locals

What's not to love about sunrises and sunsets in Lake Tahoe? While it is fairly easy for most to catch a sunset, very few actually get to experience a sunrise because of the early hour.

"Chasing Sunrise" is a community that understands that with each sunrise, we are given a choice to make: we can either stay in bed waiting for life to come to us or we can get up and get after it, chasing what we want.

In what many locals was hoping wouldn't be the case, the Barton Ranch in South Lake Tahoe is set for demolition.

Family members who own the land and the buildings have spent years trying to get to this point in order to remove what they say is a dangerous set of buildings that have caused problems with vandals and vagrants.

On Tuesday, employees of Allied Environmental, Inc of Shingle springs were on site to remove asbestos in preparation for demolition.

What would you do if you had a family miniature golf business you wanted to pass onto your four children? Build three more, of course!

In 1972, Bill and Mary Koplin built Magic Carpet Golf on land they purchased from Marjorie Springmeyer adjacent to what was once the South Lake Tahoe amusement park. Marjorie had overheard Bill and his real estate agent talking in a local restaurant about Bill's plans for building the course. "I have a piece of property I can sell you," Marjorie told them.

It's been almost a year since the 5,400 square foot Alta Mira Building was torn down in South Lake Tahoe in order to provide open space, improve water quality and remove blight.

STOP RIGHT THERE. Don’t move a muscle, buster. Stay out of this book or I WILL CHOMP YOU!

Meet Bear. He's exhausted. All he wants is to go to sleep. Meet Duck, Bear's persistent next-door neighbor. All he wants is to hang out . . . with Bear

If you're a dinosaur, all of your friends are dead. If you're a pirate, all of your friends have scurvy. If you're a tree, all of your friends are end tables.

These are just a few lines out of books written by South Tahoe High School graduate Jory John who's ninth book, "I Will Chomp You," is being released on Tuesday.

With the passing of the 4th of July we find ourselves right in the middle of summer here in the Tahoe Basin. Locals and visitors alike recreating in many different ways, from camping to mountain biking, to boating, Lake Tahoe has something for everyone. This summer and particularly this summer due to continued drought conditions, it is important to remember just how fragile the Tahoe Basin is, and that there is a persistent threat of wildfire. Everyone needs to take steps to ensure they are being fire smart in everything they do. Doing the right thing, the wrong way can start a wildfire.

Boot stomping to bluegrass in a 1920’s boat house turned theater with Lake Tahoe in the background, kicking back at free concerts on a historic lakeshore estate’s grand lawn, and experiencing the Washoe tribe’s ceremonial dances and drumming are some of the many iconic experiences at Lake Tahoe’s Valhalla Arts, Music & Theatre Festival this July.

If the huge fan base on the facebook page for Sno Frozen Yogurt Cafe is any indication, South Lake Tahoe has been waiting too long for a frozen yogurt shop.

They have over 800 fans and they haven't even opened their doors yet. Locals will be happy to know that the frozen yogurt shop opens on Tuesday, June 9 at 5 p.m.

Sno is located at the Chateau across the street from Heavenly Village (4125 Lake Tahoe Blvd). They'll have convenient hours for almost anyone: 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Local cyclists got into the biking mode Monday in South Lake Tahoe at the start of the two week long bike challenge.

Pearl Izumi at the Y hosted the "Ready, Set, Pedal" party with swag bags, food and special discounts. Riders gathered at the store and started on either a 5 mile or a 10 mile loop.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board on Wednesday unanimously approved the Tahoe Transportation District’s State Route 89/Fanny Bridge Community Revitalization Project to realign State Route 89 through Tahoe City.

The project realigns State Route 89 to route through traffic over roundabouts and a new two-lane bridge across the Truckee River to reduce transportation conflicts among drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians at the congested pinch point at the Tahoe City “Wye.”

The number to remember: 6229.1

This has been determined to be the high water mark of Lake Tahoe, and the owner of the Beach Retreat at Tahoe must allow 100-feet of beach from this mark for public use.

People lined the 25-mile Amgen race course from Heavenly to Meyers on Saturday, all waiting to catch a glimpse of the top women cyclists as they quickly passed by.

There were great spectating opportunities, and many locals and visitors took advantage of them, from Ski Run Blvd, along Pioneer Trail to South Upper Truckee.

The course was much different that Friday's trip around the lake, but still a tough one with plenty of climbs, downhills and turns.

After two trips around the course, Canadian Leah Kirchmann emerged the victor, just edging out American Lauren Komanski.

Lake Tahoe’s natural geography of steep climbs and long descents against postcard views will offer plenty of sites to catch race action as the top women cyclists compete in Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the Amgen Tour of California Women’s Race May 8-9.

With the start and finish line at Heavenly’s California Base Lodge, spectators will be updated with live race announcements, and entertained with high-energy music, local and Amgen Tour of California exhibitors, food and beverage.

The National Little League pledge, written by Peter J. McGovern in 1954, reads as follows:

I trust in God
I love my country
And will respect its laws
I will play fair
And strive to win
But win or lose
I will always do my best

It has long been a tradition in South Lake Tahoe where players recite the pledge prior to every Major Division Little League game.

That tradition ended this year as the local Board of Directors decided to remove the words "God" and "country" from the pledge so it would read like this:

I will play fair
And strive to win
But win or lose

Exciting times for South Lake Tahoe in May as the community shines on the international stage as the location of the first stage of the Amgen Tour of California. Fourteen teams consisting of 84 of the top professional women racers will be in town for the race May 8-9, 2015. The racers consist of Olympic medalists, World Champions, Tour de France competitors and other cyclists from the National and International field.

Many of the teams have already been in the area getting ready for the Lake Tahoe stop on their tour. As we get closer to May 8, more of the participants will be in town.

As a thank you to area residents and employees, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe is hosting a free industry night for locals on the last Sunday of every month featuring live concerts in Vinyl. The first monthly event is Sunday, April 26 with a performance by Forget the Roses. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the show starts at 9 p.m.

Gaming veteran Chris Fiumara has been named as the new vice president and general manager of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in South Lake Tahoe.

The former man in the position, Don Marrandino, left a month ago after overseeing the construction and opening phases of the Hard Rock which opened January 28, 2015.

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.

There are many sides to the South Lake Tahoe Vacation Home Rental (VHR) situation. On one side are the locals whose peaceful lives have been disturbed because they are the neighbors of vacation home rentals that are reportedly out of control with excess noise and trash that come from inconsiderate renters. On another side are the people wanting to enjoy South Lake Tahoe from the comfort of a private home. Yet another side are the second home owners who want to earn money from their vacation home.

Summer in South Lake Tahoe means being outdoors and enjoying life, and the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino announced today one more thing to enjoy: more outdoor concerts.

A temporary 7,500 seat outdoor area is being created on the back parking lot of Hard Rocky Hotel & Casino in Lake Tahoe in order to host the “BaseJam Summer 2015 Outdoor Concert Series.”

A summer full of concerts at the new casino on the South Shore will start with the 3rd Annual Lake Tahoe Reggae Festival on June 27. Also booked is the Lake Tahoe Bluegrass Festival which is slated for July 11.

An overflowing audience of South Lake Tahoe residents, home owners, vacation home owners, real estate agents, property managers, vacation rental companies, locals and city officials were on hand Tuesday night at the Vacation Home Rental (VHR) community workshop held in City Council chambers at the airport.

City Manager Nancy Kerry ran the meeting, giving everyone a chance to speak their opinion after a short presentation.

Knowing that not all South Lake Tahoe kids plan on heading to a four-year college, John McDougall wanted to help those students find their vocational path.

And he is accomplishing this in two ways: Pay it Forward Scholarships and with a High School Mentoring Program.

"I'm helping kids that are taking the vocational path," said the 1972 South Tahoe high graduate.

Are you, or someone you know, in need of emergency food supplies? The Food Bank of El Dorado County will be in South Lake Tahoe to host a Mobile Food Pantry Distribution on Wednesday, March 25th, 2015, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. to bring food to those who need it most. They will be there rain or shine.

They welcome any locals who are struggling to make ends meet to come to the American Legion parking lot during that hour to receive supplemental groceries and fresh produce. The Food Bank will provide one allocation per household.

South Lake Tahoe locals have the opportunity to help out the community in the time of disaster by taking part in STAT, South Tahoe Action Teams.