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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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?
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In the wake of several historic wildfires in California, many insurance companies have hiked rates or left altogether. Now, a proposed regulation is trying to draw them back and lower prices. Also, residents of senior mobile home parks in Chico have another chance at seeing rent stabilization as city council members discuss this and other topics at their meeting today, and the Oroville City Council will consider increasing fees on new developments to help fund the Feather River Recreation and Park District.
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Early results show that Valley’s Edge has little chance of moving forward. While some are celebrating that the development likely won’t come to fruition, others say Chico is missing an opportunity. Also, Scotty’s Landing — a gathering place for many locals for almost 70 years — has been forced to shut down, and the California State Student Association says it’s now the largest college advocacy group to pass a ceasefire resolution in the nation.
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Paradise will apply for $7 million to improve evacuation messaging. This comes as officials report all 21 towers in the town’s early warning system are now operational. Also, as preliminary voting results continue to be counted in Shasta County the recall election of Supervisor Kevin Crye now has a narrow margin, and Sunday is the last day to see a new art exhibit at MONCA that asks Chico residents to question their assumptions on homelessness.
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Artists and musicians join volunteers at a pile burn in Berry Creek hosted by the Butte Prescribed Burn Association. Also, fire survivors have been paid 60% of the total amount owed in compensation for wildfires started by Pacific Gas & Electric Company. In April that number will go up to 66%. And workers from PG&E will begin laying underground cables in Oroville next week.
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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.