By Roger Yu and Zlati Meyer, USA Today

Amazon said Friday it has agreed to buy Whole Foods Market for $13.7 billion, a stunning move to boost its growing grocery business.

The Seattle-based online retail giant will pay $42 per share in an all-cash deal. That’s 27% higher than Whole Foods’ Thursday closing stock price of $33.06.

The deal requires approval by Whole Foods’ shareholders and regulators. The companies expect the deal to be completed in the second half of 2017.

A Whole Foods 365 is planned to open in late 2018 in South Lake Tahoe.

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By Thomas Moore, Las Vegas Sun

The bulk of Nevada’s economy rests on one unglamorous, taken-for-granted object.

It supports most of the state’s gaming win and resultant tax revenue, as well as a large portion the quarterly earnings for publicly traded gaming companies and as a result, sometimes their stock prices.

To a large degree the fortunes of gaming establishments from the smallest neighborhood tavern to the largest Strip resort literally sit on this item.

We’re talking about chairs — the kind seen in front of almost every one of the 166,855 slot and video poker machines in Nevada.

“If you look at a typical slot chair, what you’re trying to do is to get people to stay for extended periods of time to play,” said Skip Davis, president of Reno-based Gary Platt Manufacturing, which builds slot and video poker chairs.

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No one was injured June 16 when their car flipped in South Lake Tahoe. Photo/Provided

A vehicle with four people inside of it managed to flip on its side at the end of Frontier Court in South Lake Tahoe.

The four were able to self-extricate on Friday afternoon.

No one was injured in the June 16 incident. A tow truck arrived about 5pm.

How the car got on its side isn’t known, but speed and needing to stop before driving off into the forest is a possible scenario, according to authorities.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Liberty Utilities customers may sign up for a free energy audit at either of two local events this weekend, and receive free energy efficient LED bulbs during the audit.

Liberty will be at the Wildfire Safety Expo in South Lake Tahoe at the TJ Maxx parking lot on June 17 from noon-3pm, and at Peaks and Paws at the Squaw Valley Village Saturday on the same day from 11am-5pm.

In addition to free energy audit signups, customers can learn about other ways to save energy, money and the environment including the refrigerator recycling program.

Information about income-eligible programs will also be available.

In 2016, 461 residential customers took advantage of Liberty’s free energy audit. Collectively, their subsequent energy efficient improvements resulted in saving nearly 391 MWh of power. A record number of refrigerators were recycled last year; 225 which is nearly double of what has been done in prior years with an estimated savings of 169 MWh.

An Asian clam control project will start this month at Sand Harbor.

The goal is to treat a small, isolated population of Asian clams at Sand Harbor before they spread to an unmanageable level. Treatment will be accomplished by covering approximately 4 acres of the lake bottom near the boat ramp with thin rubber barriers.

The barriers measure 10 feet by 100 feet and are placed by divers over known populations of Asian clams on the bottom of the lake. Steel rebar on top of the barriers keeps them in place and deprives the covered clam population of oxygen.

To help ensure the success of this project, boaters are asked not anchor on top of mats or disturb the mats, sand bags and/or rebar.

Asian clams stimulate algae growth, which reduces the quality and clarity of Tahoe’s waters. Once dead, Asian clam shells wash ashore, creating hazardous conditions for boaters and the recreating public.

Local Freshies, in association with Patagonia, will host a premiere of “Finding Fontinalis” at South Lake Brewing Company (1920 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe) on July 6.

Doors open at 6pm, show starts at 8pm. It is free for all ages.

“Finding Fontinalis” from Travis Lowe is inspired by an old gaucho’s tale of “The place with the big red fish.” A crew of fishermen set out to search for a new world-record brook trout. During this journey, the water, landscape and culture surrounding it become the impetus to conserve and protect it all. 

By Doyle Rice, USA Today

Monstrous wildfires not only devastate communities and sometimes kill dozens each year in the U.S., but they also release a toxic brew of hazardous pollution, a new study found.​

That pollution, often in the form of microscopic specks known as aerosols, is “a hazard to human health, particularly to the lungs and heart,” said study lead author Greg Huey from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

In fact, the study found that fires emit these fine particles — which are much smaller than a grain of sand or a human hair — into the air at a rate three times as high as standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency.

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Liberty Utilities doled out several scholarships to area high school and community college students living in its service territory. This is the fifth consecutive year that Liberty has provided these awards.

Winners are:

South Tahoe High School – Emily Doyle

Douglas High School – Hunter Celio

North Tahoe High School – Lionel Pascal

Truckee High School – Julia Meyer

Lake Tahoe Community College – Hannah Brown.

Each high school senior received $500 and the community college student received $750. 

A Liberty Utility representative attended each of the school’s awards ceremony to personally congratulate the student and present the check.

Placer County is using $250,000 in transient occupancy tax funds to support the design and construction of the Martis Valley Trail.

It will be a 9-mile long, 10-foot-wide paved multipurpose trail connecting Northstar Village with the town of Truckee and ultimately Lake Tahoe.

The total cost of the Martis Valley Trail is estimated to be between $10 million and 13 million. More than $1 million has come from transient occupancy tax funds generated in North Lake Tahoe.

The funds approved this week will support completion of environmental review of a trail segment proposed to cross federal land, as well as design and construction of the segment between the Northstar Drive roundabout and Northstar Village. Construction of those segments could begin as early as 2018.

·      Lake Tahoe Community College is hosting a career summit on June 23, 8am-4pm in the commons. This is an opportunity to learn how to get hired. There will be interactive breakout sessions led by industry professionals, and local community business leaders and organizations; plus, mock job interviews, and one-on-one resume review sessions. Cost is $20 and includes a catered breakfast and lunch. Register online, and select “Professional Development” from the left menu.

·      South Lake Tahoe Library will host Wild Things Inc. on June 23 at 2pm. The free outdoor show will be at 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd. in South Lake Tahoe. Wild Things Inc. will bring a mix of wild animals and share with children a message of conservation and appreciation for wild animals.

·      Aviation Roundup Air Show on Oct. 7-8 at the Minden-Tahoe Airport will feature the Air Force Thunderbirds.

·      No fishing licenses required in California on July 1 and Sept. 2.

·      Mountain Area Preservation received at $5,000 grant from Clif Bar Family Foundation to support the nonprofit’s work in the Truckee-North Lake Tahoe region.