The League to Save Lake Tahoe has been leading litter clean-up efforts for the area's beaches and water for years.

Volunteers can easily pick up large pieces of trash, but smaller pieces of plastic can eventually still find their way into the water after sinking into the sand.

That's a problem the league is looking to solve with help from a new robot.

It's called "BEBOT."

It's fully electric, solar-powered and remote-controlled by someone walking behind it.

BEBOT's job? Comb through the top few inches of sand to sift out otherwise unseen litter.

“This robot is really getting the plastics and the litter just out of our view that could end up in our lake and really cause some damage," said Jesse Patterson, Chief Strategy Officer for the League, which operates under the slogan "Keep Tahoe Blue."

Patterson said the robot has been compared to a giant Roomba or a Zamboni. But the rover-like machine is far smaller than that.

"It's very compact, no emissions, very light pressure on the ground so it's not going to disturb things like our native Tahoe Yellow Cress," Patterson said.

A company called Eco Clean Solutions, which is based in France, built BEBOT along with several other robots like it.

BEBOT made its U.S. debut in Florida. This week's test event at Lake Tahoe was the first run for the robot on the West Coast.

In ideal conditions, the robot can crawl along at 3,000 meters (just under 2 miles) per hour. As it moves along, it sweeps and sifts the top 1 to 4 inches of sand, removing pieces of trash.

"We really see the robot as the last line of defense for the lake for keeping small pollution and litter, plastics in particular from getting in the water in the first place," Patterson said.

After that, volunteers sort the trash and log what they've found.

BEBOT is in a pilot phase this year while the League determines the most effective way to utilize it.

Patterson said that Keep Tahoe Blue will still organize regular clean-up events. He also urges all visitors to prioritize being responsible stewards of the environment.

"Leave it better than you found it," Patterson said. "Come enjoy this place, but pack it in, pack it out. It sounds silly and simple but it really matters here in Tahoe."

Randy Waites never expected to find a family member by watching the local news. But that's exactly what happened one day in late December.

The sighting happened during a newscast of sister station KCRA, in a story about snowfall in Lake Tahoe. A man named Eddie Waites was being interviewed, and Randy wondered if there might be a family connection.

Randy's daughter, Cambria kicked off the search.

"I saw [Eddie's] features and he actually looked a lot like my Dad in the eyes. I did my research, searched up his name, looked up all I could," she said.

It wasn't long before the two men shared their first phone call.

"It just clicked, like we’ve been friends for 20 years," Randy said. "It's just unbelievable."

"It was an instantaneous chill all the way from my head all the way down to my toes," Eddie said. "At first I thought, it’s not possible. Once I seen a picture of him, I seen my dad. I seen our dad. I knew it was real."

The connection has allowed Randy Waites an opportunity not only to connect with his brother, but also learn more about their father.

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"I’ve never met my father, never saw a picture of him my entire life," Randy said. "[Eddie] has been texting me all kinds of different stuff, pictures of my grandfather, and filling in on the family history that I never had on that side."

Eddie and Randy grew up within just 30 miles of one another. On Saturday, they met for the first time.

"This is almost an out-of-body experience," Eddie said. "The whole thing is surreal. To have not only a brother, but a family I never knew existed is beyond words. It's unbelievable."

Both families greeted and embraced one another on Randy's front lawn in Lodi, California. The moment was markedly special also because it fell on Randy's son's 13th birthday.

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"It was crazy. I didn’t even know it was possible this could happen," said Dalton Waites. "My dad showed me a picture of his dad, and he looked exactly like me when I was little."

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KCRA asked the brothers what their plans were for the weekend.

"Spending as much time with this guy as possible," Eddie said. "Filling him in on all the gaps he’s had in his life, and the gaps I’ve had in my life, and filling in that void we both have. I think that’s the most incredible thing ever."

California ski resort removes a derogatory slur from its name

Updated: 4:47 PM EDT Sep 13, 2021

A Lake Tahoe area ski resort has changed its name, removing derogatory language from the 70-year-old resort's name.Formerly Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, the resort has been renamed Palisades Tahoe, according to a social media post. The original name had a word with English roots that is considered a racial and sexual slur against Native American women."For more than a year, our community has been waiting, wondering and guessing what the new name for our mountains would be. Today marks the first day of the next chapter of our resort’s storied history. From our founding in 1949 and hosting the 1960 Winter Olympics, to the freeskiing pioneers and Olympians that put us on the map, the last seven decades have cemented our mountains’ place in the halls of ski history. While the name may be new, the legend and legacy of these valleys continue on, now as Palisades Tahoe," the resort's post goes on to say.Plans to change the resort's name had been in the works since August 2020. The move comes amid growing efforts nationwide to remove symbols of Indigenous oppression from public spaces.

Groom accidentally drops ring into lake during wedding ceremony, video shows

A newlywed nearly spent his honeymoon in the doghouse.Andrew Kent dropped his sweetheart's wedding ring into Lake Tahoe during their wedding ceremony — when they were trying to exchange rings, KOVR-TV reports.But thanks to a scuba diver, the episode has a happy ending.Newlywed Marlee Kent, of Vancouver, Washington, said she can't wait to share the tale with their kids one day. Tap the video above to find out more about this story.