• Homewood Mountain Resort opens Dec. 14.

• New owners Juan and Loreen Sanchez are reopening Burger Lounge in South Lake Tahoe on Dec. 15 with a new menu.

• Livability.com named Reno one of the top 10 Winter Vacation Destinations.

• Due to lack of snow, the Lake Tahoe Nordic Festival will be postponed to early 2013.

• Sally Jones has been hired as the manager of the Tahoe Donner Cross Country Ski Area.

Lake Tahoe News will be undergoing some maintenance starting this evening that will impact the delivery of news. It could take a few hours, it could take more than 24 hours, maybe longer depending on how things go.

So, don’t be alarmed when you wake up and the same old stuff is on the site. We’ll start the flow of news as soon as possible. The site will be up, but nothing will be posted. It’s possible during this time any comments that are made will not be seen and could be lost.

So, go enjoy Tahoe and check back in with Lake Tahoe News late Tuesday to see if the IT gang has done its job so the rest of us can get back to doing ours.

In the mean time, any breaking news will be posted via Twitter and on our Facebook page.

As with any change, there can be some hiccups and burps along the way, so please be patient.

Thank you for understanding and being such great supporters of Lake Tahoe News.

— Kathryn Reed, LTN publisher

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit holiday tree permits are sold-out.

In late November, 3,000 permits were issued on a first-come, first- served basis. No additional permits will be authorized for this season.

The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest is also sold-out of permits.

Other options for cutting a tree on National Forest land include the Plumas, Shasta-Trinity, Lassen and Inyo national forests. In addition, private Christmas tree farms are located in Placer, Nevada and El Dorado counties.

Permit sales in the Lake Tahoe Basin began in 2003 with approximately 750 permits.

The North Lake Tahoe Chamber/CVB/Resort Association Board of Directors election results includes one new director and two re-elected directors, each to serve a three-year term.

The newly elected board members are Eric Sather, general manager of the Resort at Squaw Creek, in the Large Lodging Seat; Kali Kopley, owner of Uncorked Squaw Valley, Uncorked Tahoe City, Uncorked Truckee and Petra in the Village at Northstar, re-elected in the Retail Seat; and Phil GilanFarr, owner of CB’s Pizza and Grill, re-elected in the Restaurant Seat.

The directors will take office at the organization’s January meeting.

U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews will resume prescribed fire operations on Lake Tahoe’s West Shore near Tahoma and in Ward Canyon on Dec. 10.

Crews expect to burn 50 acres in both locations, weather permitting. Operations are expected to continue through the week.

Residents and visitors are advised that due to the size of each project, plumes of smoke may be visible. 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.

Forest Service staff will post road signs around areas affected by prescribed fire, and update the local fire information line at (530) 543-2600, No. 6.

Lake Tahoe News is happy to say the subscription forms are rolling in. This means we keep contributing to the community to help those who are hungry.

This week we took Safeway up on its easy way to help feed those in need. At every Safeway (it’s not just a Tahoe thing), people can purchase a pre-filled $10 bag of items that will be donated to a local organization that feeds those who need some help putting food on the table. The Every Bag Counts food drive runs through Dec. 25.

Lake Tahoe News’ paid subscriber-food drive runs through the end of the month. For every form we receive, we are using part of the funds received to help feed people.

Paid subscribers help Lake Tahoe News in two key ways — the more forms we have, the better for attaining adjudication, and cash keeps electric bills paid so the computers stay on and reporters get paid.

A benefit to being a paid subscriber is that you become part of the NEWS Team. From time-to-time we give away things — with the last being two tickets to the Soroptimist wine tasting.

Credit goes to longtime LTN supporter Old Long Skis for coming up with the subscriber-food drive.

Here is a copy of a subscriber form.

South Lake Tahoe firefighters would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and to remind you that when decorating your home, please inspect your lighting strings and extension cords for broken, frayed or damaged wires.

Be careful not to overload an electrical circuit with the use of multiple plug connections or splitters.

Finally, remember to discard your Christmas tree soon after Christmas before it becomes a tinder dry fire hazard.

Happy holidays from the city of South Lake Tahoe firefighters.

— Sallie Ross-Filgo

The 1965 photo, at left, shows Raley’s, an original occupant in the then-named Crescent V Center near Stateline, built in 1962.

Adjacent was Lawrence’s Department Store in the space now occupied by Sports LTD.

Beyond the right of the photo was the Cream Puff Bakery, U.S. Post Office, Candlewick Gifts, coffee shop, I. Magnin, Tahoe National Bank and others.

Later in the 1960s at the left end of Raley’s was added Perry Boys’ Smorgy restaurant.

Lawrence’s had moved from its original building now occupied by Chevy’s Restaurant on Highway 50 near Ski Run Boulevard. I recall that the original Lawrence’s building then became Lawrence’s Economy Store, later an arts and crafts store, then Epominanda’s (Eppie’s) Restaurant, Carlos Murphy’s, and now Chevy’s.

The Crescent V Center was totally rebuilt with added retail buildings in the last decade and now is named Village Center.

The 2012 photo shows the remodeled Raley’s.

— Bill Kingman

• Swimming lessons aren’t just a summer thing in South Lake Tahoe. That’s the advantage of having a dome over the city pool. Check out the website for more info.

• South Tahoe Refuse will be collecting canned and packaged foods left curbside Dec. 10-14. Or people may drop items off at 2140 Ruth Ave., South Lake Tahoe.

• Lonely Planet says the Eastern Sierra is one of the top 10 U.S. travel destinations for 2013.

• Fireside Pizza at the Squaw Village is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month.

• Here is the Caltrans roadwork plans for El Dorado-Tahoe and Sierra.

Kirkwood celebrates its 40th anniversary with a full day of festivities on Dec. 31 that leads into a New Year’s celebration with fireworks, music and the annual NYE torchlight parade.

The parade is open to intermediate to expert level skiers and snowboarders aged 10 and up.

Also offered on New Year’s Eve is a special holiday snow cat tour that takes guests to the top of Chair 2 to watch the fireworks while enjoying Champagne or sparkling cider. It is followed up with dinner at the Wall Bar.