road

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.

While rain last week may have caused the Tahoe Area Mountain Bike Association (TAMBA) to reschedule their annual Corral Night, an unplanned work party turned a dampened event into a chance to fix up the Corral Trail with the California Conservation Corps.

Over 60 people joined in and the result of their labors will be shown off on Saturday, October 24 when bicycle enthusiasts will enjoy the trail at night, an annual tradition.

With more than 4,000 acres of land in the Lake Tahoe basin being burned by the U.S. Forest Service annually, prescribed burns have become an important part of keeping forests healthy.

On Thursday, I followed the Tallac Hotshots as well as Engines 41 and 42 from the U.S. Forest Service as they burned an eight acre parcel off Grass Lake Road in Christmas Valley.

There's an old joke about the seasons in Lake Tahoe: There are two seasons in Lake Tahoe. Winter, and Road Construction.

While the "winter" comment may not be as it once was, there is no question about "road construction" as it now goes from May through October.

Part of living in the mountains is sharing our best weather months with construction workers, road controls and traffic cones. Residents get that. But what drivers went through during the 2015 construction on highways 50 and 89 was not only inexcusable, it was preventable.

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.

The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for the King Fire area in Placer and El Dorado Counties. Doppler radar has indicated heavy rain moving into the burn area, prompting the warnings.

A warning is in place until 11 a.m. Saturday, October 17.

The severely burned areas of Rubicon River, Silver Creek and the South Fork of the American River are areas of concern due to the terrain's inability to absorb rainfall, leading to enhanced rainfall.

The date was October 14, 1975. Tropper Gary Gifford was on duty for the Nevada Highway Patrol when the First National Bank of Nevada in Round Hill was robbed. The armed gunman escaped and left by car on Highway 50 towards Cave Rock. At noon, just before the tunnel, Tropper Gifford pulled over the robbery suspect.

There was an altercation between Gifford and the suspect when the tropper was shot and killed. The suspect was able to force another man to drive him around the lake to Kings Beach where he took four people hostage. Later that evening the suspect surrendered to authorities.

Nevadans looking for information on road construction improvements and projects have a new resource through the Nevada Department of Transportation’s electronic Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, or STIP.

California State Parks will begin prescribed fire operations this week on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe near Tahoe City. Operations will take place on 103 acres in Burton Creek State Park beginning Thursday, October 15, 2015, and will continue over the next several weeks as conditions allow.

WinterWonderGrass Tahoe Festival is returning for its second year at Squaw Valley | Alpine Meadows in Lake Tahoe, California April 1-3, 2016. Music, Brews and Mountains are the foundation for WinterWonderGrass, a boutique winter music and craft beer festival featuring more than 20 bands and 16 California breweries over three days on three stages. Drawing from Olympic Valley’s natural beauty and mountain lifestyle as inspiration for the event, these fine ingredients of the North Lake Tahoe lifestyle are brought together at WinterWonderGrass Tahoe to create the ultimate community gathering.

The City of South Lake Tahoe is coming off a successful 50th Anniversary Parade and heading right into the event to cap off a year of celebrating, the 50th Anniversary Gala.

The black tie event on Saturday, November 7 at the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel will recognize many founding members, community organizations and residents who made becoming a city a possibility. Significant events will also be highlighted.

A 24-year-old South Lake Tahoe man was arrested Thursday on several charges stemming from an incident at his ex-girlfriend's home the night before.

According to South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD), Jesus Corona Mariscal went to the former girlfriend's home on Wednesday night. He entered the home, allegedly grabbed her throat and choked her, then stole her keys and phone, and left.

El Dorado County Area 5 Supervisor Sue Novasel will be hosting a community meeting on October 15, at 6:00 p.m., at the City of South Lake Tahoe Council Chambers, located at 1901 Airport. Road, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150. The public is encouraged to attend.

“This is a great opportunity for the community to gather and give input on subjects and concerns important to them,” says Novasel. “Community input is key to our improvement.”

Join Supervisor Novasel to offer input to improve county services and identify priorities at Lake Tahoe.

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.

A man from Homewood, CA was arrested and cited on September 25, 2015 for allegedly furnishing alcoholic beverages to minors during the South Lake Tahoe Police Department's "Decoy Shoulder Tap Operation."

Mark Finlayson, 38, was approached by a minor under the direct supervision of a peace officer outside a store in the area of Emerald Bay Road and Lake Tahoe Blvd. The minor asked Finlayson to buy them alcohol, stating they were underage and couldn't purchase the alcohol by themselves.

Finlayson faces a minimum $1000 fine and 24 hours of community service.

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.

Several South Lake Tahoe projects were awarded this week by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) as being the "Best in the Basin" for demonstrating exceptional planning, design, and compatibility with Lake Tahoe’s environment and communities.

The projects that were recognized upgraded highways, built new bike trails, improved water quality, restored environmentally-sensitive areas, remodeled blighted commercial buildings, and created defensible space for better wildfire protection.

The Best in the Basin award winners are:

It is time once again for traditional South Lake Tahoe kick-off of the holiday season over the last 24 years, the Tahoe Toy Run.

Motorcycles full of toys for local youth in need will make their 25th run down Highway 50, this year from the airport to Sonney's BBQ Shack on October 3 starting at 10 a.m.

Bikers will start lining up the airport, which is located at 1901 Airport Road in South Lake Tahoe, at 10 a.m. for a 12 p.m. departure.

They will then proceed down Highway 50/Emerald Bay Road on the way to the party at Sonney's at 787 Emerald Bay Road.

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.

In just three days, five cars were reported stolen in South Lake Tahoe.

On Thursday, September 10, a man who lives in the 2400 block of William Avenue called police to report his car stolen. When police arrived, they found out the man had lent the car to someone who hadn't returned it.

The following day, a white Ford F250 with a rack was reported stolen in the 1000 block of William. It has not been recovered and there are no suspects. The Nevada license plate number is NRC917.

Three cars were stolen on Saturday, September 12.

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.

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.

9/6

4:20 a.m. - Noise complaint from Vacation Home - Prospector Trail - DEPUTIES RESPONDED TO A NOISE COMPLAINT AT A VACATION RENTAL.

11:40 a.m. - Vacation Home Report - Toppewetah Street - REPORT DOCUMENTS REPORTED VHR PERMIT VIOLATION.

What once took hours of City of South Lake Tahoe staff time as well as weeks for applicants to get answers may soon be a one hour process.

Since it was organized in 2014, the City Attorney has been working with departments to update each section of the City Code. For portions that pertains to zoning, land use, development standards and building standards, City staff looked at ways to streamline the process and remove permit process portions of the code where possible.

An online biking guide for cyclists of all abilities in the South Lake Tahoe, North Lake Tahoe, Truckee, Carson Valley and California Alps just been released. Bike Tahoe: Tahoe’s Ultimate Bicycling Guide, features 65 of the most popular bicycle rides in and around the Lake Tahoe Basin, and can be visited at www.BikeTahoe.org. This is a “responsive web site” meaning that it automatically resizes the content format to fit the screen size of the device being used (smart phone, tablet, laptop).