There are many children in South Lake Tahoe who are in need of a special “voice”. These are children who have been abused or neglected and have not had a voice to speak for their own safety and needs.

The South Lake Tahoe branch of CASA El Dorado County is offering a fall training class starting in October for those adults interested in becoming a volunteer advocate and a powerful voice in Court for children.

There will be an informational meeting on Sept. 21 from 3-4pm at the EDC Superior Courthouse conference room. You will learn about CASA El Dorado and what it means to be a child advocate, pick up an application for the training and ask questions of case managers.

CASA volunteers are appointed by a judge and advocate for a child’s best interest in court. Many of these children have been removed from their homes and are placed in foster care. The CASA volunteer is often the only consistent person in their life during a traumatic time, serving as an advocate, a mentor, and a friend. CASA volunteers are truly making a difference in the lives of children every day.

Call Kelly Edmundson or Amanda Morozumi at (530) 573.3072 for more information and to sign up for the fall training.

By Reno Gazette-Journal

Eastern Sierra Engineering, P.C. recently announced it has integrated JWA Consulting Engineers, Inc. into the ESE Corporation.

JWA has provided civil engineering services to both public and private sector clients in and around the Lake Tahoe Basin for more than 25 years. The current staff will continue to provide those services with added technical and administrative support from ESE.

Read the whole story

Caregiving is a difficult and often challenging role that one can undertake, and taking the opportunity to share information and feel connected to others who are providing care is a vital step to perform this task to the best of your ability. Take the opportunity on Sept. 9 from 5:30-7:30pm, South Lake Tahoe Senior Center, 3050 Highway 50, South Lake Tahoe to become connected and rejuvenated at your local support group.

Refreshments will be served. Free respite care is available to qualified caregivers.

Pre-authorization is required for respite services. Questions? Contact the Family Caregiver Support Program at (530) 621.6151.

Permits will go on sale Sept. 11 for the Nevada Division of State Parks’ annual wood sale. The sale starts at 8am at a new location: the main lobby of the Richard H. Bryan State Office Building located at 901 S. Stewart St., Carson City.

Permits are $50 per cord — cash or check only– and are limited to two cords per address/family. Approximately 200 permits will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. The sale will end at 11am or once all permits are sold.

The wood consists of a mixture of pine and fir, some seasoned and some green. Most of the wood is approximately 18 inches, although some odd sized and large rounds are possible.

The pick-up schedule will run from Sept. 18 through Oct. 4. Available wood amounts and scheduling will vary by location.

There are three available pick-up locations: the North Canyon area near Spooner Lake; the vicinity of Hobart Reservoir via Lakeview Road in Carson City; and the Van Sickle Bi-State Park on the South Shore.

Trailers are allowed, though four-wheel drive vehicles are required for the Hobart Reservoir pick-up location and strongly encouraged for the other locations.

Call Joy Elwood for more information, (775) 684.2793.

Applications are currently available for Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe Foundation’s 2010-2011 community service grants program. Community organizations are encouraged to submit creative grant proposals that will create a lasting benefit for women and/or youth in the community.

Deadline for receipt of applications is 5pm Oct. 15.

The community service grants program began in 1997 as an equitable way for the club to award funding requests received from groups. By receiving and reviewing applications at one time each year, all applications compete on an equal footing. Special consideration is given to creative projects and programs that benefit a large number of women and/or children.

Instructions and applications may be found on Facebook, or completed and submitted online or downloaded and printed from the club website — click on “community grants application form”. Applications may also be picked up at and returned to Bank of the West on Third Street in South Lake Tahoe.

For more information, contact Kris Keesling at kris.keesling@hilton.com or Vicki McKenna at Vicki.mckenna@gmail.com.

South Lake Tahoe AAUW welcomes members, guests, and the public to a potluck brunch on Sept. 11 at 10am at the Aspen Room at Lake Tahoe Community College.

The middle school girls AAUW sent to Tech Trek Math and Science Camp at Stanford this summer will share their adventures.

For more information and reservations, call (530) 541.1299.

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Tahoe Douglas Rotarians were visited recently by Rep. Dean Heller, R-Carson City, at their weekly meeting.

Heller provided his thoughts on the current political environment in Washington, shared an explanation of his average day, and expressed his viewpoints on some Nevada-specific issues.

Heller was raised in Carson City and serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, which is the chief tax‐writing committee of the House of Representatives and has jurisdiction over all taxation, tariffs and other revenue‐raising measures, as well as Social Security, unemployment benefits, and Medicare.

Tahoe Douglas Rotary meets at noon on Fridays at MontBleu casino in Stateline. Guests are always welcome. Call (775) 588.1142 for more details about meetings and membership.

Updated Sept. 3 12:30am:

• The Sept. 9 South Lake Tahoe Planning Commission has been canceled. An ordinance concerning medical marijuana dispensaries in the city was supposed to be on the agenda.

• Plumas-Eureka State Park is open again after being closed because a dead ground squirrel tested positive for plague.

• Sand Harbor boat ramp will close after Labor Day.

• Four Nevada residents are each paying nearly $6,000 to attend Lake Tahoe Unified schools for 2010-11.

• Nevada magazine’s September-October issue has the annual photo contest. They are all from the Silver State, unlike last year.

• Summer success of Masters of Magic in Lake Tahoe has led to a three-month run extension — December 2010-March 2011 — with a new cast at MontBleu in Stateline.

• Labor Day Weekend is the time to stock up on winter/ski supplies with several resorts in and around the basin having tent sales. Check the website of your favorite resort to see if they are having one.

• Need to get a TRPA fix? The Governing Board meetings of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency are now streamed on the website.  They are usually all day on the fourth Wednesday and Thursday of the month starting at 9am.

The Truckee Police Department in conjunction with the California Highway Patrol, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, and the Grass Valley Police Department, we will be conducting a DUI/driver’s license checkpoint Sept. 3.

The Police Department’s goal for 2010 is to significantly reduce the rates of DUI-involved injury collisions in Truckee.

Collisions involving impaired drivers have dramatically decreased this year because of increased education and enforcement programs.

Still. DUI collisions are 100 percent preventable and are not accidents, according to the agency. TPD intends to aggressively enforce alcohol and DUI laws to achieve the goal of improved traffic safety for all motorists in Truckee.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.