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The city sold a small parcel of land in 2020, effectively blocking the Redding Rancheria’s access to a piece of land they plan to use for casino development. The Tribe sued and on Monday the court issued a final ruling saying that the city must revoke its earlier land sale but will not be required to pay the Tribe’s legal fees.
A resident reporting a recent distribution of antisemitic literature in the City of Shasta Lake says her initial call to law enforcement about the incident was met with verbal dismissal. Documentation indicates the Sheriff’s Office did follow up on the report later, but no public communication about the incident has been released. Hate incidents can be pre-cursors to hate crimes, Alan Phillips of the Hate Crimes Task Force said, and should always be reported and taken seriously by law enforcement.
James Rickert is running against long-time Anderson Cottonwood Irrigation District board president Brenda Haynes in response to what he says is mismanagement by the district's current elected leadership. After the federal government drastically cut water allocations to the district, the board made the controversial decision to sell all of the district's remaining water. Rickert says the board's recent offer of a consulting position was intended to dissuade him from running against Haynes, who has held her seat on the board since 2001. The board's closed session vote to offer the consultancy to Rickert appears to violate California transparency law.
In 2021, the City of Redding declared a shelter crisis, saying the lack of local emergency housing created a threat to the safety of unhoused people. Recent efforts to keep Nur Pon Open Space clear of encampments are complicated by the risk of violating a 2018 federal court decision known as Martin v. Boise which prohibits citations for illegal camping unless there is adequate access to emergency shelter.
Anderson Cottonwood Irrigation District has supplied water to irrigators in Shasta County for more than 100 years. This year, after federal cuts and local water sales, residents have been left without water. Here's how ACID responded to federal cuts, what options they considered for the district's remaining water allocations, and how they plan to use the $7.5 million gained by selling off the district's remaining water.
The McConnell Foundation owns more than 4,000 acres within or adjacent to Redding city limits. Shasta Scout spoke with COO Shannon Phillips to ask what policies guide the Foundation's land acquisition and how buying and developing property fits with their overall philanthropic mission. McConnell's goal, Phillips said, is to promote the “best and highest use” of land for the majority of local residents.
Our Open Notebook series offer our readers a behind-the-scenes look at how our journalists work. In this Notebook entry, Annelise Pierce shares how her personal history informs her approach to abortion stories, what that coverage costs her emotionally, and how she defines "balance" when it comes to this complex and polarizing topic.
Federal cuts and local water sales have left farmers in Shasta County's Anderson Cottonwood Irrigation District without water this year. As fields have gone brown and dead, many small family farmers have sold off livestock they are no longer able to feed. The Community Alliance with Family Farmers says they hope their small emergency grants are enough to help some farmers survive.
A recent conversation Dahle had on controversial worship leader and political activist Sean Feucht’s podcast highlights the collaborative political strategizing that is occurring between America's dominionist Christian leaders and conservative politicians. Together, Dahle and Feucht are pushing hard for more Christian influence on California policy.
