Food
New place to roost
This feature is part of a CN&R special report: Entrepreneurs 2022: Reinvention. With a multi-page menu heavy on comfort food, an old-school lunch counter and a standing army of kitschy chicken statues, The Roost Cafe […]
Articles by Ken Smith
Food
New vibrations
This feature is part of a CN&R special report: Entrepreneurs 2022: Reinvention. For years, Amanda Bosschart fantasized about the storefront at the southeast corner of Third and Main streets, imagining it would make the perfect […]
News
New shelter tour
Construction of the new homeless shelter at the former site of the Silver Dollar BMX race track in South Chico is nearly complete, but the facility’s opening date remains unclear. The remaining obstacles, according to […]
Local Government
The city speaks
Chico’s mayor and city manager held a press conference Tuesday (Jan. 18) regarding last week’s settlement of the Warren v. City of Chico lawsuit, breaking months of court-ordered confidentiality that barred players on both sides […]
News
On new terms
There is a sea change in store for the city of Chico and its approach to homelessness issues. On Friday (Jan. 14), a settlement agreement in the Warren v. City of Chico lawsuit was signed […]
News
Victory lap
The chilly night air, sharpened by the frozen surface beneath his wheels, did nothing to cool the warmth of Kevin Hines’ smile as he first circled the ice rink in Chico City Plaza Thursday night […]
News
Spotlight on Chico
Last month, a group called Chico Voters launched recall efforts against Mayor Andrew Coolidge and Councilman Sean Morgan. Among the group’s cited reasons why the men should be removed from office are perceived missteps related […]
Camp Fire
Harvest hurdles
When the Camp Fire raged through Paradise on Nov. 8, 2018, Jim and Laurie Noble barely escaped with their lives. Almost everything they left behind, including three homes and eight outbuildings that composed the infrastructure […]
News
The forgotten fire?
Until the night of Sept. 8, 2020, Berry Creek’s Village Market was the beating heart of a thriving community. It was the only destination “on the hill”—as locals refer to the foothills area—that offered groceries […]
News
From all sides
In accordance with rules established by a federal court, much of the ongoing drama surrounding Warren v. Chico—the civil case filed by eight plaintiffs against the city over lack of shelter options and anti-homeless ordinances—has […]
News
Violent ends
Lisa Hilliard was settling in to sleep at her campsite on the east side of Teichert Ponds shortly after 2 a.m. on Sept. 4 when the sound of unfamiliar voices shouting set her nerves on […]
Local Government
Still in crisis
On Tuesday (Aug. 10), the Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 on a resolution to extend the shelter crisis declaration for Butte County. The original resolution was approved in September 2018, the month before the Camp […]
Local Government
Charging forward
Tuesday’s (Aug. 3) Chico City Council meeting kicked off with the swearing in of new members Michael O’Brien and Dale Bennett, and the two men took their new seats on the dais within 10 minutes […]
Art
DIY together
Chico suffered many cultural losses during the pandemic, and among the most mourned in activist and artistic circles was the closure of Blackbird. Though ostensibly an anarchist bookstore that served coffee, the little yellow Victorian […]
Local Government
Now hiring
With the Chico City Council on a fast track to appoint two new members to begin serving Aug. 3, the regular meeting on Tuesday (July 20) took the form of a group job interview. The […]