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The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office typically experiences an increase number of calls for service regarding theft of mail during the holiday season. With the holiday season upon us and the increase of online shopping, they would like to provide some helpful tips to protect your packages.

Have your package delivered to an attended location. Your place of work, a trusted friend, neighbor, or the carrier distribution center.

Know when your package will arrive. Sign up for shipping notifications by text or email and try to have someone home or reschedule the delivery.

Good morning Lake Tahoe skiers and riders! If you are visiting, welcome to Lake Tahoe.

Today is Thursday, December 1.

SHAPING UP TO BE A GOOD DAY FOR EARLY SEASON TURNS. COLD TEMPS ARE ALLOWING RESORTS TO CONTINUE TO MAKE SNOW AND OPEN MORE LIFTS AND RUNS. SIERRA AT TAHOE OPEN THE WEST BOWL; MT ROSE, SQUAW, SUGARBOWL & BOREAL ARE OPEN TOP TO BOTTOM, HEAVENLY ADDS COMET EXPRESS… SKI & RIDE WITH CARE!

Sue Lowe of Chase International was recently in London to showcase the luxury Lake Tahoe real estate market, just a handful of agencies asked to take part in the show which attracts affluent buyers from throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

One would think a car filled, bumper-to-bumper highway would be the most dangerous place for drivers to be during the holiday season, but no, crowded parking lots lead the list.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) has warned there are increased hazards of parking lot traffic during the holidays. Nationwide there are over 50,000 accidents in parking lots and garages resulting in 60,000 injuries and over 500 deaths. In fact. almost 20 percent of all accidents involving vehicles taking place where most might think driving 5 mph or less would lead to safer conditions.

There will be no Turkey Trot in South Lake Tahoe this year.

For over 30 years, runners both young and old have participated in the annual South Lake Tahoe Turkey Trot. They tapped into their inner turkey, donned holiday costumes and ran a lap or two and aimed for a prize. The race was normally a 5k one for the adults, and fun runs for the younger set.

Lauren Thomaselli, the City's Recreation Superintendent, tried to find a partner for the 2016 event but was unsuccessful.

Who or what is Tahoe South? When the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority first started marketing the name, many locals perceived it as an attempt to rename the community, but instead, it is the branding of a concept as well as a location.

A new video about the brand launched at the Tahoe Chamber Blue Ribbon Awards Thursday night.

Tahoe South is an active, quirky, fun, young at heart lifestyle, and the “Tahoe South” logo and campaign includes elements that evoke the connection between the consumer and South Shore to inspire overnight visits.

The four finalists for the position of Lake Tahoe Community College's Superintendent/President have been announced, and the public will have the opportunity to meet them in a forum on November 17 in the school's Aspen Board room at 9:00 a.m.

The popular Lake Tahoe basin Christmas tree permits from the U.S Forest Service go on sale Monday, November 7 in South Lake Tahoe and North Lake Tahoe, then on November 9 in Incline Village.

Permits cost $10 each with a limit of two per family. They must be purchased in person, are not transferable and are sold on a first come, first serve basis. Even though the last day for tree permit sales is on December 23, they are normally sold out well before that date, sometimes as early as December 4.

Ever find yourself spending a day on the slopes when you wish you could get a quick work task completed, then get back to skiing or boarding? That wish will be a reality this winter as Tahoe Mountain Lab and Vail Resorts have developed a first of its kind coworking space at Heavenly Mountain's Lakeview Lodge.

Starting in December, the on-mountain solution will open for people that need to hammer out a few hours of work but would still like to enjoy a day on the slopes.

There are just a few days left to nominate local businesses and individuals for the Tahoe Chamber's 2016 Blue Ribbon Awards.

They are seeking nominations for those that excel in working as one in an effort to improve the quality of life on the South Shore.

You hear of the "great recession" causing issues in many areas from jobs and income to housing, but another victim is quality child care in South Lake Tahoe.

Prior to 2009 there were over 45 licensed day care providers on the South Shore, a majority of them licensed for 12 children and open evenings and weekends. Now, there are just 20, 12 of which are licensed for 12, the other eight are small licenses, for six children or less.

The Lake Tahoe Basin saw continued environmental improvement over the last four years, but faces major challenges from climate change, according to a draft 2015 Threshold Evaluation Report released by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA).

The report offers a detailed assessment of the health of Lake Tahoe and its treasured natural environment as indicated by 178 threshold standards in nine categories: Air quality, water quality, soil conservation, vegetation, fisheries, wildlife, scenic resources, noise, and recreation.

The South Lake Tahoe Recreation Department is offering two American Red Cross Certified Lifeguard Training courses. The courses are being taught by City employee, Liz Terzian and will provide participants with the knowledge and skills to prevent, recognize, and respond to aquatic emergencies. Participants will be trained and certified to provide care for breathing and cardiac emergencies, injuries, and sudden illness until EMS (emergency services) take over.

In the 2004 California election, voters passed Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), mandating a one percent increase in income taxes for individuals with incomes over $1 million to expand mental health services. The MHSA funds mental health services that are "recovery and resiliency" focused to children and their families, transitional age youth, adults and older adults. MHSA programs must provide integrated service experiences that are client and family driven, wellness, recovery and resilience focused, culturally competent, and include community collaboration.

The South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting on Tuesday will feature the following topics:

Commercial Floor Space - Doctors Steve Leman and Clint Purvance have applied for Commercial Floor Space allocations (CFA) for three projects at the Y area. Together they are asking for 6,170 square feet of CFA from the City's allotment for a building at 941 Emerald Bay Road. Leman himself is asking for 4,621 square feet at 2215 South Avenue and another 4,025 at 1072 4TH Street. He also wants to purchase another 28,940 Square Feet of 1B Banked Land Coverage from the City.

El Dorado County health officials have received confirmation from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) that a dead bird found in the Placerville area has tested positive for West Nile virus, the first for 2016. The bird, a Western Scrub Jay, was found on August 23, 2016. There have been no reported cases of human infection with West Nile virus this year in El Dorado County.

The upper portion of Ski Run Blvd. in South Lake Tahoe was transformed into a massive water slide and block party on Saturday, courtesy of Tahoe Regional Young Professionals (TRYP) and Slide the City.

By looking at the faces of those descending down the water covered inflatable tarp, and hearing their squeals of delight, this event will become an annual occurrence on the South Shore.

"This was so awesome," said one young participant who was on his 10th slide of the day. The cost was $15 per run, $30 for three runs, or $45 for the whole day.

Cyclists in and around the Lake Tahoe Basin and Truckee now have a new tool to use when navigating trails and roads thanks to the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coaltion.

They have unveiled an interactive, online map, one that was designed to match the needs of people biking around Tahoe. It provides bike route directions, elevation profiles and location information for amenity and safety concerns, while at the same time offering an opportunity for community input.

The Food Bank of El Dorado County will be stopping by South Lake Tahoe on August 24 with their truck full of fresh fruit and vegetables and other emergency food supplies for those in need.

There is one allocation of supplies available for each qualifying household at the pantry distribution which will take place at the American Legion Hall at 2748 Lake Tahoe Blvd. from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

The victim in the August 7 fire in Incline Village has been identified as a 19-year-old man about to start his sophomore year at San Francisco State.

For the seventh year, the Barton Foundation is holding their annual Cocktails for a Cause event on Wednesday, September 21 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Riva Grill in South Lake Tahoe. Not only will attendees get samples of alcoholic creations made by ten local bartenders, but they'll be treated with heavy appetizers, live music and a raffle.

What gained in popularity with the movie and book by Cheryl Strayed, "Wild," people are hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in record numbers, and many of them stop by South Lake Tahoe on their way from border to border.

To date, Lake of the Sky Outfitters at the South Lake Tahoe "Y" has seen about 650 of the PCT hikers stop by. Being the largest city near the 2,650 mile trail that takes most hikers about five months to complete, the community offers what many of them seek on "zero days": supplies, motels, a shower, lots of food and mail.

The celebrities are gone, the tarmac at the airport is empty of luxury jets, the golf course is open to the public and the crowds have lessened. American Century Golf Championship 2016 is in the books so it's time to look into some stats from one of the biggest tourism weeks of the year for South Lake Tahoe.

The Repeat Champ: Mark Mulder won his second consecutive ACC title becoming the third back-to-back champion in the tournament’s 27-year history, joining 8-time champion Rick Rhoden who accomplished the feat in 2008- 2009, and five-time winner Dan Quinn.

The mobile food pantry from El Dorado County Food Bank will be in South Lake Tahoe on Wednesday, July 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the American Legion parking lot. For over 15 years the non-profit has brought food to the South Shore. Besides the food bags from local residents in need, the food bank also delivers to several non-profits in town including Senior Plaza and Bread and Broth.

During the summer and fall, extra fresh produce is added to the distributions.