• Irene DiMatteo has sold Push Fitness in South Lake Tahoe to a chain in the Central Valley. The club is now called Fitness Evolution.

• Any new or like-new toys may be dropped off for Christmas Cheer at the South Lake Tahoe fire stations. The department’s decorated fire engine will be out Dec. 10-24.

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

• Winter Wine, Spirits and All that Jazz is a wine tasting and dance to benefit the Brewery Arts Center in Carson City. The event is Jan. 17 from 7-10pm. Tickets are $40 in advance (gina@breweryarts.org) or $50 at the door (449 W. King St., Carson City).

• The Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce recently named Austin’s House the 2014 Nonprofit Organization of the Year.

Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber or Commerce in partnership with South Lake Tahoe is offering the Overcoming Your Business Roadblocks: Planning to Propel Your Business to New Heights workshop for businessowners on Dec. 10 form 1-5pm.

The goal of the workshop is to help businessowners and managers start 2015 with a solid plan to climb over or mow down their business barriers. During this half-day interactive workshop attendees will be taught a quick and easy problem-solving process. They will select a strategic issue or opportunity specific to their business that they want to resolve, establish the best imaginable outcomes for the issue, develop a plan of action, and walk out the door with a plan they can begin implementing immediately.

The course instructor, Anne Marie Smith, is the author of “60 Minute Strategic Plan”, an Amazon.com top-10 selling book on strategic planning.

The workshop will be at the chamber, 169 Highway 50, Stateline.

For more information or to register, go online.

• South Lake Tahoe City Council is having a special meeting Dec. 4 at 9am to certify the election results.

• The ice skating rink at the Northstar Village is free between noon-9pm daily.

• Reno Jazz Orchestra brings Jazz for the Holidays to Northern Nevada on Dec. 20 at the Nightingale Hall at UNR at 7:30pm. Tickets are available online; students $10, adults $25.

• Gov. Jerry Brown has reappointed Amy Horne of Truckee to the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. She has been on the board since 2003.

• The South Lake Tahoe Izod and Van Heusen stores are closing Dec. 24.

Hard Rock Cafe Lake Tahoe in partnership with Apple Inc. co-founder and entrepreneur Steve Wozniak have created a limited-edition “Woz Rocks” pins in support Lake Tahoe Unified School District.

Wozniak will reveal the pins Dec. 3 at 7pm at the restaurant inside Harveys at Stateline. He will be signing the pin or anything people bring to him, with a suggested donation to the Lake Tahoe Unified School District.

The pins are $30. They features Wozniak playing a computer shaped guitar while riding a Segway. In addition, Hard Rock Cafe Lake Tahoe created a second “Woz Rocks” pin ($20 at event) which features the same image of him wearing “Berkeley blue and gold” to honor the Apple co-founder’s alma mater. Both pins will be available at Hard Rock Cafe Lake Tahoe’s Rock Shop retail store for a limited time while supplies last.

South Lake Tahoe Police Department has plans for two roving DUI saturation patrols on Nov. 28 and Nov. 29.

Sgt. Shannon Laney in a press release said, “A lot of folks think they know their own limits. They think that if they’re just a little ‘buzzed,’ then they’re still good to drive. Time and again, drivers who may have only had a couple of drinks put themselves and others at serious risk. Driving with any alcohol in your system can be dangerous.”

More than 10,322 people are killed by drunken drivers in America annually.

South Lake Tahoe officers offer these tips:

· Even one drink can impair your judgment and reaction time and increase the risk of getting arrested for driving drunk or having a crash.

· If you will be drinking, do not plan on driving. Plan ahead; designate a sober driver before the party begins.

· When you know you’ll be drinking, leave your keys at home or give them to someone else.

· If you have been drinking, do not drive — even a short distance. Call a taxi, phone a sober friend or family member, use public transportation.

• Hard Rock Lake Tahoe has pushed back its opening date to Jan. 29. “Our goal was to open as early as possible. Given input from our construction team late last week, we decided it would be best to open in time for the Super Bowl, giving our guests the full Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe experience with a finished product and all of its much-anticipated amenities,” Don Marrandino, spokesman, said.

• “Tahoe In Depth”, the environmental newspaper from the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, won a Silver Spike award at the Sierra Nevada Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America annual awards for content marketing. Weidinger Public Relations won four awards, including the Judge’s Choice Award, denoting Northern Nevada’s best overall campaign.

• Tahoe Regional Planning Agency offices will be closed Nov. 27-28.

• Mt. Rose’s Santa Ski Crawl is Dec 13. Skiers in full Santa wear will receive discounted tickets.

• Douglas County Community and Senior Center is hosting a grand opening and open house Dec. 6 at 1pm at 1329 Waterloo Lane, Gardnerville.

With the onset of really cold weather, frozen water pipes are inevitable.

Unfortunately, along with this problem, the fire department responds to an increase of structure fires caused by residents trying to quick fix the problem themselves. Instead of using space heaters, torches, or other hot flame devices to thaw pipes, call a professional plumber to get the water flowing again.

In the long run, it’s much cheaper and effective than burning the house down around those frozen pipes.

— Sallie Ross-Filgo, South Lake Tahoe Fire Department

• Lake Tahoe Community College Professor Larry Green has been honored by the 20 Million Minds Foundation for creating free textbooks for students. In 2011 he was part of a pilot program bringing etexts to students.

• Zephyr Cove Ski Club is taking sign ups at the Kahle Community Center in Stateline on Dec. 6 from 9am-noon, Dec. 9 from 5:30-7:30pm and Dec. 11 from 5:30-7:30pm. Call Sally O’Brien at 775.588.7233 for more info.

• Mt. Rose will celebrate its 50th anniversary Dec. 31.

• Mark Estee, a James Beard finalist, is opening Reno Provisions in December. It will be a restaurant-bar-market space at 100 N. Sierra St., Reno.

• Lake Tahoe Hard Rock is selling a limited edition pin for $14.95 with half of the net proceeds going to the League to Save Lake Tahoe. It will be available when the Stateline property opens in January.

There will be a meeting Dec. 9 at 6pm about the proposed development in Martis Valley.

Representatives of the Sierra Club, Friends of the West Shore and North Tahoe Preservation Alliance will provide information about why they believe the Martis Valley West plan is not a good idea.

The project is being proposed by East-West Partners to develop housing above Northstar ski resort. Part of the project is in the basin, part is outside.

The meeting will be at the Truckee Tahoe Airport.

For more info, call 775.742.1548.

• Lake Tahoe Community College art instructor Phyllis Shafer on Dec. 3 at 5pm in Room F-101 will put on a slide show and talk, and share new artwork from her sabbatical in Italy.

• There will be a fundraiser for Marty Chartraw on Dec. 1 at 6pm at the American Legion Hall in South Lake Tahoe. In a Nov. 8 car accident she broken her back, neck, leg and collar bone. Donations may be made online.

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

• Cardinale Way is inviting any member of the community who is in need of a Thanksgiving dinner to join them at the American Legion Post 795, at 2748 Lake Tahoe Blvd., on Nov. 27 from 10am-noon. Cardinale Way employees are combining forces with the Blue Angel Cafe and KRLT to give back to the community. There is no charge for the meal.

• Sugar Bowl Resort has pushed back its Nov. 26 opening day because of conditions. A new date has not been set.