Barton Hospice will host the annual Light up a Life interfaith ceremony to honor those who have died.

The Dec. 4 6-7pm event at MontBleu in Stateline is free.

All attendees will receive a free personalized ornament.

To honor someone at the event, call (530) 543.5592.

El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office has been awarded a two-year $250,000 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program grant.

The money from the U.S. Department of Justice will be used to assist the Crisis Intervention Team.

The CIT was originally developed based upon the national recognition that law enforcement needed to take an alternate approach when dealing with the mentally ill. The approach was an attempt to try to reduce dangerous encounters with law enforcement and the non-productive housing of the mentally ill within jail facilities.

The CIT duties include: Assessing and identifying the needs of subjects with mental illness or special needs such as autism, dementia, brain trauma and addictions; identifying and referring subjects to resources not commonly known or used during the routine handling of calls for service; case management and follow-up; the maintenance of contacts; providing briefing training to co-workers; and attending monthly multi-disciplinary team meetings; along with their regular patrol duties.

The grant also includes providing training to all EDSO deputies, other first responders, and county employees who have frequent contact with the public in El Dorado and neighboring counties.

Retailers throughout the state are receiving letters from the California State Board of Equalization notifying them about upcoming visits from Statewide Compliance and Outreach Program teams.

Truckee is on that list.

SCOP visits are intended to educate retailers about properly reporting sales and use tax, increase compliance with tax laws, and maintain outreach efforts to assure taxpayers the state’s tax system is fair and equal for all Californians.

The BOE has found nearly 98 percent of the California businesses operate with the correct permits. However, noncompliance contributes to more than $2 billion in uncollected sales and use taxes.

• Nate Holland, seven-time X-Games champ and Olympic snowboarder, has signed on as Rahlves’ Banzai Tour snowboard ambassador.

• Grammy Award winning island music superstars Shaggy & Ravon and the legendary group Black Uhuru will headline separate shows at the Lake Tahoe Fall Harvest Reggae Jam at MontBleu in Stateline on Nov. 19 and Nov. 29.

• TransWorld Snowboarding magazine ranked Squaw Valley the sixth top resort in the country and No. 10 for top pipes.

• El Dorado County Deputy District Attorney Brandon Erickson received Veteran of the Year award. Erickson served as a sergeant in the Army National Guard and was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

• Powder magazine is doing a four-part series on Tahoe starting in December. Check out this video for a tease:

There will be a presentation Nov. 14 about the long-term solution to future building challenges.

The talk will be at Lake Tahoe Community College, Room F-120 from 6-7:30pm.

For more info, contact Scott Terrell at scott.terrell57@gmail.com.

• Sorensen’s Resort in Hope Valley is mentioned in the November issue of Sunset magazine that features cabins that are worth staying in.

• The Cancer League of South Lake Tahoe will begin its See’s Candy sales the week before Thanksgiving. The storefront is near Starbucks at the Y in the Raley’s center.

• Richard J. Burton is retiring from Placer County after 30 years of public service. He has been the public health officer for the last 17 years and has also served as director of the Health and Human Services Department for the past 10 years.

• Lake Tahoe Community College and Lake Tahoe Unified School District boards of trustees are planning a joint meeting Feb. 11 to review and discuss progress, relevant research, and future programs.

Each Christmas, Christmas Cheer provide between 1,200 and 1,500 people with food for a holiday dinner and toys for each child.

Recipients are South Shore low-income families referred by social service agencies. Because of an increase in the numbers of those in need combined with a depressed local economy the need for donations is great.

Food needs:

Turkeys (1,000), stuffing, produce (carrots, potatoes, celery, nuts, peas, yams), dairy (butter or oleo, milk, eggs, cheeses), canned vegetables and fruits, breads and rolls, canned tuna, desserts (jello, pudding mixes, pies, cakes), peanut butter, spaghetti sauce, oatmeal or cereal, soups, dry foods (noodles, rice, beans, spaghetti or pasta), crackers and snacks, and toys. The greatest need is for teen presents.

Christmas Cheer accepts cash and/or gift card donations. A family of three or four can be fed on $25. A 20-pound turkey, which can feed nine, costs about $20.

Ten dollars can buy a gift for a child.

Bags will be given out Dec. 21 and Dec. 22 from 10am-4pm at South Tahoe Middle School multipurpose room.

For more info, contact Joann Shope at (530) 542.4934.

The Tahoe Fund is again launching the Plates for Powder promotion to drive sales of Lake Tahoe license plates.

From now until April 1, individuals who purchase a new Lake Tahoe license plate in either California or Nevada may receive two free lift tickets to one of the 11 Tahoe resorts participating in the program.

More than 96 percent of the funds raised through the plate sales go directly to the California Tahoe Conservancy and Nevada Division of State Lands to fund hiking and biking trails and watershed restoration projects.

The Tahoe Fund, a bi-state nonprofit dedicated to raising money for environmental improvement projects that support lake clarity, recreation and stewardship in the Lake Tahoe Basin, is organizing the program on behalf of the public agencies.

Information on how to purchase a plate and redeem free tickets is available online.

Santa will be at the South Lake Tahoe Library on Dec. 7 at 10:30am.

Children may listen to a holiday story and sing along to Christmas Carols provided by the Blue Ribbon Choir. Holiday crafts can be made to take home. Free pictures with Santa will be taken.

Refreshments provided by MontBleu.

The free event is at 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd.

Tahoe Wellness Center is offering free support for people affected by cancer.

The sessions are Nov. 15 and Nov. 22 from 5-6pm.

This is a time for anyone who has a cancer or a friend or relative who has cancer to engage in a supporting discussion of the disease.

The center is at 3445 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe.