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Dr. Kindred Murillo, President of Lake Tahoe Community College, is one of three finalists for the Chancellor position for Contra Costa Community College District. Along with Murillo vying for the job are Eugene Huff and Dr. Fred Wood.

3:15 p.m. update from Liberty Utilities: At this time, Liberty Utilities has restored power to most of their South Lake Tahoe customers who were affected by the Emerald Fire. Crews continue to coordinate with emergency responders to re-energize power lines deemed safe to do so given forecasted weather and fire danger.

While power has been restored in most of the evacuated areas, multiple downed power poles and lines in the Spring Creek area still pose a danger and service to that area may not be restored until as late as Tuesday, 10/18, depending up officials' assessment of conditions.

8:00AM update 10/15: Highway 89 remains closed in both directions from Fallen Leaf Lake Road to Emerald Bay due to the Emerald Fire which remains 80 percent contained this morning. Acreage burned is 210 acres.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

There are 3 engines and 12 firefighters still on the scene.

Opening time for Hwy 89 is still unclear. CHP estimates Saturday afternoon and Caltrans estimates the road will be closed until Monday. This is to allow crews to clean up the fallen trees and other debris on, and near, the roadway.

Nevada wildlife biologists released a three-plus year old male black bear back into the forest near the top of Mt. Rose Summit on Monday morning after capturing him Sunday in Incline Village at Lake Tahoe.

Nevada Department of Wildlife trapped the young bear while attempting to trap another bear that had caused damage to a building, according to wildlife biologist Carl Lackey. The bear that was captured and then later released Monday wasn't the bear Lackey was looking for.

Lackey says that NDOW had handled the released bear once before in the mountains east of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

A proposed 3-legged roundabout in Meyers at the intersection of Highway 89 and Highway 50 will not significantly affect the quality of the environment according to a report just released.

The Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is proposing the intersection improvements due to safety concerns for both cyclists and drivers. The purpose is to influence traffic calming with the implementation of a roundabout, something transportation officials say is needed because the intersection is experiencing a number of collisions related to the intersection type.

A major restoration project of the Upper Truckee River channel and surrounding meadows is about to be completed, three years and $7 million later. Known as Reach 5, the U.S. Forest Service project is improving the river channel stability and aquatic habitat along 1.2 miles of the river adjacent to the Lake Tahoe Airport.

Another goal of the project is to restore surface and subsurface channel connectivity to 120 acres of floodplain, increasing deposition of fine sediments and nutrient uptake on the floodplains as well as raising the ground water levels in the meadow.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE - To reduce fuels in the forest, as well as to promote forest health, the thinning of trees will resume between Fallen Leaf Lake and Camp Richardson Corral this week. Crews will also be working in the Spring Creek Homeowners Tract.

Whole tree and mechanical cut-to-length (CTL) tree removal will take place in these areas over the next several months, weather permitting and some areas will be closed for public safety as they do the cutting.

Zephyr Cove Resort will remain open for business as soil impacted by a 2011 underground fuel release is removed from an area near the south beach volleyball courts starting Monday, September 12.

Even though those driving by and visiting the resort will see the activity, impact to operations is expected to be minimal. There may be some disruption to parking and the volleyball area but watercraft rentals and sightseeing boats will continue to operate during the excavation.

The League to Save Lake Tahoe will host the 19th annual Tahoe Forest Stewardship Day on Saturday, September 10 in South Lake Tahoe. Community members will gather for this fun, all-ages, hands-on restoration day at the Angora Burn Area.

Construction and maintenance work will cause day and night time traffic delays along a 45-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 50 between Camino and Echo Summit over the next three months, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has announced.

Crews will be setting up lane restrictions on the four-lane section of U.S. 50 in the Camino area and one-way traffic control on the two-lane stretch of highway over the summit. Motorists can expect up to 20-minute delays. These lane restrictions will continue through the end of November, weather permitting.

For the seventh year, the Barton Foundation is holding their annual Cocktails for a Cause event on Wednesday, September 21 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Riva Grill in South Lake Tahoe. Not only will attendees get samples of alcoholic creations made by ten local bartenders, but they'll be treated with heavy appetizers, live music and a raffle.

If you like heat, then you're sure to love the weather in South Lake Tahoe Thursday and Friday when records are expected to drop from Reno to Mammoth. South Lake Tahoe is forecast to hit 91 degrees both days, beating records previously set in 2009.

The National Weather Service in Reno is also telling people in all areas of the Sierra and western Nevada, except for the Lake Tahoe basin, to expect very isolated areas of thunderstorms with an increased threat of lightning fires.

Thinning of trees for fuels reduction and forest health will resume on Thursday, July 7 on approximately 178 acres of National Forest System lands on the northeast side of Highway 267, north of Lake Vista Road above Kings Beach and Tahoe Vista. Mechanical whole tree removal will take place off Forest Road 16N52 over the next several months and the area will be closed for public safety.

You may have noticed the bulldozer and tree removal activity adjacent to the Community Playfield on Al Tahoe Blvd this week.

Work has begun on the Community Playfields Expansion Project, one by the City of South Lake Tahoe to bring two new playfields to the area next to the current soccer field at Lake Tahoe Community College.

Get ready for some sunshine and happiness at the "Y" area of South Lake Tahoe. Rainbow Sprinkles Donuts and Frozen Yogurt is coming this summer, and locals and visitors alike are in for a treat.

Jody Filgo and Sallie Ross-Filgo have been planning their dream for a long time, and now they have the space to do it, the old donut shop next to Raley's.

They got the keys on Tuesday and popped the sign up in the window, letting people know what is coming.

Several local agencies have teamed together to inform the public on the importance of proper food storage and trash disposal at their Lake Tahoe homes and vacation rentals.

A joint effort between the City of South Lake Tahoe and Lake Tahoe Community College will soon expand recreation offerings on the South Shore.

The Community Playfields Expansion Project will bring two new playfields to the area as work gets underway on the Community Playfields Expansion Project adjacent to the current soccer field at the college.

A three-month long tree removal project off of Fallen Leaf Lake Road near the campground will start around May 15, 2016. Due to the heavy equipment needed, the Forest Service will issue a forest order closing the project area (units 1 and 148) to pedestrians from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily.

Prolonged drought periods often result in forest tree mortality, but this death varies across the Lake Tahoe Basin. The causes of tree mortality range from native bark beetles, forest pathogens (both native and invasive), stressors such as drought and salt stress, as well as historical land-use.

Officially Earth Day is over, but the spirit runs throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin all year long. One way that the public can help the environment is to join forces with the Sugar Pine Foundation.

A South Lake Tahoe couple has taken over the ownership at Tahoe Tot Spot, a place where the younger set can enjoy activities, interactions with other kids, crafts and more.

Julie Pardysz was relocating to Colorado and had the business up for sale. The Tot Spot was on the verge of having to close as no buyers were coming forward. At the last minute, Jen and Chris Bloch made an offer to keep the doors open.

The following is the ski, snowboard and weather report for Saturday, March 12, 2016 for South Lake Tahoe brought to you by Lake Tahoe SkiBum.

Lake Wind advisory in effect from 4:00 a.m. to noon
Winter Storm Warning from in effect from 4:00 p.m. Saturday to 11 a.m. Monday
Flood Watch in place until 6:00 p.m. Sunday

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) received a $6,000 donation from NV Energy to their Penny Pines Program, which will be used in LTBMU tree plantation sites including the Angora Fire area.

“Environmental respect is one of the core principles of NV Energy. We want to help provide for a viable and healthy forest,” said BJ Viglione, Supervisor Vegetation Management for NV Energy.

The Penny Pines Program was established in 1941 with the goal of restoring forest areas devastated by wildfire, flood, and other disasters.

NV Energy is proposing to replace the electrical transmission line that runs from Foothill Rad in the Carson Valley to Tramway Drive near Heavenly Mountain Resort, and a public comment period has been initiated.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is seeking public input on 634 Line Rebuild project. The draft Environmental Assessment (EA) analyzes the proposed replacement of the transmission line that serves the Kingsbury substation, which provides electricity to Heavenly Mountain Resort and the surrounding Kingsbury Grade area.