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Hello fellow anglers. I am happy to say, the winter solstice has come and gone. Meaning, each day now brings one minute longer of daylight. But as we all know, that does not mean it will get any warmer soon. Down here in the Minden and Carson Valleys we've experienced an average of 7 to 10 degree mornings.

Most would think that the higher lakes would be frozen and iced over. I received a report from fellow angler Josh Otto last week. As Josh told me, Caples Lake had high winds and was down right cold and had waves blowing across the lake.

Low-income Californians will have access to dental services they’ve lacked since 2009, under a law taking effect on New Year’s Day.

The budget signed by Governor Jerry Brown in June fully restores dental benefits for adult Medi-Cal patients that were cut during the recession.

Providers and community advocates recount horror stories of patients with tooth problems taking drastic measures.

Starting January 1st, Denti-Cal will pay for adults to receive crowns and root canals, when dentists certify those procedures are necessary.

Abundant mid and high clouds and periods of gusty winds in the high Sierra are expected through the weekend, leaving Lake Tahoe with party sunny conditions for Christmas. Abundant mid and high clouds and periods of gusty winds in the high Sierra are expected through the weekend.

A very weak system is passing through Northeastern California and Northern Nevada next week, and with it comes a very slight chance of snow coming into the Lake Tahoe Basin, but more precipiation will be staying near the Oregon border.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE - The following is a recap of activity the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to 369 calls between November 28 - December 12, 2017.

Calls Resulting in Arrests/Citations:

11/28 - 26 Total Calls

Driving on a suspended/revoked license at Emerald Bay Rd & West Way
Resisting at Lake Tahoe Blvd & Tata Lane
DUI at Oakland & El Dorado Ave
Assault with a deadly weapon in the 1400 block of Glenwood Way
Unlicensed Driver in the 2800 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd

11/29 - 24 Total Calls

Mental Health issues in communities where they have operations will be the focus of a new charitable fund created by Vail's Chief Executive Officer Rob Katz and his wife, Elana Amsterdam.

Katz and Amsterdam created the new charitable fund in October 2017 with funding of approximately $58 million.

There will be two homes for the Warm Room this winter, and the first one opens on Christmas Eve at 7:00 p.m.

From December 24 - December 31, 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., the Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless (TCH) will open the Warm Room at the Lake Tahoe Community Presbyterian Church located at 2733 Lake Tahoe Boulevard. Access to the room will be through the lower parking lot in the back of the church, not through the front door.

"We appreciate the support of the local faith community for rallying behind our common missions of service," said the Coalition.

If you were planning on adopting a pet in South Lake Tahoe for a Christmas gift, you're out of luck this year as the last adoptable pet at the El Dorado County Animal Services Shelter has been adopted.

Felix, a five-year-old purebred Bengal, was the last pet left at the shelter on Tuesday. By Wednesday, he had found a new home.

Emptying out the shelter is not uncommon at Christmas as many find the perfect gift among the animals being housed there.

The shelter is located at 1120 Shakori Drive off of State Route 89 in Meyers. Their phone number is (530) 573-7925.

Christmas is a little brighter this Christmas for ten South Lake Tahoe area families who received a box full of food from the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO) and Blue Shield of California.

The El Dorado Hills based insurance company paid for the food for families throughout the county, and the deputies delivered them.

"It felt really good. I was glad we could do something like this, especially this time of year," said Deputy Vince DeLeon who has been with the Sheriff's Office for 17 years and helped do the deliveries.

5:45 p.m. UPDATE - 15 customers are still without power at this time. NV Energy estimates they'll be restored by 8:00 p.m. tonight.

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NV Energy is reporting that 2,434 of their customers on the South Shore have been without power since 2:27 p.m. Thursday. Equipment failure is being cited as the cause and estimated restoration of all power is expected by 5:30 p.m.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) is one of just a handful of educational providers in the state to win a $500,000 grant from the California Apprenticeship Initiative (CAI) to help build and launch culinary pre-apprenticeship programs in South Lake Tahoe. LTCC was recently notified of the award, which will be used to help better prepare South Lake Tahoe’s workforce and to improve local residents’ ability to secure in-demand jobs and progress to higher-wage careers in the Tahoe Basin.

California ski towns are going to have to wait a little longer for recreational marijuana.

On Jan. 1, adults 21 and over will be allowed to possess up to 1 ounce of recreational marijuana in California, but most ski towns in Northern California won't allow sales of retail product yet.

Some of the most popular ski towns in Northern California — South Lake Tahoe, Truckee and Mammoth Lakes included — have moratoriums on recreational marijuana businesses, which means that product won’t be available until late spring, at the earliest.

Douglas County residents continue to receive scam phone calls about missed court dates and jury duties, resulting in two residents being scammed out of over $5,,000 each, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO).

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - Detectives from South Lake Tahoe Department (SLTPD) posing as potential buyers on Craigslist have uncovered a painting stolen from a gallery in the Heavenly Village.

On Saturday December 9, SLTPD received a report of a stolen painting from Pacific Crest Gallery. The painting, Three Bears Playing Golf, valued at $1195, was taken from the stores front sidewalk display by an unknown suspect.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. – Over a dozen local, regional and pro skiers and snowboarders will take part in SnowGlobe Big Air, a jump at the scene of the three-day musical festival in South Lake Tahoe.

On Course Events has partnered with SnowGlobe to build the jump which is Lake Tahoe's largest man-made feature. Athletes will drop out of the darkness on a scaffolding tower, coming down and hitting a jump launching over 30 feet above the

The Incline Village Crystal Bay Visitors Bureau appointed Greg Long as Operations and Finance Director, effective Jan. 1, 2018.

Long, a North Lake Tahoe local for the past 20 years, previously served as the Operations Manager at Smith + Jones Marketing since 1999, at which he oversaw production, estimates, purchase printing and client management.

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Department joined forces with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and El Dorado County District Attorney's Office in conducting "Victim Centered," to identify human trafficking victims and suspects.

They began the investigation by looking into escort/ dating sites on the internet and those ads coming from El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park and Placerville. The main purpose of the investigation was to identify the human trafficking victims who are being prostituted and to identify the suspects who are pimping and trafficking these victims in El Dorado County.

A dog is lucky to be alive today after falling through ice in the Tahoe Keys Monday. He had been out for a walk with his pregnant owner when the accident occurred. A 66-year-old woman from Oregon was in the area and heard the dog-owner's calls for help and jumped in to save the dog.

When the rescuer got out of the water she was very cold and South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue and the Cal Tahoe JPA were called out to the scene at 12:30 p.m.

The good Samaritan was transported to Barton Hospital with a mild case of hypothermia. It is unknown if she was treated and released.

It most likely won't be a white Christmas in Lake Tahoe, but snow is headed to the Sierras this Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. It is a quick moving storm but has a chance to leave behind the much-needed snow. Christmas Day is expected to be sunny and cold, with a high of 39, low around 12.

Plan on slippery road conditions during the morning commute Wednesday from Lake Tahoe to Reno and the Carson Valley. Total snow accumulations of 3 to 5 inches are forecast for lake level, with up to 10 inches expected above 7000 feet.

Multi-Platinum artist/musician/producer Charlie Puth has announced plans for his biggest North American headline tour to date, The Voicenotes Tour, and they include a stop at the scenic Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys on Saturday, August 18, 2018.

Multi-Platinum recording artist Hailee Steinfeld will be joining Puth on the tour.

You can catch Puth on Tuesday night's finale of The Voice on NBC and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.

Retired South Lake Tahoe K9 Duke has passed away according to the South Lake Tahoe Police Canine Association. During his years of service he was responsible for the seizure of almost half a million dollars cash and countless narcotics detection arrests. He had numerous street suspect apprehensions, none of which were ever challenged in criminal or civil court according to his handler, Tony Broadfoot.

Duke had been trained by the Dutch Police in Belgium prior to coming to South Lake Tahoe in December of 2005.

Tony Broadfoot wrote this about Duke on the association's Facebook page:

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 Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at time of story.

Some of those recently added to last week's log:

12/6

9:30 p.m. - Death Investigation - 70-YEAR-OLD MALE DECEASED

12/7

1:10 p.m. - Death Investigation - 23-YEAR-OLD MALE DECEASED

A 38-year-old South Lake Tahoe man was arrested early Saturday for felony suspicion of attempted commercial burglary and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, a Carson City sheriff’s deputy said.

William Jack Phelps was taken into custody in the 4200 block of South Carson Street.

According to the arrest report, a security guard contacted the sheriff’s office regarding a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of Big Lots, 4215 South Carson Street.

The City of South Lake Tahoe put the finishing touches to the new Vacation Home Rental (VHR) ordinance Tuesday, paving the way for what community members have asked for: More enforcement, better monitoring and rules to bring reasonable calm to their neighborhoods.

"This is a code with real teeth," said SLT Police Chief Brian Uhler. "It's a clear and simple message that we're not fooling around. There are strong laws for staff to carry out."

For nearly 30 years, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office could rely on volunteer Richard Swartzendruber to deliver equipment necessary to support our Search and Rescue teams. From floods and fires to avalanches, water rescues, injured hikers, and stranded motorists, Richard would overcome conditions that were often extreme to haul boats, command centers or other equipment needed to help the mission succeed.

Richard, described by his family as an “adored husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather,” passed away on December 11, 2017.