collaboration

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Those of us living in Lake Tahoe know all too well the dangers of wildfire, but we also know the positive outcome a collaborative effort to be better prepared can do.

Residents across the West have been given their "wake up call" over the past few years as record-breaking fires have burned through communities, leaving devastation and death in their wake.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - During their mid-cycle review of South Tahoe High School (STHS) the visiting committee from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) provided the school with positive feedback on all they are accomplishing at the school.

"Students and families feel safe on the campus and have multiple opportunities for connectedness to the school," said the committee in their report. "The facility is kept clean and safe from accidents. An SRO (student resource officer), social worker and empathy training has made the campus a friendly place for students and staff."

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - After Richard Solbrig told the South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD) Board of Directors he was retiring in January 2019 after 29 years with the agency the hunt was on for a new general manager.

It turned out they didn't have to look far.

John Thiel had been hired by Solbrig in 1992 as a staff engineer and he worked his way up through the ranks over the last 27 years until the Board chose him as the new general manager.

Celtic mandolin mster MARLA FIBISH,and guitarist, BRUCE VICTOR, join forces with Marin County's Irish fiddle virtuoso SUZUKI CADY. With elegant performances of intimate songs and intricate Celtic tunes, NOCTAMBULE remains a Brewery Arts Center favorite since the beginning of the Celtic Music Series.

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RENO, Nev. - A Reno couple in their 80s have been identified as the victims in Wednesday's double homicide.

The Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office today said 81-year-old Gerald David and his wife, Sharon David, age 80 were killed in their home. Next of kin have been notified.

Both victims died as a result of gunshot wounds, similar to the method used in the two recent Douglas County murders.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless has announced the opening of their Warm Room for the 2018-19 season on Wednesday, December 12. This year they will be located inside the old Emerald Bay Dentistry office at 1201 Emerald Bay Road in South Lake Tahoe.

The Warm Room will operate nightly from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. through April 2019.

For the fourth year, the Warm Room will provide overnight refuge from the elements in a safe and warm environment for approximately twenty-five adult men and women who are experiencing homelessness during winter months.

LAKE TAHOE, CA/NV - It's been 38 years in the making. On Thursday, November 15, 2018, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Board of Directors unanimously approved the final joint environmental document for the US 50/South Shore Community Revitalization Project, also known as the "Loop Road."

Last week, the board of the Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) unanimously approved the same document, the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS/EIS).

A 26-year veteran at the South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD) has been hired as the next general manager. John Thiel, P.E., will be taking over for Richard Solbrig who will be retiring in January after almost 15 years at the helm.

The STPUD Board of Directors voted to hire Thiel during a closed session meeting last week.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - Years of collaboration with a variety of partners have brought to completion two major initiatives for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA). During their governing board meeting on October 24 a new Shoreline Plan was unanimously approved as was a comprehensive package of changes to the agency’s development rights system.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Eight of the nine City Council candidates responded to a series of questions given to them by the 100% Renewable Energy Committee. On Sunday we printed their first responses - http://southtahoenow.com/story/10/08/2018/slt-city-council-candidates-respond-100-renewable-committe... - and here are the remaining questions and answers:

LAKE TAHOE, CA/NV - The Tahoe Prosperity Center's inaugural Tahoe Economic Summit is 2017 provided residents, business owners, entrepreneurs and visitors with an insight on how to be successful on many levels while being in Lake Tahoe.

To the community: Although I have been on staff with Tahoe Youth & Family Services since January, I still use the word, “new” because we have spent this year rebuilding. We have faced many challenges over the last several years and I truly feel that I am part of this organizations revival, so much of our efforts feel very “new.”

The SR89 Recreation Management Plan is being created to develop transportation and visitation management strategies and address the challenges of the corridor’s extensive transportation and recreation travel demand. This is a collaboration of 17 agencies and organizations and the public has a chance to weigh in.

The U.S. Forest Service held a grand opening ceremony at the newly remodeled and reconfigured Round Hill Pines Resort on Monday, officially welcoming the public to their new beachside facilities.

Nearly 25 years ago, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and dozens of partners embarked on an unprecedented mission to conserve and restore the Lake Tahoe Basin’s treasured natural resources through the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP).

The Tahoe Fund has launched a new website, Take Care Tahoe (www.takecaretahoe.org), to connect visitors and locals with all the events and volunteer opportunities that Tahoe has to offer in keeping Lake Tahoe and the surrounding lands pristine for generations to come.

After a routine inspection of the Washoe Lake Dam Monday it was determined that the dam was in danger of potentially breaching. Experts arrived on site and conducted an analysis mitigation for the last several hours. Due to this examination, the Washoe Lake Dam threat has been downgraded from imminent threat to a watch.

If the dam breached, the Steamboat Creek and Steamboat Ditch areas would be flooded. Due to this threat, residents were asked in these and surrounding areas, to be prepared to evacuate when notified.

We at the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency are mourning the passing of Bill Morgan. In the pantheon of people who have contributed mightily to the agency’s success, Bill is in the top tier. He was executive director from April 1, 1985 to September 30, 1989, one of the most tumultuous times for TRPA. There is a high likelihood that there would be no TRPA if Bill had not been at the helm and found ways to bring disparate parties together.

There are four people running for El Dorado County Supervisor for the 5th District on June 5: Incumbent Sue Novasel and challengers Kenny Curtzwiler, Norma Santiago and Jeffrey Spencer. The 5th District covers Pollock Pines to South Lake Tahoe and Tahoma.

South Tahoe Now asked each candidate the same questions, and here are all of their answers, exactly as they were presented to us.

Sue Novasel
Occupation: El Dorado County Supervisor – District V
Past political history:
2015 – Present: County Supervisor, District V

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – On behalf of Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless (TCH), I would like to thank our community for its support during the third winter season of the South Lake Tahoe Warm Room project. Our organization received donations from over 150 different individuals and businesses and benefited from 64 volunteers who provided over 675 volunteer hours in the Warm Room.

Nationally recognized human trafficking consultant John Vanek will return to South Lake Tahoe for a May 18, 2018 presentation as a guest of the South Lake Tahoe Police Department and Live Violence Free.

Vanek, an author and retired lieutenant of the San Jose Police Human Trafficking Task Force, will speak on that date at Sierra Community Church at 6:00 p.m. Vanek is a leadership, collaboration, and anti-human trafficking consultant and speaker working with law enforcement agencies, non-governmental and community-based organizations, academic institutions and private sector companies.

"This is what our community is all about, true collaboration," said Mayor Pro Tem Tom Davis during Tuesday's Council meeting. "I want to thank all of you for working with us and finding solutions."

Chad Donnelly, the CEO of SnowGlobe Music Festival, the City of South Lake Tahoe and members of the No Globe Alliance spent the month of march working together to address concerns about the three-day music festival held annually in South Lake Tahoe.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The three member visiting accreditation committee from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) finished up their review at South Tahoe High School (STHS) today, parting with very positive comments about their experience.

"It is amazing what I've seen in two years," said Cheryl Townsend, Director of The Reach School in Sebastapol, Calif., and the only member of the accreditation team that originally reviewed the school in 2016. "There is a great level of intensity and quality at this school, give yourselves a hand."

What does a community "rich in art" look like? The Tahoe Arts Alliance is partnering with Nevada Arts Council to hold a Public Arts Town Meeting and to share and get public input on Tuesday, March 13 at the Tahoe Mountain Lab from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Residents, businesses and non-profits are being brought together to assess the current "state of the arts" on the South Shore.