The Brief

The trails in Eaton Canyon and the surrounding area that were damaged by January’s 14,000-acre Eaton Fire will remain closed at least until the end of 2025.

That’s because the region needs more time to recover “without us trampling all over it,” said Norma García-González, director of L.A. County’s Department of Parks and Recreation.

At a news conference at the Henninger Trailhead on Thursday, officials also stressed the importance of protecting hikers from unstable terrain and dead trees. The Eaton Fire and ensuing rain, they said, completely wiped out a lot of the trails.

“Everything looks the same up there. It's like a moonscape,” said L.A. County Reserve Sheriff's Deputy Daniel Paige, who is part of the Altadena Mountain Rescue Team. “Even experienced hikers can get lost or injured.”

“We’ve had firefighters and other employees get hurt and killed by trees falling on them. The threats are very real,” said Justin Seastrand, forest recreation manager at the U.S. Forest Service. To protect the public, he added, the region will be closed until the end of this year — and “very possibly” through 2026.

To deter entry, trespassers will be fined up to $5,000.

Finding alternatives 

Annually, Eaton Canyon gets about 1 million visitors, and the area is especially popular on Memorial Day weekend, García-González said.

This year, the county is urging Angelenos to explore other trails. On the county’s website and app, prospective visitors can choose a trail according to their desired level of difficulty. They can also check if a trail is dog friendly, if it’s open to horseback riding or if it’s appropriate for mountain biking.

Keeping people out, said Seastrand, is already helping wildlife bounce back. The Eaton Canyon Nature Center, a nonprofit whose volunteers help care for local flora and fauna, has reported seeing deer, coyotes and bobcats repopulating the area.

“We all have a connection to these local mountains. It's our backyard, our retreat, our place to go exercise [and] reconnect with nature,” said Paige. “I definitely understand the temptation to take a side trail and enter. But we're asking you guys to lead by example.”

Updated April 15, 2026 at 17:47 PM ET

On Wednesday, a federal jury in Manhattan found that Live Nation and its subsidiary, Ticketmaster, operated as a monopoly that harmed consumers and overcharged ticket buyers. The decision came after four days of deliberations.

The decision is a victory for 33 states and the District of Columbia, which accused Live Nation of unfairly controlling too many aspects of the live entertainment industry at the expense of venues, artists and fans after the company settled an earlier antitrust suit with the U.S. Department of Justice. The verdict has the potential to reshape the live music industry in the United States.

New York was among the states that participated in the lawsuit. Following the verdict, New York Attorney General Letitia James issued a statement.

"For far too long, Live Nation and Ticketmaster have taken advantage of fans and artists by raising prices for tickets and stifling any competition that threatened their power," the statement reads. "A jury found what we have long known to be true: Live Nation and Ticketmaster are breaking the law and costing consumers millions of dollars in the process."

Live Nation has not responded to NPR's request for comment on the verdict. In past statements to NPR, the company has denied the claim that it operates a monopoly, stating that there's more competition in the marketplace than ever.

Live Nation owns, manages or works with hundreds of venues across the United States. In 2024, the Justice Department, under the Biden administration, filed a lawsuit accusing Live Nation of unfairly wielding its power over concert promotion, artist management, venue operations and ticketing services to shut out competition in the industry. The DOJ contended that Ticketmaster controlled around 80% of concert ticketing in the primary marketplace, plus a growing share of the resale market. The District of Columbia and 39 states joined the government's case.

Live Nation merged with Ticketmaster in 2010. Pearl Jam, Taylor Swift, The Cure and Olivia Dean are among the artists who have criticized how Ticketmaster has handled concert sales.

One week after the trial began in early March of this year, the Justice Department and several states reached a $280 million settlement with Live Nation. The company agreed to cap service fees at certain amphitheatres and allow some concert venues greater flexibility over the promoters and ticket distributors with whom they choose to do business.

Stephen Parker is head of the National Independent Venue Association, a member-based trade association advocating on behalf of live music venues. After news of the settlement, he told NPR that it was "not significant enough to call a slap on the wrist."

In testimony, Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino denied that the company engaged in anticompetitive practices

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After the Justice Department settled its case, 33 states and the District of Columbia decided to move forward with the trial. Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, who spent hours on the witness stand, denied accusations that his company engages in anticompetitive practices. In an email, University of Notre Dame law professor Roger Alford commended the states for seeing the antitrust trial through.

"This was a massive win for the state AGs and an historic miss for the DOJ," Alford wrote. "The DOJ had the talent, the material, and the audience. It just lacked leadership with the courage to step on stage."

After the jury reached a decision, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian ordered both parties to meet with each other and "the United States" to propose a schedule for the next steps, according to the Associated Press.

Copyright 2026 NPR

Howard Berkowitz, founder and CEO of the Duck Sanctuary in Anza, was a hometown hero. He was the person called when hundreds of ducklings were about to hatch unexpectedly or when abandoned chicks and ducks needed homes after Easter festivities died down.

Now, the Riverside County Department of Animal Services says Berkowitz surrendered 480 ducks because of “overcrowding at the property,” setting off a mass adoption effort that started Wednesday.

In an interview with LAist on Wednesday, Berkowitz said his problems started after he received an unexpected call in 2024. It was from a supplier of the Filipino delicacy balut and her duck eggs were about to hatch.

He rushed over and saved around 120 hatchlings. A social media page then began accusing him of mistreating the fowl and mismanaging donations.

Berkowitz said he has taken care of hundreds of ducks, sometimes at his own expense, and still has around 500 ducks at the sanctuary. But the mental health problems caused by the accusations are prompting him to shut down the sanctuary and move to Northern California, taking many beloved ducks with him.

Because he won’t be able to take them all, he said he called the county for help. But the Riverside County Department of Animal Services said officials had to remove the animals because of “improper” breeding and care.

“Limited assessments show the animals did not receive adequate caretaking,” according to the county.

But, the county added, the California Department of Food and Agriculture tested a sample of the fowl for infectious diseases and the results came back negative.

Berkowitz said he'll transport around 500 ducks with him to Northern California, where he’s in the process of buying a 160-acre property.

The other 480 ducks, he said, were surrendered to the county to transport to another shelter.

The county now is putting the ducks in their possession up for adoption. To adopt, email shelterinfo@rivco.org or visit the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus. Ducks will be offered on a first-come, first-serve basis. The county also is waiving adoption fees.