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The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) is seeking comments on a proposal to reduce excess vegetation on approximately 3,800 acres of National Forest lands on the south end of the Lake Tahoe Basin in order to reduce the risk of wildland fires and create healthier forests.

The Tahoe Coalition for Homeless (TCH) made a presentation to the Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) board members Tuesday, updating them on the Warm Room, and how things have gone since opening in their new home January 1, 2018.

Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions ended an Obama-era federal policy that provided legal shelter for marijuana sales in California, Nevada and four other states (Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Maine) that have allowed recreational pot, placing at risk thousands of marijuana businesses operating legally under state laws.

The Justice Department move on Thursday plunged California’s fledgling recreational pot market into further uncertainty, and was met with a bipartisan backlash from lawmakers in states where marijuana is now sold legally to any adult who wants to buy it.

Washoe County, Nevada and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) are continuing to work together to streamline project permitting for their customers, and have announced a change in the permitting process for projects in the Washoe County portion of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

For the past week, South Lake Tahoe's homeless have been able to get out of the cold at the Lake Tahoe Community Presbyterian Church, but come January 1 they will be moving into their new home.

The Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless will open their warm room at 1195 Rufus Allen Blvd, the City owned property that once housed Unity at the Lake. Their operations will begin at 7:00 p.m. The will be open daily from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. until April 1, 2018.

Hello fellow anglers, it is that time of year to celebrate the new year and the Topaz Lake opening day fishing season. On Monday, Jan. 1, 2018 at precisely 6:46 a.m. will be the official starting time for anglers to begin fishing on Topaz Lake.

For those of you driving out that morning, be careful and mindful of other drivers on the road that have might celebrated to much the night before.

Hello fellow anglers. I am happy to say, the winter solstice has come and gone. Meaning, each day now brings one minute longer of daylight. But as we all know, that does not mean it will get any warmer soon. Down here in the Minden and Carson Valleys we've experienced an average of 7 to 10 degree mornings.

Most would think that the higher lakes would be frozen and iced over. I received a report from fellow angler Josh Otto last week. As Josh told me, Caples Lake had high winds and was down right cold and had waves blowing across the lake.

The fog was socked in around Lake Tahoe Wednesday morning, but its starting to recede and retreat and should be all clear by noon.

It isn't often when the temperature of the lake is warmer than the air, but that is what happens when fog is created. The cold air mass condensates into clouds and sits low over the lake and South Lake Tahoe. The ski resorts were sitting above the fog and had a very sunny morning.

The next board meeting of the Tahoe Paradise Recreation and Park District (formerly Tahoe Paradise Resort Improvement District) will be held at the park's clubhouse on Thursday, December 7 at 7:00 p.m.

Included on the agenda is discussion and action on a new director, a name change for the park and other items including interpretive signs, community park projects, a forest thinning project, park host for summer 2018, Music in the Park and way finding signage.

The public is invited.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - To show nature is the best medicine, Barton Health and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) have partnered together to give the community Wellness Outings.

Patients will have access to the forest through a guided outing with a USFS ranger and physician or nurse.

In addition to Wellness Outings, the partnership will provide wellness and injury prevention training for USFS rangers and firefighters, as well as accessibility of public lands to promote outdoor recreation.

Twelve years of Vacation Home Rentals (VHRs), what a sad place So. Lake Tahoe residential neighborhoods have become. Thanks go to local Realtors, out of town owners, and VHR rental agencies, who care mostly about money, not about the peace and tranquility of the local residents. But they’re not alone, we also have City and County officials that don’t represent the locals that elect them, instead it’s all about the tourists and their friends in the VHR business, some of those friends are elected officials.

Registered Nurses (RNs) at Barton Memorial Hospital and Lake Tahoe Surgery Center voted 123 to 17 to unionize during a secret ballot taken Wednesday night according to the California Nurses Association (CNA).

After the Barton Health vote, 3,000 caregivers in 10 union elections have voted to have collective representation in California in 2017.

“A record of incredible accomplishment for CNA that will strengthen the ability of RNs to promote safer care conditions for all Californians,” said CNA Co-President Malinda Markowitz, RN, who is also an NNU vice-president.

Today, the Sierra Club released a new report showcasing 10 U.S. cities that have made ambitious commitments to be powered with 100 percent clean, renewable energy like wind and solar. View the report: https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/www.sierraclub.org/files/blog/RF100-CaseStudies_2017.pdf

This is the second annual case studies report from Ready For 100, a Sierra Club campaign launched in 2016 working in cities across the United States, including South Lake Tahoe, to accelerate a just and equitable transition to 100 percent clean energy.

Daylight Saving Time (DST) ends at exactly at 2:00 a.m. this Sunday, November 5. Turn the clocks back one hour if you live in most of the United States (most of Arizona and Hawaii don't observe DST).

This time of year serves as a good reminder to change their smoke detector batteries. The batteries should be replaced twice a year, so an easy way to remember to change them is to do it as DST begins and ends.

Almost 3,000 people die each year from structure fires, and many of these deaths can be prevented with working smoke detectors.

So remember: change the time, change your battery!

Many of South Lake Tahoe's roads are decades past their prime, and Measure C is in front of voters November 7 to increase taxes by one-half percent to pay for their maintenance and repair.

I support Measure C and let me tell you why, but it will have to start with a look back to see how we got here.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - With the addition of Bijou Marketplace along Highway 50 between Ski Run Boulevard and Herbert Avenue, owners of nearby properties have started to look at how this new development will help their businesses.

The South Lake Tahoe City Council voted Tuesday night to stop issuing permits for vacation home rentals (VHRs), at least temporarily.

The Tahoe Prosperity Center will host the first annual Tahoe Economic Summit on
Monday, October 30, 2017 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe. The theme of the summit is “Building Community through the Sharing Economy.”

The heartbreaking fires in Northern California’s wine country this month have upended hundreds of thousands of people’s lives. In just over one week, the fires across Northern California burned more than 220,000 acres, destroyed 6,000 buildings, and killed more than 40 people. Our hearts go out to our neighbors in Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties.

The Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) Board of Directors approved several funding agreements with local entities Friday which will provide free rides for several groups including Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) students, employees and guests of the Ridge Tahoe and associated properties, as well as Heavenly Mountain Resort employees.

The agreement between TTD and Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) to allow current students with a valid Lake Tahoe Community College identification card to ride all local transit services at no charge during the academic year ending June 30, 2018.

Every year the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors venture to South Lake Tahoe to hold one of their meetings in the eastern portion of the county. This year's meeting will be Tuesday, October 17 at the Lahontan Water Board Annex at 971 Silver Dollar Avenue.

They usually hold their meeting when the South Lake Tahoe City Council does not have a meeting, but with the Council voting to change their October meeting dates recently, that is not true this year. It was too late for El Dorado County to change the date and they had to find a new venue.

Lawrence "Larry" David Dunivent, 81, of South Lake Tahoe, Calif., passed away peacefully on Saturday, October 7, 2017. He was born in Orange, Calif. to Harold David and Vada Alida Dunivent.

The following is a letter received concerning the Sass Talk published on October 7:

I hate to waste my time, but I cannot let the erroneous propaganda put out by the Emperor of City Hall go unrebutted. The City will not let go of this “nuisance” problem as it diverts focus on the dismal road conditions that the City has neglected for years. Also, City management has totally failed to provide a reliable snow removal system as we experienced last winter.

At its annual conference Wednesday, the Nevada Chapter of the American Planning Association recognized the Tahoe-Truckee Plug-In Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan with awards for most outstanding plan and most outstanding public outreach. The awards were presented as part of the group’s annual DeBoer Awards program.