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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 and West Shore, including Meyers, South Lake Tahoe, Meeks Bay, Tahoma, and the Echo Summit area. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at the time of the story.

Report for September 8 - September 14, 2022

9/8

02:19 SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES IN PROGRESS - Occurred at Luther Pass Campground on South Upper Truckee Rd/SR89 in South Lake Tahoe. Disposition: REPORT TAKEN.

The El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency, Public Health Division will begin conducting no-cost community flu vaccination clinics starting on September 29, 2022, with additional clinics offered through October and into November. Seasonal influenza vaccine will be administered primarily in flu shot form, but a limited supply of FluMist® will be available for children and adults.

The wind on Saturday may have stirred up some smoke over the Mosquito Fire, but officials said it looked worse than it was. When the morning layer of smoke was blown out to the northeast, causing ventilation and the hot areas were fanned. The Mosquito Fire is 73,381 acres and 21% contained.

Even with the winds, crews made good headway with dozer and hand work along the eastern edge of the fire.

"It was an amazing piece of firefighting," said Operations Section Chief Dave Soldavini of the efforts at the southeast end of the fire.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD) is repairing easement roads in Washoe State Park to improve access to critical sewer infrastructure and jointly benefit recreational users. The project will occur on the trail south of Amacker Ranch, between the meadow and the Lake Tahoe Golf Course. Work is planned for September 26 through October 21, 2022.

Use caution around the work zone and seek alternate trails.

If you have questions regarding the project, contact South Tahoe Public Utility District at 530-544-6474.

The Unified Command Center of the Mosquito Fire held its nightly community meeting Friday, updating residents about the status of operations. They announced the fire is now 71,292 acres in size and a containment line remains around 20% of the fire. 3,453 personnel are currently assigned to the fire.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - With eleven candidates for South Lake Tahoe City Council it will be more important than ever to learn more about each one. The Tahoe Chamber, South Lake Tahoe Chamber, South Tahoe Association of Realtors, and the South Lake Tahoe Lodging Association are hosting a candidate's forum for nine of those hoping to take one of three seats available. The public is welcome to attend in person or virtually. It is being held on Wednesday, September 21 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Tahoe Beach Retreat's Conference Room.

Join the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and Alpine County Sheriff's Office at the next Coffee With A Cop on Friday, September 23 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. It will be held at Cutthroat Brewing Co., 14830 CA-89, Markleeville.

Coffee with a Cop is as simple as it sounds. It is a chance to meet your local officers and have a cup of coffee with them. There are no agendas at this event, just an opportunity to ask questions, voice concerns, and get to know the officers in your neighborhood.

The Mosquito Fire has burned 69,908 acres and remains at 20% containment. Poor air quality is an issue Friday around Lake Tahoe, Truckee, Reno, and Carson City. Farmer's Market on Ski Run has been canceled, and schools in the Tahoe-Truckee School District are closed due to very unhealthy air.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Join in the seasonal fun at the annual Oktoberfest party at South Lake Brewing Company on Saturday, September 24.

Join them for the release of two seasonal brews, limited edition steins and shirts, games and prizes, live music from Miki Rae and the Bison Bluegrass Band, face painting and kids activities, traditional German food from Street Dogs and Big Bertha, and more. Get your lederhosen and dirndls ready for the costume contest.

Admission is free and the festivities start at noon. Prost!

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Two fun events in one venue this Saturday afternoon from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The Heavenly Village is the scene for the 2nd annual Fall Alefest and the annual Village Chicken Wing Cook-off.

Gun Barrel Tavern, Fire and Ice, Kalani's, The Loft, and last year's champion, California Burger, will be competing for who has the best wings. Douglas County and El Dorado County sheriff's offices will be competing to see who has the best law enforcement wings as well.

The Alefest will feature fifteen beer, seltzer, and kombucha samples.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association (TAMBA) is hosting its Fall Fundraiser on Sunday, September 25 at the Nevada State 4-H Camp in Stateline from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

“We are inviting all who enjoy hiking and biking in the basin to celebrate our accomplishments and get a sneak peek into what the future holds for trails in the basin,” said David Orr, TAMBA Board Member.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Food thrown away in California is a growing problem and there is nearly six million tons of food scraps or food waste tossed each year. This is about 18 percent of all materials that go into landfills according to CalRecycle.

In order for California to reach its goal of 75 percent source reduction, recycling, and composting, food waste must be addressed. Not only is redirecting organic waste the right, and needed thing to do, there is a law in California requiring local jurisdictions to implement organic waste recycling programs.

The Mosquito Fire was mapped Thursday morning at 64,159 acres and containment remains at 20% according to the morning fire operation briefing. Overnight, smoke settled back into drainages due to easing winds, with a majority of the fire area seeing good humidity recovery. Firefighters continued working throughout the night, patrolling, mopping up, and securing
control lines around the south and east sides of the fire.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - Gardnerville resident Rafael Cortez was killed in a three-vehicle crash on March 7, 2021, and now the man prosecutors say is responsible is heading to trial. The 5:11 p.m. crash occurred on US-50 at Mile Marker 3, the curve between Marla Bay and Zephyr Cove at Lake Tahoe.

If you recently purchased ducks from the Rotary Club of Incline Village for their 3rd annual Duck Drop Fundraiser, your contribution is already making a difference!

South Lake Tahoe is experiencing good air quality for the second day in a row, while the Reno and Carson City areas are in the 'very unhealthy' range. The Washoe County School District canceled classes in the county in all areas except for Incline Village and Gerlach. Truckee is also experiencing poor air quality.

On Tuesday, stronger southwest winds throughout the Mosquito Fire area cleared the smoke inversion and caused fire behavior to become more active. It is now 58,544 acres in size with the containment line updated at 20%.

At the morning briefing Wednesday, fire officials told the firefighters to expect more of the same fire behavior with the smoke inversion lifting around 1 p.m. There are currently 3,052 people assigned to the fire. They also instructed firefighters to be safe and aware of the residents who have not evacuated and don't want them on their property.

The Mosquito Fire burning in El Dorado and Placer counties is now 50,330 acres in size and firefighters have been able to place a containment line around 25% of the fire.

Today’s slightly stronger southwest winds aloft broke up the smoke inversion that has been hanging over the Mosquito Fire for the past several days. With the smoke inversion clearing out by midday, the fire activity increased significantly this afternoon due to the increased ventilation and available oxygen to support burning. That activity prompted more mandatory and warning areas of evacuations in both counties.

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for Stumpy Meadows according to the El Dorado Sheriff’s Office.

The boundaries for the evacuated area are:

East of Stumpy Meadows
West of the Wentworth Springs Road and Ice House Road intersection
South of the County Border
North of Onion Creek

Please evacuate the area using Southbound Ice House Road towards Highway 50. Please use caution as there are firefighters and equipment in the area.

Visit the interactive for evacuations here: maphttps://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/8398/71817/.

In celebration of Constitution Week, September 17 – 23, the South Lake Tahoe City Council presented a Constitution Week Proclamation to the Lake Tahoe Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution at its meeting on September 6.

Constitution Week commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution that took place in Philadelphia in 1787. In 1955, then President Dwight Eisenhower officially recognized Constitution Week. The Constitution is America’s most important document, as it emphasizes all our responsibilities for protecting and defending our great heritage.

Fire behavior Monday night was minimal, and the night-shift firefighters took full advantage of that, getting a lot of work done in many areas around the fire perimeter.

The Mosquito Fire is currently mapped at 49,761 acres and is now 18% contained.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Kiwanis Club of Lake Tahoe and South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce are honoring and celebrating "Unsung Heroes" on Thursday, September 22.

Four residents - Sherry Acri, Laure Tolstad, Bob Harms, and Ted Turner have been chosen for their contributions to the community as they found ways to make life easier for their neighbors during the pandemic. There have always been great volunteers on the South Shore, but over the past two years, the community has been the recipient of thousands of hours of selfless work by volunteers.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Since there were no applicants for the Area 2 trustee in the November 8 election, the Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) is going to appoint one.

Per the Education Code, LTUSD must publicly announce the vacancy for the four-year term that will run from December 2022 to December 11, 2026.

Area 2 is defined in the yellow area in the photo above. Applicants must reside in that area, from Al Tahoe Blvd to Stateline between Pioneer Trail and the lake.

Bread & Broth has been awarded a Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation Grant designed to provide financial resources to continue the organization’s efforts to respond to the food insecurity in the Lake Tahoe South Shore community. The Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation is a non-profit charity, founded in 1996, dedicated to supporting the Lake Tahoe Region by partnering with donors who are committed to helping local non-profit organizations create a more prosperous regional community.