meeting

On Thursday, the California Tahoe Conservancy Board awarded more than $7 million for seven watershed restoration and forest health projects around the lake. Thirteen different applicants submitted 32 grant requests totaling $30 million, but with just $13,950,000 to give out, it was a very competitive process.

The money comes from Proposition 1, the $7.545 billion water bond approved overwhelmingly by California voters in November 2014. It was divided around the state to agencies like the Conservancy for water supply infrastructure projects.

The South Lake Tahoe City Council will look at the new Master Fee schedule during the March 14 meeting, something they do annually. The proposed fees and charges for 2015-16 show no change for users of the recreation center or campground, a $2 to $3 increase in daily golf course fees, a $5 to $15 increase in golf course passes.

The very popular Sports Medicine program at South Tahoe High School just got a new counterpart, a Strength and Conditioning program and center. While Sports Med teaches students how to help athletes after injuries occur, the strength and conditioning program will teach students how to train in a way to prevent injuries.

At Tuesday's Lake Tahoe Unified School District Board meeting, the board voted 4-1 to add the Strength & Conditioning center with accompanying classes at STHS.

The agenda for the Lake Tahoe Unified School District Board of Education on Tuesday, March 8 is a full one. Board members will be addressing the new state law concerning immunizations, new lights for the soccer field at South Tahoe Middle School, a conditioning room and new flooring at South Tahoe High, student privacy, finances, a 4.5% raise for employees, and discuss a tuition agreement with Douglas County Schools. The meeting begins at the District Office at 5:00 p.m. with closed session, with the public portion beginning about 6:00 p.m.

Immunizations

The building is old and worn out, but the coffee, bagels and treats inside have kept both locals and visitors happy for over two decades.

Rude Brother's Bagels is located on the bottom floor of a building located at 3117 Harrison Avenue in South Lake Tahoe. The current owners of the popular coffee and bagel shop, Jim and Lisa Gosh, have been in the same location since 2001 after buying the business from Steve Rude.

2:45 p.m. 2/28/16 update:

Two different high speed chases through the Carson Valley and up Kingsbury Grade resulted in the arrest of two men and two women on Saturday, February 27, 2017.

At 3:10 p.m., a trooper from the Nevada Highway Patrol spotted a silver Mercedes-Benz with California plates going down U.S. 50 (Spooner Summit) at 85 mph. The driver failed to pull over for the trooper, instead turning South on Highway 395 towards Minden, Nev., at speeds in excess of 100 mph.

On October 27, 2015, Sue Novasel, the County Supervisor representing South Lake Tahoe, Meyers, Tahoma and Pollock Pines was served a “notice of intent to circulate a recall petition” by a group of citizens who said they are “tired of the corruption and cronyism that has plagued our county for years.” It wasn’t only Novasel, but all five of the County Supervisors, Shiva Frentzen, Ron Mikulaco, Michael Ranalli and Brian Veerkamp.

The Knights Inn could be purchased by the City of South Lake Tahoe for $6 million should a grant be awarded them by the California Tahoe Conservancy. If that happens, the City would purchase, and then demolish, the motel located on Highway 50 near Ski Run Boulevard to make way for a new environmental and retail project.

There is grant money available through the CTC which the City will apply for. The funds come from the state's Proposition 1 Water Bond which was approved by voters in 2014 to authorize $7.545 billion in general obligation bonds for water projects.

There are proposed amendments to the South Lake Tahoe Vacation Home Rental ordinance, ones that came about because of feedback from VHR permit applicants and those enforcing the ordinance.

The most recent VHR ordinance change took effect on October 1, 2015. Since then, there have been over 300 inspections scheduled, including new homes and renewals.

According to Amanda Nolan, the City's VHR Clerk, many of the properties inspected so far have required owners to make corrections to address inspection requirements.

The October 1, 2015 ordinance called for:

A different kind of presentation will be made on the US50/South Shore Revitalization Project this week, one that will include a question and answer period and not just the open house atmosphere of recent Tahoe Transportation District meetings on the project. For the past several years, TTD has been holding public meetings and talking with the community shareholders in order to formulate the best plan for the future of Highway 50 through the Stateline portion of South Lake Tahoe, a plan initiated in 1980.

Dr. James Tarwater, Superintendent of Lake Tahoe Unified Schools, will provide an overview of student data at the next LTUSD School Board meeting on Tuesday, February 9.

Long the dream of many in South Lake Tahoe, a four-year educational opportunity is on target to break ground in the spring of 2017 on the grounds of Lake Tahoe Community College. The Lisa and Robert Maloff University Center will then be built and open in the fall of 2018.

In an effort to not leave the county without a leader, a contract for Larry Werner to be the Douglas County Manager for one year will be voted on by commissioners during their February 4, 2016 meeting.

His contract will be for $172,008 with a car allowance of $700 per month. The former Carson City Manager, and former interim Douglas County Manager will start on March 7. Werner last served the county in the position after the departure of Steve Mokrohisky in 2014.

There are many parcels of land in South Lake Tahoe owned by El Dorado County that the City would like to have, and talks between the two are getting closer to making the land transfer a reality.

The agenda for the South Lake Tahoe City Council was a light one this week.

The plastic bag ban ordinance was amended to only affect grocery stores and not retail outlets. Former Mayor Hal Cole asked for the issue to be brought back before the council in October. "I thought we were only voting to bring the ordinance back for review, not to pass it," Cole said about his vote on October 15, 2013.

Plastic Bag Ban Timeline

September, 2012 - City's Sustainability Committee eyes plastic bag ban

Thirty community members joined the City's Planning Commissioners and staff Thursday afternoon to get a pulse on what is desired for the future look of South Lake Tahoe.

The audience was handed an electronic voting device to give their opinions on 46 photos of what they found the most desirable, and the least, concerning signage and building design, as well as landscaping,

Those at the first of two meetings gave a wide range of opinions, just as is evident in the town as a whole. What some people find as attractive, others find as too resort-like.

The Lake Tahoe Community College Board of Trustees is meeting in closed session tonight to discuss the search for the school's next president following the announcement that Superintendent/President Dr. Kindred Murillo will be leaving her post.

Murillo, who started at the college in July, 2011, requested the Board meet and discuss an exit date for her which would take place sometime in the next 18 months.

During the January 19 meeting, the Board will also discuss a timeline for the process of finding Murillo's replacement.

A big-name actor joined others in testifying Wednesday before a panel on Nevada solar power rates. A rate hike that took effect on January 1 has caused a ripple through the industry, resulting in hundreds of layoffs.

The Public Utilities Commission met in Carson City to discuss whether to suspend controversial new rates for rooftop solar power customers. They were looking at requests from solar company groups and the state consumer advocate to put a stay on the new rate hikes.

The actor is a climate change advocate and was greeted by a standing ovation after his testimony.

The South Lake Tahoe Recreation Facilities Joint Powers Authority (JPA) is seeking applicants to fill the seven open positions on the Bicycle Advisory Committee, as required by Measure R.

Three of the open positions are for two-year terms, and the terms of the other four will expire in January, 2017 at which time four two-year terms will be open.

The Bicycle Advisory Committee expects to continue to have work until the year 2030. If a member of the committee one can expect monthly meetings during their term.

For those wishing to apply there are three way to get an application:

The public has been on a long journey with the Tahoe Transportation District over the US50/South Shore Community Revitalization project, one that has followed twisted roads and endured roadblocks and detours.

Now it appears the project, also known as the Loop Road, is on the back straightaway, approaching the final turn and homestretch.

Round two of Councilwoman JoAnn Conner versus the City of South Lake Tahoe and City Manager Nancy Kerry was originally on the court docket for Monday, but it didn't happen and the next court date has yet to be set.

South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue is happy to be hosting both a blood drive and a coat drive in South Lake Tahoe. The goal is to help the community by providing vital blood as a resource within our community and also provide coats to children in need. We encounter children on calls often who could benefit from a coat donation and hope to make a difference with this.

In a move that will save the city money as well as increase staffing, South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue added 12 new Emergency Medical Services (EMS) specialists to their staff on December 14.

South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue is now the only fire department in the Tahoe basin to have three firefighters on each engine at all times and two EMS specialists in the ambulance.

The Mountain Democrat Editorial Friday December 11, 2015 titled “Total recall a total waste of time” on page A5 is far below the minimum standards of an honest newspaper. The article uses accusations of gossip, vague personal attacks, and sneering degradation of “some of the people” to dismiss the serious issues plaguing our County government.