Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Executive Director Joanne Marchetta is hosting a “fireside chat” at Lake Tahoe Community College on Feb. 8 from 6-7:30pm on “21st Century Environmentalism and the Regional Plan Update.”

This is the first of two evening talks on how Marchetta is transitioning the bi-state agency from its once-needed focus on stopping runaway growth and parcel-by-parcel regulation, to one focused on encouraging 21st century environmentalism.

A second talk will take place later this month on the North Shore, with date and time still being worked on.

Heavenly Mountain Resort is teaming up with Nike Snowboarding to host the fifth stop of the Nike Winter Chosen Tour on Feb. 4.

The slopestyle rail jam will take place from 4-7pm on World Cup.

Nike’s Winter Chosen consists of two components: a video crew competition, in which riding and filming crews enter online for a chance to travel to Austria and compete with professional riders and videographers, and the Night Jam, a freestyle slope session featuring production lighting and local and professional snowboarders competing for $5,000 in cash prizes.

Watch the competition at the base of World Cup for free. For more information, or to enter the competition, go online.

Alejandro Aguirre was recently selected as the Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe 2011-12 Youth of the Year.

Each Boys & Girls Club across the country selects a Youth of the Year based on the criteria of sound character, leadership, and willingness to serve. Alejandro will go on to compete at the state level.

This National Boys & Girls Club of America program awards college scholarships at each of the stages of competition. The National Youth of the Year receives a $50,000 College Scholarship. Each of the other 5 Regional Finalists receives a $10,000 College Scholarship and they all meet with the president of the United States.

Alejandro received a $50 savings bond from the local club. He competes at the state level next.

The other nominees were: Owen Slater, Michael Bergsten, Aria D’Aintree, Angela Rheault, and Jade Burgard.

The Douglas County Public Library in Zephyr Cove is presenting Saturday Stories and Crafts on Feb. 11 at 3pm.

Celebrate Valentine’s Day at the library. Children ages 3 and up may choose a craft to make. All supplies will be provided. Younger children should be accompanied by an adult.

Register for this program by Feb. 10 by calling (775) 588.6411.

On Oct. 13 at 7pm, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gretchen Morgenson who writes the Market Watch column for the Sunday Money & Business section of the New York Times will be the guest lecturer at the Squaw Valley Institute.

She is the co-author of “Reckless Endangerment,” published in 2011; author of “Forbes Great Minds Of Business,” published in 1997; and co-author of “The Woman’s Guide to the Stock Market,” published in 1981. She will give her perspective on the U.S. financial crisis and what Washington is doing – or not doing – to help.

For tickets and more information, go online.

Kenny Broad doesn’t shy away from tough physical conditions or tough issues. Through a unique combination of underwater cave exploration, photography and environmental anthropology, he tackles challenging expeditions to unexplored caves and probes controversial problems ranging from climate change to inequity in natural resource management, focusing on the potential use and misuse of scientific information.

Broad is the April 10 guest speaker at the Squaw Valley Institute. The lecture begins at 7pm.

In 2011, Broad was named National Geographic’s Explorer of the Year for his extraordinary achievements in documenting the Blue Holes of the Bahamas. His presentation is designed to be fun and fascinating, leading people to the unimagined world underwater.

For tickets and more information, go online.

The Squaw Valley Institute on March 23 at 5pm hosts Jeremy Bloom, three-time world champion, two-time Olympian and 11-time World Cup gold medalist in freestyle moguls skiing, and NFL player.

Bloom is also the founder of the Wish of a Lifetime Charity, which grants lifelong wishes to 80, 90, and 100-plus-year-old people.

In April 2010, Bloom co-founded the Internet company Integrate.com, and he has just been recognized by Forbes magazine as one of the 30 under 30 list in Technology. He is 29.

For more information and tickets, go online.

Conrad Anker and his wife and author Jenni Lowe Anker’s lives have been intertwined in a story of tragedy and triumph, of family and adventure. Conrad is best known as an American rock climber, mountaineer, and author famous for his challenging ascents in the high Himalaya and Antarctica. His resume of alpinism is augmented by conservation and humanitarian activism.

He is a member of The North Face climbing team and, in 1999, he was a key member of the search team which located the remains of legendary British climber George Mallory on Mount Everest.

Jenni Lowe Anker is the author of “Forget Me Not”, a memoir in which Tom Brokaw described as “a beautifully written story of great love, great daring, great loss, and great recovery. Most of all, it is a story of great courage.”

They will be speaking Feb. 4 at 7pm as part of the Squaw Valley Institute speakers series.

For tickets and more information, go online.

Tahoe City Golf Course’s future is the subject of a noon Feb. 7 meeting at Tahoe City Public Utility District’s board room (221 Fairway Drive, Tahoe City).

The district is still finalizing the $5 million agreement to buy the property from the Bechdolt family.

Still to be decided is if the property would remain a golf course.

For information, call (530) 583.3796, ext. 21.

Random Acts of Kindness has been wildly successful because of you.

When the idea first percolated last fall we wondered what the reaction would be. Would people embrace it? Would they write in? Would businesses want to be part of it?

Within the first hour of asking businesses to contribute a gift, three slots on the January calendar were filled. It was not difficult to fill up the remaining 28 days.

We even had people asking to be part of Random Acts of Kindness once it got started.

Thank you to the following businesses or organizations for donating to Lake Tahoe News’ inaugural Random Acts of Kindness promotion. We have hyperlinked their website so you can more easily check out these kind businesses. Maybe your Act of Kindness could be to frequent them a little more often knowing they are true members of the Lake Tahoe community who care about being kind.

• Heart Rock Herb & Spice Company – two gift baskets

• Knox & Associates – two one-hour business consulting sessions, plus Steve Jobs’ biography

• Echo Restaurant – two $25 gift certificates

• Lake Tahoe Marathon – entry into the 5K or 10K in September 2012

• Sealed with a Kiss – $50 gift certificate

• Sierra-at-Tahoe – midweek, non-holiday lift ticket

• Sprouts – two $10 gift certificate

• Lake Tahoe News – two Giants-A’s tickets

• Cork & More – two sandwich vouchers

• Black Bear Inn – bed and breakfast cookbook, two mugs

• Howie Nave – two tickets to the Improv at Harveys

• Tahoe Tallac Association – Friend of Tallac membership for 2012 season

• Barton Health – preparedness backpack

• Tahoe Best Friends – doggie day care

• Tahoe Health Touch – EFT session

• Bona Fide Books – two books and balm

• Aramark – two day cruises on Tahoe Queen

• Weidinger Public Relations – round of golf at Edgewood Tahoe

• A Massage at Tahoe – one-hour massage

• First Tracks Productions – DVDs

• Dirk Yuricich Photography – note cards

• Alpen Sierra Coffee – 1 pound of coffee

• KizmeTech – one-hour digital ad design

• Sierra Athletic Club – one-month membership

• Squaw Valley – two passes on the tram

• Tahoe Arts Project – 4 tickets to The Gizmo Guys.

And then, you, the readers of Lake Tahoe News need to be applauded as well. Your stories moved those who read about the Random Acts of Kindness. Thank you for sharing.

All of the stories will remain under the Random Acts of Kindness category at the top of the page at least through February.

We hope you all will continue being kind – random or otherwise..

— Lake Tahoe News staff