Two orphaned black bear cubs are currently being raised in total silence at the San Diego Humane Society\u2019s Ramona Wildlife Center.<\/p>\n
The center is one of only three in California that can re-release bears into the wild.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The bears\u2019 caretakers wear bear masks and fur coats to make sure the cubs never realize they are human. It is a way to give the cubs a chance at staying wild \u2014 something their mother, known to locals as Blondie, didn\u2019t have. Blondie was euthanized earlier this month after swiping at a person.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Blondie was most likely \u201chabituated\u201d to people, as our MacKenzie Elmer reports. That\u2019s bad for both bears and people for a lot of reasons. Research shows that human-accustomed bears are more likely to be killed by humans. They\u2019re also more of a danger to humans.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Blondie lived in Monrovia, where many residents feel they have a special relationship with the bear population, Elmer reports.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For now, the staff at Romana\u2019s Wildlife Center won\u2019t even give the cubs names, hoping to prevent any attachment that could get in the way of their release down the road.<\/p>\n
Read the full story here<\/a>.<\/p>\n San Diego Unified Teachers Approve New Contract<\/p>\n Despite weeks of controversy<\/a>, San Diego Unified teachers voted overwhelmingly to approve a contract some had linked to the layoffs of fellow district staff. Of the nearly 5,000 teachers to vote, 93 percent voted in favor of the agreement.<\/p>\n \u00a0It\u2019s not hard to see why. The contract provided five percent raises over the next two years, a promise no teachers would be laid off, increased stipends for special education staff with oversized caseloads, and ended the unpopular practice of excessing.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEducators will continue organizing to ensure our students have what they need and deserve. That includes holding our local district leaders accountable, but it also means fighting together for more funds at the state and national level,\u201d union President Kyle Weinberg wrote in a statement.<\/p>\n The contract was at the center of a contentious leadership battle. Some union rivals have accused Weinberg of misleading members and cutting other district unions from the negotiation process. The conflict even led the union\u2019s board to approve a resolution of no confidence<\/a> in Weinberg, who is heading into a runoff vote for a third term.<\/p>\n School Renaming: Community members will meet at the Cesar Chavez Continuing Education Campus on Monday, April 6 to discuss renaming the school following a New York Times report detailing sexual misconduct allegations against Chavez. The public forum will occur at 6 p.m. in multipurpose room 1901.<\/p>\n In Other News<\/p>\n The empty home tax can no longer be called the empty home tax<\/a>, a judge ruled last week. The measure will now appear on June ballots as the \u201cnon-primary\u201d home tax. The judge in the case said the homes aren\u2019t necessarily \u201cempty,\u201d even if they are occupied less than half the year. (FOX 5 & KUSI)<\/p>\n Related: The U-T Editorial Board supported the judge\u2019s decision<\/a>, calling the previous title \u201cpropaganda.\u201d The board members even took a not-very-veiled shot at Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera\u2019s law degree, because it is from California Western and not Harvard. Oh, the shame! (Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n The region\u2019s nonprofit service providers are bracing for thousands of San Diego immigrants to lose Cal Fresh, or SNAP, benefits<\/a> starting April 1. The new mandate from the Trump administration stops SNAP benefits for many legal immigrants, including asylum seekers and refugees. (Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n Most San Diego Airport security officers received at least half a paycheck<\/a> on Monday because of an emergency order the Trump administration issued last week. TSA lines at the airport have also slightly improved. (Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n The Department of Justice is suing the parent company of SeaWorld<\/a> for banning wheeled walkers with seats at its parks, claiming it\u2019s a violation of civil rights laws and discriminates against people with disabilities. (KPBS)<\/p>\n