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For the past 18 months, South Lake Tahoe City Councilwoman JoAnn Conner and the City have been at odds since she filed two lawsuits against them on December 9, 2015.

During Tuesday's Council meeting, Mayor Wendy David made the following announcement about the potential end of the legal matters after both sides met with a mediator on June 14:

South Shore ambulance service has been a hot topic both locally, and across the county with growing concern over the costs and resulting manpower shortage of providing interfacility transfers (IFTs) to facilities outside of El Dorado County.

To understand the recent actions of the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors (BOS), a look at the past year is warranted.

The City of South Lake Tahoe Wants Out of the Ambulance Business

Here is some news to take a little “paws” with...introducing the newest trainee on the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District team, Gunner. He is a member of the Tahoe Douglas Explosive Ordinance Disposal team and, once he completes his training, will join six other dogs as canine resources for the Northern Nevada Bomb Technicians Task Force.

The other EOD dogs are from UNR-Police Department, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, Reno Police Department, and three from Reno Airport TSA.

The annual SnowGlobe Music Festival is here to stay, at least for now.

During Tuesday's South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting, promoter Chad Donnelly went before the elected officials, asking them for a three year extension of the annual festival until 2019 (though they would ultimately like a deal until 2027), and more money from the City to help with the costs of garbage pick-up and transportation for the three-day event which runs from December 29-31 each year.

What the City gave him was not quite what he was asking for as he got more cash, but less time.

Starting in the upcoming Fall 2016 quarter, Lake Tahoe Community College will once again be offering reduced tuition to residents of certain nearby Nevada communities in the Tahoe Basin. Up to 100 Nevada residents living in specific communities who meet the parameters established in the new partnership between California and Nevada can tap into the new, lower cost, which is three times the California resident rate, or $93 per unit. This equates to a savings of $88 per unit from the $181 per-unit rate established for all other non-residents attending LTCC.

For months the operators of taxicabs in South Lake Tahoe have said the regulations they have to abide by when operating in the City limits were unfair since app-based rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft didn't have to follow the same controls.

After Tuesday's City Council meeting, the cabs and rideshares will now be on a more level playing field with less regulation.

The "cabbies" at the meeting all left happy with the 5-0 vote of the Council to reduce the number of regulations they once had to abide by, and with a new ordinance created through group meetings with both sides.

The July 19 meeting of the South Lake Tahoe City Council should be a long one, with multiple items on the agenda ranging from vacation rentals to massage parlors.

Some of the items the Council will be addressing:

Old Business: Vote on Vacation Home Rental changes to the code which grandfather in multi-family units with a permit by September 1, a request by SnowGlobe to extend their contract by 3-10 years and budgetary items.

The Ridge Tahoe resort at the top of Kingsbury Grade has expanded their wedding and conference capabilities for the newly renovated 3,700 square foot Castle Rock Event Space. The rustic Tahoe mountain venue has expanded its Clubhouse by 2,300 square feet, added two state of the art meeting rooms highlighted by architectural details including complementary natural wood decor, 16-foot high ceilings, and large windows allowing for natural ambient light.

Most people won't even notice as ambulance services change on the South Shore July 1. The final touches to the new Cal Tahoe JPA service agreements were made Wednesday in preparation for a change from the City of South Lake Tahoe operating the ambulances that serve the city, to the function being part of the JPA at 12:01 a.m. Friday.

A lawsuit against the City of South Lake Tahoe over the fees charged to those who rent out their homes as vacation rentals was won by the City in court this week. The June 23 verdict was received by all parties on June 28.

Judge Steven Bailey of the El Dorado County Superior Court issued an 11-page decision supporting the City's rights to charge fees to recover their costs in administering the VHR ordinance, including staff time for accounting, planning, building department, administration, code enforcement and other costs.

An initiative prohibiting the City Council of South Lake Tahoe from approving or supporting the US Highway 50 South Shore Community Revitalization Project received enough signatures to make it to the ballot in November.

The group, Let Tahoe Decide, was notified today that their petition gathered enough signatures to take it to the next step. Ten percent of the registered voters in the city, or 879 signatures, were required. El Dorado County Registrar William Schulz said his office received 1,496 signatures, and by verifying the required random sample, found enough valid signatures.

The Tahoe Games, the unique nighttime bike series at Lake Tahoe Golf Cours, returns this summer with the first night on Friday, June 24.

Cyclists on non-motorized bikes go cross-country over fairways, through the sand bunkers, into the rough and over the bridges, all while illuminated. All ages had a blast at this event last summer.

Sierra Cycle Works will be on hand with bike demos and raffle prizes for competitors. Helmets bike lights, headlamps, glow sticks, decorated bikes and costumes are all strongly encouraged.

The historical American character and humorist, Mark Twain is returning to Nevada and Lake Tahoe California, so be on the lookout for an elderly man with a distinctive mound of unruly white hair, wearing a white suit with an ever-present cigar in his hand. Actually, Rob Alvey, a professional geologist and adjunct Professor at York College in NYC is coming. Alvey, an award winning geologist with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Division is well regarded for his unique sense of humor and an uncanny resemblance to Samuel Clemens alter ego, Mark Twain.

South Lake Tahoe Police Chief Brian Uhler has written the following in response to an opinion piece written by South Tahoe High junior Noah Jackson that was posted on South Tahoe Now June 9 concerning massage parlors.

Sarah Smith, Student Representative to the Lake Tahoe Unified School Board of Education, was recognized during their meeting Tuesday night.

The South Tahoe High Junior spent the year attending the board meetings twice a month, sharing the activities happening at the school.

Ryann and Morgan Canfield were recognized during Tuesday's Lake Tahoe Unified School District Board meeting for their commitment to achieving perfect attendance as students.

Ryann, and eighth grader at South Tahoe Middle School, has missed just one day of school in her life, and that was one day in kindergarten so she has eight consecutive years of perfect attendance. Her sister, Morgan, a fifth grader at Tahoe Valley Elementary has had perfect attendance throughout her six-year (to-date) school career, including a year of transitional kindergarten.

There will be a reception for all of the 2015/16 retirees of the Lake Tahoe Unified School District on Tuesday, June 7 at 5:00 p.m., prior to the start of the board meeting on the lawn at the Education Center.

Those retiring have worked a collective 299 years in education. Lake Tahoe Educational Foundation President Coleen Shade will conduct the ceremony.

The following certificated and classified retirees will be honored:

Cynthia Cowen, Teacher – 37 years
Martha Brown, Sr. Accounting Assistant - 33 years
Sandra Moulton, Teacher – 30 years

During the past three days, students from South Lake Tahoe schools have been participating in Bike to School days as part of the two-week Tahoe Bike Challenge.

At South Tahoe Middle School, students rose to the occasion and came out in big numbers on their bikes each day.

Each participant received a raffle ticket for each day they rode to school. 15 students were drawn daily for a plethora of prizes including Amgen Tour of California shirts and hates, bike reflectors, bells and lights, gift bags and more.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 3 is developing a safety project that proposes to construct a roundabout at the intersection of U.S. Highway 50 and State Highway 89 in Meyers beginning in 2018. The department has looked at several options at this location and has identified a roundabout as the preferred alternative to address safety concerns and improve traffic flow.

You've spent your life savings on the dream, to buy a home in South Lake Tahoe. Better yet, you've found the perfect property where you can find a way to live in Tahoe and own a home that brings in some income.

There are current 56 different parcels in the City limits that are multi-family units that are also licensed vacation rentals and the City of South Lake Tahoe wants to prevent them from being rented, thus stopping the home owners from earning the needed income to keep their home.

Over half of the state of California are in severe to exceptional drought conditions, but things are as bad as they were just a year ago when most of the Western United States were experiencing those same drought conditions.

There will be a Memorial Day ceremony on Monday, May 30 at 11:00 a.m. at the Happy Homestead Cemetery in South Lake Tahoe to remember those who have died in service to our nation. The American Legion Post 795 is hosting the ceremony and has invited the public to attend both the remembrance and for refreshments at their hall afterwards.

Close to 600 flags will be placed at Happy Homestead Cemetery by the South Lake Tahoe Moose Lodge on Friday morning, and they'll remain throughout the holiday weekend. The cemetery is the final resting place to more than 560 veterans.

Just as it is when the topic of vacation rentals is on the South Lake Tahoe City Council agenda, a large, and at times, angry, crowd gathered.

The task at hand Tuesday was to review changes to the current Vacation Home Rental (VHR) Ordinance which included 11 changes which will take effect 30 days after the June 7 Council meeting if approved.

A joint effort between the City of South Lake Tahoe and Lake Tahoe Community College will soon expand recreation offerings on the South Shore.

The Community Playfields Expansion Project will bring two new playfields to the area as work gets underway on the Community Playfields Expansion Project adjacent to the current soccer field at the college.