CAL FIRE announced up to $70 million in new funding is available to help California communities strengthen wildfire resilience and reduce fire risk. The grants support locally led projects that reduce wildfire risk, strengthen preparedness and help protect lives, property and critical infrastructure. Grant applications are now open and must be submitted by 3 p.m. on July 8. FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK BELOW 

https://www.fire.ca.gov/what-we-do/grants

The former Dean of the College of Agriculture has filed a federal suit against the CSU Board of Trustees and Chico State President Steve Perez for wrongful termination..... Dr. Patricia Stock was fired in June of 2023 and in her suit she alleges that Perez fired her after local ag interests and members of the Butte County Farm Bureau coordinated a campaign to have her dismissed. Perez denies those claims Stock and her lawyers have subpoenaed the text messages from Butte County Farm Bureau Executive Director Colleen Cecil alleging a coordinated effort to influence Chico State Administration. Stock says in the 173 page complaint obtained by KPAY that local ag interests did not approve of her selection of Ricardo Orellana to lead the University Farm. She includes text messages where local ag interests speak in derogatory tones about the latin heritage of herself and Orellana. The suit claims that Perez told Stock she was being fired because she was "antagonizing community partners." Stock's suit also claims local ag leaders were getting preferential treatment when it came to no-bid contracts and financial payouts under the previous Dean of Agriculture.

Enloe Medical Center is walking back statements that may have changed the course of a downtown Chico revitalization plan... Three weeks ago Enloe officials told city leaders that the proposed plan may slow emergency response times. This week Enloe C.E.O. Mike Wiltermood said despite the changes to traffic corridors with the proposal, the hospital doesn't believe those changes would result in slower response times. Three Chico City Council members (Kasey Reynolds, Mike O'Brien and Dale Bennett) all voted against the plan with all three saying Enloe's statements regarding slower response times influenced their decision. Wiltermood went on to apologize to the City of Chico and its residents for what he calls a misunderstanding at the April 21st meeting.

A group of Chico citizens is suiting Chico Mayor Kasey Reynolds for not recusing herself from voting on the Downtown Chico Revitalization Plan.... A group of eight Chico citizens including former Chico Mayor Ann Schwab is suing Reynolds claiming she is violating the Political Reform Act. Reynolds voted against a downtown revitalization plan on April 21st. The group says that Reynolds should not have voted on the project because she owns Schubert's Ice Cream and Candy and receives a salary from the business. The Act forbids elected officials from making governmental decisions when they have a personal financial interest in the outcome. Councilman Tom Van Overbeck recused himself during the vote because he owns property in the downtown corridor. As reported in the Chico ER....According to Fair Political Practice Committee forms Reynolds is co-owner and receives a salary from Schubert's Ice Cream and Candy. Local attorney Peter Washington says they tried to resolve the matter without filing the suit but they came up empty.

Owning a home is 48 percent more likely after a person leaves California. That's according to a new study from the California Policy Lab at UC Berkeley. It says Californians who left the state between 2016 and 2025 moved to areas where the median home price was 396-thousand dollars. That's an average cost decrease of 48 percent compared to their previous neighborhoods. Monthly housing expenses like taxes and insurance also fell from an average of nearly 24-hundred dollars in California to about 17-hundred dollars in other states. Renters who left the state saw their monthly payments drop by about 30 percent.

An outside investigation released on Friday, May 1, found sustained allegations of inappropriate and unprofessional conduct by Shasta County Clerk and Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis, including demeaning comments to employees that referenced violence, minimizing staff work and making appearance-and gender-related comments. The report said there is evidence of campaign-related activity during work hours, a verified pattern of unprofessional conduct and a dysfunctional workplace environment. It concluded that Curtis' leadership has led to a toxic and polarized work environment. Curtis has denied the allegations.

CREWS ARE STARTING WORK ALONG FOREST AVE THE PAVEMENT PRESERVATION PROJECT THEY ARE RESEALING THE PAVEMENT ALONG FOREST AVE FROM 20TH STREET TO MOUNTAIN CIRCLE DRIVE WITH TRAFFIC CONTROLS DURING PHASES OF THE WORK . OFFICALS SAY TO EXPECT DELAYS DURING TEH WORK WITH 1 LANE CONTROLS IN PLACE..THEY SUGGEST USING ALTERNATE ROUTES

California State Parks says The survey deadline for the "Reimagine Bidwell Mansion" project has been extended to May 1, 2026. The survey, part of a California State Parks effort to guide the future of the fire-damaged historic park The initiative aims to gather public input for the rebuilding and future use of the mansion following a December 2024 arson fire.The feedback will help create a Vision Plan, with planning for the site continuing through 2026...Take the Survey at ReimagineBidwellMansion.org.

A decades old California environmental law could be overhauled. The California Chamber of Commerce gathered almost a million signatures to get a measure on the November ballot that could make big changes to the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA [ see-quah ]. The "Building an Affordable California Act" would limit environmental reviews to one year for many projects, from housing and hospitals to solar and wind farms. Courts would also have to decide on legal challenges to projects within 270 days. Supporters say it would lower housing, water, and energy costs by speeding up building projects. Environmental groups oppose the measure, saying it goes too far and favors developers.

A Paradise man is headed to trial on multiple child abuse charges.... 43 year-old Joseph Linson is local tattoo artist. He was on parole after previously serving six years of a ten-year prison term for rape in El Dorado County. The Butte County D.A.'s office says Linson is facing child molestation child abuse and domestic abuse charges. A Butte County judge found sufficient evidence to move forward with the case. Linson was released from prison in 2016 and had relocated to Paradise to live with his girlfriend and her children. He will return to court in July

Shasta County Supervisors are delaying a censure vote against their Registrar of Voters until after the June election.... Clint Curtis is accused of misconduct which includes verbally abusing election staff. Supervisors could have voted on the censure at this week's meeting but decided to delay that vote until after the June 2nd election. Curtis is running for a full term as the county clerk. Curtis was appointed to the position in 2024 where immediatley called into questions computer voting systems and computer counts. He is closely aligned with the My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell and hopes to bring hand counts of all ballots for all elections not only to Shasta County but the entire country.

Orland continues to get feedback from the public as they look to switch to district elections for their city council The town is looking at district maps after a member of the public let city leaders know they were in violation of California law if they didn't change to district elections. Orland Mayor Terri Barr says that risk was too high and they have decided to start the process. Roughly 83-hundred people live in Orland and Barr says they are used to voting for the best candidate but now the town will be divided into sections. Orland has set up a website where residents can look at maps and give their feedback. The final meeting to look at these district lines is set for May 5th. They would likely take affect for the November 2026 mid-terms

A new report finds 46 percent of U.S. children live in places that get a failing grade for at least one measure of pollution. That's according to the American Lung Association's annual state of the air report. The report looks at two of the most widespread and dangerous air pollutants: fine particles and ozone. It found Kern County in California was the most polluted county year-round followed by Cameron in Texas and Lane in Oregon. Seven of the ten worst counties were in California.

A Chico man who previously admitted to breaking into his father's home and killing the family cat in what prosecutors described as a claimed satanic ritual was sentenced to four years and eight months in state prison on felony charges of first-degree residential burglary and animal cruelty. Matthew Boyle-Dahl, Admitted to killing the cat in February after breaking into his fathers home.

State Democratic Party chair Rusty Hicks says in the first poll from the California Democratic Party since Swalwell dropped out of the race , it appears almost all of Swalwell's support went to former HHS Secretary Becerra. Conservative commentator Steve Hilton leads all candidates with 17 percent, and three points behind him is Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco. the top 6 polling candidates debate tonight in San Francisco

California's tourism industry grew last year, with visitors spending nearly 160 billion dollars. That's nearly a two-percent increase from the year before, or just under one percent adjusted for inflation. This comes as fewer international tourists came to the Golden State. According to a report released by Visit California, there was a one-billion-dollar decline statewide from international visitors likely due to federal immigration policies. California still remains the top tourist destination in the U.S., though spending is still lower than before the pandemic when adjusted for inflation. The travel industry also added more than four-thousand jobs statewide.

A 17-year-old Red Bluff bull rider is recovering from a broken back after being trampled by a bull April 15. Giovanni Kent was competing when his spur became caught on a strap, causing him to be dragged and stepped on by the bull. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was treated for a broken back. Kent underwent two surgeries in which rods were inserted to stabilize his spine, leaving him in a back brace. Family members say he is up and walking but has a long road of recovery ahead. A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family with medical expenses.

The Chico City Council deadlocked in a 3-to-3 tie vote on a proposed downtown revitalization plan that would bring protected bike lanes to downtown's busiest streets. Mayor Kasey Reynolds ended the 4 hour meeting after the deadlocked vote Due to the length of the meeting and abrupt ending, the Sewer rate hike discussion had to be tabled.

The Recent spring storm dropped more than three and a half feet of snow in hte eastern Sierra Nevada. The UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab says the storm helped the late-season snowpack, but warm winter temperatures mean snow levels are still low. On April 1st, the Sierra snowpack was just 18 percent of average. Officials warn the low snow levels could make drought and water shortages worse unless heavy rain or snow arrives. According to the US Drought Monitor, much of the state is already abnormally dry. Several Northeastern counties are already experiencing moderate drought conditions, including portions of Lassen, Plumas, Sierra, Placer and El Dorado Counties.

The Aaron Rodgers NorCal Fire Recovery Grant Program has awarded 29 grants totaling $200,000 for projects largely focused on the health and wellness of young people in Butte County. Nonprofit and youth-serving organizations, including local governments and public schools, were eligible to apply to the annual grant program at North Valley Community Foundation. Seventy-five applications were received. The 29 grants awarded ranged from $2,500 to $15,000. Rodgers opened up the fire recovery fund at NVCF after the Camp Fire in 2018 and also started a fund benefiting locally owned small businesses during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

A religious cult leader in Oroville was supposed to be sentenced in a Butte County courtroom on Tuesday, but the date was delayed. Sansue Vang was found guilty in February by a jury of eight counts of child molestation and three counts of rape after a seven-day trial. the prosecution informed the court that numerous victims wish to speak, with some providing written statements for the judge to consider during sentencing. Vang will return to court on June 9. He is facing a potential sentence of life in prison.

The Chico Police Department arrested a Magalia man charges with soilicitation of a minor . During the operation, they gathered evidence documenting illicit conversations between a man later identified as Brandon Wheeler and two victims believed to be 13-year-old girls. In the conversations, Wheeler used an alias, asked the girls to send explicit photos and attempted to meet them in person. CPD officers arrested Wheeler during a planned traffic stop on Highway 70 at Cox Lane on April 8, 2026.

the Chico Police Department along with Butte County EMS responded to Petersen Memorial Drive in Lower Bidwell Park in Chico at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday after receiving a report of a unresponsive person. Authorities say that a passing bystander contacted 9-1-1 and had begun performing CPR on the person. first responders continued performing life-saving measures However, despite the best efforts of emergency responders, the subject passed away. Authorities say at this time, there are no signs of foul play and the public is not believed to be at any risk.

California's high-speed rail project between Los Angeles and San Francisco has faced repeated delays and continues to see soaring costs. According to Anthony Williams from the California High Speed Rail Authority, who spoke with CBS's "60 Minutes" on Sunday, the project's price tag is now at 126-billion dollars -- almost four times the original budget. The project also faces a 90-billion-dollar funding shortfall. In nearly 20 years, only a section in the Central Valley has seen any construction. The project is now slated to be finished far later than initially thought with an estimated opening date of 2033.

UNITED WAY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA HAS ANNOUNCED THEY WILL BE DOWNSIZING THEIR OPERATIONS . WITH THE RECENT COMPLETION OF THEIR MICRO SHELTER SITE AND OPERATION . THEY ARE FOCUSING AWAY FROM DIRECT SERVICES TO A BROADER REGIONAL STRATEGY. THE ORGANIZATION SAYS THAT ECONOMIC CONDITIONS ARE DRIVING THE SHIFT INCLUDING REDUCTION IN STAFFING AND THE CLOSURE OF ITS REDDING OFFICE. OFFCIALS SAY THAT THEIR FOCUS STILL REMAINS ON SERVING THE 9 COUNTIES AND CONNECTING PEOPLE WITH VITAL RESOURCES.