Highway 50 looking toward Wildwood Avenue. Photo/South Lake Tahoe

Sometimes it takes photographs to show progress.

Redevelopment in South Lake Tahoe has not always meant the construction of a building. The photo above shows hotels on Highway 50 near Wildwood Avenue before they were taken down in the 1990s.

Open space dots the landscape along Highway 50. Photo/Bill Kingman

Along with the scenic improvements, this area has new sidewalks, curbs, gutters and lighting. Next to the restaurant is the children’s memorial. On the left side of the street is Linear Park.

— Bill Kingman

• It’s time to signup for Little League on the South Shore. For more info, go online.

• The Joerger Ranch Specific Plan in Truckee will have a public hearing before the Planning Commission on Jan. 20 at 6pm in the council chambers.

• Terrence Martin, who grew up in Gardnerville and now lives in Sacramento, created the guitar at Lake Tahoe Hard Rock that stands 25-feet-tall and weighs 2,150 pounds.

• Carson Tahoe Cardiology now has a part-time clinic in Stateline. For more info, call 775.445.7650.

• American Forests is partnering with the Sugar Pine Foundation to plant 7,000 sugar pines on 152 acres in Tahoe National Forest and the surrounding area.

Tom and Cheryl Millham of Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care will be the guest speakers at the next Tahoe Area Sierra Club meeting.

LTWC raises, rehabilitates and releases orphaned and injured wildlife. 2014 was a busy year for the center with a record number of bear cubs, including little Cinder from Washington state.

The Millhams will be sharing their stories and photos of the bears, bobcats, and many of the other wildlife animals they have nursed back
to health. They will also give an update on the new wildlife center being planned in South Lake Tahoe.

It is not necessary to be a member to attend the free talk. The talk is Jan. 29 at 7pm at Unity at the Lake Center, 1195 Rufus Allen Blvd., South Lake Tahoe.

High Fives Foundation and Charity Smith will present the Squaw Valley Prom on Feb. 21 at 8pm.

The event will take place at Squaw Valley’s Olympic House, using the entire building and making available six bars for spirits and cocktails. The 11th annual prom is appropriately themed after the award winning film “Ocean’s Eleven,” with guests looking so fancy, they could own the Bellagio.

Andy Frasco and the UN will provide the music along with  four nationally-known DJ acts.

Tickets for the High Fives Foundation fundraiser available online.

Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Citizen Corps is offering a free emergency preparedness and response training academy beginning Jan. 22.

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Academy provides residents with the information to help save lives and reduce trauma in the event of an emergency. CERT Academy training includes disaster preparedness, emergency medical techniques, fire safety, light search and rescue, disaster psychology, and terrorism awareness education.

The CERT Academy offers 25 hours of training during six sessions over two consecutive weekends. The training is free and trainees are not required to become a Citizen Corps volunteer to participate.

No special skills are required. Children 12-15 may participate with parent’s supervision, teens 16-17 with parent’s permission. To sign up for training, call CERT Program Manager Shirlee Rhodes at 775.325.6928 or email: srhodes@washoecounty.us.ement and support all of the Sheriff’s Office volunteer Citizen Corps Programs.

• The 24th annual Passport Weekend at El Dorado County wineries is April 11-12 and April 18-19. Purchase tickets before Jan. 31 for special pricing.

• The Vagina Monologues will be performed at Lake Tahoe Golf Course on March 6 at 7pm. To buy tickets, go online.

• Train is returning to Lake Tahoe on July 21 a 7pm. Joining them at the Harveys Outdoor Concert Series that night are The Fray and Matt Nathanson.

• There is still no buyer for Kingsbury Middle School. It will be on the Douglas County School District board agenda in April, with the possibility of lowering the asking price.

• Heavenly House Foundation is in need of winter clothing for men and women. For more info, contact Karen at 530.416.1396.

• McP’s Taphouse Grill in South Lake Tahoe at the shops at the Chateau is open.

• On Jan. 23, the FNCTN Winter Music Series will rock the clubhouse inside the Lake Tahoe Golf Course. Forrest Day will kick off a series of concerts at the clubhouse. Big Sticky Mess, a funky jam band from Davis, will open up the show with other entertainment including live painting, local sponsor and nonprofit organization booths and sponsor giveaways. Doors open at 8pm; admission is $10.

• Poundawg Enterprises in South Lake Tahoe just opened. They focus on walking/running large, active breed dogs. For more info, call/text 530.409.0871.

• Tom and Beth Jones now own Amador Foothill Winery in Plymouth. Tom Jones had been making winery for his family’s Lava Cap Winery in Placeville.

• Nevada law enforcement will join forces and continue its high-intensity enforcement effort between Jan. 16 and Feb. 2. Last year, 284 fatalities were reported in Nevada, 18 more than in 2013. Of those fatalities, 74 deaths were ruled to be alcohol-related. •

• Money to operate the Donner State Park Visitor Center is in Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget. Exhibits are being worked on, with the goal for a June opening.

• H&R Block has an office at 1068 Emerald Bay Road in South Lake Tahoe.

• Sierra Small Business Development Center is putting on an interactive workshop about how to best use social media. The $45 class is Jan. 28 from 5:30-8pm at 10183 Truckee Airport Road, No. 202, Truckee. Go online to register.

• Jet Blue is offering nonstop flights between Reno and New York.

• Truckee Donner Chamber of Commerce has initiated Live Like a Local campaign. Hashtag tips and photos with #LiveLikeaLocal for a chance to win a bevy of prizes.

By Associated Press

The most expensive tickets to Burning Man are about to become available to those willing to plunk down $800 for the counterculture festival’s pre-sale event.

A 72-hour registration period began at noon Wednesday for the weeklong celebration in the Black Rock Desert 120 miles north of Reno.

Those who register will have access to up to six tickets and three vehicle passes during the pre-sale event on Jan. 21.

The $800 tickets cost more than twice as much as other tickets that will be made available in the coming months at various price levels.

This year’s festival runs Aug. 30 to Sept. 7. The art theme is “Carnival of Mirrors.”

An estimated 66,000 people attended last year.

How Global Warming is Changing California’s Weather and a Bipartisan Solution is the subject of a talk on Jan. 27 from 5:30-8pm at the South Lake Tahoe Library.

The speakers will be Dana Nuccitelli, environmental scientist, risk assessor, and climate blogger for the Guardian and SkepticalScience.com; and Jennifer Wood, soil scientist and leader of the Sacramento chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby.

California has been hit hard by drought and wildfires in recent years. These events have left many Californians wondering is this extreme weather linked to global warming, and what can we expect for the future?

Nuccitelli will discuss and answer questions about the latest scientific research into the possible links between climate change and California’s wildfires and drought, and projections of their future changes in a warming world. The event will also include discussion of a proposed free market, bipartisan solution.

For more information, contact Jeff Miner at jeffminer@etahoe.com or 530.577.7293.

The library is at 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd.