By Associated Press
CVS Health is making prescription deliveries nationwide to accommodate the heightened expectations of convenience from consumers.
Comment on this story The nation’s second-largest drugstore chain says it also will make home deliveries of other items, like allergy medicines, vitamins or household products. The service will cost $4.99 for deliveries made in one or two days.
By Melissa Matheney, KRNV-TV
Inspectors say 20 to 30 dams in the Truckee Meadows are categorized as “high hazard.”
The “high hazard” rating means if they were to breach, there would be catastrophic damage that could result in severe flooding.
The Bureau of Reclamation maintains dams at Tahoe, Prosser, Boca, Stampede and Lahontan reservoirs. A spokesperson says the work on the dams is constant.
By Susan Wood
South Shore resident Jerry Goodman couldn’t have said it better when it comes to opening up or closing the door to vacation home rentals. It feels “like Groundhog Day” in respect to a November ballot initiative that could change the face of the lake’s only incorporated city.
No other issue can bring a massive reiteration of everything discussed and everything analyzed for years like this one. This time, a petition with a sufficient number of signatures for an all-out ban on VHRs in residential zones was received into record by the city. More than 1,100 signatures were needed to meet the 10 percent requirement of registered voters. The VHR opponents led by Ken Weitzman, Dan Brown and Peggy Bourland raked in 1,636 for what promises to be a blockbuster general election slated for Nov. 6.
So when the South Lake Tahoe City Council chose to issue another study to gauge the economic impact of the practice at its June 19 meeting, the issue prompted another round of opinions. The certification and request for a report due by July 17 was passed on a 3-0 vote. Councilman Tom Davis abstained, and Councilman Jason Collin missed another meeting.
The issue is so full of acrimony; some speakers didn’t wait for the agenda item to arrive. Instead, they expressed their opinions over public commentary and during a discussion about the establishment of VHR fines. The latter has come under fire as South Lake Tahoe’s $1,000 parking fine made national headlines.
Property manager Josh Priou called the level of fine “insane,” inferring the amount of negative national publicity could certainly dwarf any gain by assessing these fines.
“People don’t want to walk around on eggshells while on vacation,” Priou said.
The fines ranging from $50 to $1,000 depending on the violation passed, but will return without the “and/or” language on five line items.
Tuesday’s meeting with dual agenda items on vacation home rentals brought out mostly stakeholders ranging from VHR workers at property management firms to homeowners renting rooms.
Airbnb host Debbie Norton was in tears as she pleaded with the council to find a way to maintain her source of income and reason for hope amid being disabled.
“Please do not ban VHRs,” she said.
Other meetings over the last few years have been dominated by residents’ complaints over disruptions by rowdy, inconsiderate tourists.
It’s no wonder elected bodies like this one are having to deal with the dilemma of making tax dollars in the millions from people renting their homes while trying to keep the peace. It’s a delicate balance at best.
When all is said and done, VHRs’ existence will be headed to the ballot box, as Councilman Austin Sass reminded the citizenry.
“We understand your passion,” Sass told the speakers “imploring” the panel to can the ban. He urged them to vote.
“It’s going to the ballot,” he said.
In other business, the council:
· Chose to meet with El Dorado County to discuss a 51.7 percent increase in fees reapportioned to the city in order to sustain ancillary services relative to animal control.
· Considered a policy to rename city streets, prompted by a request by South Tahoe Refuse General Manager Jeff Tillman to labeling a roadway after South Shore philanthropist Lisa Maloff.
By Richard N. Velotta, Las Vegas Review-Journal
Continuity will be the key to the Nevada Commission on Tourism’s new marketing strategy for rural Nevada.
Three companies, two from out of state, will collaborate to market the state’s rural destinations under new four-year contracts finalized Wednesday by the commission.
Columbus, Ohio-based Fahlgren Martine will head media buying, public relations and external communications; Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based BVK will direct creative development; and Noble Studios of Reno will lead web and digital development services, including customer relationship management.
Truckee is having an open house June 27 to gather input on the future use of the McIver Dairy site.
The town obtained landscape architecture consultant Callander Associates to develop alternative conceptual drawings which include various public uses on this site. These will be presented at the workshop.
The McIver Dairy site, located at 10755 Donner Pass Road, has a rich history in Truckee, providing a source of premium butter for much of the West Coast in the late 1800s and early 1900s. More recently the site has been dubbed by some as the unofficial Truckee sled hill. Currently, the Truckee River Watershed Council is undertaking a grant-funded ecological restoration project of the wetland and meadow portions of the site.
As the landowner, the town is interested in providing safe and environmentally compatible access to the site and seeking how best to use this public space.
The open house will include discussion of existing conditions on the site and new recreation and wetland/meadow interpretation opportunities.
The open house will take place at town council chambers, 10183 Truckee Airport Road from 5:30-7:30pm.
By Seth Borenstein and Nicky Forster, AP
We were warned.
On June 23, 1988, a sultry day in Washington, James Hansen told Congress and the world that global warming wasn’t approaching — it had already arrived. The testimony of the top NASA scientist, said Rice University historian Douglas Brinkley, was “the opening salvo of the age of climate change.”
Thirty years later, it’s clear that Hansen and other doomsayers were right. But the change has been so sweeping that it is easy to lose sight of effects large and small — some obvious, others less conspicuous.
Earth is noticeably hotter, the weather stormier and more extreme. Polar regions have lost billions of tons of ice; sea levels have been raised by trillions of gallons of water. Far more wildfires rage.
A South Lake Tahoe child care operator has been arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a child.
David Rodriguez-Flores, a licensee of Pequenos Rascals Learning Center, was taken into custody on June 20. Bail was set at $500,000.
South Lake Tahoe police officers on June 15 received information about a possible on-going child sexual assault case at the Sandy Way center. Multiple victims came forward and reported a pattern of abuse dating back at least two years, according to police.
The California Department of Social Services’ Community Care Licensing Division is working with SLTPD on this case.
Anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact SLTPD at 530.542.6100.
— Lake Tahoe News staff report
By Art Marroquin, Las Vegas Review-Journal
Nevada drivers might want to double-check their insurance, because changes are coming in about two weeks.
The threshold for minimum liability coverage goes up July 1 under a law approved during last year’s legislative session.
New minimums require motorists to carry $25,000 per person for bodily injury, $50,000 per accident, plus $20,000 for property damage coverage per accident, officials with the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles said.
Helmets don’t come with a scooter rental, but state law says they are to be worn. Photo/Kathryn Reed
By Susan Wood
Is South Lake Tahoe providing a green light to the potential of dangerous road incidents or an innovative transportation alternative by allowing electric scooters in town?
This was the question on June 19 related to the green bikes and scooters dotting the city landscape, prompting the City Council to hear the pros and cons during a presentation at its regular meeting.
LimeBike, which calls its riders “juicers,” first launched its computerized ride share program locally about a year ago with single speed bikes, then later with 3-speed versions and now has expanded into scooters. Last fall, it poured $50 million in the venture.
In a year, 40 employees were hired locally and the number of vehicle miles traveled (VMTs) dropped – thus reducing the carbon emissions in a heavily populated tourist destination during the peak summer months, LimeBike local Operations Manager Stephanie Sarradet told the council.
The assumption is if people weren’t on a LimeBike, they would be in a car. Thus the VMT reduction.
Beyond economic and workforce benefits, Sarradet insisted the chief aim is assisting with lake clarity. Of course that is an uphill climb considering 2017 had the worst clarity reading in the lake’s history.
As Sarradet put it, the environmental mission helps in not turning Lake Tahoe “into a mud puddle.”
However, the prevalence of these scooters has not gone unnoticed by council members, citizens — including a doctor, and the police department. Officers have issued three warnings to riders without helmets.
“They’re buzzing around like hornets all over town,” police Lt. David Stevenson told Lake Tahoe News. His vehicle code book was covered with Post-It notes to mark important points. “I’ve only seen one helmet, and it was (worn by) a 10-year-old.”
California law requires a scooter rider obey the rules of the road, wear a helmet, have a driver’s license, stay off the sidewalks and avoid lanes alongside thoroughfares such as Al Tahoe Boulevard with speed limits over 25mph.
Mayor Wendy David, who called the transit option “awesome,” is also concerned with the lack of helmet use.
She was also the one who in April when it was announced scooters would be coming here held up a San Francisco Chronicle article showing the problems with them. The council at the time dismissed her concerns.
Andrew Aquino and Jack Kixmiller out for a joy ride to the beach on June 19. Photo/Susan Wood
The mode of transit is not without its detractors.
Resident Oliver Starr read a statement to the council that rattled off a list of complaints about LimeBikes and scooters ranging from their disposal, including all over his neighborhood, to how they’re being ridden. Sometimes two people are riding them, possibly underage, moving against traffic and at night.
“It’s only a matter of time before a tragedy occurs. Mark my words,” he said.
While supporting the idea of smart, shared transportation options, Starr even submitted a formal complaint to the company upon a run-in with a driver looking for equipment in his neighborhood.
He suggested that since the city can stop shopping carts from leaving parking lots it should be able to “geo-fence” where the San Mateo company’s equipment is parked. LimeBikes and scooters cost $1 to unlock through the computer app and are tracked through GPS. Bike rental prices are that much every half hour. For scooters, the price is 15 cents per minute.
Councilman Tom Davis strongly urged the company to facilitate education along with rentals. He also encouraged Lime to program the scooters to go slower. Lime scooters may travel at a maximum of 15mph.
“I see them racing down the street. There are dangerous situations. But I also see families out enjoying them,” said Davis, who pledged to ride one this weekend.
The councilman also asked Sarradet whether the scooter governs itself to go no faster than 15mph.
Sarradet answered yes.
But that claim was disputed by a couple of riders on Gardner Mountain that afternoon.
Jack Kixmiller and Andrew Aquino were zipping on side streets in the middle of the road with no helmets when pulled over by Lake Tahoe News.
When asked if the scooters run faster, Kixmiller said yes. Aquino’s reached 17mph.
How do you know?
“It says right here,” Kixmiller said, pointing to the computer gauge on the handlebar.
As it turns out, a company representative told them to wear helmets, but Kixmiller retorted: “We’re locals, we’re just going to the beach.”
And there lies the challenge with enforcing the rules of the road with vehicles deemed as toys.
John Riddle warned the council a few times during the meeting about the “no helmet” quandary among riders who may feel invincible.
“As a doctor, even minor head traumas are a very serious injury,” he told LTN.
Councilwoman Brooke Laine took the concern one step further by bringing up a scenario. She hypothetically mentioned a kid who flips over the scooter upon “hitting a pothole,” placing the city at risk of being sued.
“I’m very concerned about the liability,” she said.
Interim City Attorney Nira Doherty told Laine it was a pertinent scenario.
“Public agencies can be liable. Certain elements have to be met (though),” Doherty told LTN.
But the city would be exempt from litigation if the company and rider were found to be at fault, “even if dangerous conditions exist,” she added.
More liability questions remain for those riding on U.S. Forest Service and California Tahoe Conservancy land. Representatives from those agencies did not respond to LTN’s questions.
At a minimum the equipment could be impounded, but that does nothing to penalize the rider using a motorized vehicle where it’s not permitted.
Lime has paid for and pulled a business license, the finance department confirmed. That, though, is just for the city. The vehicles are in Douglas County too, but that jurisdiction does not have business licenses.
Sarradet pledged the company would focus on safety and launch an educational campaign designed to make riders more responsible. The League has a limited number of helmets for those who can’t afford one. Lime also plans to ask other businesses associated with its 50 local partnerships to chip in per the mayor’s request.
Otherwise, Marissa Fox of the League reminded naysayers and those with concerns that once Lime works out the kinks, it will be a win-win economically and environmentally for the community.
“There’s no cost but to the user, and it is a benefit to the community,” Fox said, adding if the council works with the company: “I think you’ll find a receptive party.”
A few Lime company employees joined Fox in support of the idea.
LimeBikes is available in 60 markets worldwide; at least 4 million trips have been logged by users. The transit alternative has environmentalists and ride-share advocates and even government officials seeing green.
Bikes versus buses
When the Tahoe Transportation District on the same day delivered a presentation lamenting a loss of revenue and decreased ridership that is likely to lead to fewer hours of bus service, the City Council seemed irritated the agency is not being innovative with transportation services.
Laine told TTD’s George Fink that the agency appears to be “going in the wrong direction.” In addition, the League is also advocating a program involving smart mobility vans, as mentioned by Fox during the public comment period.
“The community is not designed for these big buses,” Laine said, adding she’s “concerned and disappointed,” finding the TTD’s bad-news report as “extremely alarming.”
Her response to the buses operating only 10 hours a day?
“You might as well not even offer it,” she said.
Councilman Austin Sass wants to see more connectivity by combining buses and bike routes.
Davis would still like to see a free transit system, a dream of elected officials for years.
By Sage Sauerbrey, Moonshine Ink
“Forest fires happen because of decades of decisions that are made beforehand,” says forest ecologist Malcom North of a long line of mistakes in forest management stretching more than 100 years into the past.
These unintentional blunders have compounded with climate change and natural forest processes throughout the years to create the most dangerous fire conditions in Tahoe’s human history, leaving us struggling to play catch-up.
The toolboxes possessed by public agencies to prevent wildfire are unique in that they include not just a bevy of modern treatment methods, but also extensive access to the most current data, state funding and grants, as well as interagency cooperation and some unusual creative partnerships. Will these new efforts be enough to keep up with the looming threat of a catastrophic wildfire in Tahoe?