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No matter which alternative is chosen to address the aging Echo Summit bridge, there will be an impact to South Lake Tahoe.

The 76-year old portion of Highway 50 over Echo Summit that is being considered for either replacement or rehabilitation is actually three spans of a bridge, much of which is cracking, spalling or rusting.

Almost twenty years later and the Tahoe Valley Area plan isn't in place, yet. John Hitchcock, the City of South Lake Tahoe Planning Manager, gave the Council another presentation on the status of the plan and where things stand as of today during Tuesday's City Council meeting.

First proposed in the early 1990's, the resurrection of the Tahoe Valley Area plan made great strides towards adoption in 2014 with Hitchcock holding four public meetings where input was requested, presenting the plan to TRPA three times, three times to City Council and twice to the planning commission.

Nothing like returning to your hometown with a bang in the midst of the biggest thing to happen in South Lake Tahoe in quite some time. Jonathan Snyder, a 1991 graduate of South Tahoe High, returned to his roots Wednesday as the Executive Chef at the newly opened Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Snyder greeted the media on Wednesday during the media tours of the hotel, restaurants and casino.

“Hotel Showdown” squares off four different hotels against one another in a
winner-take-all competition. Representatives from the competing hotels spend the night at each other’s property, and with an exacting eye for detail, award points for every aspect of their experience. The highest-rated hotel wins a coveted $25,000.

The hour long episode featuring South Lake Tahoe’s 968 Park Hotel is titled ”Cat’s Out of the Bag with a Gun Show” and premieres Tuesday, January 27 at 9:00 p.m. PST.

Renovate, improve, contemporize and rebrand. That is what Burke Fathy says Sutter Capital Group plans to do with the former Factory Stores at the Y.

"The property needs to be repositioned," said Fathy, a partner with Sutter, told South Tahoe Now. "We are going to rebrand it from a factory store and make it more mixed tenant and give it new life."

The Sacramento investment group recently purchased the center after it fell into bankruptcy after years of mismanagement, Fathy said.

An attempt to set the record for the World's Largest Simultaneous Group Workout happened at noon on Saturday, January 3 at cities around the globe, and South Lake Tahoe was not left out.

For the 18 people who showed up, it wasn't all about breaking a record, it was about starting off the new year right with an hour of exercise. They walked along the new bike trail from Sawmill Pond to South Tahoe High School and back.

A Memorial Service and Celebration of Life for Douglas W. Anderson

July 16, 1963 - December 13, 2014

Doug was the son of August William Anderson and Bridget Anderson.

Doug has left behind his wife, Sue Swanson Anderson of 20 years, and two beautiful and amazing children, Bailey Nichole Anderson and Daniel August Anderson. He is also survived by his four sisters, Alice Anderson Palmer and her son Hunter Busenlehner, Betsy Kelly, Kate Anderson and Maureen Walker.

The City of South Lake Tahoe would like to thank locals and visitors for their contributions to efficient and effective snow removal. Our goal article is to familiarize those new to the area of “Snow Removal Do’s and Don’ts.” This might be old news to people who have lived in the Tahoe Basin for a while. However, for some visitors and new residents, this information could be beneficial when dealing with a Tahoe winter and snow removal.

Stories for all ages make up author Johanne Carreau Cronk's first book, My Father's Big Toe, and now the book is available during a book signing and storytelling day at Tahoe Toys and Treasures.

The book is about world traveler and former South Lake Tahoe resident Gilbert Carreau and the stories he would tell his children as they gathered around.

During last week's Loop Road open house, residents and businesspeople gave their input on what they felt the US Highway 50/South Shore Community Revitalization project should offer.

Results show that 82% of the people participating believe the most important goal is to beautify the corridor and create gathering spaces for locals and visitors.

Another 67% of the respondents believe there should be efforts to reduce traffic congestion and improve mobility options, 60% said the project should revitalize the area and boost economic development.

Janet McDougall used the public comment portion of a recent South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting to speak of her concern that people would lose access to Connelly Beach. Council members took interest and the subject is on Tuesday's Council agenda.

McDougall, a resident of South Lake Tahoe since 1963 and a graduate of South Tahoe High in 1975, spent 17 years working in the city attorney's office in town. She said that during that time she saw a growing amount of beaches becoming unavailable to the public.

Many people have trouble managing their own money and balancing their checkbook, but Douglas County is giving all residents a chance the manage the county's money.

This unique opportunity gives locals $500 to spend on the county's six areas identified on their Strategic Plan. They'll distribute the funds on Safe Community, Economic Vitality, Well Maintained Infrastructure, Financial Stability, Preservation of Natural Environment, Resources and Cultural Heritage and Managed Growth and Development.

All of the major cell phone companies were in town last week, meeting with local agencies to determine the need for better cell phone coverage. As most locals are aware, there are several pockets of "no cell phone" coverage in town.

Since 80% of the Lake Tahoe basin is owned by the U.S. Forest Service, the choice on where to put new cell phone towers is limited. They are looking into new partnerships with local land owners to see what can be done.

Most of us moved to Meyers because it's a rural community, away from the City & tourist congestion. I am pro-growth, most locals are, as long as it's appropriately sized growth for our community. The proposed Meyer's Plan however, opens the door to a Mega Resort, with incentives for large development and in my mind, lacks long range planning.

I started going to planning meetings last summer, just to listen, but it wasn't until December that I got really concerned. Here's a timeline of events, from my perspective:

At the end of the month, costumed revelers will descend upon the MontBleu nightclubs for the 36th Annual Freaker's Ball in South Lake Tahoe. Partiers will be attired in everything from wild, provocative and risque to funny, crazy and creative costumes.

But how did one of the biggest and most popular Halloween events in the region ever come about?

The Beginning in 1978

Being touted as "The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act" by proponents, Proposition 47 will mandate misdemeanors instead of felonies for “non-serious, nonviolent crimes," unless the defendant has prior convictions for murder, rape, certain sex offenses or certain gun crimes.

The reason Prop 47 got this name is because a fund bearing it's name will be created by the estimated savings of $150M to $250M the state will receive by not having to prosecute crimes that would become misdemeanors.

The seven candidates for South Lake Tahoe City Council were at Wednesday nights Candidate Forum at Lake Tahoe Golf Course. The Tahoe Chamber and Tahoe Daily Tribune hosted the evening which had Rabbi Evon Yakar moderating the questions and answers.

About 100 people showed up to listen to panel who were given questions prepared by the chamber's new political committee as well as those asked by the audience. The questions were asked of different candidates so not everyone was asked the same one.

On August 12, the City of South Lake Tahoe held a community tour and discuss about the future of Regan Beach. The City wanted input from the public on what they wanted to see done with the beach, playground, parking lot, concessions and whatever else they wanted to see completed.

91 surveys were completed and handed into the City and are now available on line. The survey was also available on line.

Visitors and locals alike will find a variety of activities to enjoy in South Lake Tahoe on Sunday, August 31.

The highlight of the day will be the Annual Labor Day Fireworks show. The show features a simultaneous music broadcast that can be heard on local stations KRLT-FM 93.9 and KOWL - AM 1490. Show begins at 8:30 p.m. The fireworks are visible from all over town.

Not only has the Tahoe Prosperity Center has been working on issues to create healthier communities around the lake, they have also been welcoming new members to their Board of Directors.

New to the board are locals John McLaughlin, Chief Financial Officer of Edgewood Companies and Ken Riley, Senior Vice President, Kiewit Infrastructure Group, Inc. They join 24 other community members on the board whose goal is to also promote regional sustainability through economic vitality and by being environmental stewards.

A new business in South Lake Tahoe is the creation of South Lake Tahoe locals Bryan Burnam and Jacob Hanneman, who have taken their passion for the outdoors to start Bakpocket Products.

Since August 8, the company has their newest product, the Adventure Hammock, listed on Kickstarter, which is a global funding platform designed to help small startup companies to promote their projects and products.

The Sierra Business Council is hosting Peak Innovation, a conference for Lake Tahoe locals, small business owners, communities and local governments. During the conference, Dr. Peter Gleick, an expert in water issues especially in the context of economic and environmental justice, will be at the conference which takes place October 8-10 in Tahoe City. In a National Geographic science blog, Gleick recently repeated the common question, “Why, if the California drought is so bad, has the response been so tepid?”

Physicians are in high demand, but not just from patients. With an impending physician shortage and more job competition, medical administrators and recruiters will spend hours attending meetings, networking, and recruiting to hire top-notch physicians.

In a 2012 study, the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters (ASPR) estimated that physician recruitment costs between $75,000 and $90,000 per doctor. This does not include the time and effort to set up a medical practice and then to retain a physician.

As an emergency room nurse, I have cared for visitors and locals who experience heat-related illnesses. This includes dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. It is important to understand the differences, especially when exercising in an area like Lake Tahoe with higher altitudes and higher temperatures.