Camp Fire

Photo by Evan Tuchinsky Dr. Zeljka Chobanov practiced on the Ridge for years. She says she doesn’t like changes, but “whether it was Oroville, whether it was any other location, I couldn’t be spared.” Dr. […]

Photo by Meredith J. Cooper Heidi Schwartz (left) holds a cat trapped at 141089 Temple Circle in Magalia on Feb. 22. Joy Smith, who heads FieldHaven Feline Center in Lincoln and opened the Transfer Station […]

I have made two new friends since the Camp Fire. One is named Molly. The other I shall call Frank (I never learned his name). Both are significant reminders of the aftermath of the wildfire. […]

Photo by Meredith J. Cooper Audrey Denney, pictured at Chico City Plaza in September, says the 2020 election feels more pressing. “I always knew I’d give it two goes.” That’s what Audrey Denney told the […]

Alfonso Magdaleno would love to reopen Celestino’s Pizza and Pasta in Paradise, which sustained damage but did not burn in the Camp Fire. A lack of potable water is holding him back. “We do want […]

Adding final amendments to emergency housing rules, the Butte County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an urgency ordinance Tuesday (Feb. 26) that immediately eased restrictions on parking recreational vehicles. The supervisors, at their previous meeting, […]

Bankruptcy won't make PG&E's long-term wildfire problem—or its costs—go away U.S. Bankruptcy Court Facing a cash flow problem stemming from recent wildfire liabilities, PG&E will reorganize its gas and electric business under Chapter 11. The […]

Photo by Melissa Daugherty PG&E crews at work on Nov. 9, the day after the Camp Fire began, along a portion of Clark Road in Paradise. Pacific Gas & Electric’s bankruptcy has set off a […]

Refugee song This is a tough watch. Longtime local musician John-Michael Sun sits in a chair in the ashes of his destroyed Paradise home and plays guitar and sings in response to the tragedy. “Well […]

Launching a series of “listening sessions” on how to rebuild from the Camp Fire, the Paradise Town Council will hold a special meeting Friday morning (Feb. 22) with residents and its long-term planning consultant. The […]

Disaster-area protections will continue for residential tenants after the Oroville City Council voted unanimously Tuesday evening (Feb. 19) to impose a rent-control ordinance for the next 10 1/2 months. Effective immediately, no landlord may increase […]

Photo by Jason Cassidy Two of Zak Elstein’s unnamed shadow boxes (here and below). If Zak Elstein is right, the future on this planet doesn’t look bright for most humans. Thanks to our overconsumption and […]

Photo by Vic Cantu One of the few businesses in Paradise to survive the Camp Fire was Mary Nieland’s Attic Treasures Antique Mall. It was also fortunate for many other local entrepreneurs, as her two-story […]

Butte County could receive assistance from the state to cover property tax revenue losses due to the Camp Fire. Assembly Bill 72, amending the Budget Act of 2018, was unanimously approved by the Senate on […]

Help is on the way for Paradise’s troubled water system. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded about $1.4 million to the Paradise Irrigation District to repair and restore its water system damaged during the […]