A male bald eagle was released back into the wild after living with a foster family for about six months. The eagle was found on the ground in Henry County, Tenn., this spring after his nest was likely blown out of a tree during a storm. After the chick regained its strength with help from Raptor Rehabilitation of Kentucky, the eagle was sent to live with an adult male eagle in Wisconsin, who took the chick under his wing, so to speak, and taught it how to eat and hunt for food.

“We had to find a foster parent for the eagle or he would have had a human imprint. He never would have been a wild bird. Even if he wasn’t friendly to humans, he would have known us as a food source,” said Eileen Wicker of Raptor Rehabilitation.

He was released Saturday at Mineral Mound State Park and Lake Barkley, where rehabilitation workers hope the young eagle can continue to learn from Lake Barkley’s large eagle population. Wicker said in the 24 years her organization has been active, it has rehabilitated 10 to 12 bald eagles.

U.S. Post Office announces cutbacks

The U.S. Postal Service announced a plan to close 252 mail processing facilities last week, and cut 28,000 jobs by the end of next year to help ease financial problems. The mail service has seen a decline in mail volume and revenue as people send more and more email to correspond with friends, family and do business. People are also using the Internet to pay their bills, bypassing the need for an envelope and a stamp.

Gifts ship out

for troops despite donations

The Hugs Project of Western Kentucky shipped out close to 1,000 Christmas boxes to soldiers in Afghanistan filled with magazines, toiletries, snacks and Christmas cards. Each box costs $10.50 to mail, but by the mailing deadline in order for the soldiers to receive the packages by Christmas, organizers were $600 short. The organization also supports about 170 servicemen and women each month with care packages.

Teen of the Week

Shelby Schaefer is the Mid-Continent University Teen of the Week. Schaefer, a senior at Lone Oak, holds a 4.0 GPA and has been class president since she was a freshman.

She enjoys organizing volunteer efforts and is torn between a career in education or medicine. In May, a Teen of the Year will be chosen from the weekly winners, earning a four-year scholarship to Mid-Continent University or a $2,500 scholarship to another school of their choice.