Orphaned Sea Otter Pup Saved; Endangered Birds Hatch: Saturday Smiles

CALIFORNIA — To keep your weekend light, Patch presents some positive California stories from the past week — many that hopefully will brighten your day.

Animals

9 Ducklings Rescued From Storm Drain In Mission Viejo

The ducklings had fallen into the storm drain near Lake Mission Viejo before being rescued by a Mission Viejo Animal Services officer.

113 Dogs Rescued From 2-Bedroom Townhome, 7 Find Shelter In South OC

Seven small dogs out of more than 100 were rescued from a Riverside-area hoarder Thursday, city officials said.

250th California Condor Chick Hatches At San Diego Zoo Safari Park

The chick's parents are Mexwe and Xol-Xol — the first condor brought into human care under the California Condor Recovery Program in 1982.

Aquarium Of The Pacific Takes In Orphaned Sea Otter Pup To Raise

This is the first time the Aquarium of the Pacific is raising a sea otter pup with the goal of releasing it back into the wild.

Endangered California Condor Chicks Hatch At LA Zoo

See photos of the birds, which are bred at the zoo in an effort to revive their population, which once fell to just 22 condors worldwide.

Great Horned Owl Saved From Roadway, Thanks To OCSD

A great horned owl received the help he critically needed after he found himself stranded on a Rancho Santa Margarita roadway.

San Diego Humane Society Celebrates 15th Anniversary Of Kitten Nursery

The organization's Jim Lester Kitten Nursery and Foster Center has saved more than 27,000 kittens since opening in 2009.

SeaWorld San Diego To Celebrate National Dolphin Day This Weekend

The theme park is celebrating all weekend long with educational presentations, up-close experiences and special treats.

Watch: Con Fire Rescues Horse From Steep, Muddy Slope

Magic Ben, the horse, found himself stuck in the mud. Fortunately, Contra Costa County firefighters came to his aid.

Watch: Mother Bear And Cubs Enjoy Honey At San Diego Zoo

Winnie-the-Pooh isn't the only bear who loves honey. See Alba the Andean bear and her two cubs enjoy the sticky treat.

Arts and Entertainment

2024 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Fest: Here's What To Know

The fest runs Friday to Sunday, and again April 19-21.

Coachella 2024 Schedule, Rumors Of Surprise Taylor Swift Appearance

Many of Taylor Swift's friends are set to perform at the two-weekend Coachella 2024 festival. Now, rumors fly that she'll attend the show.

Disney On Ice Skates Into San Diego With 'Mickey's Search Party'

Patch talked with Princess Jasmine and Queen Elsa to learn how the show aims to make magic for fans at Pechanga Arena.

Elmo's Springtacular To Bring Blippi, Springtime Fun To Sesame Place

The special springtime event will feature chalk art, a nature-themed scavenger hunt, a special spring story time and Blippi appearances.

Livermore Music Ensembles Win Top Honor At National Festival

Ensembles from Livermore High School won the Festival Sweepstakes Award and several others at the Worldstrides OnStage Heritage Festival.

Moviemaking Sought By Riverside County

Some American Rescue Plan Act funds will be used to spotlight various Riverside County locations available for production houses to use.

Business

Drive-Thru Diary: Get The Tastes Of Coachella At These 10 Restaurants

Not heading to Coachella? No problem. "Couchella" lets you enjoy the tastes and sounds of the festival from your own home.

Livermore Restaurant Has Best Fries In Bay Area: Mercury News

Readers implored the paper to include this Livermore spot in a new list of the region's best French fries.

Nepali Restaurant Opens In San Ramon

The Gurkha Kitchen is an Indo-Nepali restaurant with locations in Sunnyvale and Hayward.

Temecula Chamber's Gala Award Winners Announced At 2024 Event

The Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the winners of the 58th Annual Awards Gala that took place on April 6th.

Q&A With Spottswoode Estate Winery's CEO & President Beth Weber Novak

Read about Novak growing up at Spottswoode doing chores at the vineyard, and how she came to lead one of the greenest, greatest wineries.

Community

13 Women Of Temecula Valley Make History In 2024

These 13 inspiring women played key roles in the valley, contributing to Temecula’s reputation as a "hidden gem" in Southern California.

North Bay To Receive $20M For Critical Highway 37 Improvements

The $20 million is from a federal grant program established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.

Overnight Train From SF To LA One Step Closer To Reality

The luxury express night train would be the first to run from Los Angeles to San Francisco in over 40 years.

Schools

Dublin Student Starts Speech Coaching Nonprofit

DHS junior Presha Dutt's Empower, Lead, Enrich program offers communication coaching, including to homeless women and children.

Dublin Students Finalists In National FIRST Robotics Competition

Seven Dublin High School students placed highly in the prestigious competition after building two industrial-size robots.

Foreign Exchange Students Visit Banning Police, Fire Stations, SoCal

Over three weeks, exchange students from Saint Joseph School in Monteferruer-Sur-Lez, France, traveled around SoCal in the annual program.

Underdogs In South Bay Robotics Comp Come From Behind To Win

The Beach Cities Robotics team is headed to the First Robotics World Championships after winning its first regional competition in 10 years.

Sports

Kelsie Whitmore Signs With Oakland Ballers, MLB Partner Team

Right-handed pitcher Kelsie Whitmore, of Temecula returns to California to play for the NorCal team.