The Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe has several programs available for the fall for all ages.

Middle and high school students may choose between programs such as Project Runway, a design and fashion program; Debate Club; Junior CrossFit;Masterchef; or having fun with friends in the specialized teen room where every Friday is movie night.

For elementary school ages there are Lego programs, drama classes, arts and crafts, an indoor hockey league, cooking, storytime and more.

Copies of the fall program can be picked up at 1100 Lyons Ave. or go online. Membership is $100 for the entire school year.

Lake Tahoe Educational Foundation is accepting applications for its fall grant cycle.

The foundation provides $40,000 to $60,000 annually in enrichment grants for programs that benefit Lake Tahoe Unified School District students.

The money is raised through Snow Sports week in February and the Food Fest in October..

Applications are available online. They are due Sept. 26.

South Lake Tahoe’s SWAT vehicle rams the entrance of the former Horizon casino in Stateline on Aug. 13. Photo/Provided

South Lake Tahoe’s SWAT team  stormed the old Horizon casino on Wednesday, causing extensive damage to the Stateline property.

And the owners are OK with this.

This was one of many training exercises by law enforcement at what is now a construction site. Brothers Jon and David Park are spending $60 million to transform the property into Lake Tahoe Hard Rock Hotel.

Because the large-scale renovation calls for significant demolition, SWAT and K9 units have had the opportunity to practice realistic scenarios in a controlled environment.

• Work started this week on a maintenance project that will repave more than six miles of Highway 193 in El Dorado County. Work is expected to be complete by the end of October, weather-permitting. The highway will be subject to daytime one-way traffic control at various locations; expect delays up to 10 minutes.
• Olympic Valley businesses have raised $75,000 since 2012 to preserve and restore Lake Tahoe and the region’s watersheds through the Green Bucks program and direct contributions. The money goes to Tahoe Fund for projects.
• Incline Village’s golf course has been named a Top 10 Short Course in America by Golf Range magazine and Best Course for Women by Tahoe Traveler.
• South Lake Tahoe residents Bryan Burnam and Jacob Hanneman have started Bakpocket Products, a line of ultralight, outdoor products including hammocks, beach blankets, ecofriendly backpacks, bags and accessories. More info is available online.

• The top four Douglas County manager candidates are Mary Lou Brown, Curtis Calder, Timothy Hacker and James Nichols. There will be a special commission meeting Aug. 18 at 9am in Minden. Final selection will be Sept. 4.
• The Kansas City Barbeque Society’s Great American Cookout is on a tour across the nation. It will be in Sparks Aug. 27-Sept. 1 at Victorian Square.
• Kim Chatfield on Aug. 16 will be signing copies of his recently released book about the Chinese herb Astragalus. The event is at Grassroots in South Lake Tahoe from 11:30am-12:30pm.
• There will be a murder mystery aboard the Virginia and Truckee Railroad steam train Aug. 15 from 6-8:30pm. For more info, call 877.724.5007.
• Douglas County Board of Commissioners have requested a state of emergency due to the cumulative series of flash floods that have taken place since July 20 in the valley. Douglas County’s flash flood hotline is 775.782.9993 or email flood@co.douglas.nv.us.

Deathways of the Comstock Chinese is the latest exhibit at the Comstock History Center.

The exhibit, which highlights the death and burial practices of the Chinese, features artifacts, photographs, video and an accurately reproduced, life-sized Chinese gravesite.

The free exhibit opens Aug. 14  at 11a.m.

The historic Chinese graveyard in Virginia City is no longer intact, so visitors will have an opportunity to see a replica Chinese burial site, complete with ornate decorations, reconstructed within the exhibit. The display illustrates the complex and symbolic death rituals that were part of China’s ancient, sophisticated culture.

The Comstock History Center is located at 20 N. E St. in Virginia City. It is open Thursday through Sunday from 11am-4pm.

:

Maria Mircheva, executive director of the Sugar Pine Foundation, will be talking about the work her groups does on Sept. 30 at 5:30pm.

There will be video showing how volunteers climbing trees to collect seeds. Plus, there is the chance to examine their giant slingshot.

The Sugar Pine Foundation is a local nonprofit dedicated to restoring sugar pines and western white pines by involving the community in forest stewardship. Since 2008, they have planted more than 70,000 seedlings with volunteer and school groups.

The talk at South Lake Tahoe Library (1000 Rufus Allen Blvd.) is free.

• Bijou Community School’s playground has been erected just in time for this school year. The PTA will officially unveil it Aug. 22 at 2pm.
• Placerville resident Rachel Carter just had her first book published. “The Black Mage: First Year” is a young-adult fantasy.
• The Mountain Collective added Ski Banff-Lake Louise-Sunshine as the seventh destination on its multi-resort pass.
• Bigfoot was seen in Tahoe City. Check out this video:

Tahoe Fund this summer gave out $131,000 for four environmental improvement projects that address erosion control, beach improvements, bike paths and the removal of invasive Asian clams.

Project recipients were California State Parks for a bridge across Angora Creek on the South Shore; Nevada State Parks for beach improvements including ADA access at Sand Harbor; Tahoe City Public Utility District for a mile section of bike path along the West Shore; and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency for the removal of Asian clams at the mouth of Emerald Bay.

Founded in 2010, the nonprofit Tahoe Fund is dedicated to raising money for projects that will improve lake clarity, enhance recreation and inspire environmental stewardship in the Lake Tahoe Basin. The Tahoe Fund welcomes donations of any size to help sustain the organization and the natural environment of the Lake Tahoe Basin. Information is available at info@tahoefund.org or by calling 775.298.0035.

Roger Rosenberger will share his photographic expertise Sept. 3 at 6pm in South Lake Tahoe.

The presentation is ideal for people wanting to be prepared to take better wildflower pictures next spring. Sophisticated camera equipment is not necessary.

The free event is at South Lake Tahoe Library, 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd.