pollock pines

Nicholas Martin Coberley, 45, of Pollock Pines, will be spending the next 27 months in prison for assault with a deadly weapon on a park ranger.

8:25 p.m. update - Traffic is starting to move over Echo Summit.

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8:00 p.m. update - Highway 50 from Meyers to Sly Park remains closed at this hour due to avalanche control. There have also been several spin-outs and other weather related issues according to and earlier Caltrans report.

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Traffic has been backed up for hours on Highway 50 as people head to South Lake Tahoe for a weekend of fresh powder. Snow, snow covered roads and chain controls have made travel slow and now the road is closed between Meyers and Pollock Pines for avalanche control.

Dead trees along Highway 50 will be removed over the next few weeks, requiring Caltrans to intermittently close portions of the road between Pollock Pines and Camino.

An emergency $3.2 million contract with Doug Veerkamp General Engineering to in response to the thousands of trees impacted by the drought and the bark beetle infestation all across California. The project in El Dorado County is one of several ongoing to address motorist safety.

On Wednesday, the El Dorado County Elections Department released more results from the November 8 election. There are still approximately 200-300 ballots remaining to count from County Supervisor District 5 which is from Pollock Pines to South Lake Tahoe and Tahoma.

"We'd like to not wait until the December 6 deadline, but there are quite a few provisional ballots left to count," said Justin Canning of El Dorado County.

All ballots must be certified 28 days after the election, hence their December 6 deadline.

For the first time since 2008, El Dorado County’s Public Housing Authority will open its Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List. The Housing Choice Voucher Rental Assistance Program (formerly known as Section 8) is funded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and provides rental assistance to income qualified individuals and families. Applicants must be United States citizens or have eligible immigration status.

Low-cost community flu vaccination clinics will start in South Lake Tahoe on September 28 and on October 5 on the West Slope.

The El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency, Public Health Nursing will be conducting the clinics through mid-November for just $10 per vaccine. No one will be denied service due to inability to pay.

Woodcutting permits on the Eldorado National Forest have been changed to allow larger standing dead conifer trees to be cut for firewood. A minimum of tTwo cords of wood can be cut for $15 per cord.

"This change in our woodcutting permits will encourage removal of potentially dangerous roadside hazard trees," said forest supervisor Laurence Crabtree. "Fire and bark beetles have left a lot of dead trees which could fall across forest roads, particularly the less traveled roads in the back country."

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help in finding a deaf woman who went missing in the Pollock Pines area back on July 8.

Kimberly Gillespie, 42, was last seen possibly walking in a rural area east of Pollock Pines. She is a white female adult, 5’2″ tall and weighs approximately 140 pounds. Kimberly has brown hair, brown eyes and has disabilities that affect her memory and mobility.

She was last seen wearing a sleeveless shirt, blue jeans and tennis shoes.

El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county.

The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at press time and the story will be updated when provided.

4/24
2:37 p.m. - Operating Motorcycle without proper license - Lake Tahoe Blvd - 37-year-old-male cited

6:00 p.m. - Manufacturing of Controlled Substance - Plum St - A BHO LAB EXPLOSION WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS OF SOUTH LAKE TAHOE. - Suspect is a 36-year-old man.

4/25

Wayne Allen Huntsman, the man charged with starting the 2014 King Fire that burned 97,700 acres in El Dorado County, will appear in court on Friday, but the day may hold more than just his pre-trial conference.

On October 27, 2015, Sue Novasel, the County Supervisor representing South Lake Tahoe, Meyers, Tahoma and Pollock Pines was served a “notice of intent to circulate a recall petition” by a group of citizens who said they are “tired of the corruption and cronyism that has plagued our county for years.” It wasn’t only Novasel, but all five of the County Supervisors, Shiva Frentzen, Ron Mikulaco, Michael Ranalli and Brian Veerkamp.

El Dorado County and its Board of Supervisors have been in full stride throughout the last year solving critical issues, making important changes to protect tax dollars and providing expanded services to the public.

3:20 p.m. update 12/13/15: Chains controls have expanded. Chains are required on all vehicles except 4WD with snow tires from 9 miles east of Placerville to 3 miles east of Pollock Pines, then snow tires or chains until 5 miles east of Kyburz where it is chains or 4WD with snow tires to Meyers.

Chains or snow tires around the lake including Spooner Summit and Kingsbury Grade.

I80 is chains or 4WD with snow tires from Nyack to Truckee. Trucks are being screened at Applegate and Nevada State Line for maximum chains in possession and permit loads are prohibited.

South Lake Tahoe Police Department officers responded to a report of an armed robbery on Friday night at 7:10 p.m. in the area of the CVS Pharmacy and Tahoe Beach Retreat Hotel on Highway 50. Two adult males reported being robbed by a man brandishing a handgun and long-bladed knife.

As they arrived, officers received other reports of the suspect firing one round after robbing two other adult men at the rear of the hotel.

Efforts to recall the five El Dorado County Supervisors were initiated at the Board's regular meeting on Tuesday, October 27 in Placerville. Sue Novasel and Michael Ranalli were served with "Notices of Intention to Circulate Recall Petitions" by local State of Jefferson organizer, Kevin McAllister.

Supervisor Brian Veerkamp was not at the Board meeting and will be served with his Notice upon his return according to the website, Save Our County. They also said the the goal is to recall all five Supervisors, including Supervisors Shiva Frentzen and Ron Mikulaco.

El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county.

The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at press time and the story will be updated when provided.

8/2

8:26 a.m. - Possession of Marijuana for Sale - Third Street - 24-YEAR-OLD MALE SUBJECT ARRESTED FOR TRANSPORTATION AND POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA FOR SALES.

Prescription Drugs are potentially dangerous when they fall into the wrong hands. The abuse of certain prescription drugs— opioids, central nervous system (CNS) depressants, and stimulants—can lead to a variety of adverse health effects, including addiction.

To get unwanted, unused and expired prescription drugs off the street, the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department will be holding a Drug Tahoe Back Day in the county on Sunday, July 12, 2015 from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at several locations.

The El Dorado County Food Bank was in South Lake Tahoe Wednesday, delivering both food from their mobile pantry and fresh produce from California Emergency Food Link.

A line of people had formed at the American Legion prior to their opening at 10 p.m. Volunteers from St Theresa’s Bread and Broth came out to help and, for the first time, U-Turn 4 Christ from Pollock Pines joined the collective outreach as volunteers to help others.

Closed since last fall's fire which burned over 97,000 acres near Pollock Pines, the King Fire area opens to the public on Saturday, April 25.

"I've decided to reopen the national forest lands in the King Fire area to the public beginning Saturday, April 25, in conjunction with the general opening of fishing season," said Forest Supervisor Laurence Crabtree. "Parts of the fire area are still hazardous, but that will continue to be true for years."

The El Dorado Chapter of the California Native Plant Society presents Before and After the Flames: Fire, Forest and Climate Change in the Sierra Nevada, a talk by Dr. Hugh D. Safford, Senior Vegetation Ecologist for the US Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Region (including California, Hawaii and Pacific Islands) and Dr. Becky Estes, ecologist with the the US Forest Service, Tuesday, January 27th, 7pm at the Planning Commission Meeting Room, Building C of the County Office Buildings, 2850 Fairlane Court in Placerville. The presentation is free and open to the public.

When reflecting over the past year it's hard to remember all that happened in one's life, unless you're good at keeping a journal and you have time to re-read it.

As I look back at what happened in South Lake Tahoe over the last 365 days, a lot happened, but what may seem to be a top story to me may not seem as important to a reader.

I reviewed our analytics, the numbers that are kept to show how many people read South Tahoe Now stories at any given point, and drew from those numbers to come up with the "South Lake Tahoe's Top Stories of 2014."

Twenty-one days after the election, the final results have now been certified by the El Dorado County elections department.

The closest race was for the three open seats for South Lake Tahoe City Council. The top vote getter was long time local Wendy David who had 18.05 % of the vote with 1727 residents feeling confident she'd represent them well. Coming in second was incumbent Tom Davis who received 1461 votes, or 15.52% of the vote. Austin Sass moved ahead of incumbent Angela Swanson and ended up with 1318 votes to Swanson's 1289, just .31% difference.

Kenny Curtzwiler – www.voteforkenny.com

I have lived, worked and enjoyed South Lake Tahoe as a resident since 1977 when I came here for a vacation and stayed on as so many have. What makes me qualified for this position?

Commitment. I have been married for 33 years, raised three children, owned a Tree Service and Roofing Company for 33 years and served for 20 years in the Nevada Army National Guard, retiring as an officer with the rank of Major. I will not go along with the status quo of cronyism and favoritism that has stifled our local economy in El Dorado County District 5.

Wayne Allen Huntsman, 37. was arrested Wednesday on felony charges of Arson on Forest land with a Special Allegation of Arson with Aggravating Factors. Law enforcement officials held a press conference Thursday at the Cal Fire base in Camino, announcing the arrest.

Huntsman is being held in lieu of $10 million bail.

Arraignment is scheduled for Friday, September 19, 2014, at 1:00 p.m. in Department 7 of the El Dorado County Superior Court in Placerville.