• The Rahlves’ Banzai Tour, airing on NBC’s Red Bull Signature Series, returns to Alpine Meadows Feb. 4.

• Chandler Monroe this month retired as manager of Bank of the West in South Lake Tahoe after working for the company for 44 years.

• Nevada phone customers will pay a 7-cent monthly tax on telephone lines to help fund phone services for up to 10,000 deaf residents. The tax will be collected from August 2012-June 2013.

• A video by Tahoe Pipe Club called The Story of Two Pipes was filmed at El Dorado Beach in South Lake Tahoe.

• A group of open water swimming enthusiasts, including Jamie Patrick, Karen Rogers, Rob Laurie, Garrett Harley and Brian Patterson, have established the Lake Tahoe Swimming Society. The society’s website provides detailed information on courses, routes, safety, preparation, weather and local tips. Swimmers can share stories, photos and videos from their swims on Lake Tahoe.

Speed Networking is a combination of musical chairs meets speed networking. Participants have a couple of minutes to meet new people and share details like your name, what you do, where you are from, when you moved here, and what your career goals are.

Tahoe Regional Young Professionals is sponsoring the Speed Networking event on Jan. 26 upstairs at the Fresh Ketch on Venice Drive in South Lake Tahoe from 6-8pm.

Bring business cards for a variety of games.

For more information about Tahoe Regional Young Professionals, go online.

Douglas County Parks & Recreation Commission and Senior Services Advisory Council is having a public forum on Jan. 26 at 6pm at the Douglas County Senior Center at 2300 Meadow Lane in Gardnerville to discuss the new senior center in the Carson Valley.

A significant amount of work has been done by various community groups and advisory boards leading up to this meeting to determine the various needs and uses of the facility. Now that the project is moving forward to construction, a final process has been initiated to ensure the community has an opportunity to weigh in on the design prior to the development of specifications. Construction of the facility is anticipated to begin by early 2013.

The facility will be located at Herbig Park next to Lampe Park in Gardnerville.

For more information, call (775) 782.9828.

Dianna Borges, South Shore speaker-actor, presents a re-enactment of Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins, a Paiute Native American, on Jan. 25 at 6pm.

Hear Sarah’s story at Explore Tahoe: An Urban Trailhead located at 4114 Lake Tahoe Blvd. near the Heavenly Village.

A $5 donation is requested. A $5 flat rate offered in the Heavenly Village Parking Contact Explore Tahoe at (530) 542.4637 for more information.

People riding the new gondola between Ridge Tahoe and Heavenly Mountain Resort can relax a bit. Personnel from the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District were trained on rescue operations on Friday — just in case an emergency ever arises.

The gondola car, which originally was scheduled to begin operation in December, will be running this week.

Tahoe Douglas firefighters train on The Ridge's gondola Jan. 20. Photo/Cathleen Allison/Nevada Photo Source

Employees with Hilltrac, manufacturers of the people mover, were on hand Jan. 20 to help with the training.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Beginning QuickBooks Workshop will teach people how to create and customize chart of accounts, enter and pay bills, use the check register, apply payments and make deposits, and reconcile bank statements.

Cost of the Feb. 15 1:30-5pm workshop is $25 for members of Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce and $40 for non-members. Registration is required.

The class is in Lake Tahoe Community College’s Aspen Room, South Lake Tahoe.

Beginning QuickBooks Workshop part two involves data entry.

This workshop teaches people how to fill out sales forms, memorize transactions, record customer payments, record deposits, enter bills, use accounts payable, pay bills, write checks, use registers, transfer money between accounts, and reconcile bank accounts.

Cost for Feb. 22 1:30-5pm class is $25 for chamber members and $40 for non-members. Registration is required.

To register or for more information, call Emily Abernathy at (775) 588.1728, ext. 303.

Douglas County Public Library at Zephyr Cove is presenting Saturday Stories on Jan. 28 at 1pm.

Celebrate the Year of the Dragon at the library. Miss Carol will read Chinese New Year stories.

Children ages 3 and up will listen to stories, make crafts, and get a fortune cookie treat.

Sign up by Jan. 27.

Young children should be accompanied by an adult.

The library is located at 233 Warrior Way in Zephyr Cove. For more information, call (775) 588.6411.

Businesses and organizations may nominate outstanding employees, volunteers and others to be recognized at the 58th annual North Lake Tahoe Community Awards Dinner.

The event is Feb. 16, 6-9:30pm at the Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe in Truckee.

The annual event produced by the North Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce recognizes Small Business of the Year, Large Business of the Year, Citizen of the Year, Public Servant of the Year, Regional Marketing Award, Nonprofit Organization of the Year and Hospitality Award for a business or organization. The chamber is also accepting nominations for Volunteer and Employee of the Year for individual businesses and organizations, with a $25 award fee per nominee due with application.

The deadline for nominations is Jan. 27 at 5pm.

Kym Fabel at (530) 581.8764 or kym@puretahoenorth.com has more information and nomination forms.

Tickets to the dinner are $85.

• Rand McNally lists South Lake Tahoe as the second best ski town in the United States. No. 1 is Sandpoint, Idaho. Mammoth also makes the list.

• Burn restrictions for El Dorado and Amador counties have been lifted by CalFire.

• There will be a young actors workshop at the Lake Tahoe Community College for eight weeks starting Jan. 28. Cost is $120. Go online to register.

• Here is Caltrans’ El Dorado Tahoe and Sierra road work schedules for the coming week.

• South Lake Tahoe Women’s Center is now called Live Violence Free Center.

• Tioga Pass leading into Yosemite is finally closed for the season.

Douglas County Public Library in Minden and Zephyr Cove will be closed on Jan. 25 and Jan. 26 due to budgetary constraints.

The Minden library will re-open Jan. 27 at 10am. The Zephyr Cove library will re-open Jan. 27 at 9am.

For more information, call (775) 782.9841.