Northern California Town Grapples With Problem Bears, One of Them Deadly

Bears in one rural California village have grown from nuisance to deadly threat in the past six months as local black bears have been entering schools and homes searching for food. Residents in the tiny northern town of Downieville, about 60 miles northwest of Truckee, are accustomed to living with wildlife and bears roaming neighborhoods. They make sure their trash is secure and they don’t leave bird feeders out. But since November, when a bear mauled an elderly resident to death in her home, locals are growing more concerned. “It’s a community that’s used to living in and around bears,” said former school principal and superintendent Jim Johnston. “But if they get too aggressive, people get concerned.”...