Articles by Meredith Cooper

Photo by Meredith J. Cooper Large-scale lumber yards popped up seemingly overnight. This one is near Butte College. Sitting at the Clear Creek Crossing gas station on the corner of Durham-Pentz and Clark roads, one […]

CN&R file photo Dr. Andy Miller, public health officer for Butte County. Andy Miller has been frustrated with the mixed messaging being given to the public in regard to the safety of water and plumbing […]

Photo by Meredith J. Cooper Water in the Camp Fire burn zone has been found to be contaminated with benzene—and other chemicals—due to burned plastic pipes. Like 90 percent of his neighbors, Doug Teeter lost […]

Photo by Meredith J. Cooper Michael Parker Everyone has heard it a million times by now: The Camp Fire was the most destructive fire in California’s history. But that’s only taking into consideration man-made structures. […]

If anything good emerges from the ashes of the Camp Fire, I believe it will be a better-planned community. I’ve written in the past about Paradise’s need for a sewer system to support businesses and, […]

Photo by Jason Cassidy Officials urge people to limit swimming in creeks within and downstream from the Camp Fire burn zone, as the water is not safe for drinking. When it rains, it pours. And […]

Photo by Meredith J. Cooper Sherri and Thomas Gardner are eager to rebuild after their home on Ponderosa Way in Magalia burned in the Camp Fire. Sherri and Thomas Gardner are not concerned that the […]

Before the Camp Fire hit on Nov. 8, Chico already was experiencing a shortage of housing options, particularly for those in the lower income brackets. A vacancy rate of 1 percent to 2 percent, as […]

Photo by Melissa Daugherty On the Skyway: Eighty-five crosses for 85 victims, but none for those whose deaths were indirectly related to the Camp Fire. Elinor Williams was a patient at Adventist Health Feather River […]

Photo by Evan Tuchinsky Dan Efseaff, director of the Paradise Recreation and Park District, hopes to add acreage to create more parks that also can serve as community defensible space. Around 10:45 a.m. on the […]

Photo by Meredith J. Cooper “This used to be lush forest,” says Calli-Jane DeAnda, executive director of the Butte County Fire Safe Council. She’d assembled a group of stakeholders to discuss the region’s future. From […]

Photo by Meredith J. Cooper Bob Dickinson stands on the remains of a redwood on his girlfriend’s property in Paradise. He says the tree wasn’t slated for removal but was chopped anyway. When Bob Dickinson […]

I haven’t felt much like shopping since the Camp Fire. I know I advocate in this space for supporting our local retailers, but I myself have struggled to find the motivation to go buy, for […]

Photo courtesy of Bruce Spangler Bruce Spangler was born and raised in Oroville, so when he was able to find a job there in his field—he started in hospitality in 2003—he was eager to return […]

Photo by Meredith J. Cooper Calli-Jane DeAnda, executive director of the Butte County Fire Safe Council, says creating a forest management plan is critical to avoiding future disasters like the Camp Fire. When it comes […]