highway

8:15 p.m. update: Highway 50 through Cave Rock is now open and clear. All rocks have been cleared away.

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A large boulder rolled onto Highway 50 Saturday evening on the Lake Tahoe east shore, closing one eastbound lane of traffic on the west side of the Cave Rock tunnel.

According to the Nevada Highway Patrol, just after 6:00 p.m., several rocks fell onto the roadway, the largest too heavy to be moved by one of their patrol cars. They are now waiting for a bulldozer to clear the roadway.

NHP estimates for all to be cleared by 9:15 p.m.

4:15 P.M. UPDATE: Road controls are back in place, along with closure of I-80 at the Nevada/California state line due to a 25-car pile-up.

Traffic on Highway 50 over Echo Summit is still slow moving with the back up for westbound travel backed up near the intersection of Hwy 50 and 89 at the Y.

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1:15 P.M. UPDATE: Many chain controls have been lifted throughout the Tahoe basin and passes. Check ahead at Caltrans Road Info.

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It is still too early to know whether enough precipitation will have fallen by the end of winter's wet season to significantly impact the drought, but, snowpack and reservoir storage has benefited from recent storms.

Officials from the Department of Water Resources (DWR) will be making their monthly snowpack measurement near Sierra-at-Tahoe on Tuesday, February 2, but electronic readings taken on January 28 show the snowpack is at 116 percent of average. The statewide water content of 18.7 inches is greater now than on any January 26 since 2011.

The community is invited to see the plans for the US50/South Shore Revitalization Plan for the South Lake Tahoe and Stateline areas in an open house on Tuesday, January 26 from 5:00 p.m to 7:00 p.m. at the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel.

Tahoe Transportation District has been meeting with the public over several years to get opinions, input and have open discussion about the proposed plan (also know as Loop Road) that would take Highway 50 behind Raley's and the Heavenly Village. The idea is to make the area more walking and biking friendly with safer routes and less vehicle traffic.

Two men trying to evade arrest on January 22, ended up calling 911 and telling officers they were freezing to death and in fear of dying.

Tristen Crossland and Derek Dion were the lone occupants of a car that was pulled over by a California Fish and Wildlife officer on the morning of Friday, January 22, near Highway 50 and Wrights Lake Road when they decided to flee on foot.

Two cars collided on Highway 50 near Glenbrook at 9:40 p.m. Friday, January 16, leaving a Los Angeles man dead.

The Nevada Highway Patrol Troopers investigating the crash say a Silver 2009 Toyota Corolla, driven by Carlos Ortega Gomez of Mexico, was traveling eastbound. A white 2014 Subaru Impreza driven by 59-year-old Carson City resident Virgilio Ballesteros was traveling westbound in the slow lane.

As one weather system leaves Lake Tahoe, the next one is waiting off the coast of California and heading to the Sierra overnight. The National Weather Service says upper elevations will see more snow that the past storm, with rain for the valleys. South Lake is at an elevation that rests in between rain and snow.

Most snow impacts will be confined to areas above 7,000 feet, a rain/snow mix around 6500 feet and all rain in lower valley locations will create slick road conditions. The highest elevations can see a foot of snow, with 1 to 4" above 6,500 feet, and one inch around the lake.

Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, California State Parks and the California Tahoe Conservancy are planning to continue prescribed fire operations next week beginning Tuesday, January 19, 2016 in the following areas:

Tranquility - Between Round Hill and Zephyr Cove, 3 acres of hand piles will be burned. The ignition date is planned for 1/20/16. Fire and smoke will be present during five days of burn down time with smoke expected to travel to the north/northeast. Smoke may be visible from Zephyr Cove to Round Hill.

Improving transportation options for bicyclists and pedestrians is one of the most effective strategies to conserve and restore Lake Tahoe’s environment, revitalize the economy, enhance recreation opportunities, and improve public health, according to Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) officials.

The remaining tenants at the Tahoe Shore Mobile Home Park at Stateline, Nev., have been given 90 days to find new housing now that owners of the Tahoe Beach Club will be breaking ground on a 20-acre luxury lakefront condominium project.

This announcement should come as no surprise to the people who own or rent the mobile homes since they were originally told in 2003 that they would have to move so the project could be built.

The Tahoe Beach Club has been 14 years in the making and now it looks like the first shovels will be moving dirt at the new lakeside development by June, 2016.

The public has been on a long journey with the Tahoe Transportation District over the US50/South Shore Community Revitalization project, one that has followed twisted roads and endured roadblocks and detours.

Now it appears the project, also known as the Loop Road, is on the back straightaway, approaching the final turn and homestretch.

While California figures are not in yet, Nevada has released a report on their traffic fatalities for 2015.

Preliminary data shows that there were 321 Nevada traffic deaths in 2015, an increase by 30 deaths over the previous year.

When compared with the number of miles driven in Nevada, though, traffic deaths have dropped from an average of 1.54 deaths per every 100 million miles traveled in 2008 to 1.13 fatalities per 100 million miles in 2013. Statewide, traffic fatalities reached an all-time high of 432 in 2006.

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 will be updated when provided.

12/27

No Arrests

12/28

8:06 a.m. - Vandalism - Nez Perce Dr - A VEHICLE'S TIRES WERE VANDALIZED.

10:55 a.m. - Petty Theft - South Upper Truckee - VIA EDSO ON LINE REPORTING SYSTEM- VICTIM REPORTED PETTY THEFT BY UNKNOWN SUSPECT(S).

Are you prepared for an emergency? The City of South Lake Tahoe has developed a 12 month emergency preparedness tool to help you prepare.

As part of the City's continued initiative to increase communications, we will be offering a 12 part monthly series throughout the year highlighting emergency preparedness. Use these tools to prepare yourself for an emergency. More information is available in the City’s website at www.cityofslt.us/emergency

Emergency Preparedness—Month 1 - CREATE A FAMILY DISASTER PLAN

4:30 p.m. update 12/31/15:

The woman who was a focus of a search in South Lake Tahoe on Thursday was found by Douglas County Sheriff's Search and Rescue.

At 3:30 p.m., April Torres was located on the roof top of Edgewood Tahoe Golf Resort. She has been transported to Barton Hospital. Her medical condition is unknown.

MontBleu surveillance employees spent the day searching through their films and the last time she was seen on film was when she left the casino on foot and went to the corner of the Loop Road and Highway 50.

The investigation continues.

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There is snow on the ground and a chill in the air, perfect conditions for the thousands of music fans in South Lake Tahoe for SnowGlobe 2015.

Lines of young men and women, some dressed in costume or wearing wild hats, eagerly awaited the begin of the three day music festival. Anticipation had been growing for weeks as the social media hype was on.

For many years the only action on the South Shore for New Year's Eve was the street-closing celebration at Stateline. While thousands still head to the casino corridor for the changing of the year, there are many more options for revelers.

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 will be updated when provided.

12/20

6:40 a.m. - Unlicensed Driver - Highway 50 - 20-YEAR-OLD MALE SUSPECT STOPPED FOR VEHICLE CODE VIOLATIONS AND FOUND TO BE DRIVING ON A SUSPENDED LICENSE.

12/21

1:27 p.m. - Death Investigation - 13th St - A 53 YEAR OLD MALE WAS FOUND DECEASED

It's going to be a white Christmas in Lake Tahoe, with heavy snow expected throughout the day Thursday, leaving an expected extra foot of snow at lake level by Friday morning.

If you are traveling you can expect road controls from chains or snow tire requirements to chains or 4WD with snow tires.

The holiday travel week may not have started out as many hoped it would as a storm hit Lake Tahoe on Monday, stranding many travelers for hours. I was one of those stranded between Kyburz and South Lake Tahoe on Highway 50, making the 1.5 hour drive from Cameron Park in 8.5 hours.

This caught me off guard since I've been driving the mountain roads for the past 36 years and my four-wheel drive car with snow tires has been very steady and dependable. I normally don't drive the mountain passes when a storm is headed our way, but I had to pick my daughter up from the San Francisco Airport.

PDATE 10:15PM: Carson City Sheriff's deputies have arrived at the disabled Polar Express train and passengers are now being taken off the railroad cars to meet up with JAC and Virginia City shuttle buses, said Carson City Sheriff's Sgt. Scott McDaniel.

"There's lots of kids, lots of adults and they are in good spirits," said McDaniel of the effort. The diesel train stalled after 8 p.m. north of Linehan Road in Lyon County. No injuries were reported. There's upwards of 240 passengers on the train.

The Nevada Highway Patrol say a Sparks woman missing over two weeks has been found dead, the apparent victim of a single vehicle rollover crash near Sand Harbor

72-year-old Betti Jean Fernandes left a home on Millstone Court to go for a drive Monday, November 30, 2015 and did not return. Her family had not heard from her since.

A photographer was in the area when he spotted the wreckage with Fernandes' body inside on December 14. The southbound travel lane of SR28 was shut down for several hours while the crash scene was investigated.

The fourth annual Holiday Parade will make its way through South Lake Tahoe on Saturday, December 12 starting at 3:00 p.m.

Golden Bear Events is the organizer of the event which will raise money and food for Christmas Cheer, South Lake Tahoe's year-round food pantry.

This year, ten parade entries will start at the top of Ski Run Blvd, head down towards the lake, turn west on Highway 50 and end in the TJMaxx parking lot where people can enjoy cookies and a visit with Santa Claus. The parade should end there at approximately 3:45 p.m.

The Lake Tahoe Community College Board of Trustees, the City of South Lake Tahoe and the California Tahoe Conservancy will soon be voting to swap land they own around the college so the South Lake Tahoe Greenway Shared-Use Bike Trail can be built between Bijou Community Park and Sierra Tract neighborhood.