2015

There are eight people vying for the four open positions on the Tahoe Paradise Resort Improvement District (TPRID) Board of Directors, and the public will be able to watch them in action during a candidate's forum on Thursday.

TPRID, formed in 1965, governs Lake Baron and the surrounding park in the Tahoe Paradise neighborhood of Meyers.

Tahoe Arts Project is hosting the 4th annual Holiday Festival on Saturday and Sunday, November 14 and 15, 2015 in the South Tahoe Middle School Multi-Purpose Room. The event will take place Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

This very special event will feature art, craft and food vendors, entertainment, raffle prizes, visit from Santa and fun for the entire family. Admission is FREE!!

As if anyone needed a reason to drink coffee, September 29, 2015 is National Coffee Day. It even has it's own hashtag #NationalCoffeeDay.

Before Starbucks opened in March of 1971, the only real choices for a cup of coffee were black, or with cream and/or sugar.

A man from Homewood, CA was arrested and cited on September 25, 2015 for allegedly furnishing alcoholic beverages to minors during the South Lake Tahoe Police Department's "Decoy Shoulder Tap Operation."

Mark Finlayson, 38, was approached by a minor under the direct supervision of a peace officer outside a store in the area of Emerald Bay Road and Lake Tahoe Blvd. The minor asked Finlayson to buy them alcohol, stating they were underage and couldn't purchase the alcohol by themselves.

Finlayson faces a minimum $1000 fine and 24 hours of community service.

As reported last week, there were four stolen cars in South Lake Tahoe between September 10 and 15.

A 21-year-old transient Tarra Sheffield was arrested for stealing one of those cars. The South Lake Tahoe Police Department said she had evidence to other stolen cars when arrested.

A suspect's photo has been released by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) i hopes someone can help identity a suspect who used a credit card that didn't belong to him.

The unauthorized use occurred on August 8, 2015 at 3:30 a.m. at the Walmart in Gardnerville, NV off of Grant Avenue. The victim had been notified by her credit card company that same day, saying there was some unusual activity on the credit card. After checking into the charges she realized her card was missing.

Long time local artist Ellen Nunes joins Chinese artist Yu Ji and winners from the Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) Spring Art Show in a trio of art exhibits on campus this fall. To celebrate the three shows, the community is invited to attend the free artist receptions for all three exhibits which will be held simultaneously on Thursday, Oct. 1 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.. This gives people an opportunity to meet the artists, see their works up close, and enjoy light refreshments with fellow art lovers.

After a summer of softball games, the Stardust sponsored softball team became the 2015 Monday Night Co-Ed Softball Champions.

A home run by Leo Rodelo led Stardust to victory in the final game on Monday against Steamers, a game they won 16-15. Stardust ended the season with a 13-2 record.

Pictured in the photo: (Back Row, L-R) Coach Kenny Sutton, Tony Carrizoza, Jason Kershell, Kris Andress, Leo Rodelo, Nick Aguilar. Front Row (L-R) Lindsey Schultz, Krisha, Sherry Hawks, Amanda Guiterrez, Dawn Borkowski. Not pictured is Carla Aguirre.

An interactive, and free, book festival will be held at Valhalla on October 10, 2015 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and some activities are meant for kids.

Tahoe Wordwave will have several opportunities for the younger set to get creative, from bookmaking and printmaking to a novel writing camp. There will also be book arts, poetry, travel writing, fiction and songwriting workshops.

The fall colors in Hope Valley attract thousands of visitors each year, and Alpine County has started an annual celebration to celebrate the Aspen tree's beauty and role in providing clean water to millions of Californians.

The two day Alpine Aspen Festival will be held October 10-11, 2015.

Medicare Open Enrollment is October 15 through December 7, 2015. This enrollment period is one of the few times Medicare beneficiaries can change, enroll into or disenroll from, a Medicare Advantage Plan (such as an HMO) or a Part D drug plan. Changes to plans will be effective January 1, 2016.

The Butte Fire near Jackson, CA continues to burn but is now 74% contained. So far, 70,760 acres have burned. The destructive and deadly fire destroyed 545 homes and 356 outbuildings, as well as damaging another 42 structures. Two civilians have died in the fire.

Cal Fire is holding two community information meetings, one in each affected county. (Amador County) Monday, September 21, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. The Call Church; 18400 Ridge Road, Pine Grove, CA 95665.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS
State Route 89 (Placer County): Work continues on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to the "Y" junction with State Route 28 in Tahoe City on Lake Tahoe’s West Shore that will upgrade storm water drainage and treatment systems, add curb and gutter, resurface and realign the road, add new left-turn pockets and widen shoulders on a 9-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected in fall 2016.

In November, 2014, 60% of the voters in California approved Proposition 47, the "Safe Neighborhoods and School Act."

Since then, South Lake Tahoe and other cities across the state are seeing a big increase in crime. Prop. 47 reduced the penalties for certain theft and drug crimes in California. Several crimes that were once a felony because a misdemeanor overnight.

South Lake Tahoe students in grades 8 through 12 who live in El Dorado County are invited to participate in the juvenile justice system through the Teen Court program.

Orientation training will be held on October 1, 2015, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Superior Court, Department 4, located at 1354 Johnson Boulevard in South Lake Tahoe. After completing the mandatory orientation training, teens will serve as court personnel for real cases in which a minor has committed an offense, admitted the offense and chosen to be judged by his/her peers.

In the early hours of November 24, 2014, a drunken high speed car ride down Pioneer Trail in South Lake Tahoe ended the life of one local woman and injured another.

The driver of the car, Olga Nayeli Pena-Arce, pleaded no-contest on September 14, 2015 to charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and DUI causing injury.

A high end bicycle was stolen from Harvey's Resort and the Douglas County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help.

At approximately 7:50 p.m. on the August 30, 2015, deputies took a report of a stolen 2014 GIANT Mountain bicycle. The bike is black in color and has the word "GIANT" in white lettering.

What allows us to balance and what prevents us from falling? Learn about the components that make up balance. Practice exercises to improve balance and prevent vertigo and dizziness.

Location

South Lake Tahoe is continuing its renaissance with businesses undergoing changes with either complete makeovers, remodeling or demolition and rebuilding.

Over the past several months, South Tahoe Now has been highlighting all of the changes along the South Shore. But we're not done yet as the changes continue.

The line-up has yet to be announced for the 2015 SnowGlobe but advanced VIP and general admission tickets will go on sale Tuesday, September 15 at 11:00 a.m. PST.

Organizers say that there has been an overwhelming demand for advanced purchase tickets so they made the decision to have them go on sale prior to the release of names of the artists coming to the South Lake Tahoe outdoor concert.

Early in 2015, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), as well as our partners at the National Weather Service, predicted 2015 to be a significant year for wildland fires throughout the Western States. A combination of a sustained period of drought, coupled with weather that is conducive to nearly perfect burning conditions, have challenged local firefighting resources. Those predictions have rang very true as we continue to hear about new fires occurring almost daily all over the Western States. This year will go down as one of the most hazardous years for wildland fire.

Always a fun event, the South Lake Tahoe Moose Lodge is hosting the 14th annual Kid’s Fishing Derby on Sunday, September 13, 2015 at Tahoe Paradise’s Lake Baron. The Derby is FREE to all children under the age of 16.

Registration begins at 7:00 a.m. at Lake Baron, near the main entrance. Hot dogs, chips, sodas, and water are provided FREE to all registered children. The event wraps up at 1:00 p.m.

In order to prepare for a 2016 project that will extend the westbound Cave Rock tunnel entrance, drivers using Highway 50 through the tunnel will experience traffic delays starting Wednesday, September 9, 2015.

Both directions of traffic will be alternated through the eastbound Cave Rock tunnel and travel delays of up to 30 minutes between 7:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. can be expected for the next four to five weeks, Monday-Friday.

There is another community opportunity to donate blood, this time at Tahoe Dougls Fire Protection District's station at 193 Elks Point Road in Round Hill. Save time and make an appointment ahead of time.

Blood facts:
While you're reading this, a local area patient needs blood.
Blood is needed every two seconds.
About one in seven people entering a hospital needs blood.
Blood is always needed for treatment of accident victims, cancer patients, hemophiliacs and surgery patients.