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Nevada is one of the few states that celebrate its Admission Day, and boy do we throw a party. A parade, competitions of strength and facial hair, hot air balloons, bloody marys, a carnival, pow wow, and free chili are just a few of the festivities awaiting the capital city on Saturday.

The party begins Friday this year with a ribbon cutting celebration of the 'new' downtown. The Nevada State Museum hits its 75th Anniversary this year and will have a day full of fun and surprises. Keep reading to see where you need to take advantage of all the best this holiday weekend has to offer.

Two storms are headed to Lake Tahoe and each will bring rain, wind and a chance of snow.

The first storm will hit Thursday into Friday, with the other one right on its tail Saturday night into Sunday.

Storm one:

Hurricane Seymour off the coast of Mexico will bring heavy rainfall that will likely cause travel delays, especially for those driving across the Sierra. The peak period for heavy rain looks like it will be early Friday morning. Rain will spillover into Western Nevada as well, so be prepared with ponding water on the roadway.

The public is invited to a ribbon cutting ceremony that will celebrate the completion of the Sierra Tract Phase 3-4 of their erosion control project on Friday, October 28 at 10:30 a.m. on the corner of Palmira Ave. and River Dr.

An underground low impact stormwater system has been created to treat runoff and remove pollution (primarily fine sediment) from developed roadways, commercial, and residential land uses that discharge directly into the Upper Truckee River and
eventually Lake Tahoe.

The graphics and news released this week for the seasonal drought outlook for the Sierra Nevada and the rest of the west look rather grim for those wanting a big winter and extra water to replenish lakes, reservoirs and rivers.

According to the Climate Prediction Center (CPC), the drought ends for some parts of Northern California, but mild temperatures and below average precipitation will cause the drought to continue.

In a cost-cutting move, the Tahoe Paradise Resort Improvement District (TPRID) Board of Directors is looking at the possibility of consolidating their elections.

William E. Schultz, the El Dorado County Recorder-Clerk-Registrar of Voters, has presented the board with information on how to accomplish this goal which cost the small park district $5,833 in 2015. With just 605 votes cast in that election, this amount works out to be almost $10 per vote.

South Shore resident Rosie Parker is fighting esophageal cancer, and a Lake Tahoe benefit concert is being held to help her and her family with growing expenses on Friday, October 21 from 9:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. at Cold Water Brewery.

“We are showing our love, we are showing our support for Rose,” said Cold Water owner Debbie Brown, “Our brewmaster’s wife was diagnosed with esophageal cancer back in August, and she is fighting the fight of her life.”

South Lake Tahoe saw over six inches of rain during the series of three storms over the weekend, which did a lot more than bring a little snow to upper elevations.

The storm also send an estimated 11 billion gallons of water into Lake Tahoe according to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Reno. This is equivalent to the average total consumptive water use in a year from the Truckee River by the Truckee Meadows Water Authority. The average metered household in the Truckee Meadows uses about 121,000 gallons a year.

Since Friday morning, rain has pummeled many areas of the Sierra Nevada. As of 8:00 a.m. Sunday, South Lake Tahoe had received 2.54" of rain, with more on the way. By Monday morning, a trace of new snow could be seen on the South Shore.

8:00AM update 10/15: Highway 89 remains closed in both directions from Fallen Leaf Lake Road to Emerald Bay due to the Emerald Fire which remains 80 percent contained this morning. Acreage burned is 210 acres.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

There are 3 engines and 12 firefighters still on the scene.

Opening time for Hwy 89 is still unclear. CHP estimates Saturday afternoon and Caltrans estimates the road will be closed until Monday. This is to allow crews to clean up the fallen trees and other debris on, and near, the roadway.

Our world is rapidly changing, including the coastal and inland waters. Conservation is essential in order to preserve these areas and the fish that live there but water conservation is a complex subject. Find out what is being done and the issues California's coast and inland waters are confronted with at the UC Davis Tahoe Science Center on Thursday, November 3.

Join Dr. Nann Fangue to learn how we can conserve our imperiled fishes and find solutions by understanding physiological specializations that allow animals to survive and thrive in complex environments.

This summer,the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association (TKPOA) has been both combating aquatic invasive weeds while also testing out methods for future eradication of the pesky plants from their channels. They will be hosting a public meeting to update the community on their ongoing efforts on Tuesday, November 1 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the South Tahoe Public Utility District board room.

Sierra at Tahoe created "Keep Sierra Clean Day" ten years ago to help protect the environment before the winter season sets in.

Its a year round job, but this fall event gets friends and neighbors, locals and visitors together on the mountain to give it a good clean up.

Volunteers will ide the chairlift, clean the mountain and collect prizes, and sneak in a great peek at the view while at it!

There will be a free lunch and live music by Mic Smith.

All lanes of US 50 through the Cave Rock tunnel are now open to traffic, almost a month ahead of schedule on the $6 million traveler safety and roadside water quality project.

Since May, drivers have had to utilize a single lane of traffic in each direction through one side of the tunnel.

The contractor, Q&D Construction, will earn an extra $300,000 for completing early. Their contract gave them $15,000 for each day prior to the deadline they completed early, with a maximum of $300,000, which they earned.

The Lake Tahoe Basin saw continued environmental improvement over the last four years, but faces major challenges from climate change, according to a draft 2015 Threshold Evaluation Report released by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA).

The report offers a detailed assessment of the health of Lake Tahoe and its treasured natural environment as indicated by 178 threshold standards in nine categories: Air quality, water quality, soil conservation, vegetation, fisheries, wildlife, scenic resources, noise, and recreation.

When Krysinthia White’s team, 20 Percent Survival, completed the MedWAR Tahoe Challenge at the Taylor Creek Sno-Park, they knew it was not a first place finish. Yet they were still smiling after six flat tires, a bee sting, and multiple wrong turns.

“From our perspective, last place was the best place,” says White. “We had the entire lake [Fallen Leaf] to ourselves and pretty much the entire trail.”

20 Percent Survival is one of ten teams of wilderness enthusiasts and medical responders who participated in the inaugural MedWAR Tahoe Challenge on Saturday, September 17.

2016 is the 26th year that the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has handed out its "Best in the Basin" award for projects in the Lake Tahoe basin that demonstrate exceptional planning and implementation and compatibility with Lake Tahoe’s environment and communities.

During Wednesday's TRPA board meeting in Kings Beach, the nine winners for the year were honored.

The City of South Lake Tahoe was one of those recipients for the Bijou Bike Park project, a collaborative effort between the City and Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association.

For the past two workweeks, Highway 89 has been closed 24 hours per day so crews could do grinding and paving work in the tight section of highway south of the Cascade Creek Bridge to Bayview Campground and Inspiration Point.

On Monday, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced the closure has been lifted.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS
State Route 89 (Placer County): Work continues on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to just north of Granlibakken Road in Tahoe City that is upgrading storm water drainage and treatment systems, adding curb and gutter, resurfacing and realigning the road, adding new left-turn pockets and widening shoulders on an 8-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected by summer 2017.

At the Lake Tahoe Summit last month, we saw the power of what we can accomplish when we work together. Progress over the last two decades was showcased when President Obama made his first-ever visit to Tahoe and said conservation and restoration efforts like ours are more important than ever as the nation works to adapt to a changing climate and create a more resilient environment.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and Douglas County TRIAD presented this year’s Senior Citizen’s Academy from September 12 through September 16, resulting in the graduation of 34 students who attended the week long program.

The goal of the Senior Citizen’s Law Enforcement Academy is to provide crime fighting educational programs, fire safety and general information to senior citizens of Douglas County.

9/19/16 update 8:00 p.m. - The Owens River Fire has now burned 6,050 acres east of Highway 395 and is now 20 percent contained. The fire is burning southeast of June Lake and northeast of Mammoth Lake.

9:00 a.m. update 9/18: The Owens River Fire burning east of Highway 395 and north of Owens River Road in Mono County has exploded to an estimated 4,500 acres. Even with the growth, firefighter were able to get it 10% contained.

Named the Owens River Fire, it is burning in sagebrush and Jeffrey pine.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS
State Route 89 (Placer County): Work continues on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to just north of Granlibakken Road in Tahoe City that is upgrading storm water drainage and treatment systems, adding curb and gutter, resurfacing and realigning the road, adding new left-turn pockets and widening shoulders on an 8-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected by summer 2017.

More money is headed to preserve and restore Lake Tahoe. In Washington Wednesday the U.S. Senate passed its $415 million version of 2015's Lake Tahoe Restoration Act by a vote of 95-3.

The money for Lake Tahoe is part of the $10 billion Water Resources Development Act of 2016.

This is the first time the funding legislation to reauthorize the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act has cleared the full Senate even though its has succeeded at the committee level several times.