Winning $526.5M Ticket + Restaurants Of The Year: Saturday Smiles

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

Animals

Big Bear Eaglet Names Chosen From 54,000 Entries

School children across southern California submitted their naming ideas for all three of the eaglets born this spring to Jackie and Shadow.

Butterfly Jungle Is Back At San Diego Zoo Safari Park

The immersive habitat bursts to life with hundreds of butterflies each spring.

Injured Emu Rescued After Running Loose In North County

The bird, which has injuries on its neck and right wing, was temporarily named Claudius by San Diego Humane Society staff.

'Miss Piggy' Rescued After Owner Dies In San Diego

The Vietnamese pot-bellied pig had been living in the backyard of a home in San Diego's Grant Hill neighborhood.

San Diego Zoo Announces Winning Names For Sloth Bear Cubs

Voters chose between three names selected by zoo staff for each of the cubs.

'Working Dog Wednesday' Marks A New Leash For Murrieta Police K-9 Cops

Watch the Murrieta K-9 cops work on skills, or learn where they came from, from tiny pups to working-class dogs.

Arts and Entertainment

Coachella's First Weekend Sells Out: Post Malone, Lady Gaga, Green Day

Though Coachella 2025 kicks off on April 11, passes for the festival's first weekend have sold out online. What to know about the show.

Business

180 Breweries Worldwide Launch 'We Love LA' Beers For Wildfire Relief

In the wake of January's wildfires, breweries as far away as Japan are creating unique beers as part of wildfire relief.

Kim Kardashian's Skims HQ Building Sold For $105M

The Hollywood building that houses Kim Kardashian's company was recently sold for $105 million

McDonald's Tries Something New With Minecraft Meals

McDonald's first adult happy meal collaboration with scannable in-game experiences comes out this week with the Minecraft movie.

New Chick-Fil-A Opens Doors In Orange County

The fast food eatery is located in Costa Mesa and operated by a local resident.

Santa Monica Hotels Offer 'Staycation' Discounts For LA Residents

Locals can take advantage of deep discounts on a range of hotels in Santa Monica this month.

This RivCo Eatery Named Among 'Restaurants Of The Year'

See which CA restaurant was tabbed by food and dining writers from across the USA Today network as one of the best to try out in 2025.

Truffle Pig Winery Prepares To Open In 2025 At Former Avensole Winery

Meet Truffle Pig. Temecula Valley Wine Country's newest winery will open in Spring 2025, and there's much more to the story than the name.

Community

$1M Scratchers Ticket Sold At RivCo Smoke Shop

He was test-driving a Toyota with over 300K miles on it when he stopped and bought a $10 Triple Red 777 Scratcher ticket on New Year's Eve.

Banning Chamber Of Commerce Names Citizen Of The Year

"He's a beacon of hope, faith, and service in our community." Banning Chamber of Commerce gives the acclaimed award to Pastor Todd in 2025.

Cardiff Farmers Market To Host 'Kids Day' Saturday

"Kids Day" will feature a fun-filled lineup of family-friendly activities, including a visit from the Cardiff Fire Station.

Catfish Opener Weekend Event Coming To Santee Lakes

Lakes 2, 3, 4 and 6 will be stocked with 3,000 pounds of channel catfish for the two-day Catfish Opener, according to event organizers.

Elmo's Eggstravaganza Returns To Sesame Place San Diego

The springtime event runs on select dates through April 20 at the Chula Vista-based theme park.

Groundbreaking Ceremony Set For Malibu Skatepark

The skate park, located near Malibu Bluffs Park, is expected to open in the fall.

Morongo Tribal Historian Honored With Lifetime Achievement Award

Ernest Siva is a highly respected leader who has devoted his life to documenting and revitalizing the traditions of local tribes.

Murrieta's Rod Run Scheduled For Fall, 2025: What To Know

Rev those engines and polish that chrome, the Murrieta Rod Run team has great things in store for residents and entrants in October 2025.

Old Town Temecula 'Boutique Crawl' Planned: What To Know, Where To Go

On Thursday shop and dine at Old Town's cozy cafés, tasting rooms or restaurants to round out a perfect day of fashion, friends, and finds.

Winning $526.5M Powerball Ticket Sold In Orange County

One lucky California Lottery player needs to check their tickets this weekend, after a jackpot Powerball ticket was sold in Orange County.

Schools

Carlsbad Educational Foundation Gala Returns To Support Local Students

The Gala to Benefit Students will feature a reception, dinner and drinks, live music and auctions at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa.

Great Oak Sophomore Earns Regional Gold Key Award For Personal Essay

The Temecula Valley Unified School District student and sole RivCo winner was recognized with the Gold Key Scholastic Art & Writing Award.

Scholarship Awarded To Hemet MSJC Student Leslie Arias

Leslie Arias MSJC student and AHSIE scholarship recipient, shared her powerful story of resilience and perseverance at a Chicago conference.

Sports

Coachella Valley Firebirds Goaltender Earns 1st Shutout Of The Season

Goaltender Victor Ostman stopped all 29 shots to pick up the first shutout of his AHL career as well as the first shutout of the 2025 season.