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Bears break into Alaska military base, steal soldiers’ rations

November 22, 2024

Service members in our nation’s armed forces might make fun of their emergency and on-the-go rations, but it looks like bears don’t have the same qualms. Military officials said a group of bears broke in and stole soldiers’ rations.

The U.S. military stockpiles “meals ready to eat” – better known as MREs. They’re full meals that can be eaten quickly and easily by just tearing open a bag. Accessing the food is so easy, apparently, even a bear can do it.

Recently, hungry bears broke into a storage room at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, fittingly nicknamed JBER and pronounced like “jay bear,’ and helped themselves to a ready-to-eat feast.

It’s not just food the bears seem to be after at the base. At the beginning of this month, a young bear was spotted inside a Humvee at a motor pool building.

Base officials said they respond to about 600 bear-related calls a year. However, they said it’s very rare for the animals to get inside the buildings.
Bear costume used in alleged insurance fraud scheme: Officials

November 14, 2024
Four California residents allegedly used a bear costume to defraud insurance companies out tens of thousands of dollars, according to the state’s Department of Insurance (CDI) Thursday, Nov. 14. Investigators said they discovered the scheme by analyzing video evidence sent the insurance company by the suspects.

The suspects claimed on Jan. 28 a bear entered their 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost in Lake Arrowhead and caused interior damage. To help their case, they provided the video, but the insurance company had its doubts and suspected fraud.

CDI launched Operation Bear Claw. Detectives looked into the case and determined it was all part of a bear costume insurance fraud scheme.

The department discovered two additional insurance claims to two other insurance companies by the same suspects on the same day. Those supposed bear break-ins involved a 2015 and 2022 Mercedes and video was provided of those incidents as well.

To make sure they were on the right track, detectives enlisted the help of a biologist from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to review the three bear videos. The biologist concluded the culprit was not an actual bear but a human in a bear costume.

Detectives executed a search warrant in the suspects’ home and located a bear costume.

The four suspects were identified as Ruben Tamrazian, 26, of Glendale, Ararat Chirkinian, 39, of Glendale, Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, of Glendale and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village. In all, officials said they defrauded the insurance companies of $141,839.

All four suspects are charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy.
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Fat Bear Week postponed after fight between 2 bears ends in death

October 1, 2024
A fight to the death between two brown bears at Katmai National Park and Preserve on Monday, Sept. 30, caught on a popular livestream has led to the postponement of a planned announcement of competitors for the Fat Bear Week. Katmai National Park and Preserve officials say an adult male bear identified as 469 or “Patches,” killed a beloved female competitor known as 402.

Although park officials said that deadly incidents do happen between bears, this one was considered shocking enough to postpone the announcement.

“I think we’re at a little bit of a loss of words,” said Mike Fitz, an official at Katmai National Park and Preserve during a livestream recounting the death. “We were talking before the broadcast, but even right now, I thought maybe I could do this a little more eloquently, but yeah, this is really difficult to see.”

The struggle between the bears lasted roughly 20 minutes, and eventually, the female was killed, likely from drowning, according to park officials.

Monday’s deadly encounter is the second bear death caught on camera this year. In July, a bear cub was killed after it crossed paths with another competitor named “Chunk.” Chunk attacked the cub, which died days later from its wounds.

Following the latest death, competition organizers say they will reveal the tournament bracket on Tuesday, Oct. 1, during the evening hours, which can be watched here.

Fat Bear Week will take place as scheduled from Wednesday, Oct. 2, through Tuesday, Oct. 8.

The livestream can be viewed here. Warning: The video is graphic.
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That’s one big apex predator! Fat Bear Week is coming!

September 25, 2024
As bears plump up for the winter hibernation season, one thing is certain, Fat Bear Week is coming! Beginning on Oct. 2 and going through Oct. 8, fans can pick their favorite chunky bear from a list of the apex predators at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

In the meantime, bear fans have to settle for a smaller competition. On Tuesday, Sept. 24, organizers unveiled a sub-competition between bear cubs in this week’s Fat Bear Jr. Contest, in which the “chubby champ” will go on to face those in the adult bracket. The voting ends Friday, Sept. 27, for this contest.

This year’s Fat Bear Week contestants include two former champs from 2022 and 2023. Park officials assure everyone that these ferocious competitors still qualify as cubs.

According to wildlife officials, most cubs stay with their mother for about 2 1/2 years before heading off on their own.

However, the 2022 champ is a real “momma’s boy,” or maybe an “aunt’s boy,” because he’s bucking the trend of 2 1/2 years. The 2022 champ, known as 909 Junior, is still with his aunt after four years of companionship.

Vote on the “cubtestants” for this competition of little ones here.

https://twitter.com/NatlParkService/status/1838706401272533371

As for those waiting for the adult competition, the contestants for the Fat Bear Week Tournament will be announced on Monday, Sept. 30, and voting goes until Oct. 8.

The competition is guaranteed to be huge in more ways than one. Adult male brown bears can bulk up to more than a thousand pounds before hibernation, by scarfing down up to 30 salmon per day, Plus, the competition is wildly popular as well. More than 1.3 million people voted in Fat Bear Week competitions in 2023.

https://twitter.com/exploreorg/status/1835695347697422590

The most dedicated fans can check out the 2,200 bears at the national park through live cameras put up throughout the preserve.
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Is Temu spying on you? Lawmakers want the FBI to answer that

September 25, 2024
In a letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday, Sept. 24, members of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee requested a “joint briefing” on what the agency is doing to protect Americans personal data from alleged spying efforts from the Chinese-based app Temu and its parent company, Pinduoudou (PDD). Committee members wrote that they’re not the only ones concerned about Temu and PDD.

Lawmakers noted that U.S. senators, attorneys general and others have “raised the alarm” over the alleged practices of the entity’s connection to the Chinese government.

In the letter, lawmakers also point to PDD’s suspension from Google in 2023 after it was discovered that the app “exploited a zero-day vulnerability” allowing it to “steal personal data” from millions of Americans.

Since Temu and PDD are part of the U.S. stock market, lawmakers insist that they should face the same regulations as many other businesses listed on the Nasdaq.

The committee also wrote that it wants to know how the FBI is defending the “economic data of the U.S.” from the Chinese Communist Party (CPP), which the lawmakers allege is working in concert with Temu and its parent company.

Additionally, the group of lawmakers said it wants the agency to outline what it’s doing to thwart any attempts to “exploit democracy” and “free-market-principles.”

It’s not just spying Temu has been accused of in the past. The Chinese company has also faced allegations of stealing trade secrets, using child labor and other national security concerns.

It’s not yet known when or if the hearing will happen.
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Trump expects arrest Tuesday; 20 years since Iraq War began: March 20 rundown

March 20, 2023

Former President Donald Trump said over the weekend that he expects to be arrested Tuesday, citing “illegal leaks” from New York prosecutors, and Miami was struck by spring break crime, leading to a city curfew. These stories and more highlight the daily rundown for Monday, March 20, 2023.

Trump expects indictment Tuesday

Former President Trump is facing what he believes is his imminent arrest over alleged hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. New York prosecutors have been investigating a $130,000 payment Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen made to Daniels in 2016, when Trump was running for president.

The payment was allegedly made to keep her quiet about an alleged affair, which Trump has denied. Trump called the investigation a “witch hunt” and said illegal leaks from the D.A.’s office are indicative of an indictment this week.

According to the New York Times, the Manhattan Grand Jury could call on Cohen’s former legal advisor today. The testimony of attorney Robert Costello would be used to discredit Cohen, and Cohen has reportedly been asked to be available if needed in the ongoing investigation.

The Manhattan DA’s office has not commented on the reports of potential charges coming down Tuesday against the former president.

China’s president visits Putin

Chinese leader Xi Jinping is visiting Moscow today, just days after the International Criminal Court charged Putin with committing war crimes in Ukraine.

Over the weekend, Putin was also seen touring through parts of Ukraine occupied by Russian forces since last May. It’s unknown what Chinese and Russian officials may be discussing today. China has claimed they are neutral in the conflict, despite having a “no limits” relationship with Russia. The face-to-face meeting is their first since the war began.

20 years since Iraq war began

Today marks two decades since the U.S. forces invaded Iraq. Then-President George W. Bush said the invasion was to protect the world from grave danger and to disarm Iraq under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. While the war was ultimately successful in toppling Saddam, it came at a heavy cost. ISIS militants swarmed Iraq, the U.S. spent 8 years of boots on the ground and lost around 4,600 service members. More than 250,000 Iraqis also died in the conflict.

Spring break crime leads to curfew

The city of Miami is a popular vacation destination for spring breakers, but for those visiting the city, there were no late night parties thanks to a city curfew.

The city cited two fatal shootings and large unruly crowds as reasons for the city to shut down overnight from midnight to 6 a.m. Officials declared a state of emergency and are meeting Monday to discuss further potential restrictions in order to decrease the risk of crime.

This isn’t the first time Miami has had to enact a curfew because of spring breakers. A curfew was imposed last year during the same time period.

Twitter’s two-factor authentication

Have you logged onto twitter lately? Millions of users could be locked out of their accounts starting today. In recent weeks Twitter has been warning users that two-factor-authentication would end Monday. That’s where users can take additional steps to secure their account.

That feature is now exclusive to Twitter Blue subscribers, which costs $8 a month. Elon Musk says the decision comes down to money. Musk said phone companies are scamming Twitter with two factor authentication costing the company $60 million a year.

New Mexico looking for bear huggers

If you love the outdoors and don’t mind interacting with the occasional bear, then a job may be waiting for you in New Mexico. The state’s Department of Game and Fish posted a job on Facebook that says it is looking for professional bear huggers. The post includes photos showing workers cuddling baby bears.

The agency is actually looking to hire conservation officers and interactions with bears is only one part of the job. The listing says the department is looking for someone who likes to hike in strenuous conditions, has the courage to crawl into a bear den, and will trust co-workers to keep them safe during the process.

The department says the job is guaranteed to bring someone the experience of a lifetime. Those interested have until March 30 to apply.
Montana, Wyoming petition to remove grizzly bears’ endangered status

February 9, 2023

Grizzly bears are federally protected as long as the species remains on the endangered list. This means that in areas with high populations of grizzlies, like Montana and Wyoming, hunting them is illegal. But within a year, the grizzly bear’s endangered status could change.

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the federal agency in charge of endangered lists, is now reviewing whether or not to remove grizzlies from its list. Doing so would remove the federal protections.

The review comes after Montana and Wyoming filed petitions asking for the bear to be removed. The states are arguing that the population of grizzlies is no longer threatened. They say the bear population will remain protected under state legislation that would set standards on when the bears are allowed to be hunted.

Critics of the petitions say removing the species from the endangered list would encourage hunters to go after big game. That could potentially put grizzlies back at risk of extinction.

The agency is just now entering its review period, which is set to last 12 months.

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