change

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Quiet weather and light winds continue this holiday weekend with above-average afternoon and seasonal morning temperatures. High
pressure weakens at the end of the week with more cloud cover and cooling daytime
temperatures.

A change in the overall weather pattern is expected in the long term as the ridge of high pressure that has been locked over the west coast for the last few weeks begins to weaken. However, there aren`t any strong signals for precipitation either, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Reno.

Caltrans addressed what they reported to be an increase of accidents at the intersection of US50 and SR89 with a $7.3 million roundabout in Meyers, and today there was a ribbon-cutting with local partners to officially open it up.

What used to be a T-intersection with one stop sign is now a three-leg roundabout with a bypass lane. Years of studies, planning, environmental reviews, and engineering led to this past summer's build by Q&D Construction.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - In a quest to allow staff and City Council time to address strategies and goals and less time spent on preparing reports for meetings, the South Lake Tahoe City Council moved on Tuesday to adopt a new meeting schedule for 2020, one that gives them one major meeting a month along with budget workshops, closed sessions, joint agency meetings, team building sessions, and public forums.

The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) will be working on the Lake Tahoe side of Kingsbury Grade on October 29 and 30. Expect single-lane closures as crews fill roadway cracking.

Small sections of Kingsbury Grade will be reduced to one lane from approximately 7:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday from Meadow Drive to Tramway Drive. Motorists are advised to give extra travel time and to anticipate moderate travel delays as traffic flaggers and pilot cars alternate directions of travel. The road work schedule is subject to change.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Sierra Boulevard Complete Streets project will wrap up with a ribbon-cutting and celebration next week. The event was scheduled originally for Tuesday, but weather delays have pushed the ribbon-cutting back to Halloween.

The October 31 ceremony will take place at Sierra Boulevard and US50 from 2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Five months of work on the .6 mile, $6 million Sierra Boulevard Complete Streets project will wrap up with the ribbon-cutting and celebration.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) has released the "Proposed Action for the Winter Recreation and Over Snow Vehicle (OSV) Travel Management Project," and in that document are changes to snowmobile access in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

They have proposed to open OSV use (snowmobiles) to areas around the lake that have been restricted in the past and close up other areas. The plan still leaves about 50 percent of the lands managed by LTBMU open to OSV use.

The new areas proposed for OSV use

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - High pressure will be strengthening off of the Pacific Coast, bringing decreasing winds and a warming trend going into the first half of
this week. Change in the weather looks to arrive toward the second half of the
weekend when much cooler temperatures and breezier conditions are possible.

There is a chance for precipitation by at the end of the week.

The forecast from the National Weather Service in Reno:

Monday - Sunny, with a high near 65. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.

After pleasant weather conditions today, gusty winds and some fire weather, travel, and recreation concerns return Saturday, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.

Today will be characterized by generally light winds and average temperatures in South Lake Tahoe, with some sun. Expect this to change by Saturday, however, as a wave drops out of the Pacific Northwest bringing gusty winds to the region. So, if you have outdoor fall and Halloween decorations, today will be a good day to check that they are secured.

There will be two family-friendly carnivals this weekend in South Lake Tahoe. Besides the City of South Lake Tahoe's Bijou Bash at Bijou Community Park from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., there is also the 3rd annual Autumn Carnival at Lake Tahoe AleWorX from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

10.15.19 7:00 p.m. UPDATE: Tuesday was a productive day for firefighters. The northern ridge and southwestern corner are now contained and being patrolled. The containment lines on the eastern and southwestern sides of the fire containment lines are in progress. The hand line on the south side was extended farther northeast towards Castle Point by crews using tactical firing operations. Stronger winds from the southwest are expected late Wednesday afternoon and evening with light precipitation expected Thursday morning.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A three-year effort to survey the Upper Truckee River for aquatic invasive plants has wrapped up. Community members, supported by staff from the League to Save Lake Tahoe, Tahoe Resource Conservation District, and California State Parks joined together to map the plants in order to prevent their spread during major upcoming restoration projects along the river, Lake Tahoe’s largest tributary.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Smoke from the prescribed burn near Caples Creek should affect the Lake Tahoe Basin through Wednesday afternoon, then shift direction as the winds come from the Northeast.

The USFS Eldorado National Forest has completed ignitions on the Caples Prescribed Fire. Crews will patrol and monitor the area over the next few days during the wind event Wednesday through Thursday. Smoke sensitive individuals are encouraged to reduce their exposure by avoiding smoky areas, closing windows, or staying indoors.

Beginning Oct. 6, exit numbers on the Interstate 580 Carson City Freeway will change as part of a Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) project to resurface and enhance the interstate.

The current exit numbers range from 38 to 42, and through the coming week will be replaced with new, lower exit numbers corresponding with roadway mileage as follows:

Fairview Drive - Exit 3
U.S. 50/Willian Street - Exit 5
College Parkway - Exit 6
Arrowhead Drive - Exit 7

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Displaced students from Sierra House Elementary School are expected to be able to return to their home campus this week. Though the exact date is yet unknown, Principal Karin Holmes sent a letter to parents to give them the much-awaited news.

Belfor Construction is finalizing construction in the multi-purpose room while mantenance and custodial staff are wiping down dust, cleaning carpets and bathrooms, and testing will be conducted on water, HVAC and fire systems.

This week at South Tahoe High School, students found their voice about climate change and the varsity volleyball team travels to archrival Truckee in a battle for the league’s top spot.

Climate Change Strike

Last Friday, hundreds of students at STHS walked out of their classes in protest against climate change inaction. Some even marched down towards the Lakeview Commons and spoke in front of locals. Inspired by the strike, other students are coming together to find more effective ways of protest.

STATELINE, Nev. - At 6:00 a.m. on Monday, September 30, NV Energy will resume work on Highway 50 in Stateline on the South Shore with new measures in place for traffic flow. A previous attempt resulted in traffic backed up to Zephyr Cove.

The work is to replace equipment in two underground electric vaults. The new traffic plan will be in effect 6:00 a.m. Monday, Sept. 30 through approximately 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4:

• One lane of traffic will be open in each direction on Highway 50 through the casino corridor.

I recently had the pleasure of speaking to several hundred Tahoe City residents on a warm summer evening in August. I was there for a celebration that has been a long time coming.

Residents gathered in the parking lot of the blighted Henrikson Building to take a ceremonial swing of the hammer — to say goodbye to an eyesore of a building whose useful life came to an end years ago. They were also there to celebrate what will soon take shape as Tahoe City’s first new hotel in more than 60 years.

CARSON CITY, Nev. – Single lane closures will take place on U.S. 395 south of Gardnerville the evenings of Sept. 23 and Sept. 24 as the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) replaces a cattle guard across the highway.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Vacation Home Rentals (VHR) in South Lake Tahoe continue to be the hot topic, even months after a measure to ban most of them in the city limits narrowly passed in the November 2018 election. Voters approved Measure T by 58 votes.

The subject has created a big divide in the community and a decision by the South Lake Tahoe City Council Tuesday will not lessen that division though their intent is now clear.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The second of two pilot plan holiday weekends designed to help alleviate traffic congestion on Meyer's back roads will take place on Monday, September 2 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Holiday traffic from South Lake Tahoe that heads west on Highway 50 over Echo Summit has been directed by apps like Waze and Google Maps to take side roads as the quickest route home. The redirected routes go through neighborhoods and block residents from their homes.

MEYERS, Calif. - At its meeting today, the California Tahoe Conservancy (Conservancy) Board approved a grant of up to $240,286 to California State Parks for forest health management at Burton Creek State Park. Funds for the project come from an earlier grant to the Conservancy from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) for high-priority forest health projects designed to combat climate change and reduce the risk of wildfire.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Elevating Humanity is the theme of the 4th annual TEDx South Lake Tahoe at the Lake Tahoe Community College's Duke Theatre on Saturday, October 19, 2019.

The goal of organizers this year is to uplift individuals and spark positivity to make the world a better place. All of the speakers presenting during the evening will use this theme as they inspire attendees.

So far, three speakers have been revealed and over the next few weeks, the other seven will be introduced on the TEDx website, http://tedxsouthlaketahoe.com.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The California Tahoe Conservancy had originally planned to get work started on their $9 million, multi-stage Upper Truckee River project to restore and enhance over 500 acres of floodplain this fall, but that has been postponed until 2020.

South Lake Tahoe’s renewable energy leadership is providing the opportunity for the installation of substantive solar projects on the rooftops and properties of public buildings throughout the Sierra. The City took on this leadership role in May after signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to become the lead agency for the Sierra under the Solar Energy and Economic Development (SEED) Fund, a not-for-profit program aimed to empower public agencies to evaluate and participate in regional collaborative procurement of municipal solar projects.