CALIFORNIA CITY, Calif. (KERO) — A 12-year-old boy is dead and another child was hospitalized after two unleashed dogs attacked a group of children at Central Park in California City on Friday, June 18.

California City Mayor Edwin Hawkins said police responded to the scene after reports that four children had been mauled.

Fernando Torres Moreno, 12, jumped into a nearby lake to escape the charging dogs. Officers pulled Fernando from the water, and he was taken to the hospital, where he died the next day.

A second child suffered serious, though non-life-threatening, dog bite wounds and has since been released from the hospital. Two additional children were shaken but did not require medical treatment.

Authorities say the dogs, both mixed breed, were off-leash but in the presence of their owner when the attack unfolded.

The investigation remains active and ongoing. No arrests have been made.

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Impacts from Colorado’s extreme drought conditions are hitting several state parks in the state’s northwest corner. 

Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced emergency water conservation measures and boating restrictions at both Sylvan Lake State Park in Eagle County and Rifle Gap State Park in Garfield County, according to a Monday, June 22 news release. 

Both parks are located within some of the more extreme drought conditions in Colorado. According to the June 18 U.S. Drought Monitor, Eagle County and western Garfield County are experiencing exceptional drought conditions — the worst measured by the monitor.  

Sylvan Lake State Park

At Sylvan Lake State Park outside of Eagle, the park’s main source and well, Zurcher Spring, has run completely dry and shows no signs of recovery due to the extreme drought conditions in the region. 

To maintain basic operations at the park, Parks and Wildlife has transitioned to using a secondary water source, Cowboy Spring. This spring is producing 2,000 gallons of water per day, and with park usage ranging between 2,500 and 3,000 gallons daily, park staff shut off all 17 public water spigots in the state park. 

“We are using more water than we can currently produce, and are on track to run out,” said Sylvan Lake State Park Manager Matt Westerberg in the news release. “We know turning off the water spigots isn’t ideal, but our hope is this will save enough water to keep the main campground shower building operational for visitors.”

Despite having a workaround, Parks and Wildlife is asking visitors to help out by bringing their own water. Visitors can fill their tanks at the visitor center, which operates on a separate, functioning well system. 

Rifle Gap State Park

A little further west in Garfield County, Rifle Gap State Park is experiencing impacts brought on by the winter’s historically low snowpack and early snowmelt. While the park typically experiences water declines in the late summer, they are hitting the state park months ahead of schedule, Parks and Wildlife reported. 

To combat this, Parks and Wildlife is reducing motorized boat launching to a single lane and has pulled all courtesy docks from the water. Access for hand-launched vessels like kayaks, canoes and stand-up paddleboards will remain unaffected by the closure.

“With our boat ramp down to a single lane, launching and loading will take significantly longer than usual,” said Rifle Gap State Park Manager Brian Palcer in the release. “We are asking all boaters to practice patience, pack an extra dose of courtesy for their fellow recreators at the ramp, and expect delays. We want everyone to have a safe, enjoyable day on the water despite these challenging conditions.”

Parks and Wildlife encourages boaters to exercise caution as low water levels have also exposed shallow, unmarked hazards across the reservoir, including uneven bottom topography, fish habitat structures, rocks and tree stumps. With these conditions, the agency also issued a reminder that life jackets are required on all vessels.  

If the reservoir continues to recede at its current rate, Parks and Wildlife said the water levels will drop entirely below the concrete boat ramp, forcing a complete closure of the ramp to motorized watercraft for the remainder of the season in early July.

At both parks, the most current information can be found on their individual Facebook pages and websites on CPW.State.CO.US/state-parks. 

(BIVN) – 10,000 rubber duckies will “race” across the lake at the Kings’ Shops in Waikoloa this Fourth of July. 

The 34th annual Great Waikoloa Rubber Duckie Race will be on the Saturday, July 4th, held in support of the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Hawaiʻi. 

From a news release courtesy the Kings’ Shops and the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Hawaiʻi: 

The community fundraiser brings together a July 4 celebration, live entertainment, keiki activities and one of Waikoloa’s most visual traditions to support programs for children and adults with cerebral palsy and other disabilities with similar service needs. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with scheduled activities beginning at 11 a.m. and the rubber duckie race starting at 3 p.m. at Kings’ Shops.

“Each year, this event gives the community a fun, visible way to support programs for people with disabilities and their families across Hawaii,” said John Nishida, executive director of United Cerebral Palsy Association of Hawaii. “The duckie race has become a Waikoloa tradition because it brings people together for a celebration with a purpose.”

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More than $25,000 in prizes will be awarded, including a grand prize trip for two to Japan. Additional prizes include resort stays, golf packages, boat cruises, dolphin experiences, gift baskets, shopping and dining certificates, and more. The first 50 duckies to finish the race, along with the last-place duckie, will win prizes for the people who adopted them.

This year’s Super Quackers theme will bring costumed superheroes throughout the center for photo opportunities and family-friendly fun. Tommy Ching returns as emcee, and the first 250 people to RSVP will receive a commemorative Super Quackers can cooler, while supplies last.

Event highlights include A-Bay’s Watermelon Eating Contest, live music by Kona Soul and Keoni Thompson, the Original Big Island Shave Ice Co. Shave Ice Eating Contest, the Fitness Forever Challenge, a preview of Aloha Theatre’s “Seussical,” and the duck waddling and duck calling contests. Guests will also find a scavenger hunt, free keiki activities, local artisan and food vendors, merchant offers, temporary tattoos by the Hawaii Army National Guard, Keiki ID services by the Hawaii Police Department, and pupus and drinks at Roy’s Waikoloa Bar & Grill.

Duck adoptions are $5 each. Special adoption packages include the $30 Quack Pack, which includes five ducks in the race and a free T-shirt, and the $100 VIP package, which includes 40 ducks in the race and a free T-shirt. T-shirts for Quack Pack and VIP package adoptions will be held for pickup on race day. 

Duckies may be adopted online in advance. In-person adoptions will be available at Kings’ Shops on July 2 and 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and July 4 from 10 a.m. until sold out. 

For more information, contact UCPA of Hawaii at (808) 532-6744 or visit kingsshops.com/events.