Caltrans Adopt-A-Highway Program honored the Clean Tahoe Program with the 2011 Adopt –A-Highway Program Volunteer of the Year award for the group’s outstanding efforts in keeping a portion of Highway 50 from the Y to state line in South Lake Tahoe clean.

“It is a thankless job to pick up litter on the side of our state highway,” Caltrans District 3 Director Jody Jones said in a statement. “Volunteers like those from the Clean Tahoe Program are helping to keep their community clean.”

The award was presented at the Clean Tahoe Program board meeting Sept. 20.

Clean Tahoe volunteers have been picking up litter along Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe since they adopted the roadside in May 2003.

The Adopt-A-Highway program, which began in 1989, has been one of the most truly successful government-public partnerships of all time. More than 120,000 Californians volunteer annually to clean and enhanced over 15,000 shoulder-miles of roadside.

NV Energy has money for people who recycle their old refrigerator.

Older refrigerator can use up to four times the electricity of a new one. It’s possible to save up to $140 a year on utility bills by getting a new fridge, NV says. The utility company will haul away the old appliance and send people $50.

To participate, refrigerators or freezers must be in working condition and be at least 10 cubic feet in size (no dorm-sized ones). There’s a two-unit per address limit.

For more information or to schedule a pick up, call 877.289.8260.

• South Lake Tahoe Food and Wine Festival is at Harrah’s and Harveys Lake Tahoe Oct. 5–7.

• Here are the weekly roadwork schedules from Caltrans for El Dorado-Tahoe and Sierra.

• Celebrate the book launch of Jared Manninen’s graphic memoir “Mega 99” about hiking the Appalachian Trail and Suzanne Roberts’ memoir “Almost Somewhere” about hiking the John Muir Trail on Sept. 29, 6pm at Bona Fide Books in Meyers (1069 Magua, No. 4, behind the Getaway Cafe).

• Tahoe Regional Young Professionals will keep the fall feisty at the pub inside 968 Park Hotel, Sept. 26 from 7:30–10pm.

• Work on Highway 28 in Incline, which includes a roundabout at the Mount Rose Highway, will be done by Oct. 15 – three years ahead of schedule.

The annual Lake Tahoe Women’s Wellness Weekend at Granlibakken that is dedicated to health and wellness, will also offer continuing education credits to nursing professionals.

Committed to creating healthy associations within the community, Tahoe Forest Hospital has established the Nov. 10-11 event.

National and regional authors and practitioners, all experts in their fields, are a highlight of the event.

For more than two decades, the Women’s Wellness Weekend has brought together women of differing ages, body types and physical abilities to benefit from Western medicine and Eastern teachings in comfortable and non-threatening surroundings. Seminars on health, nutrition and aging mix easily with interactive clinics on skin screenings, body/muscle testing and acupuncture. Inspirational and recreational activities along with food and wine receptions also help unite body and soul.

For information on speakers, health fairs and seminars call 800.543.3221.

The Sierra Human Resources Association, in partnership with the Regional Chambers of Nevada County and North Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce is presenting Simply Speaking – How to Craft and Deliver a Winning Presentation on Oct. 4 from 8:30am–2:30pm.

Registration begins at 8am at the Cedar House Sport Hotel, 10918 Brockway Road in Truckee.

Whether you are preparing a sales presentation for clients, a keynote speech, a weekly debrief for the management team or association, or leading a department meeting, you will pick up tips to control anxiety and make you a more effective communicator using the formula of professional speakers. Learn to Prepare the Presentation, Prepare Yourself, and Handle the Audience in small groups in a low-pressure, encouraging and comfortable environment.

For easy online registration and to pay safely by check or by credit card, click on the online store. The cost is $59 chamber, SHRM and SHRA members, $69 for non-members.

Highway 50 in 1965. Photos/Bill Kingman

McDonald's is just out of the photo on the left, with the rest of that side of the highway being Linear Park.

These pictures are of Highway 50 near Sonora Avenue in South Lake Tahoe.

People often say the South Shore  is overdeveloped today, but clearly there were more buildings in this section of the city  in the mid-1960s.

The photos are looking toward Stateline.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Southwest Gas is alerting people that three private contractors are working in South Lake Tahoe. There are two contractors and one inspection company that work with customers on various weatherization programs.

The three companies are:

Residential Weatherization Inc. (installation contractor), Project Go Inc. (installation contractor), and Richard Heath and Associates (third party inspections).

To determine if a customer qualifies for one of the weatherization programs, the contractors will ask for income verification. The types of income included in household income are determined by the California Public Utilities Commission.

• The boathouse at Lakeview Commons has been certified LEED gold.

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture declared Placer County a natural disaster, opening the door for local farmers and ranchers to seek assistance for drought-related losses.

• Barton Memorial Hospital in South Lake Tahoe was the setting this month for an independent film that has aspirations of being part of the Sundance Film Festival.

• Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows will be hosting a seasonal job interview fair Nov. 3 from 10am-6pm at the Olympic House at Squaw Valley.

• Barton Health conducted a community survey last spring to identify the health gaps in the South Lake Tahoe area. The survey consisted of 400 phone surveys, two community focus groups and the collection of secondary data from Public Health and other resources. A website with interactive screens and the results is now live.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s “Living With Fire” program was named an Exemplary Project by the Association of Public Land-grant Universities.

“Living With Fire” is an interagency effort initiated, coordinated and implemented by Cooperative Extension. It teaches Nevadans how to live more safely in high fire hazard environments. The program stresses that the key to reducing the wildfire threat to homes and communities is implementing pre-fire activities such as replacing wood roofs, screening vents and managing vegetation.

To promote widespread adoption of pre-fire activities in Nevada’s high fire-hazard communities, a partnership was formed between UNCE and Nevada’s local, state and federal firefighting and emergency organizations. Partners meet routinely to plan events and provide input into projects.

Former Cooperative Extension Dean and Director Karen Hinton noted that the “Living With Fire” program, launched in 1997, has helped thousands of homeowners and communities prepare for Nevada’s extreme wildfire dangers.

A child’s curiosity about fire is natural. That’s why parents, grandparents, babysitters, and all grownups, must take steps to protect children from their curiosity.

Fire safety education is an important first step, but it’s not enough. For young children, intervention is necessary. Move matches, lighters, and other fire tools up high, beyond a child’s reach.

Remember: big fires start small. Keep matches and lighters in the correct hands.

For more information, contact the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department at (530) 542.6160.

 — Sallie Ross-Filgo