SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Surrounded by proud families, instructors, and regional fire leaders, 12 cadets from Class 19 of the Lake Tahoe Community College Fire Academy crossed the stage at the Tahoe Blue Event Center on Thursday, March 27, 2025.
Their graduation marks the culmination of months of rigorous physical training, academic instruction, and hands-on emergency response simulations designed to prepare them for a career in fire service and public safety.
“This program isn’t just about training firefighters—it’s about preparing leaders, teammates, and courageous public servants,” said Patrick Hughes, LTCC Fire Academy Academic Director.
LTCC Fire Academy Class 19Provided / LTCC
The evening ceremony featured remarks from LTCC Superintendent/President Jeff DeFranco, Dean of Workforce Development Brad Deeds, and Fire Academy Drill Ground Lead Drew Hughes, along with special recognition of Battalion Commander Russell S. Kaczmar, who led Class 19 throughout the academy.
LTCC Fire Academy Class 19 Graduates:
Zachary J. Chargin
Owen B. Chisholm
Isaiah A. Field
Carson J. Gyll
Christopher B. Hill
Russell S. Kaczmar (Battalion Commander)
Daniel Kenney
Kade M. Koeppen
Jacob R. Loebs
Keiran S. McStravick
Shawn M. Stonecipher
Isabella J. Stowell
Each graduate earned a Firefighter 1 Certificate and completed an Accredited Regional Training Program through the California State Fire Marshal’s Office.
“We’re incredibly proud of these cadets. They’ve demonstrated the grit, heart, and discipline it takes to serve on the front lines of public safety,” said Brad Deeds, Dean of Workforce Development and Instruction.
Regional Collaboration
The LTCC Fire Academy is powered by strong partnerships with regional fire agencies, including:
Lake Valley Fire Protection District
South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue
Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District
North Tahoe Fire Protection District
Eastern Alpine Fire/Rescue
CAL FIRE Amador–El Dorado Unit
New Public Safety Training Complex
Beginning with the Class of 2027, LTCC’s fire academy cadets will train in a new, state-of-the- art Public Safety Training Complex on campus. The training complex represents an important investment in the region’s emergency response capabilities and workforce development. The facility will bolster the training of public safety personnel while strengthening the local economy through expanded professional training opportunities in forestry, fire, and emergency medical services.
For more information on the LTCC Fire Academy and how to enroll, please visit www.ltcc.edu/fire.
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. – The Lake Tahoe School (LTS) Chess Team achieved unprecedented success at the Northern Nevada Scholastic (Open and Girls) Championships, securing multiple team and individual victories and qualifying numerous players for the upcoming Nevada State Championships.
Over the weekend of March 22 and 23, LTS hosted the highly successful tournaments, attracting record-breaking participation from across the region. The Open Tournament saw approximately 260 players, while the Girls Tournament also shattered previous attendance records.
LTS teams demonstrated exceptional skill and strategy, capturing all four team trophies in the Open Tournament (K-3 Championship, K-5 Championship, K-5 Reserve, and K-12 Reserve). In the Girls Tournament, the LTS team also secured the championship trophy. Individual LTS players also dominated their respective sections, securing a large majority of the available individual trophies.
“This weekend was a testament to the hard work and dedication of our students, coaches, and volunteers,” said Coach E. “We are incredibly proud of their achievements and excited to see them compete at the state level.”
Key highlights of the tournament include:
Open Tournament-
LTS teams won all four team trophies.
LTS players swept individual trophies in the K-3 and K-5 Championship sections, and nearly swept the K-5 Reserve section.
LTS players won 5 of the 8 individual trophies in the K-12 Reserve section.
Girls Tournament-
LTS team won the championship trophy.
LTS players secured 7 of the top 8 individual spots.
The top individual scorers and teams from the Northern Championships have now qualified for the Nevada State Scholastic Championships.
The school extends its gratitude to Bob Graves and the LTS faculty and staff, parent volunteers, Coach E, Coach Annastasia, Fred Rocher, and sponsors MoFo’s Pizza and Inclined Burgers for their invaluable support.
LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Winter isn’t over yet. With more than 2.5 feet of fresh snow blanketing the Tahoe region in the past week, Northstar California and Kirkwood Mountain Resort are extending their seasons by one full week, now set to close on Sunday, April 20. Heavenly Mountain Resort will close as originally scheduled on April 20, giving skiers and riders plenty of time to soak up prime spring conditions at all three resorts.
“This latest storm delivered exactly what we needed to keep the fun going,” said Tara Schoedinger, Vice President & General Manager of Northstar California Resort. “Thanks to incredible conditions and the hard work of our teams, we’re excited to give our guests one more week to enjoy everything Northstar has to offer.”
At Kirkwood, skiers and riders will also have more time to take advantage of fresh snow and legendary terrain.
“When the mountains deliver, we want to make sure our employees and guests can take full advantage,” said Ricky Newberry, Vice President & General Manager of Kirkwood Mountain Resort. “With great conditions, our amazing team and community, and our classic spring events, there’s no better time to be here to experience the spring magic.”
As the season winds down, all three resorts will transition into spring operations, bringing fan-favorite events and après experiences to the mountains.
At Northstar, guests can enjoy live music in the Village every Friday through Sunday, along with signature experiences like the lively Pepsi Patio Pop-Up on weekends, weather permitting. The annual Spring It On festival returns April 5-6, featuring a pond skim and rail jam to celebrate the season in style.
Kirkwood will cap off its extended season with a stacked event lineup, including the IFSA Junior National Championships (April 11-13) and its highly anticipated Pond Skim on April 19. Over at Heavenly, the spring scene will be in full swing with a mix of DJ sets at Tamarack Lodge and Stein’s, along with its own Pond Skim on April 12 and a weekend of closing celebrations leading up to April 20.
With another month of skiing and riding ahead, there’s still time to lock in next season’s adventures with 2025-26 Epic Pass, including Epic Day Pass. Even if guests only plan to visit for a couple days, the Epic Day Pass can provide up to 65% savings and better value than lift tickets. For example, guests can visit any one of the Tahoe resorts for 7 days (including peak periods) from as low as $76 per day for adults and $39 for children. Epic Day Pass also allows guests to build their own Pass, choosing from 1-7 days, which resorts they want to visit, and whether to include peak dates. Epic Passes for the 2025/26 ski and ride season are on sale for their lowest price of the year, but the offer ends April 13.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif.- To provide improved efficiency and customer service throughout the permitting and development review process, the Development Services Department will be going live with entirely new permitting software on Monday, April 14. To prepare for this transition, the Development Services Department front counter will be closed Monday, April 7 through Wednesday, April 9.
The new software called “Community Development” will boast the following key features:
1. Quick access to building, planning and public works permit information, plan reviews, and project status,
2. Online portal for paperless processing,
3. Improved transparency and access to property information,
4. Enhanced plan review with integrated Bluebeam Construction Software,
5. Real time inspection reports through integrated mobile technology,
6. Simplified permit processes, enabling efficiencies and seamless experiences,
7. Real-time access, anywhere, anytime.
An informational and training workshop for contractors, design professionals and all members of the public will be held on Friday, April 11 from 10 a.m. -12 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers located at 1901 Lisa Maloff Way, South Lake Tahoe (Lake Tahoe Airport).
LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – Design Workshop Foundation, a non-profit committed to fostering innovative solutions to promote equity, resilience, and inclusivity within communities across the nation, announced today they are accepting applications for their third-annual Community Capacity Building Initiative. Community and non-profit organizations based in the Lake Tahoe, Nevada and California region are eligible to apply before the Friday, May 16 deadline.
This comprehensive technical assistance program aims to launch community action and address challenges within the built environment. Selected organizations will work in partnership with Design Workshop Foundation utilizing planners and designers from Design Workshop whose teams will provide specialized design, planning, and placemaking expertise through a workshop-style process.
“We are committed to building healthy, sustainable communities for now and future generations,” said Sarah Konradi, executive director of the Design Workshop Foundation. “Through the Community Capacity Building Initiative, we are able to access the firm’s talent of 150 landscape architects and urban planners across all seven studios in the U.S. This will provide hands-on resources to help communities serve the people who live and work in the Tahoe community.”
The Community Capacity Building Initiative addresses the under-funding of projects in communities and provides no-cost support for the community organizations who are selected. Employing an approach anchored in environmental, economic, and social equity, this process is designed to elevate the knowledge embedded within communities to implement positive change. Outcomes for selected communities will vary such as:
Development of planning or strategic document to inform next steps and support future fundraising and implementation efforts.
Design of events and programming to meet community needs.
Assistance with an engagement campaign that collects public opinions and builds stakeholder consensus.
Finalists may be asked to participate in a 30-minute virtual interview in May 2025. These will be scheduled based on applicant availability. Project work will begin immediately and conclude by September 2025.
