Nevada Day food and wine pairings plus special wine discounts at Jodar Winery for Nevadans Oct. 29-31 11am-5pm. Bring your driver’s license. No charge. The tasting room is located at 3405 Carson Court, Placerville.

Enjoy the “fruits of our Labor” food and wine pairing at Jodar Winery on Sept. 4-6 from 11am-5pm. Wine specials. No charge. The tasting room is located at 3405 Carson Court, Placerville.

The Tahoe Mountain Sports 4th Annual Pro/Am Disc Golf Tournament takes to the North Tahoe Regional Park 18-hole disc golf course Oct. 9-10, bringing disc golf professionals and amateurs to compete at high elevation. The tournament, a PDGA Sanctioned “B” Pro/Am event, annually brings golfers from all over Northern California to the Tahoe Vista course, and has helped drive the Tahoe region’s growing interest in the sport of disc golf.

All levels are welcome. Pros are competing for cash prizes, and amateur winners will receive Tahoe Mountain Sports gift certificates to use at the Kings Beach store or at tahoemountainsports.com.

Tournament information: Oct. 9, North Tahoe Regional Park Pavilion Registration and check-in begins at 7:30am, rounds begin at 9am, with lunch provided. Oct. 10, North Tahoe Regional Park PavilionPlayer meeting at 9am, Round 3 begins at 9:30 am, with an awards ceremony one hour after the lat group has finished. Barbecue grills provided, bring your own items.

Contact: Dave Polivy, (530) 546.7001, dave@tahoemountainsports.com, website.

Fine sediment particles and nutrient pollutants are impacting Lake Tahoe’s famed clarity. The Tahoe Total Maximum Daily Load was a science-based effort designed to determine pollutant reductions needed to restore historic clarity within the lake and craft a cost-effective, workable strategy to reduce them.

This video describes the TMDL analysis and provides information on what people can do to help.

The Lahontan Water Quality Control Board will meet Sept. 8 at 9am at Lake Tahoe Community College. There will be a public hearing about the proposed amendments to the Water Quality Control Plan to incorporate the TMDL into the overall plan.

The board expects to certify the revised plan at the November meeting.

Great weather, live music and award-winning chili have become traditional fare at Kirkwood Mountain Resort’s annual Thin Air Chili Cookoff, part of a full lineup of family-friendly events scheduled to take place Labor Day weekend.

Originally intended as a summer sendoff party for Kirkwood homeowners and Lake Tahoe locals, the event has grown to attract chili aficionados from across Northern California and Nevada with a cash prize and bragging rights on the line for the winning recipe.

In addition to a variety of expertly crafted chili recipes to sample, event attendees can taste the latest offerings from regional wineries and breweries while grooving to the music of Mick Martin & the Blues Rockers as they perform on the Village Plaza throughout the afternoon. The action gets underway Sept. 4 from noon-5pm with a $20 admission fee covering chili and beer/wine tasting.

Thin Air Chili Cookoff veterans have learned to work up a healthy appetite by participating in the annual 5K and 10K runs hosted by the Tahoe Mountain Milers and Sage Brush Stompers. This year’s races will mark the event’s 30-year milestone and are scheduled to get under way on Sept. 4 at 9am with half mile and 1 mile fun-runs.

The 10K trail climbs nearly 1,500 feet and is widely recognized as one of Northern California and Nevada’s most challenging high alpine races, attracting elite caliber athletes and recreational runners alike. The 5K course meanders through the wetlands of the preserved 220-acre Kirkwood meadow.

Preregistration is $35 and available online at www.race360.com; otherwise, the entry fee is $40 the day of the event with all proceeds from registration fees benefiting the Kirkwood Volunteer Fire Department. Registration on race day will be open from 8:15am to 9am. Further information can be found by visiting www.tahoemilers.org or by calling (775) 588.2864.

The American Century Championship is keeping $100,000 in the community that helps make the annual event a success. Livestrong, the celebrity golf tournament’s nationally designated charity, has committed funds to benefit Lake Tahoe area nonprofit organizations.

The donation is in partnership with the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, NBC Sports and American Century Investments. South Lake Tahoe area nonprofits organizations are invited to apply for donations.

A committee of tournament representatives will consider each submission. To be considered for funding, organizations must meet 501(c)3 certified nonprofit guidelines and complete a formal donation request. The American Century Championship Contribution Committee will distribute awards ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 in 2011. In the request, each organization is asked to outline its mission, specify how the donation will be used and expected impact in the community.

Local nonprofit organizations may submit requests for donations in writing by Sept. 17 to:

American Century Championship Contribution Committee

P.O. Box 5878Stateline, NV 89449

Click application for the form.

Since the tournament’s inception in 1990, more than $3.5 million has been raised for a variety of national and local charities.

Last year, 15 Lake Tahoe area nonprofits received donations courtesy of Livestrong. A goal of the annual celebrity tournament is to assist area organizations in need.

The 22nd annual American Century Championship takes place July 12-17, 2011.

Publisher’s note: This editorial is from the Aug. 24, 2010, Reno Gazette-Journal.

On the surface, a law limiting the circumstances under which a reporter could be subpoenaed by federal authorities to disclose their sources might appear to be special-interest legislation.

It’s not.

When a federal prosecutor subpoenas a reporter — as the New York Times’ Judith Miller was subpoenaed several years ago in connection with the leak of CIA employee Judith Plame’s name to a columnist — the reporter isn’t really the target.

Instead, the real target is the reporter’s sources — men and women who have the audacity to try to shine a little light on what those in power prefer to keep in the dark.

The real target is your right to know.

Read the whole story

The Tahoe Mountain Sports 4th Annual Pro/Am Disc Golf Tournament takes to the North Tahoe Regional Park 18-hole disc golf course Oct. 9-10, bringing disc golf professionals and amateurs to compete at high elevation. The tournament, a PDGA Sanctioned “B” Pro/Am event, annually brings golfers from all over Northern California to the Tahoe Vista course, and has helped drive the Tahoe region’s growing interest in the sport of disc golf.

All levels are welcome. Pros are competing for cash prizes, and amateur winners will receive Tahoe Mountain Sports gift certificates to use at the Kings Beach store or at tahoemountainsports.com.

Tournament information: Oct. 9, North Tahoe Regional Park Pavilion Registration and check-in begins at 7:30am, rounds begin at 9am, with lunch provided. Oct. 10, North Tahoe Regional Park PavilionPlayer meeting at 9am, Round 3 begins at 9:30 am, with an awards ceremony one hour after the lat group has finished. Barbecue grills provided, bring your own items.

Contact: Dave Polivy, (530) 546.7001, dave@tahoemountainsports.com, website.

The California Tahoe Conservancy will celebrate its 25th anniversary Sept. 16 with a party on the shores of the very lake it works to preserve, protect and enhance.

This casual celebration will take place at Commons Beach in Tahoe City and is free. The event will run from noon–2pm, and will feature live music, food, speakers and commemorative gifts.

Since its inception, the Conservancy has authorized more than $450 million. During its first 25 years, the Conservancy acquired more than 4,700 properties and facilitated hundreds of resource enhancement and public access projects throughout the California side of the Lake Tahoe Basin. Commons Beach, the event venue, is one of the agency’s signature projects.

Transforming El Dorado Beach into Lakeview Commons is a key CTC project on the South Shore.

Reservations are not required for the celebration, but RSVPs are appreciated. RSVP to shelly@switchbackpr.com or call (530) 582.3617.

In conjunction with the anniversary celebration, the Conservancy will roll out its newly designed license plate. California drivers have a unique opportunity to be part of the continued efforts to protect this special place by purchasing a Lake Tahoe environmental license plate.

For more information on the California Tahoe Conservancy’s anniversary event or how to purchase a license plate, visit www.tahoefund.org.

The California Tahoe Conservancy’s mission is to preserve, protect, restore, enhance and sustain the unique and significant natural resources and recreational opportunities of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

There will be a free stargazing program at Mormon Station State Historic Park in Genoa on Sept. 4.

Members of the Astronomical Society of Nevada will set up high-powered telescopes for viewing the evening sky. The program will begin with a presentation and question/answer session at 7:30pm. Telescope viewing is expected to begin about 8pm and last until 10pm.

Under the full moon sky, visitors can expect to see many Milky Way clusters, nebulae, the Andromeda Galaxy, and later in the evening, Jupiter. Members of the Astronomical Society are knowledgeable about the nighttime sky and can teach visitors how to find the North Star, the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, Cassiopeia, Arcturus, Cygnus the Swan and more.

The public is invited to bring a picnic or barbecue dinner to enjoy before the program. Park staff suggest visitors bring a blanket, lawn chair, snacks, a light jacket and mosquito repellent. Leave pets at home.

Mormon Station State Historic Park is at 2307 Main St., in Genoa, located four miles west of Highway 395 in Carson Valley. The park is located in the center of town.

For more information, call (775) 782.2590.