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Here are the morning’s top stories on Thursday, January 1, 2026…
- The fall bird migration in California typically peaks from September through November. And this past year, scientists discovered a new wave of avian influenza – or bird flu. Two farms in Sonoma County fought new outbreaks. State officials have been taking steps to mitigate the spread of infection, since major outbreaks were seen in dairy herds in August of 2024. That includes at county fairs.
- A new children’s book from a Los Angeles author is inspired by her own childhood translating for her parents.
Chickenless Chicken Shows? Bird Flu Reshapes County Fairs And 4-H Kids Make Do
A swarm of kids peered into the pen of a huge sow nursing a row of piglets. They watched a teenager milk her goat, then petted a sheep named Taylor Swift. The usual refrain of oinks and bleats tumbled through the livestock stalls at the Santa Cruz County Fair in September.
But over in the poultry barn, not a cluck to be heard. Kids sporting their white 4-H uniforms, green ties and green berets sat on a cluster of hay bales, empty-handed, ordered to leave their chickens at home this year. “It’s because the bird flu is going around and they don’t want everybody’s chickens to get sick,” said 8-year-old Caleb Perez, from Gilroy.
Perez was one of three competitors in the youngest age group of the annual chicken showmanship contest, the local Super Bowl for 4-H kids, where they get to show off their animal husbandry skills. But instead of glossing their chickens’ beaks and prodding them to stand up straight, the kids lined up on the stage in front of the judge, each holding a stuffed toy chicken…