·       South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce is hosting a forum Oct. 25 from 5:30-7:45pm at the Lake Tahoe Community College’s cafeteria for South Lake Tahoe City Council, Lake Tahoe Unified School District, Lake Tahoe Community College and South Tahoe Public Utility District candidates.

·       State Sen. Ted Gaines, R-El Dorado, has earned an A grade for the 10th year in a row on the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association’s 2016 Legislative Report Card.

·       Dan Garrison, the Ridge Tahoe’s senior vice president-general manager, is retiring in December after 34 years at the resort.

·       Maribeth Gustafson, former Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit forest supervisor, received the Abraham Lincoln Honor Award from secretary of Agriculture for creating a regional leasing strategy that reduces office space and lease costs on hundreds of buildings over a 20-year lease cycle. Gustafson now works for the U.S. Forest Service in Colorado.

·       Elizabeth Stork has been hired to run the human resources department at Barton Health.

Over the next two weeks, expect to see double the normal law enforcement presence as Douglas County sheriff’s deputies crack down on impaired driving.

Increasing law enforcement presence during these weeks supports the overall state goal of reaching zero fatalities.

Officials off these tips:

• Call a taxi.
• Call a sober friend or a family member.
• Call 911 if a drunken driver is seen on the road.
• Take advantage of community sober ride programs, or use public transportation.
• Take the keys or assist in making other arrangements for someone who is about to drive who is impaired.

The Robert and Dorothy Keyser Foundation gave a $50,000 matching grant to the Tahoe Fund. The money will go into the new Environmental Venture Trust, a program designed to provide early stage seed funding for innovative projects around the Tahoe basin.

Tahoe Fund is now seeking donations to secure the full matching grant so it can begin soliciting ideas for innovative pilot projects. The Keyser Foundation will double every donation until Dec. 31, up to $50,000

The focus will be on the areas of highest concern in Tahoe, including dealing with the 66 million dead trees in the Sierra Nevada forests, aquatic invasive species, lake clarity, transportation challenges, outdoor recreation expansion and stewardship.

The Tahoe Fund launched the Environmental Venture Trust with a $5,000 grant to the Tahoe Resource Conservation District for a pilot project that will analyze the use of UV light to kill aquatic invasive weeds in Lake Tahoe. The Tahoe Fund’s grant will help the Tahoe Resource Conservation District secure more than $350,000 in public funding for the project. If successful, the technique could be deployed around Lake Tahoe and beyond.

For more information about how to contribute to the Environmental Venture Trust to help meet the Robert & Dorothy Keyser Foundation match, go online.

Barton Health is seeking past patients and their families to share insights and offer input to improve the patient experience.

The Patient Family Advisory Council is being formed where people share the experience they had at Barton Memorial Hospital.

The council’s advisors will play an active role in implementing constructive changes to the hospital’s quality and safety.

Members will attend monthly meetings at 4pm and serve on a patient experience-related committee. Adults of all ages and backgrounds are welcome. All council advisors will be  prescreened and must undergo a background check. Members must be 18 or older and cannot be related to a Barton Health employee.

For more information, call Natasha Schue at 530.543.5537 or go online.

·       Emerald Bay Towing is now owned by Welcome’s Auto Body and Towing of South Lake Tahoe.

·       Drug Take-Back Day is Oct. 22  at the Truckee Safeway from 9am-1pm as well as from 9am-noon at the Old Fire Station in Tahoe City above Commons Beach.

·       Truckee will be hosting Big Truck Day and Open House on Oct. 22 from 11am-2pm at the town’s corp yard and animal shelter at 10969 Stockrest Springs Road.

·       Douglas County Public Library’s Halloween Party will be Oct. 24 from 5-6:30pm at the Minden Library. The event is for grade school children and will include games and snacks. Wear a Halloween costume and participate in a costume contest.

·       Al-Anon meetings are Mondays at 7pm and Fridays at 5:30pm at Unity Church, 1195 Rufus Allen Blvd., South Lake Tahoe and at Sierra Community Church (1165 Sierra Blvd., South Lake Tahoe) on Wednesdays at 7:15am.

·       Find out more about the South Lake Tahoe City Council candidates via these video interviews put together by TRYP.

·       The deadline to register to vote for the Nov. 8 election is Oct. 18 in Nevada and Oct. 24 in California.  (deadline October 24) NV:  (deadline October 18)

·       On Nov. 3-5 the Carson Mall (1313 South Carson St., Carson City) will be hosting the inaugural Fine Arts Faire, which will include the work of more than 25 artists primarily from Northern Nevada, but as far away as Kalispell, Mont.

·       The loop road environmental documents could be released later this month.

·       Here are the El Dorado-Tahoe and Sierra roadwork schedules for the week from Caltrans.

Caltrans is hosting a meeting on Oct. 20 regarding its plans for a bridge replacement project on Highway 50 over Echo Summit.

The event is scheduled from 5:30- 7:30pm at Lake Tahoe Airport.

Community members will have the opportunity to view displays and ask questions from Caltrans staff members. A project presentation is scheduled for 6pm.

The $9 million project’s draft environmental document is currently circulating and comment cards will be available.

In addition, there will be an opportunity to provide comments and ask questions about the Meyers Intersection Improvement Project. The $3 million project proposes to convert the intersection of Highways 50 and 89 into a three-legged roundabout.

Both projects are scheduled to start construction in 2019.

The Food Bank of El Dorado County is in need of eight to 10 volunteers on Oct. 26 from 9:30-11:30am to help with the mobile food pantry in South Lake Tahoe.

Volunteers will be assisting in handing out food and signing people in. The distribution site is the American Legion parking lot. This is a monthly event to provide food to those in need.

To volunteer, call 530.621.9950 or email volunteer@foodbankedc.org.

A pedestrian light is being installed at Camp Richardson. Photo/Bill Kingman

·       It’s about to be a little safer to cross Highway 89 in Camp Richardson. A light is being installed near the ice cream parlor that is expected to be operating next week.

·       El Dorado County is hosting a workshop Oct. 25 at 6pm to discuss the county’s Americans with Disabilities Act Transition Plan. The meeting will be in the Planning Commission Hearing Room, in Building C, at 2850 Fairlane Court, Placerville. For more info, go online.

·       Ed Z’Berg Sugar Pine Point State Park is looking for volunteers to prepare the park for winter by raking the lawn, weeding the native plant gardens, and laying new grass seed on Oct. 26 from noon-3pm. Go online to sign up.

·       At last weekend’s Keep Sierra Clean Day 430 people collected 1,100 pounds of trash from the slopes.

·       Because of the storm the Meyers Outdoor Gear Swap has been moved to Oct. 23.

South Lake Tahoe has sand bags are available at no cost year-round.

The sand lot is located at the city’s public works yard located at 1160 Rufus Allen Blvd., which is next to Campground by the Lake.

To pick up sand bags, proceed through the gate at 1160 Rufus Allen Blvd. and drive to the back of the lot. At the back of the lot is a large sand mound, shovels and bags. Residents fill their own bags and transport back to their residence. There is a 10-bag limit.

Access to sand bags is available Monday-Friday 7:30am-4pm.