News

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The successful multi-agency partnership that brought Lake Link Microtransit Service to South Lake Tahoe and Stateline will be continuing. The City of South Lake Tahoe contributed $150,000 for the 2022-23 pilot year, and the city council Tuesday committed another $200,000 - $150,000 for the 2023-24 service year, and $50,000 for the remainder of the fiscal year 2023 since the original agreement ended in June, the city's fiscal year ends September 30.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Seiad, the orphaned bear cub that escaped from Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC), is still missing. The cub arrived at LTWC in December from the Seiad area in Siskiyou County in Northern California. The cub is about 12-13 months old and gained about 25-26 pounds since arrival and weighs about 50 pounds. He is healthy, has no medical issues, and has lots of survival skills.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Lake Tahoe fire agencies have been asking for the public's help in keeping the basin's 4,097 hydrants clear of snow this winter, a daunting task. A cleared fire hydrant allows firefighters quicker access to much-needed water in the case of an emergency.

While many have taken the challenge and kept the hydrant closest to their home clear, one South Lake Tahoe man takes on dozens by himself every winter.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC) are asking for the public’s help in locating a young, orphaned black bear that has escaped from LTWC’s facility on Al Tahoe Blvd. in South Lake Tahoe where it had been rehabilitating since mid-December.

The 13-month-old male black bear weighs approximately 50 pounds, is microchipped, and has a visible, metal tag in its right ear numbered 1028. The bear escaped from LTWC’s outdoor enclosure Thursday evening, Feb. 9, at approximately 5:30 p.m.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county. The following are calls that 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.

February 2 - February 8, 2023

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11:56 VANDALISM - Occurred at Heavenly Valley Ski on Saddle Rd. in South Lake Tahoe. Disposition: ADVISED.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - An upgrade to the safety features of the Apple Watch and iPhone 14s is providing false calls to the 911 dispatch center in South Lake Tahoe as well as those in other ski areas.

This new software upgrade is meant to detect car crashes and automatically alert 911 dispatchers. It is so sensitive though, when a skier or snowboarder falls in the snow, the device calls for help, thinking the user has been hurt.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - First it was a headline in Fodor's in November, suggesting people avoid visiting Lake Tahoe to give it a break. They had put the region on a list of natural attractions that could use a break, proclaiming that "Lake Tahoe has a people problem."

In SFGate on Wednesday, the headline read "Don't drive to Tahoe on any Friday in February, travel experts say." Their research with WAZE revealed searches to South Lake Tahoe from the Bay Area jumped more than 70 percent on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in January when compared to other days.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The topic of human trafficking becomes a common headline during Super Bowl week and a recent social media post in South Lake Tahoe has unveiled the need for a better understanding of the topic.

The Polaris Project is a non-profit dedicated to the support of human trafficking victims, accurate data, and research, and eliminating modern slavery. They work to dismantle the systems that allowed trafficking to happen in the first place.

To better understand this worldwide issue, definitions, and facts are important.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - In an examination of housing in South Lake Tahoe, one needs to look at many moving parts from regulations to land availability to affordability. In the second in a series, we will be looking at affordable housing projects in the city, those that have been completed, in the works, and planned.

People struggle both to find a place to live as well as paying for it, not only in South Lake Tahoe but across the country. Millions struggle monthly just to pay rent.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Tahoe Fire & Fuels Team (TFFT) may continue prescribed fire operations this week at Lake Tahoe. Conditions and weather permitting, the Nevada Division of Forestry may burn hand piles near Incline Village beginning tomorrow, Feb. 7, 2023. Smoke will be present.

The one area scheduled for treatment is the Bon Pland Pile Burn area south of Incline Village on SR28. 20 acres of hand piles are slated to burn between February 7-10. Ignition is planned between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., with smoke possibly present until 5 p.m.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The following is a list of calls the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to during the week of January 3 - January 9, 2023. 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 January 3 - 9

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01:39 Vehicle Check - Officer initiated activity at Diy Center, Lake Tahoe Blvd, South Lake Tahoe. Disposition: CLEAR NO FURTHER.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Affordable, low-income, workforce housing has been at the forefront of conversations, planning, and complaints not only across the country but also in South Lake Tahoe.

South Tahoe Now will be looking behind the scenes to get an idea of what is underway, being planned, or still on a "to-do" list. First, a review of what determines local projects needs to be understood.

The term "Housing Element" has been in the California news this week as the deadline for cities to turn in their housing plans loomed large at the end of the day on January 31.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The next generation of black bears at Lake Tahoe are being born in the next two-three weeks.

While the mating season was last summer, the embryos do not start to develop until the mother bear enters the den, and they are normally born mid-January through February.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning the public about serious multi-drug-resistant infections from EzriCare® Artificial Tears.

Between May 17, 2022 and January 19, 2023, CDC identified a cluster of 56 isolates from 50 case-patients in 11 states (CA, CO, CT, FL, NJ, NM, NY, NV, TX, UT, and WA) with serious infections. Thirty-eight cases are part of four clusters. The dates of specimen collection are from May to December 2022.

NORTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A new Tourist Business Improvement District (TBID) covering the north shore of Lake Tahoe is already yielding results that benefit the community, the environment, and the visitor.

Launched in July 2022, an assessment fee was added to all business transactions for those who provide any type of visitor service including food and beverage, and retail. The fee can be paid for by the business, or added to the customer's bill, and is paid by all who use the business, visitor or not. Depending on the zone the business is located in, the fee is one or two percent.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - Clean Up the Lake (CUTL) completed a successful 72-mile clean-up of Lake Tahoe in 2022, and plans to return this year as well as dives at Fallen Leaf Lake, Echo Lake, Boca and Stampede Reservoirs in Truckee, California, and four different lakes in Mono County and the Mammoth Lakes Basin.

The non-profit organization is committed to fighting back against plastic and all forms of pollution both above and below the surface of its local waterways.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has a $16.8 million safety and lighting project planned for South Lake Tahoe. It is currently in the design phase and will go out for bid this summer.

Nevada’s nonrestricted gaming licensees reported a total “gaming win” of $1,314,478,876 for the month of December 2022, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board's monthly report released today. This amounts to a 14.3 percent increase compared to December 2021, when licensees reported a gaming win of $1,149,986,166. For the fiscal year to date (July 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022), the gaming win has slightly increased, up by 2.87 percent.

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

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - One will have to travel far distances to find someplace warm this week as the Lake Tahoe Basin will see some of the coldest air in some time. Bitter cold temperatures are expected for Monday and Tuesday around Lake Tahoe and Northern Nevada, with some locations expected to see their coldest low temperatures in the last five to ten years, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Reno.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Officers from the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) found a man in his 40s deceased in his van on Saturday, January 28, 2023.

A relative of the unidentified man called SLTPD, telling them he hadn't heard from the relative since before Christmas Day. The caller said the missing man had been living in his van, and they gave SLTPD areas where he was known to park.

With 4,097 fire hydrants in the Tahoe Basin, fire districts are asking for help keeping them dug out during winter so firefighters would have easy access in the event of a fire.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Liberty Utilities has announced the promotion of Lindsay Maruncic to Senior Director of Operations. Maruncic will oversee the day-to-day business as well as the development and implementation of business and organizational strategy. She is based in the South Lake Tahoe office but splits her time with North Lake Tahoe.

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - A website survey has been published by El Dorado County for its citizens to provide their input on everything from how they prefer to receive information to what types of information are most
important and useful, to the way the website looks and functions and many issues in between.

“The County’s website is the most visible, accessible and comprehensive tool to keep our citizens informed and updated on the thousands of services and activities it offers and should be responsive to the needs of those we

The Sierra received remarkable snowfall in a short period of time, leading to a spike in propane-related calls to local fire agencies. This is not uncommon after early, heavy, and wet snowfall events and North Tahoe Fire shares information on ways locals can prevent snow-related gas leaks.
The series of storms in recent weeks resulted in heavy snow loading on propane tanks and plumbing systems.