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VOLUME 171 • ISSUE 25 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2022
CHAMPIONS
Photo courtesy of Bear League
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is working to place South Lake Tahoe nuisance bear Hank the Tank in an animal sanctuary.
Mountain Democrat photo by Thomas Frey
Oak Ridge celebrates Gabby Marsh’s first goal of the game in the eighth minute of Thursday’s Division 1 Sac-Joaquin Section championship at Heart Health Park in Sacramento. Marsh scored three goals as the Trojans won their second straight title 8-1 over Lincoln of Stockton.
Oak Ridge strikes 8 times to win D-1 title
Thomas Frey Staff writer
■ Seniors go out with two straight section titles SACRAMENTO — From the moment the Oak Ridge Trojans girls soccer team set foot on the pitch this season, the goal was to win the Division 1 Sac-Joaquin Section championship again. On Thursday at Heart Health Park in Sacramento, the dream became reality as Oak Ridge stomped Lincoln of Stockton 8-1. “It’s just amazing that in our senior year we got to finish it off as section champions,” said midfielder Iman Mustafa, whose face could barely contain her smile. “It just shows our soccer program is one of the best in the state.” The Trojans are ranked as the top team in ■
See OAK RIDGE, page A7
Oak Ridge captain Emily Lieber drives upfield before booting the ball into the back of the net for her second goal of the evening.
CDFW to trap troublesome Tahoe bears Laney Griffo Tahoe Daily Tribune SOUTH LAKE TAHOE — The story of a South Lake Tahoe bear named Hank the Tank has gone viral in recent days and while his future has not yet been set in stone, the situation has highlighted a bigger issue — responsibly living with wildlife. Originally thought to be the sole culprit of serial break-ins in the Tahoe Keys, California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials report that DNA evidence shows Hank is not responsible for all those incidents. While Hank is guilty of some, two female bears were also to blame. “Considering new evidence suggesting multiple bears are responsible for recent incidents, CDFW will work in coming weeks
and months to trap bears in the South Lake Tahoe area, tag them, collect evidence for genetic analysis and then release them into suitable habitat,” CDFW officials stated. “During this effort, CDFW will gather information and learn from scientific analysis to help inform and refine our bear management in the Lake Tahoe Basin. CDFW is not going to euthanize any bears that are trapped during this effort.” Tahoe Keys residents are being asked to help place traps. Over the past seven months California Department of Fish and Wildlife and other local agencies have received more than 150 calls regarding bear breakins, some involving Hank the Tank, a 500pound black bear. ■
See HANK, page A6
Supes hear homelessness strategic plan Eric Jaramishian Staff writer El Dorado Opportunity Knocks Continuum of Care’s proposed five-year plan to combat homelessness PLACE ADDRESS LABEL HERE
countywide centers around four goals — stopping homelessness, increasing access to housing for all county residents, increasing access to homeless emergency response services and building collective solutions. El Dorado County supervisors heard a presentation on the plan last week. EDOK COC is a collaborative effort of local community partners and administrative stakeholders seeking to solve, resolve and prevent homelessness. Called “The Community Plan to Prevent and End Homeless in El Dorado,” the strategic plan will gather
community input, an effort that has already begun through various meetings, surveys and focus groups of folks who recently experienced homeless. “I can hear a lot of concern in our community. As we move forward, there needs to be a lot of public outreach on these plans,” said District 5 Supervisor Sue Novasel, who praised the strategic plan. Shorter term goals like development of a screening and problemsolving protocol, landlord engagement programs to help landlords support transitional homeless people to permanent housing, low-barrier warming centers and
implementation of a tiny home or pallet program in fall 2022, a program District 2 Supervisor Turnboo has advocated for in the past, were all presented to the board. “People are having problems finding even rentals here and having to find affordable housing elsewhere. There is nothing here for them,” Turnboo said. “These pallet homes are a good start to help these people get back on their feet.” Navigation centers were a topic of interest during the discussion, which is also spelled out as a shorter-term plan. District 3 Supervisor Wendy Thomas said plans to mitigate fire
danger during fall and a navigation center for homeless should be a priority. Area homeless encampments pose risk with illegal fires, especially during peak fire season. “I am worried this could be (held) up ... knowing that there will be negotiations, due diligence and community engagement, which can be a very lengthy process,” Thomas said. Longer term goals were also presented, like the implementation of at least 50 new permanent supportive housing units by January 2027. Health and Human Services Director Daniel Del Monte
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said the strategic plan will be submitted to the state for review and then it will be determined how state funding will be allocated to El Dorado County. Upon approval, EDOK COC and the county are expected to receive a total of $1.8 million in grant funding this fiscal year, according to Del Monte. This is tied to the state’s process for the California Emergency Solutions and Housing Program, which asks communities to to develop a strategic plan to address homelessness, for which they receive grants, Del Monte said. Supervisors all said they were pleased with the strategic plan.
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