·      It is possible to go online to request work orders from South Lake Tahoe’s Public Works Department.

·      Pete Bansen, who joined the Squaw Valley Fire Department in 1981 and has been chief for 24 years, is retiring at the end of June.  

·      To receive texts about Tahoe road conditions and estimated drive times text TahoeRoads to 99000.

·      Valhalla has released its lineup for 2017. This festival season runs June-October, with tickets available online.

·      Benjamin Houlton will talk April 20 at Sierra Nevada College about the current state of carbon sinks that absorb carbon pollution, their vulnerability to future changes, and how global climate policies are susceptible to the sustainability of natural carbon dioxide uptake. The lecture starts at 6pm and costs $5.

·      To enroll in the South Tahoe Refuse bear box loan program, call 530.541.5105. Homeowners may apply for a loan up to $1,200 for a metal bear box. The loan payments will cover five years and be included in the STR bill.

·      In a sign the Knights Inn project in South Lake Tahoe is moving forward, on the April 3 Placer County supervisors’ agenda is an item to buy the tourist accommodation units associated with the property.

·      The indoor tennis court at the Ridge is set to reopen April 3. It’s the only indoor court in the Tahoe basin. Storms brought it down; it had to be completely surfaced after most of the lights fell when the bubble collapsed, and the heat from them melted into the court.

·      Here is the Sierra roadwork schedule for this week from Caltrans.

·      Tahoe Truckee Earth Day is April 22, 11am-5pm at the Village at Squaw Valley. For more info, go online.

Lance Orr has been named Barton Health’s doctor of the year.

Lance Orr

Orr is a board-certified emergency physician and medical director at Barton Hospital’s Emergency Department. Barton officials say he is considered a “physician of all trades.” He is also Barton Health’s interim chief medical officer.

Doctor of the year is determined by Barton’s staff and physicians. Colleagues described Orr as “one of the most fair-minded, dedicated, and compassionate doctors,” “excellent and compassionate emergency physician” and “his skills as a physician in caring for patients are second to none.”

This is Orr’s 11th year as an emergency physician for Barton Health.

·      Kim Wyatt’s essay “The Currency of Moons” was selected to appear in Best American Travel Writing 2017 by guest editor Lauren Collins of the New Yorker. The anthology will publish in October; the essay first appeared in Creative Nonfiction’s spring 2016 issue. Wyatt is the owner of Bona Fide Books in Meyers. 

·      Slow Food Lake Tahoe is offering its second annual Bone Broth for Optimal Health Skillshare on April 8 from 4-6pm. Victoria LaFont, a local certified nutritional therapy practitioner and certified GAPS practitioner, will teach the class how to make nutritious bone broth at home. Tickets are $20 and may be purchased online. The class will be at the Truckee Tahoe Community Foundation, 11071 Donner Pass Road, Truckee.

·      Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce’s next After Five Mixer will be April 27 from 5-7:30pm at Blue Angel Cafe and Chimayo Street Grill on Ski Run Boulevard in South Lake Tahoe. Cost is $10 for members, $20 for others.

·      Senior Citizens Inc., the group that operates the South Lake Tahoe Senior Center, is having an endless plate of spaghetti and meatballs fundraiser on April 2 from 5-8pm at the center. Cost is $8 for adults, $4 for ages 5-12, and free for kids younger than 5. Salad, bread and ice cream will also be served, with music provided by Dave Fabrizio. There will also be fund-raising dinner May 7.

·      Effective April 4, the Department of Veteran Affairs is moving from the Senior Center to 924 Emerald Bay Road in South Lake Tahoe. Services will be by appointment only April 4-11; call 530.621.5892.

Mikey Hallenbeck

The portion of Highway 50 from Mount Ralston Road to Echo Summit will now be known as the Firefighter Michael “Mikey” Hallenbeck Memorial Highway.   

The 21-year-old Hallenbeck died in August 2015 fighting the Sierra Fire near Sierra-at-Tahoe. He was a wildland firefighter with the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. He also worked at the ski resort.

The Hallenbeck family plans to raise $9,000 toward the highway memorial signs. To contribute to the production and installation of the signs, the nonprofit Tahoe Fund is collecting donations online for the family.  After choosing “Donate Now”, select “I would like to make a donation to a project” in the drop down list, then select “Mikey Hallenbeck Memorial”.

The Nevada and Placer Counties Resource Advisory Committee is requesting proposals for natural resource improvement projects in the two counties that benefit National Forest System lands.

With the two-year reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act, approximately $240,000 is expected to be available this year for RAC-recommended projects.

Project proposals may be submitted by community-based organizations, tribes, individuals, or government agencies that are eligible for funding consideration with the Forest Service. They must demonstrate a benefit to National Forest System lands or resources, and must include a letter of support from the district ranger.

Proposals must be submitted by May 12.

Madonna Dunbar, executive director of the Tahoe Water Suppliers Association, an organization of municipal water suppliers in the Lake Tahoe Basin, will give a talk in South Lake Tahoe on April 12.

Dunbar will explain which suppliers pump from the lake and how to protect the lake’s water quality for continued future use as a drinking water source.

The AAUW is sponsoring the free talk. It begins at 4:30pm in Lake Tahoe Community College’s board room.

·      There will be a training April 11 from 4-6pm for Pipe Keepers, the citizen science program to address the threat of storm water pollution entering Lake Tahoe. League to Save Lake Tahoe staff will train people to survey local neighborhoods and collect storm water samples. Training is free. It will be at 2608 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe.

·      Tickets are on sale online for Classical Tahoe, the July 28-Aug. 12 concert series in Incline Village.

·      There will be a celebration of life for Tim Rowe on April 9 at 1pm at the Carson City Community Center, 851 E William St. He was a longtime leader with the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition, having served as president and vice president, in addition to many years on the board and as an advisory board member. A transportation planner for the Nevada Department of Transportation, Rowe was also a leader and member of other bicycle groups and community organizations. 

·      El Dorado County Air Quality Management District is seeking proposals from businesses to receive funding to install public electric vehicle chargers at their businesses. Go online for more info.

·      The Douglas County Library in Minden is having an Easter egg scavenger hunt on April 8 from 2-3pm. Paper eggs will be hidden inside Easter themed books. Children will be given clues to the location of eggs.

Lane shifts will take place on Highway 50 near Spooner junction in south Carson City beginning April 2 as the Nevada Department of Transportation reconstructs the intersection to connect to the future Carson City Freeway.

Both directions of Highway 50 at the South Carson Street-Spooner junction will temporarily be reduced to one lane and shifted slightly to the south.

The southbound Carson Street to westbound Highway 50 sweeping right turn lane will be removed. Motorists will be able to make the turn by stopping at the traffic signal before turning.

The temporary traffic configuration is anticipated to be in place through early May.

When construction is complete, a shorter southbound turn lane from South Carson Street to Highway 50 toward Lake Tahoe will replace the existing sweeping right turn lane.

Gregory Tirdel, medical director at Barton’s Sleep Studies Laboratory, will be giving a free talk April 5 about the lab.

This lecture will include a discussion of the causes and treatment of insomnia, a review of lifestyle habits to ensure better sleep, and the recognition, evaluation and treatment options for sleep apnea.

The talk will be at Lake Tahoe Community College starting at 6pm.