• Internationally acclaimed celebrity chef Susur Lee of Lee and Bent restaurants in Toronto will serve as a guest chef this winter at the Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe.

• Advanced nutrition consultant student Dawn Sitchon is teaching four free classes in South Lake Tahoe starting Oct. 30. Topics are Eating for Health, Lean Protein and Clean Fats, Colorful Complex of Carbohydrates, and Sustainable Nutrition. More info is on the flyer.

• South Tahoe Middle School Club Live is sponsoring The Great Iris Bulb Planting on Oct. 26 from 10am-noon. This project is a part of the Make A Difference Day national day of service. The club intends to plant more than 500 iris bulbs around campus.

• Tahoe Tallac Association took first place for the best Lake Tahoe Marathon booth aid station. Runners did the voting. The Cub Scouts took second and Key Club third.

• The documentary “McConkey” about Shane McConkey will be shown at Peek Nightclub at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe on Nov. 1 at 8pm. Tickets are $10.

The Douglas County Public Library is having book sale Nov. 15 from 5-8pm, Nov. 16 9am-5pm, and Nov. 17 9am-2pm.

The sale will be at the C.V.I.C. Hall, 1602 Esmeralda Ave. in Minden.

Thousands of used books and audio books will be for sale; DVDs, VHS tapes, and CDs will also be available. Join the Friends of the Library at the door to save 15 percent.

South Tahoe High School Performing Arts Booster Association presents a Spook-tacular Spaghetti Dinner on Oct. 30.

All money raised will go toward the performing and fine arts at STSH. Students from the upcoming production of “Young Frankenstein” will be serving the dinner.

The dinner is from 5-7pm at Bert’s Cafe, 1146 Emerald Bay Road, South Lake Tahoe. Cost is $10.

The North Lake Tahoe Resort Association plans to give out $50,000 in grants for special events taking place in the North Lake Tahoe region of Placer County. Most individual grants will fall within the $500 to $2,500 range.

All grant money must be used for marketing and public relations efforts to promote events in the region. Preference will be given to events which encourage overnight stays.

All groups interested in receiving funds must fill out the application by Nov. 4, 2013. Recipients will be notified Dec. 5.

For a copy of the application and more information, contact Judy Laverty at (530) 581.8702 or Judy@GoTahoeNorth.com.

Groovebox and Adient Zoo are teaming up with the League to Save Lake Tahoe for the biggest Halloween party in South Lake Tahoe.

The party is at the American Legion on Oct. 31. Doors open at 8pm, with the show starting at 9pm. Cost is $10. Must be at least 18 to attend.

Roots Rob and S1nth3sys will be joining the party.

There will be a contest for the best costume and most creative costume.

South Lake Tahoe’s Lead Safe Tahoe program is teaming up with national agencies to increase awareness of childhood lead poisoning prevention through the National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, which is Oct. 20-26.

This year’s theme, Lead-Free Kids for a Healthy Future, underscores the importance of the many ways parents can reduce a child’s exposure to lead and prevent its serious health effects.

The Lead Safe Tahoe team is diligently working to identify houses and apartments within the city limits that have lead-based paint hazards. Once identified and qualified, the team works with lead safe certified and licensed contractors to mitigate the risks and make dwellings safe for occupants.

To date, Lead Safe Tahoe has funded the lead-based paint testing of 427 qualifying residential units. Approximately 40 percent of those have lead paint exceeding the levels that are considered safe.

Work has been completed in 135 units, and 27 are currently in the bidding or construction phases. Federal grant funding has also provided training in lead-safe work practices for nearly 200 workers.

The Lead Safe Tahoe team is working to identify houses and apartments within city limits that were built before 1978 that have lead-based paint hazards. For more info, call (530) 542.6011.

• Placer County is set to unveil a new look for the county website with easier access to information and services available to the public. There is a meeting about it on Oct 29, 6-7pm at the Customs House, 775 North Lake Blvd., Tahoe City.

• El Dorado County sheriff’s Capt. Randy Peshon was appointed to the Judicial Council Collaborative Justice Courts Advisory Committee.

• Lora Nadolski is now the executive director of Tahoe Maritime Museum.

• The Nevada Chapter of the American Planning Association has recognized League to Save Lake Tahoe Policy Analyst Shannon Eckmeyer with a Citizen Planner Award for her work on TRPA’s Regional Plan update. The award goes to individuals who are not professional planners, but who have advanced or promoted the cause of planning in the public arena.

• Kelly Shanahan, doctor at Emerald Bay Center for Women’s Health, is having an open house Oct. 24 from 4-6pm to celebrate five years of being a breast cancer survivor. The office is at 1154 Emerald Bay Road, South Lake Tahoe.

There will be a chakra balancing class on Oct. 24 from 6-7pm in South Lake Tahoe.

Diane Underwood, a hyperthermia trainer, will give a half hour lecture following the class.

Donations will be accepted.

The chakras are the main energy centers of the body. Their function is to vitalize the physical body and they affect us on physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels. The size and health of our chakras are influenced by various life experiences.

The event is at 1169 Ski Run Blvd., No. 2 — next to Nepheles.

For more information or to RSVP, call (530) 545.3426.

November is National Novel Writing Month and to celebrate the South Lake Tahoe Library will be hosting a Teen Writers Group.

Check out books to help you write your novel, and meet other authors for fun and encouragement.

The group will meet Nov. 1, Nov. 8, Nov. 15 and Nov. 22 at 3pm at the library, 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd.

There is no cost to participate.

For additional information, call (530) 573.3185.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department has been awarded a $33,200 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety for a year-long program aimed to improve traffic safety.

The grant will assist in efforts to deal with traffic safety problems and to reduce the number of people killed and injured in traffic collisions. While traffic deaths from all causes declined by nearly 39 percent between 2006 and 2010 in California, they rose by 2.6 percent in 2011. State and federal officials anticipate that figures will show another rise for 2012.

DUI deaths remain the largest sector, at nearly 30 percent of traffic fatalities. Recent trends show increases in two new categories – distracted driving and drug-impaired driving.

Activities the grant will fund include:

· Specialized DUI and drugged driving training such as standardized field sobriety testing, advanced roadside impaired driving enforcement, and drug recognition evaluator.

· DUI saturation patrols.

· Motorcycle safety enforcement.

· Distracted driving enforcement.

· Seat belt and child safety seat enforcement.

· Speed, red light and stop sign enforcement.

· Pedestrian safety.