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The Tahoe Network of Fire Adapted Communities (Tahoe Network), with generous support from the Tahoe Fund, is hosting a free virtual screening of the award-winning documentary Wilder than Wild: Fire, Forests, and the Future through the Tahoe Art Haus & Cinema from June 5 - June 11, 2020.

Wilder than Wild is a one-hour documentary that reveals how fire suppressioand climate change have exposed Western landscapes to large, high-intensity wildfires. The film goes on to explore strategies that are being developed to help mitigate the impact of these fires.

It’s difficult to find the right words. Even now, a week after the on-camera murder of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, by police officers, and all of the fallout felt nationwide, I’m still trying to understand the world, how to respond as a community leader, and how to explain it to my kids. All of the frustration, sadness, and outrage — it all seems so familiar since we’ve all been witness to these acts before, all seen and read and heard about cases of unarmed black people and other people of color killed in police custody when it was clearly avoidable.

These are odd times. We are told the best thing we can do is avoid each other and stay home if at all possible. Meanwhile, our local businesses are reopening while tourism continues to be discouraged. Whether you agree with these decisions or not, whether you believe the virus is real or not, our local businesses are struggling to get enough customers to make it worth the effort. I happen to be on the side of approaching reopening with a cautionary approach but I am also very concerned about our local businesses.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A subcontractor working at the site of a new Verizon cell tower near South Tahoe Public Utility District died Thursday after falling headfirst into a 35-foot by six-foot hole.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - City Council will hold a special meeting on Thursday, May 28 beginning at 9:00 a.m. to discuss and vote on Emergency Order Number 1, send $100,000 to the Sierra Business Council’s “Resilience Fund Tahoe," the City's reopening plans and an urgency ordinance for relaxation of certain City regulations that may assist local businesses with a successful reopening.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - When Brenda Simpkins first posted a picture on Facebook of a glass of chardonnay on her balcony with Mt. Tallac in the background, little did she know she would become a much-needed respite in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.

She posted that photo on the I Love Lake Tahoe page, gathering hundreds of "likes" and several comments about what her next drink would be. A new fan suggested a Lemon Drop would look nice on the balcony, and so it began.

As the COVID-19 pandemic made its way across the globe, a shapeless and silent pandemic, borne of fear, anxiety, and uncertainty also began to take hold. While taking care of oneself has been focused on our physical health and hygiene, it has left the mental health and emotional states for many, in limbo and for others, pushed them into crisis.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - South Tahoe High students have started a GoFundMe account to raise funds to pay the food tab at Sprouts Cafe in South Lake Tahoe.

The "pay-it-forward” fundraising efforts began with sophomores Kaya Roberts, Claire Gurner, Sophia Aronoff, and Soleil Weed. They were working on a history project about "the change we want to see in the world" and decided to do research on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Saint Joseph Community Land Trust (SJCLT) has announced a new program that seeks to preserve existing housing stock for permanently affordable, full-time homes for Tahoe Basin employees and residents. It is called the TAHOE (Tahoe Affordable Home Ownership Enabling) program.

TAHOE has been created to do three things:

1. Provide assistance to income-qualified households searching for a home in the Tahoe Basin;
2. Enable SJCLT to purchase available homes to be made available to income-qualified Tahoe Basin employees or full-time residents;

Ambiguity, uncertainty, and contradictions abound in this pandemic. Add time to the list of contradictions swirling around us. Morning and night sometimes seem a week apart. The first month of shelter‐in‐place dripped by for many of us. The second month was gone before we knew it. And now summer is fast approaching. We welcome the season because in ordinary times it can elevate our well‐being, but these are not ordinary times. With most of the attention and intensity now on reopening, the question that hangs in the balance is, are we ready? Is it the right time?

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) has selected a seasoned professional with two decades of experience in California state policy and politics to fill a critical role during unprecedented and uncertain times.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - Lake Tahoe transit providers Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) and Tahoe‐Truckee Area Regional Transit (TART) will be getting a boost from the federal government after they received word that $8.6 million form the CARES Act is headed their way. Transit services are especially critical to essential workers during this COVID crisis, the agencies said today.

These funds will help sustain free transit services for the public.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month.

One in five adolescents has had a serious mental health disorder, most commonly depression, anxiety disorders, and/or a substance use disorder. With the COVID-19 pandemic, it has only worsened symptoms of emotional distress.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - Lake Tahoe is one lake, one regional economy and one known to always come together during a crisis.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Plans for the partial reopening of South Lake Tahoe and El Dorado County are in the works, with the Board of Supervisors voting on a plan during a special meeting Friday, May 8, starting at 8:30 a.m.

During a Special City Council meeting Wednesday, the council put their support behind what the county decides so all can be on the same page and not confuse residents and visitors with separate rules.

The following is a letter sent to El Dorado County and City of South Lake Tahoe. It is published here in its entirety at the request of the author.

The South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce would like to offer encouragement and support of a revival of the local economy, while continuing to keep the health and safety of our residents in mind. Cases of COVID-19 have remained low in our region when compared to other more populated areas around the State and Nation. We applaud the quick action taken by the County and City that has helped us keep the case count low.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - City Council will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, May 6 at 9:00 a.m. with a single agenda item: Authorization of a letter signed by Mayor Jason Collin to California Governor Gavin Newsom to request approval for the City of South Lake Tahoe for its transition to Phase 2 of re-opening the County of El Dorado and City of South Lake Tahoe for individuals and businesses.

Lake Tahoe is one lake, one regional economy and we always come together during a crisis. Community members are already supporting each other in numerous ways. The Tahoe region’s three Community Foundations along with the Tahoe Prosperity Center are launching #TahoeTogether, a new campaign focused on continued coordination of efforts to support community members in need during this crisis.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - Douglas County Board of County Commissioners held a special meeting on April 29, 2020, regarding recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and economic impacts to local businesses in the county. The Board decided unanimously to deliver a letter to Governor Sisolak in support of reopening Douglas County and hand-delivered the letter in unison with community members and the Sheriff's Office at 8:30 a.m. Thursday.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The South Lake Tahoe City Council voted Tuesday to give $50,000 to local charities who supply food to locals in need to help them meet the growing demand for food during the pandemic.

Bread & Broth, Bread & Broth 4 Kids, Christmas Cheer, Phoenix Food Pantry, and the Family Resource Center will all be getting a check for $10,000 each from the City to help fill their shelves to meet the need.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The largest wetland restoration project in the history of the Lake Tahoe Basin is now underway in the Upper Truckee River Marsh. The major project to restore the marsh in South Lake Tahoe has been years in the making to fix the environmental damage done by the creation of the Tahoe Keys.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - City Council will hold a budget workshop and har from their short-term economic recovery task force during their meeting on Tuesday, April 27 starting at 9:00 a.m.

The task force made up of two councilmembers and local leaders have identified the need for the following financial assistance in order to facilitate the immediate needs of our residents and businesses and to facilitate the re-opening of the city when that time comes.

They will be presenting to Council a need for $6,151,850:

The Nevada Air Guard High Rollers will be honoring the men and women in healthcare who are battling COVID-19 by doing a flyover of Lake Tahoe and Northern Nevada area hospitals with a C-130 on Tuesday, April 28, 2020.

152nd Airlift Wing will start from its base in Reno and pass over Renown South Medical Center at noon, and for an hour pass over the following hospitals.

Carson Tahoe Hospital, Carson City - 12:07 p.m.
Carson Valley Medical Center, Gardnerville - 12:10 p.m.
Barton Memorial Hospital, South Lake Tahoe - 12:14 p.m.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Just two weeks after giving away 1,000 pounds of hamburger to the community, Overland Meat & Seafood is doing it again, and this time they brought friends!

On Monday, April 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (or until supplies last), the two long-time South Lake Tahoe businesses will be giving away two pounds of hamburger and $10 Grass Roots gift cards to each family that comes by the Overland location at 2227 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

There will also be seasoning samples from Heart Rock Herb & Spice Co.