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A 3-2 vote cast last Monday repealed a portion of the 2013 Ban on Single-Use Plastic Carryout Bags. I don’t intend this to be a discussion on whether plastic bags should be banned or not (although I openly support policies that bring about greater environmental stewardship in our community), but I am questioning whether there was due diligence in acquiring the data needed to accurately represent the desires of the community when making this decision.

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The first wave of the storm coming to Lake Tahoe had warm temperatures, rain and wind, but because of what is forecast later in the day Thursday, Douglas County schools at the lake are closed.

Lake Tahoe Unified Schools, which cover the south end of the lake, are open. There is a chance that after-school programs will be closed but that decision will be made later in the day.

In Truckee: All Schools Open Today, December 10, 2015 Except Donner Trail Elementary/Donner Summit Students due to the high confidence that the storm will bring heavy snow later in the day.

The Lake Tahoe Community College Board of Trustees, the City of South Lake Tahoe and the California Tahoe Conservancy will soon be voting to swap land they own around the college so the South Lake Tahoe Greenway Shared-Use Bike Trail can be built between Bijou Community Park and Sierra Tract neighborhood.

With a forecast for the Sierra of a significant snowfall over both Donner Summit and Echo Summit, Caltrans issued a statement for motorists to take caution and to alert drivers of tools at their disposal to help them on their trip.

High winds are predicted with heavy snow, creating the potential for white-outs and even blizzard conditions on summit passes between Wednesday night and Friday morning.

The following is the ski, snowboard and weather report for Tuesday, December 8, 2015 for South Lake Tahoe.

Since Lake Tahoe Community College became a reality in 1974, Frederick "Fritz" Wenck, Jr. has been on the school's Board of Trustees. During Tuesday night's board meeting, fellow Trustees voted Wenck as the Board President for the tenth time.

Each year, during their annual organizational meeting, the Board of Trustees elects new leaders. As Kerry David ended his term as President, Karen Borges was named Board Clerk and Jeff Cowan the Presiding Officer.

"This will be my final term on the Board of Trustees," said Wenck. "I want to leave on a good, upbeat note."

Officials on Tuesday unveiled a nine-mile stretch of the Carson City freeway in honor of Carson City Sheriff's Office Deputy Carl Howell who died in the line of duty August 15, 2015.

The ceremony Tuesday at the Nevada Law Enforcement Officers Memorial on the state capitol grounds featured remarks from Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, Nevada Department of Transportation Director Rudy Malfabon, Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong, Mayor Bob Crowell and Kevin Howell, father of Carl Howell.

Two Plumas Lake, Calif., residents found themselves in the Washoe County Jail on Sunday after Nevada State Troopers found 63 pounds of marijuana in the back of their car.

At 11:10 a.m. on December 6, Troopers pulled over a white Ford Expedition with New York registration tags for a moving violation on I80 near Robb Drive. The car was occupied by Patrick Fay, 64, and Corinne Fay, 57.

A workshop will be held in South Lake Tahoe on Tuesday that will help develop ideas for the design of a new recreation center for the city.

The first Recreation Complex Renovation planning meeting will be held at the Recreation Center, located at 1180 Rufus Allen Blvd., on Tuesday, December 8 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The community has been invited to participate in the future of several local projects, and this gives citizens another opportunity to have their voice heard.

The South Lake Tahoe City Council voted to rescind the ban on single use plastic bags in retail outlets during Monday's meeting. Mayor Wendy David and Mayor Pro Tem Austin Sass were the only ones who wanted to continue the ban but were outvoted in the 3-2 vote.

It was a changing of the guard during Monday's South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting. Wendy David moved from her position of mayor pro tem to mayor, and Austin Sass took over the second-in-command duties.

Councilmember Tom Davis, who has served as both mayor and mayor pro tem, was also interested in a fifth term in the pro tem spot but the nod went to Sass.

Lake Tahoe Community College will officially be closed for Winter Break from Friday, December 18, 2015 through Sunday, January 3, 2016. Classes will not be held during this period, and most of the offices and departments on campus, including the library, will not be open for business. The Winter Quarter will begin on Monday, Jan. 4.

The college’s Child Development Center, however, will be open on Mon. Dec. 21 through Wed. Dec. 23, when the hours will be 7:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. The CDC will then close from Thurs. Dec. 24 until Mon. Jan. 4, when normal business hours resume.

A new website puts comprehensive information about the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program at everyone’s fingertips, allowing people to easily learn more about “Lake-Saving Projects” completed in their own neighborhoods and all around Lake Tahoe.

The new Environmental Improvement Program Project Tracker is online at www.conservationclearly.org/tracker.

It is still a few days away, but the warnings are already being issued for a winter storm headed to the Sierra Nevada.

A winter storm warning has been issued for Lake Tahoe, starting late Wednesday day and going until Thursday night. The National Weather Service issued the warning, saying there is a potential for significant snow accumulations that may create hazardous driving conditions.

The following is the ski, snowboard and weather report for Monday, December 7, 2015 for South Lake Tahoe.

Weather - South Lake Tahoe will have a high of 53 and a low of 31. Partly sunny, with a high near 53. Southwest wind around 10 mph. Tonight, mostly cloudy, with a low around 31. Southwest wind around 10 mph.

If you’re enjoying the holidays with a drink, South Lake Tahoe Police Department has a message for you: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. Due to the increase in drunk-driving-related fatalities around the holidays each year, law enforcement agencies across America will be actively searching for and arresting drunk drivers from December 18 to January 3.

SOS Outreach, a non-profit serving South Lake Tahoe youth, launched their winter mountain program at Heavenly Ski Resort this weekend. Vail Resorts and Heavenly donate instructors, gear and access to the mountain. For their first day on the mountain Saturday, SOS had 75 at risk and underserved youth for day one of a five day Learn to ski/snowboard Program.

SOS uses core values and positive adults while teaching youth to ski or snowboard.
Each day of activities staff and youth participate in has a focus, and this first day on the slopes was "courage".

Sunday - A slight chance of rain and snow showers before 11am, then a slight chance of rain showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 47. Breezy, with a southwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Sunday Night - Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Monday - Partly sunny, with a high near 52. Southwest wind around 10 mph.

Monday Night - Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Tuesday - Partly sunny, with a high near 53. Southwest wind around 5 mph.

The following is the ski, snowboard and weather report for Sunday, December 6, 2015 for South Lake Tahoe.

Weather - South Lake Tahoe will have a high of 47 and a low of 31. A slight chance of rain and snow showers before 11am, then a slight chance of rain showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 47. Breezy, with a southwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Tonight, ostly cloudy, with a low around 31. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

The Lake Tahoe Grizzlies Peewee Team is the 2015 Pacific District Regional Silver Stick Champions in the Peewee B division which has earned them a spot at the International Finals in Ontario, Canada. In order to help the young boys and girls with travel expenses, the team has started a fundraising campaign selling "Tahoe Strong" T-Shirts.

All 14 team members have excelled not only on the ice, but in the classroom according to fundraiser organizer Tye Watson. They players come from South Lake Tahoe, Incline Village, Truckee, Reno, Carson City and Minden.

Smoke from local prescribed burns can be seen, and smelled, through much of South Lake Tahoe today. A cool night and low inversion layer have trapped the smoke closer to the ground than normal.

What most residents are experiencing is coming from a 69-acre prescribed burn area near Trout Creek that was ignited Friday. The South Lake Tahoe Fire Department said there are no vegetative fires in the basin.

Smoke was especially heavy Friday night and looked much like fog while navigating many streets in the area.

Barton Health's Certified Enrollment Counselors are available to help community members enroll in Covered California insurance or Medi-Cal plan from now until January 31.

One-on-one enrollment sessions are available the follow days and times:

Tuesday, December 8- 3:30-6:30pm
Wednesday, January 20 - 3:30-6:30pm

Both sessions will take place at Lake Tahoe Community College in Computer Lab D123. Enrollment counselors will help individuals and families walk through the process of signing up and selecting a health care plan.

Every Friday for the last 6 years, Bread & Broth has been partnering with Lake Tahoe Community Presbyterian Church (LTCPC) to feed the hungry through the “Second Serving” program. “Second Serving” meals consist of soup and a simple entrée such as pasta dishes, Sloppy Joes and chili cheese dogs which are served from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. in the Family room of the LTCPC. These meals complement the Bread & Broth Monday evening full-course dinners served at St. Theresa Church Grace Hall.

Deputies from the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office were called out to the neighborhood of Minniconiou and Susquehana Drives on Wednesday morning to reports an aggressive 700-800 pound bear.

The bear had reportedly been disrupting the neighborhood for several weeks by breaking into multiple residences.

Deputies located the bear and attempted to get the bear to move away from the residential area, using loud noises and less lethal bean bag rounds. In most cases these types of tactics are very successful and result in the bear leaving the area.