The Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to accept a $2.7 million grant to restaff Engine 24 in Zephyr Cove by hiring 12 firefighters.

Engine 24 has not been staffed because of reduced funding and the loss of personnel due to attrition.

The engine is expected to be back in service by May.

The intent of the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant is to improve and restore local fire departments’ staffing and deployment capabilities so they may more effectively respond to emergencies.

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Fill out the this paid subscriber form, return it with at least $10 and we’ll send you a shirt. Be sure to tell us what size shirt you want. (Limited quantities in some sizes — but for now we have S to 2X.)

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U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews will begin prescribed fire operations near Logan Shoals on Feb. 6.

Crews expect to burn approximately 2 acres, weather permitting.

Operations will continue through as weather and conditions allow. Operations also continue through the week on Spooner Summit. Crews will burn approximately 10 acres per day, weather permitting.

Residents and visitors can expect to see smoke from these prescribed fire project areas. Smoke may be visible on Highway 50. The Forest Service strives to minimize the impacts of smoke on local communities. Smoke-sensitive residents should consider staying indoors and keeping doors, windows and outside vents closed. To directly receive prescribed fire updates, send an email to pa_ltbmu@fs.fed.us.

Truckee residents may register their skis, snowboards and bikes with the police department. This way if they are stolen, officers will have a better chance at identifying the property.

People may register equipment online or at the department at 10183 Truckee Airport Road.

For more information, call  (530) 550.2323.

• Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District has hired Sylvia Lee as a fire inspector. She was most recently with the Clark County Fire District.

• South Lake Tahoe native and 2005 South Tahoe High grad Nicole Pierini received the Dean’s Fellowship Award from Arizona State University’s school of engineering. It is only offered to top graduate student recruits.

• This is the Caltrans roadwork schedule for the week for El Dorado-Tahoe.

• The Kings Beach Commercial Core Improvement Project is expected to break ground this summer. There will be an open house Feb. 19 from 5:30-8pm at North Tahoe Event Center, 8313 North Lake Blvd., Kings Beach.

• This video is from the celebration of Barton Memorial Hospital marking its 50th year:

Lake Tahoe News has a copy of “Get Out of My Crotch” to give to someone. This book is edited and published by Kim Wyatt, owner of Bona Fide Books in Meyers.

The back cover says, “We are witnessing the patriarchy’s last gasp, and it’s not going down without a fight. Using legislation, language, and women’s own silence, it seeks to return us to a time when choice and self-determination were not options.

“In this collection, twenty-one fearless writers examine reproductive rights, access to health care, violence against women, and the rise of rape apologists in the twenty-first century Untied States. Illuminating intersections of gender, class and race, these stories speak to the challenges women routinely face, the attempts to undermine their rights, and the deliberate, systemic erosion of their agency and existence as equals.”

All you have to do write a comment about why you want the book. One person will randomly be selected later in the week.

If you are not the winner of the book, they are $18 and may be ordered online.

On Feb. 5 from 8-9:30am, Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce will kick-off Tech Tuesdays, a new workshop series.

These 90-minute workshops will cover the hottest trends in technology. The series opener will touch on the basics of social media. It will be taught by Jenn Gleckman of Strategic Marketing Group. Attendees can expect an overview including tips and tricks for using the “big” social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Instagram.

Tech Tuesdays will take place the first Tuesday of every month in the chamber’s conference room, 169 Highway 50.

Guests should bring their laptops and questions, and be ready to learn.

Subsequent courses will cover smart phones, Microsoft Outlook, blogging, e-commerce and more.

Tech Tuesday’s are free for chamber members and $15 for prospective members. For reservations or questions, contact Jessica@TahoeChamber.org or call (775) 588.1728, ext. 312.

There will be a free financial education workshop at Lake Tahoe Community College on Feb. 25 from 6-8pm.

The focus will be on financial goal setting, budgeting, money savings tips, and basic bank accounts.

The speaker will be from Wells Fargo Bank.

RSVP to (530) 541.4660, ext. 741 or email Alee@ltcc.edu. Space is limited. The event is in Room G4.

St. Joseph Community Land Trust and LTCC’s Student Support Services are sponsoring the event.

El Dorado County and the Superior Court are partnering to continue the successful Alternative Dispute Resolution program. The program is an alternative way to resolve civil disputes without the burden of litigation.

In Alternative Dispute Resolution, trained, impartial people decide disputes, or help parties decide disputes themselves. The sides typically meet with a dispute resolution officer at a case management conference within 120 after the case is filed. At the conference they discuss the various procedures for alternative dispute resolution, select the one best suited to their case, and set time lines for completion, usually 60 days after the case management conference.

The most common forms of resolution are mediation, arbitration and case evaluation.

More than 90 percent of all civil cases filed in El Dorado County Superior Court are resolved by agreement.

Under state law, counties collect an $8 fee on all civil actions filed in court. In turn, the county recently entered into a four-year contract with the court to fund the Alternative Dispute Resolution program.

Since the program’s inception in 1994 the court has reduced the civil case backlog by more than 50 percent. The number of cases pending more than two years has decreased by 75 percent.

For more information, call (530) 621.7629.

The annual fundraiser for Whittell and Zephyr Cove schools is Feb. 23 at 6pm at MontBleu.

It will feature a disc jockey, silent and live auctions, cocktails, food and more.

Funds will support technology upgrades, field trips, arts, science, reading, math, and sports equipment.

Tickets are $50 per person or $90 a pair. They are available at 100 McFaul Way (behind Safeway Round Hill), Forever Dance, Studio D Salon, Lake Tahoe Yoga, Hair & Nail Salon, and both schools.