Ken Devol
All Things Considered Anchor & ReporterKen came to NSPR through the back door as a volunteer, doing all the things that volunteers do. Almost nothing – nothing -- in his previous work experience suggests that he would ever be on public radio.
His resume is nearly Frankensteinian with one disparate job sutured to another: California Department of Parks and Recreation, marina employee, archaeological field technician, electrician, woodworker, furniture import, and 20 years in manufacturing management. He was an English major.
He’s traveled some. He likes to sail and writes fraudulent poetry. And now he’s in radio -- another unlikely part is sewn into the whole. And he loves it.
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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.
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Chico has established fees for its shopping cart ordinance aimed at retailers who don’t collect abandoned carts taken off their properties. Also, Chico Housing Action Team has been selected to receive more than $15 million in grant funding, and California’s snowpack is above average for this time of the year.
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Whitney Hall, the largest dormitory on Chico State’s campus, is closed for a second year pending the replacement of its HVAC system. It may be closed for a third year, if the facility reopens at all.
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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.
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Fourteen performers paying homage to Amy Winehouse will hit the stage in Chico this April to celebrate the life and music of the singer. Also, the district attorney’s office in Butte County is the latest in the area to offer sign-on bonuses for new hires, and the 18th annual Cinderella’s Closet giveaway in Chico aims to ensure all students can find the perfect prom dress.
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A recount of ballots in Shasta County leaves Supervisor Kevin Crye narrowly ahead in the effort to unseat him. Also, the Shasta County Board of Supervisors will vote on a mystery $12 million settlement payment, and the Butte County Board of Supervisors is reviewing its budget today, which includes thousands of dollars in additional funding requests.
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An emergency alert radio system now being used in Shasta County hopes to reach rural residents and provide another means of emergency preparedness. Also, after months of pressure, Gov. Gavin Newsom has joined the calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, and Chico State announced next year’s Book in Common. It will be Héctor Tobar’s “Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on Race and the Meanings and Myths of ‘Latino.’”
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Proposition 1 passed narrowly in California. That’s left many mental health programs worried about having their funding reallocated toward housing for those with severe mental illness. Also, the way college students apply for free federal aid has been overhauled and the changes have caused issues for some Chico State students, and the city of Chico announced it’s planning several sweeps of local homeless encampments.
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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.
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Residents of a senior mobile home park are continuing to attend Chico City Council meetings to request rent stabilization for their park. At Tuesday’s meeting, the council instructed city staff to find more information on rent stabilization. Also, an extremely close election race in Shasta County is prompting officials to recount ballots by hand to double-check the results, and yesterday was the spring equinox. But what does that mean exactly?