News

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - On Monday morning, employees were caught by surprise when they were told the Denny's in South Lake Tahoe would be closing that day. After 40+ years in business, the franchisee closed the doors.

Franchise owner Paul Schmidt said it was multiple reasons leading to the closure, starting with COVID. He said sales had declined since the pandemic, and then the Caldor Fire didn't help. He said while the volume at the restaurant was never high, they did okay until people started staying away from South Lake Tahoe.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - The National Weather Service (NWS) in Reno has issued a Lake Wind Advisory for the Greater Lake Tahoe area from 10 a.m. Wednesday to 1 a.m. Thursday. Expect winds from the southwest 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph and waves 2 to 4 feet for Lake Tahoe.

Small boats, kayaks and paddle boards will be prone to capsizing and should remain off lake waters until conditions improve.

NV Energy has issued a Public Safety Outage Management (PSOM) warning for the Carson City - Genoa area for Wednesday, December 6.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The South Lake Tahoe Fire Department with assistance from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and Lake Valley Fire Protection District are conducting prescribed burns around the Lake Tahoe Airport starting on Wednesday, December 6 through Tuesday, December 12. The prescribed burns will take place over 22 acres with an estimated 230 identified piles to burn.

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors (BOS) has its next meeting on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, starting at 9 a.m. After the 34-item consent agenda, there are five items.

In a 1:30 p.m. time certain agenda item, the BOS will discuss an urgency ordinance to prohibit the establishment, operation, use, and/or participation in a syringe exchange program within the unincorporated areas of the County to "protect the public health, safety, and general welfare of its residents."

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - For the past several months, word of a mysterious respiratory virus has been making its way through some provinces of Canada and states in America. It is a canine infectious respiratory disease complex (CIRDC) but exactly how it is circulating is not clear, and if it is a new bug or changing dog factors at work?

What is clear is that dogs have been getting sick to varying degrees.

USDA Forest Service firefighters are scheduled to begin burning 27 acres on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, off South Upper Truckee Road in Christmas Valley. Smoke will be visible and may continue for several days depending on conditions and weather.

The weekly schedule originally had this area as being burned 11/29 - 12/1, but ignition was delayed.

MEYERS, Calif. - The Meyers Advisory Council (MAC) is holding its next meeting on Wednesday, December 6 at 4 p.m. at the Lake Valley Fire Station training room, 2211 Keetak St.

On the agenda:

An update from California Highway Patrol Officer Ruth Loeher regarding
their work in Meyers.

An update from Catherine Howells regarding changes to South Tahoe Refuse's debris pick-up.

An update from Member Dayberry on the Visitor's Center in Meyers.

An update from Member Dayberry on the Beautification Plan.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Do you need assistance with a federal agency, such as obtaining your Social Security benefits, care at the VA, or passport, or have a question or concern about a federal issue and can't make it to our Rocklin office?

Join Congressman Kevin Kiley's staff during South Lake Tahoe office hours on Tuesday, December 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. They will have their mobile office at Supervisor Brooke Laine's office in the El Dorado Government Center at 3368 Lake Tahoe Blvd, Suite 102.

LAKE TAHOE, Nev. - The much-anticipated name for the new ECHL hockey team making its home at the Tahoe Blue Event Center was announced Thursday night in front of over 1,000 enthusiastic local fans. The Tahoe Knight Monsters will start playing at the new center in October 2024.

The team's colors are teal, gold, and black, and the event center was decorated in those colors and the Knight Monsters team name and logo are portrayed by a dragon-like creature that resides and rules Lake Tahoe.

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - Not many people in South Lake Tahoe know the name Assistance League Sierra Foothills, but over 200 children benefited from clothing donations through Operation School Bell.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The public is invited to the next Meet and Greet with South Lake Tahoe officials. On December 4 at 5:30 p.m., join Mayor Cristi Creegan and City Manager Joe Irvin at the American Legion.

This is a great opportunity to ask questions, discuss the vision of the community, offer suggestions, and just have a chance to meet them and check out what is going on.

The American Legion is located at 2748 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - If you think it's been colder than usual this past week, you're right. Temperatures have been below normal, and these will continue through the week. While the start of the week will be dry, things are looking more interesting from midweek onward as several weak systems move through the region, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Reno.

While none of these will be major storms, anticipate periods of snow and travel difficulties. Exactly how much snow though, is the question until the systems get closer.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The following is a list of calls the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to during the week of Nov. 6 - Nov.12, 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 Nov. 6-12, 2023

11/6

Arrests

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - When the Rite Aid corporation announced a restructuring in October, a list was published of store locations that would close. At that time there were 31 California stores on the closure list and South Lake Tahoe was not one of them.

A notice went up this week at the South Lake Tahoe store on Al Tahoe Boulevard that the local location would be closing on December 10. All prescriptions on file will be sent to the CVS store at Bijou unless the customer would like them sent elsewhere. In that case, contact Rite Aid.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - As a way to prevent home fires caused by irresponsibly discarded ashes from fireplace (both indoor and outdoor) and woodburning stoves, local fire departments are offering ash cans, free of charge, as well as locations for free ash disposal.

Too often a garbage bag filled with warm ashes is placed on a wooden deck or near a home after being removed from a stove or fireplace, causing a fire. If the bag survived a night or two on the deck, warm ashes picked up by the refuse company on trash day can cause fires inside the trucks.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - In 2022, the South Lake Tahoe City Council considered a change to the local cannabis ordinance that would allow on-site consumption at the four permitted retail businesses in town. At the time, they expressed concerns about allowing onsite consumption as there were no robust alternative transportation options available for customers who may become impaired, and there were no measurable limits for testing cannabis impairment while driving, unlike alcohol.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The day Vail Resorts announced a delay in opening their two Lake Tahoe resorts due to warm temperatures, a weather system came through and dropped much-needed snow on the slopes and dropping temperatures making it more conducive to snowmaking.

Heavenly Mountain Resort will now open on Tuesday, November 21, with Northstar California to follow on Thursday, November 23. Kirkwood Mountain Resort is still scheduled for a December 1 opening date, conditions permitting.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Quiescent weather through Wednesday at Lake Tahoe promotes favorable pre-Thanksgiving travel before another system brings low-end chances for showers Thursday morning and cooler temperatures.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The National Weather Service (NWS) in Reno has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for elevations above 6,500 ft from 4 p.m. Saturday to 4 a.m. Sunday.

Snow is expected above 6500 feet with total snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches, up to 8 inches above 7000 feet, and up to 1 to 2 feet above 8000 feet. Winds gusting as high as 60 mph, with ridge top gusts up to 95 mph.

The advisory is in place from 4 p.m. Saturday to 4 a.m. Sunday.

Plan on slippery road conditions. Strong winds could cause tree damage and blowing snow.

ALPINE COUNTY, Calif. - The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is working on SR88 between Crystal Springs Road and Deep Canyon due to two borders falling on the roadway overnight.

Emergency traffic controls went into effect at 8 a.m. Friday and motorists may be experiencing delays. Caltrans will temporarily close SR88 from Crystal Springs Road to Deep Canyon at 1:15 p.m. so maintenance crews can perform blasting and cleanup operations to remove the boulders from the roadway.

This full road closure is expected to remain in effect for 30 to 45 minutes.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Two adults were arrested for furnishing alcohol to minors during an operation conducted by the South Lake Tahoe Police Department and California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) on November 11, 2023.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The first strike in California of state-employed scientists is taking place this week, and scientists in South Lake Tahoe are participating on Friday, November 17.

Across California, state-employed scientists are engaging in a collective fight for equitable wages. Their union contract expired three years ago and the sides are at an impasse.

The local scientists that may be taking part in the strike, should they choose to, are from Lahontan, Tahoe Conservancy, State Parks, and CalFire, and include those who provide the science to protect Lake Tahoe.

Restoration work at Incline Meadow has concluded for the 2023 season. USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) crews have winterized the project area and work is scheduled to resume next summer. The final phase of the meadow restoration work planned for 2024 includes backfilling the large channel that formed in the meadow after the man-made lake was drained and removing piles and berms to promote water connectivity throughout the meadow.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - To improve snow removal operations and better serve the public, the City of South Lake Tahoe is proud to announce a series of enhancements to its Snow Removal Plan for the upcoming winter season. These updates include the acquisition of new equipment, an expanded workforce, and a more efficient operational strategy.