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James Anthony Biller was born in Ventura, CA, July 10, 1951, to Jack and Marjorie Biller. Growing up in Ventura, he surfed, sailed, played water polo for the Ventura High Cougars, and was one of the best swimmers Ventura High had ever seen, getting his varsity letter and pin as a sophomore and setting swimming records that stood for many years after he graduated in 1969. That Jim had a love of the beach, sailing, and everything that had to do with the water was obvious to everyone around him.

Lake Tahoe, long known for its famed clarity and brilliant blue waters has a dirty secret. Beneath the surface, thousands of pounds of trash are breaking apart and impacting the lake’s aquatic habitats. In 2021, an extraordinary effort to remove trash around all 72-miles of Lake Tahoe with a SCUBA dive team of professionals and volunteers will begin. Spearheaded by the nonprofit Clean Up The Lake, the Tahoe Fund has committed to raising funds needed to make it happen.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - The Tahoe Regional Planning Association (TRPA) will be conducting their first lottery for new moorings (buoys, boat lifts, etc.) at Lake Tahoe.

In 2018 the Lake Tahoe Shoreline Plan was adopted, putting a cap on the total number of moorings and piers allowed in the Tahoe Basin. The plan establishes an annual lottery to allocate new moorings until all allocations are distributed.

I continue to remark in several recent Road Beats, that Honda is on a roll, after testing this new Honda Civic Hatchback Sport Touring, I have to report that the roll is still accelerating and rather quickly, including its price. Here is a car with loads of utility, outstanding performance, great fuel economy, superb handling and good comfort for a sticker price not $22,380 with the boat ride from Swindon, Wiltshire, England, but $29,780. That’s right a price bump of about 30 percent for the Touring model.

LAKE TAHOE - A person hearing cries for help from Lake Tahoe Friday evening brought out a full emergency response to the middle of the lake.

An investigation is underway, but Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District (TDFPD) Marshal Eric Guevin was able to release a few details about the October 9, 2020 incident.

Guevin said their Marine 24 responded along with the US Coast Guard after the person hearing the cries notified first responders. Not knowing exactly where the calls for help came from, responders headed toward Pope Beach. The first 911 calls were heard just before 7:00 p.m.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The following is a list of calls the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to the weeks of September 28 - October 4, 2020. Location Checks are- when officers search an area at a certain address. Transient/Homeless arrests/citations and calls are those normally categorized in other columns (Drunk in Public, Trespassing, etc.) but stats are collected separately. COVID calls are related to state and county guidelines.

9/28

ARRESTS (5)
05:57 Drunk in Public 4100 Block of Lake Tahoe Bl
17:16 Transient/Homeless 2000 Block of Lake Tahoe Bl

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - A fire ban continues in the Lake Tahoe Basin. On non-red flag days, home use of BBQs with propane or gas are allowed. All charcoal and wood fires are banned at this time. With all of the recent closures of forests due to fire danger, here is an update of what is open around Lake Tahoe:

National Forest trails, trailheads, beaches in Tahoe Basin are open for day-use only.

All camping, overnighting is temporarily prohibited, including camping in Desolation Wilderness, Meiss Country, Pacific Crest, and Tahoe Rim trails.

USFS campgrounds remain closed.

The following businesses took out a license to operate in South Lake Tahoe during the months of May-August 2020:

May

5/4
SO LAKE TAHOE RESOURCE CENTER

5/6
TAHOE PADDLEBOARD LLC

5/7
CLIMATE PROS LLC

5/13
BEANIES AND BIKINIS
HART CONSTRUCTION

5/15
NURTURE YOUR NATURE
ST THERESA CATHOLIC CHURCH

5/20
COMFORT CONTROL HEATING & AIR CONDI

5/22
GLOBAL VILLAGE CONSTRUCTION INC

5/26
TMC FABRICATION
WHOLE HOG HOSPITALITY LOGISTICS LLC

5/28
BERNARDINO ELECTRIC INC
RYANBUILT CONSTRUCTION

5/29
CHANNELED WELLNESS

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - The U.S. Coast Guard has shut down an illegal charter boat operating in Lake Tahoe.

On Sunday, September 7, the crew of a 29-foot response boat from the Coast Guard Station Lake Tahoe boarded the 48-foot pleasure craft, Cirque. On board were 19 passengers though the boat was not permitted to have six or more.

They discovered the following violations on the Cirque:

- Violation of 46 C.F.R. 176.100 (a) for not having a valid Certificate of Inspection
- Violation of 46 C.F.R 15.401(a) for not having an individual with an appropriate license

4:30 p.m. UPDTE: The body of the missing Gilroy man was located this afternoon in 117 feet of water off the shore of Lake Tahoe.

The El Dorado County Sheriff's dive team with their remote operating vehicle (ROV) found 25-year-old Ian Morlang. He was brought up to the surface and placed on the South Lake Tahoe Police Marine 1 boat, then taken to the Tahoe Keys Marina.

Police officers draped a flag on Morlang as he was carried into a waiting vehicle.

Next of kin has been notified.

The coroner transported the body to the morgue in Placerville.

By motor or by paddle, the experience of boating on Lake Tahoe is like none other. Hovering over its crystal clear shallows and unfathomable depths inspires awe, and the surrounding mountains and forests combine for a breathtaking experience. Given this, it is understandable that boating is both a major part of Tahoe’s culture and its regional economy.

UPDATE 8/11/20: A 28-year-old man from Napa, California has been identified as the person who died in a tragic boat incident off shore from South Lake Tahoe on Monday. The South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) Marine unit responded along with South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue, Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District and the U.S. Coast Guard.

When the call came in around 3:40 p.m., two men were in the water and a third was inside a rental boat. One of the men, David Castorena, had a major injury to his leg and he as not wearing a personal floatation device, or PFD.

Leadership Lake Tahoe is a ten-month-long course held every two years on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe. It began in 2003 with a mission to identify and develop current and future leaders through a comprehensive program designed to increase knowledge and awareness of the issues and challenges facing our community. At the beginning, the program was sponsored by the Tahoe Douglas Chamber and South Lake Tahoe Chamber, they merged a few years later and became the Tahoe Chamber (or Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce).

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The following is a list of calls the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to the weeks of July 5 - July 11, 2020. Location Checks are when officers search an area at a certain address. Transient/Homeless arrests/citations and calls are those normally categorized in other columns (Drunk in Public, Trespassing, etc) but stats are collected separately. COVID calls are related to state and county guidelines.

7/5
ARRESTS (1)
10:51 p.m. - Drunk in Public 1000 Block of Ski Run Blvd
LOCATION CHECKS (4)
TRAFFIC STOPS (15)

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A 43-year-old man was rescued from a burning boat on Lake Tahoe Monday evening.

Rescue boats on the lake, including those from the Coast Guard Station Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District (TDFPD), responded to the scene near Dollar Point on the North Shore.

A 26-foot Cobalt was on fire, carrying a reported 40 gallons of fuel onboard. The man on board was rescued by a Good Samaritan prior to the arrival of the rescue boats.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The following is a list of calls the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to the week of June 28 - July 4, 2020. Location Checks are when officers search an area at a certain address. Transient/Homeless arrests/citations and calls are those normally categorized in other columns (Drunk in Public, Trespassing, etc) but stats are collected separately. COVID calls are related to state and county guidelines.

6/28

ARRESTS (5)
1:24 a.m. - DUI Herbert Av & Warr Rd
1:51 a.m. - Unlicensed Driver 2300 Block of Lake Tahoe Bl

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Due to a recent spike in COVID-19 cases and a significant increase in visitation to the Lake Tahoe Basin over the last few weeks, the City of South Lake Tahoe has made the decision to close its boat ramp at El Dorado Beach to re-assess their operations there.

“The priority of the safety of our residents, visitors, and staff always comes first,” said South Lake Tahoe City Manager Joe Irvin, “While we’d like to keep them open, this move is being taken out of an abundance of caution.”

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The following is a list of calls the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to the week of June 21-27, 2020. Location Checks are when officers search an area at a certain address. Transient/Homeless arrests/citations are those normally categorized in other columns (Drunk in Public, Trespassing, etc) but stats are collected separately.

6/21

ARRESTS (2)
Drug Offense Rocky Point Rd & Primrose Rd
Prowling 1200 Block of Margaret Av

LOCATION CHECKS (5)
TRAFFIC STOPS (6)
TRANSIENT/HOMELESS (0)

OTHER CALLS FOR SERVICE

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - As demand soars for watercraft inspections at Lake Tahoe, agencies preventing the introduction of aquatic invasive species (AIS) into the lake’s pristine waters caution boaters to expect delays and to be prepared to change boating plans through the July Fourth weekend.

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. - Washoe County deputies on board Marine 9 found a couple clinging to a deflated raft on Lake Tahoe around 3:00 p.m. Thursday, June 18.

Deputies aboard the boat were patrolling just northwest of the Thunderbird Lodge on the east shore when they spotted a number of items, including paddles and shoes, floating on the lake.

If ever there was a time to draw on the healing powers of Lake Tahoe, it’s now. The COVID crisis, complete with loss of life and wide-ranging financial impacts, is being compounded by human struggle and a wellspring of social justice demonstrations that are gripping the nation. One of our core values at the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is collaboration -- building collaborative relationships to protect Lake Tahoe. I can tell you that Tahoe's successes have not ever come from reinforcing divisions. The imagined “us vs them" simply creates false divides.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - In response to Governor Sisolak’s announcement of our entering Phase Two of COVID- 19 Recovery, Douglas County Community Services has announced the reopening of Topaz Lake Campground effective June 1, 2020.

Campground reservations will continue to be accepted online and in advance. Please know that spots may be limited.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - During the months of March and April 2020 there were five suicides in South Lake Tahoe. That equals the total number of suicides in all of 2019 in the community, and one less than in 2018.

There were none in January or February before the coronavirus hit.

Whether you live here in Tahoe or can’t wait until it’s safe to visit, we’re all anxious for a return to normalcy. This time of year, that means getting boats on the Lake's beautiful blue waters - while ensuring that you, me and Lake Tahoe stay healthy. To Keep Tahoe Blue, we must protect it from harmful invasive species. Weeds, fish and other invasive organisms can cloud the Lake’s clear waters, encourage toxic algae blooms, and damage Tahoe’s ecological balance. In short, invasive species turn Tahoe green.