Navy

By Nancy Kerry
The City of South Lake Tahoe is pleased to announce a promotional ceremony for three new Fire Department Shift Commanders will be held on Monday, November 21, 2011. The ceremony will take place at the City’s Administration Offices (South Lake Tahoe Airport) at 2:30 p.m. and is open to the public. Being promoted to Shift Commander are Jim Drennan, Rob Hembree and Dan Sullivan. In announcing the appointments, City Manager Tony O’Rourke said, “The three Commanders will have significant responsibilities and have demonstrated the capacity to carry them out. We are pleased to announce their promotions.”

Garrett Fant knew since he was a young boy that he wanted to be a soldier. He enlisted in the Army as soon as he was old enough, dismissing pleas from his brother to join him in the Navy. Family members spoke with the San Francisco Chronicle about the young man, including his aspirations to return to South Tahoe to teach. Go here for the story.

A gunman who opened fire inside a Carson City restaurant has torn a hole through the South Lake Tahoe community, taking the life of a long-time local woman, maiming her disabled husband, and sending shock waves in the community after learning the gunman has family business ties in town.
The brutal murder that happened inside the International House of Pancakes this week claimed the lives of three U.S. Army National Guard personnel and Lake Tahoe Keys resident Florence Donovan-Gunderson, 67. Shooter Eduardo Sencion, 32, of Carson City turned the automatic weapon he was packing on himself and left both communities stunned and asking questions about why such a senseless act of violence happened.

Florence Donovan-Gunderson and her husband Wally Gunderson, who split their time between Southern California and their home in the Tahoe Keys, were having breakfast at IHOP in Carson City Tuesday morning when a gunman shattered their lives forever.

According to a family friend, Florence was killed inside the restaurant, along with three Nevada National Guard members, while Wally was wounded. A man interviewed by KRNV 4 described how he applied first aid to Wally, while his wife was obviously killed instantly.

The Carson City Sheriff's Office held a news conference at 9 a.m. this morning to officially release the names of the victims.

Suzy Krzaczek, a teacher at South Tahoe Middle, said her and the victim's families had been close friends for more than 30 years. She said that Wally had called her mother yesterday from the hospital to take care of the couple's dog before he was wheeled into surgery.