Adia White

The Environmental Protection Agency is rolling out the first federal standards for forever chemicals in drinking water. According to an analysis by CalMatters some wells in the North State would exceed the new safety regulations. Also, the California Dream Act Application has been opened to students with mixed citizenship status and non-U.S. citizenships, and free waste disposal will be available at Oroville’s Recology Transfer Facility next Sunday.

Eleven inmates at the Butte County Jail were flagged for possible detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement last year. But, Sheriff Kory Honea told supervisors at this week’s meeting that ICE did not pick up any of them. Also, the runner-up for a seat on the Shasta County Board of Supervisors asked election officials for a recount. Now she’s backtracked, and Chico’s Thursday Night Market is back tomorrow and it will be bigger than ever.

The city of Chico is continuing to clear homeless encampments throughout the city. In its most recent enforcement, three encampments were cleared forcing 23 residents to relocate. Also, the Paradise Town Council is expected to vote on a plan for acquiring easements along the route of a proposed sewer line connection with Chico’s water treatment facility, and the Butte County Board of Supervisors will consider approving a 5.2 million dollar grant from the state to help the behavioral health department expand its services.

Chico voters approved a 1% sales tax increase. Now the city is detailing where that money went. Also, two minor temblors shook the North State yesterday evening, and the nonprofit Butte County Local Food Network helps individuals grow their own food in community gardens, at schools and in their own backyards.

Some 125 acres of forest land in California's Redwood National and State Parks will return to the Yurok Tribe in a first-of-its-kind arrangement. Also, Chico’s historic El Rey Theater is up for sale for just under $2 million, and the Shasta County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 this week to approve the county's election results.

The Hmong Cultural Center in Oroville is one of several groups facing possible future funding cuts due to Proposition 1, but the center’s concerns are lessened thanks to a nearly $900,000 grant it recently received. Also, Chico State is rebranding its School of Communication. The newly named “School of Media Entertainment, Technology and Immersive Experiences” aims to prepare students for changes in the media and technology industries, and California lawmakers are promoting a series of bills that aim to prevent sexual discrimination and harassment at California’s public colleges and universities.

Shasta County has certified election results and Supervisor Kevin Crye has survived the recall. Also, the Hmong Cultural Center of Butte County was awarded nearly $900,000 in funding for a youth-led campaign to decrease mental health stigma, and Chico State is inviting students and community members to volunteer in honor of César Chávez this weekend.

A nonprofit in Greenville hopes to repair the landscape lost in the Dixie Fire by replanting trees and shrubs in the burn scar. The Dixie Fire Canopy Project will host its first planting and seedling giveaway in April. Also, election results have been certified in Butte County. Voter turnout was nearly 47% and higher than the state average which was also true for other North State counties, and a new tiny home community for unhoused residents could soon open in Redding.

Proposition 1 — a proposal from Gov. Gavin Newsom to build housing and mental health treatment beds for Californians experiencing homelessness — was narrowly approved by California voters. Also, the Karuk Tribe published a sequel to its 2021 “Good Fire” report on legal and policy barriers to conducting prescribed and cultural burns, and the Yurok Tribe will be the first Native people to manage tribal land with the National Park Service under a historic memorandum of understanding signed this week.

The California Public Utilities Commission approved a fee increase for Pacific Gas and Electric Company customers. PG&E reports it requested adding the fee to help pay for infrastructure improvements. Also, Butte County officials say they still have hundreds of free Alert FM emergency warning devices to hand out to residents in unincorporated areas, and around 300 people have possibly been exposed to measles after a child with a confirmed case of the disease was seen at the UC Davis Emergency Department last week.