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DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - The investigation into the murder of two Gardnerville, Nevada women continues and Douglas County Sheriff Dan Coverley urges the community to remain vigilant and to pay attention in their neighborhoods.

During the evening of January 9-10, 56-year-old Connie Koontz was murdered in her home on James Road and sometime in the overnight hours of January 12-13, 74-year-old Sophia Renken was also murdered in her home.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Bread & Broth, the local nonprofit tasked with feeding those in need on the South Shore, will be the beneficiary of the annual Connect for a Cause Charity Mixer on Thursday, January 24, 2019 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Riva Grill in South Lake Tahoe.

Hosted by the Tahoe Chamber, the mixer will raise funds and gather food donations for the group's Bread & Broth 4 Kids program which gives away up to 170 bags of food each weekend to local school children in grades K-8.

Nevada's 30th governor will take office on Monday, Jan. 7 at an inauguration ceremony held in front of the State Capitol in Carson City.

Stephen F. Sisolak, Nevada's first Democratic governor in two decades, was elected on Nov. 6, 2018. He will take the oath of office on the front steps of the Capitol Monday at 11:30 a.m., according to his inauguration web site.

Capitol grounds will open prior to the ceremony at 10:30 a.m. and a public reception will follow at the Nevada State Library and Archives located on the northeast corner of the Capitol complex.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Thousands of music fans and dozens of performers are headed to South Lake Tahoe for the 8th annual SnowGlobe Music Festival from December 29-31. Before they get here, hundreds of workers are spending many hours preparing the scene from the delivery and installation of stages, tents, electrical cables, ski jumps, trailers, vehicles and port-a-potties.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Emma, the world’s first digital mountain assistant, announced she is vailable to guide guests at nine Vail Resort properties, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Whistler Blackcomb in Canada; and Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in Tahoe. Guests can text Emma their questions at 77477.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - When Laura Alvarez De Ruiz, her husband and three children found themselves homeless just a week before Christmas their future was uncertain.

De Ruiz and her family filled one of six apartments at 3546 Spruce Avenue until December 17. That was when they had to vacate their home after the landlord failed to provide safe housing for residents and the City of South Lake Tahoe shut it down.

For eight years the South Lake Tahoe Moose Lodge 1632 has supplied boxes of food supplies for local families in need, and this year will be no different.

On Tuesday, members of the lodge delivered 50 decorated boxes to the Family Resource Center, each packed full of a ham, vegetables, canned goods, pasta, potatoes, bread, tortillas and everything else needed to feed a family a big holiday meal, and then more for leftovers.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - On December 12 six South Lake Tahoe families learned the apartment building they called home was no longer habitable and they had to vacate by December 17.

As the deadline loomed panic set in for the residents of 3546 Spruce Avenue, they tried to find new housing in a city where available rentals are almost non-existent, especially for those of a lower income level without financial means to pay higher rent and deposits.

Much appreciation to South Lake Tahoe’s Bread & Broth and Smart & Final for their generosity in supporting Mt. Tallac High School.

Their donations have assisted students in need, given them hope, and created traditions that build connections among students, staff and community. Thank you for putting a smile on students’ faces.

We are grateful and appreciative for Bread & Broth’s philanthropic mission to feed others and Smart & Final’s mission to improve the quality of life in our community!

- Sara Justice
Director Mt. Tallac High School

Memorial services for Dr. Stephen Banner, a popular South Lake Tahoe orthopedist who died on December 13, 2018, have been set.

On Tuesday, December 18 there will be a viewing at McFarlane Mortuary from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Then, on Wednesday, December 19, a funeral service will be held at Saint Theresa’s Parish at 10:00 a.m. with burial following at Happy Homestead at 11:15 a.m. There will be a reception following the burial at Grace Hall.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Six families in South Lake Tahoe don't know where they will be spending Christmas after receiving notice Wednesday that the apartment building they've been calling home was found to be unsafe, giving them until Monday, December 17 to find a place to live.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There is now a new plan for students at Sierra House Elementary School, one that will require some to move over to the Al Tahoe site sooner than expected.

On Monday, December 3rd, Zachary (Zachy) Andrew Harris passed away from injuries sustained in a car accident in San Luis Obispo, California. He was born in South Lake Tahoe, California on July 1, 2000. Zachy graduated from South Tahoe High School in June 2018 and attended Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo.

After further evaluation on their school restoration and cleaning plan, Belfor has asked Sierra House Elementary to be vacant starting the week of December 17.

This access with no students or staff present will facilitate clean up and reconstruction so that the job can be completed thoroughly and with integrity by the time school resumes after the Christmas break.

In order to accommodate Belfor, Sierra House Principal Karin Holmes has let those affected they will be moving all of students and staff to Al Tahoe Elementary School (the Lake Tahoe Boy's and Girl's Club site).

A South Tahoe High graduate has been identified as the victim in a single car crash on Highway 1 just after 3:00 p.m. Monday, December 3, 2018.

According to a press release from the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff-Coroner, the sole occupant of the vehicle was 18-year-old Zachary Andrew Harris of South Lake Tahoe.

Sheriff's deputies and officers from the California Highway Patrol responded to a single vehicle versus tree collision at Highway 1 and Stenner Creek Road, in-between Cuesta College and San Luis Obispo.

He was declared dead at the scene.

STATELINE, Nev. - There is something for everyone, young and old, at the 10th annual Festival of Trees and Lights this weekend at MontBleu Resort. The convention center at the Stateline casino has been turned into a winter wonderland that is highlighted by the star of the show, the festive Christmas trees.

The winter celebration includes the Senior Stroll, Teddy Bear Brunch, Family Night, the Gala and much more from Friday, Dec. 7 through Sunday, Dec. 9.

Public viewing: Friday, Dec. 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 9 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Secember 5, 2018 - Sierra House Elementary School Principal Karin Holmes has issued another update for parents to keep them informed of the progress in the fire clean up at the South Lake Tahoe school.

The latest storm to hit the Lake Tahoe area has left behind a few inches of snow around the lake but will leaving the area overnight.

Road controls remain up this morning, no matter where you are in the Reno/Tahoe area. The storm hit the Reno-Sparks, Carson City and Carson Valley areas much more than expected Tuesday night, prompting school delays and roads remain challenging there today. A Winter Storm Warning remains in place until 10:00 a.m.

The forecast for Wednesday:

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - During their annual community grant EpicPromise celebration, 93 local nonprofits were awarded a total of $1.9 million in cash as well as additional in-kind product support. Across the company, Vail Resorts will give $11.4 million in support to more than 250 community non-profits over the upcoming year.

Each year Vail gives away money and product to groups serving the communities they have resorts located. For Kirkwood, Heavenly and Northstar, support was given to support the health and resilience of the Truckee and South Lake Tahoe communities.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The air quality test conducted at Sierra House Elementary on Friday has come back negative for asbestos.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A fire that destroyed a hallway, reading room and teacher's room on Sunday, November 11 was just seconds away from engulfing all of Sierra House Elementary. Had it not been for the quick response by Lake Valley Fire Protection District the discussion would be about replacing the 44-year-old South Lake Tahoe school rather than the processes involved to get it cleaned up and opened in just two days.

Hunter Weiss was 20-years-old when he attended the annual SnowGlobe Music Festival in South Lake Tahoe and was heading home to Reno on New Year's Day 2018. He and a friend pulled their vehicle over to sleep and left a propane heater on in the front of the truck to stay warm. Hunter died of carbon monoxide poisoning but his friend survived due to an open window on his side of the vehicle.

Weiss had been an organ donor and his corneas gave the gift of sight to two people, one whom had never seen before.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Two local bears found themselves in places that normally don't see bears--Rideout Elementary School in Tahoe City and the Donner Pass Highway Patrol office. In both instances, the doors closed behind them and the bears found themselves trapped inside.

On Saturday November 24, a bear decided to visit the school's food closet and ransack it in search for a good meal.

"This bear decided he was NOT going to miss out on Thanksgiving dinner!" the Placer Sheriff's Office joked on their Twitter page.

The longstanding tradition of a decorated fire truck in South Lake Tahoe and Meyers continues again in 2018. Here is the Lake Valley Fire Protection District's holiday engine neighborhood schedule. The truck runs December 11-23, 2018.

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.