writing

Del Laine has left her mark on South Lake Tahoe in ways that many local residents might not know. She was a mover and shaker, whose focus was on making the city a better place. Her most important role, though, was promoting the well-being of women.

This pioneer died Dec. 18, 2020, at home from natural causes, with family at her side. She was 90.

She was born Dolores Mae Wright on March 20, 1930, in Oakland, Calif., to Mabel Paulson and Leslie Wright.

In the days before television, the internet, cell phones and video games, families would gather around the radio each evening and listen to Sorry Wrong Number, Moon Over Morocco, Dragnet, The Adventures of the Thin Man, The Shadow, Flash Gordon, and War of the Worlds.

With no visual component, radio drama depended on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and the story. Each episode would leave listeners wanting more and the level of anticipation grew as the next airing date grew closer.

There are those that would say 2020 is hands down the scariest Halloween movie ever and yeah, I wouldn’t argue with that. The script for this year has certainly freaked everybody out. Add to that an election year and the advent of modern day zombies who’ve been quarantined a little too long and you have the ultimate scary flick that appears to have no ending. Are you wearing your mask? Yeah, I’d rather be scared by a movie and not real life if that’s okay?

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - During their Thursday, October 15 meeting, the Douglas County commissioners will hear a presentation about the work done by an appointed task force about vacation home rentals (VHRs) in Tahoe Township. The agenda item is listed as having possible action by the commissioners.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) Board of Trustees will be holding their next meeting on Tuesday, September 22. Closed session begins at 5:00 p.m. and regular session starts at 6:00 p.m.

On the agenda will be discussion about the anticipated move to the next phase of reopening, the hybrid model.

Douglas County is kicking off the process to update the Master Plan Text and is calling on residents to help shape the future of their community. A webpage has been constructed to provide the public with additional information regarding the update and public outreach has begun.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - As a ten-year-old from Christmas Valley fights for his life at UC Davis, his father has started a fight of his, one that is asking people to take COVID-19 seriously and to stay away from Lake Tahoe in the midst of the pandemic.

To help stop the spread of the coronavirus, California Governor Gavin Newsom has added more counties to his "watch list," those showing concerning trends in rates of COVID-19. This list now numbers 37 which makes up 93 percent of the state's population. There are 58 counties in the state.

New on that list are Mono County (home to Mammoth Mountain) and Santa Cruz County, a popular tourist destination. North Lake Tahoe is in Placer County which was added to the list earlier this month.

The following is a letter to the El Dorado County CAO, reprinted here at the author's request.

Dear Chief Administrative Officer Don Ashton,

As a 40-year company doing vacation rentals in the South Lake Tahoe area including El Dorado County we would like to make a request that we have made to our representative Sue Novasel many times. Before you implement regulations on vacation rentals, analyze the data which you should have been collecting for the last few years.

Such as:

• Where are the problems coming from?

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Gold Medalist and South Lake Tahoe native Jamie Anderson has teamed up with Clean Tahoe to present a creative writing contest for students in the South Lake Tahoe and Meyers area.

Those ages 9-18 are invited to participate. $100 will be given to the winner from grades 4-5, $100 to the winner from grades 6-8, and $200 to the winner from grades 9-12.

The creative writing subject: It is the year 3030 and there is no such thing as trash.

TRUCKEE, Calif. - Sierra State Parks Foundation presents a presentation on covering the history of Highway 395. The March 21 talk will be held at the Donner Memorial State Park Visitor Center located at 12593 Donner Pass Road in Truckee, CA. The discussion will start at 5pm. There is a suggested $5 donation to attend and the State Park parking fee is waived for the evening. Refreshments available and book signing will occur after the presentation. Seating is limited. Come early to visit the exhibits and peruse the fabulous park store.

Book Launch. Tahoe author Jennifer Quashnick returns to introduce us to the fourth novel from her Mountaingirl Mysteries series, "Sierra Nevada Burning Revenge", which continues the adventures of Tahoe local Rachel Winters and her two dogs, Bella and Avi. In this adventure, Rachel's life is in danger. After a well-timed visitor interrupts a brutal attack, Rachel and her dogs are forced into hiding.

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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – “The police work is authentic, although unconventional. The danger will set you on edge. But above all, NO FORCED ENTRY is a marvelous and unique story that will touch your heart, make you look over your shoulder, and think twice before opening your door,” said retired South Lake Tahoe Police Chief Terry Daniels of Robert Max’s new thriller.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Millions around the world participated in the Global Climate Strike this past September, trying to make their voices heard as they called for action.

A reported 7.6 million people took to the streets, the biggest climate mobilization in history. From small villages to big cities, people spoke, walked, joined hands and used their voices in defense of the climate and an end to reliance on fossil fuels.

El Dorado County Office of Education’s (EDCOE) Communications Director, Dina Gentry has been awarded the prestigious “35 Under 35” Award the National School Public Relations Association.

The final Chautauqua of the 2019 Festival season will portray Hiram D. Scott, Alpine County, California pioneer, on Sunday, September 22, at 10:00 am.

Hiram Daniel Scott was a ship builder from Pittston, Maine by trade. Initially he settled in Santa Cruz, California in 1847, then followed the Gold Rush when gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill. There he operated a ferry business across the San Joaquin River.

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Local author, JoAnn Conner, will discuss the importance of doing research when writing a mystery novel, and how this pertains to her own work. 'Heartwood' is historical fiction with a mystery woven in the story, while 'The Mountain' is a murder mystery revolving around the theft of Native American artifacts. The most challenging for Conner was launching her first series, featuring veteran Detective Frank Riley. 'Death Song' is a murder mystery that involved research on different forms of poisons, and how they are used. Book sale and signing to follow.

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As incoming high school students prepare for the upcoming fall semester, they should also set aside time to explore where they might want to attend college.

So says educator Leslie Hermann, founder of Edplanit.org, an Incline Village-based educational consulting agency which focuses its energies on guiding high school students through the college application and admissions processes.

To that end, this month Hermann and her colleagues are hosting a college fair and a college Bootcamp.

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A group of locals from South Lake Tahoe are leaving town next weekend with backpacks filled with stuffed animals, toys, books, art supplies and more that will go to migrant children living with their families in shelters in Tijuana.

John Friedrich, his wife Kim and daughter Rosie will be going to Mexico joined by another local, Joanna Lilly, with the collected items. They've had help from the Bijou Community School PTA and South Tahoe Middle School (STMS) Spanish Teacher Krissi Russell.

A big shout out to Ruby Abuhajleh for writing her "Viking Corner" column this year! She will write some stories this summer but this is her last column for the school year. She'll be back in the fall!

As the school year wraps up, students at South Tahoe High School are getting their beachwear ready for summer break.

The school year of 2018-2019 had many highlights for STHS students. Here are some:

Junior Bryce Dunnigan said his highlight of the school year was going to the volleyball and basketball games with his teammates from Tahoe Hockey Academy.

South Tahoe High School students took the week to promote end-of-year events and commemorate Mental Health Awareness Month. Testing begins, sports end and school spirit is running wild.

On Campus
STHS is taking time to observe Mental Health Awareness Month in May by sending out advice to students, including posting positive comments on social media, writing for fun, and learning a new skill. Here’s what some students plan to do:

Senior Tess Devine is attending therapy more regularly to strengthen her mental health.

The Winter of 2019 just doesn't want to let spring make its entrance and another series of small storms will be in the Lake Tahoe and Sierra all week. Snow levels dropped about 500 feet lower than anticipated in heavier precipitation bands with snow currently falling down to 4000-4500 feet this morning.

1-6" of snow has fallen in the Sierra overnight and chain controls remain in effect as of the time of writing. While lighter snow will continue this morning,

Dear, South Lake Tahoe:

As a young entrepreneur and budding journalist, I am grateful for the support that I have earned from our community, my editors, Lake Tahoe Community College, and the City of South Lake Tahoe government and government officials! It warms my heart to have the values, morals, and message that I am trying to spread be so welcomed.

The following is the first of many stories that Blue Marie Balcita will be writing for South Tahoe Now on a myriad of subjects. Blue, a 19-year-old student at Lake Tahoe Community College, is the author of five books, a contributor to three more and recently started the college's new newspaper, 1974.

Do you know what it is like to look at the person you love and see hatred reflected back to you? Do you know what it is like to move mountains for a person