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The interim Douglas County Manager, Larry Werner, just signed a contract to stay on board until December, 2017.

A contract for professional services with BHC Consultants, LLC for services provided by Werner was unanimously approved by the Douglas County Commission during their public meeting on August 4, 2016.

The contract will remain the same at a fixed cost of $14,333 per month with a $700 per month car allowance.

The Virginia Mountains Complex fires burning about 35 miles north of Reno have burned almost 60,000 acres since being started by lightning on July 29. The complex is composed of five separate wildland fires, including the Anderson (16,284 acres), Sage (4,238 acres), Seven Lakes (3,063 acres), Rock (2,293 acres) and Tule (30,340 acres) Fires. The fires are burning within about 20 miles of each other in an arc.

The 607 firefighters working on the fires have been able to get them 73 percent contained.

Ski Run Blvd and Pioneer Trail will be transformed into a large water party pn August 27 when a 1000-ft water slide lets participants slipe and slide their way down the streets in South Lake Tahoe.

The Tahoe Regional Young Professional group is bringing "Slide the City" to town not only as a fundraiser, but as a fun and local event that will also feature live music, vendors and food through three-city blocks. In order for TRYP to get the funds, those ordering tickets must use the promo code "TRYPSLIDE."

A construction project at the Cave Rock Boat Launch area has been underway for the past three weeks, closing part of the parking lot, and now the rest of the area will close starting Monday, August 1.

Nevada State Parks is installling new curbs and sidewalks, upgrading restrooms, removing the old unused boat ramp at the south end of the park, restriping the parking spaces and other enhancemnts to ease conjestion.

Volunteers are needed to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive plants in Lake Tahoe. The League to Save Lake Tahoe's Eyes on the Lake program allows water lovers to do what they enjoy doing while helping preserve the lake's clarity.

If you are a SCUBA diver, paddler, swimmer, beachgoer, or boater and want to help ensure Tahoe's waters stay clear and pristine, Eyes on the Lake is for you. Volunteers will learn how to identify plants in the classroom and in the field. Help protect the Lake while you play.

Location

Lake Tahoe experienced a year like no other in 2015, according to scientists from the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center in its annual Tahoe: State of the Lake Report, released this week.

Lake Tahoe is experienced warming water, a 4.8 foot drop in clarity, increased algae and a lowering water level.

Thanks to global climate change, Lake Tahoe is warming faster than ever according to the report which covers results from tests conducted on the lake in 2015 concerning water temperature, clarity, invasive species and more.

With higher than average temperatures in the Sierra this week it is important to know the warning signs of too much exposure to the heat. It is important to stay hydrated and limit times outdoors in the direct sun.

Heat Exhaustion: According to WebMD, heat exhaustion is a heat-related illness that can occur after you've been exposed to high temperatures, and it often is accompanied by dehydration.

There are two types of heat exhaustion:
Water depletion. Signs include excessive thirst, weakness, headache, and loss of consciousness.

Wine is a major industry in this part of the country but with the ongoing drought how can production become more sustainable? UC Davis has created a new center to develop these technologies in order to address this issue. Learn how this industry can change while tasting and learning about what they are producing.

The Science of Wine will be discussed at the UC Davis TERC Center on August 24, starting with 5:30 p.m. no-host cocktails and the talk from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Catching a glimpse and photo of favorite celebrities weren't the only things being caught over at Edgewood Tahoe this weekend, large Mackinaw were also in on the action.

Capt. Paul Mueller and customers on board his Tahoe Sport Fishing charter were fishing in the water offshore from the American Century Golf Championship on Friday, July 22. Fish weren't biting so Mueller was planning on relocating when he decided, at the last minute, to take another pass at the same spot and go at it differently and alter his technique.

A 4,000 acres project in the North Lake Tahoe area is underway to thin trees in the forests to be both fire safe by reducing fuels, and to keep the forest healthy.

The latest project in the Incline Village area started last week on approximately 355 acres of National Forest System lands above Incline Village. Mechanical cut-to-length (CTL) tree removal will take place on USFS urban lots and in areas adjacent to communities over the next several months and some areas will be closed for public safety.

3:30 p.m. update from Douglas County Officials: The water line has been located, but it is 15 feet deep with a gas line in the excavation hole and unmarked fiber optic lines running parallel to the edge of pavement along the old road bed. Therefore, efforts are currently limited to the use of a vactor truck for excavation.

The road crew is working with utilities on the excavation. It is anticipated that the crews will be working into the night to make the leak repair. Crockett Construction is onsite and they will be performing the excavation once fiber optics are located.

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.

A plunge into Lake Tahoe can literally take your breath away. It may be hot outside, but the lake can be dangerously cold. Lake Tahoe’s average surface temperature in July is 63°F, and can drop to 53°F just 18 inches below the surface.

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.

A female inmate from Placer County enjoyed only about 50 minutes of freedom on Friday after she escaped a road work crew.

The July 19 meeting of the South Lake Tahoe City Council should be a long one, with multiple items on the agenda ranging from vacation rentals to massage parlors.

Some of the items the Council will be addressing:

Old Business: Vote on Vacation Home Rental changes to the code which grandfather in multi-family units with a permit by September 1, a request by SnowGlobe to extend their contract by 3-10 years and budgetary items.

The El Dorado County Storm Water Team is surveying residents to better understand public awareness and concerns about water use and storm water management. The information from the survey will help the team develop a strategy to prioritize water quality protection efforts.

They would like citizens to complete the anonymous survey found here: https://www.survey monkey.com/r/RK6DHPY.

It should take no longer than ten minutes to complete and will be available through August 31, 2016.

With road construction to enhance driver safety on U.S. 50 in Lake Tahoe’s Cave Rock area, the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) is reminding motorists to anticipate minor travel delays during special events such as the American Century Championship golf tournament.

“We encourage everyone to visit and enjoy Lake Tahoe,” NDOT District Engineer Thor Dyson explained. “But, with many visitors traveling to Lake Tahoe, drivers should plan a little extra travel time for road improvements being made in the Cave Rock area.”

Last summer, South Lake Tahoe was one of the home bases for two Bombardier CL415 firefighting aircraft known as "Super Scoopers," and as of this weekend, they are back again.

The two planes are part of national firefighting efforts, so can be moved at any time depending on needs. They arrived from fighting fires in Alaska, and find the Lake Tahoe area a good base since close to areas susceptible to fire. They are prioritized on a daily basis by the National Interagency Fire Center.

A San Francisco woman died on the South Fork of the American River near Kyburz while rafting on Saturday, July 9.

Elaine Yi Mau, 32, was camping at the China Flat Campground with friends when they took rafts into the nearby river. At 4:09 p.m., the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office was told of a rafting accident involving Mau. She had been on a raft with someone who fell off, and when he surfaced, Mau was gone.

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.

The most common misunderstanding about swimming in Lake Tahoe is that people can suffer from hypothermia, which leads to death. The real truth is that "cold water shock" will kill much quicker than hypothermia ever will.

"The sudden lowering of skin temperature on immersion in cold water represents one of the most profound stimuli that the body can encounter." Golden and Tipton in Essentials of Sea Survival

The Nevada Department of Wildlife is increasing their educational campaign for boaters and swimmers to understand the dangers of cold water at Lake Tahoe.

Thinning of trees for fuels reduction and forest health will resume on Thursday, July 7 on approximately 178 acres of National Forest System lands on the northeast side of Highway 267, north of Lake Vista Road above Kings Beach and Tahoe Vista. Mechanical whole tree removal will take place off Forest Road 16N52 over the next several months and the area will be closed for public safety.

The California Transportation Commission (CTC) has adopted 156 projects, valued at $583 million, to support needed upkeep on California’s aging roads and bridges, make upgrades to transit and rail systems and encourage use of alternative forms of transportation, including biking and walking. One major project in South Lake Tahoe has been adopted.