In The News – Incline Village robotics team’s kindness, teamwork on display in road to regional championships
December 30, 2025 | Member Submitted
Originally published in The Tahoe Daily Tribune, 12/30/2025, Written by Katelyn Welsh
With striped ears and tails, the Tahoe Tigers were dressed to impress, but what really set them apart on the road to a regional competition was their kindness and teamwork.
“The way that they cared for each other and had fun together through all of the challenges,” teacher Trina Kleinhenz said, “played a huge role in their success this year.”
The Incline Elementary School’s LEGO Robotics Team, consisting of 10 4th and 5th graders, recently qualified for and competed in the Northern Nevada Championships on Dec. 13 at Mendive Middle School in Sparks, Nev. A competition on Nov. 22 qualified the team for the event.
The Heart of Giving Event – Celebrating Joe & Polly Wolfe
December 29, 2025 | Member Submitted
Mark your calendars to join us this Valentine’s Day as we gather to celebrate an extraordinary couple who lead with their hearts.
Tahoe Family Solutions is honored to announce our Inaugural Heart of the Community Brunch, a special morning of gratitude recognizing individuals who demonstrate outstanding generosity and commitment to our community.
This year, we are proud to present the Heart of Giving Award to Joe and Polly Wolfe, whose compassion, leadership, and steadfast support have touched countless lives across our region. Their belief in children, families, and community-centered care is deeply felt—and profoundly impactful.
Joe and Polly’s support of Camp Explore, TFS’s annual summer camp for underserved children, has opened the door to joy, discovery, and belonging for kids who would not otherwise have the opportunity to attend camp. Because of them, more children experience safe spaces to learn, grow, build confidence, and simply be kids.
he list of organizations who benefit from their generosity is lengthy, and their dedication to each is significant. In addition to TFS, Joe and Polly support many local artists and arts organizations including the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, the Reno Philharmonic and the Nevada Museum of Art.
They are also deeply devoted to veterans initiatives, with Joe serving on the board for PTSD Now! Their ongoing commitment to these groups – and many more! – has made a massive impact in our community, and we are profoundly grateful for their contributions.
This inaugural Heart of Giving brunch is both a celebration of and a thank you to Joe and Polly, and to the generous donors who make programs like ours possible. Together, we are building a community where every child has access to opportunity, care, and connection.We’ll be sending out invitations after the beginning of the year, so please watch your mailboxes and your inboxes. We hope you will join us for a meaningful morning as we honor Joe and Polly for their philanthropy that is rooted in compassion, and celebrate what is possible when a community comes together with heart.
Become a Sponsor for the Heart of Giving Event!
We know winter events can be tricky, especially as fundraisers. That said, we believe it’s important to celebrate leaders in our community throughout the year. We hope you’ll consider becoming a sponsor so we can make this an annual winter event. All proceeds will benefit our annual programs, including our Family Resource Center’s emergency funding and our youth programs, including Camp Explore and our new Reading With Your Littles pre-K program.
Originally published in the Bowl Incline Newlsetter, 12/29/25
As we reflect on an incredible year and look ahead to what’s next, we wanted to pause and share a message filled with gratitude, pride, and excitement for the future.
After a memorable two-year run, we will be closing Lane 17 Lounge. This space became so much more than a lounge—it was a place for shared laughs, late-night bites, celebratory toasts, and moments that brought people together. To everyone who dined with us, raised a glass, celebrated milestones, or made Lane 17 part of your Incline Village memories: thank you. You made it special.
2025 has been a year of meaningful growth and big wins at Bowl Incline. We’re proud of what we accomplished together:
We modified our pinsetters to achieve USBC certification, allowing our league bowlers to compete officially—and now Bowl Incline teams are entering and competing in USBC events.
We expanded our arcade with new games and a prize redemption kiosk, creating even more fun for kids and adults alike.
We launched a players club card, opening the door to expanded winning opportunities for our 21+ crowd for gambling.
Our bar program grew with new craft cocktails and expanded beer and wine selections.
At Sam Choy’s ʻOhana Diner, we introduced new menu favorites like our Spicy Noodle Bowl and Birria Tacos, and continue to evolve the experience.
We created a winterized indoor-outdoor patio, complete with heaters, s’mores, and cozy hot toddies—because winter should be fun, too.
And we proudly opened ICE Incline’s Center for Events & Entertainment, executing five incredible events, including our first Words to Water Nashville singer-songwriter concert.
As we step into 2026, we’ve taken time to reflect on where we can best focus our energy. Our private event business continues to grow, and demand for the Lane 17 space as a private rental has increased significantly. Over time, the frequent disruptions to Lane 17 Lounge openings made it clear that refocusing was the right move.
While the lounge chapter is closing, we’re happy to share that you can still experience Lane 17 food through our private dining offerings, and we look forward to continuing to grow and evolve that experience.
Looking ahead to 2026, the momentum is strong. We already have many new and returning ICE events booked, including a three-date concert series, with even more live music, more fundraising events, and more ways to gather, celebrate, and give back coming soon.
Moving forward, our focus will be on Bowl Incline, our new winterized patio, Sam Choy’s ʻOhana Diner, and an exciting lineup of private and ticketed events—all with the same goal we’ve always had: continuing to bring something new, fun, and memorable to Incline Village.
We also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our incredible team. Lane 17 Lounge was what it was because of the passion, care, creativity, and hospitality of the people who brought it to life every day. We are endlessly grateful for you.
Lane 17 Lounge may be closing its doors, but the spirit behind it—connection, creativity, and community—is very much alive and woven into everything we’re building next.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for being part of this journey. We can’t wait to welcome you into what’s ahead.
In The News – Diamond jubilee; Diamond Peak celebrates 60 years
December 26, 2025 | Member Submitted
Originally published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, Written by Katelyn Welsh, 12/26/2025
In 1966, two Incline Village residents had a dream of making a year-round resort community, what would be called the “Pebble Beach of the Sierra.” Part of Art Wood and Harold Tiller’s dream would be Ski Incline, a ski resort placed directly in the Incline Village Community. Sixty years later, Ski Incline might have a different name – Diamond Peak Ski Resort – but it is still what Wood and Tiller had dreamed, a ski mountain for the community.
When developing the resort, Wood and Tiller hired Austrian ski consultant Luggi Foeger to design and build Ski Incline.
In The News – Women of Patrol: From likes and follows to a global impact
December 26, 2025 | Member Submitted
Originally published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, Written by Katelyn Welsh, 12/26/2025
What started as a social media page highlighting female ski patrollers is now an organization striking a global impact.
It all started in 2018 when Truckee resident, Kari Bandt, knew she wanted to do something to spotlight and support female ski patrollers in the male-dominated field.
Going off a vision to uplift and a logo she crafted in Microsoft Word, the Women of Patrol Instagram page made its debut to the internet with its first post.
In The News – Two-thirds of Lake Tahoe residents struggle with housing costs, new survey finds
December 24, 2025 | Member Submitted
Originally published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, Written by Maria Palma KUNR, 12/24/2025
Housing affordability has long been a challenge in the Lake Tahoe region, and a new survey is now putting hard numbers behind what many residents experience every day.
Earlier this year, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), in partnership with the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, surveyed people who live and work in the Greater Lake Tahoe region. The goal was to better understand how housing and transportation challenges are affecting daily life in the basin.
The survey included more than 40 questions and was offered in both English and Spanish. Organizers also worked with local nonprofit organizations to reach people who are often underrepresented or left out of traditional surveys.
Barton Health Expands Medical Services in Incline Village
December 20, 2025 | Member Submitted
In an on-going effort to meet the health care needs of the Lake Tahoe community, Barton Health is expanding its medical services into Incline Village. The multi-specialty practice will feature cardiovascular care as well as a plastic and reconstructive surgery and aesthetics service line.
The expansion reflects Barton Health’s latest commitments to local patient care. In July, Barton Health joined Cleveland Clinic Connected, a global network of top-performing healthcare organizations focused on best practices and innovation. Cleveland Clinic’s top ranked heart care team will consult with Barton Health to enhance future opportunities to provide new treatments and therapies to patients, as well as explore cutting-edge technologies and techniques in cardiovascular care that will accelerate advances in treatments.
“Though Tahoe is a smaller community, our residents deserve access to specialty medical services and exceptional care,” says Dr. Kandra Yee, Barton’s Chief Medical Officer. “The new medical practice in Incline Village opens access to care close to home while adhering to the high standards Barton has been acknowledged for.”
In addition, Barton Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery will offer patients personalized care in Incline Village for their reconstructive and aesthetic procedures. This service line offers effective solutions to improve bodily form, soften signs of aging or disease, and improve appearance and self-esteem. Options include non-surgical rejuvenations such as injectables; aesthetic surgical treatments such as brow lifts and Mommy Makeovers; and reconstructive surgeries such as breast reconstruction and scar minimization.
The multi-specialty facility is located at 925 Tahoe Blvd in Suite #105 in Incline Village. To schedule an appointment with Barton Cardiology, call 530.543.5497. Appointments for Barton Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery are currently available by calling 530.543.5799. For more information, visit BartonHealth.org.
Barton Health has plans to provide additional specialties at this location. Look for announcements about additional medical services coming to Incline Village in the upcoming year.
Originally published in the TRPA newsletter 12/19/2025
The Van Sickle Bi-State Park on Lake Tahoe’s South Shore is getting park ranger housing, and accessory dwelling units are now allowed on more properties following Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Governing Board approvals this Wednesday.
“Throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin, momentum on affordable housing is continuing to build as organizations and individuals work to ensure Lake Tahoe’s environment and communities can thrive together,” TRPA Executive Director Julie Regan said.
The Board approved a project by Nevada Division of State Parks at the Van Sickle property to construct a maintenance shop plus two deed-restricted housing units for park staff. Van Sickle Bi-State Park is a 725-acre, day-use park co-managed by the California Tahoe Conservancy that offers hiking trails, scenic views, picnic areas, and historic ranch buildings steps away from the busy state line area of Tahoe’s South Shore. Having affordable housing on site will help park rangers and reduce vehicle miles traveled.
The Governing Board also adopted amendments to the Washoe Tahoe Area Plan for Incline Village and Crystal Bay, Nevada to allow accessory dwelling units on properties less than one acre in size. The housing incentives incorporated into the plan, originally approved in 2023, encourage more affordable units near transit and services to help reduce traffic and support water quality improvements through environmental redevelopment.
The Board’s action on accessory dwelling units brings consistency to both sides of the lake and allows all local governments in the basin to consider allowing them on residential parcels smaller than one acre. Resort communities across the country are incentivizing these types of granny flats or backyard cottages as a strategy to address housing affordability, according to TRPA.
Caption: An illustration of the Nevada Division of State Parks employee duplex approved for Van Sickle Bi-State Park. Credit: Nevada Division of State Parks
North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District Urges Community to Prioritize Fire Safety During the Winter Holiday Season
December 17, 2025 | Member Submitted
As families gather and homes fill with festive decorations, the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District (NLTFPD) is reminding residents that winter holidays bring increased fire risks. Simple safety steps can prevent tragedies and help ensure a joyful, fire-safe season.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), winter holiday activities—particularly decorations, candles, and cooking—create seasonal hazards that can be significantly reduced through awareness and preventive measures.
Holiday Decorating Safety
The NFPA notes that more than one-third of home decoration fires are started by candles, and half occur because decorations are placed too close to heat sources. NLTFPD encourages residents to keep the following precautions in mind:
Choose decorations that are flame resistant or flame retardant.
Keep lit candles away from decorations and anything that can burn.
Use indoor and outdoor lights as intended by the manufacturer.
Replace light strings with worn or broken cords or loose connections.
Use clips instead of nails to avoid damaging cords.
Keep decorations away from windows, doors, and exits.
Holiday Entertaining Safety
With guests visiting and kitchens bustling, residents should also:
Test smoke alarms and review the home fire escape plan with guests.
Keep children and pets away from lit candles and cooking areas.
Store matches and lighters securely and out of reach.
Stay in the kitchen when cooking on the stovetop.
Ask smokers to smoke outdoors and provide deep, sturdy ashtrays; wet cigarette butts before disposal.
Before Heading Out or Going to Bed
Blow out all candles when leaving a room or going to sleep.
Turn off all light strings and decorations before leaving home or going to bed.
A Message from NLTFPD
“These simple steps can make all the difference during a time of year when fire hazards increase,” said Fire Marshal James. “Our goal is to support a safe and joyful season for every household in Incline Village and Crystal Bay.”
For more heating safety information and resources, visit:
In The News – Clean Up The Lake launches second 72-mile cleanup of Lake Tahoe
December 15, 2025 | Member Submitted
Originally published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 12/15/2025, Written by Petra Molina
On Thursday morning, divers stepped into drysuits, freedivers adjusted wetsuits, and kayakers and jet skiers moved into position along Tahoe City’s shoreline as Clean Up The Lake prepared for the first official dives of its newest project.
The Tahoe-based nonprofit, known for its environmental dive team and SCUBA cleanups, completed the lake’s first 72-mile cleanup at depths of 0 to 25 feet in 2021 and 2022. Now, the team is returning to circle the entire shoreline again, this time targeting deeper waters.
“Embarking on this so-called ‘second lap’ of Lake Tahoe used to be something we would joke about ever being needed — yet after almost four years and hundreds of research dives later at these deeper depths, we’ve realized this is exactly what Lake Tahoe is calling for us to do,” said CUTL Founder Colin West.
