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EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - Deadly DUIs are on the increase across California, and the state's district attornies are sounding the alarm: They are 100 percent avoidable, and it's easy to celebrate safely.

"Don't Drink and Drive" has been a campaign from the Ad Council and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration since 1983, but its message continues to be extremely important as people continue to lose their lives due to a driver under the influence, and those numbers are rising.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Need a last-minute gift or something for the hard-to-buy-for person? South Lake Tahoe has plenty to offer in unique gifts that may not be found in other communities. Shop early on Christmas Eve as many may be closing early, especially with the stormy weather expected.

Just a few ideas:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The following is a list of calls the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to the weeks of November 22-28, 2021. Location Checks are when officers search an area at a certain address. Transient/Homeless arrests/citations and calls are those normally categorized in other columns (Drunk in Public, Trespassing, etc.) but stats are collected separately.

Log for November 29 - December 5, 2021

11/29
Arrests
09:32 Drunk in Public Cave Rock Av & Bigler Av
15:35 DUI Glenwood Wy & Fawn Wy

Other Calls

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today released its first phase of awards to 20 projects through the Urban and Multibenefit Drought Relief Grant Program. El Dorado County is being awarded $10 million for the Irrigation District to construct an intertie between drinking water sources to increase system reliability in response to major impacts to its infrastructure by this year’s Caldor Fire.

The funding awards will provide critical support to communities across the state dealing with the impacts of drought conditions.

The Sierra Avalanche Center in Truckee has issued a Backcountry Avalanche Watch for the Greater Lake Tahoe Basin through Monday at 7:00 a.m. with a period of Avalanche Warning with "high" danger during the period through Friday morning.

Periods of HIGH avalanche danger may occur in Central Sierra Nevada from Thursday, December 23 through Monday morning between Yuba Pass (Hwy 49) on the north and Ebbetts Pass (Hwy 4) on the south, including the greater Lake Tahoe area.

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - There have been 50 new cases of COVID-19 and no new deaths recorded since yesterday in El Dorado County. This brings the total of COVID-19 cases in the county to 17,188. The wrapup of all other counties around the lake takes place on Fridays.

There is a new interactive dashboard for the county with many more details. See HERE.

Pollock Pines, Camino, Kyburz - 979 cases - +1
El Dorado Hills - 3667 cases - +4
Diamond Springs, El Dorado - 877 cases - +1

ZEPHYR COVE, Nev. - Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District (TDFPD) is hiring for next year's Zephyr Fire Crew. The crew is a Type 2 Initial Attack hand crew that is trained to respond to a variety of emergency incidents but primarily responds to wildland fires.

TDFPD is looking for candidates who are physically and mentally tough and enjoy working outdoors with a team. They will be taking applications until January 31, 2022.

The Zephyr Fire Crew was established in 2008 and is partially funded by the Fire Safe Community Fund.

Qualifications:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - With hundreds of lane miles to keep clear each winter on the South Shore, its often a 24/7 operation by staff with the City of South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), and the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT)

These agencies tasked with snow removal in the South Lake Tahoe, Meyers, and Stateline area are facing more than heavy snowstorms this season, many are also facing staffing issues.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Mother Nature, frozen pipes, and a power outage prevented the cast of Guilty Christmas from performing during their one-week stand, and they are trying again! Opening night was the only performance they were able to have at Vahalla Tahoe.

Those who missed out can now watch the musical comedy written for about by people on the South Shore, there will be a three-day run at the Lake Tahoe Golf Course on January 5, 7, and 8 at 7:30 p.m. each night (there is no show on the 6th).

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The first wave of storms headed to Lake Tahoe this week will not be dropping as much snow as originally forecast, but waves of storms starting Christmas Day are still looking strong.

The key to this first wave is the elevation one is at. At lake level, there is a chance of rain and snow, while above 6700 feet the forecast is snow so passes could still see travel issues.

Recent models are showing forecasters there is less snow for Lake Tahoe, especially in this first portion of the weather pattern hitting the area Tuesday night.

RENO, Nev. - Large crowds are expected at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO) during the Christmas and New Year's holidays, and to lessen the stress, airport staff is working to make the travel experience festive and safe.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The 3rd annual Wreaths Across America ceremony at Happy Homestead Cemetery in South Lake Tahoe was held in very chilly temperatures on Saturday, December 18.

Not even a 12-degree morning, could stop the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) from organizing the event with participants including El Dorado County Supervisor Sue Novasel, South Lake Tahoe Fire and Rescue Chief Clive Savacool, and Battalion Chief Karl Koeppen, and Sergeant Blake Braafladt and Deputy Nick Jones from the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Honor Guard.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Tahoe Chamber has extended the People's Choice Award voting period for the homes and businesses on the Trail of Holiday Lights through December 25.

Local businesses and residents have lit up the town again for the Light Up the South Shore Holiday Contest and bringing much-needed cheer with their festive light displays. The community is invited to travel the Holiday Light Trail Map for a fun and safe activity to enjoy some holiday spirit!

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (Dec. 20, 2021) – The Tahoe Fund and Raley’s have partnered with the social good platform PixlBank to launch a unique social campaign designed to promote responsible tourism and inspire residents and visitors to reduce plastics in Lake Tahoe.

The campaign focuses on the “Drink Tahoe Tap” message and is part of a larger initiative called I Love Tahoe.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A new business is opening this week at the Heavenly Village in South Lake Tahoe - Champagne & Chocolate Co. This new place will feature desserts, wine, coffee, and gifts in the old location of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.

Owner Cesar Fausto is inviting the public to a soft opening on Wednesday, December 22, 2021, at 2:00 p.m. Locals and visitors are invited to celebrate
the occasion, meet the staff and experience the products. They will feature fudge, caramel apples, coffee, wine, and champagne.

A photo of the South Lake Tahoe Shoreline as viewed From Lakeside Marina on December 19, 2021. This beautiful photo by Bob Buehler.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There is no doubt that it will be a white Christmas around Lake Tahoe in 2021, and how much snow on the ground will be the gift many are wishing for.

A series of Pacific winter storms will bring periods of stormy weather to much of California and Nevada next week. There will be few, if any, meaningful breaks in the weather for the Sierra once the storms begin on Tuesday, so plan ahead.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. Winter is here and as bears search for dens for the cold months ahead, they may decide that your house in the Lake Tahoe Basin is just the right place.

Black bears typically enter dens between mid-November and December. Wild bears usually look for natural dens in rock crevices, under fallen logs or hollow trees, or dig into the root mass of trees. However, in the Tahoe Basin many homes and properties can become a replacement for natural dens, especially:

Outbuildings
Porches, decks and crawl spaces
Vacation homes
Campers and RVs

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - A 25-year-old Gardnerville man considered "armed and dangerous" was arrested Friday following a traffic enforcement stop.

Thomas James Meagher was pulled over by deputies from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) in the area of Ironwood and Pinewood drives in Minden at 2:23 p.m. Meagher was wanted by the Nevada Department of Parolee and Probation and has had a very violent criminal history according to DCSO.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The City is demobilizing the shelter it had set up with the Red Cross to assist with the significant lack of power throughout the community.

Because conditions have improved with power being restored to the majority of homes, the shelter was no longer operational as of 9:00 a.m. Friday, December 17.

The shelter opened on Wednesday after a winter storm hit South Lake Tahoe with wet, heavy snow and winds. the result was a power outage to much of the community with some going without electricity for over three days.

Caltrans is alerting motorists that Interstate 80 and State Highway 20 in the Sierra will be closed early Saturday morning for PG&E emergency repair work.

PG&E crews will be repairing a transmission line at Cisco Grove and a distribution line at Kingvale, then run over interstate 80 to re-establish power to the lines, which were damaged and fell onto the interstate during a storm earlier this week that closed the interstate for several hours.

Caltrans will set up traffic controls to either hold or turn around vehicles – depending on the traffic volumes – at the following locations:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - For eleven years, the South Lake Tahoe Moose Lodge 1632 has supplied boxes of food or money for local families in need, and Christmas 2021 is no different. On Thursday, December 16, members of the lodge delivered 50 brightly decorated boxes, each packed full of canned goods, pasta, vegetables, potatoes, tortillas, and everything else needed to feed a family a big holiday meal. Each family also received a large spiral ham, which was purchased through generous donations from Moose and community members.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Lake Tahoe Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution and Happy Homestead Cemetery are hosting Wreaths Across America 2021 on Saturday, December 18.

They will have a ceremony honoring active military personnel, veterans and first responders.

The event starts at 9:00 a.m. The cemetery is located at 1261 Johnson Blvd. South Lake Tahoe, California.

Acts of kindness like volunteering, donating to charities or offering emotional support to a loved one often bring about a warm, fuzzy feeling, especially during the holidays. This happiness and satisfaction we get from gift-giving make us feel good, but there are also real health benefits to helping others.