Nominations for the annual Lake Tahoe bicycle achievement awards are being taken until May 1.

Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition, through a public nomination process, brings attention to and honors those that have made significant advancements to promoting safer bicycling opportunities for the Lake Tahoe region.

To nominate a candidate — individual, business, agency, or organization — please the name and say something about their contributions to info@tahoebike.org.

LTBC’s board of directors will review all nominations and select the winners. The awards will be given out at Cycle Celebration on June 18.

Work on the second phase of the Brickelltown project in Truckee started this week.

Donner Pass Road will be shifted to the south next week while the north side of the roadway is being worked on. On Sunday night, some asphalt in Donner Pass Road will be milled out from the crosswalk near Mane Attraction to the crosswalks at Spring Street. The roadway will remain as asphalt through the summer, just thinner.

The contractor plans to close Donner Pass Road from 10pm to 6am starting April 24. This will be for approximately three weeks, Sunday-Thursday. It will be closed at the crosswalk near Mane Attraction to Spring Street. Paid parking areas on Commercial Row, Jibboom Street, Jax Diner Lot, Beacon Lot, Spring Street (north of Donner Pass) are OK for parking overnight. Donner Pass Road will be open during the day and some parking will be available during the day.

Parking during the day on Donner Pass Road will continue to shift a bit.

For more info, go online.

The Incline Village to Sand Harbor Bikeway will be talked abut April 26.

Reps from the Nevada Department of Transportation will talk about the Federal Lands Access Program and its four phases, including the Phase 1 bikeway/shared-use path. This path is part of the larger Stateline-to-Stateline trail.

Officials will be able to answer questions and talk about the 2016-18 building schedule.

The open house will be from 4-7pm, with a presentation at 5:30pm. This will be at the Chateau at Incline Village, 955 Fairway Blvd.

·      South Lake Tahoe is conducting a survey about snow removal on bike paths.

·       On May 2 from 1-2:30pm, El Dorado County’s ad hoc Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee will meet for the first time. The meeting will be at 330 Fair Lane, Building A, Placerville.

·       El Dorado Irrigation District’s board is keeping drought restrictions in place for now.

·      The Bicycle Advisory Committee of the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Facilities Joint Powers Authority will meet May 4 from 9-11am in the Downstairs Conference Room at Lake Tahoe Airport.

·      El Dorado County Board of Supervisors on April 19 unanimously approved the Lake Tahoe Unified School District’s Safe Routes to School Master Plan.

Slow Food Lake Tahoe along with former board member and Truckee River Sanctuary owner Polly Triplat will present a Backyard Chicken Raising Workshop from 10am-noon on May 14.

Attendees will be taught what it takes to start enjoying fresh eggs from their own chickens, whether its legal to have hens, and what it takes to keep them safe from predators.

In addition, the workshop will cover basic coop design, feeding, handling and selection of cold hardy breeds.

The talk will be a the Truckee River Sanctuary where there is a flock.

Slow Food Lake Tahoe’s mission is to connect the community to the enjoyment of good, clean and fair food by inspiring a self-reliant food culture. For more info, go online.

Calculated annually by the Tax Foundation, Tax Freedom Day is when Americans have earned enough money to pay their annual tax obligations at the federal, state and local levels. California’s Tax Freedom Day lands on April 30, six days after the national mark of April 24.

“California’s complicated and oppressive tax system continues to make life hard,” Board of Equalization member George Runner said in a statement. “Californians will have to work 120 days to pay our tax bill this year and, unbelievably, some lawmakers want to make the number higher by raising taxes.”

According to the Tax Foundation, Americans’ total tax bill comes to nearly $5 trillion, or about 31 percent of their income. Collectively that amounts to taxpayers handing over more money to the government in 2016 than they spend on food, clothing and housing combined.

Compared to other states, California’s Tax Freedom Day is one of the latest in the nation. Only Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New York have later dates.

·       El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office is having a free prescription drug disposal day at Lira’s Market in Meyers on April 30 from 11am-5pm.

·       The Douglas County Public Library Teen Advisory Board is hosting a free poetry slam contest April 29 at 4pm at the Minden Library. Teens age 12 and up may recite their original poetry. For more info, call 775.782.9841.

·       UCCE Master Gardeners of Lake Tahoe is hosting a talk by Bonnie Turnbull about climate change at Tahoe. The free talk is April 28 from 6:30-7:30pm in the Aspen Room at Lake Tahoe Community College.

·       Kahle Community Center in Stateline will be opening the basketball courts for a roller skating party on April 28 from 6-8pm. Bring skates (no metal wheels) or rent a pair there for $2. Cost is $5 for ages 13 and older, $3 for 12 and younger, and seniors.

·       South Tahoe Association of Realtors donated 80 Easter baskets to the Family Resource Center and Live Violence Free.

North Tahoe Public Utility District is looking to the community it serves to determine future recreation needs.

The board will be hiring a consultant to provide a needs assessment, which is part of updating the Recreation and Parks Master Plan. The assessment will also provide input to the district about what residents think of parks and North Tahoe Event Center, and the level people are willing to fund both

Also at the meeting the board agreed to release a request for proposals for the operation and management of the North Tahoe Event Center.

The Barton Foundation has $50,000 in grant funding to award to entities that will improve community health.

Barton Health provides funds for programs and organizations that positively impact the health of the South Lake Tahoe community. Projects and programs that address mental health, substance abuse, and access to healthcare services will be the priority.

These three issues were identified as the most pressing health needs in South Lake Tahoe’s 2015 Community Health Needs Assessment. Grant proposals addressing one or more of these top three priorities will be accepted until June 30.

Government agencies, non-profits, and schools, are encouraged to apply. Priority will be given to programs that benefit underserved populations. Grant recipients will be notified in September and awards will be distributed at the annual Philanthropy Day Celebration on Nov. 4.

Additional grant criteria and the application are available online.

Continuing Education of the Bar is putting on a three-day retreat on the North Shore for attorneys.

It is geared toward lawyers who are feeling dissatisfied and burned out. The goal is to rediscover what inspired you to pursue a legal career.

At the retreat attendees will be taught techniques to deal with stress in their legal practice and hear from other attorneys who have attained satisfaction and balance by making changes to their practices and their lives. Additional trainings in meditation and communication methods will be available.

The seminar is May 18-20 at Granlibakken in Tahoe City.

For more information, go online.