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Permits for fuelwood are going on sale early this year due to anticipated fire restrictions which would prohibit cutting days this summer.

The permits go on sale Wednesday, April 15 at the U.S. Forest Service Supervisor's office located at 35 College Drive in South Lake Tahoe.

Beaches, parks, trailheads, campgrounds and popular Lake Tahoe viewing areas will start opening on April 1 for the 2015 season, almost two months ahead of schedule.

A mild winter has allowed the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) to start opening the popular areas but they won't be fully opened since they won't be fully staffed until closer to summer.

St. Patrick's Day not only bring to mind shamrocks, leprechauns, pots of gold and good luck. March 17 also brings to mind green beer, Irish whiskey and heavy drinking.

4:11 pm 3/1/15 Update from Jeff Munson, CarsonNow.org:

Six people were injured in a weather related head-on crash Saturday morning on Highway 50 near Zephyr Cove, a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper said. One woman remains in serious condition.

The accident was reported at 8:48 a.m. and involved a Toyota Camry, occupied by five people, three males and two females, and a Volvo, driven by a Carson City resident.

According to NHP Trooper Daniel Lopez, the Camry was going eastbound on Highway 50 and crossed over into the westbound lane, striking the Volvo head-on, said Lopez.

No matter which alternative is chosen to address the aging Echo Summit bridge, there will be an impact to South Lake Tahoe.

The 76-year old portion of Highway 50 over Echo Summit that is being considered for either replacement or rehabilitation is actually three spans of a bridge, much of which is cracking, spalling or rusting.

Last summer's flash floods in Douglas County caused $927,205 in damage, far below the federal minimum of $3,753,710 needed in order to receive federal assistance.

While Douglas County Emergency Management had requested that due to the close timing of these events (July 20, July 30, Aug. 6 and Aug. 11) the state consider combining all damage under one event, FEMA regulations do not allow for combining damage costs of multiple events.

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.

The Forest Service needs to fill many temporary and seasonal positions are available in several areas including fire, fisheries, wildlife, botany, visitor services, roads and trails, recreation and wilderness, and vegetation and timber management as well as the Pathways summer internship.

There will be a job fair to help fill those jobs on January 27, 2015, from 4 to 6 p.m., at the Forest Supervisor’s Office at 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, Calif. 96150.

The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team would like to remind everyone that extra precautions need to be taken while traveling during the winter. Along with potential hazardous road conditions, motorists can expect extreme delays due to snow conditions or accidents. We recommend following these tips to ensure a safe trip to your destination:

· Ensure that your vehicle is stocked with extra warm clothing, food, water, a shovel and other survival supplies in case you become stuck on a mountain road.
· Make sure that your gas tank is full before leaving on any trip.

The following is a recap of activity the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to for the week of December 19 to December 25, 2014. They responded to 139 calls during the 7 day period.

Calls Resulting in Arrests:

12/19
DUI in the 1100 block of Heavenly Village Way
Drunk in Public in the 1000 block of Tata Lane
Drunk in Public in the 800 of Emerald Bay Rd
DUI in the 600 block of Tahoe Keys Blvd

12/20
DUI in the 900 block of Ski Run Blvd
Trespassing in the 4000 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd

In the United States, 31% of all traffic fatalities involve drunk driving which means 10,322 people are killed by drunk drivers annually, with 802 of those in California alone.

With holiday parties and festive occasions, more people will be drinking that during a normal week.

There have been many environmental efforts to help keep Lake Tahoe blue over the last few decades, from stormwater treatments to the banning of two stroke engines. It's long been known that road runoff is the last remaining big culprit.

The holiday season has arrived. As Americans prepare for travel and festivities with family and friends, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wants to remind all drivers that it’s dangerous to drive after drinking. You have to choose your role before drinking begins: will you drink or will you drive? Remember, even if you only have a little bit to drink and think you’re “okay to drive,” you could still be over the legal limit, because Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving.

State Route 28 on the East Shore of Lake Tahoe from Incline Village to the intersection with Highway 50 is set to receive $12.5 million in improvements.

The Washoe County Commissioners approved a Federal Lands Access Program Memorandum of Agreement for federal funding for the design and construction of the improvements.

In January of 2015, all undocumented workers in California will have their first chance to have a driver's license. The California legislature passed Assembly Bill 60 in 2013 and since then, officials have been preparing the processes people will need to follow.

Under the bill, all undocumented workers living in California 16 years of age or older can receive driver’s licenses if they complete driver’s education and training, and also pass California’s written and driving tests.

Free public fire wood gathering will again be available at the Wrights Lake Recreation Area on the Eldorado National Forest to this weekend, November 8-9. “This weekend’s weather forecast is favorable,” stated Richard Thornburgh, Pacific District Ranger. “We feel this is a perfect opportunity to continue cleaning up the area by allowing people to take home free firewood.” The Recreation Area was hit by a severe wind storm almost a year ago, causing more than 200 trees to fall.

The public can get free firewood at the Wrights Lake Recreation Area on October 25-26 and November 1-2 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Portions of the area inside the El Dorado National Forest will be open to the public for woodcutting on both weekends. Woodcutters will be issued a free permit on site.

“The Forest Service is looking forward to a safe and successful wood cutting event. Please help us clean up this popular recreation area,” stated Richard Thornburgh, Pacific Ranger District Ranger.

Highway 80 has been reopened to four lanes this evening as firefighters continue to fight the Applegate Fire which had caused three lanes to be closed since Wednesday.

It is still unknown how the fire started but it has been listed as suspicious in nature. The fire has burned 420 acres as of Thursday evening and is now 25% contained. Firefighters worked in steep and rugged terrain to get the containment line in place. There are 1,419 personnel on the scene with air tanker support from the U.S. Forest Service.

The Forest Service announced today that they are re-opening some popular recreation areas near the King Fire area. The Rubicon Jeep Trail, Wrights Lake, Desolation Wilderness and the east side of Ice House Road are now open to the public.

“Although fire crews have nearly contained the King Fire, it is still active, and there are a lot of firefighting resources still in the area,” said Laurence Crabtree, the USFS Forest Supervisor. “I intend to open more of the Forest to the public as soon as it is safe to do so.”

TahoeChamber has endorsed seven candidates for the upcoming election that best portray the values and abilities necessary to serve the South Shore business community. As directed by the TahoeChamber Board of Directors, the TahoeChamber Candidate Endorsement Committee (TC-CEC) used the pillars of the Chamber’s adopted Tahoe Future A South Shore Community Vision 2020 as the foundational criteria for evaluating candidates. The pillars include Economic Vitality, Quality of Life, Sustainability, Infrastructure and Intellectual Capital.

9/28/14 10:00 p.m. update: 4,420 firefighters and support staff are still on the scene of the 97.099 acre King Fire which is now 89% contained.

After 4 days of precipitation with accumulations of 1-3 inches, fire spread has been halted, however heat remains in the heavier fuels and in the heavy duff sheltered from the rain under the dense timber canopy. As the weather turns warm and dry over the next several days, expect to see an increase in fire activity and smoke production; however spread potential is extremely low, doe to the successful suppression efforts.

The 12th Annual Tour de Tahoe – Bike Big Blue is being held on Sunday, September 6. The participating cyclists are taking off from the parking lot of MontBleu every 15 minutes between 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. and riding clockwise around Lake Tahoe back to MontBleu.

For people not wanting to ride all 72 miles there is a 35 mile Boat and Bike where participants ride the Tahoe Queen from the Ski Run Marina to the North Shore at 7:15 a.m. From there they will ride clockwise back to the South Shore.

Ever wonder what the beach or roads look like before you head out for the day? Traveling to South Lake Tahoe and want to see a live shot of what the beautiful area looks like? That is now possible by simply logging on the the Lake Tahoe Visitor's Authority website and opening your own portal to Tahoe.

"Six live high definition cameras called were installed at various Tahoe South locations with the intent to inspire and engage ,fans to share breathtaking images with the world," according to the LTVA.

Flood recovery measures are being taken in the Fish Springs area of Douglas County after Wednesday night's flash flood closed several roads and damaged homes.

According to the Douglas County Sheriff's office, this incident produced hazardous conditions due to the amount of water and dark evening hours which created safety concerns and inhibited immediate damage assessment.

The Reverse 911 was down in Douglas County so emergency messages had to be relayed through the National Weather Service, which is the backup system. Reverse 911 should be back up and working by August 15.