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I am a resident and registered voter in Nevada, but I work in Meyers, attended Meyers Elementary, grew up in Christmas Valley, and graduated from South Tahoe High School (STHS). The state line is a blur to me because I view the South Shore as one community. I have two children currently in high school, one at Whittell and one at STHS; I also have another child who graduated from Whittell and is now a college freshman. I believe that a good public education system is the great equalizer in America, and that every child has a right to the best education possible.

For the Halloween season, South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue is reminding parents and children of some lifesaving hints when planning costumes and a special day of trick-or-treating.

When buying costumes for Halloween:

Check the labels and make sure they are made of flame retardant materials.

Materials made of 100% Polyester are best suited for a Halloween costume.

The use of commercial flame retardant sprays is not recommended.

Avoid Halloween costumes that are loose or baggy to prevent fabric from coming in contact with any open flames.

On Halloween:

The South Lake Tahoe chapter of the Citizen's Climate Lobby recently asked all ten of the candidates their views on climate change, green buildings and our carbon footprint and how they can make a change if elected.

The Citizen's Climate Lobby is an organization focused on national policies to address climate change, and the South Lake Tahoe chapter is one of 354 in the United States and abroad.

Patricia Sussman of the local chapter said just five of the candidates responded to their questions.

The Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the City of South Lake Tahoe, is offering a workshop entitled 60 Minute Strategic Plan: Learn How to Solve Your Strategic Issues Quickly and Make Better Decisions Faster on October 26, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

California Speaker of the Assembly Anthony Rendon has appointed Belinda Valles Faustinos to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Governing Board. Her appointment follows the recent resignation of Governing Board member Elizabeth Carmel, a fine art landscape photographer who represented the Speaker’s office on the board for the last three and a half years.

Annie Davidson is the right choice for school board in trustee area #1. Annie came to Tahoe with a strong background in education. Annie understands our educational system. And most importantly, Annie is trustworthy, forthright, and kind.

And while Annie is a very good listener and collaborator, Annie is also intelligent, strong, and determined to do an exceptional job. Annie is one of those people who can come into the room and make everyone feel welcome and help everyone work together effectively.

For more than a decade, Branch has been writing about life in Nevada’s Great Basin Desert with an audacity, lyricism, and wit that is uniquely his own, and on Thursday, October 20, he brings that humor to Lake Tahoe Community College at 8:00 p.m.

The LTCC Writers' Series event with Branch will be held in LTCC’s Roberta Mason Library. This event is free and open to students and the community.

To get a look at the properties the County owns, and to get a look at services and programs going on in South Lake Tahoe, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors (BOS) met on the South Shore last week for tours and discussions.

The County owned properties in SLT were highlighted during a morning tour. Each of the properties, the Senior Center, the Museum, the Art League building and the Visitor's Authority building, are owned by the County and maintained by the City.

When Krysinthia White’s team, 20 Percent Survival, completed the MedWAR Tahoe Challenge at the Taylor Creek Sno-Park, they knew it was not a first place finish. Yet they were still smiling after six flat tires, a bee sting, and multiple wrong turns.

“From our perspective, last place was the best place,” says White. “We had the entire lake [Fallen Leaf] to ourselves and pretty much the entire trail.”

20 Percent Survival is one of ten teams of wilderness enthusiasts and medical responders who participated in the inaugural MedWAR Tahoe Challenge on Saturday, September 17.

2016 is the 26th year that the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has handed out its "Best in the Basin" award for projects in the Lake Tahoe basin that demonstrate exceptional planning and implementation and compatibility with Lake Tahoe’s environment and communities.

During Wednesday's TRPA board meeting in Kings Beach, the nine winners for the year were honored.

The City of South Lake Tahoe was one of those recipients for the Bijou Bike Park project, a collaborative effort between the City and Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association.

"Krista's Cause" won top honors at the 7th annual Cocktails for a Cause held on September 21 at the Riva Grill, a drink created in honor of South Lake Tahoe local Krista Kline Carson, who is fighting brain cancer with treatments in Germany.

Gary Gamprie and James Olson of LewMarNel’s Steaks & Spirits received the honor for their mauve fruit smoothie. Their drink will be featured as the signature cocktail at the Barton Foundation’s 25th annual Gala at the Festival of Trees & Lights in December.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – As part of ongoing efforts to evaluate and use numerous tools to fight aquatic invasive plants in the Tahoe Keys, the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association recently announced its plans to apply for a permit for a small-scale demonstration of aquatic herbicides in 2018.

The entire community is invited to Lake Tahoe Community College for a talk with author and anthropologist Enrique Martinez Curiel on Monday, Sept. 26 at 6:30 p.m. in the Aspen Room (library building). This is a free presentation that will be delivered in Spanish.

Lake Tahoe Community College is offering another free, and fun, event for the public. This time it will be all about wildflowers on Friday, September 30 at 7:00 p.m. in the Aspen Room adjacent to the school's library.

Wildflower enthusiast Lisa Berry will share photos from her own collection of the best flowers of the season, and also share tips on where, and when, to find the best displays. Joining Lisa will be author and botanist Julie Caville.

I am one of the candidates running for the Lake Tahoe Community College Board of Trustees representing area 4.

Medicare Open Enrollment is October 15 through December 7, 2016. This enrollment period is one of the few times Medicare beneficiaries can change, enroll into or disenroll from a Part D drug plan or a Medicare Advantage Plan (such as an HMO). Changes to plans are effective January 1, 2017.

Tim Anderson, a South Lake Tahoe flooring contractor, was run over by a car near his home on August 24. He was air-lifted to a trauma center where he remains in critical condition with a tracheotomy, internal injuries, a broken pelvis, broken ribs, scapulas, and other serious injuries. He is breathing on a ventilator and cannot yet talk.

Tim's three sons, Christian, Corey (& fiancé April) and Cameron, and his best friends, Andy, Jody and Joe have been by his side, as well as the Reilly family, Mickey, Mark, and his grandchildren.

Some of the best developed climbing on the South Shore is on the numerous granite boulders scattered throughout the community of Meyers so it seems fitting that the 2016 Tahoe Bouldering Competition will take place there on September 17.

Former Bay Area residents and Touchstone employees Jen and Chris Bloch have taken on organizing the competition which was formerly known as the Meyers Climbing Festival.

There are new sponsors, more prizes and a large cash purse for winning participants. Also on tap are vendors, beer, food and much more.

Zephyr Cove Resort will remain open for business as soil impacted by a 2011 underground fuel release is removed from an area near the south beach volleyball courts starting Monday, September 12.

Even though those driving by and visiting the resort will see the activity, impact to operations is expected to be minimal. There may be some disruption to parking and the volleyball area but watercraft rentals and sightseeing boats will continue to operate during the excavation.

In celebration of the end of summer in South Lake Tahoe, the annual pyrotechnic extravaganza will explode over the lake at 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 4.

The show features a simultaneous music broadcast that can be heard on local stations KRLT-FM 93.9 and KOWL - AM 1490.

Fireworks will be visible from many viewing areas around the South Show, but here are some of the sweet spots to get a front row seat:

The 41st Annual Antique and Classic Boat Society's International Boat Show is being held Friday and Saturday, September 23/24from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Sierra Boat Company, Carnelian Bay, Calif. The show only comes to Tahoe every ten years.

Location

The focus of the 20th Anniversary of the Tahoe Summit is on the environment. And there is much to celebrate as lake clarity has improved; collaboration among agencies is strong and numerous restoration projects have been completed. But 20-20 hindsight also means that if only we had thought more about the impacts that focusing solely on the environment would have on our economy and community, we could have accomplished much more. Now, twenty years later, we find ourselves trying to play “catch up” on these other two areas.

As do all good ideas that want to become lasting projects, many years and lots of planning have gone into creating what will become the Robert Maloff Center of Excellence at Barton Health.

It's been 55 years since the Barton family donated the land where the first hospital in South Lake Tahoe was built, and it was in that same footprint of land that the ground was broken for the new center 26,000 square foot center on Tuesday.

Due to some sobering facts, El Dorado County District Attorney's Office is ramping up efforts in preventing drunk driving.

While the full-time population in the county is fairly small, a large number of visitors increase those numbers during ski season, holidays, gold country and winery visits, gambling at Red Hawk and Stateline, and during trips to Apple Hill.

El Dorado County ranks fifth worst in the state for lethal drunk driving incidents involving drivers between the ages of 21 and 34, and third worst in the state for drunk driving incidents involving drivers under the age of 21.