Articles by Ashiah Bird (Scharaga)

Photo courtesy of Jess Mercer Jess Mercer with one of her artist clients at Gold Nugget Days. On a recent afternoon at the Phoenix Club—a new addition to the Chico location of the Boys & […]

Photo by Ashiah Scharaga Jeff Schwein sees Broadway Street as a roadway in the city that could benefit from protected bike lanes. A month after the Camp Fire, city staff set up 34 traffic counters […]

Photo by Ashiah Scharaga The “replacement cycle is exploding” at the wastewater treatment plant post-Camp Fire, according to Erik Gustafson, public works director of operations and maintenance. As Travis Elliott walked around the Chico Water […]

Photo by Ashiah Scharaga Kristy Malloy has been living in a trailer with her husband and three kids (from left: Aiden, Bethany and Wyatt) since late November. The family has been approved for FEMA housing, […]

Photo courtesy of Ray Morgan Company Ray Morgan Co.’s Chico branch, including several Camp Fire survivors, pose in their Fifth Sun Apparel Butte Strong shirts. Executive Vice President and owner Chris Scarff purchased about 200 […]

Photo by Ashiah Scharaga Dan Horvath, of FEMA, and Katrina Palomar, of CalOES, tell the council they have faced barriers with developers and environmental constraints while attempting to set up temporary homes for Camp Fire […]

Photo by Ashiah Scharaga Activists gather across the street from the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds to protest what they see as the unjust eviction of homeless people from the Red Cross shelter. When Matt Collins left […]

Photo by David Ross Naomi Yarom, IsraAID psychosocial support therapist, teaches staff members at Boys & Girls Clubs of the North Valley how to use therapeutic art card storytelling. Dr. Scott Nichols is caring for […]

Photo by Ashiah Scharaga After the Camp Fire ignited, Chicostart knew it had to open its doors as soon as possible, says Director Wendy Porter. Whether it was to offer a space in which to […]

Photo by Ashiah Scharaga North Valley Community Foundation’s Alexa Benson-Valavanis (right) and Jovanni Tricerri have a major role to play in the Camp Fire recovery: managing $25 million in donations. In the days following the […]

Photo by Ashiah Scharaga Chris and Kelsey Kerston have joined the Camp Fire Long-Term Recovery Group along with dozens of others to help the Ridge rebuild. Since the Camp Fire, Chris and Kelsey Kerston have […]

Photo by Ashiah Scharaga Mayor Randall Stone presides over his second regular council meeting. When Richard Muenzer approached the City Council dais on Tuesday (Dec. 19), he addressed its members with his characteristic brusque intensity. […]

Photo by Meredith J. Cooper On Dec. 3, homeless advocates and local law enforcement were at the triangular patch of grass just south of Humboldt Avenue encouraging folks camping there, like Mama Rose Adams, to […]

Photo by Ashiah Scharaga Isabella Mitchell reunited with her biology teacher, Ambrosia Krinsky, at the Paradise High School Resource Center at the Chico Mall. Isabella Mitchell was on the phone with her father, who was […]

Photo by Ashiah Scharaga Erin Brockovich has joined a legal team, which includes Paradise attorney Joe Earley, that is organizing a mass civil lawsuit against the utility company. Attorney Joe Earley and his wife, Ashley, […]