Kelly Frost

Several urgency ordinances related to the Carr Fire were passed by the Redding City Council Tuesday night. 

As Redding moves to cleanup mode City Manager Barry Tippin asked the council to continue with the declaration of a local emergency.  The Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse funds the city has paid out in the wake of the Carr Fire, but only if certain requirements are met.  One is the declaration of an emergency, which allows cleanup efforts to begin without a vote by the council for each item. Tippin told the council the city sustained considerable damage to its trail system including to four bridges. 

Last night the Redding City Council was set to take up a countywide tax measure that would be used for Public Safety.  However, a vote earlier in the day by the Shasta County Board of Supervisors put limits on how revenues could be spent. 

While both medicinal and recreational use of marijuana is legal in California – many communities are still not allowing the retail sale and distribution of it. Redding is about to become the second city in Shasta County that will. The decision came after a long and emotion-charged Redding City Council meeting Tuesday night. 

There were those who were in favor it and those who were opposed. Citizens voiced arguments ranging from "It's legal now. Smoke a joint. It cures reefer madness.” to “Each of you will violate 21 USC which is conspiracy to violate the federal narcotics act.”

Women’s Marches drew crowds in cities across the nation this weekend, including in Redding where hundreds of people joined forces to speak out about a variety of equality issues.  

This year numbers were more than double from last year’s march, suggesting that the political climate has changed from a year ago, when women gathered to protest the civil discourse following the election of Donald Trump as President. 

Redding has a new interim police chief, and he’s a familiar face. 

Peter Hansen spent 28 years with the Redding Police Department, three as chief, before he retired in 2011. Since Chief Robert Paoletti was fired by City Manager Barry Tippin in June, Captain Eric Wallace had been filling the position on a temporary basis.  

Hansen’s interim position was approved by the Redding City Council at Tuesday night’s meeting. 

Two-thirds of the Redding Fire Department was helping out on the Laverne Fire in Happy Valley Tuesday. 

Six of the city’s nine engines were deployed to the Happy Valley incident. Chief Gerry Gray says that with resources running thin, more and more agencies are relying on each other to provide mutual aid. We wanted to know what would have happened if a major incident broke out in the city of Redding at the same time.

Gray says Redding sent resources specifically to protect the city as the fire burned to the north.