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It’s been nearly four years since I moved to South Lake Tahoe and became president of Lake Tahoe Community College. When I first arrived, I heard an earful from community members who were upset about the loss of the Good Neighbor Policy (GNP). This policy was established by the Nevada System of Higher Education in 1988. It made it possible for Basin students living on the Nevada side to attend LTCC at California resident rates.

"Egg"stra special days for family fun!

On Friday, April 3, the Tahoe Douglas Firefighter's Association will be hosting an egg hunt for the young ones, ages 6 and under. The Easter Bunny will be hiding eggs outside and kids can climb on fire trucks. Come inside and enjoy the bounce house, indoor playground and refreshments. Bring a basket to collect eggs and a camera to catch the fun times! Hunt begins at 11:00 a.m. The gym will be open until 1:00 p.m.

While the summertime tourist to South Lake Tahoe should only be slightly affected, business owners along Highway 89 are worried about their livelihood with overnight road construction and blocked driveways.

During Thursday evening's Caltrans informational meeting at South Tahoe High, several owners of lodging properties, restaurants, sports and retail stores spoke about their concerns during the project which will last from mid-April to mid-October in 2015 and could even extend into the 2017 building season.

Right on the heels of Wednesday's historic and meager snowpack measurement, the National Weather Service (NWS) is forecasting a chance of snow Sunday, Monday and Tuesday next week. A storm system will drop southeast from the Gulf of Alaska, bringing with it some valley rain and mountain snow Sunday into Tuesday

While the forecast isn't for any significant or measurable snowfall, both Nevada and California can use whatever they can get. Accuweather.com is calling for less than an inch total while NWS has higher hopes.

Here is the NWS forecast for South Lake Tahoe at lake level:

There was both good and bad news in the message released by El Dorado County today. For the fifth consecutive year, El Dorado County has ranked among the top ten healthiest counties statewide in an annual report by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The "County Health Rankings" report, released on March 25, 2015, ranked El Dorado County 7th healthiest among the 57 ranked counties in California.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board released their February casino win/loss figures today, and the South Shore casinos experienced a "win" of $15,575,141. This amount is up 5.66% from February of 2014.

For the fiscal year, the South Shore is up $2,934,706 over last year.

When reviewing the whole state of Nevada, the Boulder Strip did the best with a 10.59% increase in gaming win. The biggest loss when compared to last year was the Las Vegas Strip which saw a 4.38% decrease with their take of $531,348,04.

El Dorado County Animal Services is pleased to announce it has completed the adoption process for all of the horses that came from the former Grace Foundation facility in El Dorado Hills. "We want to thank everyone in the community and all the volunteers who either adopted a horse or provided support to our agency through this process," said Don Ashton, Director of the El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency, which includes Animal Services.

A tourism forum will be held in South Lake Tahoe April 21 to discuss the issues that may impact local tourism, recreation and the economy in the future as well as marketing and trends the South Shore should embrace.

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Over 1,500 people attended the Tahoe Chamber's annual Business Expo at Harrah's Tahoe on Friday. Hundreds of businesses and dozens of volunteers created an evening that won't soon be forgotten.

While every day is a great one in South Lake Tahoe, today is particularly a good one for Linda Emmons. That is because she came forward to claim her $708,769 Powerball prize. Emmons matched the numbers 24-44-31-11 and 40 on a $20 Quick Pick® ticket, missing only the Powerball number 27 for the March 11th drawing.

As South Tahoe Now carried the story on March 12, that lucky ticket was sold at the 7-Eleven located at 3923 Pioneer Trail in South Lake Tahoe.

While saying South Lake Tahoe shattered the high temperature record may be a bit strong, the area eclipsed the former record by four degrees on Sunday.

The local high was 70 degrees, erasing the former record of 66 set in 2004. The average high for March 29 is 48.

On Saturday, March 28, a new record high of 66 was recorded. The previous high was 64, set in 1986. Friday's high of 69 fell one degree shy of a record.

Another record is expected to be broken on Monday, March 30. The forecast high is 67. The current record for the date is 64 sent in 1986.

The Tahoe Citizens Climate Lobby will present legislative solutions to climate change. The Sierra Club will discuss their Beyond Coal Campaign and how it effects Liberty Energy. Solar options will also be offered by Tahoe Solar Designs. All our welcome.

April 2nd - 7pm
Unity at the Lake Center
1195 Rufus Allen Blvd

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The following is an opinion article from the Reno Gazette Journal and reprinted here:

It doesn't matter if you love or hate Democratic Sen. Harry Reid to agree that the announcement of his retirement just dramatically reduced our state's political power in Washington D.C.

Nevada will go from a state whose issues were often at the center of debate because of Reid's position as minority leader to a state without a congressional power player in either party.

The Douglas County Parks and Recreation Commission invites the community to review the phased improvements planned for Johnson Lane Park located on Stephanie Way during its Commission meeting on April 7, 2015, 6:00 pm at Piñon Hills Elementary School.

The Parks & Recreation Commission will be reviewing a conceptual phased improvement plan for the Johnson Lane Park. The estimated construction budget for the improvements is $750,000 and will include the following:
• A new playground system
• A picnic pavilion
• A restroom remodel

Dogs and their humans are invited to participate in the inaugural Yappy Hour, a fun filled event being hosted by the Animal Coalition in Tahoe (ACT). Hang out on the patio at Base Camp Pizza with your pooch on April 8 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and enjoy fabulous food and drink.

Yappy Hour can be celebrated even if you don't have a dog.

A portion of all proceeds from the evening's sales will be donated to ACT for their spay-neuter program and for the County Animal Shelter in Meyers.

Heavenly's Epic Discovery project passed their biggest hurdle Thursday as the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency's (TRPA) Governing Board unanimously approved the newest year-round recreational experience in South Lake Tahoe. With it, comes a wide variety of outdoor recreational opportunities for locals and visitors alike. Epic Discovery will include new zip lines, sky cycle tree canopy tours, a mountain bike park and trails, ropes courses, and interpretive and educational tours to teach visitors about the Lake Tahoe Region’s cultural and environmental resources.

In a scene from 1992’s “The Bodyguard,” Kevin Costner‘s character, hired to protect the music star played by Whitney Houston, runs down a snowy wooden pier and dives into the water to rescue a boy from a boat just before it explodes. (Cue a Houston ballad.)

Off the silver screen, that same 76-foot-long pier and the property attached to it are known in real life as Tallac House, which just listed for $7,995,000 in South Lake Tahoe, CA.

The insanely ornate, all-wood, 3,000-square-foot house has had its Hollywood close-up. Twice. More on that in a moment.

Now that the temperatures are rising, it is now time to start planning your home's weatherization check-up. Low income El Dorado County residents can keep their homes cooler this summer and warmer next winter, by taking advantage of free weatherization services through the El Dorado County Community Services Weatherization Program.

"The average household can save as much as $400 each year on their energy bills after weatherization," said Kyle Hartman, weatherization supervisor with Community Services.

BMW Happy Tooth, a UCI Women's Cycling Team, will be in the Lake Tahoe area until April 5, scouting the Amgen Tour of California courses and acclimatizing to the altitude. The team will be in attendance at the annual Tahoe Chamber Business Expo and available to discuss the race, training, expectations, etc. while at the Tahoe South Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority booth.

BMW Happy Tooth Athletes in attendance include:
· Rhae Shaw (Canada)
· Miranda Griffiths (Australia)
· Liza Rachetto (USA)
· Shoshauna Routley (Canada)

It was a blast from the past today as I spoke with Night Ranger's drummer Kelly Keagy. We covered everything from playing discos in my hometown of Fremont, CA in the 70s to playing in large arenas with the likes of Kiss and ZZTop, to playing at the Hard Rock Casino Lake Tahoe this weekend.

Keagy is one of the founding members of the band Night Ranger. He and buddies Jack Blades and Brad Gillis formed the band in 1979, and the three are still performing around the world as well as recording albums today.

Two South Lake Tahoe businesses, Supported By Angels and Crystal Bridge are merging under one roof and they are celebrating the event with a two day grand opening.

Join owners Erin and Cynthia from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 28 and 29. The store is located in the Swiss Chalet Village at 2540 Lake Tahoe Blvd, Suite 1.

They are offering free 15 minute Angel and Psychic Readings by Erin and Cynthia and a free gift with every store or full session purchase during the grand opening.

If you're planning a trip to the west slope near El Dorado Hills, you'll want to take note of a lane closure that will hamper travel.

The Transportation Division of El Dorado County’s Community Development Agency will have Francisco Drive in El Dorado Hills closed from the intersection of El Dorado Hills Blvd to Cambria Way beginning on Wednesday, April 1, 2015 and continuing for 7 days, 24 hours per day, until reopening on Wednesday, April 8, 2015.

An overflowing audience of South Lake Tahoe residents, home owners, vacation home owners, real estate agents, property managers, vacation rental companies, locals and city officials were on hand Tuesday night at the Vacation Home Rental (VHR) community workshop held in City Council chambers at the airport.

City Manager Nancy Kerry ran the meeting, giving everyone a chance to speak their opinion after a short presentation.

An armed suspect robbed the Pizza Hut in Gardnerville at gunpoint on March 23, asking the clerk for all the money from the cash register.

At 8:15 p.m., the unknown man entered the restaurant located at 1362 Hwy 395 in Gardnerville, NV. After getting the money he left the store on foot, out of view.

An undisclosed amount of money was taken.

The suspect is described as 5'10 or 5'11 inches tall, medium build, wearing dark sunglasses, a dark gray or black pullover hoodie, a navy blue neckerchief and a solid white neckerchief.