The latest North State and California news on our airwaves for Monday, Jan. 24.
Most people affected by Dixie Fire remain in Plumas County
Most people affected by last year’s Dixie Fire, which devastated Greenville and surrounding communities, are still living in Plumas County, according to data shared Saturday by the Dixie Fire Collaborative, a long-term fire recovery group.
Kest Porter, a county liaison with the recovery group, said about 61% of survey respondents indicated they are currently housed in Plumas County. Another 18% said they are housed in Northern California. And about 13% said they’re living in another state. A smaller portion of people said they are not housed.
“Most of us are still in this general area, but if you look at all of us, we are scattered all over the country,” Porter said.
He added that a plurality of people — about 46% — indicated they want to return to communities devastated by the fire, such as Greenville, Indian Falls and Canyon Dam. People who do not want to return amounted to about 11% of responses.
— Andre Byik, NSPR
City begins construction of homeless shelter village at former BMX site
The city of Chico announced it will be constructing shelters available to unhoused residents at the site of the old BMX course.
The city has partnered with the organization Pallet, which provided the 177 buildings. The site will also offer food, bathrooms and access to case workers staffed by Butte County’s behavioral health and social services departments.
The shelter village comes as one outcome of a lawsuit between a group of unhoused residents and the city. A district judge ruled the city could not sweep homeless encampments from its parks without providing an alternative shelter solution. Once the village is established, according to the settlement, the city can begin to enforce anti-camping ordinances if certain criteria are met.
— Alec Stutson, NSPR
CHP seeks attempted murder charge against man accused of opening fire on officer; questions remain
Investigators continue to probe the case of an Oroville man accused of opening fire on a California Highway Patrol officer earlier this month.
CHP spokesman Andrew Haskins said the authorities are seeking an attempted murder charge against 44-year-old Aaron Tobias Quinn, who remained hospitalized late last week after the officer returned fire. The officer, who is assigned to the Oroville area, was not injured. Haskins said Quinn suffered serious injuries.
“To my knowledge, he is still in a local hospital waiting to be medically cleared so that he can be booked,” Haskins said.
The CHP said the shooting happened at the end of the car chase Jan. 16, when Quinn is said to have crashed into a power pole on La Porte Road in Yuba County. Haskins said he could not answer whether any of the officer’s shots struck Quinn. He also did not release the name of the officer, but he said the officer was on leave. Read the full story.
— Andre Byik, NSPR
Chico State hacker sentenced
A former Chico State employee has been sentenced after authorities said they leaked confidential student data online.
According to a press release from the Butte County District Attorney’s Office, the hacker was 22-year-old Alejandro Benitez, a recent graduate from the university who worked on campus.
Benitez leaked the information of about 130 students last August, detailing their requests for exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine. Some responses included students' personal information. The requests were posted on message boards online.
Benitez entered a plea of no contest during his sentencing Thursday. He was sentenced to three years probation and fines.
— Alec Stutson, NSPR
California lawmakers will consider bill allowing teens to get vaccine without parental consent
California lawmakers will consider a proposal allowing adolescents to get vaccines without getting permission from their parents first. The legislation would apply to minors aged 12 to 17. They could get any vaccine approved by the FDA and recommended by the CDC.
Democratic state Senator Scott Wiener of San Francisco authored the bill. At a press conference, he said some minors are being prevented from getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Teens do get sick,” Wiener said. “There are teens in the hospital. Teens on ventilators. And tragically, teens who die.”
Supporters say the legislation builds on state laws that already allow adolescents to seek STD vaccines and reproductive health services without parental consent. But Wiener’s office expects the proposal will spark spirited debate in the state Legislature.
— CapRadio
In other news
- A wildfire near California’s Big Sur forces residents to evacuate:“Firefighters on Saturday were battling a wildfire that broke out in the rugged mountains along Big Sur, forcing hundreds of residents on this precarious stretch of the California coast to evacuate and authorities to shut its main roadway.” — The Associated Press & NPR
- Toxic material cleanup continues after spill in Redding:“State officials expect to continue cleaning up a toxic fuel spill for the next two to three days, after about 4,000-gallons of the hazardous material flowed into the Sacramento River and tributaries on Friday, killing fish and coming in contact with other wildlife.” — Redding Record Searchlight
- Community leads effort at the monthly [Re] build Greenville Gathering: “Nearly 200 people came together on the sunny Saturday morning of Jan. 22 to both gather information and report out information.” — Plumas News
- Lawmakers look to help fire victims with tax relief: “A bill moving through the state Legislature that seeks to bring tax relief to wildfire victims and related settlement payments cleared another hurdle on Thursday.” — The Appeal Democrat
- How can college students stay safe during the omicron surge? We asked four experts: “Omicron is forcing students to adjust their preexisting notions about pandemic life. Out with the cloth masks and in with the N95s. Two marks on your vaccine card are now insufficient, as booster shots become widely available. But what exactly is safe to do on campus? And how can students best protect themselves?” — CalMatters
- Redding Council Stalls Again on Downtown Update: “A third public hearing on updates that would streamline continued growth downtown included discussions of residential impacts and environmental concerns.” — Shasta Scout
In case you missed it
- Interview: Chico State will start their spring semester with some in-person classes — CapRadio
- League of Women Voters hosts voter forum for Shasta County recall election— NSPR
- Q&A: If you have COVID-19 symptoms or have been exposed, Butte Public Health says stay home — NSPR
- The Postal Service is now taking orders for free covid test kits — NPR
- Volcano experts explain the ‘very unusual’ eruption near Tonga and the ‘tsunami genesis’ impact on California — CapRadio
