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Larry Lukins passed away on November 25, 2020. He was born February 22, 1944 to Melvin and Hazel Lukins of South Lake Tahoe. Larry was the third generation of Lukins’ raised in South Lake Tahoe.

Larry was always proud of growing up in “old Tahoe” and loved to share stories of the good ole days. As a child growing up in South Lake Tahoe, Larry and his brother Danny spent much of their time working on and building airplanes, cars and boats.

The Tahoe Chamber has launched the GO Local Tahoe Digital Gift Card program to boost immediate local spending that will support South Shore restaurants, retailers and service providers throughout the recent Covid-19 pandemic restrictions. The GO Local Tahoe Card is a community based, e-gift card that allows you to give the gift of supporting LOCAL and allows your recipient to spend with local businesses of their choice. The ease of this gift card makes it the perfect last-minute holiday gift and stocking stuffer for a Tahoe lover.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless (TCH) successfully purchased El Nido Motel using some of the awarded Project Homekey funding. The property will provide much-needed affordable housing and supportive services for the most vulnerable local seniors, people with disabilities, and others at high risk of cold exposure and COVID-19 illness. The first client move-ins began last week, including medically fragile seniors who were living unsheltered in our community for many years.

It was a great honor to serve as a member of the Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) Board of Trustees for the last four years. As previously reported, I am stepping aside to focus on my career and raising my beautiful baby girl. I said many times while I was on the Board that every family in the District was my family, and every child in the District was my responsibility. Now that I have a child of my own, I think the parents of LTUSD will understand when I say that I need to focus on my own family for the time being.

Christmas started early for this guy once the pandemic hit. I put my Christmas lights up over the 4th of July and for a short while started watching Christmas movies too to try and get that feel-good feeling happening. Okay, I also did it because I wanted to watch movies where no one was wearing a mask and hugging one another without fear of being exposed. I’ve always enjoyed movies for their pure escapism and who doesn’t want to escape what we’ve been through already ya know? I also like being wrapped around a movie completely.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The following is a list of the long term and short term projects the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has scheduled for the week around Lake Tahoe, in the Sierra and El Dorado County. At this time there is no work scheduled for the South Lake Tahoe area.

Most traffic-interfering work will be restricted from 6 a.m. Thursday, December 24 until 10 p.m. Sunday, December 27 due to the Christmas holiday weekend.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A true trailblazer in the forming of the City of South Lake Tahoe has died at the age of 90. Del Laine, passed away from natural causes with her family at her side.

She served on South Lake Tahoe's City Council from 1976-1980, and then again from 1984-1988 and became the City's first female Mayor in 1977. She would go on to serve one more term as Mayor during her time on council.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO), Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection (TDFP), state agencies, local non-profits and businesses are coming together to launch a campaign aimed to help our community stay safer by providing server intervention training and ride alternatives to those who are drinking and need to get home.

Call For A Ride, Stay Alive is a drunk driving awareness campaign that offers server intervention training to employees from casinos and other Stateline area businesses.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The local group tasked with improving and promoting tourism, the South Lake Tahoe Tourism Improvement District (SLTTID), is donating $10,000 to an Essential Food Bag Program for South Shore locals in need during these challenging times.

This follows their program this spring where $10,000 was donated to help support community members, especially those in the tourism industry and families of the Lake Tahoe Unified School District. People who were impacted with the stay-at-home order shutdowns received approximately 500 grocery bags.

With the holidays already upon us, one thing is certain this year – the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on millions of Californians, causing us to rethink so much of our daily lives, including reprioritizing family time and our mental health. The holiday season may add more challenges to parents who are balancing career, teacher and caregiver duties, as well as dealing with unanticipated illness, burnout and unemployment. Each of these challenges, for some of us, can make the season feel like the added pressures are insurmountable.

Tahoe is a wonderland. Every season creates not only beautiful landscapes, but also new opportunities to get outside and play. For those of us that enjoy playing in the outdoors there are some simple practices we can all engage in to spread cheer all year and everywhere.

Tread Lightly
In the show “The Crown” the queen educates Margaret Thatcher on proper behavior while stalking a stag. She mentions the importance of dressing properly, speaking quietly, and avoiding wearing perfumes. The same is true for spending time outside while visiting Tahoe.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - During the city council meeting on Tuesday, funds were approved to further assist the community during the pandemic.

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - In a move initiated by the Republican-based North State Conference, a letter has been sent by the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors to Governor Newsom to ask for local control of the state's rules through the pandemic.

Assemblyman Kevin Kiley gathered leaders from 16 Northern California counties at this Fall's Conference of North State Leaders. No Democrat leaders were invited. The conference was held to obtain a joint response to counter Governor Newsom's approach and out of it came a "Healthy Communities Resolution."

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - The new Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Deputy Forest Supervisor Danelle D. Harrison is our guest columnist and looks back, and ahead, to the health of Lake Tahoe

Looking Back

December is a special time of year when our thoughts turn to family and friends, and communities come together to celebrate the season. It also marks the end of the year. And what a year it was. Together, we experienced unprecedented events including a record-breaking wildland fire year in the Pacific Southwest Region.

Weather and conditions permitting, the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) will continue prescribed fire operations this week in the Lake Tahoe Basin. California State Parks, California Tahoe Conservancy, North Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Douglas fire protection districts are scheduled to burn hand piles and smoke may be visible.

Project Name: Lyons Ranch - Northwest of the Golden Bear Subdivision. East of Lake Tahoe Airport.
Responsible Agency: California Tahoe Conservancy
Burn Type: Hand Piles
Total Acreage: 10.00
Planned Ignition: 12/14-17/2020

The Elves did it again!! They visited the South Lake Tahoe Children's Memorial Tree in the park at Lake Tahoe Boulevard and Wildwood Avenue for the tenth straight year, leaving behind signs of Christmas with stockings and decorations.

There is a stocking at the tree for the over 240 children who are memorialized there.

The memorial was created 29 years ago when tragedy struct the local community when South Tahoe High students Rory Hrbacek, Sandy Haynes, and Casey Wells died in an vehicle accident on Pioneer Trail.

National Forest developed campgrounds in the Lake Tahoe Basin have already closed for the winter season and dispersed camping in Desolation Wilderness and Meiss Country are not affected by the following closure.

Vail Resorts’ Chief Executive Officer, Rob Katz, and his wife, Elana Amsterdam, New York Times bestselling author and founder of Elana’s Pantry, today announced more than $3.3 million in COVID-19 emergency relief and behavioral health grants.

In nine communities where Vail Resorts operates, these separate donations will support local nonprofits’ ongoing efforts to (1) provide critical need services throughout the pandemic and (2) improve access to and affordability of mental and behavioral health services.

With El Dorado County and South Lake Tahoe falling under California's regional Stay-at-Home order starting Thursday at 11:59 p.m. Thursday, the Tahoe Chamber is holding a Virtual Town Hall meeting with local health officials to receive guidance on the recent stay-at-home order in El Dorado County and how the new restrictions will affect restaurants, retailers, and other local business operations.

Featured speakers will be El Dorado County Public Health Officer Dr. Nancy Williams and Barton Health President and CEO Dr. Clint Purvance.

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - South Lake Tahoe and the rest of El Dorado County and Alpine County will go under a Stay-at-Home order effective Thursday, December 10 at 11:59 p.m. This order will last for at least three weeks and then the state will reevaluate. The order has gone into effect because the Sacramento Region, of which South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado and Alpine counties are part, now has staffed ICU bed availability under 15 percent.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Due to the generosity and giving heart of the “Angel of Tahoe,” Mrs. Lisa Maloff and her love for children, presents were purchased for over 100 Tahoe children this season. Due to the pandemic, Tahoe Youth & Family Services (TYFS) was unable to hold a Christmas party as they have done for the past three years. Mrs. Maloff made a sizeable donation to TYFS with the request for the nonprofit agency to help make the holiday season extra special for local children, something needed more than ever due to these challenging times.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Coats for Kids is an annual Kiwanis Club of Lake Tahoe signature project. For the past three weeks members of the club have been busy purchasing coats and distributing them to students in need in our community.

Lake Tahoe, long known for its famed clarity and brilliant blue waters has a dirty secret. Beneath the surface, thousands of pounds of trash are breaking apart and impacting the lake’s aquatic habitats. In 2021, an extraordinary effort to remove trash around all 72-miles of Lake Tahoe with a SCUBA dive team of professionals and volunteers will begin. Spearheaded by the nonprofit Clean Up The Lake, the Tahoe Fund has committed to raising funds needed to make it happen.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - City Clerk Susan Blankenship has earned the designation of Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC), which was awarded by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC), Inc.

IIMC grants the CMC designation only to those municipal clerks who complete demanding education requirements, and who have a record of significant contributions to their local government, their community and state.