1

News spread through South Lake Tahoe this week that surprised and shocked many, the City Council's decision to put City Manager Nancy Kerry on indefinite leave. The council will be meeting in closed session on Monday, February 12, 2018 to discuss the situation. Their agenda item, "PUBLIC EMPLOYEE DISCIPLINE/DISMISSAL/RELEASE Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957(b)" starts at 9:00 a.m.

That section of code allows special and closed session meetings to consider the appointment, employment, evaluation of performance, discipline, or dismissal of a public employee.

The Enchanted Florist in South Lake Tahoe now has a new owner, long time local Karen Estes.

Owners Jeri and Noboru Oishi owned the popular flower shop on Emerald Bay Road for 16 years and handed over the keys to Estes on February 1, 2018.

"I love anything flowers," said Estes who had operated an online and corner market, Karen's Flower Stand.

College hockey is returning to South Lake Tahoe as the UCLA Bruins attempt to defend their PAC championship upset when they lit up the Tahoe Arena last year. Hitting the ice will also be Cal Berkeley, University of Washington, University of Oregon, UCLA and Arizona State.

Schedule:

Friday, Feb 9:
Game 1: #4 UCLA vs #5 USC at 1:00 p.m.
Game 2: #3 UW vs #6 OREGON at 4:00 p.m.

Saturday, Feb 10:
Game 3: 5TH PLACE GAME (loser game 1 vs loser game 2) at 10:00 a.m.
Game 4: Lowest Winning Seed vs #1 CALIFORNIA at 1:00 p.m.
Game 5: Highest Winning Seed vs #2 ARIZONA STATE at 4:00 p.m.

The South Lake Tahoe City Council announced today that City Manager Nancy Kerry is on indefinite leave. South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue Chief Jeff Meston has been appointed as the acting City Manager.

Kerry has been with the City since 2008, working in various departments and moving into the City Manager position August 21, 2012

"City Council will not be making any additional comments to respect Ms. Kerry’s privacy," according to a press release issued Wednesday.

The City of South Lake Tahoe agreed Tuesday to accept funds from the California Tahoe Conservancy to purchase a home on Woodbine Road as part of the three-phased, 850-acre Bijou Park Creek Watershed Restoration Project.

As part of his agreement with the City of South Lake Tahoe to hold SnowGlobe on the new Community Play Fields, organizer Chad Donnelly guaranteed $250,000 to fix and/or replace the fields should they be damaged by the three-day festival December 29-31.

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 Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at time of story.

Some of those recently added to last week's log:

1/24

9:58 a.m. - Petty Theft - Heavenly Village Way - R/P REPORTED A THEFT.

1/25

7:32 a.m. - Death Investigation - South Lake Tahoe - 83-YEAR-OLD MALE DECEASED.

The following are the 88 incidents the South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue and Cal-Tahoe JPA ambulances responded to from Jan. 22 - 31, 2018

1/22
00:59 - 3400 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd - EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury
14:46 - 3600 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd - Detector activation, no fire unintentional
14:55 -3500 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd - EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury
15:23 - Barton Hospital - EMS Call, Interfacility Transfer
19:00 - 3800 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd - EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury

Even with the recent snowfall, the monthly measurement of the snowpack at Phillip Station west of Lake Tahoe was just 14 percent of the historical average. The Department of Water Resources (DWR) manual snow survey found little snowpack there, two months into what is typically California’s wettest three months.

Measurements at Phillips Station revealed a snow water equivalent (SWE) of 2.6 inches at Phillips as measured there since 1964. SWE is the depth of water that theoretically would result if the entire snowpack melted instantaneously.

Businesses throughout the South Shore of Lake Tahoe are invited to participate in Spring Loaded, the annual series of events held in 2018 from March 17 to April 1.

The Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority along with its destination partners are launching Spring Loaded, a series of events that bring together the best of spring and winter with on-mountain activities at Heavenly Mountain Resort, Kirkwood Mountain, and Sierra-at-Tahoe. It's all about the loud outfits. lodging specials, restaurant deals, happy hour offerings, mid-week entertainment and live music.

Gaming revenue for the State of Nevada during the month of December was less than one percent off of their totals for the same month in 2016. The $960,384,350 in net win by the state's casinos was just .44 percent over from last year according to figures released Wednesday by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

On the South Shore, the $18,489,949 in gaming revenue earned by the casinos was down 1.24 percent from 2016. The Carson City and Carson Valley had a "win" of $9,333,656, up 9.97 percent.

South Lake Tahoe resident Sheryl Lynn is walking across America starting on April 1, 2018, and she plans on finishing up the 3,605 mile route in six months.

To get her started, there will be a be a "Walk With Me" kickoff event on Saturday, February 17 starting at Lakeview Commons at the intersection of Lake Tahoe Boulevard and Highway 50, and ending at Fire and Ice in the Heavenly Village. Everyone is invited, including friends of the four-legged variety.

Join Sheryl for "an exciting day of walking, flash mobs, food, music, and fun."

The Nevada Department of Transportation’s dedicated bridge inspection and rehabilitation program has helped Nevada bridges to be named the nation’s best for the fifth consecutive year.

On Sunday he won three Grammy's, and on Monday, Chris Stapleton announced the stops on his 2018 All-American Road Show and Lake Tahoe is on that list.

Stapleton, along with Brent Cobb and Marty Stuart, will be at the Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena on July 26, 2018. Tickets will go on sale Feb. 9.
.
Stapleton won the Grammies on January 28 for Best Country Album of the Year with his "From a Room, Vol. 1," "Broken Halos" as Best Country Song, and Best Country Solo Performance for "Either Way." He is also the Country Music Association Male Vocalist of the Year three years running.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue (DCSAR) is looking for physically fit and energetic individuals to participate in its upcoming April academy and join their team.

DCSAR is a highly qualified and respected team comprised of approximately 50 trained volunteer members within the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and responds to emergencies 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They are frequently called out to assist surrounding counties in their rescues, it requires a considerable commitment, but is tremendously rewarding when a life is saved.

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 Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at time of story.

Some of those recently added to last week's log:

1/17

2:56 p.m. - Death Investigation - South Lake Tahoe - 87-YEAR-OLD MAN DECEASED.

A Community Hub will be opening up in South Lake Tahoe, connecting families to resources in one place that will enable them to be healthy and caring in a learning and growing environment.

The Community Hubs will offer classes, groups, and activities for families with children ages 0-18 and are staffed by a team of family engagement, literacy and health specialists.

Azul Latin Kitchen, located in the Heavenly Village, awarded a check for $6,000 to Tahoe Youth and Family Services during the board meeting on January 22.

Gold medalists Maddie Bowman and Jamie Anderson are representing the South Shore once again on the global stage as they head to the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang February 9-25.

Below are the Olympic snowboarding, free skiing, alpine and freestyle teams headed to South Korea. (names in bold are Lake Tahoe area athletes)

2018 U.S. OLYMPIC SNOWBOARDING SKIING TEAM

Women's Snowboard Slopestyle/Big Air
Jamie Anderson, South Lake Tahoe, Calif. (9/13/1990) *
Julia Marino, Westport, Conn. (9/11/1997)

1/25/18 update: Ismael Resendiz-Moreno has now been charged with murder of an unidentified man in Incline Village.

At approximately 10:00 a.m. on January 23, 2018, Sheriff’s Office dispatch received a 911 call from a residence on the 700 block of Southwood Boulevard reporting an injured person inside the residence. When deputies arrived on scene, they were able to secure the residence, locate the victim, and call for medical assistance. The victim was declared deceased at the scene.

The victim’s identify is pending confirmation by the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The body of a Pollock Pines man was located just after 8:00 a.m. Tuesday after going missing in an El Dorado Irrigation District (EID) untreated raw water conduit on Monday at about 4:00 p.m.

Tory Robert Mayes, a 34-year-old from Pollock Pines, went into the EID’s Camino Conduit pipe that carries raw water from Jenkinson Lake to EID’s water treatment plant 1.5 miles away.

With the Cannabis urgency moratorium expiring on January 25, the South Lake Tahoe City Council will has two items on their Tuesday agenda to address the sales of adult-use marijuana.

Since the moratorium was approved by the Council on December 12, 2018 there have been five meetings of the ad-hoc subcommittee and other studies to help create a South Lake Tahoe ordinance on cannabis sales. The committee is made up of 15 community members and two councilmembers.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE - The following is a recap of activity the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to 336 calls between January 4 -15, 2018.

Calls Resulting in Arrests/Citations:

1/4

Trespassing in the 2100 block of South Ave
Evading in the 2800 block of Hank Monk
Domestic Battery in the 3700 block of Tamarack

1/5

Domestic Battery in the 3700 block of Tamarck
Unlicensed Driver in the 3700 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd

1/6

Spousal Abuse in the 1200 block of Lester ave

The public's help is being sought in locating a person of interest in a vehicle break-in on January 1 in the parking area of a trail head off Mt. Rose Highway.

Washoe County Sheriff’s Office detectives say their suspect broke through the window of the vehicle and stole a number of credit cards along with identification and keys. Subsequent investigation discovered that the credit cards had been used at multiple locations in Kings Beach, a gas station in San Ramon, California and at several locations in Reno, including Walmarts.