Wireless calling, text messaging and surfing the Web on the Verizon Wireless high-speed 3G network is now easier and faster for residents and travelers in the Lake Tahoe area thanks to a new cell site in Truckee.

The site improves 3G wireless coverage along Highlands View Drive – the road that leads to the Ritz-Carlton. It is designed to provide better coverage throughout Northstar-at-Tahoe.

The company has also made upgrades in Reno. The site improves 3G wireless coverage and capacity within the El Dorado and Silver Legacy hotels.

By Cathy Locke, Sacramento Bee

Bill Holmes, chief of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Amador-El Dorado Unit, has been named Cal Fire’s Northern Region chief.

In his new position, Holmes, a Cameron Park resident, will oversee 12 units from the Oregon border to the Bay Area, according to a Cal Fire news release.

Holmes worked his way up through the ranks of the state fire agency. He also is a qualified national incident commander, operations section chief and agency administrator who has served on major incidents throughout California, Wyoming, Montana and Oregon.

In 2007, Holmes co-chaired the committee that developed and recommended the new Cal Fire logo.

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Look for Bona Fide Books’ first three titles to come out this year.

In the coming months, the Meyer’s publishing house will publish “Permanent Vacation: Twenty Writers on Life and Work in Our National Parks”, Jason Schossler’s collection of poetry, “Mud Cakes, and Tahoe Blues”, a collection of flash fiction and nonfiction about Lake Tahoe. Submissions for the latter are open through May 1.

Caregiving is a difficult and often challenging role that one can undertake, and taking the opportunity to share information and feel connected to others who are providing care is a vital step to perform this task to the best of your ability.

Take the opportunity on Jan. 13 from 5:30 to 7:30pm at the South Lake Tahoe Senior Center, 3050 Highway 50, South Lake Tahoe to become connected and rejuvenated at your local support group.

Refreshments will be served.

Free respite care is available to qualified caregivers. Pre-authorization is required for respite services. Questions? Contact the Family Caregiver Support Program at (530) 621.6151.

• Alpen Sierra Coffee is branching out into other beverages. The company is applying for a permit to sell alcohol.

• Fitch Ratings upgraded the joint powers agency that makes up Measure S on the California side of the South Shore from A+ to AA-.

• Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Granite Bay, has been appointed chairman of the Water and Power Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee.

• The Tudor Pub in South Tahoe now has the name MacDuffs Public House.

• Sierra-at-Tahoe’s 8th annual Telegrass Festival is March 26 and 27.

It’s official, signs are up for Emily’s Run at Heavenly Mountain Resort.

The ski foundation teams began racing on it this week.

Emily's Run at Heavenly is official. Photo/Steve Clothier

“The course is awesome. You can see the whole thing from top to bottom with no tree obstruction,” Steve Clothier, Emily’s father, told Lake Tahoe News. “They will now be training slalom, GS, and Super G on the run for the rest of the season pending weather.”

Emily Clothier died at Heavenly in 2008 while training.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Performance Nutrition for Winter Sports is the title of Dana Lis’ program. The registered dietitian will speak Jan. 11 at 6pm at Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences, 291 Country Club Drive, Incline Village.

A no-host bar opens at 5:30pm.

A $5 donation is requested. With valid student ID it’s free.

Whether training for The Great Race or looking to maximize your ski pass, what you feed your body before, during and after exercise in cold environments can have a huge impact on your energy levels, hydration, performance and safety. This workshop will provide you specifics for fueling in cold, high and dry environments to optimize your winter sport performance.

Working in sport, Lis recognizes the individual and specialized nutrition needs of every athlete and ensures that her practice is based on leading edge, reliable research. Whether recreation, high performance or somewhere in between, what you feed your body plays an invaluable role in realizing your full potential as an athlete and healthy individual.

Members of Scout Troops 468 and 594 collaborated with the Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe to earn their carpentry badge. The Scouts worked on three projects for the club: a trek bench around a tree, a cabinet to store two-way radios, and two ping pong table tops.

All participating Scouts earned their carpentry merit badge for their efforts. The Boys & Girls Club benefited from the results.

The Scouts enjoy the fruits of their labor as they sit on and show off the bench they built. Photo/Provided

Leaders and carpenters who donated their time and talents were Kim Felton, Joey Buchan, Chuck Montgomery and Ian Patterson.

To find out more about the Boys & Girls Club, visit www.bgclt.org.

Orthopedic surgeon Terry Orr and physical therapist Chris Proctor will give a presentation about injury prevetnion, surgical options and sport specific conditioning on Jan. 26 from 6:30-7:30pm.

The lecture will be at Lake Tahoe Community College, Aspen Room, in South Lake Tahoe.

It is free and open to the public.

For more information, call (530) 543.5656.

• Dale Rise was elected to serve another term as president of the South Tahoe Public Utility District, with Mary Lou Mosbacher as vice president.

• Lakeside Inn has launched a new website.

• Homewood’s West Shore Care is open for business.

• Pilot Linda Mae Draper-Hivert wants to create an aviation center at the Minden-Tahoe Airport.

• The U.S. Forest service is considering making changes to the Angora/Twin Peaks transportation plan. Clicking on roads will get you more information.