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During the 2014 Kokanee salmon run at Taylor Creek, spectators left pathways at the popular U.S. Forest Service Visitor Center in South Lake Tahoe to approach bears in search of a selfie photo with a bear. Not only was this dangerous for the human, it was dangerous for the bear and USFS threatened to close the area to the public.

With the devastating fires currently burning in California it brings to the forefront emergency preparedness.

September happens to be National Preparedness Month and El Dorado County's Public Health Preparedness and Response reminds residents to make an emergency communications plan for themselves and their families. Planning ahead will help protect families, neighborhoods and communities when emergencies and disasters arise.

The South lake Tahoe Fire Department will provide a first responder training class called STAT; South Tahoe Action Teams, this Thursday, September 3rd. STAT is modeled after CERT; Community Emergency Response Team, held in other cities.

This program is designed to incorporate trained citizens in the field with the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department and other first responders during times of crisis. This is the first program of its kind in the Tahoe Basin.

Shari Chase and Jennie Fairchild of Chase International were recently ranked among The Thousand – a comprehensive list of the nation’s top agents and sales teams. The Thousand is compiled and released by REAL Trends and The Wall Street Journal. With more than one million real estate professionals considered, Chase and Fairchild were the only two agents from the Lake Tahoe area to make the list.

It was another packed house at the South Lake Tahoe City Council's meeting Tuesday, which has been commonplace for all of the meetings and workshops on the contentious subject of vacation home rentals.

In a unanimous vote of 4-0 (Councilman Tom Davis had to recuse himself), the City Council voted to implement an ordinance that addresses three key issues:

Once again, an audience full of mainly Realtors and property managers filled the South Lake Tahoe City Council Chambers as the topic of Vacation Home Rentals (VHR) was on the agenda for discussion.

Renting a vacation home is being increasingly popular in South Lake Tahoe just as in other communities. Many tourists prefer to rent a VHR instead of a traditional motel or hotel room. There are many reasons from enjoying time with family to reunions and wedding parties.

The South Lake Tahoe City Council has a full agenda for their Tuesday, June 2 meeting at the airport.

After several public forums, meetings and presentations, the council will be deciding to adopt the Tahoe Valley Area Plan, which is the vision for the area around the "Y" in South Lake Tahoe. The City starting working on the plan in January of 2014, after the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) adopted the Regional Plan update at the end of 2012.

As the drought begins to impact wildlife, there is concern that California black bears are breaking into Tahoe homes because the lack of rain is contributing to a lack of food.

Now some wildlife activists want to lure those bears away from neighborhoods by feeding them where they live -- in the woods -- even though that practice is illegal.

The activists argue that the drastic action will help the bears survive.

Suicide does not discriminate. Suicide does not know income levels, race or neighborhoods. Suicide can happen next door.

Every day in California, Nevada, and every other state, there are friends, family and co-workers who struggle with emotional pain. And, for some, it's too difficult to talk about the pain, thoughts of suicide, and the need for help.

- Nearly 40,000 Americans commit suicide every year.
- In the U.S., suicide rates are highest during the spring.
- Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for 15 to 24-year-olds and 2nd for 24 to 35-year-olds.

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.

I, like many of the other citizens of this beautiful city, enjoy the recent tourist-friendly developments created in the last decade. However, the city should place greater emphasis in revitalizing the run-down residential roads because the lack of sidewalks in these areas is unacceptable. As a solution, the city should begin projects to build sidewalks in residential areas because our residents would enjoy living a healthier lifestyle as well as experience an increase in their property values.

The majority of Tahoe locals and tourists lack knowledge of bear precaution, causing the growing presence of bears in South Lake Tahoe’s residential areas. In recent years, Lake Tahoe’s black bears have become problematic when outside their natural meadow and forest habitat. Because of human habits, bears have become attracted to local neighborhoods. Passing routines down to their cubs, bears remain dependent on the human food source left outside many residents’ homes.

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.

Fed up with waiting, Nevada lawmakers are ramping up efforts to have private companies, fire districts and others paid for work conducted years ago to reduce fire danger in vulnerable areas around Lake Tahoe.

The Legislature earlier this month passed a joint resolution urging Congress to pay contractors who performed extensive fuels treatment work in the wake of Tahoe's disastrous Angora Fire of 2007.

A Tahoe Talks Brown Bag Lunch Series recently launched offers a monthly forum for people to discuss and learn more about ways to strengthen communities, make towns safer for bicyclists and pedestrians, and help protect Lake Tahoe’s amazing natural resources.

Lunches are held monthly at Lake Tahoe Community College. They cover topics ranging from transportation to the economy and the environment, and offer a comfortable, low-key setting for people to discuss and learn about those issues. The events are free to the public.

Admit it, you've been waiting for a box of Thin Mints or Caramel Delights. Right? If not those two flavors, what is your favorite?

South Lake Tahoe Girl Scouts were spotted at several locations around town on Friday, selling their famous cookies. The girls selling from their table in front of the Bijou Safeway sold over 130 boxes in just their first couple of hours.

A tradition since 1917, girls growing through the ranks of Brownies, Cadettes and Girl Scouts have had the job of selling cookies annually to help raise money for their troups.

Since the beginning of December, 2014 there have been 19 thefts, six burglaries and two robberies reported in the South Lake Tahoe city limits. While many of these are petty thefts, others have resulted in the theft of valuable jewelry, electronics and other belongings from residences while the owners weren't home.

Have you protected your home to the best of your ability? Many of us may think that "it can't happen to me," but when a home was burglarized around the corner from me, I changed that mode of thinking and started looking into ways to better protect mine.

Need help with your taxes because of all the new tax code this year? Worried you won't remember to take all the deductions you need? South Lake Tahoe's H & R Block can help, and to show you how they are holding an Open House on Tuesday, January 20 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

A ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the new season and new office will be held with the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce (Tahoe Chamber) at 4 pm.

The South Lake Tahoe Fire Department continues the holiday tradition of driving through City neighborhoods and passing out candy canes to our community youth. The decorated engine will Fire Station 2 at 5 p.m. nightly beginning December 10 and going through Christmas Eve.

December 10 Tahoe Keys and Venice Blvd.
December 11 Glenwood
December 12 Keys Blvd. and State Streets
December 13 South Y and Tata Ln.
December 14 Barton & Tahoe Island
December 15 Al Tahoe Blvd.
December 16 Springwood and Bijou Pines
December 17 Main Areas and Highway 50

Happy Thanksgiving. You've no doubt heard or read these words a few times already today.

Thank you readers. You've made this year so special for me. When I started in July of 2013 I wasn't sure what was going to happen. Will people read what I spend hours on? Will they find it useful, helpful or thought provoking? Will they even find SouthTahoeNow.com? I appreciate each and every one of you and look forward to even bigger things in the next year.

To The Community,

Thank you for your support of and confidence in the students, Board, faculty, staff, and leadership of Lake Tahoe Community College. We’d like to personally thank the South Lake Tahoe community for lending your support to Measure F, and for turning out this Election Day. This community’s four-decade-long involvement and interest in the college is what keeps LTCC going. You’ve supported your local community college, and we hope in the months and years to come, you’ll see firsthand the difference Measure F is making and will join us in celebrating its passage.

The list of people against California's Proposition 47 grew today with the addition of El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson, Sheriff John D'Agostini and County Supervisors joining the fight against what has been touted "The Safe Neighborhood and Schools Act."

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.

Volunteers have completed marking all the storm drains in the Tahoe Keys neighborhood and marina with metal “No Dumping — Keep Tahoe Blue” signs. Over 40 volunteers with the League to Save Lake Tahoe’s Stewards of Stormwater program marked 180 drains over several days in August and September, making it the first neighborhood at Tahoe to mark all its drains.