Butte County Public Health Department

The number of birds in Butte County infected with the bird flu has now climbed to more than 44,000. Health officials say the risk of the virus to the public remains low. Also, the man accused of burning down Bidwell Mansion pleaded not guilty in court today, and a crime-fighting security trailer will continue operating in Oroville.

We’re in the trenches of cold and flu season, and officials say it’ll get worse before it gets better. North State doctors offer their experience and advice on avoiding this season’s ick.

On the first day of the semester, professors, lecturers, librarians, counselors and coaches at the California State University will begin a weeklong strike this morning, including at Chico State. The California Faculty Association has been negotiating for a 12% general pay increase. Also, rates of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, that are monitored in Butte County’s wastewater are on the decline following state and national trends, and after several items were pulled from the agenda at the last Butte County Board of Supervisors meeting, they’re now coming back for discussion.

A memorial for at least 26 individuals who died in Chico while experiencing homelessness this year is scheduled for tomorrow. Organizations who knew them say things need to change in the city.

Containment of the novel coronavirus or COVID-19 appears less and less likely. The number of cases in China continues rising, and recent outbreaks in…