california

First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers are with the communities and forests affected by the destructive and tragic wildfires across California, Nevada, and the West. Our Lake Tahoe Basin firefighters are responding to both local and national wildfires and providing assistance to those in need. I am very proud of each one and know their families go through added stress during their absence.

This time of year, wildfire suppression can overtake our thoughts and activities, however, a great amount of work is occurring around the Lake Tahoe Basin to create more resilient forests.

An update for recent fires in El Dorado County, Yosemite, Pyramid Lake and Redding, Calif.

The Ferguson Fire near the western border of Yosemite is now in its 22nd day. It has consumed 73,560 acres and is now 41 percent contained. Yosemite National Park announces Yosemite Valley, Wawona Road, the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, the Merced Grove of Giant Sequoias, Hetch Hetchy, and other areas will remain closed to all visitors through Sunday, August 5, 2018 due to continued unhealthy smoke impacts and ongoing firefighting operations.

When looking back at the month of July, each day's high temperatures in South Lake Tahoe were above average except for one, which was equal to the high. Even though July was a warm month, no record highs were set.

After such a warm month, August is starting out much the same.

Steve Teshara, CEO of the Tahoe Chamber and chairperson of the Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) Board of Directors, now has another leadership duty for the upcoming year.

Teshara will serve as the president of the California Association of Councils of Governments (CALCOG), a group whose membership includes 47 regional governments involved in the planning, funding, and development of the state’s transportation infrastructure.

He has been representing TTD on the CALCOG Board.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It takes more than soil and seeds to make a garden, it takes nutrients and care, and in the case of the memorial garden at the South Lake Tahoe Library, it takes a love of books and the color purple.

Barbara Berezin-Kearney, affectionately known as BB, was a Literacy Specialist at South Lake Tahoe Library who spent endless hours teaching people to read at the library and jail so they could have a better future. After her passing in 2002, a memorial garden was built to remember her warm, loving and caring personality.

The Perry Fire burning between Reno and Pyramid Lake has now burned 25,600 acres and is now 15 percent contained. It started Friday evening and the cause is unknown at this time.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Join local public safety agencies on Tuesday, August 7 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. for National Night Out at Regan Beach. South Lake Tahoe Police Department, El Dorado County Sheriff's Office, California Highway Patrol, South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue, El Dorado County, Barton Heath, California Conservation Corps and the South Lake Tahoe Action Teams are all involved again this year.

Two large California fires are sending smoke into Lake Tahoe, Reno and the Carson Valley. For several days, smoke from the Ferguson Fire has filled the area skies, but today most of the smoke came from the one-day old Carr Fire.

The Ferguson Fire burning west of Yosemite continues to burn through rugged, hard to access terrain. Officials reported a 764-acre growth in the fire today for a total of 46,675 acres as of 6:00 p.m. Friday. Containment is at 29 percent.

Officers from the South Lake Tahoe office of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) responded to US 50 and Pioneer Trail Wednesday morning after a citizen reported a possible bomb laying in the roadway.

Upon arrival they observed what appeared to be some type of explosive ordinance in the road and called in the El Dorado County Sheriff's bomb squad. The roadway was shut down temporarily for public safety according to a post on the CHP Facebook page.

The follow letter was given to South Tahoe Now and mailed to the South Lake Tahoe Mayor, City Councilmembers and staff:

Dear Mayor David and Council Members:

I am writing to you as a follow-up to my letter of May 12, 2018 (see at end of story) regarding Policy Priorities and Issues for City Government.

Quality and Affordable Housing for Residents is Very Important

The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) has given Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) $1.6M to help continue bus service from Carson City to the Carson Valley and on to Lake Tahoe, but more is still needed to help TTD continue service both at the lake and in the valley.

The Washoe will re-unite at the Tallac Historic Site in South Lake Tahoe this weekend to honor their culture and heritage during their annual Wa She Shu It’ Deh Native American Arts Festival.

This festival will be held on the Valhalla Grand Lawn at Tallac Historic Site on Saturday and Sunday, July 28 - 29, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Authors Karen Dustman and Laurie Hickey will speak on their book The Old Genoa Cemetery: A Walking Tour – Book 1, in a free presentation at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park on Saturday, July 28, at 10:00 am.

The Old Genoa Cemetery: A Walking Tour – Book 1 is the first book in a four volume series of books written by historians Karen Dustman and Laurie Hickey, which highlight Genoa and Carson Valley’s earliest and most prominent settlers.

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The Board of Trustees of the Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) District is pleased to announce the selection of Dr. Jonathan King as the college’s new Vice President of Student Services beginning August 6. Dr. King is currently the Dean of Counseling and Student Support Programs at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, CA, where he has served since January 2015.

A major drug ring that stretched from Mexico into El Dorado and Placer Counties and beyond was broken up with the arrest, conviction and sentencing of Francisco Felix, 45, of Mountain House on July 13, 2018.

Felix will be in prison for up to 20 years for his role in leading a large, multi-defendant drug-trafficking conspiracy that moved significant quantities of methamphetamine from Mexico into California and throughout the United States, and that controlled at least three large marijuana grows in the Central Valley of California, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county. The following are calls that only pertain to the South and West Shore, including Meyers, South Lake Tahoe, Meeks Bay and Tahoma. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at time of story.

Some of those recently added to last week's log:

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September 13, 2015 was the worst day in the lives of the Molly McAffe, and Adam and Gavin Buchanan families. They lost a son, grandson, sister, daughter, aunt, nephew, cousin, and their lives will be forever haunted by the heinous acts of another relative, Nolen Buchanan.

It was a very emotional afternoon in El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Suzanne Kingsbury's court Thursday during the sentencing of the now 18-year-old responsible for shooting his father, his father's fiancé and his 8-year-old brother and then setting their cabin on fire in Greenwood, Calif.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) is pleased to welcome Dr. Donna Sohan, the new Director of Institutional Effectiveness, who joined the campus administration in early July after a national search.

LTCC Superintendent/President Jeff DeFranco said, “Dr. Sohan fills a critical role for the college. She has worked extensively with both four-year and community colleges and brings to LTCC the essential experience in generating, analyzing and utilizing data effectively necessary to support the full range of institutional decision-making.”

A day on the lake is a dream come true for many, but for two South Lake Tahoe Police Department officers it's another day at the office. As they navigate Lake Tahoe they are looking for speeders, unsafe practices, life vests, drunk boaters and boat registrations, as well as responding to life threatening crashes and drownings.

"It's our little city out here," explained Steve O'Brien who has manned the South Lake Tahoe police boat for 17 summers.

The author shared the following letter with South Tahoe Now that was sent to SLT Fire Chief Jeff Meston concerning fire safety and the responsibility of all public agencies to assist him and the Department in this effort. "Best wishes to you and the men and women of the Fire Department," said Jinkens.

Dear Chief Meston:

First of all, my sincere thanks to you and the men and women who serve our community in the Fire Service. I am grateful for all of your work and effort to keep our community fire safe and to respond to emergency calls for service.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - 499 volunteers hit the beaches of Lake Tahoe Thursday as part of the annual July 5 Beach Cleanup crew. Each year, volunteers hit the beaches to pick up trash left over by holiday revelers.

This year they removed 1,458 pounds of litter from five beaches: Commons Beach in Tahoe City, Kings Beach, Kiva Beach, Nevada Beach and Regan Beach in South Lake Tahoe. Not only did they comb the six miles of beach, but they also sorted and counted the items collected.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Lake Tahoe Community College Accounting/Business instructor Dr. Jon Kingsbury, World Languages instructor Catalina Goralski, and Biological Sciences instructor Dr. Sue Kloss are all being honored for their outstanding work in the classroom and their dedication to LTCC’s students. Dr. Kingsbury was chosen by his fellow LTCC faculty members as the Distinguished Faculty Award winner for 2018. Goralski was also selected by her fellow faculty members as their choice for Distinguished Adjunct Instructor of the Year. Dr.

UPDATE 7/2 8:15AM: The victim in Saturday's shooting has been identified as 44-year-old Christopher Kitchen of South Lake Tahoe. The suspect, 62-year-old Roy Figaro of South Lake Tahoe, is in the El Dorado County Jail and is facing murder charges.

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One person has died after being shot Saturday near the Y in South Lake Tahoe.

Just before 5:30 p.m. on June 30, 2018, officers from the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) responded to the 1000 block of Julie lane after several calls were made into dispatch about shots fired.

11:15 p.m. update: According to El Dorado County Jail logs, the suspect who turned themself into law enforcement is Joseph Matthew Chesler, 33, of South Lake Tahoe. His bail has been set at $125,000, $75,000 for Hit and Run Causing Injury/Death and $50,000 for Involuntary Manslaughter.

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An arrest has been made in Tuesday night's fatal hit-and-run crash in South Lake Tahoe.