california

Robert “Bob/Bo” Jones, loving husband, father, son, brother, and “Papa” passed away peacefully at home April 19 after a courageous battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Janey; daughter Elyse and son-in-law Josh; son Grant; grandchildren Van and Goldie; brothers Paul and Brent (Lynn); extended family, numerous nieces and nephews, and dear friends.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - As California reaches over 5,000 deaths, Governor Newsom announced Thursday that almost everyone in the state will now be required to wear face masks in public.

“Science shows that face coverings and masks work,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “They are critical to keeping those who are around you safe, keeping businesses open, and restarting our economy.”

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Dr. James Tarwater will be bringing his 54-year career in education to a close this month as he passes the torch to the new Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) superintendent June 30.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A low pressure system moving across the Pacific Northwest will bring gusty winds Monday. A Lake Wind Advisory is in place Monday from noon to 10:00 p.m. Southwest winds will be from 10-20 mph with gusts 35 mph expected. Waves on Lake Tahoe could reach 2 to 3 feet.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Need help finding out which Forest service campsites and recreation sites are open or closed? While all of their sites in the Lake Tahoe Basin are open, that is not the case in other areas in the Sierra and the rest of California as we start to come out of seasonal and COVID-19 closures.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - On June 12, the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) concessionaires will begin opening developed campgrounds in the Lake Tahoe Basin. They are joined by the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest who is opening all of its campgrounds in California.

Nevada group campsites and day-use areas that hold less than 50 people will also reopen. Visitor centers and California group campsites remain closed. Both the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and LTBMU offices remain closed.

STATELINE, Nev. - Deputies from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) responded to the Hard Rock Casino in Stateline at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, June 10 after they were called about a missing two-year-old girl.

The child's mother had checked into the hotel on Tuesday with her two teenage sons and her daughter. She left the room at 8:00 a.m. to attend a conference being held at the hotel and left the kids sleeping. When she returned at 10:00 a.m. she found the two teens still asleep but her daughter was missing.

6/9/20 update: A 23-year-old man from Garden Valley, California has been arrested on multiple charges after being involved in a two-car Collison on US50 near Skyland at Lake Tahoe on June 8.

At approximately 6:05 p.m, troopers from the Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) responded to a serious injury crash involving a Honda Civic and Toyota Tacoma.

The crash closed both the eastbound and westbound travel lanes of the highway for several hours as emergency crews aided the victims, transported the two drivers to the hospital via helicopter, and cleared the scene.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Summer baseball leagues across the county will be different this year due to COVID-19, and the South Lake Tahoe Junior Giants program is no different.

The City of South Lake Tahoe Recreation Department has teamed up once again with the Giants Community Fund to offer a free, modified Junior Giants Baseball Program for the 2020 baseball season for youth ages 5-18.

The program features a Digital Dugout offering coaching sessions including physical activities, lessons on health and wellness, reading incentives and character development.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has resumed work on area highways. The following is their current project list at Lake Tahoe and in the Sierra.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

PLACERVILLE, Calif. - The former Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) forest supervisor has moved over to the same position with the Eldorado National Forest, replacing the retired Laurence Crabtree.

Jeff Marsolais came to Lake Tahoe in 2010, working several positions and for the past five years, had filled the top spot.

The Eldorado National Forest is welcoming back Jeff Marsolais, who will begin serving as the Eldorado’s new forest supervisor on June 22. Jeff worked on the Eldorado National Forest early in his career and is excited to return.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) is enacting campfire restrictions to protect the health and safety of employees and communities, effective immediately and until further notice. Outside of developed campgrounds and certain permitted facilities, igniting, building, maintaining or using a fire on national forest land in Lake Tahoe will be prohibited.

On Friday May 29, 2019, El Dorado Chief Administrative Officer Don Ashton
released his Fiscal Year 2020-21 Recommended Budget to the Board of Supervisors. The total recommended budget is approximately $647.7 million, which is $87.3 million less than the Fiscal Year 2019-20 budget, a copy of which can be accessed here.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - On Wednesday, May 27, El Dorado County rescinded its nonessential travel ban into the Lake Tahoe Basin, just as it did when letting the County-specific Stay At Home order expire in April.

The messaging is confusing as local orders are lifted, and state orders are still in place.

The action by the County does not mean that travel into Lake Tahoe Basin is all of a sudden okay though.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Barbershops and hair salons in El Dorado County and the rest of the state may now open as long as they have a safety plan in place. During California Governor Gavin Newsom's press conference Monday, he gave the green light to these two businesses as long as they follow the guidelines he and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) have published.

Following Newsom's announcement, El Dorado County Public Health Officer Dr. Nancy Williams issued a statement.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - During the months of March and April 2020 there were five suicides in South Lake Tahoe. That equals the total number of suicides in all of 2019 in the community, and one less than in 2018.

There were none in January or February before the coronavirus hit.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - This week's Drought Monitor shows much of the West in some level of drought. Lake Tahoe, the Sierra, and Western Nevada are all in a "moderate drought" stage with no end in the immediate future.

The 90-day outlook shows higher than average temperatures and lower than average precipitation, neither of which is good to break out of a drought.

Following below-average precipitation most of the winter, May storms delivered 181 percent of average in the Northern Sierra for this time of year, but the results aren't showing enough to remove the area from drought.

In partnership with Wells Fargo and El Dorado County, the Tahoe Chamber's next Virtual Town Hall will discuss the economic impact of COVID-19 and what a bounce-back could look like. It will be held on Friday, May 29 from 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

This special Town Hall will feature Christopher Thornberg, a nationally respected economic and revenue forecasting expert and a Founding Partner of Beacon Economics. Dr. Thornberg will provide business owners with a data-driven picture of our economy's future and an opportunity to strategize accordingly.

Discussion Topics Include:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - If you've been driving through town lately you've most likely noticed the road work on Al Tahoe Boulevard.

After a restriping/lane change pilot project in 2017 that reconfigured two of the four vehicle travel lanes and added buffered bike lanes on Al Tahoe Blvd., the rest of the project has now begun. The project has been years in the making through the planning, funding, public input, and permitting stages.

5/22 update 11:00 a.m. - The South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) has released a few more details about Thursday's death of a local man.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The messaging from the state, county, and city has been consistent throughout the coronavirus pandemic: This is not the time to travel to South Lake Tahoe. Nevada has also sent out the same message as a ban on nonessential travel that was created to prevent the spread of COVID-19 between communities.

The Heavenly Village in South Lake Tahoe is reopening over the Memorial Day Weekend and having a four-day celebration after being closed since March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"We are excited to have the village open and operating," said Heavenly Village VP Gary Casteel, Jr-. "I cannot stress the level of excitement I have received from our tenants to safely re-open. A special thank you to mayor pro-tem Tami Wallace for all of her support in the re-opening.”

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - Boat ramps around Lake Tahoe will start opening this week, but at this time only vessels with an intact Lake Tahoe inspection seal can launch and no uninspected vessels from outside the Tahoe Region will be able to get on the water.

All passengers on Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) buses will be required to wear a face covering while on transit buses and in transit facilities starting Monday, May 18.

This new requirement is to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in public settings where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain and in line with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).