The U.S. Forest Service will close the east end of the Mormon Emigrant Trail near Highway 88 to through traffic at noon Nov. 23 because of ice and snow.

The west end of the road, near Sly Park Reservoir, will remain open to passenger vehicles as far as Silver Fork Road or to the point where snow covers the road, whichever comes first. Vehicles will not be able to drive through to Highway 88.

Off highway vehicles, including four-wheel drive vehicles will be allowed on the snow covered portion of the road up to the Silver Fork Road.

By Susan Skorupa, Reno Gazette-Journal

Thanksgiving is Thursday, so the Christmas season begins Friday. Soon, trees will sparkle from windows all over town.

Buying a cut or potted live tree for later planting involves a little science; keeping a cut tree fresh and a live tree alive also require special handling.

Space is the first issue. Where will the tree stand?

“You need to know what kind of space you want to fill. You can buy a little tabletop tree, about 24 to 30 inches tall. It’s perfect for those without a lot of space, for a dorm room, children’s room,” said Mike Bondi of the Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree Association, an industry trade group.

Don’t put a tree by a heat register, near or in front of a fireplace or wood stove, or near any direct source of heat, Bondi said.

“If you can keep the tree in a cooler environment, it will stay fresher longer,” Bondi said. “Do not put it in front of a window that gets direct sunlight, not on the south or west side of the house.

“Before you get it, figure out where you’re going to put it,” he said.

When shopping for a cut tree, use the smell-and-snap test, Bondi said.

Read the whole story

People attending and volunteering at the annual community Thanksgiving Dinner at Grace Hall have one less thing to be thankful for – the South Lake Tahoe Police Department.

Ten parking tickets were issued Nov. 21 to people parking along the frontage street in front of the tennis courts at South Tahoe Middle School. Lots of signs are posted.

South Lake Tahoe spokeswoman Nancy Kerry told Lake Tahoe News the parking enforcement officer said all the tickets were for parking in the fire lane.

One volunteer told LTN people have been parking there for years. After all, this is the 23rd year the event has taken place.

But the city has said it is not tolerating parking violators.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Squaw Valley Institute on Nov. 30 at 6:30pm sponsors the test screening of “Dam California,” an independent feature film created and produced by a team of Tahoe-based filmmakers. It will be shown at the Resort at Squaw Creek. The film is entered in the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

Publisher’s note: This editorial is from the Nov. 17, 2011, Reno Gazette-Journal.

When it comes to revitalizing the economy, the Reno-Sparks area can’t go at it alone. Neither can Carson City, Minden-Gardnerville, Lyon County or Storey County.

We are all in this together, and we will all have to work together to rebuild an economy devastated by the recession of 2008, which still lingers in Northern Nevada.

That was a warning from a panel that was part of the Gazette-Journal’s Reno 2020 project earlier this year. And it was confirmed by the report of Brookings/SRI, released on Monday in response to Assembly Bill 449 of the 2011 Legislature.

It’s imperative that the development authorities and the myriad other organizations that work to attract new businesses to the area and expand existing businesses strengthen their relationships with each other and work together on the common goal of creating more and better jobs for the residents of this area.

The days of isolation for the communities of Northern Nevada ended many years ago. The boom of the 1980s and ’90s demonstrated that we all rise together; the recession has demonstrated that we all fall together, too.

Read the whole story

For almost 30 years the South Lake Tahoe Cancer League, an all-volunteer organization, has been providing permanent residents facing the challenge of cancer with free transportation to physician offices for cancer treatment and making limited financial grants to cancer patients. The annual See’s Candy sale is one of its biggest annual fund raisers.

The candy store is open daily from 10am-5:30pm through the holidays.

The store is located adjacent to the Grocery Outlet at 2358 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

For more information, call (530) 542.4649.

By Brian Duggan, Reno Gazette-Journal

Cheryl Wilson still had bruises on her hands Sunday, a painful a reminder of the frantic moments after awakening to smoke at 2am Friday, then running to her neighbors’ doors on Starr Meadows Loop to pound on them as hard as she could.

The victim of a house fire in 2005, Wilson said her first instinct was to notify people on her street before packing up her car and leaving with her husband and two dogs as the Caughlin Fire approached their neighborhood.

“So I knew the No. 1 thing was to get people out,” she said. “Anything else can be replaced. It’s just stuff. But you got to save people’s lives.”

They watched the fire roar with a pair of binoculars while perched on top of the Peppermill parking garage that night. When they returned on Saturday, their house had been spared by the inferno. Their next-door neighbor’s home, however, was uninhabitable with a red marker telling everyone to stay away from its charred remains.

“It’s a horrible thing to see happen to your neighbors,” Wilson said. “I just thank God that they’re all alive.”

From her backyard porch that overlooks the Truckee Meadows, Wilson looked at the homes still standing despite the 1,935-acre blaze that ultimately destroyed 29 homes, damaging eight others — seven seriously.

“Look at the devastation that could have happened.”

Residents continued picking up the pieces on Sunday as officials from insurance agencies, the Red Cross and restoration businesses made their rounds in the southwestern Reno neighborhoods. Fire officials patrolled the area, too, ensuring people stayed out of the homes deemed too unsafe for entry.

Officials said Sunday evening that the Caughlin Fire was 100 percent contained after more than 100 firefighters spent the day looking for hot spots, doing what they could to extinguish them as heavy snowflakes started falling in the afternoon.

Many of those smoldering areas were inside some of the 29 demolished homes, said Mark Regan, the spokesman for the Sierra Front Management Team overseeing the response to the Caughlin Fire.

Read the whole story

The earth has been moving this morning near Markleeville.

A 3.4 temblor was recorded at 1:38 am, followed by a 3.7 less than a minute latter. Both were about 18 miles south east of Markleeville or 36 miles south east of South Lake Tahoe.

At 2:05am a 2.0 quake struck the same area, then a 1.7 at 2:48am, and a 1.5 at 2:59.

People as far away as Susanville – 240 miles from the epicenter – felt the strongest of the earthquakes.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

• The Adidas store at the Factory Stores at the Y in South Lake Tahoe is closing Dec. 25 or Dec. 26, according to a sales clerk. Still no word on what store will occupy the old Mikasa building on the other side of the street, but it won’t be T.J. Maxx– at least as of now.

• Cyclingnews has selected the Amgen Tour of California as one of the world’s Top 10 Stage Races.

• Tioga Pass – Highway 120 – is closed due to snow.

• The STHS boys basketball team is having its 5th annual Ernie’s Burger Night on Dec. 6 from 5-7 to raise money for team warm-ups. For tickets, contact Coach Chris Proctor at (530) 543.5472 530-543-5472 or cproctor@bartonhealth.org. Cost is $10.

• South Lake Tahoe’s unemployment rate in October dropped to 14.9 percent. It was three percentage points higher at its peak earlier this year.

Ruff is a true little mutt – Dachshund? Shih Tzu? Terrier? With those ears, Chihuahua? Who knows – what we do know is that he is a sweet little boy who likes to jump into the air to show off.

He’s very affectionate, and he plays nicely with other dogs and cats. He is about 6 months old and about 9 pounds, and he won’t get much bigger.

Ruff is neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated. He is at the El Dorado County Animal Services shelter in Meyers, along with many other dogs and cats who are waiting for their new homes.

Call (530) 573.7925 for directions, hours, and other information on adopting a pet.

For spay-neuter assistance for South Tahoe residents, go online.

— Karen Kuentz