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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Every year, devastating wildfires burn across the United States. At the same time, a growing number of people are living where wildfires are a real risk. Those living in the Lake Tahoe Basin know all too well what can happen when a fire starts in the area like the Angora Fire or enters the Basin like the Caldor Fire.

More and more residents are reducing the wildfire risks by becoming a Firewise USA® site.

I don't normally write the Kudos in South Tahoe Now, I leave that to the public, but I wanted to take time to highlight action by the El Dorado County Department of Transportation (DOT).

I have lived off Black Bart Avenue since 1983, and have seen many things change from a stop light on Pioneer Trail, the addition of a 25-mph zone, and the addition of new homes. During this time the road has also become a main cut-through for drivers going from lake Tahoe Blvd. to Pioneer Trail.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - After a quiet holiday weekend, a few storms are on track to bring back colder temperatures, periods of windy conditions, and the
potential for snow in the Sierra and western Nevada in the week ahead.

To start things off, there is a Lake Wind Advisory for Monday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Winds will be from the southwest 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph expected. Waves are expected of 2 to 4 feet. mall boats, kayaks, and paddle boards will be prone to capsizing and should remain off lake waters until conditions improve.

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.

November 17-23, 2022

11/17

01:13 SUSP VEH STOP - Officer initiated activity at Uhaul, Emerald Bay Rd, South Lake Tahoe. Disposition: CHECKS CLEAR.

Friday was the official grand opening of the new Comstock Express lift at Northstar California! They celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The new lift is a huge milestone for us as they enter their 50th anniversary season. The Comstock Express lift has been upgraded from a four-person chair to a high-speed six-person lift, which is designed to reduce wait times at one of the mountain’s most popular lifts and will increase uphill capacity by nearly 50 percent.

The new Comstock lift will be the third lift to have this alignment at Northstar.

Vodka and Latkes is back! After a three-year hiatus, Vodka & Latkes returns to Temple Bat Yam on Wednesday, December 21 from 6-9 p.m.

Mark your calendars and plan to join in on a great evening and sample latkes, Tahoe Blue Vodka cocktails, appetizers, and other small bites. Dreidel spinning and raffle prizes to win will be part of the festive celebration of Hanukkah.

This event is open to the entire Lake Tahoe community, so invite your friends and family to our fundraising celebration.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Shops at Heavenly Village Turkey Drive for 2022 has already passed previous years in the collection of close to 600 turkeys to date, according to organizers.

This is the third year the shops have collected turkeys for Phoenix Pantry and Christmas Cheer.

With the support of the Heavenly Village and its partners, over 300 turkeys were delivered in 2020, and over 500 in 2021.

Heading to Lake Tahoe and the Sierra this winter? Road trips in the winter are great — you can travel to some thrilling locations and have a fantastic winter experience. You might indulge in winter sports, such as skiing and snowboarding, ice skating, and curling. Perhaps you enjoy cozy winter holidays in snowy mountain cabins. Winter conditions are hazardous, so you need to be prepared to deal with anything that can go wrong. Snow and ice make it harder for you to slow your car down. Your car may lose traction on hills, or while starting from a complete stop.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Join Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe (SISLT) at the annual Holiday Auction on Wednesday, December 14 from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at Bally's Lake Tahoe. Doors open at 11 a.m.

Spread joy, enjoy the season and a delicious buffet with wine, and help raise much-needed funds that will benefit the women and children of the South Shore community with scholarships, awards, and special projects.

There will be a raffle, a silent auction, and a live auction.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A 34-year-old man allegedly stole a car outside of the area, then brought it to Lake Tahoe only to get stuck in the snow. He then called 9-1-1 on himself.

Angelo Valdez brought the vehicle to the South Shore and ended up on Nicoleno Road in the Spring Creek Tract. At approximately 9 a.m. on Friday, November 18, he called emergency dispatch. Due to the suspicious nature of the call, deputies from the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responded. Upon arrival, they found Valdez seated in the vehicle and would not get out.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Dion Jermaine Vaccaro heard his fate in El Dorado County Superior Court in South Lake Tahoe on Friday, November 18, 2022. He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for 1st-degree murder and the court imposed another 25 years to life because the jury found that he has used a gun to commit the murder. The court also imposed three years for robbery, and two years for witness intimidation.

The safety of everyone traveling is the focus of a grant awarded to the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) with efforts to reduce deaths and injuries on South Lake Tahoe roads and to improve traffic analysis, reporting, and data collection.

SLTPD sought out the grant to combat recognized traffic issues within the city, including DUI, bicycle, pedestrian, and motorcycle enforcement.

The one-year grant is for the 2023 federal fiscal year, which runs from Oct. 1, 2022, to Sept. 30, 2023.

The grant will fund a variety of traffic safety programs, including:

How did a Fortune 500 company whose business was mining, processing, and marketing laundry soap come to build a luxury hotel rivaling the finest of Europe - especially in a location with the least marketable name of Death Valley imaginable?

You'll learn just how on Sunday, November 27 at 1 p.m. The Wylder Hotel Hope Valley continues its history speaker series with a 50-minute presentation, “A Nice Place to Visit...Tourism Below Sea Level.”

The Tahoe Fund announced that five new leaders have joined its board of directors. Invited because of their extensive leadership experience in the corporate and nonprofit sectors, these new members will guide the organization as it works to improve the Lake Tahoe environment for all to enjoy.

The Tahoe Fund’s new board members are:

Ryan Buntain, managing director and senior relationship manager for The Carlyle Group

Bill Dietz, president and principal broker at Tahoe Luxury Properties

Vickie Holtmeier, global senior vice president of Salesforce’s Emerging Business Unit

U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), and Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) in leading a bipartisan letter to the United States Forest Service (USFS) regarding the lack of forest management and fire preparedness efforts made in Grizzly Flats, the California town that was destroyed by the Caldor Fire in August 2021.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) Women's Soccer team has dominated the standings all season long, with several weeks sitting at the top of the CCCAA standings in the Golden Valley Conference (California Community College Athletic Association).

With their 10-0 league and 15-5-2 overall records, the LTCC Coyotes were able to sit out the first round of playoffs and were scheduled to host the 11th-seed Canada College (15-4) of Redwood City this past Saturday in South Lake Tahoe.

Members of the Lake Tahoe Community,

9:30 a.m.: Liberty Utilities is reporting all customers in South Lake Tahoe have had their power restored.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Barton Memorial Hospital received another ‘A’ grade for patient safety from the Leapfrog Group. The Leapfrog Group uses more than 30 evidence-based measures of publicly available hospital safety data—including data related to medication administration, falls and trauma, and hand hygiene—that are peer-reviewed by a national panel of medical experts to assign grades to more than 2,900 U.S. acute care hospitals. This ‘A’ grade is a result of collaborative, team-driven systems in place at Barton Health that protect patients from harm.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD) has been awarded two prestigious awards for excellence. The first is in financial reporting and the second is in technology practices.

“The receipt of the finance award for 27 consecutive years and the IT award for 10 years is a testament to the expertise and professionalism of our employees,” said Paul Hughes, chief financial officer for STPUD.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - One would assume Americans feel depressed and anxious during elections, but a study and paper by University of Nevada (UNR) Associate Professor Dr. Sankar Mukhopadhyay now has the data to show this was true during the 2020 presidential election.

I am writing to congratulate the newly elected and returning South Lake Tahoe City Council members. I wish for them, and all of us, success and good fortune. As policymakers, our community’s future is in their hands. I also wanted to congratulate all who ran for office for their energy and for conducting a positive campaign. People at other levels of government running for office could learn from our experience on how to conduct themselves.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - This week's Home of the Week winner from the South Tahoe Association of Realtors:

Listing Agent: Anja Buchholz
Listing Office: Chase International, South Lake Tahoe

Property Address: 4051 Saddle Road, South Lake Tahoe, Calif. 96150
MLS #: 136372

Bedrooms: 3 plus
Baths: 3.5
Square Footage: 1854 Sq Ft.
Price: $1,699,000

Rare, one-of-a-kind offering: Modern architectural A-Frame home with mesmerizing lake and ski resort views. Relax and unwind at this stunning,

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - The final results from election day have been tabulated in Douglas County. On election day, 4,707 were turned in, early voters were 5,564, and mail-in ballots received were 18,985. The total of 29,256 voters is 71.82 percent of the registered voters.

DOUGLAS COUNTY ASSESSOR
THOLEN, TRENT - 23,360

DOUGLAS COUNTY CLERK-TREASURER
BURGANS, AMY - 23,378

DOUGLAS COUNTY COMMISSIONER, DISTRICT 2
HALES, SHARLA - 22,786

DOUGLAS COUNTY COMMISSIONER, DISTRICT 4
RICE, WESLEY - 22,584

DOUGLAS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY
JACKSON, MARK B. - 22,960