Dec. 9 – Valley “Tree of Remembrance” an interfaith ceremony at Methodist Church in Gardnerville from 6:30 to 7:30pm at 1375 Centerville Lane. Greetings, social time and refreshments will follow. Honor someone’s memory and have a candle lit in their honor at either of the ceremonies. 530-543-5614. Those who donate $50 or more will receive a porcelain keepsake ornament to commemorate the occasion.

Dec. 11- South Lake Tahoe “Tree of Remembrance,” an interfaith ceremony, at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church from 6:30 to 7:30pm St. Theresa’s is at 1041 Lyons Ave., South Lake Tahoe. Greetings, social time and refreshments follow. Honor someone’s memory and have a candle lit in their honor at either of the ceremonies. Donations to Barton Hospice are accepted but not necessary. Those who donate $50 or more will receive a porcelain keepsake ornament to commemorate the occasion. 530-543-5614.

Dec. 17 – H1N1 (swine) Flu Vaccine for everyone! 4 to 7 p.m. Lake Tahoe Community College. Free, sponsored by Barton Health, LTUSD and El Dorado County Public Health. (Ages 2 and older.) www.bartonhealth.org/flu

Todd Offenbacher is ready to rock the house Dec. 12 with the annual Tahoe Adventure Film Festival at MontBleu in Stateline. For all the details, click here.

Photo/Provided

Twenty-eight cadets have completed their first quarter in the fire academy at Lake Tahoe Community College in South Lake Tahoe. They are all on target to graduate in June.

Shop — it’s a four letter word in a super negative way for so many people this time of year.

With the economy being what it is, household incomes such as they are and the pressure to buy, buy, buy this time of year, let’s help each other out.

Twenty dollars. What if that were the maximum amount you could spend on a gift? What would you buy? What would you make? What would you sell someone?

Send your suggestions to info@LakeTahoeNews.net. Suggest ideas to other readers about what $20 or less can buy, who it might be good for if that’s not obvious, where to buy it, how to make it. Make the ideas as Lake Tahoe or Sierra Nevada oriented as possible. If you have a picture of the item, the store, yourself, then send it along as a jpeg. Include your name and contact information in case we have questions. If you are OK with your name being credited with the suggestion, indicate it’s fine to publish it. Your phone number and/or email address will not be published.

Keep what you write to 150 words or so.

Keep the ideas family friendly and legal.

Lake Tahoe News reserves the right not to print all of the suggestions and to edit them.

The Census Bureau is actively looking for census takers – or what they call enumerators. To get more information, call 866.861.2010.

There is information in Spanish as well.

The hiring process starts with a test people need to take. The first testing day is Dec. 14, 9am to 5pm at the city offices at the airport.

Ivan Twiss is the Census representative in South Lake Tahoe — (530) 919.5220.

Kirkwood’s Tim Cohee, who is also an instructor at Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village, talks about the difficulties of operating a small ski resort and the need for a cooperative approach in the December issue of Skiing magazine.

Also in that issue is a blurb about Sierra-at-Tahoe’s Huckleberry Canyon.

Lake Tahoe is the cover story of this month’s Ski magazine.

Politicians in Nevada are lining up to change seats — Assemblyman James Settelmeyer of Gardnerville wants Mark Amode’s Capital District Senate seat. Amodei wants to be the next Republican U.S. senator from the Silver State.

An hour-long segment on the Jaycee Lee Dugard case will be shown in January on E Entertainment.

California’s state Christmas tree — a 55-foot white fir — was donated by U.S. Forest Services Institute of Genetics near Placerville. Lights will be turned on Dec. 10.

Local SaveMeFromForeclosure.com representative Paul Romero is putting together a “Free Foreclosure Help” event on Dec. 12 from 9am-2pm at Romero’s Barber Salon at 2572 Highway 50, South Lake Tahoe.

Bring your latest mortgage statement with you to find out if you qualify to have your monthly payments reduced, or if there is another option for you to escape foreclosure.

For more information, call (530) 318.2662 or visit www.SaveMeFromForeclosure.com to get the free report “How to avoid foreclosure, What other people won’t tell you” and set up a free consultation.

South Tahoe Refuse’s holiday food drive is Dec. 7-11.

South Tahoe Refuse residential customers are asked to set out canned and packaged foods in a bag next to their trash can on the regular refuse collection day. The goods will be collected by marked STR trucks and distributed through community programs.

Donation are also being accepted at South Tahoe Refuse, 2140 Ruth Ave., South Lake Tahoe.

Collection routes will on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

In a recent ceremony hosted by the American Society for Industrial Security, nine top law enforcement officers in the Northern Nevada region received awards for outstanding job performance.

Douglas County Sheriff Ron Pierini attended the awards ceremony as a guest speaker, and to see one of his own officers honored.

Douglas County Sheriff Ron Pierini, left, congratulates Investigator Greg Rooney. Photo/Provided

Douglas County sheriff’s Investigator Greg Rooney received an award of excellence for his professional expertise in gang investigation; including his research, education and knowledge of local and national gangs and trends (both juvenile and adult), development of innovative gang enforcement strategies to combat gang activity; practical use of resources to effectively combat crimes committed by gang members, and for his specific accomplishments and successes in decreasing area gang activity.

Investigator Rooney was also recognized for his contribution to establishment of a joint gang enforcement unit of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the Carson City Sheriff’s Office. Investigator Rooney is a court recognized subject matter expert on issues related to criminal gangs.

ASIS is an international professional security organization dedicated to increasing the effectiveness and productivity of security professionals. The Northern Nevada chapter of ASIS has been active for about 26 years.

Five green businesses were singled out for their contribution the green movement.

The businesses are: Tahoe Truckee Airport District, Granlibakken Conference Center and Resort, Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe, Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences and Integrated Environmental Restoration Services Inc.

Keep the Sierra Green and the North Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce and area sponsors gave out the awards this month.