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mtdemocrat.com
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2023
VOLUME 172 • ISSUE 41 | $1.00
ROOFING • SOLAR • SIDING
Raley’s at Heavenly won’t reopen Ashleigh Goodwin Tahoe Daily Tribune Raley’s at Heavenly Village in South Lake Tahoe will permanently close due to the collapse of its roof and in light of nearing expiration of the building’s lease. The grocery store closed
March 11 on a weekend that saw dozens of structures in El Dorado County give in to the heavy snow load. “We previously shared that the lease for the Raley’s store adjacent to Heavenly Village 4000 Lake Tahoe Boulevard
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■ See RALEY’S, page A6
Scramble to get higher solar rates hits tech hiccups
Photo courtesy of Joshua Goodwin
2010 2022
Eggspertise
Odin Rasco Staff writer The deadline for solar customers to receive a higher rebate for every kilowatt hour they put back into the grid, and the rush to apply on time, appears to be overwhelming PG&E’s submission portal. The California Public Utilities Commission decided in December to significantly change solar energy tariff amounts by around 75% in a program called Net Energy Monitoring 3.0. Local solar company representatives have spoken against the change from NEM 2.0, saying the changes are bad for their business and solar customers in general. Customers looking to secure the higher rate will have to have an accurate application submitted by Friday. Hannah Cole, a Lotus resident, intends to add an additional solar power system to her home and began to submit her application last week. However, trouble quickly arose as technical issues on the PG&E customer connection portal halted her submission process. “There’s a required field that is greyed out; I can’t adjust it but it won’t let me submit the application unless I do,” Cole said. “I have a background in app ■ See SOLAR RATES, page A3
Photo by Laurie Edwards
Lola Meyer, 3, of El Dorado Hills, left, retrieves treats from the eggs she fetched while her 1-year-old sister Ivy holds tight onto a prize ticket from one of the eggs she gathered. Children with prize tickets received a large gift basket at the Placerville Kiwanis Easter Egg Hunt at Lions Park in Placerville Saturday. See more photos from the egg hunt on page A7.
Divide biomass, Georgetown forest roads and trails in rough state after storms water tank up for Odin Rasco Staff writer Downed trees and other storm damage have rendered multiple roads and trails in the Eldorado National Forest’s Georgetown Ranger District impassable, according to information from the U.S. Forest Service. A culvert failure at Rock Creek Road and Al Brass Creek has eroded away the roadbed and collapsed a notable portion of the roadbed above, rendering the road unusable until repairs are made. Forest Service officials note the Rock Creek Trail System has seen more downed
trees than average this year, creating hazardous conditions for travelers. In higher elevations, snow has also created conditions that limit accessibility. Riding or walking the trails could lead to “significant and costly damage” at this time, an Eldorado National Forest social media post warns. Forest rangers urge visitors to protect the area and themselves by postponing Rock Creek Trail System recreation plans. Individuals interested in volunteering to help clear trails are encouraged to contact District Recreation Management Specialist Kayla Nimmo at Kayla. Nimmo@usda.gov or (530) 333-5550.
federal funding Mountain Democrat staff
Courtesy photo
Heavy storms resulted in culvert failure on Rock Creek Road at Al Brass Creek that damaged the road.
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Congressman Kevin Kiley has made his selections for community projects to be considered for federal funding and three of them are in El Dorado County. A water reliability and fire resiliency project would allocate $1.5 million to the Georgetown Divide Public Utility District to construct a 2-million-gallon fire-resilient water storage tank to aid in fire suppression efforts, according to a news release from Kiley’s office. Also on the Divide, a biomass generator and on-site sawmill are proposed for Golden Sierra High School in Garden Valley. Kiley’s funding request would allocate $2.6 million to Black Oak Mine Unified School District to install a biomass generator system, expand the existing career technical education wood shop mill and class program, establish an on-site sawmill and develop a new forest management service. In Tahoe, the South Tahoe Public Utility District may see more than $4.5 million to enhancing the resilience of critical water infrastructure. The water agency is looking to replace deteriorating waterlines, improve
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