Latest Stories

The Nevada Highway Patrol says injuries were minor after a reported head-on collision on Highway 207 Friday, July 3.

A call came in to dispatch at 2:56 p.m. that two cars collided on Kingsbury Grade. The road was closed for 1.5 hours as the accident was cleaned up, creating a large backup.

All vehicles were towed away and the injured did not require an ambulance.

The reports aren't final as of yet and no other details are available at this time.

It may seem like lyrics from the Five Man Electrical Band: Sign, sign, everywhere a sign; Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind' Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?

Everyone wants to enjoy the South Lake Tahoe area on the 4th of July holiday weekend. In order to keep everyone safe there are rules and regulations in place to do so.

1. Portable Charcoal Grills Prohibited on All Forest Service Beaches. You can use the limited number of Forest Service provided grills.
2. Campfires are not permitted on National Forest beaches or in the general forest.

After years of planing and months of public input, the new Airport Master Plan for South Lake Tahoe was presented to the community on Tuesday. About a dozen people attended to see and hear what the final plan might look like.

Since buying the Tahoe Valley Airport from El Dorado County in 1983 for $1, the City of South Lake Tahoe has been supporting its operation which at one time saw almost 300,000 people a year pass through.

Looking for a career as a professional truck driver, but don't have money for school? El Dorado County Connections - One Stop has announced that funds are now available through the Federal Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) to pay for truck driving school tuition. Any unemployed resident of El Dorado County over the age of 23 with a clean driving record is eligible. There is no income restriction.

With the three-day weekend starting for many on Friday, visitors started arriving in South Lake Tahoe early Thursday. If the amount of congestion on local roads and the crowds in the grocery stores are any indication, this is going to be a very busy holiday!

An estimated 50,000 to 55,000 people will be using South Lake Tahoe hotels, motels, campgrounds, timeshares and vacation home rentals. Another 50,000-70,000 will be enjoying the fireworks from the South Shore. This includes full time residents, part time residents and drive in day visitors.

Just a day after people celebrated the opening of highways through the Washington Fire area south of Markleeville, a mudslide has closed Highway 4 over Ebbetts Pass. The road is closed 2.4 miles south of town.

A strong thunderstorm formed over the northwest half of the fire Wednesday, bringing heavy rains and frequent lightning.

A proposed solar panel project on 260 acres of Park Cattle Company land won approval by the Douglas County Planning Commission in May, but residents opposing the solar farm with its 148,277 panels are fighting back. They are taking their complaints to the July 2 meeting of the Douglas County Commissioners led by local residents Steve and Mary Walker who filed an appeal right after approval of the planning commission.

The aftermath of the thousands of people who flocked to South Lake Tahoe's beaches last Fourth of July was a ghastly sight. South Lake Tahoe made headlines around the world for the embarrassing amount of trash left on the beaches. It took hundreds of volunteers days to pick up the thousands of pounds of garbage left on the beautiful beaches.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department has been meeting with community members and visitors one day a week for the past month during "Coffee With a Cop."

Lieutenants, Sergeants and the Chief have been at the Stateline area Starbucks each Thursday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., giving everyone a chance to meet the department's administrative staff and help shape policing efforts in South Lake Tahoe.

There have been a few people who have shown up each week because they knew the SLTPD would be there, others just stop by when they see them sitting at the table.

Motorists who have traveled California's highways have noticed signs with travel times posted to them, alerting them with travel times to major destinations.

Just in time for the July 4th holiday weekend, South Lake Tahoe will be getting their own set that will alert drivers the time it will take them for destinations between South Lake Tahoe and Placerville.

With rising temperatures pet owners need to be aware that the temperature inside vehicles can reach 120 degrees in a matter of minutes, even with the windows opened slightly.

There's a new show in town, and tens of thousands of people will get to see it for the first time on Independence Day.

While many South Lake Tahoe fireworks fans might not even notice, this year's stunning "Lights on the Lake" pyrotechnical performance is now being created by world-renowned 'Fireworks by Grucci' out of New York.

Grucci is a sixth-generation family owned company who owns two Guinness World Records and have been putting on fireworks shows around the world since 1850. They are known as the "First Family of Fireworks."

The controversial bill that would give California one of the country's strictest vaccination laws headed on Monday to Gov. Jerry Brown's desk, with supporters urging him to sign it and opponents promising to stand vigil around the clock to convince him to veto it.

On Monday, a majority of the California state Senate again passed Senate Bill 277, incendiary legislation that would require almost all schoolchildren to be fully vaccinated in order to attend public or private school, regardless of their parents' personal or religious beliefs.

The only exception would be for medical reasons.

Twice in the last week, people flying drones disrupted wildfire operations in Southern California, causing federal, state and local wildfire managers to come out with a warning to the public, "Do not fly unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) within or near wildfires."

Unless someone comes forward with the manpower, location and money needed to relocate the historic Barton Ranch Complex at the "Y", it will be torn down. Barton family members were granted the approval for demolition during Monday's Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) special hearings officer meeting.

The public has 21 days to file an appeal to the decision or the TRPA can approve the demolition.

With illegal and unattended campfires the cause of over 90% of wildfires in the Lake Tahoe Basin, new fire restrictions go into place on July 1, 2015. Campfires and charcoal barbecues will be restricted to designated recreation sites, and other fire-related activities are prohibited until the end of fire season.

“Increased fire danger due to the ongoing drought combined with warmer and dryer weather is a big concern for the basin," said U.S. Forest Service fire management officer, Kit Bailey. "Fire restrictions help reduce the possibility of human caused fires.”

A hang-glider was found dead Friday afternoon near Slide Mountain, Washoe County Sheriff's Office spokesman Bob Harmon said.

The victim has not yet been identified, Harmon said, and has been described only as an adult male. No other information was available.

Dispatch received word of the man going down at 1:30 p.m. Friday. The victim was discovered at 4 p.m. by air south of the Slide Mountain ski area after several agencies and groups of volunteers were unable to locate him through a ground search, Harmon said.

Come on out Sunday, July 5th to "Sip, Shop & Stroll" Main Street in Genoa. The drinks will be Rum-based, the non-profit recipient will be Carson Valley Arts Council and the entertainment will be "Nigel St. Hubbins". Returning sippers bring your glass and save $2 off of the $12 admission. A completed passport will get you a chance at $100 in Genoa Bucks. More fun contests throughout the day. Check-in is on the porch of the Masonic Lodge. Cheers!!

Location

9:00 p.m. update:

This just in from the Douglas County Sheriff's Department: On June 27, 2015, at approximately 6:17 p.m., the East Fork Fire District in Douglas County responded to a report of several wildland fires along the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

There have been reports of six fires along the west side of the Carson Valley.

East Fork Fire, along with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have responded to the multiple fires and are working to access each of the fires.

A very strong storm cell is moving across the east side of Lake Tahoe and the Carson Valley this evening, causing some small fires.

The National Weather Service in Reno issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for western Carson City, Minden, Gardnerville, the Carson Valley and Lake Tahoe. The warning is through at least 6:15 p.m. and extends through the Carson Range.

It is expected to impact the east side of Lake Tahoe and into Carson City and Carson Valley. Wind gusts to 60 mph, penny sized hail and heavy rain are possible with this storm, according to the weather service.

The City of South Lake Tahoe is holding a "Kick-off Meeting" for the Sierra Tract Erosion Control Project, Phase 3 and 4, on June 30, 2015, at 6:00 p.m. at the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Center gym located at 1180 Rufus Allen Blvd.

Construction of the project is scheduled to commence in early July, 2015 and continue throughout the 2015 and 2016 summer construction seasons. The construction contractor for the project will be available to answer questions regarding construction activities and schedule.

A bird found in the El Dorado Hills area of the county tested positive for West Nile Virus this week.

The bird, a Western Scrub Jay, was found on June 16 and is the first bird of the year to be found to have the virus. So far this year, West Nile virus activity has been reported in 26 California counties, including neighboring Sacramento and Placer counties.

No human cases of the virus have been reported in California thus far in 2015.

U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) officials are asking Burning Man organizers to provide "excessive" comforts such as flushing toilets, washers and dryers, and vanity mirrors in a compound for high-level government officials staying in Black Rock City.

A Burning Man spokesman estimated the compound would cost the event more than $1 million, bringing its 2015 permit fees to about $5 million. The renderings of the compound obtained by the RGJ also show various accommodations set aside for VIP visitors but don't indicate who the visiting dignitaries will be.