Two black bears were captured Tuesday morning by the Nevada Department of Wildlife in separate traps in Incline Village. They will be released in the mountains above Lake Tahoe on Wednesday morning.

A third bear was hit and killed by a car near Spooner Summit early Tuesday morning. Since 1997, 170 black bears have been killed by cars in Nevada.

“July 1 marked the beginning of Bear Logic Month in Nevada and the bears quickly illustrated the reason why the special month to promote bear awareness in Nevada is needed,” Chris Healy, with Nevada Department of Wildlife, said in a statement.

The two bears at Incline were captured near homes in culvert bear traps. Both animals were displaying nuisance behavior related to access to human garbage. The 9-year-old female was first caught in the Lake Tahoe Basin in 2009. The yearling female had never been captured before by NDOW.

Officials believe this summer will be a busy for nuisance bear activity because the ongoing drought has dried up many natural food sources and bears are expected to greatly expand their search for food in urban areas.

U.S. residents are missing out on places like Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch because they choose to work instead of go on vacation. Photo/LTN file

By Ben Steverman, Bloomberg

The big difference between hoarders and collectors: One of them appreciates what they’re piling up.

The U.S. stands alone among developed countries by not mandating vacation time. Of those who get vacation time, four in 10 Americans stockpile them, failing to take all the days they’re offered. Those stay-at-work Americans leave an average of 8.1 days unused, according to a 2014 Oxford Economics analysis. That’s about 429 million unused days per year.

Those million-plus years are one big gift to corporate America — and a gesture that doesn’t do employers or their employees much good. Few cultures can match the U.S. for its ability to stigmatize vacation time. The irony amid the mix of sincere devotion to the workplace, job insecurity and false emblems of productivity (like, say, dropping by the office on a weekend just to say you did): All this obsessing over work can get in the way of getting stuff done. According to managers, HR professionals and behavioral economists, time off makes you not just happier and healthier but more productive on the job.

Skipping a vacation or working longer hours can make sense if you get something for it. Some workers are compensated for unused days, but that’s hardly the main reason people skip vacations. Since the recession, the fight for raises and promotions has gotten cutthroat and more workers fret over job security, says Penn State University economics professor Lonnie Golden. Extra time at the office may give you a tiny leg up. One 2013 study found that, for those who work more than 47 hours a week, five extra hours correlate with a 1 percent increase in yearly wages.

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Two days after someone broke into the Lake Tahoe Boys & Girls Club the suspect remains at large.

A window was smashed at the South Lake Tahoe facility on June 29.

“A computer game station was stolen among other miscellaneous items,” police Lt. Brian Williams told Lake Tahoe News.

The investigation is ongoing.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Tom Watson, South Lake Tahoe’s city attorney, received a glowing review July 1.

Tom Watson

Watson, who has been with the city for one year, did not receive a raise. He has received an automatic step increase that brought him to the top step. It is possible in the near future that his contract will be extended beyond the two years that are remaining.

Mayor Hal Cole told Lake Tahoe News that Watson is going to bring back a proposal to the council concerning the length of the contract.

Per the contract, Watson was evaluated after the first six months, at the one-year mark and will now receive reviews annually. Cole said there were a few things for Watson to work on in the last six months, but what needed to be addressed and improved upon has been.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

North Tahoe PUD is putting on movie nights and bocce ball this summer.

Movie Mondays in the Park will run through Aug. 11 starting at 8:30pm each night.

The movies are free to the public, however parking is $5 per car at North Tahoe Regional Park in Tahoe Vista without a valid North Tahoe Public Utility District resident sticker.

North Tahoe Public Utility District had teamed with Spindleshanks to offer a bocce ball league at the Old Brockway Golf Course from July 11–Aug. 28. Scheduled games times are 6 and 7pm. Teams must have a minimum of three players and a maximum of eight.

League fees are $100 per team. Registration is online. Email parks@ntpud.org with any questions.

By Sean Whaley, Las Vegas Review-Journal

CARSON CITY – A panel of lawmakers and educators on Monday recommended Nevada’s public education funding formula include more money for students in poverty or with limited English proficiency.

The minimum funding increase supported by the Task Force on K-12 Public Education Funding is 50 percent but could be set higher.

The 1.5 weighted ratio approved by the 15-member committee, which also included parents and financial experts, will now be turned into a bill for consideration by the 2015 Legislature.

If approved, Nevada’s per pupil funding formula would be altered to reflect the increase in support for these at-risk populations of students. The existing funding formula does not allocate additional support to educate these groups.

A majority of the panel also endorsed a recommendation to phase in the new funding to minimize any impacts to rural school districts, which otherwise could see their funding decline under the new formula if overall education spending does not increase.

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Emergency prevention is the subject of the Aug. 19 6-7pm lecture at Lake Tahoe Community College’s board room in South Lake Tahoe.

Barton’s registered nurse Tamara Burns will talk about preparing for any adventure from short hikes to long overnight trips. She will review the minimum essentials of what to bring and learn what to do if an emergency arises.

For more info, call 530.543.5537.

• Lights on the Lake Fireworks on the South Shore start at 9:45pm July 4.

• There is a Worm Composting Workshop July 28, 5:30pm that is part of the UCCE Master Gardener Green Thumb Series. It is at Lake Tahoe Community College’s demonstration garden.

• Residents in the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District will be asked in November to vote on a $170 million facilities bond.

• July 10 is the deadline for the Wilderness Photo Contest sponsored by the Sierra Club. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. Send photos to Wildernessphotocontest@gmail.com.

• Beginner curling sessions at the South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena are July 3 and July 18 from 6:30-9pm. The cost is $25 per person ($15 for locals with a valid ID).

Crews quickly responded to the June 18 fire behind the former Kingsbury Middle School. Photo/Carol Faccinetti

Investigators believe four fires on the South Shore in the last two weeks are the works of the same person.

The latest was Sunday in Rabe Meaddow. All have occurred in the Stateline area on dry U.S. Forest Service land.

Douglas County sheriff’s investigators along with Tahoe Douglas fire and U.S. Forest Service officials are involved in the arson investigation.

Anyone with information on the fires or who may have seen someone suspicious in the areas of Kingsbury Middle School by Lake Village, Rabe Meadow or any other hiking trails in the area is asked to call DCSO at 775.782.5126 or Douglas County Secret Witness at 775.782.7463.

Fire officials are on heightened alert today because of the red flag warning, as well as the potential for people to start a fire with fireworks. No personal fireworks are allowed in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Eli Segall, Las Vegas Sun

When Michael Yackira took charge of NV Energy in 2007, the company was earning big profits just a few years after it almost went bankrupt.

Nevada’s main electric utility stayed in the black on his watch, despite his steering more cash to shareholders, cashing in on $21 million when he sold the company to Warren Buffett and undertaking some big projects, including the planned closure of a coal-fired power plant.

Yackira, who joined the utility in 2003, is retiring today. He will be succeeded by Paul Caudill, named company president late last year.

Based on his stock holdings, Yackira was poised to collect $21.2 million from the buyout. His annual compensation regularly outweighed that of his predecessor, Walter Higgins.

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