change

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The month of February has been a fairly dry one but it may end with snow in the Lake Tahoe basin this coming weekend. After unseasonable warmth the past few days, expect a sharp change in the weather Saturday evening into Sunday as a powerful cold front sweeps across the Sierra and northern Nevada.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The monthly manual survey of the snowpack at Phillips Station, just west of Lake Tahoe, revealed data that won't catch many by surprise. There is 29 inches of snow with a snow water equivalent (SWE) of 11.5 inches at the location near US50 and Sierra-at-Tahoe Road. This is 47 percent of the March average at this spot.

The SWE measures the amount of water contained in the snowpack, which provides a more accurate forecast of spring runoff.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It isn't news to those who live in or frequent the Lake Tahoe region, the area has been experiencing very dry conditions this winter. Even though dry, it is not bad enough yet to put Tahoe into a drought category. The Drought Monitor released this week by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) places 45 percent of the country in the D0-D4 categories, or abnormally dry to exceptional drought. This is a big change from 2018-19. At that time Lake Tahoe had well above average snow, but 62.6 percent of the U.S. fell into the Do-D4 categories.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The old Super 8 motel on Lake Tahoe Boulevard and adjacent Lotus Pho restaurant in South Lake Tahoe are currently closed as pre-construction activities have begun on a four-story 120-unit Hampton Inn and Suites.

The asbestos abatement has been completed as have the pre-demolition permits and the current two-story building is set for demolition soon. Once that happens, crews will be waiting for the May 1 grading date to get started on what is promised to be a "facelift to the area."

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Lake Tahoe community is invited to a public meeting about climate change adaptation hosted by the California Tahoe Conservancy, South Tahoe Public Utility District, Tahoe Transportation District, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, and their partners on February 26 in Stateline, Nevada.

The meeting will be from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, 128 Market St, Stateline, Nevada.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Youth participating in SOS Outreach participated in a leadership evening on Thursday evening where they listened to a panel of three South Lake Tahoe leaders and learned about how to create positive change in breakout sessions.

SOS Outreach is a national youth development nonprofit that mentors at-risk and underserved youth with positive adults through outdoor activities. Youth in their fourth year of the mentor program have been building and practicing leadership skills and other life skills over the past years and were chosen to participate on Thursday.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) conducted the second manual snow survey of the season at Phillips Station Thursday, and they found 40.5 inches of snow depth and snow water equivalent (SWE) of 14.5 inches. The snowpack at this location is 79 percent of the February average, with the rest of the state measuring in at 73 percent of average.

The Phillips Station total is 58 percent of the seasonal average.

"It's decent but below average," said Sean de Guzman, chief of DWR’s Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Section.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – Weather permitting, the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) will continue prescribed fire operations over the next several weeks in the Tahoe Basin. They may not be able to continue prescribed fire operations at some sites because of increased snow loads, but some units are able to continue burning.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - For some students, there are many barriers to their being able to get a college degree, one of them being affordable child care. A recent move by the Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) is helping remove that barrier by having extended hours on Monday and Tuesday evenings so parents who are LTCC students can attend classes and/or study.

Weather update from UC Davis - Due to winter storm warnings, and in a effort to accommodate as many attendees as possible, TERC will be moving tomorrow's (January 16th) lecture to next week on Thursday, January 23, 2020. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope you will be able to join us next week when John Henry Beyer, Ph.D., Geophysicist and retired Research Program Manager at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, explains the science behind climate change in a way that is engaging and understandable.

2018 – 2019 was a year of endings and new beginnings. Tahoe Youth & Family Services faced a lot of change. As we all know, change is hard but change can also be exciting. Both our staff and board are embracing the New Year with excitement and renewed energy.

The following are new programs that will be happening:
o Homeless program for youth 18 – 24 years in South Lake Tahoe, SLT
o Expanded SLT Host home program for youth under 18 including those youth who are involved with child welfare services, juvenile probation, and the McKinney Vento program.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A we say goodbye to 2019, 2020 is on the horizon with hopes, dreams and a list of wishes for the new year.

Instead of taking a look back at 2019 let's take a look forward to 2020 in South Lake Tahoe. What does this year have in store for us?

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Many know the annual winter SnowGlobe Music Festival in South Lake Tahoe as a gathering of electronic music fans in the cold outdoors, but they may not know about the behind the scenes efforts to make the event sustainable and to ensure they leave no trace behind where it comes to products used and trash.

To help them in these efforts, Waste Free Earth is on board to create an environment of sustainability through strict guidelines for vendors and sponsors, recycling waste bins throughout the event, and daily trash pickup and sorting.

Dear Readers:

Thank you very much for being a reader of South Tahoe Now. This has been a whirlwind of a year, and ending with another whirlwind of activity as we all prepare to celebrate the holidays with our family, friends, and loved ones. It seems like just yesterday that we finished our Thanksgiving turkeys and started thinking about shopping for gifts.

The year was 1969. And what a year it was. On July 20, 1969—the Viet Nam War was raging—American Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the surface of the moon. For much of the decade, America and indeed the world had been mesmerized by the space race.

STATELINE, Nev. - Six projects were given Best in the Basin awards Wednesday by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA). The presentation of the 29th annual winners was made before their board meeting at Stateline.

The TRPA Best in Basin awards program showcases projects around the lake that demonstrate exceptional planning, implementation, and compatibility with Tahoe’s natural environment and communities.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The December edition of the City of South Lake Tahoe's "At Lake Level" has been released by City Manager Frank Rush. This month Rush covers SnowGlobe, the 56-acre site and a possible new Fire/EMS station for the community.

56-Acre Site

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Timing seems perfect to have a fleet of electric buses for the Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD), but trustees have the purchase of just one on their Friday night agenda along with the purchase of four diesel buses.

The Board's annual organizational meeting is set for December 13 at 5:00 p.m. instead of their normal Tuesday meeting. During the meeting, they will elect a new board president and clerk, and elect representatives to El Dorado County School Boards Association and Lake Tahoe Educational Foundation, and assign annual duties for the trustees.

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. – Voters who have been mailed a postcard from the
El Dorado County Registrar of Voters Bill O’Neill indicating they are a "No Party Preference" may have to re-register.

“We are confident our mailing list of NPP voters is accurate, however, some voters may have had their party preference unknowingly changed as a result of automatic voter registration through the California Department of Motor Vehicles,” O’Neill said.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Ever since the South Lake Tahoe became an incorporated city on November 30, 1965, there have been five elected councilmembers. Annually those elected members vote for one of them to hold the position of mayor for a one-year term.

That has now changed.

On Tuesday the South Lake Tahoe City Council unanimously approved the proposal to have mayor terms of nine months "so they can all get a chance in their four-year term."

9:30 p.m. update: The National Weather Service has upgraded the storm to a Winter Weather Warning from 4:00 p.m. Saturday to 10:00 a.m. Monday. Heavy snow is expected. Total snow accumulations of 4 to 10 inches, except 1 to 4 feet above 7000 feet. Winds gusting 25 to 40 mph, except 60 to 100 mph over exposed ridges.

Snow is expected to mix with, or change to, rain for Tahoe Basin valleys Sunday, with Donner and Echo Summits possibly mixing with rain Sunday night into Monday.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Long lines at the US Forest Service office in South Lake Tahoe on Monday put a dent in the supply of Christmas tree permits, but there are still many left.

Last year the supply was depleted in two weeks but the change in policy to only one permit per family instead of two may have had an effect on the numbers still available.

The USFS-Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit in South Lake Tahoe is open Friday until 4:30 p.m.

MEYERS, Calif. - Residents attending the El Dorado County Town Hall meeting in Meyers on Thursday didn't hear what they wanted to about the upcoming winter and any plans that could be put in place to alleviate traffic jams in neighborhoods.

As is the case with all meetings concerning traffic in Meyers, there were several audience members with ideas from instituting maximum vehicles allowed in the Lake Tahoe Basin to turn restrictions and road closures during specific hours.

STATELINE, Nev. - Currently, the Douglas County Board of Commissioners meet once a month at Lake Tahoe, but if Commissioner John Engels gets his way, this week's meeting will be their last at the Lake Tahoe Visitor's Authority (LTVA) building.

They have been meeting at the lake on the third Thursday of the month, but Engel's presentation will suggest this meeting take place in Minden just as their other three monthly meetings do.