Ex-Olympian, accused in drug ring tied to Southern California, added to FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list

• March 7, 2025

A former Olympic snowboarder from Canada, charged in a drug-trafficking operation for allegedly shipping hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl through Southern California to elsewhere in the U.S. and to Canada, has been added to the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list, authorities said on Thursday, March 6.

Ryan James Wedding, 43, was believed to be hiding out in Mexico under the protection of the Sinaloa drug cartel or in South or Central America, federal authorities said at a press conference.

Wedding represented Canada in the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City and was charged in the drug-trafficking operation in October. His partner, Andrew Clark, was arrested in Mexico last year and brought back to the United States this week, said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph McNally.

Officials also announced a reward up to $10 million from the U.S. State Department for information leading to Wedding’s arrest and conviction. They said the drug ring’s co-leader should be considered armed and dangerous.

“This sends a strong message to individuals abroad that if you operate criminal organizations outside of the United States that harm us, we will be aggressive in pursuing you beyond our borders, and we will use our full resources to find you,” McNally said.

“This $10 million reward … reflects our efforts to wipe out these organizations so they cannot harm the United States,” he continued.

As part of the operation, the drugs would be shipped from Mexico to Los Angeles, where they would be stored in stash houses before being taken north by long-haul semi-trucks, according to an October indictment charging Wedding and 15 others with international cocaine trafficking and murder. The operation was run from at least January to August 2024, federal officials say.

The indictment says the group resorted to murder, with Wedding and Clark accused of ordering the Nov. 20, 2023, murders of two members of a family in Ontario, Canada in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment. They also allegedly ordered the murder of another victim on May 18 over a drug debt.

Clark and another defendant were charged with the April 1 murder of another victim in Ontario, Canada.

Wedding, also known by aliases “El Jefe,” “Giant,” and “Public Enemy,” is charged with eight felonies: two counts of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, one count of conspiracy to export cocaine, one count of leading a continuing criminal enterprise, three counts of murder, and one count of attempt to commit.

“Wedding went from shredding powder on the slopes at the Olympics to distributing powder cocaine on the streets of U.S. cities and in his native Canada,” said Akil Davis, assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The alleged murders of his competitors make Wedding a very dangerous man.”

Davis said Wedding’s addition to the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, along with the reward, “will make the public our partner so that we can catch up with him before he puts anyone else in danger.”

Authorities asked anyone with information on Wedding’s whereabouts to call the FBI at 424-495-0614.

Wedding is described as 6-feet, 3-inches tall and weighing 240 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. But on Thursday, officials said, he may have altered his appearance.

​ Orange County Register 

More than hot flashes: Women raise awareness about menopause symptoms and work

• March 7, 2025

By CATHY BUSSEWITZ, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — It took five years for Crystal Burke to put a name to the symptoms that haunted her.

Heart palpitations. Insomnia so severe she slept only two to four hours a night. A newfound struggle to make decisions in her job as a nurse. Confusion when dealing with statistics, which she used to handle with ease.

“It affected my work, it affected my relationships, it affected everything,” Burke said. “I felt lost. I didn’t talk to anybody about it.”

Then Burke saw an advertisement about a face cream which contained estrogen, one of the two hormones ovaries produce less and less of with aging. She began talking with friends about her symptoms. And she connected the dots: menopause.

At just 38, Burke had thought she was too young to be going through the life stage when menstrual periods stop and women no longer can become pregnant. But menopause is more than the pop culture stereotype featuring women in their 50s having hot flashes. Symptoms can start much earlier — during perimenopause, the time leading up to menopause — and go well beyond hot flashes.

The many manifestations include insomnia, migraines, brain fog, loss of concentration, memory problems, mood swings, depression, anxiety, heart palpitations, hair loss and weight gain. If that wasn’t enough, some people experience heavy, painful periods or recurring urinary tract infections.

Chronic insomnia can make it difficult to concentrate. Brain fog leaves the afflicted struggling to find words during meetings. But social stigma and a lack of information have left menopausal people dealing alone with severe symptoms that may impact their work. Many stay silent, fearing they’ll be viewed as underperformers or weak.

Some women in senior leadership positions leave their jobs or reduce their hours as a result of debilitating side effects from menopause, said Lauren Redfern, executive director of Hormonally, a nonprofit that provides workplace training and education about women’s health. But those who feel supported by employers during the transition are more likely to remain at work, she said.

“When you open up a space to talk about these things, people are desperate to have a conversation,” Redfern said. “The symptoms are so diverse and so far-reaching and so prolific they impact every area of someone’s life.”

Promoting changes around ‘the change’

Menopause affects about half the world’s population at some point in life. Yet due to the epidemic of silence around it, women, nonbinary people and transgender individuals often don’t recognize the onset of unpleasant physical and emotional changes as side effects of declining hormone levels.

Finding health care providers who are trained to identify and treat their symptoms can be challenging. Some startups have sought to change that by providing access to referrals or telehealth appointments with doctors or therapists who specialize in treating menopausal patients.

“When you don’t know that something can get fixed, it’s very scary,” said Midi Health founder Joanna Strober, whose company connects women with professionals who understand menopause. ”If you think, ‘For the rest of my life I’m going to have brain fog and not remember anyone’s name, and I’m going to keep losing my car in the parking lot and I’m going to keep gaining weight,’ then it’s very demoralizing.”

Burke found relief when she began hormone replacement therapy. Inspired to help others, she co-founded The Menopause Clinic in Louisiana to offer telehealth services focused on menopause.

“The biggest thing is for women to know what perimenopause is, what menopause is, and that there are options,” Burke said. “The suffering isn’t necessary.”

Hormone replacement therapy is not an option for those with certain medical histories, and some doctors are unwilling to prescribe it. Some experts recommend acupuncture, dietary changes and exercise to help manage symptoms.

The Mayo Clinic estimates that menopause symptoms lead to $1.8 billion in lost work time per year in the U.S. About 5% of employers offer menopause benefits or accommodations such as the ability to work from home or a cool room, according to benefit consulting company NFP.

Here are some steps you or your employer can take to make the workplace more hospitable for people experiencing menopause.

Start a support group

Finding supportive colleagues can help bridge knowledge gaps. If your organization doesn’t have a menopause support group, you can start one. Once established, the group or human resources department can bring in facilitators to teach the entire workforce — not just women — about menopause.

Sarah Daniels, a communications manager, started a support group called “Menopause Matters” at Arriva Group, a U.K.-based public transportation company. The male-dominated company already had a gender inclusion group, so Daniels joined and organized the menopause group as an offshoot.

The group’s monthly meetings are held online during business hours. Participants swap notes on supplements, teas, treatments and beauty products. Daniels believes the group improves productivity because it gives members a sense of belonging within the organization.

“I know how lonely it is when you are going through these things, because you think, ‘Is this just happening to me?’” she said. “I had a UTI (urinary tract infection) that was so severe that I fainted on a train. My periods were so heavy that I couldn’t leave the house.”

Arriva has a policy that says bosses must listen to and make reasonable adjustments for employees struggling with menopause. That could mean more restroom breaks, uniform adaptations to help with hot flashes or flexible working hours, Daniels said.

Push for benefits

People working for employers who do not subsidize menopause-related care and programs can model requests for similar benefits after the small percentage of companies that do.

When Shevonya Noble joined biotechnology firm Genentech as a principal quality and compliance leader, she was connected with a care advocate who helped her find a nutritionist, wellness coach, career coach, mental health provider and physical support coach to address her menopause symptoms.

Appointment costs were covered through a benefit provided by Maven, which partners with employers and health plans to deliver care targeted to women. Genentech’s benefits also include menopause-specific classes and support groups.

At a former employer, Noble felt she had to hide the hot flashes that interrupted her sleep and disrupted her concentration while giving presentations because she didn’t see anyone else furiously fanning themselves at their desks.

“The conversation about menopause needs to be broadened to include men, not just men in our lives but in the workplace as well,” Noble said. “It’s important that we not shy away from the topic but include it in our conversations and to just take the mystique away from what goes on with women at this stage in life.”

Take ownership

Speaking up about symptoms also may help. When women experience hot flashes and brain fog at work, they’re often seen as less competent, but if they say, “It’s menopausal, I’m getting treated for it,’” the discrimination goes away and they’re seen as powerful leaders again, according to Midi founder Strober.

“You have to call it out. You have to say, ‘Oh, that’s a hot flash,’ not just look sweaty in a meeting, because then they just discount you,” she said. “But if you call it out, you can take your power back.”

Have you overcome an obstacle or made a profound change in your work? Send your questions and story ideas to cbussewitz@ap.org. Follow AP’s Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health at https://apnews.com/hub/be-well.

​ Orange County Register 

Detectives search for two persons of interest in Cerritos shooting death

• March 7, 2025

Detectives are asking for the public to help identify a man and a woman seen in the area where a 66-year-old man was fatally shot in Cerritos, authorities said Friday.

Cuauhtemoc Garcia Zuniga was shot around 12:30 p.m. Feb. 25 near Coyote Creek Riverbed, west of Carmenita Road, according to the Sheriff’s Information Bureau and county Medical Examiner.

Zuniga was pronounced dead at the scene by Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics.

Detectives released a bulletin Friday with a surveillance photo of a man and a woman who were seen in the area at the time of the homicide.

Fox 11 reported Zuniga was a businessman who was walking for fitness at the time he was shot.

Anyone with information was asked to call LASD Homicide Det. Louie Aguilera or Det. Yoon Nam at 323-890-5500.

​ Orange County Register 

UCLA and USC have plenty at stake in Big Ten men’s basketball clash

• March 7, 2025

LOS ANGELES — The UCLA and USC men’s basketball teams will finish out the regular season with the second edition of their crosstown rivalry Saturday.

When the Bruins and Trojans last met Jan. 27, fingernails scattered Galen Center after USC nearly upset UCLA with a run late in the second half. The Bruins staved off the comeback effort, benefitting from Sebastian Mack’s late-game heroics. They banded together to overcome a late injury to point guard Dylan Andrews and jeers that rained down on former Trojan Kobe Johnson.

Now on Saturday, the crowd will be on Johnson’s side. His senior night will take place in Pauley Pavilion, ironically, against the team he played with for his first three years in college.

“It’s surreal,” he said at UCLA’s practice Thursday. “Feels like just yesterday I was coming into college, you know, but most importantly, we gotta go out there and get the W.”

The Trojans were stumbling through a five-game losing streak before dominating Washington 92-61 on Wednesday. Forward Rashaun Agee has been a bright spot, averaging 19.7 points over phe last three games. Leading scorer Desmond Claude bounced back with a 25-point performance against the Huskies.

The Trojans epitomize the depth of the Big Ten as they beat the conference’s regular-season champion Michigan State on Feb. 1, yet need a victory Saturday to ensure they don’t miss the Big Ten Tournament altogether. Fifteen teams make the Big Ten Tournament. USC currently sits 13th in the conference, but could drop into a tie for 15th with a loss or rise to 11th with a win.

UCLA knows all too well that, in the Big Ten, no team can be underestimated. The stakes at hand for USC make that all the more relevant.

The Bruins have secured a bye in the Big Ten Tournament and are firmly in the NCAA Tournament. Over the last four games, though, they’ve traded wins and losses. With the NCAA Tournament looming, it’s crucial that the Bruins start to build momentum.

“Michigan State is going to win our league because they’ve been the most consistent, hard-playing team,” UCLA head coach Mick Cronin said at practice Thursday. “We’re worried about becoming that for the NCAA Tournament.”

To propel a postseason push, UCLA needs to stack wins in their remaining opportunities to improve their seeding, use those games to work on the focal points that Cronin believes are correlated to winning in the NCAA Tournament, and figure out which players are ready to push them toward the finish line.

“We’ve had a good year,” Cronin said Monday after the Bruins’ 73-69 victory at Northwestern, “but we’re not gonna be significant and have a chance to make a run in March if we don’t go after the ball like our life’s on the line.”

“And then we gotta play defense with purpose and accountability to each other. I just didn’t think we played hard enough defensively for part of this Big Ten season. We’ve done it at a high level at times, just not consistently.”

Cronin felt UCLA had “complete 40-minute performances” from a rebounding and defensive standpoint in neutral-site wins against Gonzaga and No. 24 Arizona, as well as Big Ten victories over Oregon and No. 8 Michigan State.

Both of those Big Ten programs have been surging recently and seem primed to make their mark in March Madness. The Bruins, on the other hand, have struggled to produce “complete 40-minute performances,” Cronin said, even in recent wins over Ohio State and Northwestern.

When it comes to the NCAA Tournament, UCLA could land anywhere between a six and a nine seed, depending on how the rest of the season plays out. Being on the lower side of that would be a tough draw as the No. 1 seeds – teams like Auburn, Duke and Houston – are as strong as ever.

The Bruins résumé did improve as the Ducks’ six-game win streak and the Trojans’ win against Washington pushed UCLA’s victories over those teams back into Quad 1. That means they’re one of seven teams in the NCAA with nine Quad 1 wins.

Regardless of where they fall on the seed line, though, it’s important that the Bruins are at their best in the NCAA Tournament.

Cronin touched on pick-and-roll coverage, winning the turnover battle, and making free throws as points of emphasis for the Bruins to improve on. Individually, players have to build on past performances and others who have been struggling have to get hot.

Tyler Bilodeau and Aday Mara have been humming. Bilodeau is averaging 15.2 points over the past six games. Mara has shown his value on defense after Cronin challenged him on that side of the ball, averaging 1.6 blocks in just 13.8 minutes over the past five games.

On the other hand, Dylan Andrews has averaged just 5.0 points over the past eight games.

“Dylan hasn’t played up to his standards, at times,” Cronin said. “We’re clearly a better team when he’s playing well.”

When asked about Andrews, Cronin mostly avoided criticizing his point guard. It’s too late in the season for him to simply go away from someone so integral and bench him. Rather, Cronin is trying to instill confidence in Andrews because he’s vital to UCLA’s contention hopes. Cronin, though, has been sifting through different lineups, including playing Mara and forward William Kyle together against Northwestern.

The time for experimenting, though, has come and gone, so UCLA will have to rely on the defensive and rebounding habits it’s built, and that its stars shine throughout the postseason.

USC (15-15, 7-12) at UCLA (21-9, 12-7)

When: 5 p.m. Saturday

Where: Pauley Pavilion

TV/radio: FOX (Ch. 11)/AM 570

​ Orange County Register 

Kennedy and influencers bash seed oils, baffling nutrition scientists

• March 7, 2025

By JONEL ALECCIA, Associated Press Health Writer

Until recently, most Americans had never heard the term “seed oils,” even though they’ve likely cooked with and consumed them for decades.

It’s the catchy description coined by internet influencers, wellness gurus and some politicians to refer to common cooking oils — think canola, soybean and corn oil — that have long been staples in many home kitchens.

Those fiery critics refer to the top refined vegetable oils as “the hateful eight” and claim that they’re fueling inflammation and high rates of chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the new health secretary, has said Americans are being “unknowingly poisoned” by seed oils and has called for fast-food restaurants to return to using beef tallow, or rendered animal fat, in their fryers instead.

In response to consumer concerns, some food-makers have stripped seed oils from their products. Restaurants like the salad chain Sweetgreen have removed them from their menus. Many Americans say they now avoid seed oils, according to a recent survey International Food Information Council, an industry trade group.

The seed oil discussion has exasperated nutrition scientists, who say decades of research confirms the health benefits of consuming such oils, especially in place of alternatives such as butter or lard.

“I don’t know where it came from that seed oils are bad,” said Martha Belury, an Ohio State University food science professor.

In a Senate hearing Thursday, Dr. Marty Makary, nominated to lead the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, called for a closer review of the products.

“I think seed oils are a good example of where we could benefit from a consolidation of the scientific evidence,” he said.

What are seed oils?

Simply put, they are oils extracted from plant seeds. They include eight commonly targeted by critics: canola, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, soybean, sunflower, safflower and rice bran.

Seed oils are typically made by pressing or crushing the seeds and then processing them further with chemicals and heat to remove elements that can leave the oil cloudy or with an unpleasant taste or odor.

The result of such refining is a neutral-tasting oil that is inexpensive, shelf-stable and able to be heated at a high temperature without smoking, said Eric Decker, a food science professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

By contrast, olive oil and avocado oil are considered fruit oils. They’re often cold-pressed, which retains many of the plant-based compounds that benefit health — but also makes the oils more expensive and prone to smoking at high heat.

Seed oils are composed mostly of unsaturated fatty acids, including monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. Most seed oils are high in one type of fatty acid, omega-6, and low in another type, omega-3. Those fatty acids are essential for human health, but our bodies don’t make them on their own, so we must get them from foods.

What are the claims about seed oils and health?

Critics of seed oils make a range of claims that many scientists say are not borne out by research.

Some critics contend that the way the oils are produced leaves behind toxic byproducts of a chemical called hexane. Hexane is considered hazardous in a gas form, but Decker said the hexane used as a liquid solvent to extract the oil is evaporated off and that the residue that remains “is very low and would not present a risk.”

Another common claim is that the seed oils’ high omega-6 and low omega-3 composition causes an imbalance that may increase the risk of chronic conditions by boosting inflammation in the body.

Belury, who has studied fatty acids for three decades, says that claim is based on an oversimplification and misunderstanding of the science. Studies have shown that increased intake of linoleic acid, the most common omega-6, does not significantly affect concentrations of inflammatory markers in the blood, she said.

“Scientists who study omega-6 and omega-3 think we need both,” Belury said. “Seed oils do not increase acute or chronic inflammation markers.”

In addition, research from the American Heart Association and others has consistently shown that plant-based oils reduce so-called bad cholesterol, lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke, especially compared with sources high in saturated fat.

That’s found in new research from Brigham and Women’s Hospital scientists as well. A study of more than 200,000 adults over more than 30 years released Thursday found that people who ate the highest amounts of butter had a 15% higher risk of dying than those who ate the least. People who ate the most plant-based oils — including seed oils — had a 16% lower risk than those who ate the least.

Dr. Daniel Wang, who led the research, said new modeling data suggests that swapping less than a tablespoon a day of butter for equal calories of plant-based oils could lower premature deaths from cancer and overall mortality by 17%. Such a small daily change could result in “a substantial benefit,” Wang said.

Seed oil consumption has risen

Groups like the Seed Oil Free Alliance, which charges firms to certify their products are free of the oils, note that seed oil consumption in the U.S. has soared in recent decades and that they provide empty calories that “displace other, more nutritious foods.”

Corey Nelson, cofounder of the group, said that just as consumers can buy low-sodium and low-sugar versions of foods, they should be able to choose products that contain no seed oils, if they wish.

Food scientists agree that consumption of seed oils has increased, but they say that’s because they’re widely used in fried and fast foods and ultraprocessed foods, which make up nearly three-quarters of the U.S. food supply. Those foods, which have been linked to a host of health problems, also include high levels of refined grains, added sugars and sodium. There’s no evidence that the seed oils themselves are responsible for poor health outcomes, experts said.

Consumers concerned about seed oils should eat fewer ultraprocessed foods. They should seek medical advice to personalize their consumption of the oils, with people using a variety of oils depending on their health status, Decker said.

Research shows olive oil is the healthiest choice, so people should use it “as their cooking style and pocketbook allows,” he noted. At the same time, they can boost consumption of healthy omega-3s by eating more fish like tuna and salmon.

Both proponents and detractors of seed oils agree on one thing: More nutrition research is needed to explore nuances and resolve long-simmering issues.

In the meantime, scientists said a return to beef tallow, with its high levels of saturated fat, isn’t the answer.

“There is no evidence to indicate that beef tallow is healthier than seed oils,” Decker wrote in an email. “Remember, tallow is also processed to purify the fat.”

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

​ Orange County Register 

Your questions about cats and bird flu risk, answered

• March 7, 2025

Bird flu isn’t just affecting chickens and cows; it’s hitting pet cats.

An estimated 11.6 million households in California own 23.3 million cats. A growing number of these and an unknowable population of free-roaming “community cats” have been contracting avian flu, or H5N1.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 19 out of 39 — nearly half — of non-livestock mammals in California infected over the course of the ongoing H5N1 outbreak have been domestic cats. The majority of these cats, including a stray taken in by a Half Moon Bay family and confirmed with H5N1 infection last month, have died or been euthanized.

With kitten season around the corner, this news organization herded together cat experts for advice on how to reduce the spread of bird flu among felines and the species that interact with them.

Q: Can cats spread H5N1 to people?

A: A written statement by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) said there have been no reports of humans contracting bird flu from cats. But animal-to-human transmission of the virus has already been taking place. California leads the country in human H5N1 infections, mostly from infected dairy cows. Dr. Jane E. Sykes, a specialist in infectious diseases in dogs and cats at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, said, “If the virus was to change in the future, as it’s shown it can do, then it could have more serious implications for humans in terms of pandemic development.”

Q: Why are cats so susceptible to the virus?

A: Susceptibility relates to the density and location of specific viral cell receptors in the respiratory tracts and other organ systems of cats, Sykes said, and underlying characteristics of their immune systems.

Q: What about bird flu risk in dogs, and dogs close to cats?

A: For now, very few domestic dogs have been reported with bird flu infections. Sykes said that this is probably because they are less susceptible to H5N1. This does not mean that they are immune.

Q: Should cat owners worry yet?

A: According to CDPH, “Human interaction with domestic cats is more intimate and ongoing than with livestock and poultry species.” This closeness exponentially increases the potential for cat-to-human and eventually human-to-human contagion, and scientists say that testing capabilities and mRNA human vaccine research are not prepared for this.

Q: How are cats getting bird flu?

A: The majority of domesticated cats infected during this outbreak consumed raw milk or commercially marketed raw food products. The cause of infection in the Half Moon Bay stray was never determined, raising concern over feral (wild) and stray (lost, abandoned) community cats. These animals have a greater chance of exposure to other infected cats, wild birds or black rats, which joined the list of H5N1-affected animals in California at the beginning of this year.

Q: What is the incubation period for bird flu in cats?

A: Clinical signs usually appear in infected cats after a few days to a week, according to Sykes.

Q: Can cats spread bird flu while asymptomatic?

A: “There is no evidence that healthy cats can be infected with H5N1 and spread the virus without showing symptoms,” according to CDPH. But Sykes said that there are too many unknowns to be sure. “We don’t know how many cats are getting exposed and recovering without showing signs of illness. We still don’t have big studies available to understand what proportion of cats are, for example, fed raw food diets, and have antibodies to the virus,” she cautioned.

Q: Is there a vaccine for bird flu yet?

A: On Feb. 14, the Zoetis pharmaceutical company announced conditional approval from the USDA for a vaccine currently limited to poultry.

Q: How can I prevent my pet from getting bird flu?

A: Scientists, veterinarians, public health officials and animal lovers are all urging cat owners to keep their pet cats indoors at all times if possible. “It’s just much safer and healthier for them overall,” said Dr. Katherine Mills, medical director of the Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter (FAAS). Mills also recommended not feeding cats raw milk or raw food, even if the products are commercially packaged, frozen or freeze-dried.

Q: How do I know if my cat has avian influenza?

A: They may present upper respiratory symptoms, like sneezing, coughing or congestion and difficulty breathing, or runny discharge from the eyes, nose and mouth, plus lethargy and loss of appetite. Mills said to look out for neurological signs, such as “just mentally not seeming alert, maybe stumbling when they’re walking.” Ultimately, only testing can confirm what is ailing an animal, so it is important to bring sick cats to the vet.

Q: Do I need to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) to handle a sick cat?

A: Mills said “it would never be wrong to wear gloves plus or minus a mask to get the cat in its carrier and get to the vet.”

Q: Up until now, poultry have been “culled” — killed — if even one bird has avian influenza. Will my pet cat or a stray I bring in be summarily euthanized in the interest of public health?

A: There is no protocol for the routine euthanizing of cats with H5N1 infections, but experts say that supportive care has rarely been able to help cats with rapidly progressing symptoms of bird flu.

Q: Are free-roaming community cats a public risk?

A: The statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (IPM) at the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources states that outdoor cats, comprising anywhere from 18-49% of the U.S. cat population, are already one of the100 worst invasive species worldwide because of their environmental impact and intractability.

Q: If I find a cat that appears healthy, can I take it home?

A: CDPH says to avoid contact with unfamiliar animals regardless of their apparent condition. Encounters should be reported to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife at (916) 358-2790, or the nearest animal control department, shelter or humane society. Mills said found cats can also have ringworm, fleas and a host of contagions other than bird flu.

Q: What are authorities doing about the emerging risk of free-roaming cats as a bird flu spreader?

A: CDPH has not issued H5N1-specific guidance for managing stray cat populations. Counties continue to manage community cats at their discretion, often in cooperation with shelters and humane societies.

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County Soccer Club aims to build off last year’s unusual playoff run

• March 7, 2025

Orange County Soccer Club hit an unusual trifecta last season.

The team started the season with Morten Karlsen in charge as coach. He departed in June for a job in Denmark, with Paul Hardyman replacing him. Hardyman didn’t last long and he was replaced by Danny Stone in August.

Three coaches in one season could be the perfect recipe for disaster.

However, OCSC was able to turn adversity into a run to the USL Championship Western Conference semifinals.

“It was not an easy task,” Stone said. “It was a very up-and-down season, but credit to the players for banding together and framing that last two or three months of the season as a new challenge.

“Regardless of what happened before, they were outstanding at pulling together in that dressing room and working extremely hard to make sure that we finished the season in a way that we wanted to. I give them immense praise for the mentality they showed, that’s not an easy task to bounce back from adversity, especially going into a playoff situation.”

Stone led OCSC to a 7-4-1 record, the best record in the USL during that 12-game stretch, to secure a spot in the playoffs. The team’s season ended in the conference semifinal for the second consecutive season, this time with a 2-1 loss at Colorado Springs.

In the offseason, the club removed the interim tag and promoted Stone.

On Saturday, OCSC kicks off the 2025 season at Championship Stadium in Irvine against Oakland Roots SC at 7 p.m.

“We’re really looking forward to it, we’re looking to build from that foundation,” Stone said.

OCSC returns 11 players, led by midfielders Kyle Scott and Bryce Jamison, goalkeeper Colin Shutler and forward Ethan Zubak. Shutler is back for his third season and had 97 saves last season and earned USL Championship Player of the Month honor in September. Scott made 25 appearances last season. Zubak, who is heading into his second season with OCSC, scored 11 goals.

“It was a really interesting season,” Zubak said. “Had a lot of ups and downs, but the biggest thing that we can take from it is that we ended really positively as a group. For me, individually, it was good to catch heat the end of the year as well, that’s the time you want to do it.

“Now that we have consistency in the coaching staff, consistency in the group as far as health, it’s going to be an exciting year.”

OCSC again has a wealth of young talent to watch. Aside from Jamison (19), Pedro Guimares (16) is back for his second season. The Aliso Viejo native recently played with the U.S. U-17s in the World Cup qualifiers. Nico Benalcazar (23) joins from Cincinnati FC 2, former Galaxy Academy product Cameron Dunbar (22) returns for his second season and San Clemente native Tristan Trager (25) signed from Monterey Bay FC.

“We’re building now with some returning players, but also a lot of new players,” Stone said. “There is always a new phase of rebuilding and adding new players into the squad and allowing the necessary time and putting in the necessary work for that to jell together, which is always a process in itself, and what we do this year should never look the same as last year. It’s different people, different players, it’s a different season.

“We’re very pleased with how we finished the season last year, that will certainly give us a good foundation from which to build and confidence moving into the start of the season.”

​ Orange County Register 

Group managing Dana Point Headlands preserve submit plan to reduce hours for Bluff Top Trail access

• March 7, 2025

An environmental group that manages lands on the Dana Point Headlands — one of only three locations in California where the endangered Pacific pocket mouse is found — has submitted a plan to again reduce the hours the public can use the trail.

The Bluff Top Trail along the ridge of the massive rock outcropping is popular for viewing marine life and sea birds in the ocean below in a town trademarked as the Dolphin and Whale Capital of the World. The trail, now open daily from sunrise to sunset, takes visitors past coastal sage brush and other natural vegetation that’s home to the mice — in 2022, there were 77 counted — and the threatened California gnatcatcher.

But for years, there has been a tug-of-war between the Center for Natural Lands Managment and the city about how much public access should be allowed. The center wants to reduce use down to four days a week and set hours that keep people from being present during low-light times when the mice are more likely to be above ground.

The city, which secured an easement for the trail when home development was allowed at nearby Strand Beach, says the public should be able to enjoy the grounds and vista seven days a week. In 2022, a court order allowed for the daily use, and in May, the city’s Planning Commission solidified those hours by issuing a permit.

The center has responded with its own permit application, which included more than a hundred pages of documentation arguing for reducing access. The city has had it for review since October.

Recently, the Planning Commission agreed that enough information was provided to move it forward and, pending some additional environmental studies, it is now likely the commission could review the center’s application for more limited access by early summer. Center officials called the delay a stall tactic.

“I’m inclined to keep this moving forward,” said Commissioner Eric Nelson, adding the trail high above the Pacific Ocean lies on about 1% of the land set aside as part of the Headlands Development and Conservation Plan agreed to when the homes were built on Strand Beach. “The trail was to maximize public coastal access.”

Nelson said that for the city to consider modifying the trail hours, more review is needed to see how critical the daily times are now in allowing people to travel by foot from the harbor to Salt Creek Beach.

“That’s a 60% reduction in overall use,” Nelson said, referring to the center’s proposal. “That is a significant decrease in access to a public resource.”

While the commissioners may view the center’s proposal as an infringement of public use, the nonprofit’s leaders say their plan is necessary to provide a more ideal habitat for the endangered pocket mouse to exist and breed.

The only other locations where the pocket mouse exists now are on Camp Pendleton and in the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, where some mice raised at the San Diego Zoo were released. In 2017, studies of the new population showed they had begun breeding independently.

“We are pleased that (Center for Natural Lands Managment’s) appeal was granted,” said Sarah Mueller, attorney for the nonprofit, but added she is unhappy the city has not moved quicker and the group is concerned continued delay and the public’s daily presence are setting things back for the conservation effort.

“(Center for Natural Lands Managment’s) application should have been deemed complete last year,” she said. “This seems to be yet another tactic by the city to improperly delay any decision on the hours for CNLM’s trail.”

City officials are arguing the center needs to examine its management of the headlands preserve and do more to improve the pocket mouse population before considering trail closures. They call the trail an “important visitor-serving coastal amenity.”

According to Mueller, CNLM tracks the mice and data that is already helping understand how the population is doing. They also track the number of people who come through the gates to the preserve and trail. Putting the information together, the group is concerned more use is impacting the mouse population, Mueller said.

With a grant from the Steel Foundation, the center bought the land from developer Sanford Edward in 2005 for $11.9 million to preserve open space on the headlands. The group also received $800,000 from the Department of Defense as mitigation for base impacts on the mouse population.

CNLM is responsible for the preservation and day-to-day management, and the public trail, for which the city has an easement, must be accessible.

The trail opened in 2009 and had the same public hours until early during the pandemic when CNLM closed it. Once it reopened, access was limited until 2022.

​ Orange County Register