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Expect a windy and snowy weekend in South Lake Tahoe! Ski resorts on the South Shore had to postpone opening days, so maybe Mother Nature will be helping them out!

There is a wind advisory in place for South Lake Tahoe in advance of the winter storm headed our way. Expect winds 15-25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph overnight Friday, increasing Saturday to 20-30 mph and gusts to 55 mph. Ridgetop winds could gust up to 110 mph. Waves on the lake are expected to be 2-5' with the highest on the north and east shore.

The winds subside slightly as a winter storm moves in.

A strong, but quick, cold front is headed to Lake Tahoe on Tuesday bringing with it high winds and some snow before it heads out Wednesday evening.

The National Weather Service has issued a lake wind advisory from 10:00 a.m. Tuesday through 4:00 a.m. Wednesday. Winds will be increasing during the day Tuesday, with wind gusts growing from 15 to 25 mph in the morning to gusts of 45 mph by late in the afternoon afternoon and peaking to 50 mph as the storm enters the basin.

Ready to cut some firewood? Time is running out to do so on U.S. Forest Service land in the Lake Tahoe Basin. The last day to purchase fuelwood permit for the is on Friday, November 18 and the last day to cut wood is Sunday, November 20.

Permits cost $20 per cord, with a two-cord minimum purchase and a limit of 10 cords per household. Permits have specific conditions and complete information is provided when the permit is issued. Maps to designated cutting areas are also provided and must be in the permit holder’s possession along with the valid permit.

All candidates for South Lake Tahoe City Council were given the same questions. With just one day to go to the elections, we will be featuring their answers and a video of their interview with Tahoe Regional Young Professionals through the day.

Trey Riddle, 38 years old, Bartender, 3 years in South Lake Tahoe

Discuss your interest in serving on City Council. What is your prior experience in working with civic, community or governmental organizations?

All candidates for South Lake Tahoe City Council were given the same questions. With just one day to go to the elections, we will be featuring their answers and a video of their interview with Tahoe Regional Young Professionals through the day.

John Shearer, 49 years old, has lived in South Lake Tahoe for over 30 years and own and operate several local businesses.

Discuss your interest in serving on City Council. What is your prior experience in working with civic, community or governmental organizations?

All candidates for South Lake Tahoe City Council were given the same questions. With just one day to go to the elections, we will be featuring their answers and a video of their interview with Tahoe Regional Young Professionals through the day.

JoAnn Conner, 67, Small Business Owner, 35 years in SLT.

Discuss your interest in serving on City Council. What is your prior experience in working with civic, community or governmental organizations?

NOTE: Due to the Veteran’s Day holiday on Friday, November 11, most lane closures will not be allowed from 6L00 a.m. Thursday, November 10 until 8:00 p.m. Sunday, November 13.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

A joint law enforcement campaign in Nevada will be focusing on distracted drivers on the state's roads from November 2 to 13 in an attempt to reduce deaths caused by drivers who are texting or making phone calls while behind the wheel.

In the first half of 2016, traffic deaths in the country rose 10.4 percent over 2015, meaning 1,665 more deaths in just six months. That follows a 7 percent increase in deaths the prior year.

Chain controls are up on area roads this morning after the passing of a small storm overnight.

As of 7:00 a.m. Tuesday:
Highway 50 over Echo Summit: Chains or traction devices are required on all vehicles except four wheel / all wheel drive vehicles with snow treaded tires on all wheels from Meyers to Twin Bridges.

The Board of the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce (Tahoe Chamber) has announced its position on seven local ballot measures in the City of South Lake Tahoe and Douglas County.

Yes on Measure P

The South Lake Tahoe chapter of the Citizen's Climate Lobby recently asked all ten of the candidates their views on climate change, green buildings and our carbon footprint and how they can make a change if elected.

The Citizen's Climate Lobby is an organization focused on national policies to address climate change, and the South Lake Tahoe chapter is one of 354 in the United States and abroad.

Patricia Sussman of the local chapter said just five of the candidates responded to their questions.

$825,000 is headed to El Dorado County for help in removing trees dying from the extreme drought and related bark beetle infestations.

With an estimated 66 million dead trees in the state of California, Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency almost one year ago.

Nobody likes more taxes, but voters in South Lake Tahoe will be faced with approving a new tax that would provide funding for one of three areas that have been deemed a necessity in the community, housing, roads or facilities.

The 1/2 cent sales tax proposal is different than most as the voter gets to decide exactly how it will be spent. That works out to be five cents on every ten dollars spent on non-grocery items and would bring the sales tax in the City to 8.5 percent.

"These are needs we cannot fund without funding from the tax increase," said SLT City Manager Nancy Kerry.

There have been two more small fires around South Lake Tahoe in the last four days, the most recent Tuesday night.

On Saturday, September 24 at 6:30 p.m. there was a small wildfire on National Forest land off Park Avenue. It was approximately 20 feet by 20 feet and the cause is under investigation.

Tuesday, September 27, there was a small wildfire near the same location reported at 10 p.m. It was approximately 50 feet by 50 feet and also remains under investigation.

At the Lake Tahoe Summit last month, we saw the power of what we can accomplish when we work together. Progress over the last two decades was showcased when President Obama made his first-ever visit to Tahoe and said conservation and restoration efforts like ours are more important than ever as the nation works to adapt to a changing climate and create a more resilient environment.

When an inmate attempted to take his life earlier this year by throwing himself over a balcony with a makeshift rope around his neck, Detention Facility Deputy Michel Eubanks literally flew to the rescue, bounding up the stairs to make the rescue with the help of three inmate work crew members.

The eighth fire in ten days broke out early Wednesday morning in South Lake Tahoe, this time on Edna Street near Pioneer Trail. Just under one-half of an acre of National Forest Service land burned in the 12:30 a.m. fire which burned a short distance away from Friday's Ralph Drive fire.

Firefighters from US Forest Service, South Lake Tahoe, Lake Valley and Cal Fire all responded and got the fire under control quickly, and had the area contained with a wet line by 6:46 a.m.

Here is a breakdown of the recent fires:

Weekend free bus rides on Blue Go routes 50 and 51 will wrap up over the Labor Day weekend (September 3-5).

Leave the holiday driving to someone else, and give your wallet a break while doing so.

Tahoe Transportation District has been giving the free rides on the two main routes to have fewer cars on the roads which leads to better air quality and less congestion.

To view Routes 50 and 51, visit their website: www.tahoetransportation.org.

Donald Trump and the almost 900 attendees at Friday night's fundraising dinner at Harrah's Tahoe most likely didn't see or hear the protesters outside, but passing cars and pedestrians sure did.

A small group of protesters started standing on the corner of Stateline Avenue and Lake Tahoe Blvd at 5:00 p.m., waiving signs and chanting anti-Trump sentiments. Honks and clapping greeted the group outside, while those inside paid $200 to $500 a person to attend the 2016 Battle Ground Dinner, sponsored by the Nevada Republican Party.

Construction and maintenance work will cause day and night time traffic delays along a 45-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 50 between Camino and Echo Summit over the next three months, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has announced.

Crews will be setting up lane restrictions on the four-lane section of U.S. 50 in the Camino area and one-way traffic control on the two-lane stretch of highway over the summit. Motorists can expect up to 20-minute delays. These lane restrictions will continue through the end of November, weather permitting.

In operation in South Lake Tahoe since 1964, Tahoe Asphalt Inc. will replace their aging equipment this fall, some as old 63-years-old.

The batch plant, the only one of its kind in the Lake Tahoe Basin, was recently granted approval for their renovations by the South Lake Tahoe Planning Commission after a series of public meetings. Located on Industrial Avenue, it predates most buildings west of the "Y", but a few neighbors were concerned about the plant and what it does to the environment.

"It's going to be an interesting journey," then-TRPA director Juan Palma told Bob Mecay back in 2002. Little did Mecay know then that it would take until 2016 to see completion of that journey.

Mecay, President of Tahoe Beach Club, unveiled the end of the journey in a beachfront groundbreaking ceremony Monday in a spot that will see 143 condominium residences, a private beach club, two to five-bedroom condominiums, a private pier, lakefront clubhouse, health club, spa and pool.

A fire just off of Cameron Park Drive is causing backups on Highway 50 in the eastbound lanes. So far, what we know is that several power poles in the Burdock Road area are on fire. El Dorado County Sheriff's deputies have blocked off traffic on Cameron Park Drive heading south to Burdock.

Highway 50 has resulting traffic, my according to CHP that is a result of people watching the flames and smoke which can be seen from the road.

A 4,000 acres project in the North Lake Tahoe area is underway to thin trees in the forests to be both fire safe by reducing fuels, and to keep the forest healthy.

The latest project in the Incline Village area started last week on approximately 355 acres of National Forest System lands above Incline Village. Mechanical cut-to-length (CTL) tree removal will take place on USFS urban lots and in areas adjacent to communities over the next several months and some areas will be closed for public safety.