state of california

For the past several months there has been no official SLEDNET servicing the South Shore, and today it was announced that the drug task force that has been serving the community since 1988 has dissolved.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) will step up their pedestrian safety enforcement operations during the month of September as part of “California Pedestrian Safety Month.”

With a rapidly increasing number of pedestrians being killed and injured on roadways in the state of California, the Senate passed a resolution to bring attention to the 813 pedestrians killed on California roadways in 2015 alone. This was nearly 25 percent of all roadways deaths in the state, up from 17 percent just ten years earlier.

The upper portion of Ski Run Blvd. in South Lake Tahoe was transformed into a massive water slide and block party on Saturday, courtesy of Tahoe Regional Young Professionals (TRYP) and Slide the City.

By looking at the faces of those descending down the water covered inflatable tarp, and hearing their squeals of delight, this event will become an annual occurrence on the South Shore.

"This was so awesome," said one young participant who was on his 10th slide of the day. The cost was $15 per run, $30 for three runs, or $45 for the whole day.

The Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee was created by the El Dorado County Supervisors to address taxation, cultivation, medical marijuana and other issues surrounding the use and distribution of the drug in the county.

For months the operators of taxicabs in South Lake Tahoe have said the regulations they have to abide by when operating in the City limits were unfair since app-based rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft didn't have to follow the same controls.

After Tuesday's City Council meeting, the cabs and rideshares will now be on a more level playing field with less regulation.

The "cabbies" at the meeting all left happy with the 5-0 vote of the Council to reduce the number of regulations they once had to abide by, and with a new ordinance created through group meetings with both sides.

Tens of thousands of people will be enjoying the Lights on the Lake fireworks show over Lake Tahoe Monday, most of them unaware of the hundreds of hours of work put into their enjoyment.

"We love out job," said Zambelli Fireworks Western Region Project Manager John Hagan. "We can use explosives to make people happy."

Zambelli is the company hired to produce the 25 minute pyrotechnic show over Lake Tahoe on July 4, starting at 9:45 p.m.

A flea from a Yellow pine chipmunk in the Tahoe area has tested positive for plague according to El Dorado County health officials. The flea was sampled from one of three rodents trapped in the Fallen Leaf Campground area during routine plague surveillance May 18, 2016.

Rain or shine, the Food Bank of El Dorado County returns to South Lake Tahoe with their free monthly Farmers Market & Mobile Food Pantry distribution on Wednesday, May 25 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the American Legion Hall located at 2748 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

The Food Bank of El Dorado County will bring their mobile food pantry to South Lake Tahoe on Wednesday, April 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the American Legion located at 2748 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

One allocation of emergency supplemental groceries will be given per qualifying household. Those who are struggling to make ends meet, live in El Dorado County and meet the State of California Health and Social Services Agency Emergency Food Assistance Program income guidelines may stop by for food distribution. Income guidelines can be found online at www.dss.cahwnet.gov/efap/.

The Food Bank of El Dorado County will be back in South Lake Tahoe at the American Legion Hall on Wednesday, March 23 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. to distribute food to those in need of emergency supplemental groceries.

They are also looking for volunteers from the community to assist from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Volunteers will be assisting in handing out food and signing people in. If you, or someone you may know, are interested in volunteering please contact them at (530) 621-9950 or by email at volunteer@foodbankedc.org.

South Lake Tahoe community members in need of help filling their cupboards are welcome to head over to the American Legion Hall on Wednesday, February 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. for the Food Bank of El Dorado County's monthly visit.

With the ever-changing and rapidly evolving technology around us, dating practices and expectations have changed. Nowadays, there are a myriad of communication mediums to balance including texting, sharing photos and videos, various social media apps, and actual face-to-face interactions. As a result, adolescents have adopted these enhanced dating expectations which shift signs of care and affection away from traditional Friday night movie date to a constant stream of selfies, texts, emojis, and virtual relationship statuses. Teen Dating Violence (TDV) is growing as fast as technology.

For many years, the Rotary Club of South Lake Tahoe has given away a car during their annual Great Car Raffle, but that tradition has come to an end.

Club President Dave Jinkens announced Wednesday that the raffle doesn't raise the money needed to give away almost $50,000 annually to the community through scholarships, donations and grants.

There are two reasons Jinkens said the club had to abandon the raffle. After buying a car and covering the cost of the raffle, proceeds weren't what they once were and they've had to start dipping into reserves to meet donation requests.

Some have jobs. Some have families. Some are recent high school graduates. Some are retired military. Some are college graduates. They are all future firefighters.

One month into the new school year, 33 men and women are part of the tenth class of firefighters being trained at the Lake Tahoe Community College's program, the Lake Tahoe Basin Fire Academy. This year's class started with 36 students, but some find out early on how physically demanding the program is and they find it isn't for them.

Seven of the eight candidates for the four open seats of the Tahoe Paradise Resort Improvement District (TPRID) Board of Directors were at Thursday's meeting and candidate's forum. The election will be held on November 3.

Vying for the two seats with a two-year term are Jan Roman-Gonzales, incumbent Joseph Cardinale, incumbent Peter Nelligan and Frank Jones.

Candidates for the two seats with a four-year term are incumbent Victor Babbitt, incumbent Judy Klot, Diane Verwoest and Brandi Jordan-Griffith.

Jordan-Griffith did not attend the forum due to a case of the flu.

The Rough Fire burning in the mountains east of Fresno, CA has consumed over 77,000 acres as of Wednesday morning, making it the largest active fire in the state of California.

Smoke from this large fire has made it way up to Lake Tahoe and the Carson Valley, creating hazy skies along with a faint smell of smoke.

South Lake Tahoe Fire Chief Jeff Meston made a presentation Tuesday, asking for an alteration to the Cal Tahoe JPA agreement for City provided ambulance services.

Meston wants the City to remain a part of the JPA, but hand over ambulance duties to Lake Valley Fire Protection District (LVFPD).

The Grand Jury investigated several allegations surrounding voter elected El Dorado County Auditor/Controller Joe Harn, including the fact that he lost the county more than $3.5 million due to incomplete paperwork submitted to the State of California.

The Grand Jury also found that Harn is guilty of disrespectful and harassing behavior toward others. One member of the Board of Supervisors told them, "Everybody knows Joe Harn is a bully. They have known it for twenty years.”

With the state of California mired in its fourth year of drought and a mandatory 25 percent reduction in water usage in place, reports of water theft have become common.

In April, The Associated Press reported that huge amounts of water went missing from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and a state investigation was launched. The delta is a vital body of water, serving 23 million Californians as well as millions of farm acres, according to the Association for California Water Agencies.

If you've ever driven by South Tahoe Middle School just as the kids get to school, or as they depart, you know what an unsafe area it can be for students on bikes and on foot. Because of this, the Lake Tahoe Unified School District secured a $154,000 grant from the TRPA On Our Way program to work with the Lake Tahoe Sustainability Collaborative to conduct outreach and develop a connectivity and mobility plan for the area.

The Food Bank of El Dorado County will be in South Lake Tahoe with its Mobile Food Pantry on Wednesday, April 22nd from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the American Legion Hall to distribute emergency supplemental groceries to those who need it most.

Heavenly Mountain Resort added summertime activities to the top of the gondola last summer but that was only the beginning if the Epic Discovery Project gets approval from the necessary agencies.

People in the Lake Tahoe/Carson Valley region will now have access to a designated trauma center following approval today by the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors.

Barton Memorial Hospital has been designated a Level III trauma center which makes it only one of two in El Dorado County and just one of four for the state of California.

Even though Mother Nature has been blessing the state of California with plenty of rain, the Sierra Nevada are still in need of a big snow storm to start their way out the drought.

Rain and snow mix in South Lake Tahoe all day Friday has yet to bring in measurable snowfall but snow is still expected through Saturday so there is still a chance.