior, who also plays for Tahoe Prep Hockey Academy, is traveling to the Bahamas with his family for some fun on the beach.

Senior Jordyn Yochheim said she’s going to go sledding, work on her senior project, and spend time vacationing in San Diego.

Lake Tahoe, Calif. - A candidate's town hall meeting and two networking mixers have been planned by the Tahoe Regional Young Professionals (TRYP).

A South Shore networking mixer will take place on Wednesday, May 9 at The Loft from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and will include one free drink and complementary appetizers for attendees. The cost of the mixer is free for members and only $10 for non-members.

Today, the Sierra Club released a new report showcasing 10 U.S. cities that have made ambitious commitments to be powered with 100 percent clean, renewable energy like wind and solar. View the report: https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/www.sierraclub.org/files/blog/RF100-CaseStudies_2017.pdf

This is the second annual case studies report from Ready For 100, a Sierra Club campaign launched in 2016 working in cities across the United States, including South Lake Tahoe, to accelerate a just and equitable transition to 100 percent clean energy.

Daniel Deemer is biking across America on his "Bike for the Homeless" tour from Big Sur, California to Ocean City, Maryland to bring awareness to a social issue he is deeply passionate about.

In partnership with Tahoe Youth and Family Services, Dan is using the trip in an effort to raise funds for the agency and increase awareness of homelessness.

Dan will be leaving Big Sur on May 22, 2017. He has no predetermined route, but will be passing through the Sierra Nevada on SR-88, and through South Lake Tahoe.

Leave No Trace is a national program that teaches and inspires people to enjoy the outdoors while also helping to protect it.

While protecting the outdoor environment and keeping it clear and free of trash and debris should be commonplace, it isn't.

The Leave No Trace team was recently in South Lake Tahoe on a vacation but stopped by South Tahoe High to talk to members of Generation Green. Many may remember the team as community members who left last year to travel the country and teach and train along the way.

The Tahoe Games, the unique nighttime bike series at Lake Tahoe Golf Cours, returns this summer with the first night on Friday, June 24.

Cyclists on non-motorized bikes go cross-country over fairways, through the sand bunkers, into the rough and over the bridges, all while illuminated. All ages had a blast at this event last summer.

Sierra Cycle Works will be on hand with bike demos and raffle prizes for competitors. Helmets bike lights, headlamps, glow sticks, decorated bikes and costumes are all strongly encouraged.

"I will not let cancer define who I am. Cancer is not going to be my story."

Those powerful words come from South Lake Tahoe local Krista Kline Carson.

The 1989 South Tahoe High graduate, wife, mother and wellness coordinator for Barton University, is battling cancer after a tumor removed from her brain was found to be Stage IV Glioblastoma Multiforme, one of the fastest growing brain cancers. On Monday, January 18 she begins a six week regime of radiation and chemotherapy.

The National Weather Service in Reno says that South Lake Tahoe snow totals from the storm headed to the Sierra will be less than two inches.

When most of the moisture from this storm hits the area Sunday night, the snow levels will be above 9,000 feet, leaving the South Shore with rain. The Lake Tahoe Basin should expect 1" to 1.5" of rain.

Even though the snow levels will drop to near 6,000 feet by Monday morning, the bulk of the moisture from the storm will already have passed according to NWS.

Editorial Note: This opinion piece was originally published in the LA Times.

9/28/14 10:00 p.m. update: 4,420 firefighters and support staff are still on the scene of the 97.099 acre King Fire which is now 89% contained.

After 4 days of precipitation with accumulations of 1-3 inches, fire spread has been halted, however heat remains in the heavier fuels and in the heavy duff sheltered from the rain under the dense timber canopy. As the weather turns warm and dry over the next several days, expect to see an increase in fire activity and smoke production; however spread potential is extremely low, doe to the successful suppression efforts.

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?”

National Women's Health Week wrapped up a couple of days ago, but there are ongoing issues that not just women need to be aware of, one of which is Mesothelioma. This rare cancer is caused by exposure to asbestos, and since
this is found naturally in South Lake Tahoe and El Doraado County, as well as in 43 other counties in California, I thought I'd share this information

What is Asbestos?

Lake Tahoe is one of California’s greatest natural treasures. It is a beauty to behold, with forested mountains surrounding the deep blue shimmering surface. It is famous for many recreational activities- snowboarding, skiing, hiking, mountain biking, boating, fishing, and sunbathing. But the clear blue waters of Tahoe are in trouble. Invasive species, climate change, and sedimentation all threaten the unique ecosystems of the lake.

Big Blue Concierge of South Lake Tahoe just released their “Concierge in Your Pocket” app for locals, visitors and vacation home owners in the Lake Tahoe basin. The app is full of everything one needs to enjoy the area: hiking and biking trails, historical venues, dog friendly locations, homeowner services such as plumbers and electricians, restaurants, happy hours, discounts, shops, rentals, wedding vendors and much, much more. There is even a local’s point of view blog on the app.

Jack Durst at Fabulous Lake Tahoe rounds up the entire March concert and entertainment lineup below. Go here and subscribe to Jack's entire Youtube playlist, here to follow his blog and here for his Twitter updates.

We've known foreclosures were down in South Lake Tahoe for a few months now, but a report out this week shows that this is the case for all of California as well. According to Foreclosure Radar, Notice of Defaults in California were down by 20.7 percent in September from the month before and down 48.1 percent from September 2011.

Golden Bear Events would like to thank the community of South Lake Tahoe for the success of the Inaugural Community Wide 4th of July Parade and Celebration. Parade participants and vendors came from primarily Meyers, Stateline, and South Lake Tahoe. Several new businesses, like The Oven, the Yum Truck, and Lake Tahoe Custom Cycles were happy to be a part of something as new as they.

The Reno Gazette-Journal is reporting that Apple is planning on opening a data center east of Sparks and a business and purchasing center in downtown Reno, part of a $1 billion investment the company plans to spend in Northern Nevada over the next 10 years.
The deal includes tax abatements from the city and state, including sales and property tax. The Reno City Council will consider the deal on Wednesday.

Come join us for a double author, book signing event. Dance of the Electric Hummingbird, by Author Patricia Walker and Bonners Fairy, by Author Elizabeth A. Patterson.

Location

As the news spread on Wednesday morning that Vail Resorts had purchased Kirkwood Mountain Resort, there was, naturally, a genuine concern for one the future of the one of the most iconic ski areas in the American West. As someone who made a personal decision a few years ago to stop supporting a corporate-owned ski resort (Heavenly) and start buying my pass at one of the last independent ski resorts in the Lake Tahoe area (Kirkwood) – the fact that Kirkwood is a better mountain for all the right reasons didn’t hurt either – this news affected me, but it did not shock me.

Whether it’s sharing the road with bicyclists during the summer or using four wheel drive or chains in winter, even seasoned drivers will tell you mountain driving isn’t the flat lands with its share of switch backs and blind spots, steep hills and wildlife.
Weather conditions change how we drive Sierra roads and in winter chains and snow tires are certainly a given factor when crossing mountain passes in snowy conditions. Caltrans and the Nevada Department of Transportation are good places to start before you even hit the road with up to the minute reports on travel conditions.

By Peter Brumis
The Tahoe Resource Conservation District has released a series of educational posters which identify some of the biggest threats to Lake Tahoe Basin, as well as what visitors, residents and even kids can do to help. Titled “Tahoe’s Most un-Wanted,” the first three posters feature aquatic invasive species, fine sediments from runoff and invasive weeds, and are free to pick up or request for local schools, businesses and other organizations who would like to display them publicly.

We’re confronted with it every day at every stop light. When the light goes red, we stop and our vehicles sit idle letting out exhaust and that’s just at the traffic signal. We also allow our vehicles to idle if we’re warming up our engines, running multiple errands with stops in which we don’t turn the engine off, and at fast food drive through windows. Vehicle idling is a problem because it wastes energy, is bad for the environment, and with recent studies, bad for our brain cells.