A renaissance of sorts is being celebrated at Ski Run Marina this weekend.

Ski Run Marina Art Galleries are bringing an eclectic collection of art to the South Shore.

This area in the center of South Lake Tahoe is billing itself as the heart of the South Shore. It now features exclusive galleries, a community art gallery, interactive art, guest art shows, Wednesday evening wine tasting and more community events in the future.

The grand opening May 7 includes an art show by South Tahoe and Whittell high school students. A silent auction and raffle hosted by the Ski Run Marina Merchants will benefit the art departments at both schools.

Music students from South Tahoe High will perform Saturday afternoon.

There will be interactive art demonstrations in the courtyard, face painting for the kids and complementary hors d’oeuvres in the galleries.

The festivities will carry over into Mother’s Day.

By Paul Pinkham, Florida Times-Union

Lawyers for five victims of a fatal Easter Sunday boat crash in Palm Valley two years ago have settled their lawsuit against the boat manufacturer.

Terms of the settlement, reached last week in mediation, are confidential, and lawyers for the plaintiffs and Crownline Boats declined comment.

Three injured people and two representatives of deceased victims sued the boatmaker in federal court shortly after the 2009 crash, claiming the design of the Crownline 225BR was inherently unsafe.

The 22-foot pleasure boat struck a tugboat moored in the Intracoastal Waterway just north of the Palm Valley bridge, killing five people and injuring nine.

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The 11th annual Water Quality Snapshot Day will be May 14 throughout Lake Tahoe, Truckee and Reno.

Volunteers are needed to help conduct the water quality sampling and habitat assessments. The event is a citizen-based environmental effort designed to take a “snapshot” at one moment in time, of the water quality throughout the Lake Tahoe and Truckee River watershed. Water quality monitoring will take place from the tributaries flowing into Lake Tahoe all the way to the waters of Pyramid Lake.

It is sponsored by California Trout, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, University of California Cooperative Extension, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Incline Village General Improvement District, and the Truckee River Watershed Council.

Community volunteers will meet at central locations in Lake Tahoe, Truckee and Reno for an overview briefing about water quality measurements. All volunteers will meet at 8:30am to get their team and stream assignments and then proceed to their stream location(s) finishing up at noon with a free group lunch.

• Reno-area volunteers meet at Bartley Ranch Regional Park, 6000 Bartley Ranch Road;

• Truckee-area volunteers meet at the Truckee River Watershed Council office, 10418 Donner Pass Road;

• South Lake Tahoe volunteers meet at Lake Tahoe Community College cafeteria;

• North Lake Tahoe volunteers meet in Incline Village at Patton Landing on Highway 28 in Carnelian Bay.

Volunteer teams, led by trained group leaders, will then fan out to take samples and measurements at various locations at the same time on the same day. The teams will field-test streams for dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH and temperature; collect water samples for laboratory analysis of nutrients, sediment and bacteria; and conduct visual habitat assessments of the sites. Team leaders will share watershed facts and provide information about how citizens can improve and protect the Truckee River and Lake Tahoe watershed. Team leader training for the South Shore will be from 2-5pm on May 7 at the LTCC portable room G2b.

To sign up as a volunteer or team leader, either register online or call the local site leader Mary Kay Riedl at (775) 687.9454 (Truckee River-Nevada portion), Beth Christman at (530) 550.8760 (Truckee River – California portion), Jenny Francis at (530) 541.3495 (South Shore) or Rebecca Sawyer (North Shore) at (775) 832.1284

By Kathryn Reed

While the good of the Amgen Tour de California bike race was touted, that’s not all South Lake Tahoe City Council members wanted to hear from the South Shore’s tourism agency.

Carol Chaplin, executive director of Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, gave a brief update Tuesday about the multi-day bike race through the state that starts at the state line.

“This really has long-term benefits,” Chaplin said of the event. Much like the annual celebrity golf tournament, exposure for the area via the media pays dividends down the road with increased travel by people who see the race or read about it.

Mayor Hal Cole asked if people are canceling room reservations now that Highway 50 will be closed over Echo Summit that weekend. Chaplin didn’t know, but said she’d get back to the city with that information.

Councilman Tom Davis’ concern is if jobs are going to be lost with the main artery to the South Shore off-limits for 10-14 days starting May 11.

To this, Chaplin pointed out May is the shoulder season and to have an event like Amgen will be a boon for the area – despite the roadwork. Plus, the route to town is being billed as a scenic 35-mile detour from the Bay Area or Sacramento.

Chaplin’s big concern locally is realizing many in the area don’t even know about the bike race and how it could affect them. In fact, 10 days of events start Thursday.

The race starts at 10:30am May 15, with cyclist going around the lake 1.5 times before finishing at Northstar. Rolling road closures lasting up to 30 minutes will occur as the riders go by.

This means most businesses along the route will be impacted. People going to church late that morning should think about attending the early service.

Highway 50 is being designed to be one big party with kiosks from the Y to Stateline.

Chaplin said a special guest is in town. “You may see him riding,” she told the council May 3. She smiled, and wouldn’t give any hints.

Lance Armstrong isn’t competing, but he knows his way to Tahoe – having played in the celebrity golf tournament. And Greg Lemond’s last known address was Reno — and he’s very familiar with the roads here. But with everyone in lycra and bike helmet looking similar, the mystery rider might be able to stay incognito for a while.

Bert’s Café is hosting a spaghetti night fundraiser for Tahoe Arts Project on May 11 from 5:30-7:30pm.

For $10, guests may enjoy all you can eat spaghetti, Caesar salad and garlic bread. Wine will be served by donation in a TAP logo wine glass for people to keep.

Save room for dessert because there will also be a bake sale.

Board members and volunteers of Tahoe Arts Project will be your servers for the evening.

Purchase tickets in advance at the California and Nevada visitors center, Sessions Salon or from TAP board members. Tickets will also be available at the door.

For more information, call (530) 542.3632.

Tahoe Arts Project is a nonprofit organization that presents professional performing arts in the schools and community of South Lake Tahoe.

Caregiving is a difficult and often challenging role that one can undertake, and taking the opportunity to share information and feel connected to others who are providing care is a vital step to perform this task to the best of your ability.

Take the opportunity May 12 from 5:30-7:30pm, South Lake Tahoe Senior Center, 3050 Highway 50, South Lake Tahoe, to become connected and rejuvenated at a local support group.

Refreshments will be served. Free respite care is available to qualified caregivers.

Pre-authorization is required for respite services.

Call (530) 621.6151 for more information.

Technology has impacted tourism marketing in a multitude of ways, inherently changing the marketing landscape. Marketing executives are now tasked with understanding

a host of technology programs ranging from website design to mobile marketing, all of which are constantly evolving.

The 2011 SMG Tourism, Technology + Marketing Workshop

will again provide tools and insight into online technologies.

When: Oct. 12

Where: Embassy Suites, South Lake Tahoe

Time: 8:30am-2:30pm.

Updated: May 4, 2011, 6:40am

The driver of the Chevrolet Tahoe was identified as Dan Steven Navone, a 56‐year‐old Gardnerville resident.

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A 56-year-old Gardnerville man died Tuesday night when his vehicle went over an embankment at the bottom of Kingsbury Grade in the Carson Valley.

The name of the victim is not being released pending notification of his family.

Nevada Highway Patrol officers said a Chevrolet Blazer pulling a small trailer went over the side of the road near Foothill Road about 8:30pm April 26.

The lone driver was ejected and was pronounced dead at the scene. The vehicle and trailer traveled into a barn adjacent to the roadway and caught fire.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Ed Fletcher, Sacramento Bee

The agency that provides water to Placer County is expected to declare a water shortage emergency in a matter of days as a result of a recent canal failure.

The Placer County Water Agency has been able to meet customer needs while the weather is cool and demands are low, but agency general manager David Breninger predicts a “dire, catastrophic situation” once temperatures start to rise, if there is no fix.

About 150,000 customers in and around Auburn will be asked to significantly reduce water usage in order to keep water flowing, Breninger said.

“Basically, without a massive infusion of water very soon from PG&E to PCWA, thousands of our customers face a stark reality of little to no water in certain regions of our vast service area,” Breninger said in a prepared release.

Hardest hit will be the agency’s 1,250 customers who use canal water for irrigation and farming, because a higher priority will be placed on treated water for public health and fire safety, Breninger said.

A 40-foot section of the Bear River Canal in a remote area near Colfax below Rollins Reservoir broke April 19, sending the water cascading down a steep hill and into the Bear River. The canal, maintained by Pacific Gas and Electric Co., normally is the main water source for Placer County Water Agency customers.

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By Jeff Delong, Reno Gazette-Journal

Felt-soled waders, a time-honored safeguard for anglers knee-deep in slippery streams, are under mounting scrutiny in Nevada and across the country.

With officials concerned that felt soles on waders and boots could help aquatic invaders hitchhike from one place to another, regulations regarding their use are being considered or are already in place.

Maryland became the first state to ban them, effective March 21. They became illegal in Vermont on April 1. Across Alaska, felt-soled waders and boots will be prohibited beginning Jan. 1, 2012.

The soles have a problem. Porous felt can trap spores and larvae of non-native plants and animals, allowing them to spread in much the same way invading mussels can move from place to place attached to motorboats.

That’s what’s believed to have happened in Vermont, where felt-soled footware is suspected in the spread of didymo, a slimy algae commonly called “rock snot,” said Shawn Good, a fisheries biologist with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.

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