Cal Fire transitions to peak staffing levels | Interview: ‘Families Read Together’ keeps inmates connected | Cal State drops SAT, ACT exams

By Sarah Bohannon,

Published March 25, 2022 at 8:30 AM PDT

The latest North State and California news on our airwaves for Friday, March 25.

Some Cal Fire units begin transition to peak staffing levels

As severe drought conditions continue to elevate the risk of wildfire, Cal Fire has begun hiring back some of its seasonal firefighting force.

"We're transitioning from winter preparedness levels to peak staffing levels, and in between is what we refer to as transitional," Cal Fire Battalion Chief of Communications Issac Sanchez said. "Typically they're looking to staff one engine at every single one of the Cal Fire fire stations in the unit — that's transitional. And then when we go to peak, that will be to staff every single piece of equipment that Cal Fire has."

Since the state has seen little rain for months, Sanchez said the timeline for hiring seasonal staff has been pushed earlier and earlier in the year.

"What we've seen in recent history is we have to be ready to aggressively attack our fires sooner in the year than we ever have before," Sanchez said.

Cal Fire is also continuing to do fuel reduction and fire break projects across the state.

— Alec Stutson, NSPR

Fire training at Shasta College may bring smoke

Smoke is expected to be visible at the Shasta College Training Grounds over the weekend.

According to a press release from the Shasta County Fire Department and Cal Fire, the agencies will be conducting a live structure fire training exercise there on Saturday and Sunday.

The training will involve Cal Fire personnel and volunteer firefighters who’ve been studying at the county’s Volunteer Firefighting Training Academy.

Smoke is expected to be visible from about 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

— Sarah Bohannon, NSPR

Interview: ‘Families Read Together’ helps those incarcerated in Plumas County stay connected to their kids

A North State library is trying to make the experience of having a guardian incarcerated less traumatic for children.

The Plumas County Library’s “Families Read Together” program allows inmates at the county’s jail to choose books to read over video to their kids. The books and video are then mailed to their family.

The program helps families keep meaningful connections, County Librarian Lindsay Fuchs said, but it also gets more books into kids’ hands. She said studies have shown a correlation between having access to books at home for long term literacy, which in turn affects long term education and career abilities.

“It shows there’s a major impact basically just on that little thing of how many books does your child have access to,” she said.

The program was created through a $3,000 grant from the American Library Association. Listen to an interview with Fuchs in today’s Headlines, or read the full story.

— Sarah Bohannon, NSPR

Yosemite National Park opens new peak season reservation system

This year, visitors to Yosemite National Park will have to plan in advance by making reservations for trips between May 20 and the end of September during peak hours.

Anyone coming into the park will need an entrance pass between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. The reservations opened Wednesday.

Yosemite Ranger Scott Gediman said the reservation system was necessary because of traffic congestion along with ongoing construction projects.

“The Glacier Point Road will be closed all year as we’re repairing and reworking the road,” Gediman said.

Gediman said that people who come outside of peak hours can pay the entrance fee and stay for three days without a reservation.

— CapRadio Staff

Cal State system drops SAT, ACT exams from admissions process

California State University is officially dropping the SAT and ACT standardized tests from its admissions process.The Board of Trustees unanimously approved the change this week. CSU Trustee Yammilette Rodriguez shared her personal story before the vote.

“Because of the enrollment barriers that I faced and lack of tools offered to me as a student, I wasn’t equipped to have entry into the CSU,” Rodriguez said.

Many have argued SAT and ACT tests put minority and low-income students at a disadvantage, arguing that the questions show bias toward more privileged students. The University of California system decided to drop the exams from its admissions process last year.

— Keith Mizuguchi (KQED), The California Report

Stories from NPR partner stations are edited by NSPR Staff for digital presentation and credited as requested.

In other news

Sex on duty, felony behavior alleged in Northern California police lawsuit: “In June 2020, [Oroville police Officer Robert] Raiter was being questioned as a witness in a sexual harassment internal affairs investigation involving another officer, and he began volunteering information about what he had seen inside the department, according to explosive claims outlined in a civil rights lawsuit filed on Raiter’s behalf against the city of Oroville in Sacramento federal court.” — The Sacramento Bee

Audit: California utilities aren’t doing enough to reduce wildfire threats: “Regulators approved ‘seriously deficient’ fire prevention plans, including from PG&E, which sparked California’s deadliest wildfire, state auditor says.” — CalMatters

Man convicted after attempting to bribe Siskiyou County sheriff $1M over illegal marijuana: “A Montague man was convicted in federal court of attempting to bribe former Siskiyou County Sheriff Jon Lopey in return for not enforcing illegal pot growing on his land.” — Redding Record Searchlight

Chico nonprofit sends medical supplies to aid Ukrainian refugees: “Chico Project Salvage All Valuable Equipment, sent 18 pallets of medical goods Tuesday morning to Ukrainian border countries in an effort to supply clinics treating refugees.” — Chico Enterprise-Record

Surrounding partners to respond to Chester Fire fire calls temporarily: “The Chester Public Utility District and Chester Fire Department want the community to know that due to challenges with securing liability insurance coverage for Chester Fire, 911 calls from within the service area for fire and medical emergencies will be responded to by local partners from neighboring fire departments and CalFire.” — Plumas News

Group speaks out against cannabis referendum in Red Bluff: “A small group gathered at the Cone and Kimball Plaza Thursday to bring awareness of how a referendum against a commercial cannabis ordinance could negatively affect the city.” — Red Bluff Daily News

Sites Reservoir project awarded more funding: “After being formally invited last week to apply for a $2.2 billion low-interest loan through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA), officials with the Sites Reservoir project announced Thursday that additional funding was made available.” — The Appeal Democrat