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Not having a place to call home in a community where winter temperatures often drop below freezing could be hazardous to the increasing number of homeless men, women and families in South Lake Tahoe.

Recognizing the need, a group of concerned community members formed the Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless. Their goal was to create a warming room, a place for those on the streets to come in from the elements to keep warm.

The following is the ski, snowboard and weather report for Saturday, December 12, 2015 for South Lake Tahoe.

Weather - South Lake Tahoe will have a high of 38 and a low of 33. Day:A 10 percent chance of snow after 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38. West wind 5 to 10 mph. Night: A slight chance of snow before 11pm, then rain, possibly mixed with snow. Low around 33. Breezy, with a southwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

A fallen tree in the middle of the forest early Friday morning led to 3,500 Liberty Utilities customers being without power for several hours.

At 1:50 a.m. it was reported that power was cut off to the homes. Crews had to snowshoe into the forest to find out what the problem was, which turned out to be a tree fallen on a power line. They were able to bypass the system and get power up to about 3,100 customers by 9 a.m.

When the recession hit and many cities were faced with bankruptcy and skyrocketing healthcare costs for their employees, retirees had benefits cut or renegotiated. The City of South Lake Tahoe survived those turbulent times by taking a look at the costs they could reduce or restructure, and benefits for retirees was one that took a hit.

Now, many of those employees have filed a lawsuit against the City.

The Pet of the Week this week is Dorito , a beautiful mini Panther shoulder cat. He does well with other cats and well-mannered dogs. He is happiest when he is in a person’s arms and loves affection.

Please visit him at The El Dorado County Animal Services, 530-573-7925.

For Spay-Neuter services and other support, call the Lake Tahoe Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at 530-542-2857.

Here is an update for road conditions and weather forecast for Friday, December 11.

Chain controls are widespread this morning:

At 8 a.m., chains or 4WD with snow tires are required all the way on Highway 50 from Meyers to Pollock Pines.

Chains are required on all vehicles except 4WD with snow tires on Hwy 89 from Pickett's Junction to 2.7 miles south of junction with Highway 50 in Meyers; from 4.5 miles north of Y to Bliss State Park, then chains or snow tires from Bliss State Park to junction of I80.

No snow day for area students today, Friday, December 11.

All bus stops are on a normal schedule for Lake Tahoe Unified Schools.

Zephyr Cove eleementary school buses will stop at main bus stops only for Zephyr Cove Elementary School (ZCES). These stops are designated as:

The corner of Tina Court and Ski Court for students living in the Tramway and Kingsbury Village area:
ZCES - Bus will arrive at 7:57 a.m. and depart at 8:20 a.m.

Glenbrook area will board at the entrance to Glenbrook:
ZCES - Bus will arrive at 7:36 a.m.

Undercover narcotics officers were able to purchase 170 grams of Heroin, 50 grams of Methamphetamine, and one handgun during an investigation into drug and gun runners trying to set up shop in Douglas County.

The investigation, which lasted several months, began when the Douglas County Street Enforcement Tea (DCSET) learned that four drug dealers from Stockton, Calif., were attempting to sell drugs and firearms in the area.

Todd Moss has been promoted to Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District Battalion Chief. The South Tahoe High graduate has been with the department since 1998 when he started at a firefighter/paramedic.

In his new capacity, Moss will be responsible for the day to day operations for A Shift. Moss will also serve as the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Chief and Custodian of Records. Chief Moss will be the NV PERS Chief Officer Representative, a member of the Employee Benefits Committee and he will oversee the GASB 45 and 68 compliance requirements.

Police Department 50th Anniversary As you might expect, once the City was incorporated in 1965, it took some time to create a police department. On July 1, 1967 the police department began providing police services to the City. In 2017,we’ll plan a small public 50th celebration at the police department. Our initial plans include hosting and honoring some of the department’s original members. Over the years there have been many changes. Some points of interest include:

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.

Location

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.