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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A car being warmed up in the driveway of a Tahoe Sierra home in South Lake Tahoe was stolen at approximately 6:40 a.m. Monday, September 21, and the alleged thief led law enforcement on a chase that ended near Marla Bay in Nevada.

As soon as the call of the stolen car was dispatched, Officer Jason Nixon of the South Lake Tahoe Department (SLTPD) spotted the vehicle, a Lincoln Navigator, and started pursuit. He was joined by other officers and the chase went into Nevada and Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) joined in near Kahle Drive.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - City Council will be holding their next meeting on Tuesday September 22 at 9:00 a.m.

The agenda is a fairly short one with the last two regular council meetings lasting about eight hours each.

There will be a closed session meeting at 8:30 a.m.

Council will consider postponing or canceling all City permitted special events until November 17, 2020 or until public health officials deem it is safe to gather in larger groups. All permitted special events have been canceled since May 12, 2020, due to the pandemic.

Truckee Meadows Community College and Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada are offering free citizenship preparedness classes. A grant from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services makes it possible.

Students can pick from two class types, in person or remote.

Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. These will be held inperson at the college's Meadowood Campus from October 3 to December 19, 2020

Or 

Weeknights on Tuesday/Thursday from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. from October 6 to December 17, 2020. These classes will be held online via Zoom.       

Orientation Information:

Each year flu causes millions of illnesses, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations, and tens of thousands of deaths in the United States. While it is unclear what will happen this fall and winter, if there is COVID-19 and
flu at the same time, this could place a tremendous burden on our health care systems and cause many additional illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths. Now more than ever, it’s important that everyone do their part to help prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses, like flu and COVID-19, according to Alpine County Health Officer Dr. Richard Johnson.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe will be holding an adoption day on Wednesday, September 23 at 10:00 a.m. They have over a dozen vaCATion puppies and kittens available for adoption at that time.

Adoptions will be via a safe and secure virtual adoption process.

If you're not quite ready for that kind of commitment, they are encouraging people to turn travel savings into a lifesaving donation. There are several different types of contribution levels the will be helping save lots of little lives.

Donate $50 for Treats & Toys for our Shelter Pets

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - National Forest trails, trailheads, beaches and other day-use areas in the Lake Tahoe Basin will re-open for day-use only beginning Saturday, Sep. 19, 2020. Camping and overnight stays will not be permitted, and campgrounds will remain closed. Resorts will reopen for day-use only. Emergency Fire Restrictions will remain in effect through Nov. 30. I’ve attached the Forest Orders for your awareness.

The prohibition of the use of any ignition source on all National Forest System lands (campfires, gas stoves, etc.) throughout California remains in place.

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. During the month of September, the El Dorado County (EDC) Behavioral Health Division encourages the community to “know the signs, find the words, and reach out” to prevent suicide, as well as learn about local suicide prevention resources.

GARDNERVILLE, Nev. – The Town of Gardnerville seeks public input to help shape the future of town owned parks and open spaces. Over the last nine months town staff has been working with Wood Rodgers Inc and the town board to draft a parks and open space master plan. The plan will guide town spending and grant submittals in the upcoming decades to help the town provide unique and desired amenities to encourage and increase resident use of the parks and open spaces.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - El Dorado County health officials say another four residents have tested positive for COVID-19 since yesterday. Of those, two are in El Dorado Hills, one in Cameron Park/Shingle Springs/Rescue, and one in the Lake Tahoe region. Of these new cases, two are in the 18-49 age group and two in the 50-64 group.

Another 161 people were tested for the coronavirus and 161 negative tests results were received.

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. - After an extensive search, Sierra Nevada University has secured a new president on August 31, 2020. Dr. Robert M. Valli, an alumnus of UC Berkeley, Stanford, and Cambridge universities, accepted the position at SNU Tahoe, replacing Dr. Ed Zschau who had been the interim president.

Dr. Valli came to SNU Tahoe from his most recent role as Dean of Long Island

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - The Lake Tahoe Basin is under Red Flag/Critical Fire Weather conditions through 11:00 p.m. Friday.

California is extremely stressed for resources and it is important for residents and guests to understand the dangers these weather conditions present.

With 70-90 mph ridge winds and low humidity values predicted Thursday night into Friday along the crest of the Sierra, any spark could easily become a catastrophic wildfire.

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. - The Public Safety Outage Management (PSOM) event previously forecast for Friday, September 18 for the Incline Zone is canceled due to updated weather forecasts.

There is a Red Flag warning at Lake Tahoe with elevated fire weather conditions and NV Energy will continue to monitor conditions and take extra steps to mitigate wildfire risk. This includes staging their line crews, vegetation management crews and fire agency partners at specific locations around the lake.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The local grass roots activist organization, IRunWithMaud - South Lake Tahoe, is holding a peaceful protest/neighborhood rally at Lakeview Commons on Sunday, September 27 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The rally is to celebrate free speech and will include local speakers. The South Lake Tahoe City Council recently read a proclamation that all of South Lake Tahoe including Lakeview Commons are "free speech" areas to be used for traditional public forums allowed under the First Amendment.

The Fork Fire west of Lake Tahoe remains at 1,752 acres and is now 34 percent contained. Low pressure off the coast will advance toward the region, bringing an increase in afternoon southwest winds across ridge tops and aligned drainages. Dry conditions will persist with slight cooling.

The front will pass over the area on Friday, driving gusty southwest and west winds with cooler temperatures and higher humidity. Little to no precipitation is expected.

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and a good time check in with yourself and loved ones. So many of us are struggling to keep our mental health in check right now. It’s normal to feel anxious about the impacts of COVID-19. Preventing our worries from consuming us can reduce stress and uncertainty—and even more severe behavioral health issues like suicide.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) was able to refinance $15.15 million in general obligation bonds in September, saving property owners in the district $3,335,698 in property taxes.

With low interest rates brought about by the pandemic and economic uncertainty, LTUSD refinanced two series of their Election of 2008 General Obligation Bonds.

“With interest rates near historic lows, we wanted to take this opportunity to save our community money, particularly in light of the downturn in the economy,” said LTUSD Superintendent Dr. Todd Cutler.

The 26th annual Lake Tahoe Marathon scheduled for October 9-11 has been canceled for 2020.

Due to the volume of participants and required bus transportation to starting points, the popular three-day event was canceled since gathering and social distancing protocols couldn't be met. The date for the event will be October 8-10, 2021.

Organizer Les Wright of South Lake Tahoe sent out the following letter to participants this week:

The odds of being able to have the 25th Lake Tahoe Marathon this year on Oct 9-11th have dropped to about 1%.

The Fork Fire west of Lake Tahoe and about 15 miles from Pollock Pines has not gained in size for that last few days and it still measures at 1,752 acres. Firefighters were able to gain more containment Tuesday and there is now a line around 24 percent of the fire. There are 316 personnel assigned to the Fork Fire.

Dense smoke from fires burning to the south of El Dorado County covered the Fork Fire, as well as Lake Tahoe, on Tuesday with more of the same expected on Wednesday.

Sierra-at-Tahoe has spent the summer developing new operational procedures regarding COVID-19 for the 2020/21 ski and ride season. They have released their new guidelines for this winter that allow everyone to enjoy the resort while staying safe and socially distant.

:These decisions have been made in compliance with local, state and federal regulations, as well as Sierra’s commitment to the National Ski Area Association’s “Ski Well, Be Well” initiative," said Sierra-at-Tahoe representatives in a press release.

The long-running tradition of the Freaker's Ball is taking a year. The 42nd annual event will be waiting one more year but organizers promise it will be better than ever. Originally scheduled to take place Saturday, October 31, MontBleu found itself, like so many venues, unable to host the annual event due to Covid-19 and social distancing guidelines in effect statewide.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A summer-long project at Tahoe Valley Elementary School is now open to the public and the tree at the center of the love-filled efforts is in memory of student Marianna Zepeda.

The quiet, reflective garden area includes seating, a lending library and a tree dedicated to Marianna, a 4th grade student who passed away June 19.

"She was always happy and sunny," says Principal Christina Grubbs of the young student. "That is why we chose a sunny, yellow tree."

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - The forest closure order for the national forests has been extended and did not expire Monday as some had hoped. Eldorado National Forest Supervisor Jeff Marsolais said fire concerns remain, especially near the Fork Fire.

At this time, the Fork Fire has burned 1,752 acres and remains at a seven percent containment line. At this time, 300 personnel are assigned to the incident.

Our beloved son, brother, grandson, nephew, friend and teammate William (“Jack”) Green of Huntington Beach, California tragically ended his life at the age of 19 on September 5, 2020 in Walnut Creek, Calif. His rapid decline in mental health was caused by many factors, central to which was the COVID-19 quarantine. Jack’s family and friends struggle to understand the delusion and despair which lead to this, when his life held such promise.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Emergency crews responded to the Trout Creek meadow behind Lake Tahoe Community College on Saturday at about 2:00 p.m. after receiving a call about a homeless man starting a fire.

When officers from the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) arrived they located the fire and extinguished it with water from the river, according to Lt. Travis Cabral.

At the fire was 36-year-old Dustin Travis Myers, a homeless man who Cabral said tried to dissuade them from filing charges.