barton

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - For 29 years members of the Barton Hospital Auxiliary and their volunteers have been creating cheese balls to sell during the holidays, and for 29 years the popularity of the garlicky, nutty and slightly spicy cheese balls has continued to grow.

One creamy swipe across a piece of sourdough bread or dipped with a cracker, and anyone with a discerning palate can tell the difference between store-bought and these homemade delights.

But what is in that tasty swipe is a guarded secret.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - U.S. Bank, Tahoe Wellness Cooperative (TWC) and Patricia Olson won't be in court Friday afternoon as originally scheduled.

"The bank is satisfied," said Cody Bass, executive director of TWC. "They have withdrawn receivership because they no longer own the building."

Signing up for a health insurance plan can be daunting and time consuming. As a Certified Enrollment Counselor, my job is to make it easier for South Lake Tahoe families and individuals to navigate Covered California and enroll in a health care plan.

With all the talk the about health care, I have heard rumblings and rumors about what is happening with the Affordable Care Act and what is changing with insurance. Get informed! Make a free one-on-one appointment with me or one my fellow enrollment counselors, have your questions answered, and get enrolled for 2019.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - On the heels of the banning of electric scooters in many cities, Governor Jerry Brown of California has signed a bill that mandates helmets for users only if they are under the age of 18 and if the scooter goes above 15 miles per hour.

The bill, authored by Republican Assemblyman Heath Flora of Ripon, was written to encourage scooter use to alleviate congestion on the state's roads and meet climate change goals of reducing car emissions.

The law takes effect Jan. 1, 2019.

Talking about suicide can be uncomfortable. If you have a loved one that you are concerned about, you may be nervous to ask personal questions such as, “Have you thought about ending your life?” After all, what if you offend them? What if they get angry? Or, what if they have just been waiting for someone to ask, and now that you have, they feel safe sharing their feelings and no longer feel alone.

The Tahoe Women’s Community Fund (TWCF) will be celebrating two local women during their annual Membership Celebration Dinner on Tuesday, October 30, 2018, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Tahoe Beach Retreat. Tickets are on sale now for $35 each and can be purchased online at tahoewomenscommunityfund.org.

Everyone is welcome to attend, and it is the perfect opportunity to get to know the organization if you are not already a member.

The following are the 116 incidents the South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue and Cal-Tahoe JPA ambulances responded to from August 20 - 31, 2018:

8/20

01:41 - Lakeview Ave at Lake Tahoe Blvd - Motor vehicle accident with no injuries
05:55 - 3300 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd - Alarm system sounded, no fire unintentional
09:26 - 2300 block of Tahoe Vista Dr - EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury
11:50 - 2100 block of South Ave - EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury
13:30 - 3500 block of Pioneer Tr - EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury

In classic Tahoe style, when there is a problem we study it. In the past five years, the housing issue has been studied on several fronts. In that time, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Placer County and the North Tahoe-Truckee area have all conducted Housing Studies and the City of South Lake Tahoe updated its Housing Element. What has been the result of all these studies? This column highlights the key recommendations from those studies and where we are now in terms of implementation.

The National Day of Suicide Awareness will be observed in South Lake Tahoe at the Suicide Prevention Network's 2nd annual Emily's Walk for Hope on Saturday, September 8 at 10:00 a.m. at Lakeview Commons.

Emily’s Walk for Hope was founded last year by longtime local, Susan Alessi who lost her daughter Emily Ann Alessi to suicide in 2014. The purpose of this walk is to honor her life, to remember those around us lost to suicide and to help end the stigma surrounding suicide.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Nature is healing, and a new partnership between the U.S. Forest Service and Barton Health is bringing the benefits of 154,000 acres of wellness around Lake Tahoe to the public.

"Nature is medicine, nutrition is medicine and you don't have to pop pills for health," said Nancy Laurenson of Barton Health during a recent wellness outing on the Rainbow Trail at the Taylor Creek Visitor Center.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Behind the scenes at Barton Health is a thriving culture of teaching and learning through specialized fellowship and medical residency programs. Just as Lake Tahoe attracts visitors from around the world, these programs attract doctors from around the world to gain experience in their medical specialty. By facilitating a constant exchange of experience and new practices, fellowship and residency programs elevate the clinical environment for Barton physicians and enhance quality care for patients.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A Nissan pickup truck ended up in a South Lake Tahoe home on Saturday afternoon after being struck from behind by a Dodge Ram truck.

At 1:30 p.m. on August 25, the driver of the pickup truck was driving on Pioneer Trail when he stopped to turn onto Herbert Avenue. He was struck from behind by the Dodge and passed out. His pickup then freewheeled down Herbert and crashed into a home at the corner of Warr Road and Herbert Avenue.

The driver was transported to Barton Hospital with undisclosed injuries. There were no other injuries.

Promoting philanthropy for the health of the community, Barton Memorial Hospital Foundation hosted a Bread & Broth Adopt-A-Day of Nourishment on Monday, August 20.
Thanks to the help provided by Barton Foundation’s volunteer crew members, the evening’s 106 dinner guests enjoyed a Mexican casserole served with salads, coleslaw, tasty desserts and a bag of food filled with dairy products, fruit, vegetables, canned goods, and breads and pastries to take home for meals later in the week.

A new chapter for Lake Tahoe Community College started Thursday, 32 years after ground broke on the South Lake Tahoe campus, moving the school from an old motel into a new home on Al Tahoe Blvd. Construction is now complete on the $5.8M Lisa Maloff University Center and the doors are open, ready to welcome students enrolled in upper division classes with Sierra Nevada College, Brandman University and Washington State.

On August 16, a groundbreaking ceremony was held to officially open the center, located adjacent to Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC).

The public and public safety agencies came out for National Night Out on August 7 at Regan Beach in South Lake Tahoe. Booths were set up by California Highway Patrol, South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue, Barton Heath, California Conservation Corps, South Lake Tahoe Action Team, El Dorado County STAR, El Dorado County Sheriff's Search & Rescue, South Lake Tahoe Drug Free Coalition and the El Dorado County Animal Shelter.

Food was provided by Kiwanis.

The event was also a toy drop off for Toys For Tots.

It's not every day llamas are on the visitor list at a hospital, but that is exactly what happened last Thursday at the Skilled Nursing Center at Barton Hospital in South Lake Tahoe.

The Novak family of South Lake Tahoe brought their five llamas to meet and mingle with the residents. Tonto, Pico, Krank, Packa and Jafer walked around, letting residents feed and pet them.

This is the second time the Novaks brought their kids and the llamas to Barton. Not only were they a hit with the residents, but the staff was able to squeeze in a few selfies.

A South Lake Tahoe man was arrested Friday, July 27 after leading police officers on a foot pursuit in the Bijou neighborhood.

An officer from the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) attempted to make contact with a 36-year-old local man who matched the description of a person seen casing homes in the area.

As soon as the officer approached, the man took off on foot. Other officers joined in the pursuit and the suspect was found in a backyard on Champlain Drive in South Lake Tahoe.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - For the past three years, the Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless has held their Homebrew for the Homeless in the Carson Valley. This year they are moving the event to South Lake Tahoe and combining it with a family-friendly Tahoe Beach Bash on Saturday, July 28 from noon to 4:00 p.m. at the Tahoe Beach Retreat.

A South Lake Tahoe man is behind bars facing several charges including arson and robbery.

His first alleged offense was on July 16 at 12:36 p.m. when 43-year-old Eric Almdale allegedly threatened to kill a family member over money. He fled the home in the 1000 block of Echo Avenue with the money.

Road rage over a parking spot in South Lake Tahoe led to the stabbing of a 51-year-old man from San Jose on Thursday, July 12.

At about 10:30 a.m., the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) received numerous 911 calls about a stabbing in front of the CVS Pharmacy located at 3471 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

Upon arrival they found Scott Nevin bleeding from a stab wound. Witnesses identified 71-year-old Paul Ivanovsky from Sparks as the person who allegedly stabbed Nevin, and he was sitting in his car nearby, awaiting the arrival of police.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Public comment closes this week on plans released by the Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) that address issues the agency is facing to be sustainable. Major changes are in store for riders.

Four plans were created as bus service cannot continue as it currently is due to several factors, including the cost of fleet replacement and improvement, funding availability and forecasted funds, regulatory compliance, and keeping and attracting drivers and staff.

One man died and his shooter arrested after an argument on Saturday, June 30 in South Lake Tahoe.

Police responded to the 1000 block of Julie Lane shortly before 5:30 p.m. after reports of shots fired. Upon arrival they found 44-year-old Christopher Kitchen of South Lake Tahoe on the road at the entrance to Tahoe Verde Mobile Home Park. Despite life saving measures, Kitchen was prounounced deceased after medics took the victim to Barton Memorial Hospital.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department was kept busy with a couple of different alcohol-related incidents Thursday evening.

The first one occurred when a 22-year-old South Lake Tahoe woman crashed her Chevy Suburban into a Volkswagon Jetta driven by a local man. The woman, who had two children in her vehicle, a 3-year-old and 1 1/2-year-old, was headed northbound on Ski Run Boulevard when she attempted to make a turn onto Tamarack Avenue. She hit the Jetta which was heading eastbound and slowing to stop at the intersection.

A 62-year-old South Lake Tahoe man has died after being shot multiple times by an unknown assailant.

Gregory Mitchoff was found in the 3600 block of Spruce Avenue in South Lake Tahoe by police responding to a report of gunshots heard at 9:30 p.m. on June 11. They rendered aid and Mitchoff was transported to Barton Hospital where he later died of his injuries.

The suspect(s) left the scene in a vehicle and the case is under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the South Lake Tahoe Police Department at 530.542.6100 or Lake Tahoe Secret Witness at 530.541.6800.