kingsbury

"These are always tough cases," said El Dorado County Judge Suzanne Kingsbury Friday as she handed down an unexpected sentence to the 78-year-old man who killed a bear near his South Lake Tahoe home on July 10, 2015.

Gilbert Alan Wetenkamp pleaded no contest on March 11, 2016 to the misdemeanor charge of unlawfully taking of a bear.

The next way in a series of storms over the Sierra has made its way into Lake Tahoe tonight, with forecasters predicting up to two feet of snow at lake level by Monday morning.

Interstate 80 has had chain controls up for much of the afternoon, and Highway 50 has just put theirs up.

As of 8 p.m. Saturday, controls are now up on Highway 50 from Twin Bridges to Meyers, with chains required on all vehicles except 4WD with snow tires.

The westbound, lakeside Cave Rock tunnel entrance will get a makeover this summer, one that will stop rocks from falling onto Highway 50, add lighting to the inside of the tunnel as well as adding water quality improvements.

Devin Cartwright, Supervisor with the Nevada Department of Transportation's Roadway Design Division, spoke to the South Lake Tahoe Lodging Association Thursday, giving them a overview of the project that will bring with it one lane of traffic in each direction, causing some traffic delays, 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week from May to October, 2016.

The latest round of funding through the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA) includes more than $3 million for projects to help reduce wildfire risk in Lake Tahoe communities.

The funding award for Lake Tahoe is part of nearly $40 million going to projects around Nevada to reduce wildfire risk, conserve landscapes, restore wildlife habitat, and improve public recreation. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced the funding awards this January.

The ski resorts are welcoming new snow as a storm that passed through left behind up to 15 inches of it behind on the slopes. Crews are cleaning up the roads around the lake with many controls in place.

There is an avalanche warning for slopes steeper than 30 degrees. Human triggered avalanches are likely and natural avalanches are possible according to the National Weather Service.

As of 9 a.m., chain controls are up on Highway 50 over Echo Summit, requiring all cars to have chains unless 4WD with snow tires on all four wheels from 3 miles east of Kyburz to Meyers.

The snow in South Lake Tahoe on Thursday started almost exactly at the time the winter weather advisory said it would: 2 p.m. The advisory is in effect until 10:00 a.m. Friday, January 15.

Chain controls are up on all mountain roads around Lake Tahoe, and with 3-5" snow expected during the evening, expect them to stay up all night.

Chain controls as of 4:30 p.m. Thursday:

Kingsbury Grade - Chains or snow tires
Spooner Summit / Hwy 50 - Chains or snow tires
Echo Summit / Hwy 50 - Chains or 4WD with snow tires from 1.5 miles west of Kyburz to Meyers

A new burger place has opened on the South Shore, giving residents on the Nevada side of town a new option for eating out (or on the run).

Neighborhood Burgers was opened by locals Erik Watada and Matt Grime, and in less than a week of being open its already a hit.

Grime, owner of The Fox & Hound at the top of Kingsbury, joined Watada in providing an option for people to get a quick bite, especially those on the Nevada side where options are at a minimum.

A woman walking her dog on Ponderosa Drive was injured after being hit by a car on Thursday, December 17.

Tahoe-Douglas Fire and Douglas County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to the 4:30 p.m. accident where they found Madeline Cass under a Toyota pickup truck that was driven by Charles Schofield.

3:20 p.m. update 12/13/15: Chains controls have expanded. Chains are required on all vehicles except 4WD with snow tires from 9 miles east of Placerville to 3 miles east of Pollock Pines, then snow tires or chains until 5 miles east of Kyburz where it is chains or 4WD with snow tires to Meyers.

Chains or snow tires around the lake including Spooner Summit and Kingsbury Grade.

I80 is chains or 4WD with snow tires from Nyack to Truckee. Trucks are being screened at Applegate and Nevada State Line for maximum chains in possession and permit loads are prohibited.

No snow day for area students today, Friday, December 11.

All bus stops are on a normal schedule for Lake Tahoe Unified Schools.

Zephyr Cove eleementary school buses will stop at main bus stops only for Zephyr Cove Elementary School (ZCES). These stops are designated as:

The corner of Tina Court and Ski Court for students living in the Tramway and Kingsbury Village area:
ZCES - Bus will arrive at 7:57 a.m. and depart at 8:20 a.m.

Glenbrook area will board at the entrance to Glenbrook:
ZCES - Bus will arrive at 7:36 a.m.

A 52-year-old Reno man died Wednesday night in a single vehicle accident on the Carson Valley side of Kingsbury Grade, a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper said.

The victim was driving a Budget truck westbound when, for an undetermined reason, the vehicle went off the side of the road, hitting a wall. The crash is being investigated as a possible medical issue, said Trooper Dan Lopez.

Traffic was reduced to a single lane in both directions as part of the crash investigation.

North Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Douglas fire protection districts will continue prescribed fire operations around Incline Village, Kingsbury Grade and Van Sickle Bi-State Park through next week as weather and conditions allow.

On the west side on Incline Village, crews will be burning 77 acres of hand piles starting Monday, November 23.

35 acres on Park Cattle property near Van Sickle Bi-State Park were ignited Wednesday and will continue as conditions allow.

Schools are open today, Monday, November 16, 2015 for LTUSD, Douglas County and LTCC.

Road controls this morning:

US 50: Is open with no control over Echo Summit. From Stateline to mile post 14.6 above Carson City, Chains or Snow Tires.

US 88: Chains or 4WD with snow tires from on CA-88 from mile post 41.7 in Amador County to mile post 13.4 in Alpine County in Nevada.

SR 207 Kingsbury Grade: Chains or snow tires from mile post 0.0 in Douglas County to mile post 12.0.

Hwy 395: Snow Tires required on US-395 from mile post 0.2 in Douglas County to mile post 23.7

North Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Douglas fire protection districts, the Nevada Division of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service will continue widespread prescribed fire operations around the Lake Tahoe Basin over the next several weeks as conditions allow.

Operations may take place in the following areas:

Ward Canyon near Sunnyside will continue next week if not completed on November 13. Fairway Drive near Tahoe City - 28 acres
Carnelian Woods Avenue in Carnelian Bay - 137 acres
Anaho Road in Crystal Bay, Crosby Court, Jennifer Street and Tyner Way in Incline Village - 4.82 acres

The Lake Tahoe Unified School Board student representative is now junior Sarah Smith. She was sworn in by Board President Barbara Bannar at the last meeting.

South Lake Tahoe's Cork & More is not going to close at the end of the month as previously announced. The media coverage of their closing brought potential buyers out of the woodwork. Stay tuned to see if a sale is successful.

North Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Douglas fire protection districts, California State Parks and the U.S. Forest Service will conduct prescribed fire operations next week in multiple locations around the Lake Tahoe Basin. Operations are planned near Incline Village, Tahoe City, Meyers, Stateline and Zephyr Cove. Operations may continue over the next several weeks as conditions allow.

Current Projects:
Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District - 8 acres near Warrior Way
Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District - 25 acres near Hwy 50/Kingsbury Grade

A Nevada Department of Transportation project to repave and enhance Kingsbury Grade last year has received a Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Best in the Basin Award.

The project substantially completed ahead of schedule in 2014, and was recognized as a water quality and erosion control improvement that helped enhance the Lake Tahoe environment.

High above the Lake Tahoe Basin rim, a six-member U.S. Forest Service trail crew has been busy reconstructing the Kingsbury Stinger Trail, located on lower Kingsbury Grade. The upgraded trail will remain open to Off-Highway Vehicles (OHVs) 50-inches wide (or less) including all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles and non-motorized recreation use such as mountain bikes, hikers and equestrians. When completed, the new trail will offer a thrill-seeking OHV experience, while reducing erosion and impacts to forest resources.

The public is invited to the Grand Re-opening of Mirabelle at Lake Tahoe on Monday, August 24 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Ken Druley, the owner and chef the French restaurant on the south shore, will prepare samples of food from their menu as well as wine tasting.

Tahoe Chamber will officiate a ribbon cutting at 3:30 p.m.

A shuttle and bike valet will be available for the large crowd expected to attend the 19th annual Lake Tahoe Summit on Monday, August 24 at the Round Hill Pines Beach Resort in Zephyr Cove.

This year, U.S. Senator Dean Heller (R-Nevada) is hosting the free event.

The theme of this year’s Lake Tahoe Summit is “Connecting Lake Tahoe’s Environment and Economy through Innovation and Transportation.” The keynote speaker is Chris Bently, Chief Executive Officer of Bently Enterprises.

The Zephyr Fire Crew no longer has to call the old landfill on Upper Kingsbury Grade's Logging Road Lane as their home. The Tahoe Douglas Fire Department's wildland fire/fuels reduction team was officially welcomed into new digs with an open house this week. The Tahoe Chamber was on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony, but it wasn't any normal ribbon. Zephyr Fire crew members cut through a wooden ribbon with a chainsaw.

A 93-year-old Zephyr Cove man has died following Monday's single car accident on Kingsbury Grade.

The man, who's identity hasn't been officially released pending notification of next of kin, was traveling westbound on SR 207/Kingsbury Grade at when, for an unknown reason, the 2008 Ford Ranger pickup he was driving drifted off the right side of the road. The truck went through a dirt right-of-way and struck a tree.

Nevada Highway Patrol troopers responded to the 2:44 p.m. call near the road's intersection with Katherine Drive.

The Nevada Highway Patrol says injuries were minor after a reported head-on collision on Highway 207 Friday, July 3.

A call came in to dispatch at 2:56 p.m. that two cars collided on Kingsbury Grade. The road was closed for 1.5 hours as the accident was cleaned up, creating a large backup.

All vehicles were towed away and the injured did not require an ambulance.

The reports aren't final as of yet and no other details are available at this time.

As I sat on the lawn in front of the historical Dangberg Ranch on Sunday, I smiled and imagined that South Lake Tahoe could have such a place.

The house that stands at the Dangberg Ranch, which is adjacent to the Park Ranch on Hwy 89 just north of Mottsville Lane, was home to a family that played an important role in the growth and shaping of the Carson Valley. They founded Minden, NV and established many businesses in the areas of banking, farming and a hotel. Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park preserves this essential chapter in Nevada’s history.