• While sports pages are filled with teams swapping quarterbacks, Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder is thinking about golf. He is one of the new players committed to the July 17-22 annual American Century Championship golf tournament in Stateline. Other “rookies” are New York Giants Super Bowl champion defensive-end Justin Tuck, Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, Dallas Cowboys tight-end Jason Witten and former New York Yankees and Oakland A’s slugger David Justice.

• The March 12 issue of Newsweek magazine talks about 150 fearless women in the world, with Jennifer Siebel Newsom, who recently spoke in Squaw Valley, and Jaycee Lee Dugard making the list.

• Heavenly and Kirkwood have extend their seasons to be open the weekends of April 20–22 and April 27–29, 2012, weather and conditions permitting. They are open seven days a week through April 15.

• Some South Shore businesses are participating in a Good Neighbor Donation Day on March 31 from 10am to 3pm. More information is online.

• Day of the Young Child is June 9 from 10am-2pm at Lake Tahoe Community College. Click on the flyer for more information.

Special Olympics Nevada is taking fundraising to new heights with the annual Over the Edge fund-raising event.

Anyone who raises at least $1,000 for the charity may rappel down the Grand Sierra in Reno in late June.

Participants may create an online fundraising page so friends, family and co-workers can make a secure credit card donation to them.

Space is limited. To register or for more information, go online.

• Curtis Fong, who writes the daily ski report for Lake Tahoe News, was honored this month by the North American Snowsports Journalists with the Mitch Kaplan Memorial Award for Excellence in Snowsports Coverage.

• El Dorado County is looking for a rep to the oversight board that will review, approve and in some cases direct certain actions of the successor agency as it works to conclude the affairs of the South Tahoe Redevelopment Agency. For an application, call (530) 621.5390 or go online.

• Two shows have been added to the Harveys’ Outdoor Concert Series, bringing the total to date to eight. Journey, with Pat Benatar and Loverboy will be on stage July 22 at 6pm. Tickets range from $59.50 to $199.50. The other addition is Joe Cocker/Huey Lewis & The News on Aug. 17 at 7:30pm. Tickets go from $49.50 to $99.50.

• South Lake Tahoe Parks and Recreation Department wants input via this survey.

• Barton Memorial Hospital Auxiliary’s next blood drive is April 2 at Embassy Suites in South Lake Tahoe from nooon-6pm.

• Here is the weekly road work schedule from Caltrans for El Dorado-Tahoe.

Q&D Construction and the Nevada Department of Transportation are hosting a meeting March 29 at 5:30pmat The Chateau at Incline Village to discuss road work projects scheduled to begin April 1.

The project includes erosion control improvements from the summit of Highway 431 to the intersection of Highway 28 and from the same intersection northwest to Crystal Bay along with construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Highway 431.

The erosion control work being performed on highways 431 and 28 is designed to capture stormwater runoff and filter out sediment before it reaches Lake Tahoe. The installation of a roundabout at the intersection is aimed at improving safety for all those on the road while easing congestion during peak traffic periods.

The Chateau at Incline Village is located at 955 Fairway Blvd. at the Championship Golf Course.

To better understand the roadwork schedule or answer any questions on the roundabout and erosion control projects taking place, contact Scott Magruder at (775) 888.7777.

The Nevada Highway Patrol will be stepping up enforcement on Highway 395 in Douglas County at the end of this month for a non-disclosed period of time with special emphasis on stopping and citing motorists who exceed the posted speed limit.

Motorists can expect to see an increased presence of troopers in marked NHP cruisers as well as on motorcycles saturating this area.

Additionally, troopers from the newly formed Special Enforcement Detail, or S.E.D. team, will be assigned to this speed enforcement campaign to augment the visible presence of troopers already stationed in the Carson-Minden areas. This team is comprised of a sergeant and five troopers whose primary mission is to present a highly visible presence where high crash activity and increased calls for service areas are known, and where large volumes of traffic are expected during commute times and for special events.

In addition to the speed enforcement campaign, troopers will be looking closely at other traffic violations such as reckless or aggressive driving, following too closely, passing on a double-yellow line, talking or texting on a hand-held cell phone while driving and lane change violations.

This year’s annual spring South Shore tourism forum is titled Trends in Tourism. On April 26 from 3-5pm Ralf Garrison and Emilyn Sheffield will present current statistics and trends to inform tourism and hospitality operations for the future.

Among the topics to be presented are differences in how the younger “wired” and ethnic visitors will connect with recreation in addition to a discussion on what types of accommodation units and amenities are most important to these growing market segments. Additionally, a “Millennial Team” of 20 college students from CSU Chico’s Recreation and Hospitality Program will be participating. They will present a report card to the community of their pre-arrival research, expectations and experiences.

There will be numerous opportunities for: hosting the students, secret shoppers and future intern potential. If you are interested in learning more about the student opportunities, contact Carol Chaplin at carol@ltva.org or B Gorman at bgorman@tahoechamber.org.

The event is at Harveys in Stateline.

Cost is $15 for Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce members and $25 for non-members. Price includes entrance to the mixer immediately following the forum.

South Shore orthopedic physicians will screen children March 31 for possible acceptance into the medical programs offered by Shriners Hospital for Children Northern California.

The screening clinic will take place from 9am- noon at the Lake Tahoe Surgery Center, 212 Elks Point Road, Ste. 201, Round Hill.

All families who believe they may benefit from the expert care provided by Shriners Hospitals for Children are welcome to attend. Appointments are not necessary, and any child up to age 18 may be seen at a clinic. Screenings are free. A parent or legal guardian is required to complete paperwork at the clinic before being seen by the doctor.

The clinics are open to all children with orthopedic conditions, spinal cord injuries, burns, and scars from any cause. Club foot, scoliosis, absence of limbs, spina bifida, and orthopedic problems of cerebral palsy are among the many orthopedic conditions treated at the Shriners medical center in Sacramento.

New York Times best-selling author and aviator Dale Brown talks about his life, career and avocations on April 5 at Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village.

Brown volunteers for Angel Flight West, a group that volunteer their time, skills, and aircraft to fly needy medical patients free of charge to receive medical treatment. He is also a mission pilot in the Civil Air Patrol, which performs search and rescue, disaster relief, humanitarian assistance, surveillance, and many other missions in support of the U.S. Air Force and other federal agencies.

He supports a number of organizations to promote law enforcement, education, literacy, and support for military veterans and their families.

For more information on the 7-9pm event, contact Shelia Leijon at (775) 832.1310 or shelia_leijon@ivgid.org.

• Judith Chow, a professor at the Desert Research Institute in Reno, received the Sanqin Friendship Award for her research on how pollution is affecting China’s famous terracotta soldiers.

• Live Violence Free’s fourth annual Bowl-A-Thon is April 25 from 6-8pm at Tahoe Bowl in South Lake Tahoe.

• All parents delivering at Marshall and Barton hospitals are eligible for a free home visit for their newborn. A registered nurse can talk to you about your baby’s health, your health, and ways to connect with your community. Call Marshall Medical Center at (530) 626.2770, ext. 2315 or Barton Memorial Hospital at (530) 543.5547.

• Volunteer drivers are needed to deliver meals for the El Dorado County Senior Nutrition Program weekdays between 10:30am and noon. For more information, call (530) 621.6160.

• Tahoe Truckee Earth Day will be celebrated April 21 at the Village at Squaw Valley from 11am-5pm. Truckee is co-sponsoring a free collections of electronics, tires and batteries from 9am-2pm in the parking lot at the Village at Squaw Valley.

Edgewood Companies is having an open house March 29 from 5:30-7pm to explain the Edgewood Tahoe Lodge project. The meeting will be at the clubhouse of the Stateline golf course.

The lodge project includes a LEED-designed hotel with environmental improvements located adjacent to the current Edgewood clubhouse. It will include 194 hotel rooms, a bistro-style restaurant, spa, links to nearby bike and walking trails and a public beach.

The draft environmental impact statement is expected to be released this month for a 60-day review. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board is expected to vote on the project in September. Construction could begin in 2013.