support

Dan Deemer, a member of Kirkwood Mountain Resort’s Guest Services team, was one of the sponsor crew volunteers who came to help at Bread & Broth’s dinner on Monday, November 2nd. After spending time on the serving line dishing out generous portions of chili and pizza, he took a moment to jot down his views on his time spent at Kirkwood’s “Adopt A Day” dinner. “The opportunity to directly give back to the local community is extremely rewarding,” he wrote. “The appreciation of those who are in need can be seen in their smiling faces.”

Tahoe Youth & Family Services has been the recipient of some truly amazing kindness from the community in the last few months.

A baby’s brain is like a flower, if it’s stressed, it wilts; If the flower is nourished, it blooms.

Those are the telling words used to open the film, Effects of Domestic Violence on Children. As our brains grow, they create a blueprint for every new experience we have, the sounds, the touches and the sights. We may not remember what happens to us as a baby but our experiences are forever etched in our brains and create the building blocks of our lives.

A little snow isn't going to get in the way of South Lake Tahoe's hosting of the 2015 NIAA Division 1-A High School Boys & Girls Soccer Championships November 13 and 14.

Since the new field at South Tahoe High is synthetic, snow can be plowed easily off the field, leaving it in good shape.

"Our maintenance department has done a great job of clearing the soccer field which is in excellent condition considering we recently had two snowstorms" said STHS Athletic Director Tony Sunzeri.

The popular Lake Tahoe basin Christmas tree permits from the U.S Forest Service go on sale Monday, November 16 on both the South Shore and November 18 on the North Shore.

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 USFS lists noon on December 24 as the last day for sales, they are normally sold out well before that date. In 2014, tree permits sold out on December 4. The last day to cut a tree down is Christmas Day, December 25, 2015.

In a community with many needs, the Barton Foundation today donated $35,500 to ten different agencies that provide services to the residents of South Lake Tahoe during their annual Philanthropy Day. For the seventh year, the Barton Foundation gave away money raised through their annual fundraising efforts which include the annual Festival of Lights.

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

Nathaniel Marston, 40, the former star of soap operas One Life to Live and As the World Turns, was seriously injured in a single vehicle rollover accident in Northern Nevada on Friday, October 30.

With predictions for one of the biggest winters in over a decade, now is the time to buy a Lake Tahoe license plate so you can ski for free in Tahoe. The popular “Plates for Powder” program is back, and once again offers individuals who purchase a new Lake Tahoe license plate in either California or Nevada two free lift tickets to one of 12 Tahoe resorts participating in the program.

These are challenging times for businesses and many entrepreneurs are left without the guidance necessary to build sustainable businesses. Fortunately, the Tahoe Tactical Team is available to assist current and prospective business owners in their entrepreneurial journey. This past week, the Tahoe Tactical Team expanded its business coaching program to include businesses and entrepreneurs in Douglas County due to a grant from the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development.

A fun 3k walk with a twist is the next fundraiser for Tahoe Youth & Family Services. After this summer's successful Color Blast Run, they are now having an Ugly Sweater Walk starting at 10 a.m. on November 14, 2015 at Lake Tahoe Community College.

The agency's intern, Indee Lacayo, is planning the event as part of her Community Health curriculum at the University of Nevada, Reno. Lacayo is a lifelong South Lake Tahoe resident.

Over the past three years, a new master plan for the South Lake Tahoe airport has been in the creation process, from the awarding of a $315,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2012 to community outreach to Tuesday's presentation on a final design plan.

It's been almost 100 years since Antoine de Saint-Exupery wrote, "A goal without a plan, is just a wish." This is still true today, and the City of South Lake Tahoe has been busy getting area plans completed so current and future goals could be planned.

They have joined forces with El Dorado County to come up with a Parks, Trails and Recreation Master Plan for the Lake Tahoe South Shore, and not only is it ready to look over, the public is invited to participate in its review during an upcoming meeting.

On June 14, 2014, the South Lake Tahoe City Council voted to delay the implementation of the second phase of the plastic bag ban in the city. Originally slated to begin on October 15, 2014, the Council, by a vote of 3-2, moved the start date out one year to October 15, 2015.

Now that the second phase of the ban has started, Mayor Hal Cole wants to revisit that portion of the ban.

Cole said he wants to undo the ban on plastic bags for retail stores and asked for the topic to be on an upcoming agenda.

The South Tahoe Middle School PTA will receive 60% of sales October 16-18 at Snø Frozen Yogurt Cafe located at the Chateau at Heavenly.

All sales will help the students if you mention you are there to support STMS.

Snø Frozen Yogurt Cafe is South Lake Tahoe's only froyo destination, conveniently located just steps from the Stateline casinos and Heavenly's gondola in the new Chateau development. Try their 12 flavors of frozen yogurt and refreshing sorbets
and top it off with over 50 toppings.

They are open from 11 a.m. to midnight on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday.

October is pumpkin spice and jack o lanterns and crisp mornings and pink ribbons. It is Halloween and homecoming and races “for the cure”. For people like me, with metastatic breast cancer, it is “Pinktober” and a reminder that we will never be cured, because despite 30 years of awareness and fundraising, 40,000 Americans still die every year from metastatic breast cancer, just as many as died in 1970.

Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority (LTVA), NBC and American Century Investments already gave $51,500 to South Lake Tahoe area Soroptimists, the Boys and Girls Club, high schools and the Gene Upshaw Scholarhip Fund, but they still have more to give away.

LTVA is now accepting applications from local nonprofits for distributions of $55,600 as a result of the 26th American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament.

The man who came forward after his picture was circulated as being a suspect in a sexual assault case has been cleared by the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD).

Get ready for Tahoe WordWave, a literary event the likes of which has never before been seen in South Lake Tahoe, and the rest of the country is taking note.

Modeled after San Francisco's LitQuake, organizers of Tahoe WordWave have gathered creative and inspiring writers, musicians, and performers from around the country to share their talents over a three day experience at Tallac Historic Site. The festival will be interactive, featuring readings, workshops, plays, open mics, guided hikes, and oral storytelling.

Like many Americans, law enforcement folks have been deeply moved by the horrific images we have seen in Oregon. A certain feeling of helplessness has become the norm when we look at these events from the prevention perspective. We may ask questions like:

“Why do people who would do such a thing have access to a gun?”
“Why didn’t people who knew the shooter do something to stop him before people died?”

In light of the recent ambushes and assignations of police officers across the country, communities in the U.S. celebrated the third "National Thank a Police Officer Day" on September 19.

South Lake Tahoe local Daniella Flatau tried to encourage people to support law enforcement by organizing the local celebration of a day meant to show those sworn to protect the public that people support them, especially in a day and age where violence against the police is increasing daily.

"The Factory Stores at the Y" will soon be transformed into "The Crossing at Tahoe Valley" if the plan is approved by the City of South Lake Tahoe. In January, 2015, The Sutter Capital Group of Sacramento announced they had purchased the property after it fell into bankruptcy.

The Animal Coalition of Tahoe’s 11th annual Mutt Strut Poker Run, a fun, family event where you can get a little exercise with your pooch, play poker, and maybe win some prizes is just a few days away!

The Mutt Strut will begin at the corner of Lake Tahoe Boulevard and Lakeview Avenue with registration from 11:30 a.m. to noon on Sunday September 27.

Last spring, Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) students in 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 11th grades took a new style of state testing. The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) was an on-line assessment that measured their problem solving and critical thinking skills.

LTUSD Superintendent Dr. James Tarwater will present the results to the School Board Trustees during Tuesday's board meeting.