• Placer County’s property tax assessment increased by 6.1 percent this year.

• Find out what Courtney Blann of South Lake Tahoe has to say about being a ski instructor.

• Ocean Minded lead the way regarding the Race the Lake of the Sky Cleanup/National Summer Cleanup Initiative. About 50 volunteers collected approximately 250 pounds of trash. The cleanup was during the 14.3-mile stand up paddle race June 30.

• The South Lake Tahoe Fire Department has been awarded the technology innovation award by IPCR, the company the department uses to create patient care reports electronically. The owner of IPCR will speak at the July 16 City Council meeting at 9am.

El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency has money through the federally-funded Home Energy Assistance Program to help income-eligible families pay their energy bills.

HEAP can help with electricity, wood, propane, pellets or heating oil. Renters whose utilities are not separate may qualify for help.

HEAP applications are available in South Lake Tahoe at 3368 Lake Tahoe Blvd., No. 202 or call (530) 573.3490, and in Placerville at 937 Spring St., (530) 621.6150.

The Food Bank of El Dorado County and California Emergency Food Link will be continuing farmers markets style giveaways in South Lake Tahoe.

The dates are July 24, Aug. 28, Sept. 25 and Oct. 23. The free distributions are at 10am each day at the American Legion.

For more info, email info@foodbankedc.org or call (530) 621.9950.

• South Lake Tahoe snowboarding sensation Elena Hight reveals a lot about herself in ESPN magazine.

• July 17 is the final Business After Hours Mixer of the summer. It’s from 5:30-7:30pm at the Beach Retreat & Lodge at Tahoe in South Lake Tahoe. Tickets are $10 for chamber member, $20 for prospective members.

• On July 31 at 1pm will be a five card no limit Texas Hold’em Poker Tournament before the Phish concert to benefit the Mockingbird Foundation and their work with K-12 music education programs. For tickets, go online.

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

• Gov. Jerry Brown appointed Kenneth Pogue, 45, of Shingle Springs assistant secretary for legislative affairs at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

In the 1940s, the Sky Harbor Casino and Airport was where today we know as Rabe Meadow at Stateline, with the popular Lam Watah Trail.

Photo No. 1 (1946) shows the Sky Harbor Casino (“Cocktails, Dancing”). That site is roughly at the foot of today’s Kahle Drive near the entrance to Tahoe Shores Mobile Home Community, photo No. 2 (2013).

The easily identifiable Round Hill is clearly evident in both photos (officially, it is “Round Mound” according to U.S. Geological Survey maps).

Photo No. 3 depicts the 1946 landing area looking toward Mt. Tallac. One observer is quoted as saying, “The airport was so poorly engineered you either took off safely or you splashed in the lake.”

Today that area is mostly occupied by Tahoe Shores, photo No. 4 (2013).

After Sky Harbor closed, Lake Tahoe had no airport until 1958.

It is interesting to note that El Dorado County attempted to buy what became Tahoe Keys to pave-over for an airport, but lost-out in the bidding process.

Photo credits: 1946 from David Borges, 2013 from Bill Kingman.

— Bill Kingman

A section of Boulder Mountain Road in the Angora burn area will be closed from July 22-Sept. 2.

The pavement will be replaced. The road has had problems ever since the fire of 2007 because the water table rose and began to cause potholes and the road to buckle.

A 350-foot section will be closed north of the Lake Tahoe Boulevard-Boulder Mountain Drive intersection to just south of the Cone Road-Boulder Mountain Drive intersection.

Motorists may use Tahoe Mountain Road or Forest Mountain Road to access the northern side of Boulder Mountain Road.

Cork & More is hosting the Pints for Peace Beer Tasting Fundraiser on July 18.

The event benefits Live Violence Free.

It is at 7pm at 1032 Al Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe.

The event is $15 and will feature beer from Belgium and treats from the deli. Tickets are available at Cork & More.

The local items on the Nov. 5 ballot for El Dorado County will be limited.

Tahoe Paradise Resort Improvement District will be looking for one director. The term goes through Dec. 1, 2017.

Fallen Leaf Lake Community Services District has one term that will expire Dec. 4, 2015, and two terms that will go to Dec. 1, 2017.

Meeks Bay Fire Protection District needs two directors to serve until Dec. 1, 2017.

Lake Tahoe Community College, Lake Tahoe Unified School District and South Tahoe Public Utility District opted to move their elections to even years. This means the terms that were to expire this year and in 2015 have been extended a year to 2014 and 2016, respectively.

Information about the open seats may be obtained at 3368 Lake Tahoe Blvd., Ste. 108, South Lake Tahoe or 2850 Fairlane Court, Placerville.

Caltrans will have overnight lane closures on sections of Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe next week.

Grinding and paving will occur on eastbound lanes from 6pm-6am Tuesday through Thursday from the Y to Trout Creek. The repaving work is in addition to several Caltrans water-quality improvement projects in various stages of development along Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe.

Both directions of travel on Highway 50 from Trout Creek to Ski Run Boulevard can expect alternating No. 2 lane and shoulder closures from midnight to 11am Monday through Friday.

Westbound motorists on 50 from Fairway Avenue to Wildwood Avenue can expect alternating lane and shoulder closures from 11:30pm Sunday to 10am Monday, 10pm-10am Monday through Thursday and 10pm Thursday to 9am Friday.

Work from Y to Lake Tahoe Airport next week will be from 8pm to 11am Monday through Thursday and 8pm Thursday to 10am Friday.

There is no weekend work scheduled for any of these projects.

The Western Nevada College Specialty Crop Institute is offering a workshop titled “Agritourism Opportunities in Northern Nevada” on Aug. 13.

It will be from 11am-4pm at the Jeanne Dini Cultural Center, 120 N. California St., Yerington. Cost is $20 if registered by Aug. 7, $25 afterward. Lunch is included. Seating is limited, and registration is required.

Featured speakers Jane Eckert and Chuck Nozicka will show how farms across North America are reaping the benefits of agritourism. They will offer insight on how farms and local businesses can collaborate to make Northern Nevada farms a destination.

For more info or to register, contact Ann Louhela at (775) 423.7565, ext. 2260 or ann.louhela@wnc.edu.