A bear cub on Sept. 1 sits outside a trap that contains its mother. Photo/Carolyn Stark

Updated 3:37pm:

A female bear was captured in a trap in Crystal Bay this morning that Nevada Division of Wildlife had set.

This was not the bear officials were trying to catch. The sow’s cub was outside the trap trying to get to its mom.

Chris Healy, spokesman for NDOW, told Lake Tahoe News the targeted bear — not the trapped bear — had broken into a building in the area.

The sow, weighing about 150 pounds, and 6-month-old, 30-pound cub were reunited. Both bears were tranquilized, tagged, tattooed and microchipped in order to identify them in the future should they come back in to contact with humans. Neither bear had previously been handled by NDOW.

They will be released Sept. 2 — after sleeping off the effects of the tranquilizer drugs — in the mountains above Crystal Bay.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Kathryn Reed

The South Lake Tahoe Recreation Center is off the table as a resource for the homeless to stay warm during the winter.

That was the direction the City Council took Tuesday after much discussion and a presentation by the Tahoe Homeless Coalition.

A group of individuals has come together to establish a warm room that would be open Nov. 1-April 30 between 8:30pm and 6:30am. It would be for adults without pets.

The coalition came to the council Sept. 1 with the goal of securing access to the rec center on select nights through the winter season for people to seek refuge from the cold. It would not be open every night, but only when the temperature was projected to reach a certain level.

Councilwoman Wendy David was the only member who wanted the rec center to be used in this manner. (Councilmember Tom Davis was absent until the afternoon budget presentation.) The other three believe there would be a conflict between users, didn’t want people kicked out into the cold at dawn, and had other concerns.

All four, though, agreed there is a need for a warm room. They also support using a city facility if appropriate. Councilman Austin Sass even advocated for using taxpayer money to house the people in a $20/night hotel when needed.

The council ultimately decided to appoint Councilmembers JoAnn Conner and David to a committee to work with the homeless coalition to find an answer.

Representatives from Temple Bat Yam and Unity at the Lake spoke of offering their facilities as a backup to the rec center, but had their own constraints for not being able to use their facilities on a regular basis.

In other action:

·      The council voted to create a policy where money could be given to nonprofits on a case-by-case basis for economic development and political advocacy. Cash cannot be given to social organizations. The vote was 3-1, with Conner voting no.

·      The council adopted a policy to decide who will be inducted into the Champions Plaza at Lakeview Commons. The Parks and Recreation Commission will be the panel making the decision based on the criteria and an application that must be submitted. Individual or team names will be etched on paving stones. Still to be determined is the funding source for the bricks.

·      The idea of a key for the city was brought forward, but died for lack of desire to move forward.

·      Sept. 19 is the city’s 50th anniversary parade from Al Tahoe Boulevard to the Y. The two southbound lanes of Highway 50 will be used. Sept. 4 at 5pm is now the deadline to apply. There are more than 50 entities participating – including walking groups, floats and vehicles. The theme is Past, Present and Future.

·      Nov. 11 is the city’s gala at Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel. The city is putting in $15,000 to lower the cost to about $65 per ticket. It’s expected 250 people will attend. A book about the city’s first 50 years is being created by Bona Fide Books in Meyers; cost is $25.

The Lake Tahoe Historical Society is hosting a Chautauqua performance on Sept. 20.

Six figures from the past will come to life at the Valhalla Grand Hall on the South Shore starting at 5pm.

Tickets are $60 for historical members, $70 for others. The price includes dinner. Tickets are available by calling 530.541.5458.

By Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times

A drought can make a hot day hotter, while a heat wave can make dry conditions even drier. Now scientists are making the case that heat waves and droughts have become more likely to overlap throughout most of the United States.

In fact, the longer and hotter the heat wave, the bigger the jump in the odds that it coincided with drought conditions, according to a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“Despite an apparent hiatus in rising temperature and no significant trend in droughts, we show a substantial increase in concurrent droughts and heatwaves across most parts of the United States,” wrote Omid Mazdiyasni and Amir AghaKouchak, who study climate and hydrology trends at UC Irvine.

Read the whole story

Expect delays and detours in the Black Bart, Martin, Barbara avenues area of the South Shore later this month and into October.

Barbara Avenue is scheduled to be closed to all traffic on Sept. 23 and Sept. 28. Motorists will be detoured to Fountain Avenue.

Directional closures of Black Bart Avenue and Martin Avenue are scheduled for between 7am-7pm Sept. 21-25 and Sept. 29-Oct. 7.

This is so El Dorado County can fix the roads with an asphalt concrete overlay.

For more info, call 530.573.7914 or email dan.kikkert@edcgov.us.

·       The BBC will be filming the Sugar Pine Foundation’s sugar pine cone collections for the “Wild West” series. Filming will occur Sept. 10-14 at Sugar Pine Point State Park and Secret Harbor.

·       Senate Bill 168, which would protect forests, property and the lives of citizens, firefighters and emergency personnel from drone interference, passed out of the Senate and is now headed to the Assembly. It is authored by state Sen. Ted Gaines, R-El Dorado.

·       Cutthroat’s Saloon at Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe has created a beer club called Craftheads United in Lake Tahoe – or CULT for short.

·       U.S. Forest Service firefighters have responded to 1,361 fires this year that have burned 335,875 acres of national forest in California.

·       The annual conference of the Western Regional Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species is Sept. 2-4 on the South Shore.

Two women and a man were killed Sunday night and another person was seriously injured when the vehicle they were in struck a tree on Highway 50 near Fresh Pond.

The names of the four have not be released, however the California Highway Patrol identified three being from Southern California and one from out of state.

The Dodge Nitro was going west on the highway about 11:50pm Aug. 30 when the driver failed to make a curve, left the road, went down an embankment and struck a tree. The roof of the vehicle was sheared off. The three who died were not wearing seat belts and were ejected, according to officers. The fourth person was belted in and was able to reach the highway for help.

Alcohol and drugs do appear to be a factor, according to authorities.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times

Are we, with the best of intentions, putting young athletes at risk when we urge them to drink lots of fluids during steamy sports practices and games?

A report about overhydration in sports suggests that under certain circumstances the answer is yes, and that the consequences for young athletes can be — and in several tragic cases already have been — severe and even fatal.

According to the latest science, dehydration during sports is rarely if ever dangerous, but overhydration undeniably is.

Hyponatremia occurs when someone consumes so much fluid that his or her body can’t rid itself of the surplus through sweating or urination. As a result, water levels rise in the bloodstream and sodium levels, diluted, fall. Osmosis then draws water from the blood into the surrounding cells of the body to equalize sodium levels there, and those cells begin to swell like water balloons. If this process occurs in the brain, it can be lethal.

Read the whole story

To the community,

The volunteers at Bread & Broth would like to thank the Tahoe Douglas Elks Lodge No. 2670 for sponsoring their third Adopt A Day of Nourishment this year on Aug. 17. One of B&B’s most ardent supporters, the Elks Lodge has been hosting several B&B Monday evening dinners annually since the inception of the Adopt A Day program over five years ago.

Their help in feeding those struggling with hunger is just one of the many ways the Tahoe Douglas Elks Lodge supports the South Lake Tahoe community.

“We appreciate the opportunity to serve the nutritious meals served at B&B dinners and work with people that care about the needs of the community,” explained Jeanne Barragan as to why the Elks Lodge sponsors so many B&B dinner.

Barragan was joined by fellow Elks Lodge members Roger Barragan, Jay Bryan and Don and Dee Young, all of who have served on Elks’ AAD sponsor crews many times over the years.

Thanks to the Elks Lodge’s donation of $250 and the support of its members, over 100 members of our community were served hearty servings of spaghetti, mixed veggies, green salad and desserts and then sent home with bags filled with fruits, vegetables, dairy products, breads and pastries.  Kudos to the Tahoe Douglas Elks Lodge for helping people in need.

Carol Gerard, Bread & Broth

Tahoe Resource Conservation District in partnership with the South Tahoe Public Utility District is hosting free outdoor water conservation classes this summer.

Tree Care in the Time of Drought and Water Restrictions is Sept. 1 from 5:30-7:30pm at the South Lake Tahoe Public Library, 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd.

The last workshop is How to Convert your Lawn to a Water Wise Landscape the Easy Way. It is Sept. 12 from 9am-1pm at the Lake Tahoe Community College, Room B103, One College Way, South Lake Tahoe.

For more information on Tahoe friendly landscaping, go online.