We always clearly label Opinion Columns to ensure they won’t be mistaken for news. We accept Guest Opinion submissions that meet our standards for promoting innovative thought and encouraging healthy discourse.Our Guest Opinion writers agree to participate in a process of identity-verification, fact-checking and editorial feedback prior to publishing.
After recent erasures of the historical contributions and experiences of Indigenous people from public sites, the work of an early 20th century Wintu poet provides poignant insights into how local Native people have fought against invisibility for centuries.
Anderson resident Curtis Scott draws on current events to scrutinize the value of a proposed redistricting effort by California Democrats. He describes himself as a 50-year resident of Shasta County and life-long progressive.
After being honored by the Shasta County Board of Supervisors on November 7, Blankenship shared details of her department's important work.
A North State environmental group's letter to Redding leaders says the city's habit of not listening to Redding citizens actively destroys residents trust in the public process.
After the Carr Fire ravaged Shasta County, Elena Nim dove headlong into investigating the cause of catastrophic wildfires, learning how they are inextricably tied to the forced removal and genocide of local Indigenous peoples, whose traditional practices had long maintained the health of forests. California’s wildfire crisis can’t be solved, Nim writes, without changes to how we all relate to the land.
As the nation awaits a Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), Fawn Robinson, a 22 year old tribal member of the Susanville Indian Rancheria, writes about the ICWA's purpose and value and explains how it has positively impacted her tribal identity.
Sarah Fielding is an attorney who provides low-income people in Shasta County with free legal aid to prevent homelessness, including responses to threatened eviction. Despite her best efforts many of her clients still end up homeless, Fielding says, because current programs and services in Shasta County, including Redding, are both uncoordinated and not nearly enough to address housing needs.
Troy Hawkins is a fixture in Redding’s vibrant Drag Queen scene. He uses this Opinion piece to explain that drag is more than flamboyant performances and ornate wardrobes, it’s a form of activism that he uses to build community and create spaces where people can be their true authentic selves, free of oppression, judgment and the pressure to conform.
A research group working with Bethel Church to prove that prayer heals people, cites studies that lack evidence-based reasoning. If prayer really works, it’s worth taking the time and money to provide scientific evidence. If we can’t, we shouldn’t be offering false hope.
"Faith leaders, parishioners, atheists, and total strangers, have expressed their indignation that this kind of hate was left on their doorsteps, and distributed in our community. Instead of feeling isolated, we feel wrapped in the warmth and kindness of strangers."
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