Prevention

There are several choices for South Lake Tahoe voters in Tuesday's primary election.

Local Issues and Offices
El Dorado County Supervisor: Kevin Brown, Kenny Curtzwiler, Gerri Grego, Sue Novasel, Teresa Piper, Angela Swanson

Assessor - Karl Weiland

Auditor/Controller - Michael Owens, Joe Horn

District Attorney - Judson Henry, Vern Pierson

Recorder Clerk/Registrar of Voters - Chris Amaral, Bill Schultz

Sheriff - John D'Agostini

Surveyor - Rich Briner

Treasurer/Tax Collector - Ron Briggs, C.L. Raffety

Death by drug overdose has tripled from 1990 to 2008. In 2008, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 36,450 people died from a drug overdose and 75% of overdoses were prescription drug related. Of the prescription drug-related deaths in 2008, the CDC reports 74% were opiate prescription drugs.

The facts are startling, and, for lack of a better work, sobering. Studies show that 11% of all alcohol consumed in the U.S. is done so by youth aged 11 to 20, below the legal drinking age.

Alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug among youth in the United States, more than tobacco and illicit drugs according to the Center for Disease Control, and is responsible for more than 4,300 annual deaths among underage youth.

The 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that among high school students, during the past 30 days:

39% drank some amount of alcohol.
22% binge drank.

A free public forum is being held by the Lake Tahoe Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinating Committee on the north shore next week.

WHEREAS, mental illness will affect nearly one in five adults and children in a given year, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status, or religion; and

WHEREAS, mental health is essential to the overall health of every individual and our community; and

WHEREAS, mental health conditions are real and prevalent in our County with many individuals experiencing times of difficulty and stress in their lives; and

The Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District recently held a recognition and promotional ceremony at MontBleu Resort.

Fourteen firefighters were recognized with service awards, including 20 year veterans Battalion Chief Jim Antti and Captain Chuck Salerno.

“Fire Chief Ben Sharit challenged 20 new firefighters and staff members to continue the important work we do every day in our community,” says Eric Guevin, Fire Marshal spokesperson for the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District.

Incidents of human trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) are becoming more prevalent in the County of El Dorado and more and more common throughout the country.

From 2010 to 2012, the El Dorado County Health & Human Services Agency (HHSA) was aware of 3 CSEC cases. From 2013 to present, HHSA is aware of 15 additional CSEC cases, most of which are children in the foster care and/or probation system.

It will cost boaters $10 more to have their boat inspected prior to being launched in Lake Tahoe this summer.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Governing Board approved the fee update for the watercraft inspection program to help sustain boater services after a reduction in their federal funding.

The changes the TRPA approved this week:

* The decontamination fee will increase from $25 to $35 dollars only charged to boaters who don’t arrive at the inspection station Clean, Drained and Dry. All other fees will remain the same.

In order to keep you informed, your police department will be compiling a monthly “Report to the Community.” This report will provide the latest information about crimes and give some crime prevention tips that might help us be a safer and more secure community. In January, we completed our annual Uniform Crime Report. Details about the Uniform Crime Reporting system along with searchable databases about crime nationally, in California, other cities, and South Lake Tahoe can be found at http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/ucr

Are you concerned with South Lake Tahoe’s party and drug culture and want to help decide how a new grant can be used to create lasting change in our community? Be a part of the solution and join other community members who want to provide change around drinking and drug use for youth in our community.

Twenty-eight area nonprofits were awarded $85,000 in donations from the 2013 American Century Championship. In a ceremony on Thursday, the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority distributed the checks through funds raised during the annual celebrity golf tournament.

Long time Tahoe RCD employee Kim Boyd was recently promoted to District Manager. Mrs. Boyd has extensive experience in resource management and project implementation in and around the Lake Tahoe Basin. From her beginnings as an Environmental Scientist in 2001, Ms. Boyd led core Tahoe RCD projects involving backyard conservation, terrestrial invasive weeds, and ecosystem restoration.

On October 1, boat inspections will move to select launch ramps and winter hours will begin. Tahoe RCD (Resource Conservation District) inspectors will be stationed at Cave Rock and Lake Forest boat launches from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week, weather permitting. Boats with attached Lake Tahoe wire inspection seals and valid Tahoe inspection stickers will be permitted to launch during these times, but any unsealed boats are required to get an inspection during daylight hours.

October 20-26, 2013 is National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week

Lead is highly toxic and can harm your child’s brain, causing lifelong learning and behavior problems. Children under age six are most at risk for lead poisoning, but there are also significant health risks for adults, newborns and pregnant women too.

Lead dust in the home is caused by chipping, peeling, flaking or deteriorating lead-based paint. Lead dust is not the same as household dust. Lead dust is often invisible, heavier, and stickier. It can be present in even the cleanest of homes.

Barton Wellness Lecture, “Back Pain: Prevention & Treatment” - Dr. Michael Fry & Dr. Peter Costa
September 19 from 6:00 – 7:00p.m.
Lake Tahoe Community College, Room A208 (1 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, CA)
- Find out what treatment options are available for low back pain
- Learn why back pain may be associated with leg pain
- Why surgery may or may not be right for you
- Find out what exercises you can do that can help strengthen your back and relieve your pain

September's Barton Wellness Lecture is “Men’s Health – Live and Love Longer” presented by Dr. Paula Crenshaw.
The lecture will be on Sept. 4 from 6 to 7 p.m. at Kahle Community Center (295 Kingsbury Grade, Stateline, Nev.)
Learn:

-How to help prevent heart disease and why does it strike earlier in men?
-Eating well, when all you want is steak.
-New evidence in prevention of cancer.
-Prostate cancer-new advice on screening, prevention and treatment.
-Keeping your sex life healthy.

UPDATE: Beginning Monday, July 1, fire restrictions will go into effect in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Campfires and charcoal barbecues will be restricted to designated recreation sites, and other fire-related activities will be prohibited until the end of fire season.

“Weather patterns this winter and spring are similar to conditions in 2007, the year of the Angora Fire,” said Fire Prevention Officer, Beth Brady. “Even with the rain we have received, at this point, it won’t alleviate this summer’s high risk of wildfires.”

National recognition has been given to the Lake Tahoe Aquatic Invasive Species watercraft inspection program once again, this time for the excellence of the public outreach campaign used to educate boaters about the program.

The campaign, directed by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and Tahoe Resource Conservation District, received a Silver Anvil award Thursday from the Public Relations Society of America—the nation’s most prestigious public relations award.

You've heard about the dangers of too much sun exposure and the need to use sunscreen. Still, you love the great outdoors and wouldn't miss a day of playing in the sun. Sunscreen? That is an afterthought. Or your prom or some other significant event is coming up so you opt for a tanning booth thinking….just this once. If any of these scenarios describes you, you may be setting yourself up for skin cancer.

U.S. Representatives from California and Nevada have introduced legislation that would add quagga mussels to the national list of invasive species.

Considered one of the biggest threats to Lake Tahoe among other lakes and reservoirs, this listing would give federal agencies greater ability to prevent the spread of the invasive species.

The legislation, H.R. 1823, Protecting Lakes Against Quagga Act of 2013, was introduced Thursday by Reps. Mike Thompson, CA-5, Joe Heck, NV-3, and Mark Amodei, NV-02.

Fire fuel reduction plans and forest thinning projects amounting to about 10,000 acres around South Lake Tahoe have been approved by the Lahontan Regional Water Board. Plans will get underway this summer with efforts lasting anywhere between eight to 10 years, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

The large-scale project has been in the works since the 2007 Angora fire where 254 homes burned.
The following is a joint news release from the U.S. Forest Service and the Lahontan Board.

Several Lake Tahoe area nonprofit organizations and agencies will receive financial aid this year through partnerships announced Monday by the United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra.

The partnerships are aimed to address issues identified in each of the Lake Tahoe area communities, said Karen Barsell, CEO and president of United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s Governing Board approved an annual update to the Aquatic Invasive Species Watercraft Inspection Program during their January meeting on Wednesday. The approval keeps nearly all boater fees the same and improves efficiency of service at watercraft inspection stations around the Lake Tahoe Basin in an effort to keep the $1.4 million inspection program in the black, according to agency officials.

With cold weather upon us, the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit reminds residents to use caution when disposing of woodstove or fireplace ashes. Ashes can remain live and capable of starting a fire for several days, even when they appear to be out.