In brief: Burned bear cub still needing care

WENATCHEE – A black bear cub burned in a devastating Washington wildfire is making a slow recovery at a California wildlife center.

The Wenatchee World reported the cub, named Cinder, still has third-degree burns on her paws that require new bandages every other day, and she’s still on pain medications and antibiotics. Denise Upton, a caretaker at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, said Cinder has had a healthy appetite and has been enjoying fresh fruit and trout brought in by local fishermen.

The 37-pound bear was discovered under a horse trailer in north-central Washington’s Methow Valley, where a fire burned about 400 square miles and destroyed 300 homes. A Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officer captured her, and a volunteer pilot flew Cinder to California.

Upton said it’s too soon to know if Cinder can be returned to the wild.

Idaho students make mixed SAT progress

BOISE – Idaho high school juniors scored better in reading and math on the SAT college entrance exam, but fell in writing.

The Idaho Department of Education said nearly 17,000 Idaho students took the SAT last April.

The SAT results show 38 percent of the juniors were college-ready in critical reading, based on achieving a score of at least 500 out of 800 possible points. That’s up from 34 percent in 2013.

Thirty-six percent were college-ready in math, again achieving at least 500 out of 800 points. That’s up 4 percentage points too, from 32 percent in 2013.

And 26 percent were college-ready in writing, down from 31 percent in 2013.