Tahoe Regional Planning Agency is accepting nominations for Lake Spirit Awards.

The awards honor people making progress protecting Lake Tahoe. In addition to nominations for exemplary citizens, nominations are also open in the agency representative/environmental scientist category. A North Shore and South Shore winner in each category will be selected.

Nominations may be submitted online through March 14. Award winners will be recognized by the TRPA Governing Board and at the South Tahoe Earth Day.

For additional information, contact Devin Middlebrook at 775.589.5230 or dmiddlebrook@trpa.org.

·       Country sensation Keith Urban has added a second Lake Tahoe show on July 27. He will also be at Harveys on the outdoor stage on July 29.

·       Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation wants input about workforce-affordable housing. This survey is for employers and this one is for employees.

·       Salary information for California teachers and staff has been updated online.

·       Tahoe Transportation District has agreed to take over the South Shore bus system, BlueGo, when the contract with the current operator expires at the end of May.

·      To receive a free smoke alarm from the American Red Cross of Northern Nevada call 202.716.9418.

·       Fast Company has named Vail Resorts one of the world’s 50 Most Innovative Companies for 2016.

·      Beach Retreat & Lodge in South Lake Tahoe has partnered with Stash Hotel Rewards to enable the independently owned hotel to offer guests reward points that may be redeemed at nearly 200 independent hotels.

·      The June 15-20 Great American Tour, which will run in conjunction with the Great Race, will pass through Placerville, South Lake Tahoe and Carson City before ending in Reno. For more info about the classic car event, go online.

·       Partners Against Trafficking of Humans (P.A.T.H.) had been formed in South Lake Tahoe to abolish human trafficking.

·       There will be a celebration of life for Bob Rockwell on June 11 from 1-3pm at the Lake Tahoe Museum in South Lake Tahoe in front of the Toll House. All money raised will go to the restoration of the Toll House in his name.

·       Placer County Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance establishing the retail food facility placard program. The inspection program will provide a color-coded placard at all permanent food facilities so information on the establishment’s food safety is easily visible.

·      The second annual Lake Tahoe Fat Bike Challenge is Feb. 21 from 8:30am-1pm at Tahoe Cross Country in Tahoe City. Register online.

·     Kiwanis Club of Tahoe Sierra is having a free fingerprinting event at the Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe (1100 Lyons Ave, South Lake Tahoe) on Feb. 16-17 from 3-5pm. For more info, call 530.541.1610.

Barton Health was selected as one of 100 Medicare Shared Savings Program Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), providing Medicare beneficiaries with access to high-quality, coordinated care across the United States.

Doctors, hospitals and health care providers establish ACOs in order to work together to provide higher-quality coordinated care to their patients, while helping to slow health care cost growth. ACOs receive a portion of the Medicare savings generated from lowering the growth in health care costs as long as they also meet standards for high quality care.

More information about the Shared Savings Program is available online.

Firefighters try to save Jimboy’s in 1970 Photo/South Lake Tahoe

In 1970, the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department was in action at Jimboy’s Tacos on Highway 50 near Reno Avenue.

The distant “iH” sign (center background) was in front of Buzz Springmeyer’s historic International Harvester dealership and garage building. It was razed in 2014 and replaced by Auto Zone.

Today the parcel is occupied by Izzy’s. Photo/Bill Kingman

Forty-six years later, that area includes landscaping while the old utility poles and overhead wires are long gone.

— Bill Kingman

·       Urologist Bradley Anderson with Barton Health in March will begin seeing patients in Incline Village in addition to his South Lake Tahoe office.

·       Out of the 20 resorts nominated by a panel of pro skiers and snowboarders, USA Today and 10Best announced that their readers selected Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows as the winner of the 2016 Readers’ Choice Poll for Best Ski Resort.

·       There will be a joint Truckee Town Council and Planning Commission workshop regarding the Railyard Master Plan Amendment on Feb. 16 from 6-10pm at the Truckee Airport.

·       Lake Tahoe native Houston Guy, who now lives in Los Angeles, has created an independent animated sci-fi film entitled “Superpositioned”. It will be a full feature length film. He launched a Kickstarter campaign to get support for it.

·       Here is the El Dorado-Tahoe roadwork schedule from Caltrans for this week.

Starting about noon Friday, Truckee Donner PUD started getting call from business customers who had been contacted by phone by someone claiming to be with the district, stating that they had a past due account, and threatening to disconnect them if they did not pay them immediately over the phone by pre-paid debit card, credit card, or money transfer.

This is a scam.

TDPUD mails monthly bills with past due balances, 15-day notices, and 48-hour notices. TDPUD never asks for a pre-paid debit card or money transfer and doesn’t disconnect for non-payment over the phone or after normal business hours.

If you are suspicious of a collection call, hang up immediately and call TDPUD at 530.587.3896 during normal business hours to check on the status of your account.

If you believe you have been a victim of a scam, file a report with the Truckee Police Department.

Lake Tahoe Basin Fire Academy students are seeking support from the community for the annual St. Baldrick’s Foundation fundraiser, taking place March 5 at Heavenly Mountain Resort.

St. Baldrick’s is a volunteer-powered charity that is committed to funding research to find cures for childhood cancers.  To show solidarity with young cancer patients, St. Baldrick’s has an annual head-shaving event to raise awareness and money for cancer research.

LTCC fire academy cadets participating in the head-shaving event are trying to raise more funds than any other area fire agency. To support this effort, go online and enter “96150” in the search bar at the top right, and then choose “LTCC Fire Academy Class 10” from the list of participants.

·       Placer County is evaluating several opportunities to improve bicycle and pedestrian movement in Tahoe City. Here is an online survey.

·       The warm room in South Lake Tahoe, which was established for the homeless this winter, is having an open house on Feb. 17 from 4-6pm at 981 Silver Dollar Ave.

·       Liberty Utilities partnered with Truckee Tahoe Unified School District to assist the district to improve efficiency and save money. The lighting upgrades resulted in a $3,405 rebate for TTUSD and a 20 percent savings every time the light switches are turned on.

·      The Kings Beach Snowfest Parade is March 12 from 11:30am-12:30pm.

·       Comments will be taken until March 14 on the draft of the El Dorado County Historical Railroad Park Project. For more info, go online.