News

Several group homes housing troubled young people in Redding will close.

Authorities have begun the process of finding new placements for about 60 youngsters under the care of Victor Treatment Centers, which announced it was closing its Redding facilities.

The Chico-based organization runs group homes for juveniles coping with emotional, behavioral and mental disorders. It operates in Butte, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Sonoma, and Shasta counties, but not for much longer in the latter.  

State officials have joined the chorus of officials urging Camp Fire survivors to sign up for tree removal. 

Though structured to avoid burdening homeowners with any out of pocket costs, property owners haven’t exactly been rushing to sign up.

Dramatically faster internet speeds will start becoming a reality in parts of Lassen and Plumas County as state regulators fund a major infrastructure upgrade.

Nearly ten million dollars was awarded to the Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric Co-Op last week to whittle away at the digital divide in several Northern Sierra mountain communities.

Proposals detailing the next set of road widening and safety improvements for State Route 70 go before the public this evening.

Derided for years as an accident prone ‘blood alley,’ Caltrans is upgrading highway 70 between Marysville and Oroville. With the first phase complete and the second about to get underway, state transportation officials will roll out conceptual plans for the third stage this evening. 

Currently in Chico, emergency warm space is made available when overnight lows are expected to dip below freezing for two consecutive nights. At a hastily called press conference Monday morning, Mayor Randall Stone said that wasn’t enough.

“The problem is we have is that we have people who are precariously housed and homeless in our community, and they’re dying in the streets.” Stone said.

Local officials are using a fast-approaching deadline to urge Camp Fire survivors to sign more paperwork.

The deadline is two weeks from today. The documents are essentially releases, letting logging of dangerous dead or fire-stricken trees proceed. 

Among the Camp Fire’s destruction were parts of a historic artificial waterway. Aside from generating a small amount of electricity for Pacific Gas and Electric Company, the Miocene Canal delivered water to several key spots. The canal’s future now remains uncertain.

Running along the West Branch of the Feather River, the Miocene Canal evolved from a log flume to a small scale hydroelectric power system. It also delivered water to farmers. Seepage through its unlined bottom helped replenish the aquifer.

Off-duty firefighters will join a holiday toy and food drive Wednesday, aimed at lifting spirits among needy families. 

A holiday tradition, Chico firefighters are joining with a local branch of national temp agency Rush Personnel for a day-long toy and food drive.