Lake Tahoe Basin Federal Advisory Committee (LTBFAC) is scheduled to meet Feb. 28 from 1-4pm at the Forest Supervisor’s office, 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe. 

LTBFAC will address issues related to federal activities at Lake Tahoe.

Items on the agenda include an update on the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA) secondary list and priority setting, a review of LTBFAC goals and objectives, a schedule of 2017 meetings, and membership and vacancy information.  

LTBFAC consists of 20 members representing a broad array of constituencies.

·       Harrah’s Lake Tahoe and Harveys are having some fun with all this weather. They’ve created The Atmospheric River – a drink that combines fruit juices, vodka, cognac and other ingredients. The cocktail is available exclusively at the two California Bars, located on the main casino floors.

·       Liberty Utilities is having two meeting March 15 to talk about service reliability. The first is from 10:30-11:30am at the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Center, the second is from 2-3p at the North Tahoe Event Center in Kings Beach.

·      Lake Tahoe Marathon made the top 10 list for waterfront marathon bucket list from Runners World. 

·      Sprint plans to install a 150-foot monopole this summer off Pioneer Trail in South Lake Tahoe.

·      Eurasian milfoil has been discovered at Tahoe Vista Recreation Area. Tahoe Resource Conservation District is working with North Tahoe Public Utility District to eradicate the milfoil, which includes placing mats over the submerged plants and hand removal. 

Applications for Tahoe Women’s Community Fund’s annual allocation of grants will be accepted until Feb. 28.

The nonprofit has $29,000 to award.

Five grants of varying amounts will be given out. Categories include children and youth, mental health and wellness, poverty and housing, education and literacy, and environment and community.

For more information and criteria, go online.

·       Truckee wants to know people’s thoughts about cannabis via this survey. 

·       Tahoe Donner’s Lodge Restaurant & Pub was recognized by OpenTable as a 2017 Diners’ Choice winner for the fourth consecutive year. It was voted among the highest restaurants in North Lake Tahoe in the following categories: best service, best food, best value, most booked, best ambiance and best overall.

·       The annual Nowruz New Year Celebration Feast to benefit Veterans Healing Camp is March 21 from 5-10pm at the Casino Fandango Buffet Banquet Room in Carson City. The $40 tickets are available at the Casino Fandango cashier cage or by contacting Shahla Fadaie at 775.781.2394.

·      Glasses Wine Bar in now open in the Village Shopping Center in Incline Village.

·      President Trump has made federal disaster aid available to Nevada.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is strengthening its crime fighting efforts by strengthening neighborhoods. 

Neighborhood Watch is a crime prevention program that enlists the active participation of citizens in cooperation with the sheriff’s office in an effort to reduce crime. It is an organized group of neighbors who observe more closely any unusual activity in their neighborhoods.

Citizen Patrol member Tom Martel is spearheading the program. Contact him at 775.413.0260 or neighborhoodwatch@douglasnv.us about hosting a neighborhood watch meeting.

Nora Betyousef Lacy, founder of the biotech company Cell Marque and the nonprofit Assyrian Arts Institute, will be giving a free talk at Sierra Nevada College on Feb. 22 at 11:45am.

Lacy became an entrepreneur in 1994. After 25 years working in biotechnology, she founded Cell Marque Corp., which specializes in cancer-detection products for pathology laboratories. She grew the company from an initial $5,000 investment to a 100-employee company manufacturing immunohistochemistry diagnostic products for pathology labs worldwide, then sold it in 2014 to the multinational conglomerate Merck.

After the sale Nora focused on philanthropy. She established the nonprofit Nora Betyousef Foundation, leveraging her management expertise to encourage and mentor Assyrian entrepreneurs in starting their own businesses, and established the Assyrian Arts Institute.

·      Tahoe Donner Association will be before the Truckee Planning Commission on Feb. 21 at 6pm requesting approval of a five-year trail implementation plan consisting of 22 individual trail projects designed to enhance Tahoe Donner’s existing trail network and improve environmental conditions.

·      South Lake Tahoe Wedding & Honeymoon Association’s annual Something Blue Wedding Expo is March 12 at MontBleu from 11am-3pm. Tickets are available online. 

·      Lake Tahoe Community College’s board of trustees on Feb. 14 unanimously passed a resolution supporting undocumented students and the benefits of diversity on campus.

·      The Joint Commission recognized Barton Memorial Hospital’s capnography program for Best Clinical Application. Of 60 abstracts submitted, Barton received one of three national awards.

·      Verde Mexican Rotisserie in Meyers is opening a second location at the Y in South Lake Tahoe this spring.

·      Tami Wallace is now executive director of the South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce.

·      Truckee Sanitary District is reminding people it is illegal to connect a sump pump to the sewer system.

·      Word After Word bookshop in downtown Truckee is having a weekend of grand opening events Feb. 18-20, 11am each day.

·      Magician Matt Marcy will be hitting the stage at The Loft in South Lake Tahoe from Feb. 16-28.

·      The Coffeebar Squaw Valley location will host its grand opening celebration Feb. 18-20. 

El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office has Individual Damage Assessment forms for anyone wanting to file a claim from the storms of 2017.

The form allows individuals and other to track their damage from the storms. The information could help California receive a federal disaster declaration.

Completing the form does not guarantee any reimbursement for losses due to the storms. 

For more info and to obtain a form, call Deputy Todd Crawford at 530.621.7660.

Tahoe Water Suppliers Association is seeking applicants for the 2017 Future of Water Scholarship.

Applicants must be a senior at a Lake Tahoe Basin high school in California or Nevada. The scholarships will be available for a student working toward his/her first undergraduate degree and who is enrolled in a program related to water resources, environmental studies, or sciences for the academic year in which he/she applies for the award.

The undergraduate scholarship will be awarded to the student most qualified by academic performance. Measures of academic performance include the cumulative grade point average, relevance of the student’s curriculum to sciences/environmental studies/water resources, and leadership in extracurricular activities.

The deadline to apply is April 14 at 5pm. More info is online.