Payton Seda
is an associate producer for AirTalk and FilmWeek, hosted by Larry Mantle.
Published April 13, 2024 5:00 AM
A sandhill crane.
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Sam Greenwood
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Getty Images
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Topline:
Sandhill cranes are making a surprising return to the Lake Tahoe basin after a century long hiatus caused by overhunting.
Why it matters: Despite their resilience, the bird’s numbers are still low in the region. The sandhill cranes nest in Tahoe’s marshlands for their spring breeding season, a time when they are particularly vulnerable.
Why now: According to Will Richardson, executive director of the Tahoe Institute of Natural Science, the sandhill crane’s return is mainly due to the species no longer being hunted.
The backstory: Sandhill cranes were a popular game in the early 1900s and almost completely hunted out of most of California by 1944. They were still seen wintering in California, mainly in the Central and San Joaquin Valleys, but they didn’t return to nesting and breeding in the Sierra Valley until the 1950s.
Read on... for more on the birds' recovery.
Spring is a time of rebirth and renewal. And this season, Tahoe is witnessing its own rebirth in the form of a species of bird that had been previously driven out of the region.
Sandhill cranes are making an unexpected returnto the Lake Tahoe basin after a century long hiatus caused by overhunting. The birds stand at about 4 feet tall with a wingspan of 7 feet and boast a signature red patch on their head. The sandhill cranes are often compared to dinosaurs by those lucky enough to witness them due to their large size and loud croaks.
“They actually kind of paint their feathers, which is really rare in the bird world,” said Denys Hemen of the Audubon Center at Debs Park in Los Angeles. “So they'll take the mud and the sand that they get and they'll actually, like, color their feathers with it.”
These majestic birds' newfound presence in Tahoe signifiesthe latest turn in the species conservation journey, and serves as a testament of itsstrength and durability.
Sandhill cranes in the Sierra Valley
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Courtesy of Will Richardson
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Tahoe Institute of Natural Sciences
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The effects of overhunting
Tahoe’s montane meadows and wetlands are ideal terrain for sandhill breeding nests, especially with California's record amount of rain over the last few winterspotentially increasing the region’s wetlands. But, according to Will Richardson, executive director of the Tahoe Institute of Natural Sciences(TINS), a research, education, and outreach organization, the bird’s main reason for returning to Lake Tahoe is that they are no longer being hunted.
Sandhill cranes were a popular game in the early 1900s and almost completely hunted out of most of California by 1944, with only four to five nesting pairs recorded in the northernmost part of the state, Richardson said.
“There are no records of them breeding in Tahoe, historically, and I think that was probably because they just got hunted out before anybody showed up to take records,” he added.
Other western state populations suffered as well. Sandhill cranes were almost completely rooted out of Washington, and though numbers have been increasing, they remain an endangered species of the state. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife designated sandhill cranes a “species of greatest conservation need” with only about 40 breeding pairs recorded.
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Listen: After 100 Years, Lake Tahoe Is Seeing An Old Friend: The Sandhill Crane
Sandhill cranes were still seen wintering in California, mainly in the Central and San Joaquin valleys, but they didn’t return to nesting and breeding in the Sierra Valley for the spring until the 1950s, Richardson said.
And over the last several years, sandhill cranes have been slowly moving more south. In 2015, a few nests were documented near the Truckee River, and in 2018, thefirst sandhill nest was recorded in Tahoe.
“Their population is rebounding and as a consequence, they're expanding to reclaim old range from centuries ago,” Richardson said. “They're no longer under severe hunting pressures.”
Sandhill cranes are making their return to Lake Tahoe.
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Amy Quinton/Capital Public Radio
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But that doesn’t mean they aren’t still at risk.
Persisting risks threaten recovering population
Sandhill cranes have a long and vulnerable breeding season, according to Richardson. Their eggs incubate for about 30 days, and young sandhills don't learn how to fly until several months after birth.
Although springtime in Tahoe is not peak tourism season, the amount of time sandhills spend in the area to nest and breed makes them more susceptible to interference from potential hikers and visitors.
“If you are canoeing or paddleboarding in a marsh or wetland, and all of a sudden you hear a crane or see a crane stand up, turn around. Back up,” Richardson said. “You don't want to get too close. You don't want to flush them off a nest.”
If spooked, Richardson said these big birds can accidentally roll their eggs or even their young into the surrounding water. Richardson said he believes this is what happened to a sandhill nest in the upper Truckee Marsh last summer that didn’t survive.
Sandhill cranes in a meadow in the Sierra Valley
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Courtesy of Will Richardson
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Tahoe Institute of Natural Sciences
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A story of survival and resilience
Outside of the Lake Tahoe basin, sandhill cranes face habitat loss as the marsh and wetlands they like to roost in have been cleared for farmland.
“Development in wetlands, water being taken from these shallow rivers. All of these things together can cause a great decline in these birds if we're not careful,” said Hemen from the Audubon Center at Debs Park.
Some farmers and ranchers have teamed up with Audubon California’s Working Lands Program and other land managers to reflood these farms during certain points in the year to recreate the marshy wetlands the cranes like to nest in.
“Historically, the main threats to habitat was conversion to farmland or pasture,” Richardson said. “Folks were really aggressive draining wetlands back in the day, and now land managers are very busily trying to right those wrongs and restore old stream flows and make functioning wetlands again.”
But in the Tahoe basin, Richardson said the damage has already been done.
Which is why the story of the sandhill crane coming back to Tahoe is so amazing. Because they have come back just by their own resilience.
For any tourists looking to witness these resilient birds for themselves, Richardson recommended skipping Tahoe and taking a drive a little further north to the Sierra Valley, where the population is more stable and less vulnerable to human disturbance.
“A good first step for us is to just try to let the public know that they can help by not harming,” he said. “If given enough space and left to their own devices, they should be all right.”
Kyle Chrise
is the producer of Morning Edition. He’s created more than 20,000 hours of programming in his 25-plus-year career.
Published February 5, 2026 9:30 AM
Former L.A. mayoral candidate Austin Beutner speaks during a news conference.
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Kayla Bartkowski
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
)
Topline:
Former L.A. Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner has dropped out of the L.A. mayoral race, saying he's still in mourning after the death of his daughter Emily.
Why now: In a statement, Beutner said a successful campaign "requires someone who is committed 24/7 to the job." He said family has always come first, and that's where he's needed at this time. Emily Beutner, 22, died in an L.A. hospital in January. No cause of death has been revealed.
The backstory: Beutner entered the mayoral race in October, focusing on homelessness, safety, the cost of housing and the loss of jobs. Even though he said he voted for Karen Bass, Beutner questioned her leadership following the Palisades Fire. Before serving as L.A. Unified superintendent from 2018 to 2021, Beutner was L.A. deputy mayor for three years during former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's second term. He was also the publisher of the Los Angeles Times from 2014 to 2015.
What's next: Despite quitting the race, Beutner says Los Angeles needs new ideas, "along with leadership capable of implementing them." He said, in time, he hopes to continue his efforts "to make sure Los Angeles' best days are ahead of us." Candidates still considering whether to enter the mayoral race have until Saturday to file election paperwork.
These Winter Olympics will feature a new sport for the first time in over three decades.
Why it matters: While the Games regularly add events within existing disciplines, they haven't introduced an entirely new sport since the return of skeleton in 2002. That changes this year with the debut of ski mountaineering, aka "skimo."
The new sport: In ski mountaineering, athletes navigate a set course amidst rugged terrain. They attach climbing skins to the base of their skis while they ascend a mountain, quickly maneuver their skis off to tackle a series of steps on foot, then readjust and ski back down.
Read on... for more about the new sport and brand new competitions in the Games.
These Winter Olympics will feature a new sport for the first time in over three decades.
While the Games regularly add events within existing disciplines, they haven't introduced an entirely new sport since the return of skeleton in 2002.
That changes this year with the debut of ski mountaineering, aka "skimo."
The sport, which involves hiking up and skiing down a mountain, will feature three events: women's sprint, men's sprint and mixed relay.
That's in addition to five brand new competitions in longtime Winter Olympic sports — for a grand total of eight new medal opportunities at this year's Games. Here's what to know about them.
The new sport: ski mountaineering
In ski mountaineering, athletes navigate a set course amidst rugged terrain. They attach climbing skins to the base of their skis while they ascend a mountain, quickly maneuver their skis off to tackle a series of steps on foot, then readjust and ski back down.
The sprint race consists of an ascent and descent, starting with time trials and seeding athletes into groups of six. In the mixed relay, teams of one man and one woman alternate four laps — two ascents and two descents — on a longer course (with an elevation gain of 460 feet compared to 230 in the sprint).
According to Team USA, ski mountaineering has its roots in the "need to traverse the snow-covered landscapes of Europe in prehistoric times," and can officially be traced back to the mountains of Switzerland in 1897.
But the sport known as skimo really took off in the 21st century, hosting its first world championships in France in 2002 and establishing a World Cup circuit two years later.
It was added to the Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2020, and the following year was approved for inclusion in Milano Cortina — a fitting country for its Olympic debut, since the sport has a long history and many international champions in Italy.
Ski mountaineering competitions will be held in the Valtellina Valley town of Bormio, at the same venue as Alpine skiing.
The U.S. team narrowly qualified for the Games in a high-stakes Utah race in early December, the very last chance for teams to earn Olympic ranking points.
The mixed relay team of Anna Gibson and Cam Smith won its race by a minute and a half on home snow, beating rival Canada to take home a gold medal and secure for Team USA the continent's last Olympics spot. It wasn't just a major victory, but a chance for Team USA to educate curious Instagram followers about the sport itself.
New events within skeleton, luge, ski jumping and moguls
The other new events are additional variations of existing competitions, giving more athletes — particularly women — a chance to compete:
There's dual moguls, a freestyle skiing event in which two athletes compete side by side, performing aerial tricks on two jumps of a bumpy course. Traditional moguls, featuring one skier at a time, have been part of the Winter Games since the 1990s. This year will feature both men's and women's dual moguls.
Another new event is mixed team skeleton, which pairs one man and one woman from the same country to race down an ice track head-first on a small sled.
This year also marks the debut of women's doubles luge, in which two women from the same country double up on the same sled to race down the track, feet-first. The existing doubles luge competition will officially become a men's event, which it effectively has been since the 1960s, since women were technically eligible but never previously participated.
Ski jumpingis also getting a brand new event, the women's individual large hill competition. That means both men and women will compete in normal and large hill events, as well as a mixed team event, which made its debut in the 2022 Beijing Games.
Men have one additional ski jumping medal event, which is rebranding this year: the super team, a new format that replaces the traditional four-person team competition with pairs of two competing in up to three jumps. Olympics organizers say the restructuring makes the competition more dynamic and paves the way for smaller nations to participate.
Copyright 2026 NPR
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"Sinners" writer/director/producer Ryan Coogler, producer Zinzi Coogler and producer Sev Ohanian attend the European premiere of "Sinners" at Cineworld Leicester Square on April 14, 2025, in London.
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Tim P. Whitby
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Getty Images
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Topline:
'Sinners' producer Sev Ohanian is the first Armenian immigrant to the U.S. to be nominated for best picture.
The context: Ohanian produced Sinners, along with writer/director/producer Ryan Coogler and Coogler’s wife and fellow producer Zinzi Coogler.
The 2025 film made history in more way than one with its 16 total Oscar nominations, breaking the previous record of 14 set by All About Eve and later matched by Titanic and La La Land. It also marked the first time that an Armenian American immigrant was nominated for Best Picture.
Ohanian was born to Armenian parents in Germany, immigrated to Glendale with his family when he was a baby. Hank Moonjean (Dangerous Liaisons) was the first Armenian American to be nominated for best picture in 1989.
Read on ... for more from Ohanian about the making of Sinners.
The vampire epic Sinners made history in more ways than one this year with its Oscar nominations.
The film’s 16 total nominations broke the previous record of 14 set by All About Eve and later matched by Titanic and La La Land. It also marked the first time that an Armenian American immigrant — Sev Ohanian — was nominated for best picture.
Ohanian produced Sinners, along with writer/director/producer Ryan Coogler and producer Zinzi Coogler.
LAist News host Julia Paskin spoke with Ohanian about Sinners and how making funny YouTube videos about his Armenian parents helped kick off a creative partnership with his fellow USC film school classmate Ryan Coogler.
Below are highlights from the conversation and an extended version of the interview is available here.
On Sinners as ‘the final exam of filmmaking’
Ohanian says he describes Sinners as like “the final exam of filmmaking,” with some more common challenges and others that were more unique.
That included casting: “Ryan knew from the very beginning [that] he wanted to find almost like a young unknown talent who would be great at acting, great at singing, could play guitar, [...] someone who had a youthful face, but a voice that was far beyond his years, which, how do we even find that? Is that something that people put on their resumes?”
With the help of casting director Francine Maisler (also nominated for an Oscar in the Academy’s first year bestowing a casting award), they found newcomer Miles Caton.
Then there were challenges unique to shooting in the swamps of Louisiana. Ohanian says there were “I think 6,042 mosquitoes at any given day. There was that one time an alligator literally showed up on set. Thankfully, it was all taken care of. Everyone was safe.”
How the Armenian American community in LA helped him launch his film career
Growing up, Ohanian says he loved the idea of making a career in filmmaking but was daunted.
“I had this idea that to be a filmmaker, you’ve gotta have connections and resources and knowledge, things that will be passed down. But as an Armenian American immigrant,” Ohanian says, “those are not things that were part of my community.”
He put the idea of filmmaking as a career to the side, but after making some YouTube videos about his Armenian parents for fun, “they blew up. Armenians all around the world were sharing them. They were going viral. And I ended up writing a movie called My Big Fat Armenian Family,” inspired by My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
He screened the movie at Glendale High School, got the word out to the Armenian American community, and people showed up and paid to see it.
"That experience, beyond the success of it on the financial level,” Ohanian says, “the fact that my community responded to something that I thought of, that I shot with my friends, it kind of made me realize that those things that I thought were necessary — connections and resources and knowledge — I had those this whole time in my community. That's what got me into USC where I started doing it for real.”
Seattle Seahawks fans have another shot to see a Super Bowl win.
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Jason Kempin
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Getty Images
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In this edition:
This weekend, check out Super Bowl (and Puppy Bowl!) watch parties, a Matisse talk, Joe Wong (in Mandarin and English) at the Improv and more of the best things to do.
Highlights:
Comedian Joe Wong is bringing his show, Twin Lunarcies, to the Improv in both Mandarin and English. Catch him before his Netflix is a Joke show in May.
The dream of the ‘90s is alive and well at the Lodge Room as a supergroup with members of R.E.M., Screaming Trees and Them Crooked Vultures join forces as a new band, Drink the Sea.
Watch the Puppy Bowl while surrounded by actual puppies at Annenberg Pet Space?! I think this one speaks for itself. Ruff!
The Broad’s current exhibit, Robert Therrien’s This is a Story, plays with the idea that everyday objects and materials can become art and move between worlds.The Grammy-nominated orchestral collective Wild Up takes a similar approach to their music and will work with a group of 30 non-musicians when they take the stage at the Broad to perform The Great Learning, Paragraphs 2 and 7, written in the late 1960s by Cornelius Cardew.
Aha! I found excellent art nerd Super Bowl alternative programming. Head to the Hammer and listen to independent art historian and former Getty Museum director John Walsh discuss Matisse’spainting of the female form between the wars.
I think there’s a football game on Sunday — before and after the Bad Bunny concert. Don’t worry, there are some watch party options (and Super Bowl alternatives!) in today’s newsletter. If football isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other sports options available in the form of the Winter Olympics, which begin this weekend.
We’re all getting a free concert on Sunday, but Licorice Pizza has the rest of your music picks for the week, including hometown faves the Silversun Pickups album release party at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at Barnsdall Gallery Theater, Aimee Mann at Pacific Electric and Mandy Patinkin singing Sondheim and more at the Carpenter Center on Saturday.
Sunday, February 8, 7 p.m. (Mandarin) and 9:15 p.m. (English) Hollywood Improv 8162 Melrose Ave., Hollywood COST: $44.79; MORE INFO
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Michael S. Schwartz
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Getty Images
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Comedian Joe Wong has done what few comics can — build an audience in two languages — and he’s bringing his show, Twin Lunarcies, to the Improv in both Mandarin and English. Wong hosted a TV show in his native China for a decade before exploring and finding success in the U.S., where he’s roasted Joe Biden at the Radio & TV Correspondents Dinner and appeared on many late-night talk shows. Catch him before his Netflix is a Joke show in May.
Drink the Sea (members of REM, Screaming Trees, Them Crooked Vultures)
Saturday, February 7, 8 p.m. Lodge Room 104 N. Ave. 56, 2nd floor, Highland Park COST: $45.50; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Lodge Room
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The dream of the ‘90s is alive and well at the Lodge Room as a supergroup with members of R.E.M., Screaming Trees (remember when all the bands had gerunds in their names?) and Them Crooked Vultures join forces for a new band, Drink the Sea.
Fuego Burlesque: A Bad Bunny Tribute
Saturday, February 7, 10 p.m. Harvelle's Long Beach 201 E. Broadway, Long Beach COST: $22; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Harvelle's Long Beach
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We’re getting a little racy at Best Things To Do this week, but this one is too good not to include, because just 15 minutes of Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl is not sufficient. Get the party started early with this burlesque tribute to the Puerto Rican superstar from Dirty Little Secrets Burlesque. Obviously, this event is 21+.
Super Bowl Watch Parties
Sunday, February 8, kickoff at 3:30 p.m. Various locations COST: VARIES
Atmosphere during CMT After Midnight After Party and Super Bowl Sunday
Sunday, February 8, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wallis Annenberg PetSpace 12005 Bluff Creek Drive, Playa Vista COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Laura Roberts
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Unsplash
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Watch the Puppy Bowl while surrounded by actual puppies?! I think this one speaks for itself. Ruff!
Israel Film Festival
Through Thursday, February 19 Saban, Fine Arts and Regal North Hollywood COST: VARIES; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Israel Film Festival
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The 37th annual Israel Film Festival kicks off this week and will host four U.S. premieres, plus a 40th anniversary screening of Ricochets, the 1986 film about the First Lebanon War starring Alon Aboutboul. Many new Israeli films will screen at three area venues — the Saban and the Fine Arts theaters in Beverly Hills, and the Regal in North Hollywood. The festival has a wide range of films, from comedies to features to docs, and many of the screenings include Q&As with talent afterward.
Home and Away: Matisse Makes Another Heaven
Sunday, February 8, 3 p.m. Hammer Museum 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Hammer Museum
)
Aha! I found excellent art nerd Super Bowl alternative programming. Head to the Hammer and listen to independent art historian and former Getty Museum director John Walsh discuss Matisse’s painting of the female form between the wars. Walsh will explore the influence of Matisse’s time in Nice and emerging art eras like Cubism on his work. This is the third of four in a lecture series about Matisse with Walsh at the Hammer; the last one follows on Sunday, Feb. 22.
Wild Up: The Great Learning
Saturday, February 7, 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. The Broad 221 S. Grand Ave., Downtown L.A. COST: $25; MORE INFO
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Courtesy The Broad
)
The Broad’s current exhibit, Robert Therrien’s This is a Story, plays with the idea that everyday objects and materials can become art and move between worlds. The Grammy-nominated orchestral collective Wild Up takes a similar approach to their music and will work with a group of 30 non-musicians when they take the stage at the Broad to perform The Great Learning, Paragraphs 2 and 7, written in the late 1960s by Cornelius Cardew. The public ensemble will learn the work “through repetitions and echoes, culminating in a performance where music becomes a shared space to embody collective creativity.”
