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South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue recently promoted three men to the position of Battalion Chief, a move that Fire Chief Jeff Meston says will improve safety for both citizens and personnel.

Jim Drennan, Tim Spencer and Karl Koeppen are all now Battalion Chiefs for the City of South Lake Tahoe. Between them, they have over 61 years of firefighting experience.

For the third year, celebrities playing in the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe had breakfast with the Tahoe Douglas Rotary Club. This year, former major league pitchers Mark Mulder and Derek Lowe joined the group at the Hard Rock Cafe for two hours of candid discussions, fun and community.

Over on hole 17 Wednesday, former Tahoe Douglas Rotary President Todd Poth won the Korbel Media Spray Off.

Another spot fire from Tuesday's Montreal Fire in South Lake Tahoe flared up overnight, burning about .16 acre before being controlled by firefighters. This spot was under the Heavenly Gondola tower 7.

This was the third spot fire started from the original fire which started behind the electrical substation on Montreal Road. All are out at this time.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation though the area where the first fire ignited is known to be used as a transient encampment.

Starting in the upcoming Fall 2016 quarter, Lake Tahoe Community College will once again be offering reduced tuition to residents of certain nearby Nevada communities in the Tahoe Basin. Up to 100 Nevada residents living in specific communities who meet the parameters established in the new partnership between California and Nevada can tap into the new, lower cost, which is three times the California resident rate, or $93 per unit. This equates to a savings of $88 per unit from the $181 per-unit rate established for all other non-residents attending LTCC.

A plunge into Lake Tahoe can literally take your breath away. It may be hot outside, but the lake can be dangerously cold. Lake Tahoe’s average surface temperature in July is 63°F, and can drop to 53°F just 18 inches below the surface.

For months the operators of taxicabs in South Lake Tahoe have said the regulations they have to abide by when operating in the City limits were unfair since app-based rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft didn't have to follow the same controls.

After Tuesday's City Council meeting, the cabs and rideshares will now be on a more level playing field with less regulation.

The "cabbies" at the meeting all left happy with the 5-0 vote of the Council to reduce the number of regulations they once had to abide by, and with a new ordinance created through group meetings with both sides.

A drive of 336-yards by the 2013 Women's World Long Drive Champion Heather LeMaster was good enough to establish a world record at elevation during the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe on Tuesday.

LeMaster, a Sacramento native, was one of four contestants to attempt the record.

The man dubbed the "Bandaged Bandit" is being sought by the FBI in a string of armed bank robberies that started with the South Shore robbery of US Bank on June 29.

Three additional banks were robbed after the Stateline one.

Two banks in El Dorado Hills were robbed on July 1 and July 14, and another one in Folsom on July 15, all apparently by the same suspect who affixes bandages to his nose, chin and arms.

An investigation into the March 10 theft of $116,520 worth of Heavenly Valley ski pass vouchers has led to the arrest of three men on suspicion of conspiracy, felony embezzlement, theft and possession of stolen property.

On July 15 and 16, deputies from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office took into custody Tim Jacobsen, 21, of Minden, Nev., Mark Graham, 20 of Gardnerville, Nev., and Angelo Bozin, 25 of South Lake Tahoe, Calif.

Bail has been set on each man at $10,000.00.

Join Tahoe Heritage Foundation and the US Forest Service at Taylor Creek Visitor Center for this Friday's Evening Program: Astronomy at Taylor Creek with Fleischmann Planetarium! July 22nd at 8:30 pm at the Lake of the Sky Amphitheater. This event is open to the public and is a $5.00 donation to the Tahoe Heritage Foundation.

Tiffany "TJ" Carter may not yet be a household name, but that may soon change with the national release of a music video off her first album.

The 30-year-old South Lake Tahoe woman, a 2003 graduate of South Tahoe High, is celebrating the video's release and shared the news from her berth on a Carnival Cruise Line ship. She also talked about how she got started on her career in a town she's called home since 1989.

South Lake Tahoe natives Nicole Riegel Smith and Chris Smith have returned to their hometown, this time as college graduates with an expertise in brewing beer and a desire to open a new business on the South Shore.

Plans have been submitted and the work will soon begin on the Smith's venture. South Lake Brewing Company. They have signed the lease for the long vacant Ace Hardware building on the corner of Tata Lane and Lake Tahoe Blvd.

As practice rounds at Edgewood Tahoe begin on Tuesday for the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament, the odds makers have come out with their list of the favorites, and the not-so-favorites.

Former MLB All-Star pitcher Mark Mulder, the defending champion, and newly-retired pro tennis champion Mardy Fish are listed as co-favorites by the Harrah’s and Harveys Race & Sports Book to win the tournament.

Mountain Resort Television guest reporter and professional waterskier Marcus Brown fills us in on water ski equipment for Lake Tahoe including a new ski disc.

The following are incidents the South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue department responded to from July 1 - July 12, 2016.

7/1
13 calls: 10 EMS, 1 interfacility psych transfer, 1 canceled en route, 1 gasoline or other flammable liquid

7/2
25 calls: 12 EMS, 2 interfacility transfer, 2 vehicle accidents with injuries, 2 "good intent" call, 1 unauthorized burning, 1 smoke scare/smell of smoke, 2 false alarms, 1 police matter assist, 1 canceled en route, 1 no incident found upon arrival

7/3

The weekend of July 23 and 24 the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park will feature two days of Dangberg family history with a Chautauqua on Fred Dangberg, Jr. and a presentation by his real life grandson Steve “Dink” Achard. Both presentations are free.

Location

Whittell High graduate Jake O'Malley was one of the two wildland firefighters killed in a single vehicle accident on July 10.

As part of O'Malley's duties while based in Winnemucca, Nevada was to patrol for fires, and it was while doing this when his vehicle crashed, killing both Jake and his roommate, Will Hawkins of Reno. A third occupant was hospitalized and has since been released.

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 press time and the story will be updated when provided.

7/10
8:01 a.m. - Disorderly Conduct: Alcohol - Remington Trail - 46-YEAR-OLD MALE ARRESTED FOR PUBLIC INTOXICATION.

12:02 p.m. - Missing Person - Tahoe Paradise - 15-YEAR-OLD BOY REPORTED MISSING.

4:25 p.m. - Death Investigation - South Lake Tahoe - 65-YEAR-OLD MAN DECEASED.

A procession from Carson City to Reno and then to Winnemucca began Saturday morning for two fallen Bureau of Land Management firefighters who died Sunday in a vehicle crash.

Memorial services will be held for Bureau of Land Management wild land firefighters Jacob O’Malley and Will Hawkins, who lost their lives in a single-vehicle accident July 10 on Nevada State Route 140.

Three people have been identified as "persons of interest" by the Washoe County Sheriff's Office in connection to an investigation of human remains found in a burnt vehicle off State Route 447 on Thursday night.

The men have been identified as Shannon Miller, Shawn Miller and Corey Massengale, all from the Silver Spring area of Lyon County.

An event to raise money for the families of firefighters killed in the line of duty will be held at Red's Old 395 on Friday, July 29 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The Wildland Firefighter Foundation is holding the event which includes a raffle, wild beard contest, Smoky Bear and other fun. The donations will come from $1 raffle ticket purchases and beard contest entries.

To donate, or for more information, contact Lindy McDonald at 775-220-7185.

On July 12, 2016 at 2:56 p.m., with his family by his side, John Setnor passed peacefully into the Lord's Kingdom. He was born December 31st 1945 and was raised in Chicago, Illinois and spent 32 incredible years in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., with the love of his life, his Lynnie.

John's passion for fishing and extraordinary sense of humor were only surpassed by the love he showed for his family and friends. When he wasn't on his boat fishing, he loved spending time at home with his family sitting out by his pond enjoying the wildlife that he so loved.

The July 19 meeting of the South Lake Tahoe City Council should be a long one, with multiple items on the agenda ranging from vacation rentals to massage parlors.

Some of the items the Council will be addressing:

Old Business: Vote on Vacation Home Rental changes to the code which grandfather in multi-family units with a permit by September 1, a request by SnowGlobe to extend their contract by 3-10 years and budgetary items.

Phillip Garrido is now eligible for release over 400 years early.