Latest Stories

While many may not know the name of Lillian Virgin Finnegan, they probably know the Genoa Candy Dance.

Lillian is the woman who started the Genoa Candy Dance in 1919 to raise money to purchase street lights for the town. The dance was held at the Raycraft Hotel, and Lillian and other Genoa women made candy to serve at the dance. In the years that followed, the annual dance continued as a way to raise money to pay the town's electric bill for the street lights. It was considered the "Big Event of the Season" by the people in the Carson Valley, Reno and surrounding communities.

Burning Man is always changing, and this year is no exception.

Some of this year's changes are pretty major, however, and have both attracted applause and criticism from invested Burners and other groups who are tied in some way to Burning Man.

Since last year's Burn, here are some of the changes in how the event operates:

1. No for-fun drones

8:00 p.m. update 8/9/15

The 21 year-old firefighter who died in Saturday evening as he was working on the Sierra Fire has been identified as Michael Hallenbeck of Shingle Springs, CA.

Hallenbeck was a member of Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) Organized Crew 36.

Most teens start school too early in the morning, which deprives them of the sleep they need to learn and stay healthy, a new study says.

The American Academy of Pediatrics last year urged middle schools and high schools to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. in order to allow teens — who are biologically programmed to stay up later at night than adults — to get the recommended 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep each night.

While many bicycle enthusiasts enjoy riding the dirt trails of South Lake Tahoe, there is now a new way to enjoy the ride: in the dark. You've heard of Critical Mass...now it's Critical Glow, Tahoe style.

Tahoe Games Bike Nights have quickly become the "go-to" family friendly event at the Lake Tahoe Golf Course. They are cross-country bike races on a custom-made illuminated set of trails, 6 miles in all.

Ride the fairways, sand traps and into the rough as the race takes riders over bridges, along the river and back to the clubhouse.

Once considered rundown and dirty, Reno, as well as neighboring Sparks, is experiencing a staggering rebirth. Only eight percent of their economy now comes from the gaming and tourism industry, with the remainder coming from a boom of the relocation of manufacturing and distribution companies.

What is evident is that the Reno of today is not the Reno of 25 years ago. It isn't even the same Reno of four years ago.

The City of South Lake Tahoe invites the community to participate in the City’s 50th Anniversary Parade on Saturday, September 19, 2015. This will be a unique opportunity to showcase organizations, service groups, athletic teams, schools, etc. while joining with the entire community in celebrating 50 years of South Lake Tahoe history. The theme of the 2015 parade is Past, Present and Future.

Long considered a nuisance in South Lake Tahoe, the abandoned cars being stored at Runnels Automotive in South Lake Tahoe must be removed following a ruling by El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Daniel Proud on Thursday.

The Judge issued an order granting the City of South Lake Tahoe’s application for abatement to remove the abandoned vehicles stored at the automotive shop located at 986 Emerald Bay Road, which is the corner of Highway 50 and Lake Tahoe Blvd commonly known as the "Y."

Two from South Lake Tahoe were arrested Thursday on felony drug trafficking and other charges after a traffic stop led to the discovery of methamphetamine and heroin, a Carson City sheriff’s deputy said.

Elizabeth Gosh, 30, and Kyle Leake, 48, were taken into custody at 7:04 p.m. and booked into Carson City Jail. According to the arrest report, deputies with the Carson City Sheriff’s Office Special Enforcement Team were patrolling in an unmarked car and observed a white two door sedan with California plates run through a solid red strop light at the intersection of Roop and Long streets.

The following is a recap of activity the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to from July 27 to August 2, 2015. They responded to 284 calls during the 7 day period.

Calls Resulting in Arrests:

7/27

Spousal Abuse in the 4100 block of Pine Ave
Violation of Court Order in the 900 block of Modesto Ave
Spousal Abuse in the 3600 block of Pioneer Trail
Warrant in the 900 block of Park Ave

7/28
Drunk in Public in the 2200 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd
Battery in the 1000 block of Echo Rd

When Governor Jerry Brown told the residents of the state to cut back their water usage, he had the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) tell each region how much to cut back. That benchmark in South Lake Tahoe was 20%.

For the past three months, residents have cut much more than that. In May, water use at South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD) was down 34%, followed by 24% in June and 27% in July. This is on top of the 27% reduction in water use that the district's customer have accomplished since 2007.

Community Outreach: The “Meet the Police” outreach campaign is going well. As a reminder, Coffee with a Cop happens on Thursdays and ends on August 27th. The Police Open House was well attended and we look forward to doing it again next year.

Dr. Joshua Welch of South Lake Tahoe will be joining a dozen other chiropractors in giving inmates adjustments at the 11th Annual San Quentin TRUST Health Fair on Saturday, August 21. TRUST stands for Teaching Responsibility Utilizing Sociological Training.

The company that has built the BMX tracks for three Olympics, 40 World Cups and 10 World Championships is in South Lake Tahoe to build the Bijou Bike Park. Alex Fowler of Elite Trax, Inc has been in Rio de Janeiro building the track for the 2016 Summer Olympics, but he is much happier being in South Lake Tahoe creating what bicycle enthusiasts have been envisioning for year.

A fight between two inmates Tuesday at the Warm Springs Correctional Center in Carson City resulted in one of the prisoners being flown by Care Flight to a Reno hospital after he was shot by guards with rubber pellets, according to the Nevada Department of Corrections. Six others were injured.

The community has had an opportunity all summer to meet with the South Lake Tahoe Police Chief, Lieutenants and Sergeants this summer during their "Coffee With a Cop" series which is held ever Thursday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Starbucks near Stateline.

These meetings give locals and visitors the chance to meet the officers and help shape our policing efforts in South Lake Tahoe. People are encouraged to stop by and share what’s going on in your neighborhood, what you are concerned about, and of course they’re happy to hear good news as well.

The Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe invites the community to their 45th annual “An Evening of Food & Wine Tasting” on Friday, October 16, 2015 at MontBleu's Convention Center. Enjoy incredible wine from Northern California’s top wineries and sample a wide variety of delicious appetizers, entrees and desserts from the South Shore’s finest restaurants.

Update 8/7/15: The body found off the OHV Trail west of Slate Mountain in the El Dorado National Forest was positively identified today as 45 year-old Edward Cavanaugh of San Francisco. The identification was done by a forensic odontologist, who compared Cavanaugh’s dental records to the upper and lower jaw bones found near his motorcycle. The cause of death is still under investigation.

Lake Tahoe Community College leadership and the LTCC Foundation’s Board of Directors have hired a new Executive Director of the LTCC Foundation and College Advancement. After completing the interview process, the Foundation directors and LTCC Superintendent/President Dr. Kindred Murillo selected Nancy Harrison for the position.

The Seniors at Kelly Ridge Senior Affordable Housing Community in South Lake Tahoe will be presenting their first rundraiser at Primo’s Italian Restaurant on Wednesday, September 9, 2015 from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Tickets on sale now for $11.00 each which includes one pasta dish with a choice of one of three Primo’s famous family sauces. The fundraiser proceeds benefit the seniors at Kelly Ridge Affordable Housing Community by providing them with a benevolent fund to access when there is a special need.

Shari Chase and Jennie Fairchild of Chase International were recently ranked among The Thousand – a comprehensive list of the nation’s top agents and sales teams. The Thousand is compiled and released by REAL Trends and The Wall Street Journal. With more than one million real estate professionals considered, Chase and Fairchild were the only two agents from the Lake Tahoe area to make the list.

Step back in time with a living celebration of the Roaring 20s at the Great Gatsby Festival at the Tallac Historic Site on August 8 and 9, 2015. The Tahoe Heritage Foundation and U.S. Forest Service is hosting this wonderful event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., both days, free admission for all ages.

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.

7/26

11:40 a.m. - Grand Theft - Jameson Beach - DEPUTIES WERE DISPATCHED TO A REPORT OF PROPERTY THEFT. A REPORT WAS GENERATED AND FORWARDED TO DETECTIVES.

1:56 p.m. - Battery - Al Tahoe Blvd - BATTERY ON A 41-YEAR-OLD MAN AND A 53-YEAR-OLD MAN.

The six Douglas County Sheriff's deputies involved in Thursday's shooting of an armed man have been identified.

The group has a total of 69 years of experience in law enforcement. They are (with rank and years of service):

Sergeant Dan Coverley, 18 years; Sergeant Dave Stanley, 13 years; Investigator Jon Storke, 13 years; Deputy Jeff Johnsen, 10 years; Deputy Matt Saylo, 9 years; and Deputy Justin Williams, 6 years.