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As the City of South Lake Tahoe celebrates the 50th anniversary of its incorporation, there is a long forgotten town that was once along the shores of Lake Tahoe.

Travelers came west in droves in 1849 after the discovery of gold near Placerville. Many used the Tahoe Wagon Road which is known as Pioneer Trail today. When the first major silver deposit in the United States was discovered in Virginia City in 1859, many of those same gold hunters traveled over that same road into Nevada.

The Sixth Annual Native Species Festival will be held at the Taylor Creek visitor Center in South Lake Tahoe on Saturday, May 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This free family event is hosted by the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit and is a great way to spend the day outdoors and learn about the native species of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The Visitor's Center is located three miles north of South Lake Tahoe on Highway 89.

Every year for two weeks, hundreds of Lake Tahoe residents and visitors park their cars and ride their bikes to work, school, and for fun. Participants in the Tahoe Bike Challenge, which runs from June 1 to June 14, track their miles and join the friendly competition for fun prizes and bragging rights.

Lake Tahoe SummerFest’s fourth season, “Passport to a World of Music,” will bring Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn to audiences July 31 – Aug. 16 (www.TahoeSummerFest.org). The three weekend series of nine different concerts will transport attendees through masterpieces translated by renowned artists and a nationally acclaimed orchestra of 40 players.

There’s no shortage of views on the question of legalizing recreational marijuana in California.

That much was evident at a series of focus groups earlier this year, where 48 men and women representing a cross-section of the state filed into rooms with one-way mirrors to share their opinions. The research is aimed at shaping an expected legalization initiative for the 2016 ballot.

A 36-year-old South Lake Tahoe woman, described as dangerous, is being sought by police after she reportedly violated her parole and failed to register as a sex offender.

Jaime Lynn Olson's prison sentence stems from her arrest for kidnapping, sexual battery, multiple counts of forced oral copulation and false imprisonment, officials with the El Dorado County District Attorney's Office said in a Facebook post.

Thursday afternoon, Dave Stevenson, with the El Dorado County District Attorney's investigation division, said Olson and a man are believed to have committed a kidnapping.

Everyone in the community is invited to Walk to End Polio, a 3k event being held in South Lake Tahoe on Saturday, May 16, 2015. Join Rotarians, non-Rotarians, young and old, locals and visitors on a 3K walk to raise awareness, and funds, to end Polio.

If you were around in the middle of the 20th century, you may remember that tens of thousands of Americans were stricken by poliomyelitis, also known as Polio. This disease attacks the central nervous system and often leaves its victims partially or fully paralyzed.

Learn about the Geology of the Tahoe Rim Trail with TRTA Board Member, Dave Schnake during his talk on April 28 starting at 6 p.m. You'll gain an appreciation of the enormous geologic forces that led to the formation of Lake Tahoe in this informative, non-technical presentation of the geologic history of the Lake Tahoe Basin. The varying geology to be discovered as one travels around the Lake on the Tahoe Rim Trail will be highlighted.

Free and open to all.

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Pro-snowboarder, Mike Basich, tours his self-built 225 square foot home in the middle of his 40 acre property in Truckee, CA, and shows how being close to nature drives his most creative decisions.

Beginning in Fall 2015, California community college transfer students who meet certain academic criteria will be guaranteed admission to nine historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), thanks to an agreement the California Community Colleges Board of Governors and the leaders of the institutions signed at the board’s meeting this week.

The Tahoe Chamber has hired Justin Sinner as the new Membership Services Director.

Sinner has been a frequent visitor to the Lake Tahoe area since a child, enjoying golfing, fishing and hiking. The avid snow skier put that love of Tahoe into a job last season as a part time ski instructor at Heavenly Ski Resort.

He graduated from college in 2005 with a degree in communications, which led him on a diverse career path which has included sales, marketing, public relations and digital media.

It was a trip down 60 years of memory lane as the Tahoe Chamber celebrated their birthday on Wednesday night.

Over 150 people attended the mixer at Tep's Villa Roma, many who have been in South Lake Tahoe almost as long as the chamber.

Long time locals Bill Kingman, Tom Davis, Paul Middlebrook and Deb Howard shared the Trivia game hosting duties, trying to stump the crowd with questions from the community's past 60 years (and beyond).

It was a close game for over three quarters in the gym at South Tahoe High on Saturday, but the visiting Fallon Greenwave prevailed in the end and beat the Vikings 60-44.

South Tahoe needed a win to continue their season in next week's playoffs.

The Division 1A playoffs will start on Thursday in Fallon at Churchill County High School.

The Lady Vikings had a different outcome in their game against Fallon. The girls won by a score of 49-41.

Join TINS for a fun evening of sampling single malt scotches paired with delicious food. TINS will guide a tasting of five scotches with diverse personalities, from light and smooth to rare and complex to boldly peaty. The scotches will be accompanied by a four course meal designed to complement the flavors of the evening, with rib-eye steak as the main course.

The University of Utah ice hockey team won the Pac 8 Hockey Conference Sunday in South Lake Tahoe with a 5 to 1 win over the Oregon Ducks.

Number 1 Utah was evening matched on the ice with Number 3 Oregon, but penalties ended up being the difference. The two had met in the 2013 finals which ended with Utah on top as well, so Oregon was looking for revenge.

Top experts will converge at Lake Tahoe in September for the annual meeting of the Western Regional Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species, hosted by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.

Taking place September 2-4, the annual meeting brings together officials from across the country in the fight against western expansion of aquatic invasive species. Participants will learn from informative lectures and discussions to foster coordination of aquatic invasive species management among western states. This event is open to the public.

South Tahoe High graduate, Kyle Smaine made his first appearance at world championships count on Thursday night by winning the gold for men's halfpipe in Austria. The 23-year old won the 2015 FIS Freestyle Ski & Snowboard World Championships with a Left-side 1260 tail; Right-side 1080 tail; Switch 720 opposite safety; Right-side 900 high mute; Right-side 900 truck driver.

He skies for Sierra at Tahoe, just as do Olympians Maddie Bowman, Jamie Anderson and Hannah Teter.

Palmer Chaplin's 25 points led the Whittell Warriors over Mineral County in prep basketball action on Saturday night. The Warriors scored in double digits each quarter, ending the game with a 59-36 victory.

Following Chaplin was Quinn Kixmiller with 17 and Bryce Bronken with 9.

Whittell's 7-0 league leading record (15-1 overall) is carrying them down the home stretch with remaining games against Virginia City (13-2) on January 23, Pyramid Lake (4-10) on January 27, Excel Christian (8-6) on January 30 and Smith Valley (2-15) on January 31.

Learn about the role the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) plays in the management of ski areas and other keys areas on the Lake Tahoe environment during their Ski With a Ranger program beginning on Friday, January 16.

Tours begin at the top of the gondola at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. every Monday and Friday. There is also a Spanish version starting at 10:30 a.m. on Fridays beginning Friday, February 20, 2015.

They run until April 10, weather permitting.

Join the Friends of the Library for the second of two BALANCE CLASSES on February 28 at 10:30 a.m. Come to enhance your functioning; rollback your age, and reduce your fall risk. There's more to it than strengthening. For optimal benefit, we ask that you attend both sessions. Wear comfortable clothes to do as much or little exercise as you choose and bring a bath towel.

Led by Jim Gallanty, a Physical therapist for 20 years, Guild certified Feldenkrais Practitioner and Tahoe local for 35 years.

Please note, space is limited.

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A New Year's Day head-on collision on Mt. Rose Highway left one person dead, two sent to Renown Hospital by helicopter with major injuries and one taken by ambulance with serious injuries. The accident happened when a 1998 Isuzu Rodeo crossed over the center line and struck a 2003 Jeep Liberty. All three occupants of the Liberty were taken to the Reno hospital.

The driver of the Isuzu left the scene on foot after the accident which occurred just after 6 p.m. Witnesses said he was bleeding and looked injured.

Casinos in South Lake Tahoe won $12,104,211 in November, which is down over 30% from last year when the gaming win was $17,381,413. This ends a three month run of gains in this figure.

The casino gaming win reflects represents the computed income of casinos before business expenses and taxes.

Statewide, the figures were almost equal to last year with a gaming win of $876,278,690,a .04% gain over November of 2014.

Casinos in North Las Vegas led the state with a 37.62% gain while South Lake Tahoe's gambling venues had the biggest loss.

Douglas County has selected three final candidates for Clerk/Treasurer in anticipation of a resignation for the term beginning January 5, 2015. The recruitment and selection has been led by the Douglas County Manager Jim Nichols with input from a Citizen Advisory Committee. The three candidates will be invited to a public reception that will occur on the evening of January 20th.

The 3 semi-finalists are:

• Kathleen DeSocio
• Kathy Lewis
• Eileen Thomas

Unless you're not connected to social media or watching television news in the region you have most likely heard of accusations of racism on the part of the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) in their handling of the Dejon Smith missing person and subsequent death case. This claim and other rumors circulating around the case were discussed today with SLTPD Lt. Brian Williams who spoke to South Tahoe Now about the case