Start Smart is aimed at helping newly licensed and future licensed teenage drivers become aware of the responsibilities that accompany the privilege of being a licensed California driver. The program was created in an effort to preemptively reduce the incidence of teen injuries and deaths resulting from motor vehicle collisions.

Teen drivers and their parents/guardians are invited to attend and participate in a Start Smart class. Recent statistics have shown that in California teenage drivers are injured and are dying in automobile accidents at an alarming rate.

Through candid conversations, officers in attendance will address these facts and provide examples of driving tendencies that put young drivers at risk. This program will help you understand that driving is serious and a poor choice behind the wheel of a car can put your life and the lives of others in jeopardy.

The next class will be May 18 from 6-8pm at the South Tahoe High School Library. All classes are.

This will be the last Start Smart Class of the 2009-10 school year.

To reserve a space in this Start Smart Class, call (530) 577.1001.

Start Smart is aimed at helping newly licensed and future licensed teenage drivers become aware of the responsibilities that accompany the privilege of being a licensed California driver. The program was created in an effort to preemptively reduce the incidence of teen injuries and deaths resulting from motor vehicle collisions.

Teen drivers and their parents/guardians are invited to attend and participate in a Start Smart class. Recent statistics have shown that in California teenage drivers are injured and are dying in automobile accidents at an alarming rate.

Through candid conversations, officers in attendance will address these facts and provide examples of driving tendencies that put young drivers at risk. This program will help you understand that driving is serious and a poor choice behind the wheel of a car can put your life and the lives of others in jeopardy.

The next class will be May 18 from 6-8pm at the South Tahoe High School Library. All classes are.

This will be the last Start Smart Class of the 2009-10 school year.

To reserve a space in this Start Smart Class, call (530) 577.1001.

North Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce’s annual Summer Recreation Luncheon is June 9 with an 11:30am registration, and buffet lunch staring at noon, at Sunnyside Resort, 1850 West Lake Blvd. in Tahoe City.

This event is geared to provide insight about summer happenings, including events, festivals and activities, to frontline, front desk and concierge employees, along with business owners and managers. Attendees can give a brief presentation at the event, as well as provide 80 brochures or other pieces of collateral to be distributed during the lunch.

This event sells out, so early sign ups are recommended. Deadline to register is June 4. Cost is $25/person for chamber members and $30/person for non-members and includes lunch.

For more information about the event, to register or provide collateral, call Kym Fabel, North Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce manager, at (530) 581-8764 or kym@puretahoenorth.com. To download a registration form, click to www.NorthLakeTahoeChamber.com, then Programs and Documents.

By Forrest Hartman, Reno Gazette-Journal

Catherine Atack is leaving her post as executive director of the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival after seven years with the organization.

In an interview with the Reno Gazette-Journal on Friday, she said that she resigned from the festival about three weeks ago, and that her last day is Friday. She is leaving, she said, to take a job with a Los Angeles-based company that serves foster youth in Los Angeles County.

“It’s a terrific opportunity for me to go there and kind of start a new endeavor,” she said. “It’s a personal move for me as well. Obviously, because I’m leaving the area and going to a larger metropolitan market.”

Read the whole story

To the community,

The city of South Lake Tahoe/South Tahoe Redevelopment Agency will be required on May 10, 2010, to turn over $2,070,160 to the El Dorado County auditor, a required payment resulting from the state’s decision to raid $2.05 billion in local redevelopment funds as part of the 2009-10 state budget.

Instead of this locally generated tax dollars going to fund local job creation, economic growth, and community improvements, this money will now be siphoned off to help pay the bills of a State government deeply in debt with spending out of control.

This payment will be made in accordance with a ruling by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Lloyd Connelly last week which instructed local redevelopment agencies to abide by the provisions of ABX4-26 passed last year as part of the state budget. The bill allows the State of California to take $2.05 billion in redevelopment funding to use for state obligations.

The California Redevelopment Association (CRA) is appealing the Superior Court ruling to the state Court of Appeals in what will likely be a long and difficult appeal process.

Taking these funds that are generated in South Lake Tahoe at this time is tragic and irresponsible on the part of state government. These locally generated tax dollars are needed to address pressing economic development, business assistance and infrastructure needs of the city of South Lake Tahoe during this slower economic time. This decision to take local taxpayers dollars cannot stand and must be fought in the courts by all cities whose leaders pride themselves in self government and local control. The City Council in South Lake Tahoe is on record opposing this confiscation of local funds.

California Redevelopment Association (CRA) Executive Director John Shirey vowed to fight the Superior Court ruling: “We strongly disagree with Judge Connelly’s ruling which effectively says the Legislature has unlimited discretion to redirect local redevelopment funds to any purpose it wishes. Under that logic any state program could be called redevelopment. The Legislature needs to deal with its budget problems by making hard decisions using its own limited resources — not by taking away local government funds…

“Despite this ruling we continue to believe taking local redevelopment funds and using them to fund State obligations is unconstitutional. We have a strong case and feel confident the lower court ruling will be overturned by the Court of Appeal,” said Shirey.

Dave Jinkens, South Lake Tahoe city manager

Publisher’s note: Updated May 10 at 8:28am.

A second storm system will arrive today and bring a mix of rain and snow to Northeast California and the Lake Tahoe Basin during the morning.

By Monday afternoon it should be just snow falling, with it accumulating at higher elevations. At the lake, about 1-4 inches area expected.

The storm should taper off by evening.

A winter storm advisory is in effect for today from 2-11pm at elevations above 6,500 feet. Four to 8 inches are expected at that level.

Old man winter hasn't left Lake Tahoe. Photo/Kathryn Reed

Winds will be strong, with gusts in the 40-50mph range. It’s possible another lake wind advisory will be in effect today — as was the case Sunday.

A mix of rain and snow is in the forecast for the Reno-Carson Valley areas.

The National Weather Service is warning on travel may become difficult across the Eastern Sierra and Western Nevada today due to snow or gusty winds. Carry tire chains.

Lows will be in the 20s for the next couple of nights. Highs will be in 30s and 40s.

Spring will return later in the week, with the high Wednesday being in the mid-50s and Thursday’s high in the low 60s.

By MyMotherLode.com

Before he became Mark Twain, a dirt poor Samuel Clemens chased a dream of being a timber baron from the shores of Lake Tahoe. But his hopes went up in smoke when he accidentally started a wildfire while preparing to cook dinner over a campfire.

Nearly 150 years later, Nevada historians are embracing new research they say pinpoints the location of his camp near Incline Village on the lake’s northeast shore with the help of a huge, table-like granite boulder that Twain used for meals and card games.

The Nevada State Board on Geographic Names is considering a request to name the site Sam Clemens Cove after the man who later assumed his pen name as a newspaper reporter in nearby Virginia City and created literary characters Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer.

Nevada state Archivist Jeff Kintop, a board member, said the recognition is fitting because Twain penned perhaps the most eloquent and immortal descriptions of the lake and there is no geographic feature in the state named for him.

Read the whole story

Caregiving is a difficult and often challenging role that one can undertake, and taking the opportunity to share information and feel connected to others who are providing care is a vital step to perform this task to the best of your ability. Take the opportunity on June 10 from 5:30-7:30pm, South Lake Tahoe Senior Center, 3050 Highway 50, South Lake Tahoe to become connected and rejuvenated at your local support group.

Refreshments will be served. Free respite care is available to qualified caregivers. Pre-authorization is required for respite services. Questions? Please contact Penny with the Alzheimer’s Association at (530) 541.2304 or the Family Caregiver Support Program at (530) 621.6251 or (530) 621.6151.

Mark Twain is the focal point of the June 12-13 Wild West Weekend. Zephyr Cove Resort and Lake Tahoe Cruises will host the weekend which begins at 10am Saturday with a line-up of family-friendly activities including a pie eating contest, bald faced liars contest, Western shootout and music, and a chili cook-off.

Admission is free and all competitions are open to the public though the number of entries are limited.

First to enter is the first with a chance to win. Visit the website for rules and entry forms.

Firewood permits for the Tahoe National Forest can be purchased beginning May 12.

The price for permits is $15 per cord with a two-cord minimum and an annual 10-cord maximum per household. Permits can be obtained at all TNF Ranger Stations, the Forest Headquarters or by mail. Applications for mail-in permits can be found online at www.fs.fed.us/r5/tahoe/. Firewood season will extend into the fall, until rain and snow traditionally make the roads impassable.

On the Yuba River Ranger District, woodcutting will end no later than Nov. 7 to protect hardwood trees that lose their leaves and may appear to be dead. The remainder of the forest will be open for cutting until Nov. 30 depending on the weather and its effect on forest roads.

In general, the firewood permit allows removal of dead and down wood on TNF system lands unless otherwise signed, but not on private land. It also authorizes removal of standing dead conifer trees within 200 feet of some roads. Trees may not be cut if marked with paint, wildlife signs, boundary landmark signs, other official signs or in areas closed to woodcutting.

Tom Quinn, TNF supervisor, reminds woodcutters to carefully study the maps accompanying the permits to see which areas are closed to firewood cutting.

“The amount of snow in the higher elevations this year may reduce early access to some of the forest, however it is still a good idea to get your wood as soon as possible so it has a chance to dry. Dry wood provides 50% more heating value and emits fewer pollutants than an equal weight of green wood,” Quinn said in a press release.

Wood cutters are reminded that they are required to keep a serviceable shovel at least 46 inches long and an approved fire extinguisher (2 pound dry chemical or 1 pound foam type – ABC or greater) within 25 feet of where saws are being operated. All gasoline-powered saws, splitters, etc. must have a USFS approved spark arrester installed. Transportation load tickets will be issued along with the permit.

To determine what areas are open for cutting and the fire danger for the day, call the woodcutting hot line for the Ranger District where you plan to cut wood (also found on the permit).

Forest Headquarters – Nevada City, (530) 265.4531, 631 Coyote St. Nevada City, CA 95959

Woodcutting Hot Line: (530) 478.6253