connections

Seven outstanding restoration, sustainability, and construction projects were recognized as recipients of Best in the Basin awards by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) during an online meeting of the agency’s Governing Board. The projects and programs each exhibit outstanding planning and execution and lead the way in environmental stewardship in the Lake Tahoe Region, according to the agency.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There are three open seats on the South Tahoe Public Utility Board of Directors this election season, two for a four-year term and one for a two-year term.

South Tahoe Now reached out to the candidates and below are their answers to a set of questions. For the two four-year terms, incumbent Kelly Sheehan is running for reelection, Duane Wallace is running after being appointed to fill Jim Jones's spot on the board until this election, and they are joined by David Peterson.

There are changes in the air and it's not just the leaves. School is going back, construction season is wrapping up, and Al Tahoe Boulevard is getting a new look.

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. - After an extensive search, Sierra Nevada University has secured a new president on August 31, 2020. Dr. Robert M. Valli, an alumnus of UC Berkeley, Stanford, and Cambridge universities, accepted the position at SNU Tahoe, replacing Dr. Ed Zschau who had been the interim president.

Dr. Valli came to SNU Tahoe from his most recent role as Dean of Long Island

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, California – The Saturday Show of Support Series continues with a “Sound and Vision” celebration of Art and Music on Record Store Day at Keynote Used Records and Books, 2660 Lake Tahoe Blvd., in support of the Tahoe Art League. Please join us from 11 am to 5 pm on Saturday, August 29th for a masked and socially distanced viewing of works by Tahoe Art League member Cherie Pinsky and a live performance by Turtle Park, featuring former Turtle’s guitarist Al Nichol and Park Kinnear on 12 and six-string guitar.

Location

Please join Make Tahoe Records at Scott Forrest Fine Art Studio for The Art and Music of Yvonne McGrath in the premiere of “Sound and Vision”, a series of introductions to the work of visual artists and the reciprocal connections of music and their art. In the spirit of reciprocity, a portion of the proceeds from sales of Yvonne McGrath’s work and vinyl from the Make Tahoe Records pop-up exhibit will be donated to the Tahoe Art League as part of the “Saturday Show of Support” series.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Great American Outdoors Act today, a piece of bi-partisan legislation that will fully and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and provide much needed funding for the crippling $12 billion deferred maintenance backlog at national parks.

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - There will be some very big shoes to fill when finding a replacement for retiring El Dorado County Undersheriff Randy Peshon. On Tuesday, June 30, Peshon will be putting his badge on for the very last time. For 43 years he's been in some level of law enforcement, the last 33 years in El Dorado County.

During his career in El Dorado County, Peshon has been at the forefront of change from implementing a change in culture at the jail in South Lake Tahoe to getting the new Public Safety Facility built under budget and ahead of schedule.

The 20th Annual Snowshoe Thompson Ski & Snowshoe Celebration returns once again to the Sierra on Saturday, March 7 at 9:00 am, at the Lake Tahoe Golf Course in South Lake Tahoe.

Snow or no snow, event activities begin with a guided tour starting at 9:30 am with Norwegian native and longboard ski expert Nina MacLeod, who will also give a longboard ski demonstration if sufficient snow is present. Attendees should bring their own snowshoes and cross country skis.

Book Launch. Tahoe author Jennifer Quashnick returns to introduce us to the fourth novel from her Mountaingirl Mysteries series, "Sierra Nevada Burning Revenge", which continues the adventures of Tahoe local Rachel Winters and her two dogs, Bella and Avi. In this adventure, Rachel's life is in danger. After a well-timed visitor interrupts a brutal attack, Rachel and her dogs are forced into hiding.

Location

Choices for Children of South Lake Tahoe is holding Parent Cafe, and evening with food, adult conversation and a chance for parents, grandparents, caregivers to get together and make connections. You are not alone in this journey.

The free evening on November 12 shows those interested in making their families stronger about the small, but significant changes that support not only them, but also the community, in their journey.

The Parent Cafe will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Cowork Tahoe which is located at 3079 Harrison Avenue #12. Childcare will be provided.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Sierra Boulevard Complete Streets project will wrap up with a ribbon-cutting and celebration next week. The event was scheduled originally for Tuesday, but weather delays have pushed the ribbon-cutting back to Halloween.

The October 31 ceremony will take place at Sierra Boulevard and US50 from 2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Five months of work on the .6 mile, $6 million Sierra Boulevard Complete Streets project will wrap up with the ribbon-cutting and celebration.

Update: The City of South Lake Tahoe has moved the ribbon-cutting ceremony to October 31 from 2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. due to weather delays.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Five months of work on the .6 mile, $6 million Sierra Boulevard Complete Streets project will wrap up on Tuesday, October 29, 2019, with a ribbon-cutting and celebration, starting at 11:00 a.m.

ZEPHYR COVE, Nev. - Both Douglas County schools at Lake Tahoe are going to start off the new school year with a new principal, Shawn Lear.

During Tuesday's school board meeting, Lear's hiring appeared on their consent agenda. It was approved, making him the principal of both Zephyr Cove Elementary School and George Whittell High School in Zephyr Cove.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Two businesses that were not selected to go further in the process of vying for one of three cannabis retail store licenses have filed appeals with the City of South Lake Tahoe. They are questioning the fairness of the selection process, and one is stating that all three applicants who had the top scores evaluation scores should be disqualified. A third applicant said he is in the process of filing an appeal.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Starting May 25, 2019, there will be no more youth staying in the Placerville Juvenile Detention Facility. After a decision by the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors in February, South Lake Tahoe's Juvenile Treatment Center (JTC) will be the only youth facility in the county to serve those in the justice system 18-years-old and younger, for now.

There are several reasons for the changes including an aging facility, increasing costs and the fact that fewer youth are working their way through the juvenile justice system.

We are stronger at Lake Tahoe when we work together. Everyone benefits when people of different interests, backgrounds, and perspectives agree to bring their ideas, energy, and creativity to the table to shape solutions for a healthier, more vibrant, and sustainable Lake Tahoe.

Working together can be hard, of course. But we’ve built a spirit of collaboration at Lake Tahoe and it’s growing. Through it we are achieving things that once seemed impossible, things that we could never achieve working on our own.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Winter has arrived in the Lake Tahoe Basin along with the holiday season. Local fire districts and their partners would like to take this opportunity to remind residents and visitors to properly dispose of fireplace/woodstove ashes and to use caution when decorating for the holiday. The following safety tips are recommended by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to help keep your home safe this winter/holiday season.

Fireplaces and Woodstoves

The following is a Letter to the Editor from South Tahoe Public Utility District Board Member Jim Jones, a candidate for re-election:

To the Community:

Ten El Dorado County area foster youth were all smiles last Saturday, August 18, 2018, when they received the generous gift of technology -- their very own new laptops. The laptops were given to the youth during a small gathering at the El Dorado County Office of Education in Placerville.

The night before football tryouts in the 9th grade I can still hear the advice my father gave to me before I tried, but failed, to get a good night’s sleep. He didn’t comfort me to tell me I would make the team, or tell me how great I was, he simply told me, “the only thing you can control, is that you can outwork everyone else.” This advice had an impact on me and ultimately led to everything positive in my life.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Your chariot has arrived!

The League to Save Lake Tahoe has teamed with Chariot to bring a new microtransit service to the South Shore starting on Monday, July 9. They will use the busy summer traffic-congested tourist area to test a solution for transportation issues around the lake.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with Douglas County Social Services continue to offer the new program called “Caring Neighbors” that began in January 2017.

Trained Douglas County Sheriff’s Office volunteers, known as Citizen Patrol who have completed background checks, uniformed and trained can call or visit senior clients who live in Douglas County.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - Since January 1, 2018 there have been 18 school shootings in the United States, 25 fatal school shootings since 1999's Columbine High School tragedy. With the deadly shooting February 14, 2018 at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, many communities are looking at their own schools and their safety procedures to help prevent a repeat of a tragic event.

What is commonplace at schools across the country are drills for "shelter in place" and for students to understand what to do, and not do, in case of an emergency.