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Published April 6, 2026 3:23 PM, tens of thousands of fans are regularly tuning into the livestream of the nest overlooking Big Bear Lake for a peak at the fuzzy eaglets.The chicks, which hatched Saturday night and Easter Sunday morning, will be referred to as Chick 1 and Chick 2 for now, according toWhy it matters: Some fans worried about the second chick struggling to hold its head and getting enough food last weekend, but both eaglets are doing “great,” according to Jenny Voisard, Friends of Big Bear Valley’s media manager.
“Trust the process, trust the eagles, and settle in and enjoy these cute little fur balls because they change every day,” Voisard said. “And you don't want to miss this time, because they're just so precious.”, tens of thousands of fans are regularly tuning into the livestream of the nest overlooking Big Bear Lake for a peak at the fuzzy eaglets. The chicks, which hatched Saturday night and Easter Sunday morning, will be referred to as Chick 1 and Chick 2 for now, according toThe eaglets are still gaining strength in their first few days of life — learning to move neck muscles and pick up pieces of meat from mama Jackie and papa Shadow’s beaks. Those early feedings can be challenging or awkward, and the organization often refers to the chicks as “bobbleheads” at this stage. Some fans worried about the second chick struggling to hold its head and getting enough food, but both eaglets are doing “great,” according to Jenny Voisard, Friends of Big Bear Valley’s media manager. “Trust the process, trust the eagles, and settle in and enjoy these cute little fur balls because they change every day,” Voisard said. “And you don't want to miss this time, because they're just so precious.”estimated to beChicks multiply in size over the first weeks and months of life, establishing a pecking order along the way, according to the nonprofit. Viewers may notice Chick 1 and Chick 2 headbutting each other, a sibling rivalry behavior that the organization calls “bonking.” Voisard said it’s “totally normal” in the nest, especially since the chicks can’t see very well at this stage. “It won't last too long,” she said. “There is plenty of food for them to eat, and so they shouldn't be in competition with each other.”For Jackie and Shadow, everything now revolves around stocking up food and making sure the chicks are safe, warm and dry in the nest, Voisard said. “They do a very good job, and we've been seeing fish deliveries and other prey the last couple of days and the chicks are hungrily gobbling it up,” she said.Now that the chicks have hatched, many people are wondering what their names will be — and offering suggestions. The nonprofit said it’s seen hundreds of requests to name one of the chicks “Sandy” in Steers was an environmental advocate who helped launch the eagle livestream and the late executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley. She died in February, a few weeks before the But the organization said that’s not what Steers would have wanted. Voisard said Steers loved having Big Bear third-grade students select the eaglets’ names, and Friends of Big Bear Valley plans to keep the tradition going. “We are working on a way to honor, memorialize Sandy in something that’s more permanent,” Voisard said. The naming privileges are usually given to the third-graders because they study bald eagles in school, but last year was a bit of an exception. The fourth- and fifth -grade classes were invited to help select names because Jackie and Shadow didn’t have chicks in"We want to make sure we're doing it the way that wanted to do it, and those kids live for being able to do this,” Voisard said. “It's a right of passage.”. A random list of names will be pulled from the submissions and shared with Big Bear third-grade students for the final vote.explores the weird and secret bits of SoCal that would excite even the most jaded Angelenos. He also covers mental health.UCLA, Cal State University Los Angeles and Cal State Dominguez Hills announced Monday a collective $110 million investment from the Ballmer Group.UCLA, Cal State University Los Angeles and Cal State Dominguez Hills on Monday announced a collective $110 million investment from the Ballmer Group to support the training of new mental health workers.Cal State Dominguez Hills says its $29 million gift is the largest in the university’s history. Most of the money awarded from the group founded by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will go toward scholarships of up to $18,000 a year for students studying in fields related to mental health. It’ll also help launch a new program that aims to train hundreds of mental health workers to focus on South L.A. neighborhoods.In a report published in January , The California Department of Healthcare Access and Information said all counties across the state are facing a shortage of non-prescribing licensed clinicians, with more than 55,000 needed to meet demand statewide.Every state in the West is expected to face an above-normal threat of wildfire this summer, according to the latest projections released Wednesday by the National Interagency Coordination Center.: Citing an ongoing snow drought, rapid snowmelt, and a recent unprecedented heat wave, the latest maps feature red spilling across the Southwest and into the Rockies, Pacific Northwest, and northern California. Overall there's been less snowpack and higher temperatures than pretty much any winter on record. It’s a situation that climatologists have said would be virtually impossible without climate change, and the maps reflect that reality.The one notable spot on the latest maps that seems safe for now is Southern California, though that’s because the fire season there doesn’t usually start until later in the summer, or even into fall.the latest projections The government-run center publishes monthly reports predicting fire risk for the four months ahead, and the change since the March outlook is staggering. The agency denotes elevated risk in red on its maps, and the June forecast from March 2 showed a small swath of rouge in the Southwest. But, citing an ongoing snow drought, rapid snowmelt, and a recent unprecedented heat wave, the latest maps feature red spilling across the Southwest and into the Rockies, Pacific Northwest, and northern California. “We’re probably not going to be in great shape this year,” said Matthew Hurteau, director of the Center for Fire Resilient Ecosystems and Society at the University of New Mexico. While it’s normal for the Southwest to experience a relatively early fire season, before the summer monsoons hit, what really stood out to him was how quickly the red moved north. “It’s really early for that.” Projections for June wildland fire risk from the National Interagency Coordination Center released on March 2, 2026 and updated on April 1, 2026 . June typically sees snow lingering in many mountain ranges and snowmelt wetting the landscape, he said. Not this year. The latest outlook reports that the snow melt-off in the Four Corners region came “not just several weeks or months earlier than normal, but also four to six weeks earlier than the previously recorded earliest melt-off dates.”also desiccated the West. Albuquerque, for example, recorded its earliest ever 90-degree reading on March 21, more than six weeks sooner than its previous earliest date, in 1947. The daily average of 73.1 degrees Las Vegas recorded in March would have broken the city’s April record.than pretty much any winter on record. It’s a situation that climatologists have said would be virtually impossible without climate change, and the maps reflect that reality. “It doesn’t mean that all of these areas are going to burn,” said Alastair Hayden, professor at Cornell University and a former division chief in the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Last year, for example, the Pacific Northwest saw an above-normal risk but was largely spared. Local patterns, such as wind and precipitation, play a major role, too. “But, when I look back at the forecast, fires usually tend to be in one of these locations.” The one notable spot on the latest maps that seems safe for now is Southern California, though that’s because the fire season there doesn’t usually start until later in the summer, or even into fall. There are also surprising splotches of red, like in Florida, which is experiencing a drought. But the West is by far the largest area of concern. “Keep an eye on July,” said Hurteau. “The Fourth of July is the single highest ignition day of the year.” The sheer expanse of land that could be at risk simultaneously worries Hurteau. “Our fire suppression apparatus is in part dependent on the whole region not being on fire at the same time,” he said. Fire crews count on being able to hop from hot spot to hot spot. If there are too many at once, resources could run thin. The number of acres across the country that have burned through March is already 231 percent of the 10-year average. A wet spring, however, could change everything. It recently rained in Albuquerque where Hurteau is based, and, if it continues, the fire risk could go down dramatically. That’s what happened last year. “I’m sure that’s what all the fire people are hoping for too, because that would be nice,” said Hurteau. “But hope is not a great strategy.” Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Learn more at If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.Visitors from several countries that have already qualified for the World Cup will have to pay bonds of up to $15,000 to enter the U.S. while federal bans travel affect another 39 nations.While exceptions are being made for players, coaches, support staff and immediate family members of players for countries affected by bans on travel to the U.S., no such exception has been officially put in place for players from countries that require bonds.The U.S. has instituted bonds that foreign visitors from 50 countries must pay before they are allowed to enter the country, up to $15,000 per person.Arlington, especially, hopes to cash in on that economic impact. Dallas Stadium, the Dallas Cowboys home rebranded as such for the World Cup despite its location in Arlington, will host the most games at nine. While exceptions are being made for players, coaches, support staff and immediate family members of players for countries affected by bans on travel to the U.S., no such exception has been officially put in place for players from countries that require bonds.“Our commitment to these players will remain, and so I would absolutely expect there would be exceptions, just like there are for the visa ban,” Houston told KERA. Houston said that’s in part because the list of countries whose nationals will have to pay the bond is recent.The U.S. has instituted bonds that foreign visitors from 50 countries must pay before they are allowed to enter the country, up to $15,000 per person. Another 19 countries have a complete ban on travel to the U.S. while another 20 have partial suspensions. The countries from which visitors are required to pay the bonds include World Cup competitors like Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Algeria, Cape Verde and Senegal. Cape Verde is the only of those countries with a match scheduled in Texas, with a June 26 match against Saudi Arabia in Houston. None are scheduled for games in Arlington during the group stage. A spokesperson for the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee directed a KERA interview request to FIFA, which did not respond to the request. Despite requiring visitors from 50 countries to pay a bond for entry to the US, federal officials expect huge fan numbers at World Cup matches across the country, Houston said. The FIFA PASS, an option for expedited visa application processes for World Cup ticket holders, is expected to help make that easier. Mignon said people who already have tickets to World Cup match in the U.S. can apply for an expedited visa process. Potential visitors are required to buy a World Cup ticket before applying with FIFA PASS, spending potentially thousands of dollars on a single ticket. While there are no guarantees that applicants will have a visa approved, either at all or before the World Cup match for which they've bought tickets, Houston said it is the best shot to ensure visitors have permission to enter the country before the tournament. Visitors who are applying through FIFA PASS and are from a country with bond requirements will still have to pay those bonds.Whoever is elected this fall as governor and state superintendent of public instruction will face a new reality for California education. The changing of the guard after the eight-year term limits for Gov. Gavin Newsom and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond will likely coincide with a belt-tightening period for the state budget, forcing tough choices for the next governor.Several factors are squeezing districts’ spending that will likely escalate in the coming years, demanding the next governor’s attention. The issues include declining enrollment, a rise in the number of students with disabilities as well as an increasing cost of living.Newsom is proposing to shift control of the department’s operations to a new education commissioner appointed by the next governor — an arrangement common among states. The shift would diminish the power of the state superintendent, who’d be relieved of managing the education bureaucracy while remaining the state’s elected advocate-in-chief of education. If approved, that'll be only the first step to untangling the current fractured system of school improvement and accountability.Whoever is elected this fall as governor and state superintendent of public instruction will face a new reality for California education. The changing of the guard after the eight-year term limits for Gov. Gavin Newsom and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond will likely coincide with a belt-tightening period for the state budget, forcing tough choices for the next governor. A consolation prize, however, could be more authority over the California Department of Education. Newsom is proposing to shift control of the department’s operations to a new education commissioner appointed by the next governor — an arrangement common among states. The shift would diminish the power of the state superintendent, who’d be relieved of managing the education bureaucracy while remaining the state’s elected advocate-in-chief of education. Over the past six years, amid a burst of state revenue, Newsom and the Legislature enacted multibillion-dollar programs that redefined TK-12. They expanded TK-12 with transitional kindergarten for 4-year-olds and lengthened the school day through expanded learning. Money for apprenticeships and career pathways created post-high school opportunities, and community schools broadened connections with parents and neighborhood health services. But the era of large-scale programs will be Newsom’s legacy, not his successor’s. Circumstances beyond the next governor’s control — continuing declines in enrollment and revenues, probably retreating to historical levels, forcing additional school closures, with a recession looming — will temper ambitions of what more can be done for California’s students. And then there are sounds of frustration, growing louder from the picket line to the school boardroom to the hallways of Sacramento. Districts are complaining that the rollout of ambitious programs, with accompanying reporting requirements and regulations, has diverted their attention and strained their budgets., which serves 4,200 TK-8 students in El Dorado County, was emphatic. “We don’t need new programs,” he said. Adding more, he said, would result in continued labor strife over pay raises that many districts argue they can’t afford, and “an inability to maintain the programs we have.” Roth’s message, reiterated by others, is that schools should get back to basics, as in base funding — the portion of the state’s funding formula intended to cover general operating expenses. They want the Legislature and the next governor to make raising base funding the number one priority., a website that lays out the challenge of rising costs. Forty districts have signed up so far; they are primarily suburban districts with fewer-than-average high-needs students, and therefore receive less “supplemental” and “concentration” funding under the state’s Local Control Funding Formula and other programs with similar distributions. Opposition to equity is not the issue, Roth said. “Even districts with above-median funding are struggling to keep pace with rising costs.” When there is more money to cover basic expenses, he added, all districts benefit. Last month, school board presidents and members from 10 districts, mainly in the San Francisco Bay Area, made the same point while calling for, among other things, adjustments to the funding formula to reflect regional costs. “As those entrusted with ensuring the long-term financial viability and educational success of our public schools, we write to sound the alarm about the profound, widespread fiscal challenges districts across the state are facing,” they wrote. At first glance, their complaints may invoke little sympathy. From 2018-19, the year preceding Covid-19, through 2024-25, funding rose 53% through Proposition 98, the formula that sets the minimum share of state revenue for TK-12 and community colleges. Per student funding from the state will rise to more than $20,000, a record.the nearly decade-long statewide decline in enrollment to accelerate, with an additional 10% drop by 2033-34, bringing the total to 5.2 million students. Most districts will feel it, with enrollment losses of up to 20% in some Los Angeles County districts. Districts receive funding based on the average number of students who attend school daily over the course of a year. Adding transitional kindergarten has propped up attendance, but now that TK is fully phased in, the average daily attendance decline will bite harder in many districts.The percentage of students with disabilities has risen from 13% in 2018-19 to 15% in 2023-24, even as overall enrollment has declined. Newsom is proposing to add $500 million next year to equalize state special education funding among districts, but the overall trend has not favored districts. The federal share of total special education funding in California, never close to the 40% share that Congress envisioned 50 years ago when passing the federal special education mandate, has fallen steadily over the past decade, as has the state’s share of dedicated funding. Districts will continue to be responsible for the shortfall. Districts’ share of special education costs has risen from 51% in 2014 to 63% last year, according to School Services of California, a statewide consulting company, and higher in some small districts. Placer County Office of Education Superintendent Gayle Garbolino-Mojica said that unexpected special education costs have forced three of her districts onto the state’s financial watch list. Preschoolers are coming to school with serious special needs — autism, multiple disabilities, behavioral problems — “in numbers not seen before,” she said.A 3% decline in a district’s attendance may not appear dramatic, but losing 3% of funding will be larger than the 2.41% cost-of-living adjustment that districts are projected to receive in 2026-27. And it’s larger than the 2.30% COLA they got this year and the 1.07% COLA in 2024-25. The state’s COLA is tied to a national formula of a basket of goods that doesn’t reflect the sharp rise in health insurance and the need to raise staff pay to retain teachers. The state cushions the impact of a steadily declining enrollment by allowing districts to claim attendance over a three-year period. Without it, “we would be toast,” said Roth. But that’s not a long-term answer, he said. “We cannot adjust costs as quickly as we will lose revenue.”Because of Proposition 98’s funding guarantee, TK-12 and community colleges will continue to receive 40% of the state’s general revenue, yet districts collectively will receive fewer dollars as their enrollments drop. The unallotted difference, euphemistically called a “declining enrollment dividend,” could grow to $7.5 billion annually, providing a pot of discretionary funding for the Legislature and governor. How to spend it could prove one of the more contentious decisions in the coming years. Among the options: Switching from funding by attendance to funding by annual enrollment, a method favored especially by districts hardest hit by chronic absences. Adding a regional cost factor to the Local Control Funding Formula — a much-discussed idea over the years, but never adopted;Building in a permanent 4% annual COLA; Making permanent what has been sporadic among districts: funding professional development, starting with evidence-based instruction in early literacy and the new math framework.Plenty of important decisions won’t require more money. While it’s a fool’s errand to predict what future events will determine, what could crowd its way to the top of the list includes:If the Legislature approves Newsom’s plan as part of the next state budget, the department will fall under the authority of Newsom’s successor. That will be only the first step to untangling the current fractured system of school improvement and accountability. Like it or not, the next governor will take credit or blame for implementing programs the state superintendent of instruction had managed. That’s the lawsuit the public interest law firm Public Advocates filed on behalf of 14 students, parents, and teachers in six school districts, challenging the first-come, first-served state formula for distributing billions of dollars to repair school facilities. If Newsom doesn’t settle what he has acknowledged favors wealthy districts, then the decision to defend or negotiate an end to an inequitable system falls to his successor.AI is a big, amorphous subject, enticing and forbidding, that has been left to districts to decipher and deal with vendors. The next California governor can call for all students to be AI literate, said Chris Agnew, director of Generative AI for Education Hub at Stanford University, and ask fundamental questions like, “What are the core capacities we want to build in California students, and what are the research-backed learning experiences that build these capacities?”to establish 14 networks for high schools and middle schools in 57 districts. Some have been experimenting for years, while others are launching different models with team teaching, small-group learning to strengthen student relationships, and nontraditional scheduling to accommodate apprenticeships. A seven-period day, driven by college course requirements and seat time regulations, is hard to change. But if, as State Board President Linda Darling-Hammond hopes, the results show “what it takes for students to be engaged and purposeful in a rapidly changing world,” the next governor should scale up the project, she said.Newsom’s big bets on improving students’ well-being and academic progress may bear fruit long term. But the California School Boards Association is demanding full attention now to narrowing persistent disparities in achievement between low-income and well-off students, and among racial and ethnic groups.that would hold state agencies accountable for providing the annual metrics that they use to track how they are closing the achievement gap. A separate commission would weed out regulations and duplicate programs, and give a thumbs-down on new programs that would divert resources and energy from addressing the achievement gap. The bills may not pass, at least as written, but the message is clear: A governor with a different agenda may be out of sync with the times.is an independent nonprofit organization that provides analysis on key education issues facing California and the nation. LAist republishes articles from EdSource with permission.
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Second eagle chick born to Jackie and Shadow in CaliforniaSecond eagle chick born in Big Bear area in California
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