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I was invited to take part in training with South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue in the demonstration fire trailer on Tuesday, an experience I won't soon forget, even though the temperatures I experienced were far below that of a real fire.

As I put on my fire pants, jacket, boots and head gear, my respect for firefighters instantly grew (even though it was already high on the scale). The heavy clothing protected my skin and clothing as I was exposed to 500 degrees, something most of us will never feel.

September 11, 2001 at 5:51 a.m. PST/ 8:51 a.m. local New York time. Its one of those days, and times, that people remember what they were doing at the exact moment the images of the first airplane guided by terrorists hitting a tower of the World Trade Center.

September 11, 2001 at 6:03 a.m. PST/ 9:03 a.m. local New York time. As most of the nation was watching their televisions or listening to their radios, the second tower of the World Trade Center was hit by another airplane.

A home being built on Overlook Court near Heavenly Mountain Resort is the first one to be denied a Vacation Home Rental permit under the Planning Commission's interpretation of the new VHR guidelines created by the City of South Lake Tahoe.

During their monthly meeting at the airport on Thursday, the commission voted 2-2 to uphold the denial of the permit made by the zoning administrator, John Hitchcock. The fifth member of the commission, Shannon Eckmeyer, was not at the meeting due to another engagement.

The most common misunderstanding about swimming in Lake Tahoe is that people can suffer from hypothermia, which leads to death. The real truth is that "cold water shock" will kill much quicker than hypothermia ever will.

"The sudden lowering of skin temperature on immersion in cold water represents one of the most profound stimuli that the body can encounter." Golden and Tipton in Essentials of Sea Survival

The Nevada Department of Wildlife is increasing their educational campaign for boaters and swimmers to understand the dangers of cold water at Lake Tahoe.

A lawsuit against the City of South Lake Tahoe over the fees charged to those who rent out their homes as vacation rentals was won by the City in court this week. The June 23 verdict was received by all parties on June 28.

Judge Steven Bailey of the El Dorado County Superior Court issued an 11-page decision supporting the City's rights to charge fees to recover their costs in administering the VHR ordinance, including staff time for accounting, planning, building department, administration, code enforcement and other costs.

The International Ski Federation (FIS) and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) announced today that Squaw Valley will host an Audi FIS World Cup in March 2017, consisting of a women’s giant slalom on Friday, March 10 and a women’s slalom on Saturday, March 11. The event will mark the return of World Cup ski racing to California for the first time in 19 years.

Our home of beautiful South Lake Tahoe is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the world. With around 4.3 million visitors in 2011, as well as certain main events and holidays where our city's population doubles and even triples. With this nonstop tourism occurring throughout South Lake Tahoe, it only makes sense to have a “downtown” area, which is what the loop road will provide. Despite the concerns of how the loop road will hurt our community, there are a lot of long term social and environmental benefits involved in this project.

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The cast and crew of South Tahoe High School's Rumors is celebrating another successful production of their highly acclaimed Theater Arts Department. Under the tutelage of STHS Theater Director Nannette "Liz" Niven, the Neil Simon play opened Thursday night to a packed house, and they expect more of the same during the next four shows.

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The following is the ski, snowboard and weather report for Saturday, March 12, 2016 for South Lake Tahoe brought to you by Lake Tahoe SkiBum.

Lake Wind advisory in effect from 4:00 a.m. to noon
Winter Storm Warning from in effect from 4:00 p.m. Saturday to 11 a.m. Monday
Flood Watch in place until 6:00 p.m. Sunday

The South Shore of Lake Tahoe is divided by lines. These state, county, and city lines work well on a map, but they do not define the day-to-day reality of the people who live and work in this community. In the last decade we have seen definitive projects reshape South Shore – Heavenly Village, Lakeview Commons, Harrison Avenue Streetscape. We have seen new bike trails and the opening of a bi-state park.

Ask Henry:

It’s Responsible Pet Owners Month so I wanted to share my top ten things you need to do to be a responsible pet owner.

1) Being a responsible pet owner starts before you even get a pet. Make sure you pick a breed that fits with your lifestyle. Do you live in an apartment? If so I wouldn’t rush out and get a Great Dane. Always consider adopting from a shelter, there are so many animals looking for their forever homes. If you must go with a breeder make sure they are reputable!

While vacation rental scams are nothing new in South Lake Tahoe, law enforcement has seen an increase in their numbers.

The public has been on a long journey with the Tahoe Transportation District over the US50/South Shore Community Revitalization project, one that has followed twisted roads and endured roadblocks and detours.

Now it appears the project, also known as the Loop Road, is on the back straightaway, approaching the final turn and homestretch.

We're at the beginning of another new year and a lot of us use this day to reflect upon the last 365 days and look forward to the next. The lists of annual resolutions are made, but how may of us actually stick to them?

The New Year's resolutions are a bit like babies: They're fun to make but extremely difficult to maintain. According to Health magazine, each January roughly one in three Americans resolve to better themselves in some way. A much smaller percentage of people actually make good on those resolutions.

Many of us have contributed to local school sports teams by buying candy bars, raffle tickets or attending fundraiser dinners, but how many of us have bought soap for ourselves, provided for a needy child in Africa at the same time we're also supporting the teams?

Winter is here and that means more family and friend gatherings inside the home. Whether in the kitchen, near the fireplace or stove, it’s always a good idea to brush up on home safety tips.

Before we gather around the fireplace or stove, remember these important safety tips:

• Have a qualified professional install stoves, chimney connectors, and chimneys.
• Stoves should have the label of an independent testing laboratory.
• In wood stoves, burn only dry, seasoned wood. In pellet stoves, burn only dry, seasoned wood pellets.

The recent reversal of sign ordinance fees reflects on the poor leadership of South Lake Tahoe’s government. After an eruption of dissent from the business community, the City had to reverse its onerous sign permit fees and acquiesce to the demands of the business community.

October is pumpkin spice and jack o lanterns and crisp mornings and pink ribbons. It is Halloween and homecoming and races “for the cure”. For people like me, with metastatic breast cancer, it is “Pinktober” and a reminder that we will never be cured, because despite 30 years of awareness and fundraising, 40,000 Americans still die every year from metastatic breast cancer, just as many as died in 1970.

The South Lake Tahoe community is doing what they do best, helping out others when needed.

With the Butte Fire forcing hundreds out of their homes while destroying over a hundred of them, and burning tens of thousands of acres, people in that community are in need of assistance.

Enter into the picture Monica Nichols and dozens of other locals as they spearheaded a donation drive and are now taking them into the burn area.

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.

Most teens start school too early in the morning, which deprives them of the sleep they need to learn and stay healthy, a new study says.

The American Academy of Pediatrics last year urged middle schools and high schools to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. in order to allow teens — who are biologically programmed to stay up later at night than adults — to get the recommended 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep each night.

There is nothing quite like rich mahogany reflecting off the pure blue waters of Lake Tahoe, and there will be plenty of it to see as over 85 of the world's rarest wooden boats come to the Tahoe Keys Marina as part of the 8th Annual Wooden Boat Classic this weekend.

Each year, over 3,000 people walk through the boat slips, checking out the rare boats. There will be music, wine, food and vendors to enjoy as well. The Wooden Boat Classic brings together the fascinating and priceless history behind these elegant machines.

If you have ever been a part of fantasy football, you know the intensity that surrounds the draft. There is strategy, grief, mouthing off, gloating and a whole lot of intense fun.

That was evident Wednesday during the 6th Annual SiriusXM Fantasy Football Draft held live at the Hard Rock Lake Tahoe.

Twelve celebrities and SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio hosts spent two hours filling their rosters for the 2015 football season.

Actor/comedian Rob Riggle had the first draft pick and took Jamaal Charles of the Kansas City Chiefs.

The controversial bill that would give California one of the country's strictest vaccination laws headed on Monday to Gov. Jerry Brown's desk, with supporters urging him to sign it and opponents promising to stand vigil around the clock to convince him to veto it.

On Monday, a majority of the California state Senate again passed Senate Bill 277, incendiary legislation that would require almost all schoolchildren to be fully vaccinated in order to attend public or private school, regardless of their parents' personal or religious beliefs.

The only exception would be for medical reasons.