• Northstar is planning to close April 15.

• California won’t reach Tax Freedom Day until April 20; five days later than last year and three days later than the average for all states.

• South Lake Tahoe planning commissioners are hosting a workshop on the design plans for the Harrison Avenue Streetscape and Public Improvement Project on April 12 at 4pm in the City Council Chambers.

• Truckee is having a prescription medication take-back day on April 28 from 9am-1pm. Click on the flyer for more information.

Lake Tahoe Historical Society will present “An evening with the Washo” on April 10 at 6pm.

This free program will be at Camp Richardson Resort in the Great Room.

Speakers will include Darrell Cruz, tribal historic preservation officer; Jo Ann Nevers, author of “Wa She Shu: A Washo Tribal History”; and Melba Rakow. Both women sit on the Tribal Advisory Council.

The presentation will feature the history of the Washo at Lake Tahoe and in the Carson Valley. During the evening they will discuss ongoing Washo events. Opportunities for questions will follow the presentation.

Robert Leftwich has been promoted to captain in the Truckee Police Department.

Leftwich will lead the Operations Division, which includes patrol, traffic, marine unit, reserve officers and the department’s volunteer program.

Robert Leftwich

Leftwich is a 16-year veteran who spent the majority of his career at the Santa Rosa Police Department. He has extensive experience in investigations and has served as a task force agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration and California Department of Justice.

Sierra Nevada College presents the 6th annual Tahoe Poetry Slam on April 27 at 7pm at Patterson Hall.

The evening is free and open to all. There are cash prizes for the top three competitors — $300, $200 and $100.

Participants must be present 20 minutes prior to the show to sign-up; the first 10 to sign up will compete. Each competitor has three minutes to perform their poem.

The emcee is poetry slam champion Denise Jolly.

Caltrans next week will begin installing the new speed limit signs from Meyers to the state line, as well as in the Meeks Bay area.

Most stretches of highways 50 and 89 in the basin in El Dorado County will be increasing by 5 mph. Refer to the map above for exact speeds.

Installation is from 7am-4pm Monday-Thursday.

The bicycle and fields advisory committees that will make recommendations to the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Facilities Joint Powers Authority board have set spring meeting dates.

The meetings are open to the public.

These committees were created when Measure S became Measure R in November.

Bicycle committee:

• April 6, 9-11am, downstairs conference room, Lake Tahoe Airport.

• May 4, 9-11am, downstairs conference room, Lake Tahoe Airport.

• June 1, 9-11am, downstairs conference room, Lake Tahoe Airport.

Field committee:

• April 30, 4-6pm, downstairs conference room, Lake Tahoe Airport.

• May 21, 4-6pm, City Council chambers, Lake Tahoe Airport.

For further information, contact John Upton at (530) 541.0525 or email rkupton@aol.com.

As part of this being California’s first Distracted Driving Awareness Month, law enforcement in El Dorado County will be holding zero tolerance days for cell phone use and texting. A ticket for violating either the hands free or no texting law costs a minimum of $159, and subsequent tickets are $279.

Distracted driving is a serious traffic safety concern that puts everyone on the road at risk, joining speeding and alcohol as leading factors in fatal and serious injury crashes, according to South Lake Tahoe police Sgt. Shannon Laney.

Starting April 4 and throughout the month, South Lake Tahoe officer will join more than 225 local agencies, plus 103 CHP commands conducting zero tolerance enforcements.

Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves, Laney said.

A gourmet dinner, raffle, silent and live auctions, music by and dancing to the Soul Experience featuring Rocky Sleight, Trey Stone, and Carlee Knight – and giving back to the community. That is what Elegant Evening is all about.

The April 21 event is a fundraiser for Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra.

Tickets are $50 for the 6-11pm event at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe. Tickets may be purchased online or email sitahoesierra@gmail.com.

All money raised benefits education and service opportunities for women and children on the South Shore.

Is your child a bully or being bullied?

There will be a training class April 16 from 5:30-8:30pm at Lake Tahoe Community College in the board room to help stop bullying.

Techniques will be provided to empower youth with methods to deal with put downs and bullying, diffuse conflicts with their peers, along with preventative methods for cyber bullying. Adolescent development will be covered.

RSVP to Dana at (916) 801.9848 or mcknight@ltcc.edu.

Placer County is seeking applications from residents interested in serving on its County Charter Review Committee.

The committee is being created to review and evaluate the County Charter, a governing document approved by voters in 1980 that provides a level of flexibility in local decision making. The charter also contains provisions that guide the organizational structure, duties and responsibilities of elected and appointed officials.

The 2012 review committee will be composed of seven members. The five members of the Board of Supervisors will each select one review committee member. The other two committee members will be at-large public representatives selected by the board as a whole.

Any recommendations for changes or additions proposed by the committee will go to the Board of Supervisors for review. Changes supported by the board will go to county voters for consideration.

For an application form, call (530) 889.4010 or go to the county website.