Zephyr Cove Elementary School is looking for community members to take a name for the school’s giving tree.

Counselor Jenay Aiksnoras tracks all of the students at the school and identifies the ones in need. Families in need complete a form requesting assistance in purchasing gifts for their children. The children get to request specific items; things their parents can’t afford.

Unlike a toy drive, people know exactly what to buy for the child whose ornament they have chosen.

Unwrapped gifts are to be turned in with the ornament Aiksnoras by Dec. 17.

·       Lake Tahoe Community College will be closed from Dec. 18-Jan. 3. Winter quarter classes begin Jan. 4.

·       Tahoe Regional Young Professionals at the Winter White fundraiser raised more than $4,500 for Live Violence Free.

·      Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has created the Environmental Improvement Program Project Tracker, which is online.

·       The nonprofit SOS Outreach partners with local schools and agencies to introduce youngsters to skiing and snowboarding. For more info, contact Theresa Papandrea at theresa@sosoutreach.org.

·       Homewood Mountain Resort is partnering with Project MANA. Passholders who bring in five or more canned or dry good food items to the guest services office from now until Dec. 25 will receive $10 on their resort charge. Non-passholders who bring in five or more canned or dry good food items will receive 30 percent off the daily lift ticket rate Monday through Friday, non-holiday.

·      North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District purchased $43,557 in equipment for vehicle extrication through the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety grant program.

·      AT&T is planning to expand the availability of ultra-fast Internet to Reno, but it won’t help Lake Tahoe or Carson City.

·  Lake Tahoe Golf Course in Meyers is hosting breakfast with Santa on Dec. 19 from 10am-1pm. Cost is $20 adults, $5 children under 13. There will be free photo with Santa from 10:30am-12:30pm. Any bringing a winter coat for a 13- to 19 year-old for Tahoe Turning Point will receive $5 off breakfast. RSVP to Kelly Higgins at 530.577.0788, ext. 3.

·       South Lake Tahoe has been named one of TripAdvisor’s top 10 Traveler’s Choice destinations on the rise.

·       Robert Swan, the first person to walk to the North and South Poles will be speaking Dec. 16 at 5:30pm at PlumJack’s in Squaw Valley. The presentation is called Leadership on the Edge: An Antarctic Perspective. Tickets are $5. They are available at New Moon in Tahoe City and Truckee, as well as the Melting Pot World Emporium in Reno.

Santa plans to make a couple stops on the North Shore this weekend.

He will be arriving by airplane at Truckee Tahoe Airport on Dec. 12 at 10am. Hot chocolate will be served as kids wait to meet the big guy. He will also be delivering some gifts.

Santa will then be in Tahoe City at 11am Saturday, arriving via fire truck.

The Rotary Club of Tahoe City and Tahoe City Public Utility District’s Santa Party starts that morning at 10 with a free breakfast at the Tahoe City Golf Course. The events lasts until 1pm.

Children up to 9 may sled for free that day.

·       Heavenly Holidays is Dec. 20-31 at Heavenly Village in South Lake Tahoe. There will be a variety of events, from Santa to music to a New Year’s Eve bash. For details, go online.

·     A warm room will be opening in South Lake Tahoe this month at 981 Silver Dollar Ave. It will be open every day through April. It will house up to 20 homeless people. For more info, to donate or become a volunteer, email tahoewarmroom@gmail.com.

·       The free North Shore ski shuttle starts running Dec. 18. For more info, go online.

·      There will be a gingerbread house fundraiser at the magnet school in Meyers on Dec. 10 from 5:30-7:30pm to raise money for the fifth-grader’s overnight field trip. Cost is $25 for one kit, or two kits for $40.

·       Lake Tahoe Grizzlies Peewee Team is looking to raise the necessary cash to compete in the International Finals in Ontario, Canada, after becoming the Pacific District Regional Silver Stick champions in the Peewee B division. For more info, go online.

California Tahoe Conservancy and California State Parks are planning to transfer nine parcels in the vicinity of Washoe Meadows State Park and Lake Valley State Recreation Area.

There will be an open house about the proposal on Dec. 15 from 5:30-7:30pm at the California Conservation Corps offices in Meyers.

This is designed as an informational session for people to learn more about the transfer.

The official land transfer will occur upon final recording of the property documents, which is anticipated to happen by fall 2016. These land transfers were authorized in the 2012-13 state budget.

To view maps of the parcels included in the land transfer, go online.

·       The South Lake Tahoe Recreation Complex will be closing at noon on Dec. 24 and Dec. 31. It will be closed all day Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.

·       U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Conservation Education Program Specialist Joy Barney recently received the Gifford Pinchot Pacific Southwest Region Interpreter and Conservation Educator of the Year award. It is a national honor given to Forest Service employees for achievement in environmental interpretation and conservation education. Barney created the South Tahoe Environmental Education.

·       The California Tahoe Conservancy and the Lake Tahoe Community College will host an open house Jan. 7 from 6-8pm in the college board room to offer the public an opportunity to discuss the next phase of the South Lake Tahoe Greenway Shared Use Trail between Glenwood Way and Sierra Boulevard.

·       Vail Resorts is forming the EpicPromise Foundation, a public charity designed to support employees in times of need and offer educational scholarships to employees and their families. Vail Resorts intends to contribute $500,000 per year and Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz will make a one-time $1.5 million contribution to the foundation. Employees and guests of Vail Resorts will be given an opportunity to contribute.

·       Applications for superintendent of El Dorado County Office of Education are due Dec. 21 at 5pm. The board will select and interview the top candidates during public meetings on Jan. 4-5. The term ends Jan. 7, 2019.

Barton Health’s certified enrollment counselors are available to help people enroll in Covered California and Medi-Cal plans.

One-on-one enrollment sessions are available on Dec. 8 and Jan. 20 from 3:30-6:30pm each day.

Both sessions will take place at Lake Tahoe Community College in Computer Lab D123. Enrollment counselors will help individuals and families walk through the process of signing up and selecting a health care plan.

Individuals and families may also set up a private appointment by calling 530.600.1984. There is no charge for any of these services. English and Spanish appointments are available.

All attendees should bring a picture ID, Social Security number, and household income to the enrollment session.

·       The California Highway Patrol office in South Lake Tahoe is collecting toys for less fortunate kids. Drop off new, unwrapped toys at the office in Meyers at 2063 Hopi Ave.

·       Nevada Project Heartbeat donated a Cardiac Science Powerheart G3 Plus Automatic External Defibrillator (valued at $1,895) to Washoe County Sheriff’s Office.

·       There will be a celebration of life for Mikey Sheehan on Dec. 11 at 7pm at the Lakeview Loft above Dart Liquors in Stateline.

·    El Dorado County Connections – One Stop is hosting a free employer forum on Dec. 17 at 10:30am at the El Dorado County Child Support Services Building, 3883 Ponderosa Road in Shingle Springs. For more information, call 530.642.4850.

Sweets will be featured at the Douglas County Public Library in Zephyr Cove on Dec. 12 at 10am.

Miss Carol will be on hand to help children build gingerbread houses using graham crackers and candies.  Families may create a fun, edible craft to take home.

Children ages 5 to 11 may attend. Space is limited. Sign-up by Dec. 9 by calling 775.588.6411.

All supplies will be provided by the Friends of the Douglas County Public Library. The library is located at 233 Warrior Way in Zephyr Cove.