Several group homes housing troubled young people in Redding will close.

Authorities have begun the process of finding new placements for about 60 youngsters under the care of Victor Treatment Centers, which announced it was closing its Redding facilities.

The Chico-based organization runs group homes for juveniles coping with emotional, behavioral and mental disorders. It operates in Butte, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Sonoma, and Shasta counties, but not for much longer in the latter.  

In this episode, inspired by our good friend Alan Stern, the Principal Investigator for the New Horizons Spacecraft, we examine a question that has vexed astronomers, planetary scientists and 5th graders, for decades: "What exactly is a Planet?" And more importantly, why should we care about definitions like this in science.

State officials have joined the chorus of officials urging Camp Fire survivors to sign up for tree removal. 

Though structured to avoid burdening homeowners with any out of pocket costs, property owners haven’t exactly been rushing to sign up.

Ken Druse is a gardener and garden writer. This week on Cultivating Place Ken joins us to explore and revel in the scented Side of the garden - the topic of his 20th book The Scentual Garden, Exploring the World of Botanical Fragrance, out now. It’s perfect for winter dreaming, planning, and plotting. Join us!

Dramatically faster internet speeds will start becoming a reality in parts of Lassen and Plumas County as state regulators fund a major infrastructure upgrade.

Nearly ten million dollars was awarded to the Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric Co-Op last week to whittle away at the digital divide in several Northern Sierra mountain communities.

Author Lisa Benaron M.D. kicks-off the hour by providing a detailed and informative look at Autism spectrum disorder. 

Our second guest, Journalist Ethan Watters, explains how America categorizes disorders, thereby defining mental illness and health.

About Lisa Benaron MD: The author of Autism, she is a graduate of Yale Medical School and is board certified in Pediatrics, Internal Medicine and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities. She is the medical director of Far Northern Regional Center, where she provides evaluations for individuals of all ages suspected of having an ASD. 

Proposals detailing the next set of road widening and safety improvements for State Route 70 go before the public this evening.

Derided for years as an accident prone ‘blood alley,’ Caltrans is upgrading highway 70 between Marysville and Oroville. With the first phase complete and the second about to get underway, state transportation officials will roll out conceptual plans for the third stage this evening. 

Currently in Chico, emergency warm space is made available when overnight lows are expected to dip below freezing for two consecutive nights. At a hastily called press conference Monday morning, Mayor Randall Stone said that wasn’t enough.

“The problem is we have is that we have people who are precariously housed and homeless in our community, and they’re dying in the streets.” Stone said.