With recent completion of reconstruction work on the bottom, commercial section of Kingsbury Grade, the Nevada Department of Transportation  is on schedule in advance of the September closure to through traffic.

Since the project’s start in May, nearly 1.5 miles of roadway have been reconstructed, including excavation of nearly 7,000 cubic yards of old road and placement of 10,300 tons of new asphalt. Thus far, 1,400 linear feet of storm drain pipe have also been installed. Road reconstruction and paving work from the base of the highway at Highway 50 to Pine Ridge Drive was completed at the end of July.

Roadside work such as signage, utility and drainage improvements will continue, with single lane closures and delays of up to 30 minutes during overnight hours through August.

Beginning Sept. 2 to October, Kingsbury Grade will be closed to through traffic near the summit, just east of Tramway Drive. During that time, non-permitted through traffic will not be able to travel through the Kingsbury summit area between Lake Tahoe and the Carson Valley. Residences and businesses located on Kingsbury Grade will continue to be accessible in via Highway 50.

• The League to Save Lake Tahoe is having an Eyes on the Lake training at the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Pavilion in South Lake Tahoe on Aug. 16 from 10am-noon. This free training is open to the public.

• Tahoe Donner is having an archery tournament Aug. 16 from 2:30-4:30pm at the Northwoods Clubhouse.

• The Kirkwood Inn is celebrating its 150^th birthday on Aug. 9 from 11am-5pm.

• The 26th annual Alpen Wine Festival is Aug. 31 from 2-5pm in the village at Squaw Valley. All proceeds from the festival benefit Can Do MS, a national nonprofit organization sponsoring lifestyle empowerment programs for people with Multiple Sclerosis and their support partners. Tickets are $40 and may be purchased online.

• The Race Walk Championship will be at South Tahoe Middle School track Aug. 10. The women’s race starts at 9:30am, and the men’s race will start immediately afterward, at about 10:20am. For more info, email aaejprice@att.net or jprice@unr.edu.

South Lake Tahoe’s Parks and Recreation Commission is hosting an interactive workshop about the future of Regan Beach on Aug. 12 at 5:30 pm at Regan Beach.

The commission is asking community members to provide input on future improvements to Regan Beach.

For more information, contact Lauren Thomaselli at lthomaselli@cityofslt.us or 530.542.6197.

• Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe is hosting the Art of the Cocktail on Sept. 5 from 4-5pm. Participants will journey back to pre-Prohibition days when cocktails were the highlight and beer, wine and other beverages were not in fashion. This is part of the Autumn Food and Wine Festival. Tickets are $40.
• The Labor Day weekend outdoor art show has changed locations. It will be at South Tahoe Middle School on Aug. 30-Sept. 1, 10am-5pm. There are also art shows Aug. 7-10 at STMS, Aug. 15-17 at the American Legion in South Tahoe, and Aug. 22-24 at Round Hill Square.
• Tahoe Environmental Research Center has a new website.

• “Soils – Digging Up the Dirt on Soil” is an instructional video from the California Water Board about what people can do to change how stormwater leaves landscapes and how to be stewards of watersheds.

• Douglas County is looking for youth flag football players and adult coaches. Click here for more info.

• Pediatrician Jonathan Halem will be at Barton Pediatrics and family medicine doctor Nichole DeLaPlante will start at Barton Family Medicine this month. Monika Mehrens will return to her hometown as a hospitalist, and North Shore native Alison Ganong will join Tahoe Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in September.
• Lou Ferrigno Jr. will host the Aug. 23 Tahoe Show at MontBleu.
• Kim George with the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department it looking to see if there is interest in the community for a child and Infant CPR class. She may be reached at 530.307.9596.
• Truckee Town Council will have a public hearing on the Coldstream Specific Plan project on Aug. 25 at 6pm in council chambers.
• John Reuter, researcher and longtime associate director of Tahoe Environmental Research Center, is retiring. He started studying Lake Tahoe in 1978. Zach Hymanson has been hired to take his place.

Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce in partnership with South Lake Tahoe is offering a Create Your Business Plan workshop series.

It will be on three consecutive Wednesdays starting Aug. 20. The goals is that by the end of the three 90-minute sessions participants will have a completed draft of a business plan.

Topics covered during the sessions will include business vision and mission, overall business objectives, competitor analysis, unique selling proposition, business strategies, budget, income projections, start-up capital and an action plan that describes what specific tasks entrepreneurs must complete now and going forward as they grow their businesses.

This workshop is for those thinking about starting a new business or current business owners who need to update or fine-tune their existing plans.

The sessions are from from 9:30-11am at the chamber, 169 Highway 50, Stateline. The series is free for participants registered in the Tahoe Tactical Team business coaching program.

For more information or to register, call 775.588.1728.

Gov. Jerry Brown will give the keynote address at the 18th annual Lake Tahoe Environmental Summit on Aug. 19.

This year’s summit, hosted by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., will take place at the Tallac Historic Site at Valhalla starting at 10am.

The theme of the summit is Drought, Wildfire and Invasive Species: Confronting the Effects of Climate Change on Lake Tahoe. The event is open to the public and will feature remarks from:

· Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval

· Nevada Sen. Harry Reid

· Nevada Sen. Dean Heller

· Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei.

Those speakers will be followed by a panel of local stakeholders:

·  North Lake Tahoe Fire District Chief Mike Brown will speak on the fuels work being done in the basin to address wildfire risk.

· Tahoe Environmental Research Center Director Geoff Schladow will speak on work being done to prevent the spread of invasive species in the lake.

· Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Executive Director Joanne Marchetta will speak on TRPA’s Regional Plan update and restoration work.

The annual State of the Lake presentation by Geoff Schladow is Aug. 14.

The report includes changes in Lake Tahoe’s water quality and ecology over the past year, as well as the examination of the long term trends that have been taking place at Tahoe. Schladow’s presentation will cover new clarity data, present developments occurring in the near shore regions of the lake, and review how Lake Tahoe is being affected by the current drought.

Schladow is the founding director of Tahoe Environmental Research Center.

The free talk is at 6pm, with a no-host bar starting at 5:30pm at TERC, 291 Country Club Drive in Incline Village

A $5 donation is suggested.

• This month’s Oscar de la Renta fashion show fundraiser for the League to Save Lake Tahoe is sold out.
• Take a look at the fall Tommy Hilfiger collection ad campaign. It was all photographed in Lake Tahoe.
• Dorinda’s Chocolates has opened in the village at Squaw Valley.
• Nevada Department of Wildlife dealt with 20 black bears in the month of May, which is more than usual.
• Here are the El Dorado-Tahoe and Sierra roadwork schedules for Caltrans for this week.