The Shops at Heavenly Village are working hard to encourage local residents to enjoy all the village has to offer. Many merchants are offering discounts and special coupons along with the free parking to entice residents to visit the shops.

Sign up for coupons that will be emailed to you every other month.

Silke Rover spends some of her winnings at Driftwood Cafe. Photo/Heidi Hill Drum

Then every six months, the shops draw a name for a $1,000 shopping spree from those who have signed up to receive the emailed coupons. Silke Rover, a South Shore mom of three kids, was the latest winner.

There will be another chance to win in November for anyone who is signed up before Nov. 15.

U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews will begin prescribed fire operations in Meyers, near Apache and Mandan, beginning today and continuing operations on South Upper Truckee through the week if favorable weather conditions persist.

Prescribed fire operations in the Kingsbury Grade area and McKinney Creek/Rubicon, Blackwood and Ward Canyons, on the West Shore have concluded for now. Operations near McKinney/Rubicon may resume again on Thursday depending on weather conditions.

These and other prescribed fire projects are designed to reduce wildfire risks to communities and critical resources. Smoke management is part of every prescribed fire burn plan, and efforts will be taken to reduce actual or potential impacts on community areas.

State and local fire management agencies may also be conducting prescribed fire work during this period.

• Earlier this month South Lake Tahoe wrote a check for $2,546.78 to Community Animal Hospital for Duke, the South Lake Tahoe police dog, to pay for a crown on a tooth.

• In 1854, Hangtown (Placerville) was the third largest town in California behind Sacramento and San Francisco.

• Mammoth Mountain has converted some snowcats into food vending apparatuses that will roam the slopes and make it unnecessary to stop at the lodge.

• It’s time to plant native wildflower seeds, according to Tahoe Resource Conservation District. Free seeds at the office — 870 Emerald Bay Road, South Lake Tahoe.

• Find out about the foundation Heavenly Mountain Resort skier Sho Kashima is starting.

The South Shore Business Walk is Nov. 4 from 7:30am–2pm. The day will begin with brief training at South Lake Tahoe offices at Lake Tahoe Airport.

Then teams of walkers will visit various parts of the community. Participants will be looking to gain valuable feedback on what organizations like about doing business on the South Shore, as well as ideas for improvement.

No money to do the work for the organizations. Lunch will be provided to all walkers.

To register, call Kennedy Cullen at (916) 319.4277.

The walk is a joint effort between the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce, South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County, Lake Tahoe Community College and Sacramento Metro Chamber.

The Tahoe Hawks, a South Shore girls soccer team, is having a fundraiser at Chevy’s restaurant in South Lake Tahoe on Oct. 24 from 4:30-7pm.

Twenty-five percent of the bill (not including alcohol) will go to the team.

Bring the flyer to the restaurant to help the team.

• El Dorado County Board of Supervisors this month agreed to reinvest some of the hotel taxes it collects on tourism related entities. The Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce is getting $92,770; El Dorado Arts Council $99,450; and El Dorado Lake Tahoe Film and Media Office $89,140.

• Barton Memorial Hospital Auxiliary’s annual Holiday Faire at St. Theresa Catholic Church is Nov. 7 from 9am-3pm. The church is at the corner of Lyons Avenue and Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe. The auxiliary’s famous cheese balls will be for sale.

• Maybe the Canyons Resort in Utah will start a trend this winter by being the first ski area in the U.S. to have an enclosed heated chairlift.

• Sierra-at-Tahoe’s annual Pray for Snow Party is Nov. 11 at Mo’s Place in South Lake Tahoe on Lake Tahoe Boulevard. Season pass holders get in at 6pm, everyone else is welcome at 7pm.

• The two-day youth summit that was planned for November on the South Shore has been canceled and will be rescheduled for spring 2011.

• The Legislature has amended health and safety code 103625(b) to include a $2 fee to be transmitted to the state treasurer for the Umbilical Cord Blood Collection and Storage Program. This change will add $2 to each birth certificate in El Dorado County beginning Nov. 1.

By Laurell Rosenhall, Sacramento Bee

Candidates seeking to replace former state Sen. Dave Cox in the California Senate will face off Monday in a debate.

Republicans Barbara Alby, Ted Gaines and Roger Niello and Democrat Ken Cooley will field questions from students, media and community members during the forum at William Jessup University in Rocklin.

Read the whole story

Tahoe Youth & Family Services is celebrating two birthdays this month.

The first celebration is Oct. 28 from 11am-5pm to mark the Gardnerville office turning 1.

There will be cake, coffee, cookies and cider during the open house at 1422 Mission St., Gardnerville.

The second party is Oct. 30 from 11am-5pm to recognize the agency’s thrift store Hope’s Closet being 1 year old.

Hope’s Closet is at 2277 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe in the log cabin next to Enterprise Car Rental.

Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort honored three top employees at its annual Golden Eagle Awards dinner this month at the Swiss Chalet restaurant in South Lake Tahoe.

Each year, the Golden Eagle Awards dinner offers an opportunity for Sierra Resort’s year-round employees to acknowledge the hard work of the previous winter and look forward to the coming season.

“We’re a tight family here at Sierra Resort,” General Manager John Rice said in a release. “The Golden Eagle Award winners are people who have made some of the most significant contributions to this resort. We are proud of every one of them.”

This year’s winners are Cathy Johns in accounting (Golden Eagle), David Rios, Sierra Pub supervisor (Silver Eagle), and Dennis Cambron, Lift Operations supervisor (Bronze Eagle).

Johns has been a member of the Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort family for 14 years – always behind the scenes helping resort supervisors stay on track from a financial perspective. Often she is the first to arrive and the last to leaves.

Rios has elevated the level of service and the options at one of Sierra Resort’s busiest restaurants – the Sierra Pub. Comments from peer nominations for the award included, “Dave is always moving, always working, and is never too busy to jump behind the line and do the same job as his employees. Whatever it takes, Dave is there.”

Cambron is no stranger to the Eagle awards, having won bronze and silver in previous years. His flexibility is one of his strongest assets as he has overseen multiple departments in the past few years including Lift Operations, Parking, Tubing, and Ticket Checking.

U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews plan to conduct prescribed fire operations on Lake Tahoe’s West Shore in the Ward Canyon, Blackwood Canyon and McKinney Creek areas beginning Oct. 21 and continuing through early next week.

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

The size of the project could total 300 acres if weather and fuels conditions permit. Because of the project size, Lake Tahoe residents and visitors can expect to see a significant amount of smoke rising from the project area.

Forest Service prescribed fire managers expect good dispersion of smoke based on predicted weather. 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.