The latest North State and California news on our airwaves for Friday, April 15.
City of Redding preps power poles for fire season
The city of Redding has begun to wrap its power poles with fire-resistant material to help protect its infrastructure. The wraps are designed to withstand temperatures up to 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit for over 10 minutes. Shawn Avery, program supervisor for city of Redding Electric Utility, said he hopes the wraps will help with fire recovery.
"What it allows us to do is make sure that we can return service to our customers as quickly as possible and eliminate the damage that fires can cause when they impact power poles in the city of Redding," he said.
He said several poles have already been wrapped with fire-resistant material in the Market Street area because of the high fire danger there.
— Alec Stutson, NSPR
COVID-19 school vaccine requirements paused for another year
The California Department of Public Health is holding off on requiring the COVID-19 vaccine for schoolchildren for another year.
The FDA still hasn’t granted full authorization for the shot for children under 16. In a news release, the state health department said it will wait to require it until at least July 2023.
Meanwhile, a bill that would have required the shot for students has also been shelved.
Pediatrician and state Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) said a big factor in lagging child vaccination rates is access. He notes that not all doctors keep the COVID-19 vaccine on hand.
“Getting vaccines to kids is not that simple. So you have to have storage, you have to get the vaccines, you have to be sure they’re maintained appropriately,” Pan said.
Pan said access should be a priority before the state adds the shot to the list of vaccines already required to attend public or private schools.
— CapRadio Staff
California is easing quarantine guidelines for people exposed to COVID-19
The California Department of Public Health is no longer recommending a five-day quarantine period for those who are exposed to COVID-19 but aren't showing symptoms.
State health officials still recommend that anyone who tests positive for the virus or shows symptoms be isolated and stay home for at least five days.
That isolation period can end after the fifth day if the person no longer has symptoms and a rapid test shows a negative result.
The state's recommendations are more relaxed than guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is still recommending that people who are exposed to COVID and are not fully vaccinated stay home and quarantine for at least five days to see if they develop signs of the virus.
— Saul Gonzalez and KQED Staff, The California Report
Interview: Farmers brace for financial impacts of ongoing drought
California’s ongoing drought is expected to deliver a tough financial blow this year to the nation’s largest agricultural economy, with some regions of the state harder hit than others.
Ellen Hanak is the vice president and director of the Water Policy Center at the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). She said the northern half of the state has been particularly hard hit.
“This drought has been uncharacteristically dry in the northern half of the state, so agriculture has taken a bigger hit as a share of the normal activity,” she said. “In the Sac. Valley, but also in coastal areas like the Russian River Basin.”
You can listen to an interview with Hanak in today’s Headlines.
— CapRadio Staff
Bill would offer alternative treatment for substance abuse
Under a new bill in the state Legislature, people struggling with drug addiction and convicted of non-violent felonies would have the option of getting treatment at a secure substance abuse facility instead of going to prison. AB 1928 would set up a pilot program in Yolo, San Joaquin and Santa Clara counties. Yolo County supervisor Jim Provenza said the board there has voted to support the bill.
"Here's the problem — if we send that person to prison, they're not going to be effectively served and they're going to come out and commit new crimes because the whole basis of this is a drug-induced crime," he said.
Opponents say the bill sets up a false choice that leads to forced treatment. Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed an earlier version of the measure last year. The bill is currently moving through the state Legislature.
— CapRadio Staff
Stories from NPR partner stations are edited by NSPR Staff for digital presentation and credited as requested.
In other news
- In drought-stricken West, officials weigh emergency actions: “Federal officials say it may be necessary to reduce water deliveries to users on the Colorado River to prevent the shutdown of a huge dam that supplies hydropower to some 5 million customers across the U.S. West … The potential impacts to lower basin states that could see their water supplies reduced — California, Nevada and Arizona — aren’t yet known.” — The Associated Press
- Anderson police arrest pair in drive-by shooting; held for attempted murder: “Two suspects have been arrested in connection with a drive-by shooting Monday night in Anderson.” — Redding Record Searchlight
- PG&E Canyon Dam maintenance project requires closure of Highway 89 day-use area: “Pacific Gas and Electric Company will perform maintenance on a water channel at the bottom of Canyon Dam this summer. While the work is underway, PG&E’s Canyon Dam Day-Use Area will be closed and PG&E’s contractor will use a pipe bypass system to pump water from Lake Almanor over the dam spillway and into the North Fork Feather River below.” — Plumas News
- PG&E launches direct payments for Community Recovery Program to accelerate recovery from Dixie Fire: “... eligible individuals can submit a claim form, with supporting documents and receive payment from PG&E to fully settle and resolve their claim.” — Lassen County Times
- Senior affordable housing project breaks ground: “As a light rain fell Thursday, various members of the community and state, county and city representatives and media attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Olive Ranch Senior Apartments located at Table Mountain Boulevard and Grand Avenue in Oroville.” — Chico Enterprise-Record
- Locals to race, wrestle, ride at Red Bluff Round-Up: “Staley’s family is steeped in rodeo. She is the daughter of Jeff and Terri Davis, who own Four Star Rodeo and provide bucking horses and bulls for the Round-Up. Her brother, Justin, is a team roper who qualified for the 2009 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, and her husband, Robert Staley, has team roped at the Round-Up several times.” — Red Bluff Daily News
- Yreka residents see preserving small town but want job, tourism growth: “Preserving a small-town, rural aesthetic and lifestyle is part of how Yreka residents say they see their community developing and evolving in the next 20 years.” — The Siskiyou Daily News
- Bringing hope to those in need in Colusa County: “To continue expanding health care options within the rural communities of Colusa County, the Ministerial Association of Colusa County hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house at The Hope Center in Colusa on Friday.” — Colusa Sun Herald
In case you missed it
- Chico City Council picks new interim city manager — NSPR (Headlines, April 14)
- More on Sacramento shooting: Police seek to understand motives — CapRadio (Headlines, April 14)
- Planning Commission OKs retail cannabis ordinance — The Trinity Journal
- Sherri Papini's faked kidnapping bill to exceed $300,000 — Redding Record Searchlight
- DA answers questions regarding PG&E settlement for Dixie Fire — Plumas News
- Red Bluff man arrested with drugs, guns after traffic stop — Red Bluff Daily News
- Sutter Marine closing on 50th anniversary — The Appeal-Democrat
- Reparations advocates toast historic moment in San Francisco — The Associated Press
Headlines is published every weekday morning at 8:30 a.m. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and NPR One. Theme song Borough is courtesy of Blue Dot Sessions.
