Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expressing confidence that Democrats will win back the House of Representatives in the 2026 midterms. Appearing on ABC's "This Week," Pelosi predicted Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will hold the speaker's gavel. She praised the New York Democrat for being "eloquent," "respected by the members" and called Jeffries "a unifier." Pelosi, the first and only woman to serve as Speaker of the House, announced last month she would not be running for re-election. The 85-year-old has been in politics for nearly four decades representing her San Francisco-based district.

A Chico man, previously convicted of embezzlement from Chico State, is now facing new charges of embezzlement from a local optometry business. Daniel Hicks, 47, appeared in Butte County Superior Court on Friday where he was arraigned on a grand theft by embezzlement charge. According to Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey, Hicks is accused of embezzling $39,941 while he worked as an accounting and benefits coordinator at a local Chico optometry business from January 2019 through July 2025. Hick will appear in court again on December 31 for further arraignment.

(AP) Federal investigators sifting through the wreckage of a business jet that crashed in North Carolina and killed retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, his family, and three others are trying to figure out who was flying the plane and what caused it to return to the airport soon after takeoff. The Cessna C550 erupted into a large fire when it hit the ground Thursday, killing all seven on board. It had departed Statesville Regional Airport, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of Charlotte, but crashed less than 10 minutes later while trying to return and land, authorities said.

The Alert FM emergency communication system will continue to serve Butte County after county supervisors approved an extension of the service until June 2031. Alert FM, which has been in use since 2021, transmits alerts and warnings through an FM radio frequency, independent of power or cell service. The county will use $275,000 from its PG&E Camp Fire settlement funds to enter a new contract with the system provider, which includes adding two new radio towers to improve service in the foothill areas.

On Thursday, 28-year-old Anthony Solansky of Oroville was sentenced to four years in state prison for the fentanyl overdose death of his two-year-old child. The Butte County District Attorney's Office says that Solansky plead no contest in November to the charge of child abuse likely to produce great bodily harm/death. The incident happened at a home in Oroville when Solansky and the mother of 2 yr old boy were sleeping when teh child got into fentanyl and overdosed. Mike Ramsey said there was no evidence to suggest the parents intended harm to their child. However, the actions of Solansky and Whitfield were described as resembling manslaughter. the mother will back in court in January

Director Rob Reiner's son is being charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the stabbing deaths of his parents. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman made the announcement Tuesday. If convicted, Nick Reiner would most likely face life in prison without parole. The bodies of 78-year-old Rob Reiner and his wife, 70-year-old Michelle Singer Reiner, were discovered in their Los Angeles home on Sunday afternoon.

Authorities arrested a resident of the Genesis Pallet Shelter in Chico on December 10 for allegedly trafficking large amounts of fentanyl. The arrest followed an investigation by the Butte Interagency Narcotics Task Force and the Special Enforcement Unit of the Butte County Sheriff's Office. BINTF Commander Michael O'Brien says agents detained 45-year-old Michael Harrigan II at the Genesis Pallet Shelter parking lot. A search of his vehicle and pallet shelter revealed 5.3 grams of fentanyl, 8.7 grams of methamphetamine, 0.5 grams of heroin, officials also found items used in the sale and distribution of the drugs

The consultant who helped design California's new congressional map is not appearing before a court that could decide the map's fate today. The three-judge federal panel is meeting for a third and final time today in Los Angeles. Before them is a lawsuit from Republican lawmakers who want to overturn the map approved by voters. Democrats are fighting to keep the map in place. Paul Mitchell, the consultant who created the map, has not testified. He did sit for a deposition, but the GOP lawyers want to question him in court. It looks like that won't happen. Because he lives in Sacramento and is 100 miles away from the courtroom in Los Angeles, the judges won't compel him to appear.