We know it can be hard to keep up with everything that’s going on in the world, the country and your community. So here are five stories from the past week that you may have missed but really shouldn’t.

1. How did those cracks get there? Didn't you just build this thing?

The most popular story on our site this week chronicled the latest chapter in the effort to rebuild the Oroville Dam spillway, which failed last February and led to mass evacuations. Federal regulators asked state water officials to explain small cracks that were found in some of the spillway's newly built concrete slabs.

A spokeswoman for the state Department of Water Resources said the cracks were the result of efforts to make the spillway stronger and were to be expected in concrete slabs of that size. But Robert Bea, a veteran analyst of structure failures, isn't quite convinced:

“Cracking in high-strength reinforced concrete structures is never ‘to be expected,’ ” Bea said in an email. Even small cracks could increase stresses in the concrete when it is under “service loading” — for instance, when large volumes of water hurtle down the structure at speeds approaching 90 mph.

2. Beyond politics: understanding why the jury got to 'not guilty'

A San Francisco jury has acquitted Jose Ines Garcia Zarate on murder and manslaughter charges in the 2015 death of Kathryn Steinle. Many people around the country -- including President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions -- have put a spotlight on the defendant's undocumented status and San Francisco's status as a so-called sanctuary city. But there was a lot more to this case:

• The bullet that killed Steinle ricocheted off the ground before traveling 78 feet and hitting Stenile, suggesting an accidental discharge.
• The prosecution was unable to present a motive for why Garcia Zarate would intentionally kill Steinle.
• The gun used in the killing was stolen from the car of a U.S. Bureau of Land Management ranger four days earlier. The ranger was later promoted.

3. Sharks don't find you that tasty ... seals are yummier!

Good news! The risk of being attacked by a shark on the California coast has dropped by more than 91 percent since 1950, according to Stanford researchers. Their best guess for the change is the resurgence of seals, sea lions and elephant seals, which provide sharks an attractive menu far from the California coastline.

4. Northern California fires claim 44th Victim

Michel Azarian, 41, died last Sunday at UC Davis Medical Center from extensive burns he suffered when the Tubbs Fire trapped him outside his home on the outskirts of Santa Rosa. He is the 44th person to have died as a result of the October wildfires that devastated huge swaths of the North Bay and other Northern California communities.

“For those of you who had the pleasure of knowing Michel, he had the kindest heart and an incredible lust for life,” wrote Mihran Aroian, parish counsel chairman for the Armenian Church of Austin, in an announcement of Azarian’s death. “He was also an active globetrotter and a brilliant photographer. He had a robust appreciation both for the quiet beauty in nature along with fun adventures and laughter with friends.”

5. Caution: Ground is hot

In 1865, Kendall Bumpass was leading a tour around the hot pools in what we know today as Lassen Volcanic National Park.

“Kendall was warning everyone to be careful of where they put their feet and stepped because he knew how crumbly the ground could be,” says Karen Haner, the chief of interpretation and education at Lassen. “Unfortunately, he took a misstep, and his leg plunged into the boiling, acidic water. It burned him very severely.”

And so, Bumpass Hell was born.

Before you go...

This weekend marks one year since the Ghost Ship fire that killed 36 Bay Area artists at an Oakland warehouse.