News

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Heavenly Mountain Resort has announced the retirement of its current Chief Operating Officer & Vice President, Tom Fortune, effective June 23. After 45 years in the industry, Fortune will pass the baton to his successor, Shaydar Edelmann, who returns to Tahoe with 25 years of industry experience, most recently serving as the Vice President of Mountain Operations at Park City Mountain.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The friendship between a Heavenly Mountain resort snowboard instructor and a 10-year-old autistic South Lake Tahoe boy has flourished on the slopes this winter.

Kai Simon-Litton is in the fourth grade at Sierra House Elementary School and has always enjoyed snowboarding. His dad and grandpa take him up on the hill when they can, so he has good skills. Autism is a social and communication disorder, but those with it can have amazing gross motor skills as Kai does.

Governor Joe Lombardo and the Nevada Legislature have approved $16.7 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to help the Boys & Girls Clubs' Early Learning expansion in the state. This statewide initiative creates 1,000 new childcare seats in 14 communities.

The bipartisan approval will expand early learning centers and child care access for Nevada families. Governor Joe Lombardo proposed the initiative in partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs to expedite new childcare seat availability statewide.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - It is an annual summer occurrence, thousands of people heading to Lake Tahoe in search of beaches to enjoy for tanning, swimming, and hanging out with friends. If parking and traffic are indications of the popularity of these activities, the stretch of US50 at Zephyr Cove is a hot spot.

This year will be the first summer where "No Parking" signs line both sides of the highway in each direction from the new stoplight installed by the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) at Warrior Way.

Fines for parking in the no-parking areas on the highway are $305.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - The Douglas County School District Board of Trustees continued its 4-3 divisive vote this week as has been commonplace on many agenda items. The trustees had two items on the agenda that addressed the job of the superintendent, one was to hire interim Superintendent Jeanne Dwyer, and the other was to not hire her for the permanent spot and instead go through a process to evaluate the 13 applications they received after the previous deadline.

The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) will host a virtual meeting and in-person public meetings to gather public feedback on proposed options for improving U.S. 395 between southern Carson City and the Nevada-California border at Topaz Lake.

Those interested can visit ndotus395.com or attend one of two public meetings for information and to submit feedback.

-Virtual meeting option: Visitors can view project information and provide comments by visiting the virtual public meeting at ndotus395.com anytime from April 8- May 9, 2024.

STATELINE, Nev — Edgewood Companies has announced the promotion of Corinna Osborne to the role of chief operating officer. Osborne has been with Edgewood since 2016 and previously served as general manager. She brings over two decades of hospitality experience and a proven track record of leadership to her new position.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - Two people were arrested at Edgewood Tahoe Resort on Friday on multiple charges in Florida, California, and Nevada after using a stolen credit card while paying for incurred expenses for the hotel.

On Friday, April 5, deputies from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) were called to the resort at Lake Tahoe. A woman identified as 34-year-old Kaleigh Thinnes from Sarasota, Florida had reserved the room online using a false name, provided additional, false identification upon check-in, and then tried to pay with the stolen credit card.
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DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - The Douglas County School Board trustees will be holding its April 9 meeting at George Whittell High School, starting at 4 p.m.

Two agenda items are concerning a new superintendent. After some missteps, the board will first discuss and take a vote on appointing the acting superintendent Jeanne Dwyer to the permanent position of superintendent.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county. The following calls only pertain to the South and West Shore, including Meyers, South Lake Tahoe, Meeks Bay, Tahoma, and the Echo Summit area. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at the time of the story.

Mar. 28 - Apr. 3, 2024

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11:10 CIVIL INCIDENT - Officer initiated activity at Court Dept 3 Slt, Johnson Blvd, South Lake Tahoe, CA. Disposition: UNABLE TO CONTACT.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The following is a list of calls the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to during the weeks of Mar. 25 - Mar. 31, 2024. Location Checks are when officers search an area at a certain address. Transient/Homeless arrests/citations and calls are those normally categorized in other columns (Drunk in Public, Trespassing, etc.) but stats are collected separately.

Log for March 25 - March 31, 2024

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Arrests
09:35 Warrant Arrest - Occurred on Ponderosa St. Disposition: Felony Arrest.

The South Tahoe Public Utility District (District) is hosting a Public Meeting on Thursday, April 25, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in the Board Room at 1275 Meadow Crest Drive to discuss proposed rate increases. Most of South Lake Tahoe’s water and sewer systems were built in the 1950s and 1960s. Much of this infrastructure needs to be upgraded, repaired, or replaced.

The District is considering raising water and sewer rates over the next five years to provide revenue to address:

STATELINE, Nev. - After passionate public input, the Burke Creek Restoration Project on Rabe Meadow at Lake Tahoe is being amended, and much of the change is thanks to a little guy nicknamed Beaver Burke.

While sections of the creek restoration have already been completed upstream, across US50, the section closest to Lake Tahoe was gaining attention because of the home pond and dam of the beaver named Burke by its fan club.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The big winter of 2022/23 exposed major problems with the parking situation at, and around, Heavenly Mountain Resort in South Lake Tahoe. As the snow melted, Heavenly staff worked with staff from the City of South Lake Tahoe to figure out a solution to the problems.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - April 1 is considered the peak snowpack for the season at Lake Tahoe, helping water managers know how to best manage the spring runoff into rivers and reservoirs for water supplies.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Acting on information received from the concerned parent of a South Tahoe Middle School (STMS) student, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) has opened an investigation into suspicious communication between a substitute teacher and students.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - The Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) has announced the arrests of six suspects after an undercover operation targeting human trafficking in the Stateline, Nevada area. The coordinated operation was conducted by members of the DCSO investigations division, DCSO street enforcement team, and the Reno Police Department HEAT team (Human Exploitation and Trafficking).

Nevada’s nonrestricted gaming licensees reported a total “gaming win” of $1,342,192,407 for February 2024, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board's latest monthly report. This amounts to an 8.5 percent increase compared to the same month a year ago when licensees reported a gaming win of $1,237,048,360. For the fiscal year to date (since July), the gaming win has increased by 5.23 percent with $10,627,278,313 in "win".

The "gaming win" represents the computed income of casinos before business expenses and taxes.

Class 18 of the Lake Tahoe Fire Academy held its graduation this week at the Tahoe Blue Event Center. Started in 2007, the Academy is a pipeline to active fire service in the Lake Tahoe Basin. The graduates have undergone fire training including wildland fire, hazardous materials, ice rescue, ventilation training, and other experiential learning services.

Normally a one-year program, this year's class graduated in just six months. The curriculum was revamped to accommodate the new schedule, increasing the number of people eligible to help fill fire service needs immediately.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A Winter Storm Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) for the region from 11 a.m. Friday to 5 p.m. Sunday. The warning covers the Greater Lake Tahoe area of Stateline, Incline Village, Markleeville, South Lake Tahoe, Glenbrook, Tahoe City, and Truckee.

Expect heavy snow at times with snow accumulations of 8 to 18 inches with up to 30 inches along the Sierra crest. Winds will be gusting as high as 40 mph.

The NWS Reno weekend forecast for South Lake Tahoe:

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - Brook Adie has been tapped to be the next community services director for Douglas County. Adie served as the assistant community services Director from 2021-2023 and has been interim community services Director since July 2023.

“I am honored to be selected as the director of the department,” Adie said. “I have had the privilege of working with and learning from the previous director, Scott Morgan, who was with the department for 30 years. I have learned so much and I am excited for the opportunity to take his vision forward into the coming years.”

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - March snowstorms have helped push the Sierra snowpack to just about average, allowing the ski resorts to keep operations open at several Lake Tahoe ski resorts. The 2022/23 season ended with the Central Sierra snowpack at 192 percent of normal, and as of today that total is 99 percent with more snow forecast before the end of the month. April 1 is the date normally used as the highest water content for the Sierra snowpack.

Kirkwood announced they will remain open until April 28, and Heavenly's last date is April 21. Sierra at Tahoe will also close on April 21.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The following is a list of calls the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to during the weeks of Mar. 11 - Mar. 24, 2024. Location Checks are when officers search an area at a certain address. Transient/Homeless arrests/citations and calls are those normally categorized in other columns (Drunk in Public, Trespassing, etc.) but stats are collected separately.

Log for March 11 - March 24, 2024

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Arrests
16:16 Misd Domestic Assault - Occurred on Emerald Bay Rd. Disposition: Misdemeanor Arrest.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The National Weather Service (NWS) in Reno has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for Lake Tahoe from 2 p.m. Wednesday to 11 a.m. Thursday for areas above 7,000 feet.

Lake level is not included in this advisory.

Snow is forecast for the Tahoe Basin above 7000 feet with accumulations of 6 to 10 inches, locally up to 16 inches along the Sierra crest. Winds gusting as high as 90 mph along ridgelines.