Butte County Public Health announced in a press release that A third dose, also known as a booster dose, for individuals who are moderately to severely immunocompromised has also been approved on the news the FDA has Fully approved the Pfizer vaccine . Third doses of Pfizer and Moderna may be given 28 days or more after a person completes the initial two-dose series, . Currently, persons who received the Johnson & Johnson are not recommended to receive additional doses. Butte County Officials say they are waiting to hear from the State Health Dept and CDC when the thurd dose will be available to the general public. They anticipate approval by mid September.

The private information of nearly 130 Chico State students requesting exemptions from the COVID vaccine after what the Sacramento Bee is calling a data breach. The students made formal requests to not be required to take the vaccine through religious exemption. The information of the students was dumped on an anonymouss internet message board that documented the approved and denied requests from students between June 7th and August 10th. The names, phone numbers and addresses were listed. Students who requested religious exemption included several NCAA athletes. Chico State officials said they are investigating the incident.

The True North Housing Alliance and Torres Shelter announced Friday that Executive Director Joy Amaro will be stepping down and moving on. Amaro will contiue working with the Alliance thru the End of this year and will support the New Exeuctive Director in the transition. Amaro has been with the Alliance since 2017 ..the search for a new Executive Director has started..

Nine of the 20 schools in the Chico Unified School District have reported positive Coronavirus tests among students and staff. Positive cases were expected as students returned to school but the scope of cases at different schools shows how prevalent the virus is. The Chico Unified School District website says there have been cases Emma Wilson, Rosedale, Shasta, McManus Elementary Schools. Also, Marsh Junior High, Chico and Pleasant Valley and Fair View saw cases. 15 students and staff tested positive for the virus.

Cases and hospitalizations from the Coronavirus continues to climb in Butte County. Wednesday there 63 new cases of the virus. Butte County health officials say there are 69 people hospitalized with the COVID-19 with nine people in the ICU. These are the highest numbers since mid-January. The county's positivity rate has doubled in the last month with a better than 10 percent positivity rate. While the rate of total vaccination is climbing...Butte County is still one of the worst county's in the state in getting vaccinated ranking 47th out of 58 counties

The 2020 Census found that more than half the counties in the United States had lost population since 2010, and Butte County was one of them. Butte County's case was different though. The bulk of the other losses reflected the continuing migration from rural areas to cities. Butte County lost people due to fire. According to recent Census data, The county had been growing steadily from the 2010 Census total of 220,000, to an estimated 230,330 on July 1, 2018. People displaced by the Camp fire and moved out of the area , and by July 1, 2019, the Census Bureau estimated there were just over 218,000 people in the county. The latest Census count, dated to April 1, 2020, put the county's population at 211,632.

Monday Evening , Chico Police Officers responded to the One Mile Recreation Area of Bidwell Park on a report of a possible drowning in the creek, according to the Chico Police Department. Officers report that they found park goers pulling a woman from the water downstream from Sycamore Pool. Chico Fire Department and Butte Emergency Medical Services attempted lifesaving efforts for some time but were unable to save the woman. Officers have initiated a death investigation. The woman's identity is being withheld pending next of kin notifications.

P-G-and-E is warning of a Public Safety Power Shutoff for thousands of customers across 16 counties. The utility says as many as 39-thousand customers could be affected tomorrow night through Wednesday afternoon, mostly in Butte and Shasta counties. A Fire Weather Watch has been issued for tomorrow and Wednesday, with gusty northeast winds for the northern Sacramento Valley and Sierra foothills. Glenn, Trinity, Humboldt, Sierra, Plumas, Lassen, Tehama, Yolo and Yuba counties are also on the PSPS watch list. In the Bay Area, portions of Sonoma, Napa, and Solano as well as neighboring Lake and Mendocino counties round out the list.

Butte County Clerk says that Starting Monday August 16th , the Mail in Ballots for the upcoing recall election will be mailed...Registered voters should expect their packet by August 25th. The recall election is set for September 14th

The fight over mask and vaccine mandates moved to the center of California's looming recall election, with candidate Larry Elder promising to swiftly roll back sweeping government orders. Democrats labeled the leading Republican as a science skeptic who would endanger public health. Elder told reporters during an online gathering that if he replaces Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in the Sept. 14 election he will suspend any mask or vaccine mandates in place for state workers "right away." Elder said he believes vaccines work and he has been vaccinated himself, but believes it should be a personal choice, not a government mandate.

The North Valley Community Foundation is accepting donations for Dixie Fire relief efforts and has already issued $30,000 in grants to help. The NVCF utilized donations from its Wildfire Relief and Recovery Fund to help with the Dixie Fire response. Tax-deductible donations can be made to NVCF's Wildfire Relief and Recovery Fund at www.nvcf.org/funds/Wildfire-Relief-and-Recovery-Fund

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has allowed the parole release of a killer who served four decades in prison for the murder of a developmentally disabled man who was buried alive. Officials said Monday that Newsom took no action Friday on the state parole board's latest decision granting parole to David Weidert. Newsom's acceptance of the parole recommendation allows the release of David Weidert. He received a life sentence for killing Michael Morganti in 1980. Newsom and his predecessor previously rejected Weidert's parole three times. Weidert and an accomplice forced Morganti to dig his own grave. They then beat, stabbed and choked him. He suffocated after being buried alive.

PG&E investigators report no linkage between two power poles and the Dixie Fire. Inspection records show the poles thought to be the cause of the blaze found they were not contributing factors. Also, a tree reportedly leaning against a power conductor on July 13th led officials to think it had sparked a fire near the base of the tree. The power company said an inspection on January 14th showed no issues that needed corrective action between the tree and the power pole. The report was ordered by Judge William Alsup, who is presiding over a lawsuit against PG&E in the deadly pipeline explosion in San Bruno that occurred eleven years ago.