Dixie Fire

Oroville city councilors Tuesday heard a presentation from Pioneer Community Energy, the nonprofit says it could help reduce residents' energy costs. Also, the Plumas County District Attorney's Office notified Dixie Fire survivors of an Oct. 26 deadline for a program that provides compensation, and the town of Quincy is gearing up for the grand opening of a new bike park.

As California faces a multi-billion dollar budget shortfall this year, one program on the chopping block is Market Match that provides extra money to use on produce at farmers markets. Also, assistance is now available to help Dixie Fire survivors rebuild homes or rental properties, and Butte County wants to know how you think your tax dollars should be spent.

A nonprofit in Greenville hopes to repair the landscape lost in the Dixie Fire by replanting trees and shrubs in the burn scar. The Dixie Fire Canopy Project will host its first planting and seedling giveaway in April. Also, election results have been certified in Butte County. Voter turnout was nearly 47% and higher than the state average which was also true for other North State counties, and a new tiny home community for unhoused residents could soon open in Redding.

Students and professional fire practitioners are invited to apply to a prescribed fire training taking place in the North State in April. Participants will learn how to light controlled burns in a county that sorely needs more of them.

An exhibit at UC Davis argues the future isn’t pre-determined when it comes to wildfires. Also, a new study by Harvard University shows the Chico area has the second highest share of rent-burned residents in the state, and the California Public Utilities Commission has fined PG&E $45 million for its involvement in the 2021 Dixie Fire as part of a settlement between the company and utility regulator.

Safe Space Winter Shelter says its intake center will be in the parking lot of Trinity United Methodist Church for the rest of the season following more than a week of negotiations with the city of Chico over a zoning issue at the nonprofit’s prior location. Also, a controversial settlement agreement between the California Public Utilities Commission and PG&E over the energy company’s role in the deadly 2021 Dixie Fire was delayed for a second time this week, and the Shasta County Election Commission has asked that the county’s supervisors to hire legal counsel to find out if they have authority to review election materials.

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.

Progress has been made on a bill that would keep disaster survivors from having to pay taxes on corporate settlement money.

The Head Fire continues to prompt evacuations around Seiad Valley. Also, a health advisory was issued in Siskiyou County due to unhealthy air quality from the fires, and two years after the Dixie Fire six new homes are under construction in Plumas County.

PG&E’s move to quietly end a program to clear dangerous trees around its power lines has caused alarm for North State prosecutors. Also, Tuesday is the last day to submit public comments on the state’s plan to spend federal funds on housing for Dixie Fire survivors, and the Chico Police Department is warning residents of a new scam hitting the community involving cryptocurrency ATMs and bitcoin.