Volunteer Charlene Gamet, top center, along with her daughter and granddaughters, staffs one of the Truckee Community Christmas collection barrels. Photo/Provided

The Truckee Community Christmas nonprofit organization is again overseeing toy, food, and coat drives that provide staples to local families and individuals just before Christmas each year.

Locals who place donated items in collection barrels that are placed throughout the community between Nov. 30 and Dec. 18, and marked with the Truckee Community Christmas square red logo, can be assured that their contribution will stay in the community to directly help a local family in need. All collected goods are distributed to recipients who have undergone a thorough application and review process. These individuals include low income families, teen moms and their babies, seniors who are home-bound and other deserving residents.

To help, go online www.TruckeeCommunityChristmas.com to find out how to donate, what to donate, where collection bins are located, how to volunteer and more.

Craniosacral therapy is available at Tahoe Wellness Cooperative Community Center on Nov. 4 from 2-4pm.

Colleen will clear energy around your meridian points for cleansing healing to happen.

Short sessions fill up quickly, so arrive early to sign up. First come, first served.

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

Donations accepted.

• Clean Tahoe is now in the Tahoe Valley Pharmacy building at 2074 Lake Tahoe Blvd., Suite 6, South Lake Tahoe. The number is the same – (530) 544.4210.

• Here is the Sierra roadwork schedule from Caltrans for this week.

• Bob Roberts, president of the California Ski Industry Association, will be giving a winter resort update on Nov. 12 from 7-8:30am at the Truckee Airport. Cost is $10 for the public, $8 for Truckee-Donner Chamber of Commerce members. For more info, call (530) 587.2757.

• Only 300 tickets at $100 each will be sold, with the prize being an all-expense paid trip for two to the Super Bowl XLVIII. The prize was donated by the National Football League in support of the Gene Upshaw Memorial Fund that is administered by the Tahoe Forest Health System Foundation. Call (530) 582.6277 to buy a ticket.

• Granlibakken in Tahoe City is hosting a Women’s Wellness Weekend Nov. 9-10. For more info, go online.

“You Are Here” at the bottom center of the billboard’s map indicates the Spooner Summit junction of highways 50 and 28 in Nevada.

The billboard was likely from the early 1950s because it shows only U.S. 40 through Truckee — which became Interstate 80 in late 1950. It also labels today’s Mt. Rose Highway which is State Route 431 as 37. This was its previous designation until the early 1960s. Highway 267 between Kings Beach and Truckee is not shown.

Note: The older photo is from the Special Collections Department at UNR and the newer one from Bill Kingman.

— Bill Kingman

• Carson City High School grad and former Giants third baseman Matt Williams is now the manager of the Nationals.

• Longtime Tahoe Resource Conservation District employee Kim Boyd was recently promoted to district manager.

• In Conde Nast Traveler’s annual reader poll three ski area lodging properties made the list of top resorts in Northern California: Ritz-Carlton at Northstar (5), Westin Monache Resort at Mammoth (12), and PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn (13).

• The November issue of Ski magazine touts Basecamp Hotel, 968 Park and Stardust Lodge as worthy places to stay in South Lake Tahoe. The same issue has an interesting article on the founder of Mammoth Mountain resort.

• Northstar has fired up its snowmaking guns.

Tahoe Arts Project’s second annual Holiday Festival is Nov. 16 from 10am-5pm at South Tahoe Middle School’s multipurpose room.

Santa will be on hand from noon-2pm, Marcia Sarosik Dancers will perform from 2:30-3pm, and activities for children will be going on throughout the day.

The event is free.

Don’t forget to set your clocks back an hour tonight before you go to bed.

At 2am Nov. 3 it’s time to return to standard time.

The whole reason for this, according to the federal government, is energy and fuel savings.

Daylight saving time returns March 9.

Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has created a GIS-based online tool that allows property owners and contractors to design BMPs.

It is available online for free.

It was created because of the dwindling funds for on-site best management practices evaluations.

To use the BMP Designer, property owners should have knowledge of the following:

• The direction water flows on the property;
• Where utilities are located;
• Proximity to a stream environment zones or seasonal high groundwater;
• Locations of existing BMPs;
• Existing vegetation, lawns, planter bed/boxes, trees, rock outcroppings, retaining walls;
• Flat or depressed areas for use as possible infiltration basins;
• Driveway shape and varying slopes;
• Gutter and downspout locations;
• Photos and other information about the property.

TRPA staff will be available to provide instructions on using the BMP Designer at the TRPA offices in Stateline on Wednesdays between 9am-noon and 1-4pm through Dec. 18. Call (775) 589.5202 or email bmp@trpa.org for an appointment.

• South Lake Tahoe native Kyle Smaine has joined Sierra-at-Tahoe’s pro team. The Association of Freesking Professionals ranks him in the top 30 for halfpipe skiers in the world. He has his sights set on the Winter Olympics.

• According the Bureau of Land Management, Nevada is the most mountainous state in the union with more than 150 mountain ranges.

• The November issue of Bon Appétit magazine recommends Barbera for Thanksgiving dinner. El Dorado County wineries make excellent Barbera, according to LTN.

• South Lake Tahoe is having an informational meeting Nov. 13 at 5:30pm at Lake Tahoe Airport for businesses affected by the single-use plastic bag ban.

• Tahoe City Public Utility District is having a budget workshop Nov. 5 at 4pm at 221 Fairway Drive, Tahoe City.

Douglas County has relaunched the budget challenge so residents can partake in an online conversation about the county budget.

The question is, “How would you spend $500 to fund what is most important to you in Douglas County?”

Residents also have the opportunity to make general comments about the budget process, upload photos or videos to illustrate concerns or suggestions and put a value on the priorities they think are most important.

While the county will continue to hold its annual budget workshops as part of next year’s budget process, the online budget challenge will provide decision-makers with valuable insight from the community before the annual budget process begins. The online budget challenge is now open and available on the county’s website until Dec. 5.

The results from last year’s budget challenge lead to the county to make road funding a priority and continues to be an item of focus with the development of the road funding task force.