tips

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - Have you been cleaning out closets, homeschooling, or figuring out what to do in the weeks ahead? With residents staying home and not traveling due to the coronavirus, the Tahoe Network of Fire Adapted Communities will be sending out weekly tips on how to prepare for wildfire while inside.

This Week's Tip: Create a Go-Bag

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The threat of the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 is a scary one for all people, especially the more vulnerable citizens of the community including senior citizens.

The South Lake Tahoe Senior Center is closed but nutrition services are being provided on a "to go" basis. Those 60 and older can stop by Monday through Friday between 11:00 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. and get a hot meal to go for a $3 suggested donation. Their Meals on Wheels program serves about 80 seniors with hot meals delivered Monday through Friday.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - With the arrival of winter, El Dorado County Animal Services is reminding residents to take precautions with their pets.
“Winter in our county regularly brings freezing temperatures, frigid wind, ice and snow,” said Henry Brzezinski, Chief of El Dorado County Animal Services. “These conditions can adversely affect animals in numerous ways, and even threaten a pet’s life. A few simple steps can ensure your pet’s safety.”

LAKE TAHOE, Nev. - The incoming winter storm will not only bring with it heavy snow but also wind with gusts up to 115 mph over the crest of the Sierra.

"Safety is our top priorty," said NV Energy Director of Delivery Operations, Brian Costello. He said during these storms there is a concern for both public and staff safety with downed power lines.

NV Energy supplied electricity to the Nevada side of the Lake Tahoe Basin and to the Truckee Donner PUD. Their power lines go over the Mt. Rose Highway into Incline Village and over Kingsbury Grade into the South Shore.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - A call into "SafeVoice" about 10:00 p.m. Tuesday night outlined a specific threat to faculty and students at Douglas High School in Minden involving the use of a firearm. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) quickly responded, leading to the arrest of one juvenile for allegedly making threats against the school.

The SafeVoice Coordinator from the Nevada Division of Investigations and the DCSO resource officers worked together to quickly identify the juvenile(s) involved.

CAL FIRE firefighters are staffing up and preparing for the forecasted extreme fire weather across California. The National Weather Service has issued red flag warnings and fire weather watches for areas of northern, central and southern California. This will likely be the strongest offshore wind event so far this season.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The National Weather Service in Reno has issued a Red Flag Warning for the greater Lake Tahoe area from 11:00 a.m. to Sunday to 11:00 a.m. Monday and a Lake Wind Advisory until 5:00 p.m. Monday.

A strong cold front will bring southwest to west winds of 15 to 30 mph with gusts 35 to 45 mph beginning Sunday morning and lasting into Monday. The humidity with this front is low - minimum 8 to 18 percent Sunday afternoon, with poor recovery tonight. Minimum 15 to 25 percent early Monday.

Debbi Preston, author of 57 Dog-Friendly Trails in California's Foothills and the Sierra Nevada and "Tails" from the Trails will share her knowledge about best places to go with your best friend. In addition, she'll teach how to listen to your dog's instincts on the trail (being playful, attentive, social) and other helpful tips so both pet and pal are happy. Trails for October, November, and December outings in our area will be covered as well. Free and open to all.

Location

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A year-long fundraising effort by the staff and management at Basecamp Pizza has netted $17,250 for the Lake Tahoe Education Foundation (LTEF).

On Monday, August 12, the popular restaurants in the Heavenly Village in South Lake Tahoe presented members of LTEF with a check.

During a wildfire, small hot embers can be carried miles ahead of a wildfire. When these embers land on something easily combustible on or near your home, it is in jeopardy of burning, even if it is not in the path of the flame front. Your home can survive when the embers arrive.

The Tahoe Network of Fire Adapted Communities is sharing a list of places homes are vulnerable to embers and how to prepare your homes along with an "Ember Awareness Checklist". The numbers match those in the photo:

1. Wood Roof

Summer road trips are a well-loved tradition for many. To make sure a trip is enjoyable, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) reminds everyone that prevention and planning for summer driving may take time up front, but can spare drivers from dealing with the consequences of a breakdown or worse.

“Get your vehicle ready, plan your route, and above all, drive safely,” CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley said. “When you are the driver, your only responsibility is to keep your eyes on the road, hands on the wheel, and concentrate on the task of driving.”

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – Lake Tahoe natural resource and law enforcement agencies remind residents and visitors to practice proper food storage and trash disposal at all times while in bear country. Intentional or unintentional feeding of bears can result in unwanted bear behaviors, increased human-bear conflicts, and public safety issues, as well as fines and possible jail time for violators. Each year law enforcement and state wildlife officers respond to hundreds of calls in which bears may pose a public safety threat or are damaging property. In some cases, the bear must be euthanized.

Attend a free parenting two-night workshop, No Drama Discipline, at Lake Tahoe Community College on May 14 and 21, 2019 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

No Drama Discipline unlocks the secrets of discipline; what works and what does not, and why - and what to do when you are pulling your hair out. We will discuss the insights and techniques to make you a better parent as written by Dan Siegel and Tina Bryson in the book, No-Drama Discipline.

The good news is it can be learned!

Building resilience — the ability to adapt well to adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats and/or significant sources of stress — can help us and our children manage stress, uncertainty, and feelings of anxiety. However, being resilient does not mean that we won't experience difficulty or distress. Emotional pain and sadness are common when we have suffered major trauma or personal loss, or even when we hear of someone else's trauma.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is asking for the public's help in identifying the suspect tied to the robbery of four banks and the attempted robbery of another in recent months.

Two of those banks were in El Dorado Hills, and the others were in Davis, Yuba City, and Dixon:

- Friday, November 23, 2018, at approximately 1:55 p.m.
River City Bank located at 239 E Street in Davis

- Tuesday, November 27, 2018, at approximately 2:05 p.m.
U.S. Bank located at 903 Colusa Avenue in Yuba City

- Wednesday, January 2, 2019, at approximately 1:43 p.m.

South Lake Tahoe police officers will be part of the waitstaff at Applebee's on Friday, March 29 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. to raise money for Special Olympics Northern California.

One-hundred percent of the tips the "celebrity waiters" earn will be donated directly to Special Olympics Northern California, which provides year-round sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

LAKE TAHOE, Nev. - During the storm that hit Lake Tahoe on Saturday, February 9, several drivers decided to ignore closure signs on the Mt. Rose Highway and proceed without complying to chain requirements on the open portions. These vehicles became stuck in the heavy snowfall or stopped due to zero visibility white-out conditions, leading rescuers into what they call "life-threatening conditions."

UPDATE 1/23/19 - The suspect in the quadruple murder in Northern Nevada was in the country illegally from El Salvador when he was arrested on January 19, 2019. Tips received by law enforcement led them to Wilbur Ernesto Martinez-Guzman, and as they built a murder case they started to tail him. Immigration officials were unaware of Martinez-Guzman until those tips came in.

Officials did not want to lose the suspect and arrested him on immigration charges as the investigation continued and the murder case developed.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - The investigation into the murder of two Gardnerville, Nevada women continues and Douglas County Sheriff Dan Coverley urges the community to remain vigilant and to pay attention in their neighborhoods.

During the evening of January 9-10, 56-year-old Connie Koontz was murdered in her home on James Road and sometime in the overnight hours of January 12-13, 74-year-old Sophia Renken was also murdered in her home.

The holiday season can be a happy and joyous time, bringing family and friends together. But for some, it can be a stressful and lonely time, leading to symptoms of depression. When stress is at its peak, unhealthy behaviors, such as drinking alcohol, using drugs, and overeating, tend to take over. Though people use these behaviors to cope and escape difficult emotions, they tend to make things worse.

For 50 years the Lake Tahoe Optimist Club has been selling Christmas trees in South Lake Tahoe to raise funds for local youth.

Stop by the corner of Lakeview Avenu and Lake Tahoe Boulevard for a dose of holiday spirit seven-days-a-week. There is free popcorn and hot cocoa for the kids as you start off on that journey to find the perect tree. The annual tree lot is open from 12:00 p.m to 7:00 p.m. Monday - Friday, and 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on weekends.

The Optmists have a selection of Grand Firs, Noble Firs, Silver Tips and Douglas Fir trees.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Two storms will be hitting the Lake Tahoe Basin this week with the first expected Tuesday afternoon. The second one has prompted a Winter Storm Watch that is in effect from Wednesday evening through late Thursday night.

Heavy snow is possible with total snow accumulations in the second storm 6" to 12" under 7000 feet with 1' to 3' possible above 7000 feet. Snow level will stay above the lake Wednesday, dropping to 3500-4000 feet Friday morning.

Winds could gust as high as 65 mph over the higher terrain of the Sierra, 25-30 mph at lower elevations.

Black Friday is just days away. As the excitement of the holiday shopping season builds, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office reminds residents to stay focused on personal safety. Here are some tips to keep in mind before heading out to the stores:

First and foremost, stay alert. Do not get so caught up in the shopping frenzy that you lose awareness of your surroundings. Report suspicious activity to law enforcement or store security.

Now that we have all changed our clocks and experienced the first night of an early sunset it is time to understand what the end of Daylight Saving Time can do to drivers.

The time change may disrupt sleep patterns and affect the ability to concentrate and safely operate a motor vehicle, and to highlight the dangers of fatigued drivng, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) joins the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), and the National Sleep Foundation in recognizing Drowsy Driving Prevention Week, November 5-12, 2018.