commission

A prime piece of real estate in Tahoe City that was originally built in 1957 for housing during the 1960 Olympics has never lived up to its potential, and is now proposed for destruction to make way for a 118-room hotel.

Sold at the end of 2013, the property known as the Hendrickson Building located at the west end of Tahoe City at 255 North Lake Blvd. is being transformed into the Tahoe City Lodge.

The South Lake Tahoe chapter of the Citizen's Climate Lobby recently asked all ten of the candidates their views on climate change, green buildings and our carbon footprint and how they can make a change if elected.

The Citizen's Climate Lobby is an organization focused on national policies to address climate change, and the South Lake Tahoe chapter is one of 354 in the United States and abroad.

Patricia Sussman of the local chapter said just five of the candidates responded to their questions.

Shoppers and swappers are invited to head to Meyers Community Foundation's 3rd annual Gear Swap on Sunday, October 16 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Westgate parking lot adjacent to the Divided Sky and Downtown Cafe.

For those wishing to sell their quality summer and winter gear, drop off times are from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. They would like to have outerwear, skis, snowboards, bikes, paddle gear, climbing gear, camping equipment, and other outdoor toys. They ask that no equipment over five years old be brought for sale.

For those wanting to learn more about how the City of South Lake Tahoe works while at the same time giving back to their community, there is currently a few great opportunities to accomplish both.

The City Council is soliciting applications for two-year appointments to the following City Commissions/Boards:

Planning Commission
Airport Land Use Commission
Building/ADA Board of Appeals
Parks & Recreation Commission

Almost 200 children participated in the 15th annual South Lake Tahoe Moose Lodge Kids' Fishing Derby on Sunday at Lake Baron.

Travis Bank reeled in a 3.5 pound trout to win the derby, and took home a $100 Savings Certificate from El Dorado Savings. 2nd place winner Chance Rice won second place and a $50 Savings Certificate with his 3.2 lb trout. Third place winner Dillon Switzer also won a $50 Savings Certificate for his 2.5 lb catch.

Over 140 raffle prizes given out to the children.

Lake Baron in Tahoe Paradise Park will be closed to the public from 2:00 p.m. Friday to 2:00 p.m. Sunday as final preparations are made for the 15th annual Kid's Fishing Derby. They will be stocking the lake with almost 1,000 pounds of catchable and trophy sized trout.

The annual event, for kids up to the age of 16, is provided free of charge by the Lake Tahoe Moose Lodge on Sunday, September 18 from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Free food and prizes for kids as well as a chance to take home prize money for the largest fish caught.

South Tahoe Now is offering a new feature this election season, Ask the Candidates. Send your questions of Douglas County (Lake Tahoe side) and South Lake Tahoe candidates candidates, and South Tahoe Now will ask, and get their answers.

Please send your questions to: southtahoenow.com/contact.

The local candidates are:

South Lake Tahoe City Council
Jason Collin, JoAnn Conner, Patrick Jarrett, Brooke Laine, Ted Long, Danny Laughlin, Harold "Trey" Walker III, John Shearer, Robert Topel, Tamara Wallace

A home being built on Overlook Court near Heavenly Mountain Resort is the first one to be denied a Vacation Home Rental permit under the Planning Commission's interpretation of the new VHR guidelines created by the City of South Lake Tahoe.

During their monthly meeting at the airport on Thursday, the commission voted 2-2 to uphold the denial of the permit made by the zoning administrator, John Hitchcock. The fifth member of the commission, Shannon Eckmeyer, was not at the meeting due to another engagement.

The interim Douglas County Manager, Larry Werner, just signed a contract to stay on board until December, 2017.

A contract for professional services with BHC Consultants, LLC for services provided by Werner was unanimously approved by the Douglas County Commission during their public meeting on August 4, 2016.

The contract will remain the same at a fixed cost of $14,333 per month with a $700 per month car allowance.

Work along Pioneer Trail will continue through mid-October to move power lines underground from Black Bart Court to just south of Golden Bear Trail.

A contractor for Liberty Utilities has already started on the project which could result in traffic delays.

Approximately 5,800 feet of overhead power lines (as well as communication lines owned by AT&T and Charter Communications) are being relocated underground. The work is expected to continue through mid-October this year, and will be completed next year during the allowed construction time period of May-October.

Larry Ford will present “Virgil Earp: The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral” at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park on Wednesday, July 20, at 6:30 pm.

Location

A proposed redevelopment plan for Squaw Valley would include affordable employee housing, new infrastructure including roads and fire safety, as well as environmental improvements according to Squaw Valley Ski Holdings, LLC. They have kicked off and effort to communicate with the public and gain support through "Squaw Tomorrow" for what is being called the Village at Squaw Valley redevelopment project.

1. Bargains. Admit it, that’s why we shop at thrift stores. We love bargains. At the new Goodwill store located at 1069 Emerald Bay Road in the former Pier 1 building, you’ll find 8,000 square feet of high-quality donated clothing, furniture and household items, as well as a wide variety of brand-new products at low prices. Don’t we all want our paychecks to stretch a little bit further? And if you’re lucky…

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO) is working on the strong possibility that a man who robbed the Chase Bank in El Dorado Hills on Friday is the same man who robbed the US Bank on Kingsbury Grade on Wednesday. Lt. Jim Byers of EDSO told South Tahoe Now that the moment the photo of the suspect came out, deputies in South Lake Tahoe saw the resemblance and notified him.

The commumity is invited to the Lake Tahoe Community College's Class of 2016 commencement on Friday, June 24 at South Tahoe Middle Schoolat 6:00 p.m. 174 students are graduating, 40 with honors, eight with highest honores, 36 with departmental certificates and 61 with a transfer degree that guarantees them a seat in a California State University this fall.

The theme of graduation this year is based on a William Arthur Ward quote: "If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it."

A year ago, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors signed a resolution to participate in the Stepping Up initiative. The initiative, signed by two hundred fifty counties, has one lofty goal: reduce the number of adults with mental illness in the criminal justice system.

What has changed in the last year?

Sledders and snowboarders this season were not kind to the new Bijou Bike Park, breaking down banked trails, overturning tables and benches, and leaving the area full of trash.

At Thursday's South Lake Tahoe Parks & Recreation Commission meeting, City staff, commissions and bike enthusiasts discussed how to ensure the damage and some other issues at the park come to an end.

A 3.43 acre piece of land once owned by Randy Lane's Falcon Capital LLC may soon have a 22-unit condominium project built on it. The property (made up from two parcels) is underneath the gondola, adjacent to the Van Sickle Bi-State Park near the state line in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. The listed owner of the property is now Lucky Look LLC.

The City of South Lake Tahoe’s Parks and Recreation Commission will be presenting a proclamation to the Bijou Bike Park Association at the next City Council meeting on Tuesday, May 3 at 9:00 a.m. in the Council Chambers located at 1901 Airport Rd. The Association is being recognized for their work in helping to plan and build the Bijou Bike Park.

On October 27, 2015, Sue Novasel, the County Supervisor representing South Lake Tahoe, Meyers, Tahoma and Pollock Pines was served a “notice of intent to circulate a recall petition” by a group of citizens who said they are “tired of the corruption and cronyism that has plagued our county for years.” It wasn’t only Novasel, but all five of the County Supervisors, Shiva Frentzen, Ron Mikulaco, Michael Ranalli and Brian Veerkamp.

Jim Nichols is officially not a Douglas County employee beginning January 29, 2016. The Board of County Commissioners approved a voluntary separation agreement Thursday between the county and Nichols, their County Manager.

Nichols and the County came to a mutual agreement that he would leave his position. During the on January 21, the Commissioners reiterated the fact that Nichols was not fired, nor did he quit. Nichols will be receiving a check for more than $115,000, the equivalent of six months pay plus sick pay and vacation pay.

A big-name actor joined others in testifying Wednesday before a panel on Nevada solar power rates. A rate hike that took effect on January 1 has caused a ripple through the industry, resulting in hundreds of layoffs.

The Public Utilities Commission met in Carson City to discuss whether to suspend controversial new rates for rooftop solar power customers. They were looking at requests from solar company groups and the state consumer advocate to put a stay on the new rate hikes.

The actor is a climate change advocate and was greeted by a standing ovation after his testimony.

The Mountain Democrat Editorial Friday December 11, 2015 titled “Total recall a total waste of time” on page A5 is far below the minimum standards of an honest newspaper. The article uses accusations of gossip, vague personal attacks, and sneering degradation of “some of the people” to dismiss the serious issues plaguing our County government.

It was a changing of the guard during Monday's South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting. Wendy David moved from her position of mayor pro tem to mayor, and Austin Sass took over the second-in-command duties.

Councilmember Tom Davis, who has served as both mayor and mayor pro tem, was also interested in a fifth term in the pro tem spot but the nod went to Sass.