Honors

Lauren Hall and Lauretta Hanson with the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling team will be “racing” local radio host Howie Nave on the bike path at Kahle Meadow trailhead to Nevada Beach on Wednesday, May 9. They’ll meet for coffee at Clydes Coffee Roasting Co at 10:00 a.m. and will take off around 11:00 a.m. Public, media, cycling enthusiasts, community members, businesses are welcome to mingle for coffee as well as join them for a fun race/bike ride to the beach.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Explorers cam home from the Central Valley Law Enforcement Explorer Competition with 15 trophies, including the top award, 1st place overall, out-preforming the Hanford Police Department who have been the long standing first place holders.

There were 19 events at the competition which was held in Tulare, California April 6-7, 2018. The Douglas County team was up against 12 posts from the Central Valley area.

The Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra (SITS) club of South Lake Tahoe honored three women as winners of their Violet Richardson, Live Your Dream and Ruby Awards during a special breakfast meeting on Thursday, March 8.

The South Tahoe High School Viking Dance Team took 1st place at the Northern Nevada Cheer & Dance Invitational on Saturday February 3, 2018. Their high energy jazz dance received a standing ovation.

“It was the best thing I have seen all day,” said an observer from a competing high school.

All 26 members of this elite dance team have a rigorous schedule of early morning practices throughout the season. In addition to their formidable practice schedule, the dancers also dedicate themselves to training in various styles of dance multiple nights throughout the week.

Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel won top honors at the California Hotel & Lodging Association “Stars of the Industry” awards for their "My Tahoe" guest relations program.

The annual awards recognize lodging employees and properties that best symbolize the quality service of the industry.

The “My Tahoe” program was born back in 2013 when the property went independent as a Premier Hotel Collection member, and hotel leadership had the opportunity to reimagine guest experience.

The grand hall at MontBleu Casino Resort has been turned into a holiday paradise, a winter wonderland with the main attraction being the specialty Christmas trees.

On Thursday, local celebrities and media strolled by each of the designer trees, selecting those that won top honors of Most Elegant, Best Theme, Most Creative and Best of Show.

The excellent work on each made it almost impossible to come up with a winner, but four were chosen after much deliberation. Each tree will be paired with a special prize package during a live auction at Saturday's Gala.

The Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce (Tahoe Chamber) is holding their annual Blue Ribbon Awards dinner on Thursday, November 9 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at the Harrah's Lake Tahoe Ballroom. This gala event honors businesses, organizations, and individuals for civic contributions, tourism experiences, customer service, and entrepreneurial achievements. Tickets for the award ceremony are currently available online at www.TahoeChamber.org.

Know of a business, agency, organization or individual who has made significant advancements to promoting safer bicycling opportunities for the Lake Tahoe region?

Now is the time to toot their horn as the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Achievement Awards nomination period has opened. Each year the Lake Tahoe Bike Coalition honors those who have helped the bicycling community around the lake have a safer, better ride.

Nominations must be submitted by October 15, 2017.

South Lake Tahoe, Calif. - Four members of the faculty at Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) are being honored for their outstanding work in the classroom and their dedication to students.

LTCC business instructor Treva Thomas was chosen by her fellow faculty members as the Distinguished Faculty Award winner for 2017, math and physics instructor Bruce Armbrust was tapped by LTCC’s students as their choice for Teacher of the Year, and adjunct instructor/Work Experience and Internship Coordinator Jenna Palacio was selected by faculty members as Adjunct Instructor of the Year.

South Lake Tahoe, Calif. — Dr. Deanna Brothers has been named this year's Lake Tahoe Community College Distinguished Alumni and will be honored during the school's commencement ceremony on Friday, June 30.

Each year, LTCC’s Foundation recognizes one special alumnus to receive this prestigious award for their exemplary achievements in their particular endeavors in life.

The first South Lake Tahoe Police Department community gathering was a successful one on Saturday as the 50th anniversary of the department was celebrated with hundreds of people at Lakeview Commons. There were rides on both the police and fire boats, a concert, BBQ, interactions with the police K-9s, booths, fingerprinting and an awards ceremony.

Going above and beyond the call of duty was recognized with awards to both staff members and the public.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — The annual Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) Student Art Exhibition will be kicked off with a reception on Sunday, May 21 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the school's Commons. The public is invited to the free reception and there will be live music and refreshments.

This month-long art show is always a hit. Approximately 400 works of student art will be on display from digital art and printmaking to sculpture, a culmination of students' creations over the past year.

The Nevada Division of Tourism recognized outstanding members of the state’s rural tourism industry at the VolunTourism Awards Dinner April 27 in Elko. The awards ceremony was a highlight of the state’s annual Rural Roundup conference.

“Tourism is a significant component of rural Nevada economies,” Claudia Vecchio, Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs director, said. “It is a $2.3 billion industry that continues to grow thanks to the efforts of the tourism professionals in rural Nevada. It is our pleasure to recognize those efforts with this year’s VolunTourism awards.”

A stretch of Highway 50 over Echo Summit has been renamed the Firefighter Michael "Mikey" Hallenbeck Memorial Highway, and his family is raising funds to produce and install the signs.

Hallenbeck died fighting the Sierra Fire in August of 2015, near where he worked as a ski life operator. The 21-year-old was also a wildland firefighter for the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.

A year can pass very quickly. Just ask Samantha Byassee and Karrina Ferris, who were crowned Miss Carson City and Miss Carson City Outstanding Teen, respectively, in 2016.

One year later, the two reigning local titleholders in the Miss America organization turned their crowns over to the 2017 winners Saturday night on stage in the Bob Boldrick Theater at the Carson City Community Center, 851 E. William Street in Carson City.

"Savor every moment, because a year will go by so fast," Ferris said in her farewell speech to the waiting contestants.

Eleven varsity football players from South Tahoe High are part of the 2016 Class 3A all-state football team.

First team honors went to four of the South Tahoe players. Senior Tommy Cefalu, who just signed to attend Eastern Oregon University next year as a student-athlete is the quarterback of the team. Senior wide receiver Noah Jackson, junior tight end McCallan Castles and junior cornerback Matt Cain were also honored for their play on the field.

The annual 'Ability Bash" fundraiser at Squaw Valley on January 28 will wrap up a week-long Military Sports Camp for disabled veterans. The event will honor the veterans as well as the participants with disabilities who work with Achieve Tahoe throughout the year.

Achieve Tahoe is a provider of winter and summer adaptive sports instruction at all ability levels for adults and children with disabilities. The Ability Bash will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the resort's conference center.

The community is invited to gather and celebrate the memory of loved ones in the annual "Light Up a Life" ceremony hosted by Barton Health’s Hospice staff on Tuesday, December 6 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the North Room at Edgewood Tahoe.

This annual gathering honors those we have loved and lost ina nondenominational ceremony.

"Krista's Cause" won top honors at the 7th annual Cocktails for a Cause held on September 21 at the Riva Grill, a drink created in honor of South Lake Tahoe local Krista Kline Carson, who is fighting brain cancer with treatments in Germany.

Gary Gamprie and James Olson of LewMarNel’s Steaks & Spirits received the honor for their mauve fruit smoothie. Their drink will be featured as the signature cocktail at the Barton Foundation’s 25th annual Gala at the Festival of Trees & Lights in December.

Re/Max Realty of Gardnerville delivered over 125 bags of treats to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office as a sign of appreciation to local law enforcement.

Sheriff Pierini expressed his great appreciation at the efforts of the real estate agents of Re\MAX who worked together to create the treats and show their support to all of the employees who work tirelessly at the various their duties in Administration, Patrol, Jail, and Investigations, along with support personnel.

Jeanne Koerner from Re\MAX brought the baskets to the sheriff’s office.

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."

After 782 miles and eight days of racing, 23 year-old Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) of Etixx – Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team clinched the 2016 Amgen Tour of California championship, becoming the youngest rider to hold that title in the race’s 11 years. U.S. National Road Race Champion Megan Guarnier (Glens Falls, New York) of Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team also celebrated victory in Sacramento as the four-day Amgen Breakaway from Heart Disease™ Women’s Race Empowered with SRAM which concluded along with the men’s event.

It came down to the final moment of the race, and Peter Sagan emerged from the impressive field of sprinters as the winner of the San Diego Stage 1 during the Amgen Tour of California on Sunday, May 15.

Sagen, who rides for Tinkoff, was last year’s overall winner. This was his third victory of the season. Cannondale’s Wouter Wippert earned runner-up honors on the stage and Dylan Groenewegen of LottoNL – Jumbo took third at the end of the 105 mile stage in and around San Diego.

Howard Bittner, a longtime South Lake Tahoe resident and chiropractor died April 17, 2016 after fighting a lengthy illness. He was 66.

Howard had been struggling with Pemphigus Vulgaris, an autoimmune disease, for the last 18 months.

Howard Henry Bittner was born on March 7, 1950, in Akron, Ohio. After growing up in Arizona and California, he attended Santa Barbara Community College before enlisting in the Navy. Howard graduated with honors from the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Iowa in 1980.