Perched atop her Pathfinder, Jessica Day is oblivious to traffic whizzing by on Highway 89. Her focus is on Mount Tallac.

Parked in front of the gate at the Tallac Historic Site, Day is sketching the mountain. Her goal is to redesign the shirts at The Brewery, one of two places she works. (The other is Sierra-at-Tahoe.)

Jessica Day

Bundled in a sweat shirt, her fingers still work despite the chill in

Mount Tallac by Jessica Day.

the air and wind in her face.

“I’m at (Lake Tahoe Community College) dabbling in art and English,” Day said. She graduated from South Tahoe High in 2006.

From the look of her pencil sketch, she is more than dabbling.

— Kathryn Reed

South Tahoe Pop Warner Cheer spaghetti dinner fundraiser is Nov. 19 from 5:30-7:30pm at St. Theresa Catholic Church’s Grace Hall. (1041 Lyons Ave., South Lake Tahoe)

To go orders are available.

Tickets are $10 per person or $35 for four tickets,

Ten percent of the proceeds will be donated to St. Theresa’s school.

Funds are being raised to send the girls to the Nov. 26 regional competition at Santa Clara University.

Go to www.southtahoepopwarner.com for more info.

• Nevada Department of Wildlife officials are expected to make a decision about reintroducing bear hunts to the state at the December meeting. Emails in support or against the proposal may be sent to ndowinfo@ndow.org.

• The open house on Nov. 23 regarding the Homewood project has been canceled because the release of the draft EIS has been moved to January.

• On Dec. 4 in San Francisco Lake Tahoe Environmental Science Magnet School fifth-grade teacher Bob Comlossy and his students will receive a Golden Bell award for their Every Day is Earth Day. The California School Boards Association recognizes exemplary programs in 19 categories.

• El Dorado County has redesigned its website.

• Maya’s Mexican Grill has replaced El Papagayo in Meyers.

• Free airfare to Reno and free lodging too? Check out the contest Southwest Airlines has.

• Jens Dressler, who recently bought Blue Angel Café, is opening a second restaurant in South Lake Tahoe. The Blue Angel Chateau will open in December at the old Christiana Inn property.

• Mt. Rose is opening Nov. 19 with $19 lift tickets and $39 first timer packages for ages 11 and older.

A celebration of life for Dennis Oliver will be Nov. 30 at 5:30pm at the Tahoe Biltmore Hotel in Crystal Bay.

For more information, email jcowen@trpa.org.

U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews will resume prescribed fire operations in the McKinney-Rubicon area Nov. 17, weather permitting.

Operations are expected to continue through the weekend if favorable weather conditions continue.

Residents and visitors can expect to see smoke from prescribed fire project areas. Smoke management is part of every prescribed fire burn plan, and efforts will be taken to reduce actual or potential smoke impacts on community areas.

This and other prescribed fire projects are designed to reduce wildfire risks to communities and critical resources.

Caltrans this month completed the $5.4 million highway safety improvement project on Highway 49 in El Dorado County 100 days ahead of schedule.

The project was financed entirely by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The project realigned a rural section of Highway 49 between Dolomite Drive and China Hill Road in El Dorado County, smoothing out curves on the roadway to make it safer for motorists. New paved highway shoulders were also built further improving safety.

“State Route 49 is a convenient connector between U.S. Highway 50 and Amador County. This project improves safety for everyone traveling on this important Gold Country highway,” Caltrans Director Cindy McKim said in a press release.

Veerkamp General Engineering Inc. of Placerville was the project’s contractor.

Seasonal closures at recreation sites and forest roads in the Lake Tahoe Basin have begun.

Forest Service gates have been closed and locked, and motorized access is prohibited for the winter.

Although motorized access is prohibited during seasonal closures, the public will continue to have non-motorized access, as well as access to snowmobiles where permitted and in accordance with regulations.

Seasonal closures also apply to many recreation sites including beaches, picnic areas and campgrounds.

For a complete list of closure dates and locations visit this webpage.

This week’s listing:

Star is a pretty, spunky 8-year-old Chow Lab mix, all black except for a little white around her chin. She likes to play with other dogs and even gets along with cats. She has a lot to say and will tell the bears to stay out of her yard.

Star is at the El Dorado County Animal Services shelter in Meyers, along with other dogs, cats, and even rabbits.

Call (530) 573.7925 for directions, hours, and other information on adopting a pet.

For spay-neuter assistance for South Tahoe residents, click here.

— Karen Kuentz

• The November issue of Ski magazine has a good write-up on Kirkwood. The cover story is about where to ski with kids. Runs at Heavenly, Northstar, Squaw and Mammoth are mentioned.

• Jay Brazil of South Lake Tahoe took second in the masters division of the North Coast Classic combined surf/golf competition that raises money for Doctors Without Borders.

• North Shore artist Cathy McClelland is donating a percentage of her holiday bear cards to the BEAR League.

• American Airlines and Vail Resorts are partnering to offer Epic Pass holders 10 percent off certain flights to Reno, Vail, Denver, and Eagle airports.

• Bona Fide Books has awarded Jason Schossler the 2010 Melissa Lanitis Gregory Poetry Prize for his manuscript Mud Cakes.

• Elija Bleu’s in Truckee is giving away tasty treats to students who bring in a report card with a 3.0 gpa or better.

The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for Lake Tahoe from 6pm Sunday to 6am Monday.

Winds will be from the northeast at 15-25mph, with gusts up to 35mph. Wave heights are expected to be 2 to 3 feet from the West Shore near Dollar Point to South Lake Tahoe.