Re: Special investigation: Did officials begin to remove an area fire guardian for no reason? And is the Colby Mountain lookout really finished or not?
By Ken Magri (News, November 28, 2025)
Great piece! Why is the USFS closing the tower just as climate change is making fires worse and more frequent? And then claiming it was due to safety issues when it had just been given a clean bill of health! Let’s find out what the real agenda was.
–Dave Marquis
Upon hiking to the top of Colby Mt near Jonesville we met Ken Jordan at the lookout who allowed my wife and a friend to come up and check out his view and all the cool equipment used for fire spotting.
He is a local hero and likely the reason Butte Meadows and Jonesville did not burn into oblivion during the PG&E caused Dixie Fire.
This summer our favorite local NF campground, Cherry Hill just below Jonesville never opened. Every time I called the Almanor Ranger district asking when it would open I received only false answers (lies) the first two times; No campground host came forward (false, I met the former host working as host at Domingo Springs campground and verified that they never planned to open it) and the second lie repeated over and over was that they were waiting for hazard tree work for PG&E that was to be contracted out and would open upon completion.
I am a retired utility forester that used to contract for PG&E and worked every summer while monitoring the Oro Fino PG&E distribution lines and never once was the campground closed for PG&E work. There is not a single conifer along the PG&E lines that can strike a campsite within the campground.
The final phone call to the Almanor District near the end of summer finally elicited the response I knew to be the truth; The Trump regime were not funding to open many NF campgrounds in our area including Battle Creek campground in Mineral.
Gutting the Forest Service just as the need grows is dangerous and short sighted. Who does not remember Trump standing next to Sheriff Honea as the orange turd scolded us to rake out forests and referred to our devastated community of Paradise calling it Pleasure three times while Honea barely mustered a correction.
La Malfa is too little, too late!
–Andy Tomaselli
Absolutely ridiculous and all due to Trump’s mishandling of everything, including THIS—Save the Lookout TOWER!!!
–Amy Bomberger
This is a deeply concerning investigation that raises critical questions about transparency and due process in our wildfire management. The apparent contradiction between the official “project complete” status and the on-ground reality at Colby Mountain is troubling enough, but the suggestion of a Fire Guardian being removed without clear cause is a serious allegation that undermines trust in the very systems meant to protect us.
Given the significant discrepancies uncovered here, what specific public body or oversight committee (e.g., a Grand Jury, a county Board of Supervisors inquiry) has the authority to formally investigate the decision-making process behind both the lookout’s status and the personnel decision, and compel sworn testimony to get a clear, factual record?
–Stephan L.
Re: From being farmers and fire survivors to bolstering Chico’s creatives, couple remains committed with upcoming Your Market Place pop-ups
By Emily Haerter (Arts & Culture, November 26, 2025)
I purchased the Lion’s Mane Tincture a month ago and can see a major improvement in my memory. If I skip it two days I regret it.
–Paulie Aragon
A lovely article. Most thankful for our creative, small business owners. you rock!
–Paula Lynn
Re: CAP-EX: Can Chico’s nerd culture support a comics convention?
By Sam DeLong (Arts & Culture, November 24, 2025)
A very informative article! Very well written and definitely made me interested in this Chico event.
–J.A.
Re: Seven years into Gov. Newsom’s tenure, California’s housing crisis remains unsolved
By Mark Kreidler, Capital & Main (News, November 24, 2025)
Newsome has destroyed the state’s surplus and put us into the red. Signing off on environmental laws without providing an end-of-life or recycling option written-into the law.
–Valerie Meza
Re: Underfunded Chico city worker pensions take center stage for council
By Ken Magri (News, November 20, 2025)
TVO’s [Tom Van Overbeek] comments about his fellow council members are demeaning and disingenuous. Those are grown adults who campaigned and were elected to the council, and they are arguably more in touch with what everyday people need and want than Tom is. Personally, I’m thrilled by city councilors who prioritized people over the fantasy of saving money via outsourcing to businesses, which, as Winslow stated, still need to be managed, and now, apparently, held accountable by… whom? Thank you CNR and Ken Magri for your excellent reporting.
–hopepunk passiton
Re: Chico city council considers regulating rental ‘shared-mobility’ electric scooters on local streets
By Ken Magri (News, November 13, 2025)
I really hope there are some REGULAR (non-electric) bicycles included in this proposal.
–Pamela Beeman
This is what we’re worrying about in our downtown Chico. Riding scooters on sidewalks and helmets when we have people camping on the sidewalks, defecating, urinating, assaulting, drug use and more… Our police have plenty to worry about. We need to clean up our downtown before we do any of this.
–Rod Rollins
E-bikes and E-scooters speeding on bike paths present another challenge I hope these folks will deal with. The speed limit on a bike path should match a reasonable safe high speed on a non-electric bike. Thanks!
–Teresa Ensslin
Re: Chico included in redrawn 1st Congressional District
By Ken Magri (News, November 6, 2025)
Here, here! Absolutely spot on! That people like LaMalfa and Mike Johnson hurl these epithets at the Dems–indicating exactly what THEY are doing!–is just pathetic.
–E. Sauboeck
LaMalfa is a lame duck whose time has gone. Move out of the way and let progress come to these counties that have suffered so long under Republican neglect and grift.
–Katie T.
We see you little man. We see your puny character and your snivelling dishonesty. He has the absolute audacity to hurl accusations of harm to the constitution and “blatant power grabs” at Newsom when he knows full well it was his greedy buddy in Texas who conceived and executed the idea first. Did you hear him say anything about that? I didn’t. We see you now as we show you the door. We see how you don’t have any esteem for the truth. You are a blackguard, sir!
–T Fiagkua
I have been writing to LaMalfa for years. Always got a reply A LAME one but hey, he responding. I still write to him but does he reply. That would be a big fat NO! So the Doug might finally be getting the idea that now, in this political climate with thousands of his constituents about to lose their food stamps and will not know where there next meal is going to come from, just might affect how they vote going forward. I’m smiling. Hope he holds another disastrous town hall meeting soon!
–Suki Haseman
“Chico is still the single largest city in District #1.” Nope, that will be Santa Rosa, which has over 50,000 more residents than Chico.
–Jeanne G.
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