community

It was the first year the Lucky Beaver Bar and Burger at Stateline held a toy drive for the South Shore, and it was a big success with organizer Dreu Murin saying over $10,000 worth of toys donated to children in the community.

Christmas Cheer, the South Lake Tahoe nonprofit that helps feed locals in need all year was also in need of toys to help bring joy during such trying times. Tom Davis of Christmas Cheer joined up with Murin and other community members to organize the event which brought toys from far and wide to Lake Tahoe on December 6.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Due to the generosity and giving heart of the “Angel of Tahoe,” Mrs. Lisa Maloff and her love for children, presents were purchased for over 100 Tahoe children this season. Due to the pandemic, Tahoe Youth & Family Services (TYFS) was unable to hold a Christmas party as they have done for the past three years. Mrs. Maloff made a sizeable donation to TYFS with the request for the nonprofit agency to help make the holiday season extra special for local children, something needed more than ever due to these challenging times.

The nonprofit South Shore Transportation Management Association (SSTMA) has been reactivated to serve as a community forum for the advancement of transportation, transit and community mobility solutions.

It was formed originally in 1994 after a study was conducted to determine the most effective way to engage the private sector in transportation on the South Shore. Over the years its focus moved from the development of the Nifty Fifty trolley system to transportation initiatives and the formation of the Tahoe Transportation District.

State health insurance exchanges, like Covered California and Nevada Health Link, are now in open enrollment - the time when we can sign up for coverage for the year ahead. It’s always a good idea to make sure you and your family have health insurance, and with the current surge of COVID-19, you don’t want to be uncovered. Luckily, there are many options for families and individuals to enroll virtually, including free, bi-lingual enrollment services offered here in our community.

Eric Michael Berg tragically and unexpectedly passed on Sunday, November 29, 2020 at the age of 32. The severity and duration of his addiction to alcohol was almost entirely hidden from his friends and family. He passed just hours before family intended to bring him to a medical detoxification facility.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The City will hold its next Community Conversations evening on Tuesday, December 8 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. This is an opportunity for the public to engage in meaningful conversation with city leadership and get answers to their questions.

To join in the virtual meeting, visit https://zoom.us/j/95871848873.

The town hall series from the City of South Lake Tahoe launched in September to be a quarterly discussion and a chance for a real dialogue about topics the community cares about.

The South Lake Tahoe Family Resource Center is busy assisting our community during these incredibly difficult COVID-19 times. This Holiday Season many members of our community are struggling with basic necessities to survive. So many members of our community work in the service industry in jobs such as; servers, waiters, bussers, housekeepers, maintenance personnel etc. Those industries have been impacted dramatically, especially with the updated governmental restrictions on in-door dining in California.

Dragonfly Bagel Co. is a small batch bakery specializing in bagels. They have been operating as a pop-up for the last three years in South Lake and have recently opened their own permanent location.

Dragonfly Bagel Co. is open every day except Tuesday from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Their bagels, breads, and pastries are made by hand and from scratch. They are incredibly passionate about their baked goods and love the local community.

For gifts, try a box of bagels or gift cards.

El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office today announced the reactivation of the
County’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in response to the increase in COVID-19 cases and its impact on County hospitals. It includes personnel from the Sheriff’s Office, County Public Health department and the County’s Chief Administrative Office.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) is celebrating kindness and paying it forward this holiday season by visiting locals deserving of a special treat purchased from local small businesses.

Staff members are not shaving this December for 'Decembeard', and taking the funds collected to buy a gift at a local small business and then deliver to the chosen person....each day for the 12 Days of Christmas. They did the same beard fundraising last month along with City staff for 'Novembeard' which raised money for a cancer charity.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Former mayors Brooke Laine and Jason Collin said their good-byes Monday at their final City of South Lake Tahoe council meeting. Collin decided to not run after his four-year term as did Laine who finished ten years on the council.

Douglas County has recently seen an alarming increase in COVID-19 cases in an extremely short period of time. This is part of a regional and statewide trend in rapidly increasing confirmed COVID-19 infections and they are experiencing strain to their healthcare system and first responders.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. = After consultation with the Douglas County officials, the towns, public safety agencies, and Douglas County Emergency Management it was determined in-person public holiday events in the towns of Gardnerville, Genoa, and Minden have been canceled. This includes the 25th annual Parade of Lights hosted by the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce. County officials said the action was deemed necessary for the safety of the community, due to the most recent State directive limiting public gatherings to no more than 50 people.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) will continue to serve as an appointment-only COVID-19 testing center through March 31, 2021. The college’s standalone Physical Education building is the only large-scale COVID-19 active virus testing site operating in El Dorado County.

Bread & Broth’s holiday Thanksgiving meal giveaway on November 23 was a tremendous success thanks to the kindness of many generous community supporters. In addition to the regular bags filled with fresh fruit and vegetables, milk, eggs, butter, bread and pastries, 170 holiday meal “fixings” bags were handed out in the foyer of St. Theresa Grace Hall. The Thanksgiving meals went to 549 very grateful individuals and family members.

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - A new court commissioner has been announced by the El Dorado County Superior Court. After an extensive search and vetting process, Gary
S. Slossberg was appointed by Presiding Judge Suzanne Kingsbury.

Slossberg will be based in Placerville but will serve in all of the courts in El Dorado County. He will specialize in cases involving family law, child support, domestic violence and civil harassment, juvenile dependency and delinquency, traffic, limited civil cases, as well as overflow matters as assigned by the Presiding Judge.

South Lake Tahoe has a wide variety of small businesses from jewelry to experiences on the lake. With the impact of the pandemic on their business this is a perfect season to think of them while doing your shopping.

Small Business Saturday is November 28, the annual day after Black Friday to highlight shopping at the places who are a part of the community. They are the businesses we go to when seeking donations for silent auctions or to provide food for fundraisers. They are invested in the well-being of the South Shore community and to keep them here we need to support them now.

The Tahoe Chamber’s annual GO Local & Win holiday contest will launch on Small Business Saturday, November 28, and continue through January 1 to reward the community with cash prizes for shopping and dining at local businesses for the holidays.

This campaign comes at a critical time for businesses facing continued restrictions, and it is essential that the community band together and spend locally to save small businesses.

The COVID-19 virus is widespread throughout the South Lake Tahoe community. Transmission is taking place at its highest rate to date largely due to cooler weather moving gatherings indoors. Any gathering outside of your immediate household is now the largest vehicle for spread.

ALPINE COUNTY, Calif. - The smallest county in the state has now moved from from the yellow tier to the orange tier of California's Blueprint for a Safer Economy. Alpine County has experienced a large increase in COVID-19 cases so the Dr. Richard Johnson, the county's health officer had anticipated the move.

The holidays are upon us, bringing a time to celebrate and gather. Gatherings during the upcoming holidays can be an opportunity to reconnect with family and friends, however, even small in-person gatherings are a contributor to the rise in COVID-19 cases we are seeing across the nation and in our own community. This holiday season, consider how your holiday plans can be modified to reduce the spread of COVID-19 to keep your friends, family, and community healthy and safe.

Let's start dreaming of a BRIGHT Christmas! Get out your jingle bells, your silver bells, your boughs of holly, and your LIGHTS! The Tahoe Chamber in launching the Light Up the South Shore Holiday Light Contest to spark some holiday cheer, showcase our creative community, and illuminate the town.

Will we be bright enough to be seen from SpaceX and the Space Station?

The South Tahoe Public Utility District Board of Directors extended the COVID-19 Rate Relief Program to assist residents and businesses that are facing financial
hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The District’s COVID-19 Rate Relief Program offers a 50% credit up to $3,000 for the next quarterly sewer bill for customers in need.

“We’re extending the rate relief program because our community just entered another phase of restrictions, which could cause economic hardship for our customers,” says Randy Vogelgesang, Board President.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - To our South Lake Tahoe Library Friends and Community, Thank you for your patience as the Friends of the Library have been working with Library staff and the El Dorado County Public Health Services to continue our book sale events at the Library. Unfortunately, due to weather and grounds concerns and also increasing Covid-19 virus cases in the area, we are canceling our Saturday, November 21 sale and suspending book sale events until the weather warms or we can go back inside. As conditions change, we will let you know and welcome your participation.