Articles by Meredith Cooper

Photo by Meredith J. Cooper Irish Greenwade has been sleeping in her car in the Lowe’s parking lot, where dozens of RVs and tent campers have found refuge. Irish Greenwade had moved to Paradise a […]

Tuesday night’s meeting of the Chico City Council was in stark contrast to those of the past few years, at least after then-Mayor Sean Morgan passed the gavel to Randall Stone and bid farewell to […]

Photo by Meredith J. Cooper Roger and Spencer Cates and their dog, Kona, on their Yankee Hill ranch. Spencer Cates steered the four-wheeler through a herd of cattle. Many of the animals—34 in total—trotted alongside […]

Many, many businesses perished in the Camp Fire—some of them large, corporate enterprises; others, mom-and-pop shops. I hate to say that one suffered more than the other, because any loss—of jobs, inventory, etc.—is painful. But […]

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. I was a bit conflicted—I had a plane ticket to visit my family in St. Louis, and the weekend also was planned as a birthday celebration for my […]

CN&R file photo Sophie Konuwa is intimately familiar with business in Butte County. As director of the Butte College Small Business Development Center (SBDC), she helps entrepreneurs and established owners to succeed and grow. Konuwa […]

Photo by Meredith J. Cooper Butte County Sheriff’s investigator Mic Kelley, at a site in Magalia where workers are searching for human remains, recounts a story of finding an elderly woman alive days after the […]

Sexy Panda is not a happy panda. The bao truck out of Sacramento has been stationed in the Walmart parking lot since the beginning of the Camp Fire displacements. I talked with owner Frank Hilscher […]

Photo by Meredith J. Cooper Monica Nolan is intimately involved in the Ridge community. A resident for 17 years—she lives in Magalia—she worked for some time at the Paradise Unified School District before taking over […]

This past week has been nothing short of a nightmare for many in our community. I lived in Paradise for a time and enjoyed its mountain charm. Seeing it now is both shocking and heartbreaking. […]

Photo Courtesy of NVCF Alexa Benson-Valavanis knows first-hand the fear that everyone went through when evacuating the Camp Fire. While her home is not on the Ridge, it is in Durham. She and her family […]