The application deadline for the 2015-16 Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad scholarship program is Jan. 7.

The program provides full scholarships to U.S. high school students to experience overseas communities and cultures, preparing students to collaborate on today’s global challenges such as human rights, community development, workforce development, climate change, and global health.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the YES Abroad program enables students to study for one academic year in countries that may include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ghana, South Africa, India, Indonesia, Macedonia, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Philippines, Thailand, and Turkey. The merit-based scholarship covers domestic and international travel; applicable visa fees; medical benefits; room and board; tuition at the local high school; orientations; and fees for educational and cultural activities.

Participants in the program fully immerse themselves into the culture of their host family while attending local high school.

Go online to learn more about the program and to apply.

• Tahoe Regional Young Professionals raised $6,700 for Project 44 at the organization’s 4th annual Winter White Holiday Party.

• Beach Boys are coming to MontBleu in Stateline on March 27 at 9pm.

• The San Francisco Giants will take all three world championship trophies (2010, 2012 and 2014) on a public tour beginning in early January. There was a South Lake Tahoe stop in 2011, but one is not planned for next year. Reno and Sacramento are the closest stops to Tahoe.

• First Day Hike put on by Nevada State Parks is at Spooner State Park is Jan. 1 at 10am. It is a free ranger led walk or snowshoe depending on conditions.

• Do you want to know what Barton Hospice is all about? Then check out this video:

Phone scammers are targeting El Dorado County residents — again.

The latest scam reported by the sheriff’s department is the caller claimed the resident and a family member had warrants out for their arrests. These warrants were said to be for missing jury duty. The caller demanded that the bail on the warrants be paid immediately. The caller threatened to send deputies to arrest the resident if payment was not made within 10 minutes.

A law enforcement scanner was heard in the background and the caller became angry when questioned by the resident.

No money was wired to the caller.

Several sheriff’s offices in the region including Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties have reported similar jury duty telephone scams.

Neither sheriff’s departments no district attorney’s offices solicit payments for bail on arrest warrants over the telephone.

Call EDSO to report scams — 530.621.6600.

• El Dorado County elected officials will be sworn into office Jan. 5 at 10am in Placerville.

• Recycle Christmas trees for free in Truckee from Dec. 29-Jan. 12 at the Tahoe Donner Clubhouse, high school soccer fields and Glenshire Clubhouse. Curbside pick up is from Jan. 12-16. All trees must be free of decorations. The curbside ones need to be cut into 3-foot sections.

• Squaw’s torchlight parade will take place New Year’s Eve at 6:30pm, followed by a fireworks show at 7pm.

• Sierra-at-Tahoe is having an ugly sweater contest all day Dec. 23.

• Homewood’s classic ski lodge on the south side is getting a makeover as the dining room embraces a southwestern flair. It is now called Southwest Grill + Fireplace Tavern.

The winter holiday anti-DUI crackdown and special Avoid the 6 DUI deployments have been out the past several days in El Dorado County.

From 12:01am Dec. 12 through midnight Dec. 20, officers representing six county law enforcement agencies arrested one person on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. (These numbers are preliminary.)

Last year there were no DUI deaths or major injury collisions reported during this same time period.

For the second weekend of the campaign extra local DUI saturation patrols will be deployed in the cities of
South Lake Tahoe, Placerville, and the unincorporated areas of El Dorado County.

All regularly scheduled traffic and patrol officers will focus efforts at stopping and arresting DUI drivers during their normal shifts. Multiple DUI/driver’s license checkpoints, multi-agency DUI task force operations and local roving DUI patrols are all part of this regionwide crackdown during the 21-day winter holiday campaign.

• Olympic gold medalist Jonny Moseley will be on hand to ski with the public Dec. 26-31. Meet him at Squaw Valley’s Gold Coast Demo Center at 2pm.

• Zephyr Cove attorney Carolyn Wright is featured in this article about copyrights and photographs.

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

• Subscriptions of all kinds are usually tax deductible for businesses and sometimes for individuals. Are you a Lake Tahoe News subscriber? Here is a paid subscriber form.

• SnowGlobe, the three-day music festival in South Lake Tahoe, will be giving $10,000 to area nonprofits.

Hard Rock Lake Tahoe signs are up in Stateline. Photos/Bill Kingman

Hard Rock’s sign is eye-catching.

• Hard Rock Lake Tahoe is making Stateline look a bit more contemporary — the signs are one step forward. The hotel-casino-music venue will open at the end of January.

• The Nativity story and Christmas carols will be presented by St. Theresa Church and Saint Theresa School Alumni on Dec. 23 at 6pm at Grace Hall in South Lake Tahoe for free. All faiths and families welcome.

• The Rubicon Trail is open.

• Michael Gibbons, who was just re-elected to the Ninth Judicial District representing Douglas County, has been appointed by Gov. Brian Sandoval to be on the newly created Nevada Court of Appeals.

• On Dec. 23, ski or ride with big mountain snowboarding legend Jeremy Jones for two hours at Squaw Valley before heading down to win his gear at the Ledge Boardshop in the village. Meet at the Gold Coast Demo Center at 2pm.

The California Highway Patrol is preparing for this heavily-traveled time of year by educating the motoring public about safety on
the roadways.

As part of its upcoming maximum enforcement period the CHP is reminding travelers to buckle up, adhere to the posted speed limit, avoid distractions behind the wheel, and always designate a sober driver.

The enforcement effort begins Dec. 24 at 6pm. and continues through Dec. 28  at 11:59pm. During this all available officers will be out on the roadways for enhanced enforcement efforts and assisting motorists wherever needed.

An anti-DUI effort is aimed at eliminating drunken driving by educating Californians about the dangers of driving after consuming alcoholic beverages. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 10,000 people are killed annually in the U.S. by drunken drivers.

During the 30 hours of last year’s Christmas holiday enforcement, five people were killed in traffic collisions. Among those killed were two pedestrians, one motorcyclist, and two vehicle occupants who were not wearing seat belts. The CHP made 221 arrests for driving under the influence during the same 30-hour timeframe.

Van Sickle ranch at Stateline in 1901. Photo/Private Collection

Horses were once a mainstay at Lake Tahoe. They were used for transportation and work.

Today horses are a rare sight at the lake. Photo/Lake Tahoe Historical Society

Whereas motorized means prevail now, in the early 1900s horses would haul wagonloads of hay to the Van Sickle barn at Stateline. Today the ranchland is the site of the Village Center — proving cars have replaced horses.

Lumber being hauled in the early 1900s. Photo/Lake Tahoe Historical Society

Horses also hauled cut timber, food and supplies for backcountry excursions , and passengers on the dirt trail to Fallen Leaf Lake

Pack horses allowed for extended travel in remote areas. Photo/Lake Tahoe Historical Society

Of course, there were people who just enjoyed horseback riding.

A stagecoach at Fallen Leaf Lake. Photo/Lake Tahoe Historical Society 

— Bill Kingman

The U.S. Forest Service hauls Christmas trees out of the forest. Photo/Tahoe National Forest

• Carolyn Wright of Zephyr Cove Tennis Club has been named Reno-Tahoe captain of the year by the USTA Northern California Adult Leagues Department.

• Eight-time X Games gold medalist Nate Holland of Squaw Valley headlines the U.S. Snowboarding’s 2014-15 snowboardcross team.

• Tickets are on sale for the annual Passport Weekends in El Dorado County on April 11-12 and April 18-19.

• Homewood Mountain Resort is opening this weekend.

• A big shout out and thank you to Toogee Sielsch of South Lake Tahoe for his photo that is now the masthead of Lake Tahoe News for the winter.