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Quick reads — Triple-digit temperatures expected across the North State this weekend
Sacramento Valley cities brace for triple-digit temperatures
It’s heating up again in the Sacramento Valley and foothills this weekend.
Many cities could see triple-digit temperatures, with places like Redding reaching about 107 degrees. According to the National Weather Service, temperatures will pose a moderate heat risk which can affect sensitive people and those without air conditioning or who aren’t well hydrated.
The high temperatures are expected to last until Monday. Officials recommend people stay cool, drink lots of water and spend time in air conditioned rooms.
U-pick peaches are back at Chico State’s farm this week
Chico residents can pick their own peaches from Chico State’s orchard this week. Friday is the annual u-pick day at the university’s farm south of Chico.
Visitors can also buy sweet corn, watermelon, honey and other university-made produce. Funds from the event support the university’s orchard program, which gives students hands-on learning experience and advances agricultural research.
The event takes place from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Transparency note: Chico State owns NSPR’s broadcast licenses. It does not oversee the station’s news production or programming.
Concrete weirs to be removed in Chico Creek to increase salmon, trout habitat
Outdated concrete dams in Big Chico Creek are set to be removed to allow salmon and trout to access more of the river. According to reporting by KRCR, the City of Chico is partnering with the Mechoopda Tribe, the Chico State Ecological Reserve and the nonprofit group California Trout to remove weirs in Big Chico Creek.
Officials told KRCR the structures will be replaced with natural boulders to create deep pools for the fish and upriver access. Construction is expected to start in the coming months and be completed in 2027.
Redding may bill residents who call 911 for help after falling
Redding residents who call 911 for lift assistance will now get a bill in the mail.
The Redding Fire Department will charge almost $500 for lift assists, or non-life threatening cases when a person needs help getting up after a fall.
Officials say the fee was approved by the city council in 2023 and will eventually be applied to all EMS calls the fire department responds to. The goal of the fee is to reduce the amount of lift calls and discourage repeat calls from people relying on 911 for routine assistance.
Redding Fire responds to about 1,200 lifts a year, or about three calls a day. Local ambulance crews don’t respond to those calls. The department’s fire chief says responding to lift assists can mean response time is delayed for larger emergencies.
The city offers fee waivers in the event of special circumstances.
Police misconduct records now searchable in first-of-its-kind California database
Internal affairs documents and other police-misconduct records from nearly 700 California law enforcement agencies are now publicly available.
The Police Records Access Project was created by UC Berkeley and Stanford University and contains about $1.5 million pages of records from 12,000 officer misconduct and use of force cases.
The database is the first of its kind in the country and allows people to search for particular types of misconduct or uses of force. It’ll also help police departments better research potential job candidates and can help researchers identify policing trends. It doesn’t include crime scene photos, audio recordings or videos and personal information about sexual assault and domestic violence victims has been redacted.
New spot to recycle glass, aluminum, plastic opens in Chico
A new recycling center has opened in Chico. The family-owned S&L Recycling opened a location along Highway 32 on Friday.
The center pays by the pound for recyclable glass, aluminum and plastics. The recyclables are then taken to the NorthState Recycling in Redding to be processed.
S&L Recycling in Chico is open seven days a week and also has locations in Red Bluff and Los Molinos.
PG&E expects lower bills for customers in 2026
PG&E customers can expect lower bills for 2026. The utility says this follows a stable 2025 and strong second-quarter financial results. Profit increased slightly to $521 million, up from $520 million last year.
The utility’s 2027-2030 rate review proposes the smallest percentage increase in a decade, aiming for consistent 2027 billing compared to 2025
Nearly 200 North State schools sit in fire hazard zones
Hundreds of thousands of California students are attending a school located in a “high” or “very high” fire danger zone. That’s according to an EdSource analysis of Cal Fire and state Fire Marshal data.
Around 730,000 students go to one of these schools, which is about 13% of public school attendance statewide.
Almost 1,500 public schools are located in or close to a Fire Hazard Severity Zone, which indicates general wildfire behavior in the area. In the North State, nearly 200 schools fall into those zones. During the 2018 Camp Fire, four schools were destroyed and nine had extensive damage.
Experts say schools should develop proper safety plans and work to make their campuses more fire resilient.
Funding boosts tribal efforts to restore traditional ecological knowledge
Cal Fire is awarding millions of dollars to tribal organizations to boost wildfire resilience and safety.
The agency says almost $4.7 million in grants will be provided to six tribes and tribal nonprofits.
Four funded projects will bolster tribal workforce development and cultural land management. Another two planning projects will promote regional collaboration to enhance wildfire resilience by supporting indigenous-led stewardship and knowledge sharing.
The grants also focus on efforts including cultural fire, fuels reduction and reforestation.
Special election could be held in November for redistricting California
Californians could vote in November on whether they want to see the state redistricted. According to reporting by CalMatters, Governor Gavin Newsom says he’s working with legislators and congress to temporarily set aside the state’s independent redistricting commission and give the public an alternative map.
Newsom has been working on a response to a “redistricting war” with Texas and GOP leaders.
President Donald Trump has been encouraging Republicans leaders to change voting maps to increase GOP majority within congress ahead of midterm elections. In Texas, that would mean eliminating five democratic seats.
California uses a bipartisan citizen commission made by voters for redistricting. To change this, the state would need to hold a special election, which Newsom said could be held the first Tuesday of November to coincide with local elections.
Butte County short-term rentals added to hotel tourism fee
Owners of short-term rentals like Airbnbs and VRBOs will soon pay the same tourism assessment fee as hotels and motels in Butte County.
The county Board of Supervisors approved an increased 2.5% assessment on rental income, starting in September. That fee could rise to 3% next year.
Explore Butte County requested the change. It’s the nonprofit that manages tourism marketing for the region and uses the fees to promote travel and overnight stays in the county.
Many hotel operators and vacation rental owners backed the proposal.
Plumas County sheriff retires; longtime undersheriff may take reins
Plumas County Sheriff Todd Johns retired this week after five years in office. He was appointed in 2020 and led the department through the Dixie Fire and, more recently, the 2024 Park Fire.
Undersheriff Chad Hermann is now filling the role until the board of supervisors appoints a new sheriff.
The board could make the decision at its regular meeting Tuesday. According to reporting by The Plumas Sun, Hermann is the likely choice to lead the department moving forward.
Several supervisors expressed support for Hermann at the last meeting, though no vote was taken.