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Hal Cole's term as mayor during the City of South Lake Tahoe's 50th anniversary is coming to a close. During the next City Council meeting on Monday, December 7, the next mayor and mayor pro-tem will be elected. All current council members are eligible though first term Councilwoman Wendy David is the current mayor pro-tem.

Normally held on Tuesdays, the Council meeting was moved to Monday so Tom Davis could attend his daughter-in-law's graduation from nursing school in Tennessee. The meeting starts at 9:00 a.m. in the Council Chambers at the airport.

A father and his five children were rescued by the California Highway Patrol after becoming stranded in a wooded and snowy area of El Dorado County for hours, according to officers.

The family of six went on an off-road excursion about 8 a.m. in the Ice House Reservoir area, but realized they were lost soon after.

The Elk Grove father named Ed called the CHP about 2:30 p.m. and told them that his pickup truck had begun sliding toward a cliff, and that he had been holding the brake pedal with both feet for some time to prevent it from going over the edge, the CHP said.

There have been two home invasion robberies in El Dorado County in the last nine days, and in both cases the thieves were after money and marijuana.

On November 28 at 1:15 a.m., sheriff's deputies responded to a home invasion robbery in the 3000 block of Winter Creek Road in Mount Aukum. The unidentified male caller said his wife was the victim and she was home alone. He went home and met deputies there.

There is no road work scheduled for the South Shore this week. Here are the current projects around the lake:

Interstate 80 (Placer County) from Brace Road to Magra Road: Work continues on a $36 million project to increase the vertical clearance of nine bridge structures in south Placer County to 16 feet, 6 inches. The vertical clearance will be increased on seven structures by lifting the existing bridge deck and the other two will have the roadway below dug down. More information on the project is available at www.raise80.com

North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, the Nevada Division of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service will continue widespread prescribed fire operations beginning the week of November 30, 2015.

Operations are planned for the following areas:

57 acres on urban lots on the west side of Incline Village. Smoke expected to travel North/Northeast/East.

28 acres off Fairway Drive near Tahoe City. Smoke expected to travel North/Northeast/East.

105 acres in Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park north of Spooner Lake. Smoked expected to travel Northeast.

Anyone on the roads today noticed a big influx of travelers, both inside the Tahoe basin and on the state's highways.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) advises motorists that experts are predicting a slight increase in all methods of travel nationwide, with about 47 million people traveling either by car or airplane for the Thanksgiving holiday.

The Lake Valley Fire Protection District has released their schedule for their decorated Christmas Engine. The South Lake Tahoe Fire Department's schedule will be released at the end of next week.

December 11 – Echo View Estates, Tahoe Mountain Road, Mule Deer Circle
December 12 – Lake Tahoe Blvd from Boulder Mountain Drive to Grizzly Mountain Drive
December 13 – West side of North Upper Truckee from Zuni Street Highway 50, Chiapa Drive
December 14 – East side of North Upper Truckee from Grizzly Mountain to West San Bernardino Ave.

The Loop Road project in South Lake Tahoe has undergone changes, from being a federally funded project to realign Highway 50 to evolving into a community development project that promises to beautify, provide new gateways and gathering places. Without this plan being a federal project allows local control and development.

The revamped US Highway 50/South Shore Community Revitalization Project will be presented to the community during an open house on Tuesday, December 1 at the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county.

The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at press time and the story will be updated when provided.

11/15

No Report

11/16

8:50 a.m. - Death Investigation - South Ave - A 75 YEAR OLD FEMALE WAS PRONOUNCED DECEASED AT BARTON HOSPITAL

North Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Douglas fire protection districts will continue prescribed fire operations around Incline Village, Kingsbury Grade and Van Sickle Bi-State Park through next week as weather and conditions allow.

On the west side on Incline Village, crews will be burning 77 acres of hand piles starting Monday, November 23.

35 acres on Park Cattle property near Van Sickle Bi-State Park were ignited Wednesday and will continue as conditions allow.

In today’s world, the reasons for being prepared seem to be escalating. From threats of terrorist attacks to huge storms that could knock out the power supply, the only way you can make sure your family will survive is to take steps to ensure you are prepared. It’s not always going to be possible to count on the government or community resources in times of trouble, so taking some time to put together your own emergency provisions can be the determining factor in whether your family eats or even survives the emergency.

El Dorado County schools superintendent Jeremy Meyers submitted his resignation to the school board Monday, and it was accepted after Meyers was arrested for two DUIs this year.

Meyers was arrested about 2 p.m. on Nov. 4 after crashing his pickup truck into a utility box on Green Valley Road and had a blood alcohol level of 0.19 percent, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Schools are open today, Monday, November 16, 2015 for LTUSD, Douglas County and LTCC.

Road controls this morning:

US 50: Is open with no control over Echo Summit. From Stateline to mile post 14.6 above Carson City, Chains or Snow Tires.

US 88: Chains or 4WD with snow tires from on CA-88 from mile post 41.7 in Amador County to mile post 13.4 in Alpine County in Nevada.

SR 207 Kingsbury Grade: Chains or snow tires from mile post 0.0 in Douglas County to mile post 12.0.

Hwy 395: Snow Tires required on US-395 from mile post 0.2 in Douglas County to mile post 23.7

South Tahoe High senior Kaitlynn Watson signed a letter of intent Friday to play volleyball of Loyola of New Orleans.

Watson takes with her a long list of accolades including All Team Academics, 1st Team All League and is currently ranked #2 in the state with digs at 360.

"The moment I stepped on the campus, I knew that is where I wanted to be," Kaitlynn said of Loyola. "They made me feel so at home, they're like a family and not a team." Watson will major in Biology with an emphasis in nutrition.

The Whittell Warriors are continuing on their road to the Nevada state title after beating Carlin High last week, 36-20. Whittell hosts the semifinals on Friday, November 13 when they play the Spring Mountain Eagles in a 6 p.m. game.

The Las Vegas team beat Tonopah in the first round by a score of 72-14. They are the #2 seed from the south coming into the game.

The #1 seed from the north, Whittell, spent the holiday shoveling and snowblowing off the football field in preparation for the game.

The snow forecast for Monday night arrived this morning in South Lake Tahoe, prompting morning commute road controls and school news.

All Lake Tahoe Unified Schools are open with no delays Tuesday morning,

Douglas County schools at the lake are "main bus stops only."

The Douglas County bus stops are designated as:

The corner of Tina Court and Ski Court for students living in the Tramway and Kingsbury Village area:

WHS - Bus will arrive at 6:35 a.m. and depart at 6:57 a.m.
ZCES - Bus will arrive at 7:55 a.m. and depart at 8:22 a.m.

"South Lake Tahoe, you should be proud of yourself."

Those words, said by South Lake Tahoe Police Sgt. Brian Williams, were echoed throughout the evening as the City of South Lake Tahoe celebrated its first 50 years with a golden anniversary gala Saturday night.

Almost 300 people were at the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel to share memories of the past, review of the present, and a look towards the future of a city that was formed because many of the residents were tired of being represented by a government in Placerville.

It took double-overtime Friday afternoon for the Sparks Railroaders to beat the South Tahoe Vikings in the second round of the 2015 NIAA Division I-A Northern Region Boys Soccer Championship.

The Vikings won their first round game in Elko on Thursday, beating Lowry 6-2.

Tragedy at the Police Department. The department is deeply appreciative of the support given to the family of Mark Hounsell who was killed, along with his wife Jeanne and her friend Laura Fisher, in a motor vehicle accident. They are survived by 4 children who have been the recipients of beautiful and heartfelt support from the entire community. The fund for the Children is now approaching the goal of $130,000. See this at: https://www.gofundme.com/hounsellchildren

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

State Route 89 (Placer County): Work continues on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to the "Y" junction with State Route 28 in Tahoe City on Lake Tahoe’s West Shore that will upgrade storm water drainage and treatment systems, add curb and gutter, resurface and realign the road, add new left-turn pockets and widen shoulders on a 9-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected in fall 2016.

Potholes in our streets are a popular discussion item in Tahoe. Some potholes are simply holes in the asphalt paving, while others are actually low spots located over a utility pipeline. This summer, several articles have addressed potholes at various lengths. The South Tahoe Public Utility District (District) would like to provide some information concerning the “utility” potholes. There are multiple types of “utility” potholes:

1. Manhole structure on sanitary sewers (stamped STPUD)
2. Manhole structure on storm drain sewers (usually slotted)

A 23-year-old South Lake Tahoe man was arrested on October 29 on charges of being an ex-felon in possession of firearm, ammunition and for resisting arrest after a shooting the previous day.

Jahem Barton is suspected of firing several rounds into a car parked in front of a home in the 800 block of Emerald Bay Road.

According to South Lake Tahoe Police Sgt. Brian Williams, there is an active investigation into the matter and no other details are available at this time.

Barton remains jailed in the El Dorado County Jail Saturday night on a $38,000 bail hold.

El Dorado County Connections - One Stop has free services to help people who need a job.

"We can help anyone who is having trouble finding a job," said Jenny Wilson, Program Supervisor with Connections - One Stop. "We want to help people who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. This includes dislocated workers, such as people who have been affected by a lay-off or business downsizing. Displaced homemakers and self-employed individuals may also qualify for services."

Complaints about an offensive smell and unsightly tarps brought out El Dorado County Sheriff's detectives to a home in El Dorado Hills who ended up uncovering a large marijuana grow.

On October 23, 2015, a search warrant was served on a residence and property in the 1400 block of Malcom Dixon Road.

When they arrived they found 52-year-old Jeffrey Johansen, Sr. guarding a marijuana grow from a tree house, armed with a shotgun. He complied with law enforcement and put down the shotgun.