Community

The Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce is holding a holiday wine walk for their December After Hours Mixer. On Thursday, December 11, both members and non-members will get a passport and move from store to store at the Heavenly Village in South Lake Tahoe.

There will be El Dorado County wine as well as food at participating locations.

If participants find they have had too much to drink, free rides are being offered by Yellow Cab for all BAHM passport holders.

Tahoe-based nonprofit the Zawadisha Fund is teaming up again with Bona Fide Books to offer an opportunity to shop locally while having global impact this holiday season. Connect with contemporary local artists, crafters and entrepreneurs at the 4th Annual Zawadisha Holiday Bazaar on Sat., Nov. 29, from 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. at Bona Fide Books,1069 Magua Street in Meyers, CA. All vendor space fees benefit the Zawadisha Fund.

Every year the three South Lake Kiwanis clubs get together for the Coats4kids program which ensures no elementary or middle school child goes through the winter without a coat to keep them warm.

Chaired by Gail Kolb and the Lake Tahoe Kiwanis Club, Coats4Kids is a joint project with Kiwanis of Tahoe Sierra, the Kiwanis Club of Lake Tahoe and the Kiwanis Club of South Lake Tahoe Sunrisers.

Zephyr Cove Ski Club is a non-profit organization of parent volunteers who enjoy working with youth in the community to help them learn how to ski and snowboard with the help and skills of Heavenly Ski School. ZCSC is associated with Douglas County Parks and Recreation and the Douglas County School District. Our purpose is to provide an affordable, fun and safe skiing and snowboarding experience for the children of our community.

Page & Sage has been serving students in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District for three years, giving children in need a backpack of food and a book to take home over the weekends when they don't receive free lunches and breakfasts at school.

When Liberty Utilities in South Lake Tahoe found out about the program they began a food and donation drive in order to help fill the program's shelves. They gathered boxes and cans of food and almost $300 in cash.

As the keynote speaker at last month’s National Workshop on Large Landscape Conservation in Washington, D.C., U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell emphasized the central role collaboration must play for America to protect its natural resources, balance economic needs, and address emerging environmental challenges such as climate change.

“We are moving into an era of epic collaboration,” Jewell said, explaining that regional partnerships across jurisdictional boundaries are more important than ever for the federal department that manages 20 percent of our nation’s land.

The EL Dorado County Food Bank will be in South Lake Tahoe on Friday to give away turkeys to families selected by local agencies.

In partnership with Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe, Lake Tahoe Rotarians, SLT Fire Department, Tahoe Sierra Kiwanis Club and the SLT Police Department, the Food Bank will give away 150 turkeys.

Families were signed up to receive the turkeys by St. Theresa’s Bread & Broth and the Family Resource Center of South Lake Tahoe. They will get the gift on Friday, November 21 at the American Legion.

A brand new, 83,225 sq ft community and senior center will be unveiled December 6. The $16.9 million center was expected to open in February, 2015 but construction is ahead of schedule.

Billed as something to serve the community from cradle to grave, the Douglas County Community and Senior Center located across the street from Lampe Park in Gardnerville, NV will have a senior center with a dining room for 300 people, administrative offices, senior day care, health nurse office, preschool, activity rooms, fitness and workout areas and gymnasiums.

Have you ever wanted to in a parade? This fun experience is waiting for you at the Third Annual Holiday Parade on Saturday, December 13. Golden Bear Events of South Lake Tahoe is planning this fun community event.

The 3 p.m. parade will start on the corner of Ski Run Blvd and Pioneer Trail, proceed down Ski Run, west on Highway 50 to TJMaxx at the Y.

During Tuesday's City Council the most recent group of graduates from the South Lake Tahoe Citizen's Academy received their certificates from Mayor Hal Cole.

The Academy gives locals a chance to increase their knowledge about their government and become more involved in the future development of the community.

Held twice a year, the participants attend sessions once a week for six weeks, covering topics such as parks & recreation, fire and police, and others.

Fall 2014 Citizens Academy Graduates at the meeting Tuesday are pictured from left to right:

Charter Communications installer by day, electronic producer by night. South Lake Tahoe local Jose Meza is following his dream to make it big in the competitive world of DJs, beats, mixes and electronic music.

With a stage name of Manny Maze, the 22-year-old South Lake Tahoe native has been perfecting his talent and mastering the making of the tracks he hopes will make him well known in the electronic music world.

An estimated 1.4 million additional license applications are expected in California during the first three years after implementation of AB 60, the state law that allows driver's licenses to people unable to submit satisfactory proof of legal presence in the United States.

The 7th Annual Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony was the biggest yet, with 300 people at Thursday's banquet and 175 nominations of local businesses, employees and experiences.

Here is the list of winners:

Experience Award – Sponsored by Marriott Grand Residence & Vacation Club

"We made sacrifices to keep the fight outside of our homes." An emotional Sheryll Valencia spoke of why she joined the Army in 2004 and made three deployments to Iraq and now works for David & Johnson, Ltd in South Lake Tahoe. "It's important to always remember the ones who sacrificed their lives," Sheryll told the women gathered for Thursday's Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra meeting.

South Lake Tahoe non-profits were awarded $48,000 during the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority board meeting today. The 22 groups were each given between $1,000 and $3,000. The LTVA, in partnership with NBC Sports and American Century Investments, previously directed an additional $67,200 through on-site volunteer organizations and other efforts during tournament week to area high schools, Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe, South Lake Tahoe Booster Club, Boys and Girls Club of South Lake Tahoe, and the Gene Upshaw Scholarship

It's been eight days and there is still no official count from last Tuesday's election. With 100% of the precincts counted by 1 a.m. November 5, El Dorado County election employees have been counting the absentee and provisional ballots since then. They released their third report of the count today, showing little change from Friday's numbers.

Many people have trouble managing their own money and balancing their checkbook, but Douglas County is giving all residents a chance the manage the county's money.

This unique opportunity gives locals $500 to spend on the county's six areas identified on their Strategic Plan. They'll distribute the funds on Safe Community, Economic Vitality, Well Maintained Infrastructure, Financial Stability, Preservation of Natural Environment, Resources and Cultural Heritage and Managed Growth and Development.

Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra and Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe are accepting applications for the VIOLET RICHARDSON AWARD.

Each year the two local Soroptimist clubs honor young women in our community ages 14-17 who are engaged in volunteer deeds such as fighting drugs, crime and violence; cleaning up the environment; or working to end discrimination or poverty.

Each recipient will receive $100.

The newest holiday tradition in South Lake Tahoe doesn't involve caroling, Rudolf or Christmas stockings. What is does involve is a group of community members enjoying the holiday season while wearing their best Winter White outfits and raising money for charity.

The Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) was awarded over $150,000 to look into providing safer, more walkable and bikeable off highway routes around South Tahoe Middle School (STMS), Bijou Park and Lake Tahoe Community College. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) awarded the grant as part of their $500,000 "On Our Way" program grants.

Another public workshop to get feedback from the community will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 19, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the STMS Multi-purpose room.

Learn about prescribed burns at a South Lake Tahoe open house hosted by the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team. Team members will be on hand to answer questions about how the agencies plan and implement prescribed fire in the Lake Tahoe basin.

The Open House will be held on Wednesday, November 12, 2014, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Forest Supervisor’s office at 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, Calif. Participating agencies include the Forest Service, CAL FIRE, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, and Tahoe Douglas and Lake Valley fire protection districts.

There will be a community Veteran's Day Ceremony on Tuesday, November 11 at the El Dorado County Veteran's Monument located at 360 Fair Lane in Placerville.

With just 13 votes separating two candidates and deciding who will be on the South Lake Tahoe City Council, thousands of uncounted absentee and provisional ballots could actually change the outcome.

El Dorado County election officials told South Tahoe Now today that an estimated 12,000 absentee ballots and 1,000 provisional ballots may take until Thanksgiving to count. By law they have 18 days to certify the election and all votes must be counted by then.

The last day to purchase a fuelwood permit from the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is Friday, November 14, 2014, and the last day to cut wood is Sunday, November 16, 2014. Fuelwood permits cost $20 per cord, with a two-cord minimum purchase and a limit of 10 cords per household.