The Tahoe Area Sierra Club is having a celebration of regional wine, food and art at the Tahoe Stonehenge House (1082 Mt. Canary Drive, South Lake Tahoe) on July 22 from 5-9pm.

Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door. The evening’s events include a raffle and silent auction. This year’s featured artist is Stateline photgrapher Dirk Yuricich, the featured winery is Wente Vineyards and beer is being provided by Mt. Tallac Brewing Company. Dory Smith wlll perform during the evening. Gourmet treats are by Two Sisters Catering.

Contact Jeanne at (530) 577.4945 for ticket information, or email stonehengerocks2010@hotmail.com. Click here for more information.

The Douglas County Public Library in Zephyr Cove presents Alligator Stories and Crafts on July 16 at 1:30pm.

Miss Carol will read “Zack’s Alligator” by Shirley Mozelle. Children will sing songs, watch an alligator grow, go on a gator hunt, and make a craft to take home. For ages 3 and up; young children should be accompanied by an adult.

Sign up by July 15.

The Douglas County Public Library is located at 233 Warrior Way. For more information, call (775) 588.6411 or visit douglas.lib.nv.us.

Kicking-off the weekly summer night programs at the Lake of the Sky Amphitheater at Taylor Creek Visitor Center on the South Shore will be a night with Mark Twain. Come and learn about Mark Twain’s crazy adventures through live interpretation by McAvoy Layne. Hear his stories and take a step back into some local history.

Mark Twain will be presented on July 1 and again Aug. 26 at 7pm.

Other night programs offered at the Lake of the Sky Amphitheater are:

* Wildfire Awareness: Angora Fire area: rebirth and restoration on July 8 at 8:30pm.

* Batopia! July 15 at 8:30pm and Aug. 12 at 8pm.

* Night Sky on July 17 at 8:30pm.

* Wild Things! July 29 at 7pm, and Aug. 19 at 7pm.

The Tahoe Heritage Foundation would gratefully accept a $2 donation per person in order to bring the public future programs like these.

Taylor Creek offers an assortment of visitor and kids programs daily. For more information and complete details of all the programs for this summer, pick up a Lake of the Sky Journal or contact Taylor Creek Visitor Center located on Highway 89, three miles north of South Lake Tahoe and 6 miles south of Emerald Bay, phone (530) 543.2674

The 26th Annual I-CAN Run/Walk kicks off at 8:15am on July 10 in Incline Village. Proceeds benefit two nonprofits; the Children’s Cabinet at Incline Village and Incline High School Athletics Program.

This fun family tradition offers a 5K and 10K Run with chip timing, a 5K Walk, and a 1K Kids Run on a combination of flat forest trails and safe scenic roads starting and ending at Aspen Grove Park. Strollers and dogs welcome. This early morning event begins with registration at 7am. Opening ceremonies begin at 8am and the kids race starts at 8:30am sharp.

Cost for the race is $35 adult pre-registration, $40 race day registration, and $10 for all participants through grade 12. Registration fee includes before race snacks and lunch, the 26th Annual I-Can Run/Walk T-shirt, and the opportunity to support two nonprofits.

Prizes will be presented to the first, second, and third place male/female winners in the 5K -10K as well as medals to the top three male and female runners in each age category. Ribbons for all kids and medals for the top three finishers in each age category.

For more information and to register online for the race, log onto www.i-canrun.org or email info@i-canrun.com or call (775) 842.9890.

To the clients and patients of All Paws House Calls,

June 30 marked the day I closed the office door for the last time here in South Lake Tahoe. After practicing veterinary medicine here for the past 15 years, it is with mixed emotions that I look forward to my new life in Santa Barbara and the new clients and pets I will meet.

When I became a veterinarian 16 years ago, I never really imagined the degree that the lives of both my patients and their owners would intertwine with mine. There has been heartache and joy over the years. But mostly I have felt honored to have been entrusted with the care of so many great animals.

I thank all of you for giving me the opportunity to know and care for your pets as if they were my own.

I also want to thank all who made a great going away party even better by attending and bringing their dogs to Cindy Anderson’s house on that Sunday. A special thanks to Cindy and Steve Anderson for providing their home for such an invasion.

Any clients seeking copies of records will find them at Sierra Veterinary Hospital here in South Lake.

Much thanks to all of you again for 15 wonderful years. Think of me when the snow flies and the roads close. I’ll be at the beach. J.

Sincerely,

Kelly Doria, DVM All Paws House Calls

By Jim Krajewski, Reno Gazette-Journal

Jon and Dorie Starich try to attend all the fight cards in Northern Nevada. They like to get dressed up and spring for the high-priced tickets.

“We make a night of it,” Jon Starich, 34, said. “We get to pretend we’re rich. It’s definitely a lot of fun.”

Starich became a boxing fan when his father would take him to see cards in the mid-1980s. Boxing in Reno was in its heyday back then. Starich remembers watching the world-title fight between Livingstone Bramble and Ray Mancini in 1985 at Lawlor Events Center.

Even before that, Reno was home to big fights. Jack Johnson, Jess Willard, Jack Dempsey, Max Baer and Sonny Liston all fought here.

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Smoke was billowing from the attic space above the kitchen of a South Lake Tahoe residence with Lake Valley firefighters reached the structure Wednesday night.

Crews were able to extinguish the 8:55pm blaze at 1172 Canarsee St. before it spread to the surrounding structures or wildland.

All occupants were able to exit the residence and no injuries were reported.

Along with the Lake Valley units, engines and personnel from South Lake Tahoe Fire Department and CalFire assisted.

The cause of the fire has been determined to be a bird’s nest on top of a light fixture that caught fire because of the heat. Residents should check all light fixtures on their homes for any material that may catch on fire, according to fire officials. Lake Valley also recommends residents use roof vents in their homes that are engineered to prevent fire from being transferred into the combustible attic spaces from outside the structure.

Middle school band students who will be entering the 7th and 8th grades this are invited to join the summer Teen Band Ensemble.

The band will meet and practice on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3-4:30pm at the Boys & Girls Club (1100 Lyons Ave., South Lake Tahoe). Participants must be able to bring their own instruments. The program is for students who already know how to play their instrument and want to enjoy playing with their friends and other musicians.

The program will be facilitated by high school students, Boys & Girls Club staff and community volunteers. High school band students are invited to participate as mentors and leaders as well as get to play their instruments. Rose Campion will be the student conductor and coordinator, with the help of Gerry Wright, music volunteer.

Teen Band Ensemble members will be selecting the music they would like to practice and perform. The program will begin July 5 and culminate Aug. 25 with a performance for friends, family and community.

The program is being offered at no cost.

For more information or to sign up, contact Karen Houser at the Boys & Girls Club, (530) 542-0838.

By Kathryn Reed

The South Lake Tahoe City Council has called a special closed session meeting for July 1 at 6pm at Lake Tahoe Airport.

Agenda item – city manager.

First order of business will be to discuss the two men who were interviewed June 27. A decision is likely to be made whether the council wants to consider one, both or neither a finalist. A finalist means they would go through an interview by the two employee groups and public panel.

The two men interviewed on Father’s Day already went through the additional interview process.

The reason given by the council for the differing processes is the first two had no problem with their names being out in the public and the last two didn’t want their employers to know they were looking for a job until they became a finalist. This in turn has set up what appears to be two standards for city manager candidates. Council members defend the process by saying in the end everyone will have interviewed whoever is chosen to be city manager.

More than one council member has acknowledged this has not been the smoothest of processes, and that things could have been handled differently — like having the public/employees interview only the candidates the council deemed finalists.

With past city manager hirings, what was called public sessions were in fact closed-door interviews where select people were chosen and sworn to secrecy. They didn’t meet any threshold of being public.

It’s also possible on Thursday the council will decide to interview an additional person.

If anyone were going to be interviewed – by the council or the three panels – it would be after the long holiday weekend. In a perfect scenario, the council will pick the person by July 8. That person could make a decision the next day.

Assuming the person says yes, they could give four week’s notice – with their last day being Aug. 6 at their current job. Aug. 9 could be their first day on the job in South Lake Tahoe.

This would leave a one-day gap between Aug. 7 – City Manager Dave Jinkens’ last day – and the new guy’s start date. (Only men have been interviewed.)

Mayor Kathay Lovell said the goal all along has been to have someone hired before Jinkens’ last day.

“We’re still shooting for that,” Lovell said. “My goal is to get a new city manger in as efficiently and quickly as we can.”

By Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times

SACRAMENTO — After an exhausting political fight to put an $11.1-billion plan for shoring up the state’s water supply before voters, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger now wants to yank the measure from the November ballot.

The governor is working with legislative leaders to postpone the water bond proposal as its prospects appear increasingly dim. Polls suggest voters may not have the appetite for such borrowing at a time when the state budget is in continuing crisis.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

And the governor’s vow to aggressively fight another measure on the November ballot, one that would roll back the landmark global warming bill he signed in 2006, threatens to distract from the effort to get the water bond passed.

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