While it might appear things never change, photographs prove otherwise. The state line are of South Lake Tahoe has had significant changes in the last 12 years.

Caltrans for years said Friday Avenue-Highway 50’s flashing light was sufficient . Photos/Bill Kingman/2003

A stoplight was installed to help get people across Highway 50.

A pedestrian crosswalk on Highway 50 at Friday Avenue provided access to the new Heavenly Gondola. It became the scene of several vehicle-vs-pedestrian incidents, prompting the installation of a stoplight.

Poplar Avenue and Highway 50 in 2003.

Poplar at Highway 50 is now a driveway to parking.

The 76 gas station on Highway 50 at Poplar Street had just completed remodeling when eminent domain forced it to be razed and become a driveway for the Chateau project. Regular gas there was $1.79 in 2003.

The Travelodge in 2003.

Park Tahoe is now where the Travelodge was.

A Travelodge was built on the original Lakeside Theatre site in mid-1960s, where long stood one of the biggest pine trees at Stateline. Park Tahoe Inn replaced the Travelodge.

— Bill Kingman 

The $100 million Lodge at Edgewood Tahoe expects to be open in summer 2017. Photo/Edgewood Tahoe

·      The Lodge at Edgewood Tahoe includes 154 new hotel rooms and 40 fractional residences, lodge, health spa, bistro style restaurant and bar, and conference and event center.

·       There will be a Mental Health Awareness Workshop on Oct. 21 from 6-7:30pm at Lake Tahoe Community College’s Creekside Room. The workshop is free for TRYP members and $5 for others.

·       WinterWonderGrass Tahoe Festival is returning for its second year at Squaw Valley-Alpine Meadows on April 1-3. More info is online.

·      An online survey about Regan Beach in South Lake Tahoe is being conducted to gather the public’s preferences.

·       The Loft is the name of the entertainment venue being built about the movie theaters at Heavenly Village.

How Gratitude Heals, Energizes, and Transforms Lives is the topic of a Nov. 17 talk at Sierra Nevada College.

Robert Emmons is a professor of psychology at UC Davis. His research on gratitude and happiness has been featured in dozens media outlets including the New York Times.

Research has shown gratitude generates a positive ripple effect through every area of ones lif, potentially satisfying some of people’s deepest yearnings — the desire for happiness, pursuit of better relationships, and ceaseless quest for inner peace, health, wholeness, and contentment.

This presentation is part of the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center’s monthly lecture series. Refreshments and no-host bar open at 5:30pm, presentation begins at 6pm. The cost is $5.

Nevada Department of Transportation has launched a website designed to provide people with information on road construction improvements and projects.

It includes details and maps of major near-term and future transportation construction and transit projects. The site provides project and funding overviews of NDOT and regional transportation projects.

The site allows users to search projects according to categories such as location, agency, project type and more. County-by-county maps provide a geographic look at the projects.

It also includes transit, rail, pedestrian walkway and bicycle facility projects.

Northern Nevada Ghost Hunters will be at the Douglas County Library in Minden on Oct. 24 from 2-4pm.

The not-for-profit group formed in 2005 with a desire to understand the world of the paranormal. Members seek to help people experiencing unexplainable events by using interviews, investigations, and education to create a better understanding of the situation. Local investigations by the group have taken place at Eliza Cook’s house in Genoa, Carson Valley Museum and Cultural Center in Gardnerville, and the Courthouse Museum in Genoa.

For more info about the program, call 775.782.9841.

SF Giants Manager Bruce Bochy takes time Oct. 11 to snap photos at Steamers with Crystal McGehee and Marisa Moulton, and Kelly Sheehan, far right. Photo/Provided

·       Bruce Bochy, manager of the San Francisco Giants, dropped by Steamers restaurant in South Lake Tahoe on Oct. 11 for lunch and a cold drink. With all the Giants memorabilia in the eatery and the window paintings, it’s easy to know this is where to find fans of the G-men.

·      A sail boat at the Tahoe Keys Marina on Oct. 15 caught fire as it was being winterize. There was minor damage to the plastic cover and a seat cushion, according to the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department.

·       Marsha Berkbigler, Washoe County commissioner representing the lake, will host a forum Oct. 22 at 12:30pm at the Incline Village Library at 845 Alder Ave.

·      The Intensive Spanish Summer Institute at Lake Tahoe Community College will be Aug. 1-5. Registration for ISSI will begin in June 2016 online.

·      Several Tahoe items are on the Oct. 20 Placer County Board of Supervisors’ agenda. The meeting begins at 9am at the North Tahoe Event Center in Kings Beach.

·       Sierra-at-Tahoe’s mobile app gauges speed, distance, vertical number of runs and daily calories burned over the course of the season.

·       The Oct. 19 opening of Sunday River ski resort in Maine makes it the first resort in North America to open for this season.

·       Washoe County Sheriff’s Office has received a $123,100 grant from the Nevada Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety to support the sheriff’s office participation in Joining Forces traffic safety campaigns during the coming year.

·       Warren Miller’s “Chasing Shadows” will be shown at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe on Dec. 4-5 at 7:30pm. Doors open at 6:30pm. Tickets are available online.

·      North Tahoe Business Association is hosting an open house Oct. 20, 5:30-7:30pm at North Tahoe Event Center in Kings Beach.

South Lake Tahoe’s ban on plastic single-use carryout bags at retail establishments went into effect today.

The ordinance took effect for grocery stores and food vendors on Jan. 15, 2014. For all other retail establishments the rule is effective Oct. 15.

The city said it is seeking voluntary compliance and has no intention of immediate enforcement.

According to the ordinance, the rules affect a “retail establishment that sells perishable or nonperishable goods, including, but not limited to, clothing, food, and personal items, directly to a customer. … A reusable carryout bag or a recycled paper bag may be provided to the customer.”

Tilly the Witch (aka  Carol Nageotte) will be telling spooky stories at the Douglas County Public Library in Zephyr Cove on Oct. 28 at 5:30pm.

Dress in your Halloween costume for this special storytime. Children will receive a Halloween treat to take home.

Children ages 4 and up will listen to Halloween stories from the library’s collection including a flashlight story. Tilly the Witch will end the program with her favorite poem, “Spider on the Floor.”

The library is located at 233 Warrior Way.

Bill Migan will give a demonstration Oct. 14 on his techniques using pen and ink to create images of the Wild West and old buildings with great character.

A drawing featuring many of Nevada’s historic places won Migan the Spirit of Nevada award at the Nevada Day art show in 2013.

Migan’s demonstration will be part of the Tahoe Art League’s monthly meeting on Wednesday at 6pm at the South Lake Tahoe Senior Center (3050 Lake Tahoe Bvld.). It is free.