Latest Stories

Steve Kyte died peacefully, on November 24, 2021, in Palo Alto, California, at the home of his sister, from the effects of brain cancer (glioblastoma), surrounded by family and under the care of Mission Hospice. He was 71.

Steve was born on April 10, 1950, to Ruth Gardiner Kyte and Donald Kyte in Lynwood, California. He grew up in South Gate, a suburb of Los Angeles, where he attended State Street Elementary School, South Gate Junior High, and graduated from South Gate High School in 1968. He attended Los Angeles Trade Technical College where he studied electronics.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) has announced the selection of Erick Walker as the new forest supervisor and Vicki Lankford as the new deputy forest supervisor for the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Walker arrived on Nov. 22 and comes to the lake from the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (NF) in Washington state, where he had served as the Deputy Forest Supervisor since May 2018.

Bald Eagle launching from pine tree in Snug Harbor along Lake Tahoe East Shore.

Photo by Bob Buehler

Location

Shop local this holiday season at South Lake Brewing Company's annual Holiday Market! The market will be held again on Saturday, December 4 from noon to 5:00 p.m. There will be different vendors than were present last week.

South Lake Brewing is located at 1920 Lake Tahoe Blvd, South Lake Tahoe, Calif.

For more information, visit https://www.southlakebeer.com/.

There have been 9 new cases of COVID-19 and no new deaths recorded since yesterday in El Dorado County. All other counties around Lake Tahoe are updated weekly on Fridays. This brings the total of COVID-19 cases in the county to 16,618.

The first positive test of Omicron was found in a person in San Francisco. It was in a person who had been traveling.

Pollock Pines, Camino, Kyburz - 948 cases - +0 - The 14-day new case rate is 20 with 147 per 100,000 residents.
El Dorado Hills - 3544 cases - +4 - The 14-day new case rate is 66 with 155 per 100,000 residents.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - On Tuesday, a jury of six men, six women found Tevarez Richard Lopez guilty of murdering Dennis "Spike" Wright, Jr. at the Beverly Lodge in South Lake Tahoe on January 30, 2016. The jury also returned verdicts of guilty on the other counts and special circumstances as well: Being engaged in a robbery where murder was committed; two counts of second-degree robbery, both with firearms involved; and conspiracy with transportation of marijuana. Because of the use of firearms, Lopez faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.

STATELINE, Nev. - Single lane closures will take place on US50 at Lake Tahoe near Kahle Drive and Kingsbury Grade between 7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 1.

The Nevada Department of Transportation will be performing routine maintenance of electronic highway signs.

Drivers should anticipate minor travel delays.

Join in the practice of Snow Salutations. We'll be moving through a sequence of postures with the intention of bringing snow to the Tahoe Basin. Based upon the traditional movements of Sun Salutations or Surya Namaskar, we will flow through a repeating series of postures that move our bodies in every way. While doing so, we'll envision cooler temperatures, falling snow, and Winter wonders. Join in at any time before 10:30am and move through the sequence live* or virtually. All participants are eligible to win a gift basket full of local goods and services.

Location

Discover what makes sparkling wine the ultimate wine pairing, whether you're eating french fries or the finer things. Across five unique sparkling wines and three innovative pairings, Certified Sommelier Laura Burgess walks us through the nuances of sparkling wine, its various styles, and why this classic remains top dog for celebrations of all kinds. Join us for this no-holds-barred wine pairing seminar, and learn the basic tenets of classic food and wine pairing while discovering the endless complexities of local and imported bubbly just in time for the holidays.

Location

Nevada’s non-restricted gaming licensees reported a total “gaming win” of $1,221,410,318 for the month of October 2021, a gain of 48.54 percent over the same period in 2020. On the other end of things, the South Shore Lake Tahoe casinos win was down 25.79 percent over the same period with their gaming revenue of $16,045,123, according to the State's monthly gaming revenue report Tuesday.

September's revenues at the lake were down due to the Caldor Fire evacuations, and closure of US 50. The revenue in October was almost triple that of September.

The economy recovered nicely after the pandemic according to the quarterly sales tax report released Sunday. South Lake Tahoe’s sales tax receipts from April through June (Quarter 2/Q2) were 10.5 percent above the same period in 2020. Adjustments for delayed payments, audits, and other reporting modifications resulted in actual sales that were up 51.3 percent. Overall place of sale collections soared 82.5 percent compared to the extreme lows of a year ago.

MEYERS, Calif. - Happy holidays from Lake Valley Fire Protection District. They have released the schedule for its popular Holiday engine that drives around the neighborhoods in the county portion of the South Shore.

The decorated truck leaves Station 7 in Meyers about 5:00 p.m. nightly:

Saturday, Cecember 11 – Echo View Estates, Tahoe Mountain Road, Mule Deer Circle
Sunday, December 12 – Lake Tahoe Blvd from Boulder Mountain Drive to Grizzly Mountain Drive
Monday, December 13 – West side of North Upper Truckee from Zuni Street Highway 50, Chiapa Drive

There has been some change to Nevada law enforcement after the passage by the legislature of SB58 in May 2021. The Nevada Department of Public Safety (CPS) has now changed its official designation for the Nevada Highway Patrol and other state law enforcement departments to Nevada State Police.

The name change affects law enforcement divisions of the Highway Patrol, Parole and Probation, Capitol Police, Investigations, and the State Fire Marshal. The announcement was made last week.

Wylder Hotel Hope Valley continues its Eastern Sierra history series with two campfire programs this coming weekend, December 4 and 5.

On Saturday, December 4, it will be a living history/Chautauqua style presentation by local historian David Woodruff on Sierra Nevada legend Snowshoe Thompson. It will be held Saturday, December 4 at 2:00 p.m. The 50-minute campfire program is free and open to the public.

UPDATE: The Douglas County Sheriff's Office has announced that the suspect, Jessie Avalos, was arrested and taken into custody by the Washoe Tribal Police.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - On November 27, 2021, at approximately 4:30 p.m., the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office was serving a search warrant in the area of Walker Street in Gardnerville to Jessie Avalos. They were attempting to locate him in reference to a domestic dispute, assault with a deadly weapon, and coercion investigation.

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. - As an organization focused on getting impactful projects done in the Lake Tahoe Basin, the Tahoe Fund is once again excited to open up its annual Call for Projects. Tahoe Fund has had a lasting impact on the region, funding more than 60 environmental projects and securing over $50M in public funding in the past decade. The organization is now seeking new projects that align with its strategic plan to add to its portfolio in 2022.

The Tahoe Chamber is once again selling the GO Local Tahoe e-gift cards this holiday season. Spread the joy of supporting local businesses by getting the gift card that can be redeemed at dozens of restaurants, retailers, and service businesses in the South Shore.

The ease of purchasing and sending this digital card makes it the perfect gift for every Tahoe Lover. For each $25 spent by the end of 2021, receive a $10 bonus card (maximum four cards purchased).

One of the top shopping days of the year is Cyber Monday, which falls three days after Black Friday every year. Traditionally, these sales would pop up for the day or weekend before; however this year, online holiday sales started as early as Halloween and will continue throughout the holiday season.

Better Business Bureau (BBB) reports that online shopping scams are routinely the largest culprit of holiday complaints, with many who find themselves receiving counterfeit items, low-quality items, no items at all—and worse, having their identity stolen in the process.

The third quarter report on reported cannabis tax revenue in California was released this week, As of November 16, 2021, the total returns showed $322.34 million in taxes collected, according to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA).

This includes California’s cannabis excise tax, which generated $168.97 million; the cultivation tax, which generated $42.41 million; and $110.96 million in sales tax revenue from cannabis businesses.

With the holiday shopping season in full swing, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) is collaborating with local law enforcement agencies to aggressively investigate organized retail crimes, make arrests, and recover stolen merchandise from brick-and-mortar and online retail stores throughout the state.

It was easy to say "thank you" after firefighters saved our town during the Caldor Fire. It was easy to say "thank you" to law enforcement for patrolling our streets and protecting our town after we all evacuated as the fire quickly headed to Lake Tahoe. It was easy to say "thank you" to all of the utilities and agencies and their staff for staying in town to keep things working. It is also easy to say "Happy Thanksgiving" as we celebrate the one day each year set aside to celebrate friends and family and give thanks for what we are blessed with.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Members of the U.S. Marshals Office traced an Arizona man to South Lake Tahoe after he left the state prior to a court appearance on over 40 counts of sex crimes.

Gordon Golding, 56, was arrested by the marshals with assistance from the South Lake Tahoe Police Department at a home on Margaret Street on November 19. He is currently in the El Dorado County Jail in South Lake Tahoe on a felony fugitive from justice warrant, awaiting extradition to Arizona.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - An inmate in the El Dorado County Jail in South Lake Tahoe escaped Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. while doing supervised inmate duties outside of the jail.

Ruben Zavala Garcia, 38, was in custody for multiple criminal charges to include domestic violence, violation of restraining order, false imprisonment, burglary, and a violation of probation. He had been arrested on July 4, 2021, and was still in custody awaiting his next court appearance next week. He had not been convicted or sentenced for his charges.

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.

For the week of November 12 - November 18, 2021:

11/12
00:22 SUSPICIOUS SUBJECT IN PROGRESS - Officer initiated activity at Edso Jail Slt, Al Tahoe Blvd, South Lake Tahoe