• Barton Memorial Hospital Auxiliary’s blood drives for the year are Feb. 6, April 2, June 11, Aug. 6, Oct. 1 and Dec. 3 from noon-6pm at Embassy Suites, 4130 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe. For more information, contact Dan Kerr at (775) 588.2376 or (775) 781.5345.

• Truckee-based Crux Events launched a new website showcasing the company’s event production, event design and party rental services.

• Mark Ghilarducci of El Dorado Hills has been appointed secretary of the California Emergency Management Agency. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $175,000.

• Mountain Bounty Farm in Nevada City is offering winter CSAs on the South Shore. For more info, call (530) 292.3776 or email info@mountainbountyfarm.com.

• Health advocates from the South Lake Tahoe and Gardnerville offices of Tahoe Youth & Family Services are headed to Washington, D.C., Feb. 6-9 to join nearly 3,000 substance abuse prevention and treatment specialists and advocates from throughout the country for Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America’s 22nd annual National Leadership Forum.

U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews will resume prescribed fire operations in several locations around the Lake Tahoe Basin on Feb. 6.

Operations may take place north of Emerald Bay, Kingsbury Grade near North Benjamin, the Logan Creek area, the Kings Beach area and the Elizabeth Road area of McKinney Bay near Homewood. Locations and size of the operations will depend on conditions at each site. Operations may continue through the week and possibly through the weekend, weather permitting.

Residents and visitors can expect to see smoke from these prescribed fire project areas. 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.

Placer County planning commissioners will discuss proposed changes to Squaw Valley at the Feb.9 meeting.

The meeting is at the North Tahoe Event Center, 8318 North Lake Blvd. The meeting start is at 10am.

More information is online.

Businesses in South Lake Tahoe and El Dorado County are invited to a forum to learn about what low-cost, no-cost services and loans are available.

The Feb. 29 3:30-5:30pm forum is being put on by the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce and Lake Tahoe Community College.

The meeting is at Lake Tahoe Community College’s board room in South Lake Tahoe.

To reserve a seat or for more information, call (775) 588.1728, ext. 303 or email emily@tahoechamber.org.

Licensed natural health care practitioners in the South Shore are being invited to join a free networking/referral group to help promote their practices and the benefits of natural health care to the community.

The group is called South Lake Tahoe Health Connective. It is being spearheaded by Mandy Kendall.

Email mandykendall1@gmail.com for more information or go online to sign up.

The Kings Beach Snowfest Parade is March 10 from 11:30am-12:30pm.

The North Tahoe Business Association hosts this annual fun-filled event featuring entertaining entries from many local community and nonprofit organizations.

After the parade there are Snowfest activities and events.

For more information, call (530) 546.9000.

• Packers QB Aaron Rodgers will make his debut at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am next week. For the past two years he’s had throngs of followers when he played the American Century Championship in Stateline at Edgewood Tahoe.

• Bona Fide HQ (1069 Magua St., No. 4, Meyers) is hosting an evening of art, music, and community Feb. 4 from 5:30-7:30pm. New Work, Old Friends, Live Jazz is a reception for local artist Kit Night featuring more than 50 of her original oil paintings. The event is free.

• Here is next week’s El Dorado-Tahoe and Sierra roadwork schedules provided by Caltrans.

• The El Dorado County website will be down starting at noon Feb. 4. When it will be back up is not known.

• Tom Quinn, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency board member from 1992-95, was appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown to the Little Hoover Commission. It is not a paid position. The commission investigates government operations and makes recommendations to the Legislature and governor.

On Feb. 5, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office patrol division will have a DUI checkpoint in the Spanish Springs area of Sparks. This DUI checkpoint will be a multi-agency partnership with the Reno Police Department, Nevada Highway Patrol, Sparks Police Department, Washoe County School Police, University of Nevada Police Department, and the Storey County Sheriff’s Office.

The DUI campaign is made possible by grant funding received from the Nevada Department of Public Safety/Office of Traffic Safety.

Historically, Super Bowl Sunday brings an increase of impaired drivers to the nation’s roadways. This typically causes an increase in accidents involving DUI drivers.

The public is reminded to plan accordingly if they’ve had any alcoholic beverages. Never trust a person who says they drank the least. If a person consumes any amount of alcohol, they shouldn’t drive. Alcohol impairs a person’s judgment and attention. Be responsible and consider transportation options available to avoid driving while impaired. Some options are securing a designated sober driver, public transportation or a taxi service.

Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Executive Director Joanne Marchetta is hosting a “fireside chat” at Lake Tahoe Community College on Feb. 8 from 6-7:30pm on “21st Century Environmentalism and the Regional Plan Update.”

This is the first of two evening talks on how Marchetta is transitioning the bi-state agency from its once-needed focus on stopping runaway growth and parcel-by-parcel regulation, to one focused on encouraging 21st century environmentalism.

A second talk will take place later this month on the North Shore, with date and time still being worked on.

• UNR Professor Peter Goin through Arcadia Publishing has released “Lake Tahoe: A Maritime History”.

• Yosemite National Park’s plans to rehab the historic Ahwahnee hotel won’t have a significant impact on park operations and the nearby environment, the National Park Service says. The findings are online.

• Mountain Travel Symposium’s registration for the 38th annual conference at the Resort at Squaw Creek in mid-April is up 16 percent compared to last year.

• John Hernstat is now director of sales and marketing at the Hyatt in Incline.

• Barton Memorial Hospital general surgeon Scott Welker is now performing cholecystectomies (removal of the gallbladder) through a small single incision procedure enabled by the GelPOINT system.