highway

Caltrans is hosting a community meeting on Thursday, December 15 to present design alternatives for a U.S. Highway 50 safety project in the Camino area of El Dorado County, a project that will overlap major highway projects on the Lake Tahoe side of the mountain.

The meeting will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Camino Elementary School, 3060 Snows Road, Camino. A project presentation will take place at 5:45 p.m.

El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county.

The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at time of story.

11/27/16

1:58 p.m. - Obstruction of a Peace Officer - S. Upper Truckee Rd - 61-YEAR-OLD FEMALE ARRESTED FOR OBSTRUCTING A PEACE OFFICER IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THEIR DUTIES.

11/28/16

1:00 p.m. - Possession of a controlled substance - Lake Tahoe Blvd

11/29/16

Dead trees along Highway 50 will be removed over the next few weeks, requiring Caltrans to intermittently close portions of the road between Pollock Pines and Camino.

An emergency $3.2 million contract with Doug Veerkamp General Engineering to in response to the thousands of trees impacted by the drought and the bark beetle infestation all across California. The project in El Dorado County is one of several ongoing to address motorist safety.

A long standing holiday tradition on the South Shore is about to get underway. Decorated fire trucks from both the Lake Valley Fire and South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue Departments are ready to make their rounds in the community.

The SLTFR truck will leave Station 3 at 5:00 p.m. nightly from December 10-24. Here is their schedule:

Saturday, December 10- Keys/Venice
Sunday, December 11 - Glenwood
Monday, December 12 - Keys Blvd / State Sts
Tuesday, December 13 - Barton/Tahoe Island

A Yuba City couple missing in the Sierra Nevada for two days were found late Monday afternoon by a search and rescue team who followed tracks they saw on a U.S. Forest Service road.

Susan and Rory Holloter had gone for a drive in the Wentworth Springs Road area of El Dorado County at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 26 in their Dodge Ramcharger. A storm hit the area that afternoon and the couple became stuck.

UPDATE 11/27/16 at 5:00 p.m.: Rory and Susan Holloter have been found alive and are doing well. The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office has yet to release details but said they are forthcoming.

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UPDATE: 11/27/16 at 9:35 p.m.: The search for the Holloters has been suspended for the night, it will resume at 7:00 a.m. Monday morning.

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El Dorado County Search and Rescue teams are looking for a missing couple from Yuba City who are reportedly stuck in snow.

12:00 a.m. update 11/27/16: Chain controls have lowered to Sly Park Road in Pollock Pines, heading eastward to Meyers on Highway 50. Chains or traction devices are required on all vehicles except four wheel / all wheel drive vehicles with snow treaded tires on all wheels.

SR 89 northbound: Chains or traction devices are required on all vehicles except four wheel / all wheel drive vehicles with snow treaded tires on all wheels.

Approximately $158 million was spent on Lake Tahoe water quality improvement projects around Lake Tahoe in 2016, and Caltrans is not done.

In 2017 two major projects will get underway, one on each end of the lake.

During the busy 2016 season, Caltrans and its contractors completed work on two projects on State Highway 89 and made significant progress on a third.

What happened in 2016:

One would think a car filled, bumper-to-bumper highway would be the most dangerous place for drivers to be during the holiday season, but no, crowded parking lots lead the list.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) has warned there are increased hazards of parking lot traffic during the holidays. Nationwide there are over 50,000 accidents in parking lots and garages resulting in 60,000 injuries and over 500 deaths. In fact. almost 20 percent of all accidents involving vehicles taking place where most might think driving 5 mph or less would lead to safer conditions.

Chain controls around most of the South Shore have been lifted this morning, but a Winter Weather Advisory is still in place until 4:00 p.m. Sunday so that can change.

Highway 50 over both Echo and Spooner Summits is open with no controls as of 9:00 a.m. Sunday. Kingsbury Grade is clear as is Hwy 89 on the West Shore.

Highway 89 at Luther Pass requires chains or snow tires. Hwy 89 at Emerald Bay, Chains or traction devices are required on all vehicles except four wheel / all wheel drive vehicles with snow treaded tires on all wheels.

What were once three separate South Lake Tahoe motels have merged into one new lodging property, the Hotel Becket.

The San Francisco hotel chain Joie de Vivre merged the Park Tahoe and 968 Park motels into their first location in Lake Tahoe. Located at the corner of Highway 50 and Park Avenue in South Lake Tahoe, Hotel Becket was originally two Travelodge motels and one Day's Inn. Several years ago the Travelodges merged into the Park Tahoe and the Day's Inn became 968 Park.

Hotel Becket is named from the "becket knot," a nautical term for tying two ropes into one.

Westbound commercial trucks are once again allowed on the State Route 431 Mt. Rose Highway now that the Nevada Department of Transportation has substantially completed a project to reconstruct the truck escape ramp.

The man killed as he crossed Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe on November 5, 2016 has been identified as 58-year-old Daniel Wallace Curry of Carson City, Nev.

A delay in release of the victim's name was due to the El Dorado County Coroner's Office having trouble locating the next of kin.

Curry was attempting to cross the roadway outside of a crosswalk near Heavenly Village Way at 10:40 p.m. when he was hit by a 61-year-old female Blackjack Taxi driver.

The accident doesn't appear to be alcohol or drug related. There have been no citations or arrests.

Construction on the new three mile shared-use path from Incline Village to Sand Harbor has ended for the season.

During this year's phase one, crews built an underpass beneath the highway to bring the upcoming shared use path from the east to west side of the road near the Flume Trail. In addition, work began on the three new parking areas located near the Ponderosa Ranch and Tunnel Creek Café that will provide safer options for the one million recreationists who visit the area each year. This year’s efforts also included the relocation of a sewer (effluent) pipe near Hidden Beach.

Continuing prescribed fire operations by the North Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Douglas fire protection districts and the U.S. Forest Service are scheduled to resume on Tuesday, November 15 in several areas around Lake Tahoe.

If conditions are favorable, buring is scheduled at Stillwater Cover near Crystal Bay, off Logan Creek Drive, near Cave Rock, Zephyr Heights and Round Hill, and on urban lots near Heavenly Mountain Resort, off North Upper Truckee Road and near Big Meadow off Highway 89 South. Operations will continue as conditions allow.

El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county.

The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at press time and the story may be updated when provided.

11/6/16

8:26 a.m. - Burglary - Highway 50 - A COMMERCIAL BURGLARY OCCURRED. EVIDENCE AND PHOTOGRAPHS WERE COLLECTED.

5:51 p.m. - Robbery - Pope Beach - 15-yr-old male reported a robbery

Smart & Final is planning their return to South Lake Tahoe and plan on moving into the remodeled Staples building on Highway 50 by mid-January, 2017.

The Southern California based business will be holding a job fair for those interested in working in the local store on Tuesday, November 15 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.at Harrah's Tahoe. Applications can be downloaded on their website and brought to the job fair, or into the store once it is opened.

The monthly meeting of the South Lake Tahoe Planning Commission on November 10 will have four major projects to consider, along with hearing an appeal of a vacation rental permit denial.

All candidates for South Lake Tahoe City Council were given the same questions. With just one day to go to the elections, we will be featuring their answers and a video of their interview with Tahoe Regional Young Professionals through the day.

Ted Long, 77, attorney and lecturer, 21 years full time skiing here since 1965.

Discuss your interest in serving on City Council. What is your prior experience in working with civic, community or governmental organizations

Update November 16: The identity of the man killed as he crossed Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe has been identified. The El Dorado County Coroner's Officer has said the victim was Daniel Wallace Curry of Carson City, Nev. He would have been 59-years-old in December.

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Update: November 7 The man killed as he crossed Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe was a 59-year-old from Carson City, Nev. The victim's name has not been released, pending notification of next of kin.

Whole Foods Market has announced it signed a lease for a new 365 by Whole Foods Market™ store in South Lake Tahoe, but they haven't said exactly where it is going.

For the first time in several decades, the Eldorado National Forest will sell Christmas tree cutting permits. Permits for pine, fir or cedar trees up to 6 inches in diameter at the base will be available beginning November 14, 2016. "The goal of this program is to provide an enjoyable holiday experience for families and friends in the natural setting of their national forest" said Forest Supervisor Laurence Crabtree.

A 77-year old portion of Highway 50 over Echo Summit is planned for replacement starting in 2019 due to cracking, spalling and rusting. The project will affect both South Lake Tahoe and Placerville, and those in-between so Caltrans is holding meetings to keep the public informed.

Prescribed burning on urban lots around the South Shore resumed Tuesday, and will continue through the Fall as conditions remain favorable.

Urban lots near Heavenly Mountain Resort and off of South Upper Truckee Road near Highway 89 in Christmas Valley are on the list for fire operations.

To view a map with the project location and details, visit the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) website at http://www.tahoefft.org.