California regulators say the state is unlikely to run short of electricity this summer, thanks to new power sources and a wet winter that filled reservoirs to restart hydroelectric power plants shuttered during the drought. Officials say more than 8,000 megawatts of new wind, solar and battery power will come online by September. One megawatt of electricity is enough to power about 750 homes. California normally has more than enough electricity to power the homes and businesses of its more than 39 million people. But the electrical grid has trouble when it gets really hot and everyone turns on their air conditioners at the same time. California ran short of power in 2020. That caused brief blackouts for hundreds of thousands of households.

Chico State University interim provost and vice president of Academic Affairs Stephen Perez will serve as the University's next president. He succeeds Gayle Hutchinson, who is retiring at the end of June. Perez takes over the role July 1. Perez became interim provost in January following the resignation of Debra Larson - The California State University Board of Trustees announced Wednesday morning that Perez will serve as its 13th president.

Two Magalia mothers were sentenced to ten years and eight months each in state prison in Butte County Superior Court today. Both previously pleaded no contest to multiple charges of child abuse and witness dissuading related to their five minor children. The ten-year eight-month sentences for Kelsey Cabrera, 35, and Amanda Johnson, 39, stem from years of physical and sexual abuse that were inflicted on their biological children by their co-defendant, Robert Chavez, 41. Cabrera, Johnson, and Chavez were involved in a relationship between the years of 2021 and 2023 and were most recently living together at a home on Colter Way in Magalia, along with the minor children, who ranged in ages from 4 to 16. The co-defendant Chavez was previously sentenced to 80 years to life in prison on May 12, 2023.

Thursday the city of Chico started handing out 7-day notices to the homeless at the bike path along Highway 99 bike path from Rio Lindo to Alba Avenue and between Lassen Avenue and Panama . This process was delayed due to the Legal Services of Northern California disputing the count of those liveing at teh Encampent...after a recount the city was allowed to hand out the notices...

 A former Oroville police officer and Glenn County deputy has been booked into the Glenn County Jail on charges of grand theft and embezzlement.   According to the Glenn County Sheriff's Office, John Sanzone had allegedly kept thousands of dollars from a homeless man he had detained...Sanzone was booked into the Glenn County Jail following a self-surrender under a warrant issued for his arrest.  Sanzone was named previously in a lawsuit against the Oroville Police Department alleging racial discrimination within the department.

 A 15 yr old boy  has died in a shooting in Oroville Thursday afternoon, The Oroville Police Department said it is investigating a shooting inside of a residence on Fort Wayne Street near Burlington Avenue.  Officers said they are interviewing a 19-year-old male that was involved in the shooting.   Oroville Police said that they are investigating whether the shooting was accidental or intentional. 

California legislative committees in the Assembly and Senate blocked two big climate bills Thursday. One would have made the state's greenhouse gas emission reduction targets more ambitious. Another would have allowed people to sue oil companies over health problems if they meet certain criteria. Those were among dozens of bills that did not survive hearings in the chambers' public finance committees. That means they not likely to be passed this year..

The Department of Water Resources said that Lake Oroville is at 95% capacity, with 3.37 million acre-feet of water stored in the reservoir. Lake Oroville is expected to reach full capacity by this spring. Officials say more water is being released thru the spillway as the Snow melt continues adding to the Lake levels. Lake Oroville's storage has increased around 230 feet and gained over 2.3 million acre-feet of water.

Three teens were arrested Thursday night in Chico after police say they were involved in a stabbing at the Thursday Night Market. According to Chico Police, Officers say when they arrived the group was actively fighting and several others were standing by watching. During the fight, officers say a 15-year-old girl took out a knife and slashed another girl.

California's budget deficit is now at nearly 32-billion dollars. That's up from the ten-billion predicted in January. Governor Gavin Newsom released his revised budget proposal Friday, saying the state's challenges are partly due to high federal inflation rates and letting storm victims delay filing their taxes. His plan includes spending cuts but protects key investments in education, health care, public safety, housing and climate action.

Scientists say nearly half of the American West has emerged from drought following a winter marked by heavy snow and several massive rainstorms. The robust precipitation hasn't entirely replenished the region. But all that rain and snow means California can provide 100% of the water requested by cities and farms for the first time in years. Some of the excess water has also been diverted to farmland as a way to replenish groundwater by letting it slowly percolate into the ground. Snow melt has been slow so far, and if that continues it would help reduce danger of flooding and delay onset of the worst wildfire danger.

President Joe Biden's administration on Thursday will begin denying asylum to migrants who show up at the U.S.-Mexico border without first applying online or seeking protection in a country they passed through , according to a new rule released Wednesday.

California's historic reparations task force has voted to approve recommendations for possible payments to Black residents and a formal apology for the state's role in perpetuating discriminatory policies. The nine-member committee took a series of votes Saturday on its final report to lawmakers, which is officially due July 1. The Legislature will then determine how, if at all, to act on the suggestions. The first vote approved a detailed account of historical discrimination against Black Californians in areas such as voting, housing, education, the legal system and others. Other recommendations included suggestions for crafting an apology for the legacy of slavery and economic reports on possible reparations payments.

Gunshots were fired into a Chico residence early Monday morning, just barely missing a 3-year-old child as they slept near the front window, according to the Chico Police Department (CPD). Chico Police were dispatched at about 2:09 a.m. to the 1500 block of Arch Way for the report of shots fired into a residence. after a brief search they found 18 yr old , Oscar Sanchez, Sanchez has been charged with shooting into an inhabited residence nad assault with a deadly weapon.. the 14 yr old was arrested for public intoxication

-Chico Police have released the Name of the 17-year-old killed in a drive-by mass shooting in Chico early Saturday morning has been identified. Police said Justina Stubbe, a former Las Plumas High School student, died at the hospital after being shot at the Cedar Park Apartments on Columbus Avenue around 3:30 a.m. Officers are still working to make an arrest

California businesses are paying higher taxes this year to help pay off the state's unemployment debt. So many people lost their jobs during the pandemic that the state had to borrow money to pay unemployment benefits. If California doesn't pay off the debt, business owners have to do it through higher taxes. California is one of five states that has not paid back its debt. Gov. Gavin Newsom withdrew a plan to pay $750 million toward the debt this year, citing the state's projected $22.5 billion budget deficit.

Chico Public Works reports that a total of 170 cubic yards (26 tons) of trash was removed during the recent homeless camp cleanups and clear outs at 9th & Hazel and The Chico State bike path...

State Route 70 will be reopened to through traffic three times a day. Eastbound and westbound traffic will be escorted through the closure (from Jarbo Gap to the Greenville Wye) at 6:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 5:30 p.m. Motorists must be in line at the time of these openings in order to travel through the closure but are asked to not get in line any earlier than 15 minutes prior to the opening time to ensure the roadway is not blocked for emergencies or contractor access.

The Shasta County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing Tuesday to reach an agreement on county workers' wages. The board voted to ultimately stick with its current offer of 2.5%. The union is fighting for a 15% increase in wages and benefits. The board's decision Tuesday doesn't end the strike. the strike is set to go until May 12.

Yuba County Sheriff Deputies believe a Chico woman who was found dead near Linda Thursday afternoon was hit by a vehicle, according to the Yuba County Sheriff's Office. Deputies identified the woman as 27-year-old Amery Sweany of Chico. They said Sweany was fairly new to the Yuba-Sutter area. On Thursday, they responded to 1700 block Simpson Lane around 2:30 p.m. after receiving a report of a body lying on the side of the road. An autopsy was conducted on Tuesday, which revealed Sweany's cause of death was blunt force trauma. They believe she was hit by a vehicle. Deputies said evidence at the scene supported the findings of the autopsy.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is undergrounding nine miles of overhead powerlines in Butte Valley through the end of 2023. The underground powerlines will reduce wildfire risk and increase reliability. PG&E crews and contractor Underground Construction Company are now undergrounding along Durham-Pentz Road between Butte College and Pentz Road. Crews will later undergound power lines along Highway 191 between Durham-Pentz Road and Litl Bit Lazy Lane, and all of Mesilla Valley Road in Butte County. Work will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays, except holidays, weather permitting. One-way traffic controls, detours and brief traffic delays will be in effect at times. Crews will deliberately work small sections at a time to have minimal impact.

The state is kicking off Wildfire Preparedness Week starting today. The governor says California is experiencing longer and more destructive wildfire seasons "amid intensifying climate impacts." A new online campaign explains how people can protect themselves, such as creating defensible space around homes. Crews also continue taking steps to reduce fuels so it will be easier for them to control flames.

A man was taken to the hospital by ambulance after he was hit by a car in Chico late Sunday. The collision happened around 10:15 p.m. Sunday in the 2100 block of Nord Avenue near the Royal Palms Mobile Home Park. Officials say a man was crossing the street in the dark when he was hit. He went to Enloe Medical Center in an ambulance. No information was immediately available about the severity of the man's injuries. Police say ther was no indication or drugs or alcohol as a cause for the accident..

CHICO CITY OFFICIALS SAY 2 HOMELESS ENCAMPEMENTS WILL BE CLAEARED STARTING TODAY..THE AREAS INCLUDE 9TH AND HAZEL AND ALONG BIKE PATH BEHIND CHICO STATE AT W SAC AND 8TH STREETS... AFTER HANDING OUT THE REQUIRED 7 DAY NOTICES PUBLIC WORK CREWS WILL BEGIN THE CLEAN OUT OF THESE AREAS TODAY..