The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control is putting on a free seminar for businesses on May 28 from 10am-2pm at Lake Tahoe Airport.

The Licensee Education on Alcohol and Drugs seminar will give businesses:

• Information on what is acceptable identification.; the best way to check I.; how to refuse service; signs and prevention of illicit drug activity
• Facts about criminal, civil, and ABC liability
• An update on California alcohol laws
• Helpful handouts.

Register online by May 26. Find the link “Register for a LEAD training” and then locate the class under the Sacramento District.

On the day of the training, bring a copy of your ABC license.

A goose with an arrow through it continues to survive at Lake Tahoe. Photo/Jenny Sweatt

The Lake Tahoe goose with an arrow through it that was first seen in March was spotted again April 30.

Several volunteers with Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care tried to rescue it Thursday to no avail. It was last seen on the South Shore.

Anyone who sees it is asked to call 775.315.0353 so care can be provided.

By Trevon Milliard, Reno Gazette-Journal

Nevada schools will not be issued star ratings this year under the state’s system to hold schools accountable for their performances.

No such evaluations will be made for schools’ performances this year. Instead, school ratings from 2013-14 will be rolled over for the 2014-15 school year.

The Nevada State Board of Education unanimously granted the reprieve on Thursday as problems plague the state’s standardized tests, which were done online for the first time this year. These annual tests – given in third through eighth grade – were previously done with paper and pencil.

The board already considered waiving school ratings this year because of the state’s transition to online tests based on the new Common Core academic standards. But the testing snafu only gave more reason.

Read the whole story

A Zephyr Cove woman was injured Friday morning in a single-vehicle accident.

Jean Marie Michael, 76, was driving east on Highway 50 near Cave Rock when the accident occurred.

She was transported to Barton Memorial Hospital with minor injuries.

The tunnel was closed for a short time May 1 while crews cleared the roadway.

The Nevada Highway Patrol is still investigating why the vehicle left the road.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

The Nevada Heritage Foundation is accepting applications for the 2015 Continuing Education Scholarship, an award that enables students with an interest in agriculture to purse their degrees. The application deadline is July 1.

Students currently enrolled in either traditional or non-traditional post-secondary programs may apply. The award winner will receive a $1,000 to use toward his or her education costs.

The successful candidate must be from a Farm Bureau family and must have completed at least one year of post-secondary education. Preference will be given to students pursuing career goals in the agriculture or agriculture business industry. An interview may be required before the recipient is selected.

The scholarship application is available here.

For more info, contact Jill Combs at jillbcombs@gmail.com.

By Joseph Serna, Los Angeles Times

Despite increasingly aggressive clean air and fuel standards, years of drought are taking a toll on California’s air quality, the American Lung Association says in a new report.

The portion of California’s Central Valley from Fresno to Madera was the most polluted region in the nation on any given day in 2013 with microscopic particulates, or soot, thanks in large part to the changing climate and drought, according to an annual report on air quality released Wednesday by the American Lung Association.

“Continuing drought and heat may have increased dust, grass fires and wildfires” that have hurt the Central Valley’s air quality in short-term particle pollution, the report stated. “The impact of climate change is particularly apparent in the West, where the heat and drought create situations ripe for episodes of high-particle days.”

Read the whole story

·       Animal Coalition of Tahoe’s bowling fundraiser is May 13 at Tahoe Bowl in South Lake Tahoe. Click on the form to sign up.

·       Reno Sculpture Fest is May 8-10 from 10am-10pm each day at the ReTrack located between 3rd Street and Commercial Row, and North Virginia and West streets.

·       There will be drop-in maker space activities for ages 8-16 at the South Lake Tahoe Library on May 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 starting at 3:30pm.

·       Brenen Davis, who started as a reserve firefighter in 2002 and was then hired full time in 2004 with the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department, has been promoted to fire engineer-paramedic with the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department.

·      In celebration of Emergency Medical Services Week, May 17-23, the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department will be hosting an open house May 23 from 10a-2pm at fire station No. 3, 2101 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

By Geoffrey Mohan, Los Angeles Times

The Brown administration’s effort to speed innovation to address the state’s endemic droughts was launched to little fanfare Tuesday.

No specific funding or timeline was included in the program posted to the California Energy Commission’s website. A spokesman for the commission said it would begin this summer and is likely to follow well-established channels for research and development grants, which can take several months to a year to pass through the process.

Among the programs Brown seeks to accelerate are desalination powered by alternative energy, on-site water reuse, and various software and equipment approaches to economizing water use in agriculture.

Read the whole story

A bill in the California Legislature that would give Lake Tahoe more transportation money received unanimous bipartisan support in the Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing.

Senate Bill 231 is sponsored by state Sen. Ted Gaines, R-El Dorado Hills.

“Although the permanent population in Lake Tahoe has been in decline, the region still remains a top vacation destination, welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors a day during peak season,” Gaines said in a statement. “It is critical to Tahoe’s regional economy that we meet the transportation needs of both visitors and residents in this most picturesque part of our state.”

Tahoe currently is allocated funds based on the number of full time residents. This bill would allow agencies to tap the Low Carbon and Transit Operations and the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities programs, as well as receive a larger allocation of State Transit Assistance funding based on a new, designated population basis for the California portion of the Tahoe basin.

The bill now moves to the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

South Lake Tahoe Recreation Department is offering a program for community members to participate in called the Monthly Wellness Challenge. The May Wellness Challenge is basketball.

Extended hours at the rec center allow for pick-up games. Drop in basketball hours are being offered Monday-Saturday from noon-5pm.

Each month a different activity will be offered for community members to experience such as weight lifting, lap swimming, cardio machines, basketball, ping pong, climbing the traversing wall, and more. Included each month will be information on general fitness tips to increase product knowledge and safety. After paying the daily use fee, participants will track the amount of time spent in the recreation center weight room from May 1-31.

Participants may sign up for the program with front desk personnel. Staff will post participant’s progress on a display in the weight room to inspire participants. At the end of the month the person with the most time logged is crowned the winner for that month.

For more information, call 530.542.6056.