placerville

An El Dorado County woman walking on a bike trail with her child in a stroller was sexually assaulted on January 27 at approximately 1:00 p.m.

The male suspect approached the woman on the trail near Missouri Flat Road and asked her about the location of a nearby business. He then asked her for a dollar, and when she gave it to him he asked to shake her hand. He then grabbed a hold of her hand, pulled her in close and used his other hand to sexually assault her according to Sgt. Tasha Thompson of the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office.

Native Nevadan Patricia Hicks McCulloch (Pat) died peacefully on Monday, January 9 after a long illness. She was preceded in death by her husband, William H. (Bill) McCulloch.

Pat was, as they say, a "force of nature". She was a dear family member to dozens and a dear friend to literally hundreds and she was never without a smile on her face.

One storm has entered the Lake Tahoe Basin, and another is waiting off shore, bringing snow and accompanying road controls with it.

The current winter weather advisory is in place until Tuesday at 10:00 a.m., but that is the same time a new winter storm warning goes up. The National Weather Service is forecasting 5-10" at lake level, 10-20" over the Sierra Crest and 10-15" in the Carson Range near Mt. Rose through Tuesday morning. From Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday night, expect another 12-18" at lake level with 2-3 feet above 7000 foot elevation.

An 11-year-old boy was killed and three other people were injured when a BMW went off Highway 50 in El Dorado County, the California Highway Patrol said.

The crash happened about 12 a.m. Wednesday on westbound Highway 50 near Riverton Court when a 33-year-old man driving a BMW lost control of his vehicle as he was making a turn, officers said. The driver tried to apply his breaks when the wheel locked causing the car to go off the road.

Placerville CHP Sgt. Chris Davis said the speed limit in this area is 55 mph, but that night it was dropped to 45 as a precaution.

A 13-year-old boy is lucky to be alive this afternoon after falling through the ice at Lake Baron on the South Shore.

The teen was riding his bike on top of the ice December 28 when his front tire fell through the thinning ice, then he and the rest of his bike followed.

A visitor, Ian Whitmarsh of Oakland, Calif., heard the young man's shouts for help and crawled out onto the ice to help rescue the unidentified boy.

Major impacts to communities in El Dorado County were made possible through $264,905 in grants for 2016/2017 from the El Dorado Community Foundation.

Funding for the came from community members who invested in the foundation through Donor Assisted Funds. Those donating to the fund were able to engage in a new process this year by reading the grant proposals (55 were received) and the year-end reports of the non-profits applying for them.

The El Dorado County Commission on Aging is actively recruiting to fill a vacancy.
The Commission plays a very important advisory role to the Area Agency on Aging, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors and the Cities of South Lake Tahoe and Placerville on matters of interest to senior residents. All volunteer positions are by appointment.

Santa Claus has come early for some lucky residents. For the month of December all pet adoption fees will be covered in El Dorado County after a generous donation by TravelLite RV Rentals in Placerville.

Their donation covers the adoption fees at both the Diamond Springs and South Lake Tahoe shelters.

There are currently eight dogs and nine cats at the South Lake Tahoe shelter, all waiting to go to a good home. Among them are two boxer mixes, one boxer, one Australian Shepherd and a Siberian Husky.

A heavily armed 37-year-old man was shot early Friday morning after keeping law enforcement personnel at bay for twenty hours in Cameron Park.

A 911 call about a possible domestic violence situation in an apartment on La Canada Drive was received by the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office dispatch at 6:10 a.m. on Thursday, November 17. According to the reporting party, there was an armed man holding a woman and her baby against their will inside the apartment.

There are multiple prescribed fires both in the Eldorado National Forest and around the Lake Tahoe Basin today, but it is one of those that had residents worried and resulted in phone calls into local fire departments and the Forest Service.

This week, 119 acres are being burned by Owens Camp, near Silver Fork and the American River west of South Lake Tahoe, and the winds associated with a front moving into the Lake Tahoe Basin Tuesday resulted in visible smoke that could be seen around the lake.

6:00 a.m. 11/9 Update: It took awhile for ballots to be counted, but 100 percent of the precincts have now been counted for El Dorado County and South Lake Tahoe. The results are unofficial as some mail-in ballots will still be tallied.

Former councilwoman Brooke Laine and hospital executive Jason Collin will be headed to the South Lake Tahoe City Council in what turned out to be a close race with local politics newcomer, Tamara Wallace. Current Councilwoman JoAnn Conner will not be returning for a second term.

SLT City Council results, the top two vote-getters win:

For the first time in several decades, the Eldorado National Forest will sell Christmas tree cutting permits. Permits for pine, fir or cedar trees up to 6 inches in diameter at the base will be available beginning November 14, 2016. "The goal of this program is to provide an enjoyable holiday experience for families and friends in the natural setting of their national forest" said Forest Supervisor Laurence Crabtree.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS- State Route 89 (Placer County): Work continues on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to just north of Granlibakken Road in Tahoe City that is upgrading storm water drainage and treatment systems, adding curb and gutter, resurfacing and realigning the road, adding new left-turn pockets and widening shoulders on an 8-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected in summer 2017. October 31-November 4 - State Route 89 (Placer County) from Oak Street to Cherry Street and from St.

If you see smoke around Amador, Georgetown and Placerville it will most likely be from 12,671 acres of National Forest land being burned this fall by the U.S. Forest Service.

USFS will begin its fall prescribed burn program in the Eldorado National Forest as soon as weather conditions are favorable. Fire managers plan to burn approximately, 12,671 acres of National Forest land this fall, winter and spring using a combination of understory and pile burning techniques.

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.

Medicare Open Enrollment is October 15 through December 7, 2016. This enrollment period is one of the few times Medicare beneficiaries can change, enroll into or disenroll from a Part D drug plan or a Medicare Advantage Plan (such as an HMO). Changes to plans are effective January 1, 2017.

A high speed pursuit that started near Sierra-at-Tahoe on Wednesday ended with the suspect crashing his 2006 BMW and being airflighted off the highway due to his injuries.

On September 7, a California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer spotted 27-year-old Allen Elseth from Lodi, Calif., driving at high rates of speed and crossing over the double-yellow lines on Highway 50 near the ski resort exit.

South Lake Tahoe and El Dorado County police, deputies and CHP officers from the west and east slopes of the county joined together over the holiday weekend to participate in "Avoid the 6," a zero tolerance for impaired driving campaign. Their efforts netted 55 offenders for the deadly drime.

There were roving DUI saturation patrols to find the impaired drivers.

The Superior Court of El Dorado County will extend their hours by holding Small Claims Night Court starting October 17, 2016 at both South Lake Tahoe and Cameron Park.

Night Court will be held at the Cameron Park Court and the South Lake Tahoe Court.

Night Court for South Lake Tahoe Court will be:
3rd Monday in March, July, and November.

Night Court for Cameron Park Court will be
2nd Monday in January and 1st Monday in February
3rd Monday in April, May, June, August, September, October, and December.

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.

Woodcutting permits on the Eldorado National Forest have been changed to allow larger standing dead conifer trees to be cut for firewood. A minimum of tTwo cords of wood can be cut for $15 per cord.

"This change in our woodcutting permits will encourage removal of potentially dangerous roadside hazard trees," said forest supervisor Laurence Crabtree. "Fire and bark beetles have left a lot of dead trees which could fall across forest roads, particularly the less traveled roads in the back country."

Most lane closures will be restricted from 6 a.m. Friday, September 2 until 8 p.m. Tuesday, September 6 because of the Labor Day holiday weekend.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

State Route 89 (Placer County): Work continues on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to just north of Granlibakken Road in Tahoe City that is upgrading storm water drainage and treatment systems, adding curb and gutter, resurfacing and realigning the road, adding new left-turn pockets and widening shoulders on an 8-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected by summer 2017.

El Dorado County Sheriff's deputies responded to the call of a disabled vehicle and came away with the arrest of two women on several charges stemming from what was found in that car.

On August 17, 2016, at approximately 6:45 a.m., the deputies went to the car which was in the roadway of Strolling Hills Road at the entrance to Safeway in Cameron Park. Once there they contacted two women, Tanya Starks, 35, and Kimberly Higgins, 47.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS
State Route 89 (Placer County): Work continues on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to just north of Granlibakken Road in Tahoe City that is upgrading storm water drainage and treatment systems, adding curb and gutter, resurfacing and realigning the road, adding new left-turn pockets and widening shoulders on an 8-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected by summer 2017.