el dorado

LONG-TERM PROJECTS
State Route 89 (Placer County): Work has resumed on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to just north of Granlibakken Road in Tahoe City that is upgrading storm water drainage and treatment systems, adding curb and gutter, resurfacing and realigning the road, adding new left-turn pockets and widening shoulders on an 8-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected by spring 2017.

Georgetown, Calif., resident Tevarez Lopez has been arrested as a suspect in the January 30, 2016 murder in South Lake Tahoe of Dennis Wright, Jr.

As the weather gets warmer people are becoming more active with their pets, going on hikes, down to the beach and such. With all this activity the number of lost pets increases and we wanted to take this time to let you know what to do when your furry family member goes missing.

This week's Pet of the Week is Gilroy, a super sweet one-year-old boy. He may be a little shy at first meeting.

Gilroy has already been at the shelter in Placerville and was relocated to South Lake Tahoe to improve his chances on finding a loving home.

Please visit Gilroy at The El Dorado County Animal Services, 530-573-7925.

Don’t forget all animals come spayed or neutered, with all vaccinations and a microchip! For Spay-Neuter services and other support, call the Lake Tahoe Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at 530-542-2857.

Sunday night's honey oil lab explosion in a South Lake Tahoe home could have been much, much worse. Neighboring homes could have burned, people could have died.

While the incident on Plum Street is still under investigation by the South Lake El Dorado Narcotics Enforcement Team (SLEDNET), and few details have been released, the subject is one of not only local concern, but one of national concern.

The South Tahoe Drug Free Coalition is collaborating with the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office on the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Saturday, April 30, 2016 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in front of Lira's Supermarket in Meyers. Over the last two events on the South Shore, 100 pounds of unwanted prescription medication turned in to authorities.

El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county.

The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at press time and the story will be updated when provided.

4/17

12:50 a.m. - Vacation Rental Issue - Player Drive

8:03 a.m. - Contempt of Court - Melba Drive - 24-YEAR-OLD WOMAN ARRESTED FOR A VIOLATION OF A COURT ORDER OCCURRED.

12:50 p.m. - Petty Theft - Black Bart Ave - R/P REPORTED A PETTY THEFT REPORT FROM HER VEHICLE.

A Shingle Springs man was arrested Friday on suspicion of elder abuse after deputies from the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a verbal dispute.

Upon arrival at the home located on South Shingle Road, deputies found 47-year-old Charles Bigby on the room of the home at 3:15 a.m. doing construction work. The man told deputies there were no issues at the house, and no dispute.

The Food Bank of El Dorado County will bring their mobile food pantry to South Lake Tahoe on Wednesday, April 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the American Legion located at 2748 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

One allocation of emergency supplemental groceries will be given per qualifying household. Those who are struggling to make ends meet, live in El Dorado County and meet the State of California Health and Social Services Agency Emergency Food Assistance Program income guidelines may stop by for food distribution. Income guidelines can be found online at www.dss.cahwnet.gov/efap/.

Domenic Seanlee Randolph, a suspect in the murder of Dennis Wright, Jr. at a South Lake Tahoe motel, was arrested Tuesday in Texas.

The 22-year-old-Randolph is the third suspect arrested for the January 30, 2016 shooting death of Wright, who allegedly brought 100 pounds of marijuana to the Beverly Lodge to sell. He was shot and killed in the motel's parking lot during an apparent robbery attempt.

With the warmer weather and melting snow, more hikers are headed to the back country, and with that migration the El Dorado County Search and Rescue teams are getting busy.

El Dorado County Supervisor Sue Novasel will speak to the South Tahoe Chamber on Monday, April 18 during a special meeting that begins at 6:00 p.m. at the Catina Restaurant.

Novasel represents District 5 which includes South Lake Tahoe, Meyers and Tahoma.

The meeting is open to Chamber members and the public.

Sue will begin speaking at about 6:30 p.m. after some Chamber business is conducted. There will be a question and answer period moderated by the Chamber Board President in order to get as many questions answered as possible.

Normally it is law enforcement that responds to vehicle crashes, but this time, it was an El Dorado County Sheriff's deputy who needed assistance.

Three cars were involved in the 6:30 p.m. accident on Monday, April 11, 2016 at the intersection of Lake Tahoe Blvd. and Tata Lane.

It was down to the 11th hour, Chris Brackett had to be out of his South Tahoe Stand Up Paddle location and had no place to go with all of his boards. He was in the same situation as Rude Brothers, the bagel and coffee shop that shared the same location. With the building sold and all tenants given notice to move, both businesses needed to relocate.

Learn more about mental illness, the signs, the symptoms and what you can do to help reduce the stigma that three out of four people with a mental illness have experienced during an upcoming presentation.

On Wednesday, April 13 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Temple Bat yam in South Lake Tahoe, Jeanne and Alan Nelson of the El Dorado County NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) will lead the presentation. It is free and open to everyone. Dessert and coffee will be served.

SHORT-TERM PROJECTS

U.S. Highway 50 (El Dorado County) from Chiapa Drive to Kyburz Avenue: Motorists can expect intermittent full highway closures at various locations from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for survey work.

U.S. Highway 50 (El Dorado County) from Truckee Drive to Rubicon Trail/Carson Avenue in South Lake Tahoe: Eastbound and westbound motorists can expect the #2 lane and right shoulder closed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday for utility work.

Arsonist Wayne Allen Huntsman was sentenced to 20 years in prison and ordered to pay over $60 million in victim restitution after he pleaded guilty Friday to starting the catastrophic King Fire in 2014.

Twenty years in prison was the maximum sentence Huntsman could receive for the guilty plea of three counts of Arson to Forest Land, admitted multiple enhancements for causing injury to firefighters and destruction of multiple structures.

South Lake Tahoe Fire Chief Jeff Meston and the City's representatives on the Cal Tahoe JPA have repeated several times publicly that the City will not leave the area stranded without adequate ambulance service when they pull out of the Cal Tahoe JPA. Both Meston and City Councilmember Tom Davis, who sits on the JPA board, said the City will continue to supply ambulance personnel for at least 90 days after their original termination date of April 15 to ease the transition of EMS services to Lake Valley Fire Department.

Seven elected officials in El Dorado County submitted a letter of recommendation to the Board of Supervisors, backing Don Ashton for the position of Chief Administrative Officer. The county has been searching for someone to take the top spot after a series of people were in the position. Larry Combs came out of retirement to be the Interim CAO on June 29, 2015.

Ashton is the current Director of Health & Human Services.

Here is the letter sent to the Chair of the Board of Supervisors in its exact original state:

Dear Supervisor Mikulaco:

It has been about 18 months since the Cal Tahoe JPA voted to spend $192,000 on badly needed EKG monitors for the nine ambulances that serve the South Lake Tahoe and Meyers area. As of March 31, not a dime has been spent due to a division between the two fire departments that are part of the JPA.

"I don't want public safety to get in the way of politics," said SLT City Councilman Tom Davis at Thursday's emergency JPA meeting. Davis is one of two Council representatives on the JPA board. The other is Mayor Wendy David.

El Dorado County is proposing roadway and multi-us path improvements for the Meyers community, and they are inviting the public to participate during three different outreach meetings on Friday, April 22.

The proposed changes are meant to make the transportation options more safe and attractive for those living in the area as well those visiting or passing through. One option already mentioned by Caltrans is the addition of a roundabout at the Highway 50/Highway 89 intersection to slow down traffic coming from Echo Summit.

El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county.

The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at press time and the story will be updated when provided.

3/27

An 18-year-old El Dorado Hills resident is the latest victim of a rash of overdoses from pills made to look like the prescription painkiller, Norco.

In Sacramento County, six deaths are attributed to the pills, and the death of county resident George Berry is now the seventh suspected victim. The pills ingested are actually Fentanyl, which is 80 times as potent as morphine and hundreds of times more potent than heroin.

EL Dorado County Total Recall, the group behind the recall of all five County Supervisors, failed to turn in any of the signatures needed to bring the recall of Supervisors Sue Novasel and Brian Veerkamp to the voters in November.