schools

The beginning of the school can be as hectic for parents as it is for kids due to the amount of paperwork to fill out and items to be purchased. Much of the class time on those first few days is filled with teachers collected those completed forms, sending kids to purchase gym clothes, school pictures, check out Chrome Books, and more. For the first time, both South Tahoe High and South Tahoe Middle Schools are holding "KickStart" day on Thursday, August 25 to alleviate some of those tasks. There will be a series of stations for students and parents to navigate through.

Don Baldwin will portray John Muir, at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park on Wednesday, August 24, at 6:30 pm.

Known as "John of the Mountains", Muir was a Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada of California, have been read by millions. Muir’s activism helped to preserve the Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park and other wilderness areas.

Location

Officials from the Oakland Raiders met with Northern lawmakers on Wednesday to pitch their plan to relocate to Las Vegas, including a new stadium and possibly holding training camp in Reno.

The Raiders have expressed interest in moving from Oakland and have publicly stated a desire to move to Las Vegas, but want a new stadium as part of the package. Las Vegas billionaire Sheldon Adelson's Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Majestic Realty Co. have been courting the team, and a plan has been released that would call for $750 million in public funding.

Marijuana Brownie Incident - During the last weekend of July, a group of women visited South Lake Tahoe for a bachelorette party. During the visit, the women willfully ingested marijuana brownies they obtained through a ride-share company. Within a few hours, 10 of the women were taken to the emergency room in South Lake Tahoe. Eight of the ten were later admitted to the hospital for treatment. While many would have you believe marijuana is a harmless drug, those of us in the public safety arena have seen increases in medical emergencies from marijuana ingestion.

The Douglas County School District has found a buyer for the old Kingsbury Middle School which had been on the market since 2012. The school board voted to accept a $3.15 million offer on the property from Lake Parkway LLC, a corporation listed in Zephyr Cove, Nev.

DCSD closed Kingsbury Middle School on 1900 Echo Drive in Stateline in the 2008-2009 school year due to low enrollment at the schools at the lake. The school site had an original price tag of $4 million.

"This is wonderful news," said DCSD Board President Ross Chichester.

A proposed redevelopment plan for Squaw Valley would include affordable employee housing, new infrastructure including roads and fire safety, as well as environmental improvements according to Squaw Valley Ski Holdings, LLC. They have kicked off and effort to communicate with the public and gain support through "Squaw Tomorrow" for what is being called the Village at Squaw Valley redevelopment project.

Heavenly Mountain Resort has created Epic Discovery Kids, a program offering free access to Heavenly’s new Epic Discovery summer activities to 2,000 kids from Lake Tahoe schools and non-profits as well as regional non-profits.

For two weeks every year, Lake Tahoe area commuters, students and recreational riders get on their bikes instead of in the cars to get to where they need to go. This year's event started on June 1 and goes until June 14 so there are just a few days to make your bike rides count.

In addition to all the other reasons to participate (including that it is fun & free), the data collected goes to help show the need for bicycle paths and other infrastructure when we apply for grants and other funding.

During the past three days, students from South Lake Tahoe schools have been participating in Bike to School days as part of the two-week Tahoe Bike Challenge.

At South Tahoe Middle School, students rose to the occasion and came out in big numbers on their bikes each day.

Each participant received a raffle ticket for each day they rode to school. 15 students were drawn daily for a plethora of prizes including Amgen Tour of California shirts and hates, bike reflectors, bells and lights, gift bags and more.

Volunteers are needed by the California Highway Patrol for two of their programs on the South Shore, Senior Volunteers and Explorers.

The Senior Volunteer Program provides senior adult men and women the opportunity to
volunteer their time to assist CHP employees in the performance of their duties.
This assistance enhances the Department’s ability to provide safety, service, and security for all Californians.

El Dorado County Public Health and school officials are reminding parents of a new California school immunization law, SB 277 that went into effect January 1, 2016. The law eliminates exemptions based on personal beliefs, including religious beliefs, for the vaccines that are currently required for entry into child care or school, kindergarten through grade 12.

There will be three open seats on the Lake Tahoe Unified School District Board of Education this fall when voters head to the polls on November 8, 2016.

Governed by a team of five members, only Board President Barbara Bannar and member Ginger Nicolay-Davis are not up for re-election. Seats held by incumbents Adam Jones, Dr. Michael Doyle and Dr. Larry Green will be on the ballot.

Adam Jones, who represents Trustee Area #1, was appointed to the Board in March 2015 following the resignation of Sue Novasel.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency presented Lake Spirit Awards to four people who possess a strong personal commitment to preserving Lake Tahoe at today’s Governing Board meeting.

The Lake Spirit Awards honor people making real progress at restoring Lake Tahoe. Created in 2011, the awards are a way to recognize those individuals whose passion for Tahoe results in progress and environmental improvements.

During their April 19 meeting, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Lake Tahoe Unified School District’s Safe Routes to School Master Plan. With this approval, the Supervisors support plans to improve pedestrian and bicycle access and safety around Lake Tahoe schools through infrastructure upgrades, education and encouragement programs, and better enforcement of traffic laws.

The Barton Foundation has $50,000 to give away in grant funding to groups in the South Lake Tahoe area who work to improve community health.

During their annual grant cycles, Barton provides funds to programs and organizations, and this year they will award grants to those who address mental health, substance abuse, and access to healthcare services.

Lake Tahoe Community College was one of two colleges in the state to win national recognition from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for the team’s exemplary 2015/16 budget.

The third annual Mental Health Forum in South Lake Tahoe today brought together almost 60 people who are dedicated to helping the mental and behavioral health in the community.

Hosted by Barton Health, this year's forum participants shared the progress they've made on strategies for mental health and local service gaps that were generated during the 2015 event.

Jeanne Nelson from the South Lake Tahoe chapter of NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) was very pleased with the outcome Thursday.

The El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency is looking for individuals in the South Lake Tahoe area who could open their hearts and homes to a child in need of care. Local individuals and families are needed to serve as Resource Families, providing shelter care (up to thirty days) or full term homes (up to and over eighteen months) for foster children.

Ski areas report 13 to 19 inches of new snow on the South Shore, with 3 to 9 inches reported on the North Shore.

Schools in South Lake Tahoe are open today with bus and start times on schedule.

Incline High School is on a two-hour delay.

Tahoe Truckee School district is open with us and start times on schedule.

On the Nevada side on the South Shore, main bus stops on (Whittell High and Zephyr Cove elementary).

The Lake Tahoe Unified School District has changed the school calendar to accommodate the anticipated road closures needed for the upcoming Amgen Tour.

Due to the rolling lane closures at approximately the same time schools are let out, students will get a minimum day on Thursday, May 19, 2016.

Amgen officials said more than 350 of the world’s top male and female cyclists will challenge themselves in Lake Tahoe.

An early morning armed robbery in Camino, Calif., led to the arrest of 22-year-old Aaron Friesen of Carson City on charges of robbery, vehicle theft and on an outstanding felony warrant for domestic violence.

At 5:30 a.m. Thursday, March 10, the Wine County Station just off Highway 50 was robbed at gunpoint with the suspect getting away in a vehicle. An alert witness at the scene gave law enforcement detailed information about both the suspect and the vehicle used in the getaway.

The agenda for the Lake Tahoe Unified School District Board of Education on Tuesday, March 8 is a full one. Board members will be addressing the new state law concerning immunizations, new lights for the soccer field at South Tahoe Middle School, a conditioning room and new flooring at South Tahoe High, student privacy, finances, a 4.5% raise for employees, and discuss a tuition agreement with Douglas County Schools. The meeting begins at the District Office at 5:00 p.m. with closed session, with the public portion beginning about 6:00 p.m.

Immunizations

The boys varsity basketball teams from both high schools on the South Shore are playing in the Northern Nevada playoffs starting Thursday.

South Tahoe High boys, who are the number three seed in Northern Nevada NIAA Division 1-A, are headed to North Valleys High in Reno Thursday afternoon for their quarterfinal game against Spring Creek at 4:40 p.m. The STHS Vikings are split on the season against the Spartans with one loss, and one win.

Through a new educational program spearheaded by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and other basin partners, Lake Tahoe Unified School District students are taking full advantage of winter to learn about avalanche safety, winter animal survival and the science of snowmaking.