California officials want the FBI to help stop thousands of illegal marijuana farms in Northern California. Last year, officials destroyed nearly 333 thousand illegal plants and seized over 54 thousand pounds of processed marijuana in Siskiyou County alone. Representative James Gallagher also says some of these farms may also be run or funded by Chinese organized crime groups. A 2018 case led to the seizure of over one hundred properties linked to illegal grows funded by Chinese money. He says the farms have also moved onto federal lands, including the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

The Chico School Board approved part of the requested funding to bring back school resource officers. As part of a grant-funded program, the police chief came back with a smaller budget request. the 3-2 vote approved a smaller budget at 230K and 1 addtional officer The grant money will fund two officers and a supervisor. The plan is to have the school resource officers at the high schools next July.

Gun owners in California and gun owners moving into the state, will soon face new training requirements under a newly passed bill aimed at expanding firearm safety education. Under Senate Bill 948, the requirement to obtain a Firearm Safety Certificate will change from only a written test to both a written test and a minimum four-hour course that includes live-fire training. The safety course will have to be completed every five years to maintain a Firearm Safety Certificate, which has been the standard with the written test. The new requirement is set to take effect Jan. 1, 2029.

One man is dead and another injured after a stabbing at a Save Mart store in Marysville. After yesterday's attack, people in the store were able to restrain the suspect. He's now identified as Samuel Hartbower. The 33-year-old is currently facing charges of homicide and assault with a deadly weapon. It does not appear that the victim knew the attacker. The Yuba City Police Department says Hartbower had an active felony warrant for assault and was, at the time of the attack, on Post Release Community Supervision in Yuba County.

CAL FIRE law enforcement officers say they made 135 arrests related to arson across California through September. that is down from the previous year . Officials say each intentionally set fire puts lives, homes, communities and firefighters at risk. Officials said tips from the public are crucial in preventing arson and protecting communities.

A 67 yr old man was killed after a head-on crash on State Route 162 in Willows around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, CHP says 26-year-old Cameron Vessels was driving a pickup eastbound on Highway 162, east of County Road 304, when he traveled across the center line into the westbound lane and hit a motorcyclist head-on.CHP officers determined Vessels was under the influence. He was arrested and booked into Glenn County Jail for murder. The crash in still under investigation.

Chico police are investigating after a man was found dead in the Lindo Channel on Sunday morning. At about 8:50 a.m., a citizen called Chico Police Dispatch to report a person lying in the Lindo Channel near Manzanita Avenue and Hilda Way. The caller said the person was lying on top of an electric bicycle and appeared to be unresponsive. Chico Fire Department, Butte EMS and Chico police officers responded and determined the person was dead. The man has not yet been identified.

The war in Iran reportedly cost about 246-million dollars per day in its first five months. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office released a report on Tuesday estimating the war with Iran cost the U.S. over 38-billion dollars from late February to early August, and could cost up to three-billion dollars for each additional month. The report said over half that cost has come from replacing all the munitions used in the fighting. The war has also led to higher fuel prices around the world.

The Oroville Police Department is investigating after the body of a woman was found at an homeless encampment on Feather River Island. Tuesday morning The reporting party told law enforcement that a deceased individual was at an homeless encampment Officers located the body of a middle aged female. The Oroville Police Department says there are no indications of any foul play associated with the individual's death.

The Chico City Council discussed protests over a sewer rate hike and a third-party review of the Chico Police Department's audit of its automated license plate reader program at its meeting Tuesday night. The council decided to continue the hearing on November 17th after the city received protest letters from property owners. The protest letters are part of the Proposition 218 process, which limits local governments from increasing property-related fees without specific taxpayer consent or voter approval. The council also discussed whether to create an ad hoc committee to look at Chico Police Department's upcoming report on its use of automated license plate readers, or ALPR. Ultimately, the council unanimously voted to postpone further discussion on the creation of an ad hoc committee until after they hear the presentation from Chico Police.

Assembly Bill 2700 (AB 2700), known as the Wildfire Victim Restitution Bill, has officially passed the California Legislature and is now on Governor Gavin Newsom's desk for his signature. The bill cleared the California State Senate unanimously with a 40-0 vote before the Assembly concurred in the final Senate amendments on August 31, 2026. Aims to resolve the remaining ~30% gap that Fire Victim Trust claimants still face and Ensures that all recommended financial mechanisms route funds directly to wildfire victims rather than generating attorney fee streams. If signed by the governor, the bill takes effect and shifts the issue to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). By January of 2028 This is the hard deadline for the CPUC to complete an official report calculating the exact unpaid claims for victims wildfires that occurred before July 12, 2019 (such as the 2018 Camp Fire).In that same report, the CPUC must outline specific restitution mechanisms, timelines, and benchmarks for utilities (like PG&E) to pay out the missing funds

Butte County residents will soon have a new option for electricity — Pioneer Community Energy. The city of Chico is moving closer towards starting service with Pioneer Community Energy, a non-profit community choice aggregation program. A CCA allows not-for-profit agencies, like Pioneer, to purchase electricity and use an existing utility company's infrastructure, like Pacific Gas & Electric, to distribute it. Assistant City Manager Eric Gustafson said right now, everything looks good to start service in October of 2027. Consumers could save 10% on their current bills 

Former City of Biggs Mayor Robert Bassett was sentenced on Wednesday to more than four years in prison for multiple sex crimes involving a foreign exchange student. The Butte County District Attorney's Office says in addition to the prison sentence, Bassett was ordered by Judge Deems to register as a sex offender for ten years after he was released.

The White House is unveiling what it calls its "economic D-Day" for Iran. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the new sanctions amount to an economic onslaught against Iran to further isolate it from the rest of the world. Speaking from the Treasury Department on Monday, Bessent said operation "Economic Outcast" will cut off Iran from exporting oil and from other trade. Bessent said President Trump is already calling leaders to warn them to cut off all ongoing deals with Iran.

The U.S. and Canada are locked in a trade war. President Trump says tariffs on imports of cars, trucks and auto parts from Canada will increase to 50-percent starting January 1st, 2027, after talks between the two countries broke down. Trump said, "Canada has been ripping off the United States of America for years." He added, "Their ridiculously high tariffs on our farmers and farm products has made life impossible for these great American patriots." Meanwhile, Canada announced retaliatory tariffs on some U.S. goods will start September 8th.

AB 2700(the wildfire victim restitution bill) has passed the state senate in a unanimous vote. the bill now heads back to the assembly for any amendments. The bill addresses undercompensated victims of utility-caused wildfires where survivors received only about 70% of their awarded compensation through settlement funds. It directs the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to produce a report by January 1, 2028, detailing these unpaid losses and outlining mechanisms for electrical corporations to fully compensate victims without raising electricity rates for consumers.

California will spend $95.2 million to build more electric-vehicle charging stations and hydrogen refueling sites across the state, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday. The California Energy Commission approved the funding Monday as part of the state's Clean Transportation Program. State officials said the goal is to make it easier for drivers to find places to charge or fuel zero-emission vehicles, aka ZEVs. The money will be spent during the current fiscal year, with more funding planned through the 2028-29 fiscal year.

California homeowners in wildfire-prone areas could soon face new rules that require them to better protect their homes from fire, starting as early as September. The proposed 'Zone 0' rule would require a five-foot ember-resistant buffer around homes in high-risk areas. Homeowners would need to remove flammable materials like weeds, leaves, and certain plants, and may have to replace some fences and gates. CAL FIRE says keeping the first five feet around your home clear is the best way to help stop a fire from spreading to your house. The final decision on the regulations could come this week from state fire officials.

The Chico City Council voted Tuesday night to move forward with possible changes to the municipal code to address public nuisance enforcement. City Attorney Ryan Jones made a presentation to the council showing it can enforce existing nuisance laws now, where the violation is something other than homeless camping. He also suggested changes to existing municipal code making some public nuisance violations misdemeanors. The council's vote directs staff to begin enforcement of nuisance laws that do not violate the Warren settlement agreement. the vote was 4-3

A non-native to California mosquito species has been identified by the Glenn County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) public health division and the Mosquito Vector Control District in Orland. The "Aedes aegypti" can spread diseases such as Zika, yellow fever, dengue, and other viruses. The species is noticeable since they are small, dark mosquitoes with white markings and banded legs. The county is monitoring several factors to determine how widespread the mosquitoes are, but officials believe the risk of disease in Glenn County remains low.

Oroville Hospital and its parent organization OroHealth Corporation filed a lawsuit against a limited liability company owned by their former CEO, alleging he used his position to profit from a property deal that should have belonged to the hospital. Robert J. Wentz served as CEO and a board member of both organizations when he formed Dove's Landing, LLC in 2011. The lawsuit claims Wentz acquired the property at 2450 Oro Dam Boulevard in Oroville through Dove's Landing, then leased it back to the hospital at inflated rates while the hospital spent more than $7 million renovating the abandoned building. The hospital alleges Wentz controlled the boards of both organizations and misled trustees about the transaction. The lawsuit claims he presented the deal as the only viable option while concealing his 60% ownership stake in Dove's Landing. The lawsuit seeks to have the property transferred to Oroville Hospital and to recover overcharges and damages

The man sentenced to more than 70 years in prison for a deadly shooting on a Greyhound bus was resentenced this week after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling changed how certain factors can be considered in criminal cases. Asaadhi Coleman was resentenced to 72 years to life in prison, down from his original sentence of 74 years to life. The change came about six weeks after his initial sentencing when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that aggravating factors related to prior convictions must be determined by a jury, not a judge. Coleman was convicted of second-degree murder and attempted murder for the shooting that happened on board a Greyhound bus in Oroville on February 2, 2022.

A former Biggs mayor pleaded no contest on Wednesday, August 5, in Butte County Superior Court to multiple sex crime charges involving a foreign exchange student who lived in his home in 2023. Bassett pleaded no contest to three counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. He faces a maximum sentence of four years and four months in state prison. The judge ordered Bassett held without bail at the Butte County Jail pending his sentencing Sept. 2.

The City of Chico detected dangerous levels of E. coli this week in Sycamore Pool in Chico's Lower Bidwell Park. It's been an ongoing issue since last summer when several people got sick, claiming it was a result of swimming in the pool. The city has been monitoring levels with frequent testing, moving to daily tests at the end of June of this year. On Monday, city testing found the highest levels recorded this summer. Park Director Shane Romain said testing done Wednesday detected much lower levels of E. coli which falls under a swim advisory. He said the city will wait until Thursday's results come back before making the decision to officially put out new recommendations.

Chico 's Police Chief released a statement Wednesday saying the Department is temporarily limiting access to its license plate reader (LPR) system to California law enforcement agencies while it reviews its policies and information-sharing practices, This comes after recent public scrutiny over the department's sharing of automated license plate reader (ALPR) data with federal and out-of-state law enforcement agencies, including concerns that agencies such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Border Patrol had access to the system. Chief Aldridge said the department is now working with the City Attorney's Office to review its policies, practices and data-sharing agreements to ensure they align with current law, emerging legal guidance and community expectations.