Three Strands Global, a Northern California based nonprofit committed to seeing a world free of human trafficking, will give a 90-minute presentation in South Lake Tahoe on March 14 at 6pm.

According to the California Department of Justice, human trafficking is a $32 billion a year global enterprise and the fastest growing criminal industry. It is a form of modern day slavery that profits from the exploitation of our most vulnerable populations. California’s Attorney General Kamala Harris is focused on combating the pervasive issue of human trafficking in California and has made it one of her top priorities.

Three Strands Global will be presenting the Break Free Education program during the week of March 14 to all ninth-graders at South Tahoe High School. This program raises awareness about human trafficking and offers a free, onsite education program designed to help students understand and recognize human trafficking

This community presentation will be in South Tahoe Middle School’s multipurpose room.

For further information, contact Amanda Hammond at 530.525.2410 or ahammond@ltusd.org.

The annual mental health forum hosted by Barton Health is April 7 at Lake Tahoe Community College.

Mental health clinicians, law enforcement, social service groups, school staff, and community members are invited to attend this fourth forum.

Attendees will hear recent accomplishments in the community, new and evolving services Mental Health Collaborative members are working on and which mental health issues need attention.

The forum is from 8:30-11:30am in the board room. No charge to attend.

·       Tahoe Donner’s annual Taste of Truckee gourmet food and wine event is March 20 from noon-3pm. Buy tickets online.

·       Here are the El Dorado-Tahoe and Sierra roadwork schedules from Caltrans for the week.

·       Wine on the Water – a sold-out event for the last five years – returns June 12 from 1-5pm. The food and wine tasting at Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe in Incline Village benefits Boys and Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe. Prices are $200 for VIP admission and $100 for general admission. For more info, call 530.546.4324.

·       Douglas County hired Sherri McGee as chief technology officer to lead the Technology Services Department.

·      Grand Ole Opry star Emi Sunshine performs at the Crystal Bay Club on May 8 at 8pm. Doors open at 7pm. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 that night. Must be 21 or older to attend. For more info, call 775.833.6333.

The Truckee Police Department OHV Preliminary Grant Application will be available online for public review and comment from March 8 to April 4.

Instructions on how to comment are on the OHMVR’s website under Public Review Instructions. Comments may be sent directly to the police department by emailing rwomack@townoftruckee.com.

Truckee Police Department will be submitting a grant application for education and enforcement activities related funding, along with an equipment request to complete the outfitting of a patrol vehicle.

Sgt. Robert Womack commented that grants of these types serve a variety of purposes. “Our philosophy for OHV activities has always been education based, with enforcement being one of the components of that philosophy. A grant like this gives us the opportunity to engage the public through comments on their expectations of programs we are involved in.”

·       Outside magazine lists Tahoe Mountain Brewing Co. in Tahoe City as one of the five high-altitude breweries worth visiting.

·      Here’s a video from Caltrans about what it takes to clear the snow from Highway 89 around Emerald Bay.

·      Former South Lake Tahoe resident and Lake Tahoe Community College graduate Ryan Row (pen name Alan Wor) won the Writers of the Future Contest. His short story will be published in “L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 32”.

·       Dean Dow has been named president and CEO of REMSA, the Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority.

Truckee is warning residents to be bear-aware as the animals start to wake from their winter slumber.

Here are tips to coexist with bears:

·         Never leave food of any kind in your car, including chewing gum.

·         Roll up car windows, lock the doors. They know how to open car doors if unlocked.

·         Never leave ground floor windows and doors open, even if you are home.

·         Remove garbage and get it away from the house and garage by taking it to a dumpster or by installing a bear-proof enclosure.

If you encounter a bear, give them an escape route to run away from you, make lots of noise, and call the police at 530.550.2320. Truckee officers work closely with BEAR League volunteers to divert bears from populated neighborhoods when possible. The BEAR League has a 24-hour hotline — 530.525-7297.

The American Legion Hall early 1960s. Photo/South Lake Tahoe

Built in 1947, the American Legion Hall also served as a venue for teen dances from the 1950s into the late 1960s.

Jim Burgett’s popular band played at the Legion in 1965, though they spelled his name wrong. Photo/Bill Kingman

The back end of the building had a large auditorium, stage and dance floor, but that part of the roof collapsed under snow load just hours prior to a scheduled school dance on Feb. 28, 1969 — 47 years ago last week. No one was injured.

What the American Legion looks like in 2016. Photo/Bill Kingman

As evident today, the auditorium portion was not rebuilt. The old Enco and Signal gas stations seen distant in the black and white photo have become the Muffler Palace and American Gas, respectively. Today, a wooden plaque at right honors Marjorie Johnson Springmeyer whose family originally made the land available to American Legion Post 795.

My thanks to Carol Olivas of Post 795 Ladies Auxiliary for her information assistance.

— Bill Kingman

Crews work five days a week hauling 3,000 yards of dirt for what will be an extension of Interstate 580 in Carson City. Photo Copyright 2015 Carolyn E. Wright

Drivers can expect periodic lane reductions on South Carson Street near the Highway 50 intersection in Carson City starting this spring as roadway drainage, paving and construction at the future intersection begins.

The final leg of the Carson City Freeway project is approximately 25 percent complete.

More than 650,000 cubic yards of dirt have been excavated from the future freeway, with much of it transported underneath South Carson Street via a conveyor system. More earthwork is scheduled through the coming months. Construction of soundwalls and drainage, as well as signage and other electrical systems on the future freeway is under way. Future construction phases will include freeway paving, lighting and landscaping.

The project is expected to completed in 2017.

Outdoor adventure photographer and National Geographic cover creator Nick Cahill will take people on photographic journey on March 9.

Cahill’s presentation will be part of the Tahoe Art League’s monthly meeting at 6pm at the South Lake Tahoe Senior Center. The presentation will begin at 7pm.

Cahill is Force 12 Media’s video and photo guru. He is a self-described adventure junkie and world traveler with an eye for photograph. Cahill will talk about how and why he picked up a camera and the passion that drives him to create. He will walk people through his process from concept to execution.

Smokey Bear and U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Fire Prevention staff, Bill Sanders and Jacob Ruano, visited a Head Start class in South Lake Tahoe  to teach the pre-kindergarten students about fire safety and fire prevention. Photo/Katie Oliver

·       Lake Valley Fire Protection District received the Automotive Service Excellence Blue Seal of Excellence Certification for its maintenance shop.

·      How Supplements Can Complement Traditional Medicine is the topic of an April 6 lecture that will be presented by Amy Smith of Barton Family Practice. The free lecture is from 6-7pm in the Aspen Room at Lake Tahoe Community College.

·       There will be a South Lake Tahoe design guidelines workshop March 9 from 5-7pm at Lake Tahoe Airport.

·       Truckee Department of Public Works recently launched YourGOV. For more info, go online.