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The Barton Health Public Relations department enjoyed hosting the 4th annual Mom's Morning Out on Saturday, May 2. Thank you to all the women who attended and to our business vendors and Zen room specialists for making the event a success!

People lined the 25-mile Amgen race course from Heavenly to Meyers on Saturday, all waiting to catch a glimpse of the top women cyclists as they quickly passed by.

There were great spectating opportunities, and many locals and visitors took advantage of them, from Ski Run Blvd, along Pioneer Trail to South Upper Truckee.

The course was much different that Friday's trip around the lake, but still a tough one with plenty of climbs, downhills and turns.

After two trips around the course, Canadian Leah Kirchmann emerged the victor, just edging out American Lauren Komanski.

The 3rd Annual Lake Tahoe Reggae Festival will be held at the Hard Rock Hotel Outdoor Arena on Saturday, June 27. The concert is open to all ages and will feature Iration, Matisyahu, Don Carlos, The Green, The Expendables, Fortunate Youth, Vokab Kompany, Squarefield Massiv and more.

Advanced general admission tickets for the reggae festival are $45, VIP tickets are $90; and kids 12 and under are only $10, and kids under 6 are FREE. All tickets can be purchased on line.

Location

Lake Tahoe’s natural geography of steep climbs and long descents against postcard views will offer plenty of sites to catch race action as the top women cyclists compete in Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the Amgen Tour of California Women’s Race May 8-9.

With the start and finish line at Heavenly’s California Base Lodge, spectators will be updated with live race announcements, and entertained with high-energy music, local and Amgen Tour of California exhibitors, food and beverage.

All local business owners with an ABC license are invited to bring their employees to a free seminar presented by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) on Thursday, May 28 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Hosted by the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, the LEAD (Licenses Education on Alcohol and Drugs) seminar will provide information on what is acceptable I.D., the best way to check I.D., how to refuse service, signs and prevention of illicit drug activity, and more.

In South Lake Tahoe every year, many new species are brought in and out of the Lake. While some locals have boats, only some use them in other lakes. The city of South Lake Tahoe regulates wildlife brought in and out of the basin and lake by requiring boats to get inspected, but neglects the need to educate the future community about the harmful animals that can be brought into the lake. These are the new workers and people that will be living and giving to the community.

The National Little League pledge, written by Peter J. McGovern in 1954, reads as follows:

I trust in God
I love my country
And will respect its laws
I will play fair
And strive to win
But win or lose
I will always do my best

It has long been a tradition in South Lake Tahoe where players recite the pledge prior to every Major Division Little League game.

That tradition ended this year as the local Board of Directors decided to remove the words "God" and "country" from the pledge so it would read like this:

I will play fair
And strive to win
But win or lose

Have you ever wanted to share your opinion, comments, ideas and other thoughts with the City of South Lake Tahoe? Everyone is now able to speak up on a website with just that name: Speak Up SLT.

Communication is now easier, both for giving and receiving feedback on this forum. SpeakUp SLT will combine the power of social innovation and crowdsourcing with an online forum to prioritize projects and make the best decisions for our community. Citizens can vote on, comment on, and share other citizens’ ideas, as well as their own

Exciting times for South Lake Tahoe in May as the community shines on the international stage as the location of the first stage of the Amgen Tour of California. Fourteen teams consisting of 84 of the top professional women racers will be in town for the race May 8-9, 2015. The racers consist of Olympic medalists, World Champions, Tour de France competitors and other cyclists from the National and International field.

Many of the teams have already been in the area getting ready for the Lake Tahoe stop on their tour. As we get closer to May 8, more of the participants will be in town.

State Route 108 over Sonora Pass has opened in time for the opening of trout fishing season in the Eastern Sierra on Saturday, April 25 according to Caltrans.

Also opening is State Route 120 (west) Mono County - Tioga Pass Road, to the East Yosemite Park Entrance Gate. State Route 120 is closed beyond this point. Users can access State Route 120 for recreational activities from the junction of US 395 at Lee Vining up to the park entrance closure gate.

State Route 168 (west) Inyo County – Access to Sabrina Lake is also now open.

Let’s transform South Lake Tahoe into one of the healthiest places for our children…a place where mental health issues are quickly identified and treated…a place where parents and caregivers are well-educated in recognizing the early warning signs. Let’s give the next generation the best chance possible at thriving.

In March we participated in the Mental Health Forum sponsored by Barton and the South Tahoe Unified School District. We were impressed by the passion presented by the many school-teachers, Barton ER doctors, and others that care deeply about Mental Wellness.

It is always a treat for me to see people in our community who display the American flag at their business and/or at home. Over the years this always reminds me of our Nation, our Constitution, and the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. Thanks to all of your readers who do so. While we are not a perfect Nation, government or people, our form of representative government gives us the greatest ability to make changes that improves the life, opportunities, and liberties of our citizens and all those who live here.

Tokay High School (Lodi) football coach and athletic director Louis Franklin announced Monday he will be stepping down at the end of the school year after being offered “an opportunity to join Lake Tahoe Unified School District.”

Franklin, a 2000 Tokay graduate, has been the school’s head football coach since 2007 and the athletic director since 2010, when he replaced Jeff Johnston.
Franklin was 38-46 as Tokay’s head coach, including an 0-4 record in the playoffs, but finished with three winning seasons.

Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra recently awarded 14 worthy organizations, projects, and programs with funding from their Community Grant program. The mission of the organization is to “Strengthen and enhance the lives of women and youth in our community and the world.”

The following organizations/programs/projects best aligned with this mission according the the Soroptimists: Between Horses and Humans, Bijou Kindergarten Adventure Introduction, Bijou 5th Grade Enrichment Field Trip, Health Talents

Are you a Facebook whiz? Good with bookkeeping? Want to help connect local volunteers? Bread & Broth, an all-volunteer program to feed the hungry in the South Lake Tahoe community, currently has several volunteer positions available for qualified individuals. Letters of interest are being accepted for the following positions:

After a slow start, Coach Starbuck Teevan and his varsity baseball team from South Tahoe High have won their last seven games, bringing their league record to 7-3. The Vikings are now 4-0 at home after their opening home stand March 27-31.

The team hosted Truckee High School Friday afternoon, and for two games on Saturday. South Tahoe beat the Wolverines 4-1, 9-5 and 15-3. They also beat Dayton on Tuesday afternoon by a score of 10-7.

The other three wins in this streak were from games against Sparks March 20-21. They beat the Railroaders by scores of 10-5, 8-6 and 6-5.

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.

Summer in South Lake Tahoe means being outdoors and enjoying life, and the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino announced today one more thing to enjoy: more outdoor concerts.

A temporary 7,500 seat outdoor area is being created on the back parking lot of Hard Rocky Hotel & Casino in Lake Tahoe in order to host the “BaseJam Summer 2015 Outdoor Concert Series.”

A summer full of concerts at the new casino on the South Shore will start with the 3rd Annual Lake Tahoe Reggae Festival on June 27. Also booked is the Lake Tahoe Bluegrass Festival which is slated for July 11.

A lack of snow is causing Heavenly Mountain Resort to close down their California operations starting Monday, March 30, a week ahead of schedule.

The only access to the mountain for skiing and riding will be from Stagecoach Express until April 5, and from the Gondola until the end of the season.

The resort will operate 11 lifts, accessing 27 trails. Mountain Operations staff will continue to closely monitor and assess conditions daily. At this time the resort is still planning on closing on April 19.

There are a few days left to nominate Lake Tahoe projects for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) 2014 Best in the Basin awards program.

The Best in the Basin awards program is in its 25th year. It was created to recognize projects that demonstrate exceptional planning and design and compatibility with the environment and TRPA guidelines.

A proposed 29 lane outdoor gun range in El Dorado County has created a lot of concern from the Shingle Springs community as well as others in the county.

On February 24, the County Supervisors heard a presentation from the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, owners of the Red Hawk Casino and operators of the proposed gun range. At that meeting there was a lot of concern voiced about safety and noise.

The tribe doesn't need approval due to their sovereign nation status, but they say they will address all concerns prior to moving forward.

Any parent will tell you raising teenagers is a stressful time! Are you in that stage? Talk to your teenager about it. Your stress may be similar stress for your teen.

Knowing that not all South Lake Tahoe kids plan on heading to a four-year college, John McDougall wanted to help those students find their vocational path.

And he is accomplishing this in two ways: Pay it Forward Scholarships and with a High School Mentoring Program.

"I'm helping kids that are taking the vocational path," said the 1972 South Tahoe high graduate.

The Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce (Tahoe Chamber) Board of Directors named Roberta Mason and Sherm McKissock honorary lifetime members of Tahoe Chamber for their contributions to the South Shore community. Patrick Atherton was awarded an honorary annual membership. Mason, McKissock and Atherton were presented with honorary memberships at the Tahoe Chamber Board of Directors meeting on March 19, 2015.