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To City Manager of South Lake Tahoe, City Council

RE: motel housing

Honorable City Manager and City Council,

I am writing to you out of concern about the possible new ordinance regarding motel housing. In the past six years I have been involved with working for and advising various properties. The seven different properties opened my eyes to a separate part of our community that goes mostly unnoticed.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month: Treatment Not Jails

Across the nation, many counties are investing huge sums of money to house people with mental illness in jails, with little return for the community in terms of public safety or treatment for people who need it most. A new national initiative, Stepping Up, provides an opportunity for counties to get support in addressing this problem.

The community is invited to an evening of celebration and honor, maybe a little roasting, and lots of good cheer for Joanne Shope, who has been the backbone of Christmas Cheer All Year for the past 20 years.

The celebration will take place at the Lake Tahoe Golf Course, located at 2500 Emerald Bay Road in South Lake Tahoe, CA.

An Opening Day celebration is planned at the South Tahoe Little League Complex this Saturday, April 25th. A parade and ribbon cutting ceremony are planned prior to the start of scheduled games. The parade will start on the street next to the South Tahoe Middle School tennis courts at 9:00 a.m. with a planned parade path to follow Lyons Avenue to Rufus Allen, and into the major’s field by way of the snack shack entrance. Parking will not be available at South Tahoe Middle School due to the eWaste collection event. Parking is available along Rufus Allen Blvd.

Living in the midst of the fourth consecutive year of drought in the Sierra Nevada brings with it a responsibility to become fire adapted. While the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) consistently thins forests, conducts prescribed burns and defensible space programs to reduce wildfire risk, they need the public's help to create Fire Adapted Communities at Lake Tahoe

The first wave of snow showers will be wrapping up just before midnight Sunday in South Lake Tahoe, but more is on the way this week. By Wednesday, a total of 5" to 7" is expected to fall by the time the systems move out of the Tahoe basin on Wednesday. The heaviest snow is expected on Tuesday.

Here is the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:

SUGARLOAF, ME - Giant slalom specialist Tim Jitloff (Reno, NV – U.S. Ski Team) threw down on bumpy snow at the Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships to take his third national title in a row ahead of first run leader Tommy Ford (Bend, OR – U.S. Ski Team). Former University of Utah racer and current Team Geronimo member Nick Cohee (Gardnerville, NV – Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club/Team Geronimo) took third.

There were more than 1,000 fires in California in 2014 and, because of the current dry conditions, 2015 is expected to be more of the same.

St. Patrick's Day not only bring to mind shamrocks, leprechauns, pots of gold and good luck. March 17 also brings to mind green beer, Irish whiskey and heavy drinking.

Vail Resorts announced today that the 2015-16 Tahoe local's pass will open up access to nine resorts.

Tahoe Douglas Rotary has been a part of the South Shore community since 1962, and, as are the other 1.2 million Rotarians in the world, are bound by a commong purpose, Service Above Self. The club felt it was an ideal fit to recognize police and fire professionals in the community who make sacrifies every day to serve and protect.
During the week, South Tahoe Now will highlight each of this year's winners of the inagural First Responder Community Hero Award.

Concert lovers don't have to wait for summer to enjoy big name acts in South Lake Tahoe. MontBleu announced the addition of Grammy-Award winning singer-song writer Boz Scaggs to their line-up of classic musicians performing in their showroom.

Heavenly Mountain Resort added summertime activities to the top of the gondola last summer but that was only the beginning if the Epic Discovery Project gets approval from the necessary agencies.

A Little League team that captured the attention of the nation and the hearts of its hometown was stripped of its national title Wednesday after an investigation revealed that team officials had falsified boundaries so they could add ineligible players to the roster.

Only last summer, the all-black Jackie Robinson West team was the toast of Chicago and was honored with trips to San Francisco and to the White House.

February 01 Unkle Funkle @ McP's
Super Bowl Party @ Himmel Haus
Seraphin @ Northstar
February 02 Mark Wilson @ McP's
Ben Fuller @ West Shore Cafe
DJ Lambchop @ Fat Cat Cafe
February 03 Coop Da Loop, Dub Coling, Resonant Language @ Whisky Dick's
Buddy Emmer Blues Band @ Harrah's
Open Mic w/ Lucas Arizu @ Fat Cat Cafe
February 4-8 Alan Havey / Joe Dosch @ Improv at Harveys
February 04 Zebuel, Haylestorm, IJV @ The Grid
Chris Emmington @ fat Cat Cafe
February 05 The Saddle Tramps @ Hard Rock Hotel
Taking Root @ Rojo's

The drought has already had a dramatic impact on farmers in the Smith and Mason Valleys, but this year it is going to be even harder to make a living. The state agency that controls ground water in the area decided Tuesday to cut each farmers allocation in half.

On wet year most farmers rely on water from the Walker River, but with little to no snow in the mountains this year there will likely be no water in the river. Ground water is the back-up water supply, but this year even that is being reduced.

There has been a lot of work completed on the baseball fields in South Lake Tahoe, including a new diamond for local little league teams. One needed item wasn't on the list of projects completed with Measure S funds was replacing the old and broken scoreboard so a fundraising effort has begun to replace it.

South Tahoe High varsity baseball coach Starbuck Teevan started a GoFundMe page in order to help with the $18,500 needed for a new scoreboard.

The California Highway Patrol is reminding drivers to be on the winning team on Super Bowl Sunday by not drinking and driving. With plenty of parties around the South Shore, including those at the casinos, local bars and private homes, the opportunities to drink will be plentiful.

California's Office of Traffic Safety reports a DUI arrest can add up to more than $17,000. The biggest hit comes from insurance premium increases, which can be upwards of $12,000.

The El Dorado Chapter of the California Native Plant Society presents Before and After the Flames: Fire, Forest and Climate Change in the Sierra Nevada, a talk by Dr. Hugh D. Safford, Senior Vegetation Ecologist for the US Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Region (including California, Hawaii and Pacific Islands) and Dr. Becky Estes, ecologist with the the US Forest Service, Tuesday, January 27th, 7pm at the Planning Commission Meeting Room, Building C of the County Office Buildings, 2850 Fairlane Court in Placerville. The presentation is free and open to the public.

As the incoming Chair of the 15-member Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board, this promises to be a hopeful and exciting year. 2015 will be full of opportunities, but also challenges, for the continued protection of Lake Tahoe.

The number one priority among our challenges is funding shortfalls. Federal and state funding that has paid for environmental restoration and protection efforts at Lake Tahoe for years is drying up and new approaches need to be pursued.

Join the Friends of the Library on Feb. 21st and 28th, both Saturdays at 10:30 a.m., for BALANCE CLASS. Learn how to enhance your functioning; rollback your age, and reduce your fall risk. There's more to it than strengthening. Find out at a two session seminar. 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.

Location

January 2015 in Tahoe: Kool and the Gang, G. Love and Special Sauce, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, The Guess Who

January 1-4 John Henton / Sean Kent @ Improv at Harveys
January 01 Rustler's Moon @ Bar of America
George Souza Trio @ Moodys Bistro
January 02-03 National Soul @ Bar of America
Steve & Tom @ Gar Woods
January 02 Jesse Kalin @ The Beacon
Crystal Basin Wine Tasting @ 968 Park Hotel
The Novelists @ Moodys Bistro
January 03 Mark Hummel, Elvin Bishop, Rick Estrin, Little Charly Baty @ Harrahs
Tom Dickson @ The Beacon
Bison @ Sierra at Tahoe

Get outdoors and celebrate the New Year with a free guided hike at Spooner Lake State Park. This will be a snowshoe hike if there is adequate snow. The outing will follow the Spooner Lake loop trail, which is a little over two miles. Very little change in elevation makes this trail a family favorite. Park entrance fees are waived for hike participants.

The hike will take place on January 1 from 10 a.m. to noon.

Spooner Lake State Park is located on Highway 28, ½ mile north of the intersection with Highway 50.

Many of us spend January 1 making resolutions and the other 364 days trying to stay resolved to keeping them. In fact, only 8% of people successfully achieve their resolutions, according to research from the University of Scranton. So, here are the top 10 tips for making resolutions and more importantly, keeping them!

1. Set short-term goals for long-term results.