Butte County

Chico City Council member Addison Winslow was issued a cease and desist letter by the city attorney last week requesting the councilmember halt disclosing information from closed sessions. The letter wasn’t specific with the information disclosed but Winslow says it’s likely referring to his conversations with local press about the city’s recently filed amicus brief regarding homelessness.

The City of Chico is preparing to clear another series of homeless encampments. NSPR spoke with some campers who have been forced to move around ten times. Also, Chico City Council member Addison Winslow was issued a cease and desist letter by the city attorney last week requesting the councilmember halt disclosing information from closed sessions. and approval of a grant application to the county for funds to be used for outreach and emergency sheltering of unhoused people is to be discussed by the Chico City Council today.

After a three-day shut-down due to vandalism Humboldt Avenue Skatepark has reopened. The department that oversees the skatepark says a 72-hour shutdown policy is necessary but some skateboarders find it unfair. Also, Shasta County and the Pit River Tribe are suing California over a controversial wind farm project in the works despite being rejected twice by county leadership, and a million-gallon water storage tank in Orland is nearing completion that’s part of a large program to expand the city’s municipal water system to help well users during drought.

Safe Space Winter Shelter in Chico will begin sheltering unhoused individuals starting Dec. 17. NSPR spoke with the organization’s program coordinator about finding an intake center location and how the shelter operates.

An independent investigation defends Chico State’s actions when investigating a former professor who had been tenured, despite sexual relations with a student and threats of gun violence. Also, residents have been left in the dark as to why Oroville Union High School’s District Superintendent was suspended unexpectedly from his position, and the city of Chico has sent letters notifying businesses of their new responsibilities regarding stolen or misplaced shopping carts.

Disaster case managers say scores of elderly and disabled people in Butte County haven’t gotten what they need to recover from winter storms last January and February.

Safe Space Winter Shelter in Chico will begin sheltering unhoused individuals from the cold starting Dec. 17. The nonprofit recently secured an intake center location for the season. Also, as winter begins, hundreds of Butte County residents whose homes were damaged in last year’s storms are not back in them, and new walk-in clinics are now available in Yuba City that offer assessments to receive mental health or addiction treatment.

There are around 300 short-term rentals in Chico, which generated more than half a million dollars in taxes last year. Also a recent report found that Chico State did not violate any policies or mishandle the case of a Chico State professor who had a sexual relationship with a student and allegedly threatened gun violence on campus, and the California Energy Commission held an informational meeting in Anderson yesterday to discuss the Fountain Wind Project that would be the site of 48 turbines in eastern Shasta County.

This month the Sites Reservoir Project Authority approved the reservoir plan. Located just west of Maxwell in Colusa County, the reservoir will be part of an ongoing effort to increase California’s resiliency in the face of climate change. Also, Starbucks employees in Yuba City have voted to unionize, citing issues with understaffing and reduced hours during busy seasons, and there are just two more Saturdays left before the Redding Farmers Market closes for the season on Dec. 9th.

One-on-one reading helps parents bond with their children and group storytimes at local libraries provide additional activities like singing, dancing and crafts.