The Tahoe Transportation District is partnering with local, state, regional and federal agencies to host an open house on the South Shore and North Shore to discuss various transportation projects.

The South Shore event is Jan. 19 from 5-7pm at Lake Tahoe Community College in the Duke Theatre.

On Jan. 20 from 5-7pm the meeting is at the Tahoe City Public Utility District office at 221 Fairway Drive in Tahoe City.

For more information, call (775) 589.5500.

St. Theresa School’s crab dinner is Feb. 4.

The dinner and auction are the South Lake Tahoe school’s major fundraiser.

Doors open at 6pm with a cash-only bar. The sit-down dinner is served at 7pm. In addition to crab served two ways, pasta, salad and veggies are on the menu.

There will also be silent and live auctions.

Childcare is available if arranged ahead of time.

Tickets are $40. The event sells out every year. Tickets may be bought at the school (1081 Lyons Ave.) or by calling (530) 544.8944. Drink tickets may also be bought in advance.

To donate cash, goods or services, contact Kelly Shanahan at crabdinnerkelly@hotmail.com or call the number above.

South Tahoe Public Utility District is having a workshop about rate increases on Jan. 20 from 12:30-2pm in the board room at 1275 Meadow Crest Drive, South Lake Tahoe.

HDR Consultants will present Water Rates 101.

No action will be taken.

The Kokanee Salmon Festival at Taylor Creek Visitor Center each October is possible because of support from local groups like the Kokanee Trail Runs and the U.S. Forest Service’s nonprofit organization Tahoe Heritage Foundation.

Joe Tillson, Renee and Mark Gorevin, Jean Norman

The Kokanee Trail Runs recently donated $4,000 to the Forest Service’s nonprofit to go toward the Kokanee Salmon Festival 2011.

Explore Tahoe Winter Speaker Series continues on Jan. 20 at 6pm. Local author and speaker David Antonucci presents “Amazing Facts About Lake Tahoe.”

The presentation highlights the unique natural wonders of geology, lake depth, and natural history of Lake Tahoe that set it apart from other lakes. Explore Tahoe is located in the Heavenly Village next to North Face at 4114 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

A $5 donation is requested. Refreshments will be provided. A special flat rate of $5 is offered in the parking garage after 4pm. For more information call (530) 542.4637.

• It’s time to comment on the initial phase of the proposed Stateline-to-Stateline bike path.

• 2011 is being hailed as World Veterinary Year because the world’s first veterinary school was founded in 1761 in Lyon, France.

• Heather Allison Smith, director of sales and marketing at the Ritz-Carlton at Northstar, is on the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International’s eighth annual “who’s who” list of the Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality and Travel Sales and Marketing.

• This from the Sacramento Bee about how Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget may affect the average person.

• January is national mentoring month.

Lake Tahoe’s only flat track roller derby league has started gearing up for the 2011 season, with the first bout scheduled for March 12 in Redding. In order to help defray the costs of renting practice space during the winter, uniform costs, traveling to away bouts and hosting home bouts at Lake Tahoe during the summer, the Tahoe Derby Dames seek sponsorship assistance from local businesses.

Besides the warm and fuzzy feeling a local business may receive from supporting a skater owned and operated, fully volunteer organization that also gives back to the community, there are valuable and tangible benefits, ranging from season passes to all home bouts to exposure on the Dames’ website, plus much more.

Sponsorship opportunities start at $100, and can be customized to fit your needs. If you’re interested in supporting the Tahoe Derby Dames in 2011, contact tahoederbydames@sbcglobal.net or call (530) 318.5158.

CASA El Dorado presents the 4th annual CASAblanca at the Lake.

The Feb. 4 event honors El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Suzanne Kingsbury. It starts at 6pm at Edgewood Tahoe in Stateline.

The evening will include dinner, wine, live entertainment, silent and live auctions.

Tickets are $125 per person. All proceeds benefit CASA.

RSVP by Jan. 21 to (530) 622.9882 or friends@casaeldorado.org.

Oddie Hester, formally Dr. Joshua Welch, will have his comedy career break out Jan. 15 at 4pm in South Lake Tahoe.

This free show is acceptable for the whole family. He believes laughter is the best medicine.

Josh Welch

Please call for a reservation — (530) 544.1600

The performance is inside Lakeview Plaza next to Freshies.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team is accepting applications.

DCSAR consists of approximately 30 members who volunteer their time and efforts responding to public emergencies 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

In the past 12 months, DCSAR has responded to numerous public service emergencies, including searching for lost or stranded skiers, hikers, mountain bikers, ATV or motorcycle riders, horseback riders, four-wheel drivers, river rafters and assisting with downed aircraft incidents.

Interested applicants must be in good physical condition, demonstrate a cooperative team effort and have a goal-oriented disposition. Prior rescue and medical experience is not required.

Applicants will be screened via an oral interview, and a thorough background check will be conducted by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. Once accepted, initial training will be provided through a SAR Academy that begins March 28. Instruction will be provided on the following topics:

First Aid, CPR, Basic Search & Rescue Operations, Personal Survival, Tracking, Snowshoeing, Rescue Vehicle Operation, River Rafting, Water Rescue, Radio Procedure, Introduction to Incident Command, Map Reading and Orientation, GPS and Compass

Members who successfully complete the academy will then participate on actual Search and Rescue missions with experienced team members for a six-month training period before becoming a full member.

If you have time to dedicate to assisting the Douglas County and surrounding communities during times of man-made or natural disaster, and aiding citizens in need of rescue or assistance in the backcountry, mountains, trails and waterways, then the Douglas County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team may be for you.

Details of the academy, including applications, can be obtained online or by calling DCSAR Training Coordinator John Soderman at (775) 720.6260. Interested parties must submit application by Feb. 15.