california

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - On March 7, 2018 after a two week trial, a South Lake Tahoe jury convicted Ignacio Madrigal Arizaga of Galt, California of Attempted Murder; Shooting at an Occupied Vehicle; Illegal Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and, Illegal Possession of Ammo by a Convicted Felon.

He faces 41 years to life in state prison when he is sentenced on April 2, 2018.

The Landing in South Lake Tahoe has been sold to DiamondRock Hospitality Company, a real estate investment trust that owns 28 other premium hotels and resorts gateway cities and destination resorts throughout North America and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

This purchase now gives DiamondRock four resorts in California including the Hotel Rex in San Francisco and the Westin San Diego. The Landing will be added to their portfolio which also includes L'Auberge de Sedona in Arizona, Vail Marriott Mountain Resort & Spa and several other Marriott and Westin properties.

The City of South Lake Tahoe announced their hiring of Thomas Stuart as their new Principal Human Resources Analyst. Prior to joining the City, Stuart was a Director of Human Resources for Alvarado Group Services, a construction company with over 200 employees located in the Central Valley of California.

“We value all of our employees in the City with each and every one of them making great contributions to the community. With the addition of Tom as our Human Resources Analyst, we can ensure that our employees are being treated impeccably,” said Acting City Manager Jeff Meston.

The Family Caregiver Support Program of the El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency is pleased to present a free “Aging and Caregiving” educational series in South Lake Tahoe. This series will be held weekly on Mondays from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. beginning April 16, 2018, and ending May 21, 2018, at Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel located at 4130 Lake Tahoe Boulevard in South Lake Tahoe.

The educational series will give instruction and support for people who provide care for a family member or friend aged 60 years or greater.

The series will feature a different topic each week:

There were no injuries in Sunday's collision between a Caltrans snow plow and a van in South Lake Tahoe.

At approximately 8:39 p.m. on March 4, 2018, a Caltrans snow plow assisting with the middle lane berm cleanup along Highway 50 in collided with a van.

I was pleased to learn that U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein has announced her intention to run for another term in the United States Senate. Senator Feinstein has been a tremendous Senator for my home state of California, and she has a distinguished career in public service. She has served in the United States Senate since 1992. She served as Mayor of San Francisco and was a member of the Board of Supervisors there. In my experience, she represents the best the elected public service has to offer.

Residents are invited to become involved as Placer County develops a Sustainability Plan which will outline ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and manage climate risks that threaten property value, natural resources and Placer quality of life

There will be two community workshops in March where the public can learn about the plan’s purpose and goals and how to become involved in the planning process.

If you don't need to go out on the roads around Lake Tahoe today you may want to consider staying home and keeping dry.

With over a foot of new snow Friday morning, crews are working to clear the roadways and area highways have been closed a few times due to collisions, heavy snow and avalanche controls.

A look at roads in the Sierra as of 10:30 a.m.:

Mountaintop cameras from the University of Nevada, Reno spotted or tracked 240 fires in Nevada and California in 2017. This helped to keep firefighters more situationally aware and able to mount appropriate responses more rapidly over tens of thousands of square miles of forests and rangelands, including rural communities.

This is a new and expanding tool for fire managers who oversee the wildland and wildland/urban interface.

Lake Tahoe is enjoying a sunny and clear day Tuesday as the next storm starts to brew in the northwest. Up to 20 inches of snow fell at Lake Tahoe area ski resorts, but with what is expected latter in the week that will be nothing.

Very heavy snowfall accumulations are forecast for the foothills and mountains of Northern California, the heaviest snow expected to begin Wednesday night with major travel delays possible by Thursday. This system will be the strongest storm this winter, with snow to be measured in feet, not inches.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - The first of two storms due to hit Lake Tahoe this week has arrived. This current storm will head out Monday night with the next one due Wednesday through Friday.

Chain controls are up on most mountain roads as of 8:20 a.m. on Feb. 26:

R1 controls: Chains are required - snow tread tires allowed
R2 controls: Chains are required on all vehicles except four wheel drive vehicles with snow tires on all four wheels

HWY50 - R2 FREDS TO MEYERS^ SPLIT CONTROLS
HWY50 - R2 PLACERVILLE TO FRESH POND
SR88 R2 FRM SILVER LAKE TO CRYSTAL SPRINGS

An active weather pattern is expected for the upcoming week as two storm systems affect the Sierra and western Nevada.

A Winter Weather Advisory will be in effect from 4:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Monday, February 26. Snow is expected with total accumulations of 6 - 12 inches expected in the Lake Tahoe area.

A weekend hike in Yosemite turned into a six-day long ordeal for a Bay Area man this week.

Oakland resident Alan Chow, 36, had his backpacking gear and wilderness permit when he set out on a solo hike Saturday, February 17 on the loop trail in Yosemite's northern wilderness area above Hetch Hetchy, about a mile from O'Shaughnessy Dam.

He became disoriented and lost his way.

Entrepreneurs continue to be a part of the renaissance in South Lake Tahoe, bringing new businesses and experiences throughout the town.

Three long-time locals have become part of that vibe and opened Emanate Gallery in The Crossing at Tahoe Valley at the Y and will be celebrating with a grand opening weekend February 24-25 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Benjamin Sullivan, a 2010 South Tahoe High graduate, joined Angela and Ron Cabrera in opening the new gallery, complete with its own full service custom frame shop and unique delivery services.

South Lake Tahoe Mayor Wendy David held her second "Community Conversation" on Wednesday, opening the avenues of conversation between government and the public. This time Councilmember Brooke Laine joined her.

During the first such meeting in January the crowd got too big for the chosen area, Peet's Coffee, so this month they moved to the SLT Senior Center. Everyone attending agreed the center was much more conducive to good conversation.

"I thought it went really well," said Wendy. "I really appreciate the respect everyone shows for each other and opinions can be shared freely."

The snow has been falling all down in the Sierra, giving residents and visitors a glimpse into a winter that hasn't been even a slight resemblance into the big winter of 2017.

At this point, every seems to be happy with what fell Thursday. Snow totals aren't in from the ski resorts yet since they release them in the morning, but they most likely will be several inches and hovering near the one foot level.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - Do you love the wilderness? Are you committed to preserving its’ breathtaking beauty? Do you love working with people and spending time in the outdoors? Can you match your motive for volunteering to the mission and priorities of the Forest Service? Most importantly, do you have the time, willingness and dedication to volunteer and help preserve one of our most popular back-country natural areas near Lake Tahoe?

Holiday traffic leaving South Lake Tahoe this weekend created another bottleneck in Meyers as well as on side roads throughout the area from those attempting to find a quicker getaway. The choices they made Monday created a three-hour drive from the Y in South Lake Tahoe to areas in Meyers.

Highway 50 over Echo Summit is designed to handle 1,200 cars per hour without any issues, but those numbers dropped Monday, February 19. Just how much they dropped is unknown as the traffic counters normally placed over the roadway are removed for snow removal.

UPDATE 11:45 A.M. 2/20/18: The Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) has identified the deceased pilot as 64-year-old Stephen Filice. For more on the story: http://southtahoenow.com/story/02/20/2018/minden-man-identified-mondays-plane-crash-victim.

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UPDATE 3:00 P.M.: One person died in the single airplane crash in Douglas County Monday, February 19, 2018.

A federal indictment was unsealed last week, charging 36 individuals for their alleged roles in the Infraud Organization, an Internet-based cybercriminal enterprise engaged in the large-scale acquisition, sale, and dissemination of stolen identities, compromised debit and credit cards, personally identifiable information, financial and banking information, computer malware, and other contraband.

In 2014, City of South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) took possession of a 2013 model Ferrara ladder truck at the tune of almost $1,050,000. It was purchased to replace the aging ladder truck SLTFR had from 1982 and paid for with funds from California sales tax money devoted to public safety.

If you caught the January 22, 2018 episode of The Bachelor that showed bachelor Arie Luyendyk, Jr. in many scenic spots around South Lake Tahoe you most likely saw the home the show's contestants, the bachelorettes, stayed in while in town.

That 17,000 square foot house on Sherman Way is now for sale with a price tag of $15,880,000. It has 17 bedrooms, 18 bathrooms, five fire places, a swimming pool, high end features and appliances, and amazing views.

Five South Tahoe High seniors and graduates signed their letters of intent to play for the Lake Tahoe Community College Coyotes this fall.

Cesar Hernandez (class of 2017), Giovani "Gio" Yanez, Ignacio Vazquez, Andy Salazar and Oscar Villagrana (class of 2016) were all on hand with LTCC Soccer Coach Nick Arbelaez.

The five athletes were all born and raised in South Lake Tahoe and have a combined 55 years of soccer already under their belts.

"I'm very stoked," said Villagrana of his heading to LTCC to play at the college level.

News spread through South Lake Tahoe this week that surprised and shocked many, the City Council's decision to put City Manager Nancy Kerry on indefinite leave. The council will be meeting in closed session on Monday, February 12, 2018 to discuss the situation. Their agenda item, "PUBLIC EMPLOYEE DISCIPLINE/DISMISSAL/RELEASE Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957(b)" starts at 9:00 a.m.

That section of code allows special and closed session meetings to consider the appointment, employment, evaluation of performance, discipline, or dismissal of a public employee.