we can

Congratulations to the five hundred and sixty-seven students from Lake Tahoe Unified School District who participated in Barton Health’s sixth annual We Can! program. We Can, which stands for Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition, is a 7-week program designed for 4th and 5th graders that encourages healthy eating habits, activity, exercise, and overall wellness. We Can! is a national program that is implemented locally by Barton Health and the school district’s physical education teachers.

As 2013 draws to a close, it provides an opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments of many this year. It was just a few short years ago, in the midst of the Great Recession, both public agencies and private companies throughout the basin were in the middle of layoffs, service reductions and unemployment hovering above 17%. Concerns regarding economic recovery were significant. Rather than buckling under, we buckled down, got things done and prepared for recovery.

South Lake Tahoe, CA – Tahoe-based nonprofit the Zawadisha Fund is teaming up again with Bona Fide Books to offer an opportunity to shop locally while having global impact this holiday season. Connect with contemporary local artists, crafters and entrepreneurs at the 3rd Annual Zawadisha Holiday Bazaar on Sat., Dec. 7th, from 10am-3pm at Bona Fide Books,1069 Magua Street in Meyers, CA. All vendor space fees benefit the Zawadisha Fund.

My daughter and I had been planning our annual Apple Hill trek for several days when I decided to change it up a bit. Since my free time is so rare I figured why not include a visit to our favorite little town Sutter Creek? And then, since we're doing that, might as well throw in a drive down beautiful Highway 4! Since the portion of the road we'll be covering is closed after the first big snow we had to do it! The day was plotted on a map in my head with some verification on google maps. The map said our little trip was going to take 5 hours and 10 minutes and cover 225 miles.

Even professionals can find it difficult to comprehend the speed at which a wildfire can move, so for the public it can be tough to understand it unless you have witnessed it firsthand. With any luck you may never have such a life changing experience. Trying to predict what causes a small wildland fire in the neighborhood to grow to one of the largest wildland fires in the state's history is challenging. The Rim Fire is burning in terrain similar to what we find in Amador and El Dorado Counties, so it is a short leap to think, it could happen here.

"We will never, never forget" were the words spoken by U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock, 4th District of California, as Gold Star Peak was dedicated in South Lake Tahoe today. A bronze memorial plaque commemorating the peak was unveiled during the ceremony held at Lakeview Commons. Mayor Tom Davis told the group gathered, "We're proud to be able to have a memorial we can view every day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year." The plaque is placed near beach level with a clear view of Gold Star Peak.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in the Sierra, Northern California and Nevada. This report is for the week of Aug. 28 through Labor Day. Don't forget, California's second free day of fishing without a license will be Saturday, Sept. 7.

For those looking to boost career success and improve quality of life, head to the Thriving Community Program for an entertaining and uplifting presentation hosted by Tahoe Tallac Association.

The Tahoe Fund is kicking off its 2013 fundraising season with the announcement of four 2013 Signature Projects that will help restore Lake Tahoe clarity and improve recreation in the Basin.

The projects include beach improvements at Sand Harbor State Park, Asian Clam control in Emerald Bay, a mile of bike trail along the West Shore, and a new bridge across Angora Creek in the Washoe Meadows State Park. Interested donors can learn more about these projects on the Tahoe Fund website here.

Professional snowboarder Jamie Anderson has had it in her mind for years that she wants to jump over a busy mountain road in what is technically backcountry terrain at Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort, the Lake Tahoe resort she’s called home since she was a child.

In this week’s episode of “Mountain Movers,” on the National Geographic Channel the Snow Park Technologies crew will build a one-of-a-kind 65-foot road gap for Jamie as she attempts to break a snowboarding record and become the first female rider to jump that distance.

Restoring the Upper Truckee River and the 2013 home building season allocations both received the green light Wednesday from the Governing Board of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.

Fifteen students from San Diego State University will forego the typical spring break of beaches and relaxation to teach thousands of children in a small mountain community how to save energy and save the environment.

Members of the student organization CALPIRG Energy Service Corps will travel to South Lake Tahoe, Calif., from March 31 through April 5 to spread the word on energy savings.

Location

Nevada son and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid addressed a joint session of the Nevada State Legislature today in Carson City. Here is the text of his speech:

Lake Tahoe Community College was informed Wednesday by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges that the college has addressed the visiting team recommendations from October 2012 in the accreditation Follow-Up Report.

The ACCJC required LTCC resolve five recommendations following the last college self-study, which was completed in October of 2011.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California, Lake Tahoe and the Sierra. This report is for the week of Feb. 6-12.

EarthScope, the world’s largest earth-science program, has selected University of Nevada, Reno geophysicist and director of the Nevada Seismological Laboratory Graham Kent to lecture at several universities this year as part of their annual speaker series.

Kent will lecture in the National Science Foundation-funded EarthScope Speaker Series about underwater paleoseismology techniques he pioneered at Lake Tahoe with colleague Neal Driscoll of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

TEDx, an online education series and offshoot of the popular TED Talks programs, will happen at South Lake Tahoe March 23. The theme of the program is "clarity" and the event will be held at Tahoe Production House.

Well-intentioned children and aquarium hobbyists seeking to “free” their pet fish down a toilet bowl or into a local waterway may inadvertently be contributing to the threat of invasive species downstream, according to a new report from the University of California, Davis.

The South Lake Tahoe Rec Center will offer a special “Kids Night Out” on Monday, Dec. 31. Two party options are being offered:
Monday, Dec. 31st from 6:00 pm – Tuesday, Jan. 1st to 1am for $50 per child.
OR, Monday, Dec. 31st from 6:00 pm – Tuesday, Jan. 1st to 10am for $100 per child.

The shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut has claimed the lives of 26 people, 20 of them children. This is a tragedy that has gained national attention and has wrenched the hearts of Carson City residents. Saturday night, December 15, as the sun sets at 6 p.m., members of the Carson City business community will host a candlelight vigil on the sidewalk of the Nevada State Capitol building, located at 101 North Carson Street.

Below is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California, Lake Tahoe and the Sierra. This report is for the week of Dec. 12-18. We want to note a big fish caught by Eric St. Denis of South Lake Tahoe, Calif., pictured above. Eric caught a 28-pound, 9-ounce Mackinaw trout at Lake Tahoe on Dec. 9, at 10:30 a.m. Photos courtesy of Gene St. Denis of Blue Ribbon Charters.
The Lake Tahoe record for Mackinaw Trout is a 37-pound, 6-ounce (44 inches in length) trophy caught by Robert Aronsen, way back in 1974. To date, only a handful of Macks have been caught that have weighed 30 pounds or more.

As I end my role as Mayor, I am jazzed. While the tendency is to focus on what's wrong with the City, the truth is the City has had a very successful year. In April, Council set five strategic goals:

Here is the fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California, Southern Oregon and the Sierra for the week of Nov. 21 through Nov. 27.

Follow the money trail on the “Hole” fiasco and you will find a mess. When the hole first stopped all of the reasons that were given by Randy Lane were false, wrong and an outright lie to the people of South Lake Tahoe. The real reason work was stopped was due to the two liens filed by two Nevada companies that did work and never got paid.