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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It takes a tragedy to bring people together, no matter their politics, their income or twitter handle.

Many in the South Lake Tahoe and Meyers community remember where they were at 2:15 p.m. on Sunday, June 24, 2007 and what happened in the days that followed. The Angora Fire quickly tore through neighborhoods, destroying 251 homes and burning 3,100 acres. While it seems small in comparison with the monster fires of 2017 and 2018, it took everything from so many local families.

The community came together to help their friends and neighbors.

Art has a way of making the creator immortal. Such is the case with Ed Laine.

The longtime South Lake Tahoe resident died Nov. 8, 2018, at home. He was 87.

Beyond a large family and rich trove of friends, Ed leaves behind a legacy as an artist. He was a quiet man who for years let his voice be heard through his work.

Born in Palo Alto on Oct. 17, 1931, to Selma Alquist and John Laine, Ed grew up in the Bay Area, having graduated from Sequoia Union High School in 1950. He attended San Jose State College, Cal Arts and the University of Oregon. In Oregon he majored in art.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county. The following are calls that only pertain to the South and West Shore, including Meyers, South Lake Tahoe, Meeks Bay, Tahoma and the Echo Summit area. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at time of story.

Some of those recently added to last week's log:

11/7

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Another round of votes were released Friday, narrowing the gap between yes and no on Measure T once again. The citizen generated measure call for a ban of all vacation rentals in South Lake Tahoe except for those in what is called the "tourist core."

49 votes were added to the Measure T count, 19 "for" and 30 "against."

There were approximately 2,600 vote by mail ballots still to count this week for all of El Dorado County which includes provisional ballots and 160 conditionals ballots from South Lake Tahoe.

That leaves about 1,800 left to tally.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Measure T, the South Lake Tahoe ballot measure that proposed a ban on all vacation rentals outside of the tourist core area starting in 2021 is a bit closer to passing.

In the second incremental release of votes counter after Tuesday, November 6, the Yes on T vote is at 3265, with No on T counts at 3207 - less than one percent difference. 267 ballots were tallied in this last release for Measure T.

An El Dorado Hills woman who was convicted of felony animal cruelty charges in 2016 has been sentenced to an additional 240 days of jail time for violating the conditions of her felony probation. The jail sentence was handed down in El Dorado County Superior Court on November 9, 2018.

Ginger Turk, 48, a puppy broker, has had many run-ins with the law over the years due to her illegal practice of importing tiny, under-aged, un-weaned, high-priced ($4,000+) puppies from South Korea and selling them over the internet and in person.

The Golden Bear neighborhood of South Lake Tahoe will be holding an evacuation planning meeting with the Lake Valley Fire Protection District (LVFPD) on Wednesday, November 14 at 5:30 p.m. at Station 6.

Residents in the area have created a spread sheet of every home, information on the residents, how many pets and other specific issues with each home. The approached LVFPD in helping them to prepare evacuation information since there is only one entrance/exit to their area off Pioneer Trail.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county. The following are calls that only pertain to the South and West Shore, including Meyers, South Lake Tahoe, Meeks Bay, Tahoma and the Echo Summit area. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at time of story.

Some of those recently added to last week's log:

10/31

8:04 a.m. - Information - Al Tahoe Blvd

The Tahoe Prep Hockey Academy Varsity team has been competing across the country and they bring the action back to their home ice on Saturday at the South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena.

Coming off a 7-0 win over Los Gatos at the Solar4Amerian Ice in San Jose on Tuesday, the Tahoe team hosts St. Mary's Preparatory High School Rams on Saturday, November 10 at 1:00 p.m. This game is part of the team's competition in the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League.

With a narrow margin in the ballot measure concerning the future of vacation rentals in South Lake Tahoe, and other races still close, everyone is awaiting the release of more results from Tuesday's election.

You'll still have to wait a bit longer.

On Friday, November 9, El Dorado County Elections will post the next round of results, but it won't be the last as there are over 24,000 ballots yet to count.

13,372 mail-in ballots were dropped off at the polls
2,614 provisional ballots

As the extent of the horror perpetrated in Pittsburgh is being recognized throughout not just Pittsburgh and the United States, but the world, shock and grief have followed in waves. But so, too, has the desire for action, for a concrete response to the worst anti-Semitic attack on American soil.

Rabbi Mordey & Shaina Richler, of Chabad at Lake Tahoe is remembering and honoring the victims locally with the “Pittsburgh Memorial Mezuzah Campaign,” geared to make sure that every Jewish home in the region has a mezuzah—a sacred handwritten parchment scroll that is mounted on the doorpost.

Update - 1:20 a.m. 11/7/18: With a large voter turnout the processing of ballots is taking longer than normal. A power outage caused by a car hitting a power line near Blackwood Avenue caused some excitement for voters but did not delay the count as there are procedures in place for such an incident.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county. The following are calls that only pertain to the South and West Shore, including Meyers, South Lake Tahoe, Meeks Bay, Tahoma and the Echo Summit area. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at time of story.

Some of those recently added to last week's log:

10/24

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A home in South Lake Tahoe is most likely a total loss after a fire ripped through it Friday evening.

At 5:08 p.m. on November 2, South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) was dispatched to a home in the 1800 block of Delta Street in the Y area of town. Upon arrival they found an 800-square-foot home fully engulfed with flames.

The two residents of the house were not at home when the fire broke out.

11/1/18 update: More details have come to light surrounding the officer involved shooting of an armed robbery suspect in Meyers on Monday.

There were three warrants for the arrest of Billy Jo Johnson on Monday, one from each South Lake Tahoe, Douglas County and Carson City. Law enforcement from each agency were working together on their cases in an attempt to locate and arrest the 34-year-old Johnson.

Election season can be an exciting time of year with anticipation of the possibilities, but this year in South Lake Tahoe election season is full of negativity that has pitted neighbor against neighbor. One year ago I wrote an editorial "Use the election to create a community of collaboration and teamwork," and today I urge continuance of community, collaboration and teamwork.

Several campgrounds, day-use and picnic areas, roads and beaches on National Forest lands around Lake Tahoe are being closed up for the winter season.

Campgrounds already closed include Bayview, Fallen Leaf, Kaspian, Meeks Bay, Nevada Beach and William Kent. Day-use areas and beaches closed include Baldwin, Kaspian, Meeks Bay, Nevada Beach, Pope and William Kent.

The Tallac Historic Site closed up at the end of September though the grounds remain open.

I am an eight-year resident, a homeowner, a vacation home rental (VHR) permit owner, and I hold a profession that is involved with bringing tourists to our beautiful tourist town of South Lake Tahoe. I know how hard we work to get them to come here to spend their hard-earned money in our economy. Tourists have many options. VHRs, hotels, camping, North Lake, Utah, Colorado. They want the experience they want and VHRs are part of that experience. With limited options, they will go elsewhere.

As a full-time resident of South Lake Tahoe for the better part of 20 years, I write today to share why I am voting No on Ballot Measure T this November - a measure to ban vacation rentals within the city limits.

This year is a big milestone in the history of the Freaker's Ball....40 years of fun and entertainment at a variety of South Shore locations since its inception. On Saturday, October 26, 2018 the Freaker's Ball will be held at MontBleu Resort & Spa starting at 9:00 p.m. The crowds continue to grow and the costumes continue to entertain.

The following is a reprint of our story from 2014:

The Beginning in 1978

Removing unused, unwanted and expired medications from homes is a huge step in preventing pill abuse and theft, and the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) will be holding a Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Safeway parking lot.

This is the local's 16th opportunity in the past eight years to get rid of their potentially dangerous medication on the South Shore.

At the first required filing of campaign paperwork, South Lake Tahoe City Council candidates raised just over $47,000 for the 2018 election season. Mayor Wendy David's $13,499 led candidates, which included a $10,000 loan to get her campaign started. Funds raised by a group formed to challenge Measure T, which bans vacation home rentals in the City outside the tourist core area, has raised $270,112.77 with most of it coming from the National Association of Realtors, local realtors and companies associated with the rentals.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The story of Elias "Lucky" Baldwin has never quite been told as it will be during the inaugural Tahoe Terror at Tallac Historic Site.

Creative students and from South Tahoe High's Thunderclap AV Club and Key Club have created a haunted walk around the Baldwin House just in time for the Halloween season. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 19-21, guided and narrated tours from a host of spooky characters will take the public through the haunted grounds as the story is told of what happens to the servants and other unlucky souls at Lucky's estate.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - Have some winter fun and help kick off the ski season with a trilogy of movie premiers dubbed "Lord of the Boards." The Lake Tahoe premier of the feature movie, Blank Collective's film Before Blank, is headed to both north and south ends of the lake courtesy of Local Freshies® with a portion of proceeds going to the Sierra Avalanche Center (SAC).