News

Elected leaders in Butte County will consider dipping into fiscal reserves today as Camp Fire related expenses keep piling up.

At their meeting this morning, the Board of Supervisors will be asked to transfer about a quarter of reserve funds — $1 million — to cover expenses related to the Camp Fire.

Chico’s Municipal Airport is expecting a good size federal check this week, part of an effort to re-start passenger service.

In the world of aviation, half a million dollars doesn’t go far. Nevertheless, Chico officials are hopeful this federal seed money will restore regular air travel. Potentially, with a couple of daily flights to Los Angeles.

A Brief History of the Richardson Family, Richardson Springs, Butte County

Published by the Association for Northern California Historical Research (ANCHR)

Guests Ron Womack and Josie Smith are two of the editors of this book about the owners of Richardson Springs. A third guest, Mike Boggs, is a descendant of the Richardson family. 

On this week’s call: A feared lull in burn scar building permit applications hasn’t appeared, suggesting recovery and re-population will continue at a pace faster than expected. 

Also, the next phase of tree removal is starting to take shape and we learn more about the needs still out there from Kevin Lindstrom, Pastor at Magalia Community Church and Doreen Fogle, who helps operate the Camp Fire Resource Center, where needed items are still being distributed and sympathetic ears are available.  

Some unfamiliar taps have sprouted in valley watering holes in recent months. Available at a handful of locations, Farmers Brewing Co. LLC, is using local wheat, rice, and almonds to brew beer, is gearing up to go big time.

There’s not much action here, about a mile off the Sacramento River, just a few migratory birds framed by the jagged silhouette of the Sutter Buttes. Here, far from craft brewing clusters that seem to cross-pollinate in San Diego, the Bay, and Chico Bill Weller is making a big bet.

A series of prescribed burns are expected to occur in several places across the region in coming days.

Close to 6,500 acres of forest will be intentionally set alight this week, if everything goes according to plan.

Chico’s City Council meets twice this week, with officials hoping to finalize the move to district elections.

The council meets Monday, again considering a switch to district elections. Then, in a Tuesday encore, it’s set to tackle other, more mundane issues. 

About 34 people from a host of charitable organizations were in Chico Thursday, brushing up on ways to assist Camp Fire survivors—it’s more than a full time job.

They arrived at the Salvation Army’s new Chico campus for a day long case manager training.

The remote town of Happy Camp will likely be a little less isolated by the end of the Day. 

For nearly three weeks, State highway 96 has been shut four miles west of Happy Camp. A slowly eroding hillside started calving rock, trees and boulders onto the ribbon of asphalt below, forcing Caltrans to close the road January 17th.  

The US Census Bureau is going on a North State hiring binge, gearing up for the once a decade count.

Well over a thousand jobs are available from the US Census locally, according to Marna Davis, a spokesperson for the 2020 census.