The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office’s RAVEN program has received authorization to fly fire suppression missions on Department of Interior lands.

This letter allows the RAVEN 3 Huey helicopter to drop water on wildland fires on BLM land. The authorization was sought in order to fully take part in the initial attack of wildland fires in the region.

The success of this program is a collaborative effort with local fire partners which include Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District,Sierra Fire Protection District, North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, Reno Fire Department and Washoe County Fire Suppression Coordinator.

• Tectrans will take over day-to-day operation of BlueGo, the South Shore’s bus system, on July 24.

• South Tahoe’s sign ordinance will be discussed at a special July 26 7pm City Council meeting at Lake Tahoe Airport.

• Cynthea Preston is president of Rotary Club of South Lake Tahoe – the first woman in that position.

• Forester Ken Pimlott, 45, of Cameron Park has been appointed director of CalFire.

• Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., will do some fundraising while he is in town next month for the annual environmental summit. He is asking for a $10,000 per person contribution for a weekend at the Hyatt in Inline. Half goes to Reid’s leadership PAC, the remaining money is split between his special guests Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, R.I.

Squaw Valley saddles up again for Wild Wild West Weekend with a host of Western-themed events.

Wild Wild West Weekend offers adults and kids the opportunity to channel their inner-cowboys at the High Camp Corral. Pony rides, a petting zoo, authentic Western-style barbecues, and two days of live music are all part of the July 23-24 weekend.

For more information, call (530) 452.4000.

Siga has successfully renegotiated its previously announced acquisition of the Big Bear Mining Claims group in San Bernardino County. Siga will now conduct an initial sampling and mapping program to verify the significant gold and silver mineralization of the Big Bear Claim group, as indicated in previous reports.

Siga Resources Inc., founded in 2007, is based in South Lake Tahoe. Siga is a mineral resource exploration and development company.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

• Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association is trying to keep track of trail conditions via its website.

• The fourth annual Heritage Trail tour of 18 museums from North Lake Tahoe to Roseville is Aug. 6-7. For reservation and information, call (530) 889.6500.

• Camp Richardson has a speakers’ series going on this summer.

• Steve Mokrohisky, assistant Douglas County manager, has been appointed to the top job by commissioners now that Michael Brown has moved on.

• The Ritz-Carlton at Northstar foreclosure sale scheduled for Monday is now set for July 25. Hotel operations continue as normal.

Trails and Vistas’ annual nature art hike is Sept. 17-18 at Spooner Lake at the Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park.

Volunteers make Trails and Vistas possible. This year is no exception, as more than 50 volunteers are needed to ensure a successful event.

This month Trails and Vistas will offer a volunteer workshop titled “Finding Your Voice” on July 24 from 9-11:30am for volunteer trail leader development. This workshop will focus on storytelling skills, teaching how to create small group trust and support, and build confidence for public speaking.

No experience is needed to become a trail leader.

RSVP to Nancy Lopez at nancy@trailsandvistas.org no later than July 20.

Go online to learn more about Trails and Vistas art hike volunteer and sponsorship opportunities.

Numerous North Shore agencies will participate in a disaster exercise July 20 starting at 9am that will simulate a significant hazardous materials spill after a semi-tanker strikes a train in the downtown Truckee area.

This will be the first time the full decontamination system will have been tested with a large number of casualties.

The scenario will be staged at the rail yard adjacent to Tahoe Truckee Lumber.

Two new decontamination tents acquired through Hospital Preparedness Program grants will be set up – one at Tahoe Forest Hospital and the other at Incline Village Community Hospital.

Participating local agencies include: Truckee Fire; Truckee Police; the Placer County Eastern HazMat Team; Tahoe Forest Hospital; Incline Village Community Hospital; the Town of Truckee; California Department of Public Health; Nevada County OES; Environmental Health; REMSA; Careflight; Red Cross; Truckee Dial-A-Ride and Truckee Donner Parks and Recreation District.

For more information, call Tami Prior (530) 582.6662.

• Tahoe Truckee Fly Fishers is offering youths ages 11-15 a chance to learn about the sport through classroom and practical experience July 30-31. For information, call (530) 582.7720.

• Re/Max Realty Affiliates owner John Fisher bought the historic Adaven Hotel in Gardnerville. He plans to convert 11 upstairs rooms into office suites.

• Mark Estee of Truckee, who owns Moody’s and Burger Me, plans to open a restaurant in Reno in October. Campo will have pizza, homemade pasta and an in-house salumi program.

• Carson Tahoe Hospital made the top 20 list of most beautiful hospitals as judged by Soliant Health, a leading specialty healthcare staffing provider and part of Adecco Group.

• Specialty Sports Venture, a wholly owned subsidiary of Vail Resorts, has acquired the assets of Outdoor Outlet, a Wisconsin-based company that owns and operates O2GearShop.com. Eighteen retail stores will be opening, including one at Northstar.

A free medical clinic will be at Gateway Urgent Care at 11105 Donner Pass Road in Truckee on July 23 from 8am-noon.

Patients will be seen on a first-come, first-serve basis and receive consultations for all medical issues. X-rays and medications are not included.

Dennis Chez, owner and sole doctor of Gateway Urgent Care, has been practicing medicine in the Tahoe-Truckee region for more than 35 years, making him the longest practicing physician in the region.

For more information about Gateway Urgent Care, call (530) 582.2070.

South Lake Tahoe’s pool is still on hold with maintenance issues.

Swim lessons in the morning and afternoon will go on. If the water is not accessible, then a safety day is planned.

For more information, call (530) 542.6056.