Shasta Scout – Stories That Build Democracy

News: Indigenous Affairs

Local Native People Say Adverse Effects of Indian Boarding Schools Continue

With the news of mass graves at Canadian Indian residential schools garnering headlines, Native peoples living in what is now Shasta County continue to recover from the generational effects of the schools, which were designed to eradicate Native ways of life.

Marc T Dadigan
August 1, 2021

Stories that Build Democracy

At Shasta Scout, we believe building a democratic community requires free access to equitable news. Our investigative reporting focuses on Shasta County’s most important stories with the depth and complexity the stories, and our community, deserve. We are a non-profit, independent, civic news organization committed to diversity in the stories we cover and in the perspectives we use to tell those stories.

Building Democracy

Why We’re Building a Civic News Organization in Shasta County

Economists call local journalism a public good, because it’s essential to civic society but not lucrative enough for a competitive market to fund, endangering its very existence.

Annelise Pierce
July 22, 2021

The Inconvenience of Economic Equality

Sociology forces us to examine poverty as a societal choice and not simply the moral failings of individuals.

Heather Wylie
July 15, 2021

Healing the Hate Before it’s Too Late

The basics of healing the harrowing hatred harming our nation are not difficult to describe, although actually implementing these steps will require a fundamental resetting of our collective orientation to one another and ourselves.

Doug Craig
July 9, 2021

Militia Leader Calls for Demonstrations Against Shasta County District Attorney

“As members of the county, we should be fearful of a public figure in a position of power succumbing to biased and unconstitutional pressure from others in Shasta County leadership,” Clendenen wrote. “Let’s keep draining our own swamp from corrupt leadership by taking action now.”

Annelise Pierce
July 6, 2021

With Fountain Wind’s Ties to Corporations Worth Billions, Is It a Form of “Green Colonialism”?

Local tribes regularly advocate for environmental protection and restoration. So why are local Native peoples’ cultures and religions continually threatened by green projects?

Marc T Dadigan
July 6, 2021

With Fountain Wind Appeal Pending, Pit River Tribe Continues Battle for Sacred Sites

The Pit River Tribe scored a temporary victory when the Shasta County Planning Commissioners voted down the Fountain Wind green energy project on June 22. But ConnectGen’s appeal of that decision, filed June 25, is now pending.

Marc T Dadigan
July 4, 2021

Being Seen: Exploring Life’s Great Questions Through Poetry

On August 6, local Indigenous youth will share their original works as part of the film, Being Seen: Native Youth on Identity, Culture, and Justice. The project was funded through a California Humanities Youth Voices grant.

Sharon Brisolara
July 2, 2021

Adena’s Family Says County “Stonewalled” Requests for Autopsy Results After His Death in Custody

The delay in the release of the autopsy report to the family complicated their legal options, a lawyer for the Adena family, Julia Sherwin, says. Family and friends of John Adena will hold a A Rally for Justice June 29th, at 5 pm at the gazebo in Lake Redding Park.

Annelise Pierce
June 24, 2021

The Problem of Polarization

“Whichever side we find ourselves on, our innate group identifications arise from the same place: “our intuitive binary instinct that allows us to classify others as ‘us’ or ‘them’ in a fraction of a second.”

Doug Craig
June 22, 2021