The latest North State and California news on our airwaves for Thursday, May 19.
Red flag warning issued for much of the North State
Windy conditions and hot temperatures have triggered a red flag warning for most of Northern California, including much of the North State. Scott Rowe is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento.
"Whenever we have a fire weather watch or even a red flag warning, outdoor burning is discouraged ... also advise folks to follow and listen to any sort of burn bans that county or state officials may have in effect and just be extra cautious of any sort of activity that may involve a spark or may cause a spark," he said.
The red flag warning is set to start today at 11 a.m. and end Friday at 8 p.m. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph with temperatures in the mid-90s.
— CapRadio Staff
Redding city council moves forward with housing site for homeless
The Redding city council Tuesday decided to move forward with a plan for a temporary housing site at the St. James Lutheran Church on Shasta View Dr. The site is called Goodwater Crossing and it would consist of four sleeping cabins to start and could expand to up to 12 sleeping cabins, if fully funded.
Each resident would be able to stay at the site for up to 10 months and would be given case management to help them access community resources including permanent housing, employment, education, and other programs.
The city can’t fully approve the project until funding for a case manager and program manager is finalized.
— Kelly Frost, NSPR
California gas prices surpass six dollars a gallon
The price for a gallon of regular gas in California has surpassed the six-dollar mark for the first time. The state already has the highest gas prices in the country. Patrick De Haan, a petroleum analyst with GasBuddy, said California is a net importer of gas. It also has the highest gas tax in the country which is slated to go up again this summer.
“California is the only state that has a carbon management or cap and trade program that assesses an additional fee for the right to utilize gasoline,” he said. “So, you add all that up, in addition to special blends of gasoline required by the Air Resources Board and California is the king when it comes to the highest prices.”
Prices will automatically rise another three cents on July 1 first due to a tax tied to inflation. That money is used to fund roads and other infrastructure projects. Gov. Gavin Newsom suggested putting off this increase for the rest of the year, but the proposal died in the legislature.
— CapRadio Staff
California home prices reach new record
Rising interest rates slowed demand last month for home buying in California, according to a new report, but that didn’t stop the median single-family home price from reaching a new record.
The new record is now $885,000, according to a report by the California Association of Realtors. That’s due to low inventory and more million-dollar home sales.
Slumping demand, meanwhile, was due to rising interest rates, said Oscar Wei, an economist with the realtor’s association.
He said those rates mean hundreds more each month out of new owners' pockets compared to people who bought months ago.
“The mortgage payment is probably an increase from let’s say $3,000 to roughly about $3,700 or $3,800. So, we’re looking at $800 or $1,000 more each month,” he said.
Wei said the good news is high borrowing costs will eventually slow down the growth of home prices.
— CapRadio Staff
Stories from NPR partner stations are edited by NSPR Staff for digital presentation and credited as requested.
In other news
- Woman, dog attacked by mountain lion near Big Bar: “California Department of Fish and Wildlife personnel are investigating a mountain lion attack that left a woman and her dog badly injured Monday, May 16.” — The Trinity Journal
- Coronavirus in Shasta County: 11 people die of COVID; death numbers rise in May: “Between May 4 and Tuesday, Shasta County Public Health reported another 11 people died of COVID. As of Wednesday, Shasta County lost 653 of its residents to the virus, according to Public Health data.” — Redding Record Searchlight
- Wildfire Preparedness Tour set for May 21: “The public is invited to tour Plumas County properties and learn about what can be done to prepare their home for the upcoming fire season.” — Plumas News
- Evita Fire: Sheriff’s Office issues, lifts evacuation warning near Palermo: “Butte county encountered two fires on Wednesday — one, a commercial water truck that was headed northbound on Highway 149 in Oroville before becoming completely engulfed and later the Evita Fire which burned roughly 17.3 acres in Palermo.” — Chico Enterprise-Record
- Parks to open earlier in Red Bluff: “Parks in Red Bluff will open 90 minutes earlier each day following a vote at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.” — Red Bluff Daily News
- Gas leak causes utility shutdown in Colusa: “A gas leak in Colusa caused a handful of PG&E customers to lose gas services for a few hours on Thursday. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. Spokesperson Paul Moreno said the utility was notified of a gas dig in by a third party in the alley behind 250 Fifth Street, Colusa, at 11 a.m. Thursday.” — Colusa Sun Herald
- Yuba City to begin penalizing delinquent utility accounts: After a more than two-year moratorium on water service shutoffs due to challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the city of Yuba City announced Tuesday that it will resume penalties and a discontinuance of service for utility accounts that are not paid.” — The Appeal-Democrat
In case you missed it
- Two North State residents to sit on the state’s agricultural board — NSPR (Headlines, May 18)
- California primary election three weeks away — CapRadio (Headlines, May 18)
- Shasta County supervisors press for more COVID relief — Redding Record Searchlight
- Portola man arrested following crimes that put a Quincy school and neighborhood in lockdown — Plumas News
- PG&E invites Lassen, Tehama, Shasta, and Glenn counties to a Regional Wildfire — Lassen County Times
- Chico State graduation ceremonies begin this week — Chico Enterprise-Record
- Tehama County mulls funding options for Antelope Community Sewer project — Red Bluff Daily News
- Tyler pleads not guilty: YCUSD counselor charged with threatening Black MHS coach — The Appeal-Democrat
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