The Lake Tahoe Historical Society’s 7th annual Garden Tour is likely to prove to be a bit different, according to organizers.

The event is July 31 from 10am-4pm. All gardens are in El Dorado County. Five of the eight gardens are on land once owned by the Celio family.

“We will tell the story of this pioneer family and refreshments will be served at the Celio ranch. The Celios are very protective of their property, and it is a real privilege to experience the ranch,” organizer Lynne Bajuk said. “Two of the gardens have amazing vegetable plots. All are owner created. Our theme is cowboy/ranching.”

Tickets are $20 and may be purchased after July 1 at the museum at 3058 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe and at Aspen Hollow, Tahoe Outdoor Living, Nel’s and SunBasin. Tickets are limited and last year it sold-out.

For more information, call (530) 541.5458.

Event: Ski Run Committee Meetings

Start Time: April 7 at 8:30am

End Time:  April 7 at 11:30am

Where: Upstairs at the Blue Angel Cafe, South Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe Community College Writers’ Series and the Multicultural Committee present poet, playwright and editor Nathalie Handal on April 23 at 7pm in the LTCC Library in South Lake Tahoe.

The event is free and open to the community.

Handal is an award-winning poet, playwright, and writer. She has lived in Europe, United States, Caribbean, Latin America and Arab countries.

She is the author of the poetry collections “The NeverField, The Lives of Rain and Love and Strange Horses” (2010, University of Pittsburgh Press), and the poetry CDs “Traveling Rooms and Spell”. She is also the editor of “The Poetry of Arab Women: A Contemporary Anthology” and co-editor of “Language for a New Century: Contemporary Poetry from the Middle East, Asia & Beyond” (W.W. Norton, 2008).

She has been involved either as a writer, director or producer in more than 20 theatrical and/or film productions worldwide.

The American Association of University Women and Lake Tahoe Community College Library present author and Holocaust survivor Paul Schwarzbart on April 10 at 10am in the Aspen Room.

Schwarzbart survived the Holocaust as one of the so-called “Hidden Children.” As a boy growing up in Belgium, he escaped the concentration camps by taking on a new identity and hiding out at a Catholic school.

By pretending to be a Catholic schoolboy, his life was spared. But the pain and loneliness of living under a false identity, and not knowing what had happened to his parents, took its toll.

Schwarzbart wrote about his experiences in his heartbreaking, yet hope-filled book, “Breaking the Silence: Reminiscences of a Hidden Child.”

A movie detailing his life will be shown as well, and light refreshments will be served.

What: Benefit reading of “A memory, a monologue, a rant and a prayer: Writings To Stop Violence Against Women and Girls”

Where: Opal inside of MontBleu Casino, Stateline

When:  April 23 (English version)

Time: Doors 6:30pm, Show 7pm

Tickets: $15 in advance, $20 at the door; available at www.ticketweb.com, or at Tahoe Youth & Family Services in South Lake Tahoe.

Information: All ages welcome (mature themes and content), silent auction will go to beneficiaries.

What: Benefit reading of “A memory, a monologue, a rant and a prayer: Writings To Stop Violence Against Women and Girls”

Where: Opal inside of MontBleu Casino, Stateline

When: April 16 Spanish version

Time: Doors 6:30pm, Show 7pm

Tickets: $15 in advance, $20 at the door; available at www.ticketweb.com, or at Tahoe Youth & Family Services in South Lake Tahoe.

Information: All ages welcome (mature themes and content), silent auction will go to beneficiaries.

By Bonnie Turnbull

Try crafting a projectile from common materials like a hat, rubber bands, paper, pennies and pencils that will sail over a barrier, under a rail, then hit a target 20 feet away. Now do it in less than 4 minutes, graciously, with four other kids. Sound easy?

South Tahoe students wow Odyssey of the Mind judges. Photos/Jen Spina

Apparently, it was for four Sierra House Elementary students — Annabelle Dressler, Jessie Brown, Kale Spina, Zoe Greco; and Darcy Daly from Saint Theresa School. After this feat, they performed their original, humorous musical “Food Court” for judges who laughed and scored them as the best of the bunch.

As winners of last weekend’s state Odyssey of the Mind tournament, they now dream of competing against 25 countries at the World Tournament in Lansing, Mich., in May.

The tournament director calls it a Cinderella story. What were the odds against a first-year team from a tiny, rural town?

Please support our fundraising efforts through May.

There will be an awards assembly at Sierra House Elementary at 10am on Wednesday.

Tahoe students are headed for the world Odyssey competition.

Bonnie Turnbull is coach of the Odyssey of the Mind Team.

The blizzard warning was lifted for Lake Tahoe, but the winds are howling and snow is blowing — so it sure seems like blizzard conditions. Roads are slick and chains are needed. If you are skiing today, you may want to check with the resort first to see what’s open. Here is the ski report from Curtis Fong, the Guy from Tahoe.

By Kathryn Reed

Barton Memorial Hospital is continuing to layoff employees in an attempt to remain solvent.

The nonprofit medical center in South Lake Tahoe let six mid-level managers go on Friday. It was a mix of clinical and nonclinical staff.

However, none of the upper management has lost their jobs in any of the layoffs, nor have they taken a pay cut. According to 2008 IRS documents, the most recent available, CEO John William’s annual salary was $524,907. This does not include benefits.

Five employees make $100,000-plus a year; four make $200,000-plus; and CFO Dick Derby is the second highest paid employee at $341,288.

It’s possible more layoffs will be forthcoming this year if employees do not take earlier retirement packages. Full- and part-time workers are being offered incentives to retire early.

The hospital has not set a target for the number of people it wants to see retire early.

The cost-savings from the current round of layoffs was not available. Nor does the hospital have a figure for the amount it needs to reduce the bottom line by with the early retirements.

In March 2009, Barton laid off 43 employees.

“It’s strictly an effort on Barton’s part to cut labor costs. We are continuing to see a decrease in tourism and increase in unemployment,” Barton spokeswoman Denise Sloan said.

With fewer people on the slopes, it means fewer gurneys wheeled into Barton’s emergency room. Snow sports injuries are a big part of Barton’s revenue stream in the winter.

“And Barton is seeing a decline in the reimbursement rate from government programs such as MediCal and Medicare,” Sloan said.

People are also continuing to skip elective surgeries, especially as deductibles rise. This means less income for the hospital.

By Susan Skorupa, Reno Gazette-Journal

While the first spring flowers are pushing up in people’s yards, the earliest wildflowers are winking open around the Great Basin, the slopes of the mountain ranges of Western Nevada and Northern California.

Wildflower season is just starting, local experts say. Depending on the weather from here on out, different types of blooms will pop up, beginning at lower elevations even now and expanding into

Flowers are popping up in South Lake Tahoe. Photo/Kathryn Reed

the high country throughout the summer.

Read the whole story