Month: September 2024

Will CSU’s new policy affect campus free speech? Some students and faculty worry; university officials say nothing has changed

photo by Yucheng Tang
Professor Lindsay Briggs makes a suggestion at the Sept. 25 campus forum.

by Yucheng Tang
posted Sept. 26

This story was updated Sept. 28 as more detail on the policy emerged.

On a list of 174 locations on the Chico State campus, only three are listed as “Public” that are available for sound-amplified assembly, marches, protests, and debate between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays by reservation, based on the newly-introduced, California State University (CSU) Interim Time Place Manner policy.

However, university spokesman Andrew Staples said Sept. 27 that outside spaces at Chico State, including Trinity Commons, can be used for “demonstrations, protest etc.” during campus operating hours that are 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily if the area hasn’t already been reserved. A document sent to ChicoSol Sept. 28 called “Addendum Specifics” says those areas can be used for “non-amplified speech and expression.” read more

Media literacy expert: Identify fake news by looking at sources Podcasts and other new media lack "gatekeepers" but broaden discourse

photo courtesy of Janet Rechtman
Author and media literacy expert Nolan Higdon

by Yucheng Tang
posted Sept. 15

Disinformation. Misinformation. Lies. Bunk. Hoaxes.

All those terms fall under the umbrella of fake news, according to a media literacy expert, who spoke Sept. 14 to the League of Women Voters in Chico.

“We generally only cherry-pick the fake news producers that we dislike,” said Nolan Higdon, the author of “The Anatomy of Fake News.” “We don’t like to admit there are some people we do like who also produce fake news.”

Hidgon, a history and media studies lecturer at the University of California, Santa Cruz, was invited by the local League to discuss media literacy and recommend tips that can be used to fight fake news. The most important thing he wanted to encourage people to do is to verify that information they’re consuming meets journalistic standards. read more

Homeland Celebration delivers “taste of the world” Pae Xiong: "We are trying to tell people that we exist"

photo by Yucheng Tang
Hmong dancers during the Thursday Night Market.

by Yucheng Tang
posted Sept. 13

On stage at City Plaza, 13 Hmong girls from Oroville, dressed in traditional attire, performed a dance to the Hmong song, “Hello, Hello, I Like You.” Below the stage, audience members took pictures, recorded video and applauded. This was the opening performance at the Sept. 12 Homeland Celebration event.

“Our girls love to perform. It’s a good experience for them,” Passion Chue told ChicoSol. She works as a program supervisor at Oroville’s Hmong Cultural Center and oversees all youth programs, including the dancing team. Chue said the girls practice dancing at the center after school in a limited space and without mirrors. read more

Chico PD shooting review slams sergeant In-house analysis: Sgt. Ruppel made string of mistakes in Rushing death

The PowerPoint review of the 2017 Tyler Rushing killing that the City of Chico refused to release until ordered by a judge to do so.

by Dave Waddell
posted Sept. 12

A veteran Chico police sergeant did almost everything wrong on the night seven years ago when he gunned Tyler Rushing down, according to Chico PD’s own analysis of the incident.

The recently disclosed in-house review, which the Chico City Council spent many tax dollars trying unsuccessfully to suppress, also criticizes that sergeant, Scott Ruppel, for “dangerously” shooting the critically wounded Rushing while he was in the grasp of two other officers.

Escaping criticism in the analysis was Billy Aldridge, now Chico’s police chief and then a lieutenant and the department’s on-duty watch commander during the incident. Aldridge never took command until after Rushing was shot. The PowerPoint criticizes Ruppel for his failure to “relinquish” control before authorizing a siege on a restroom that ended in Tyler being shot to his death and then tased while incapacitated. read more

The retirement of Grizzly The mule with a "heart of gold" will enjoy oak shade and rolling hills

Grizzly

by Leslie Layton
posted Sept. 8

Not everyone gets to retire at age 26, and not everyone gets to retire at Bella Vista Farms west of Cottonwood in Shasta County.

But the consensus is that Grizzly, a pack mule who worked for the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) for some 22 years, earned what are now his days of leisure in the animal sanctuary that is “nestled amongst huge oak trees and rolling hills,” according to founder Chic Miller who describes her project on this Bella Vista Facebook page.

When we at ChicoSol saw photos and video of Grizzly after his recent arrival at Bella Vista, we thought we should share a little of his story with our readers. We don’t have a lot of details yet, but we know that Grizzly was known as “Griz” by his USFS companions. read more

Election campaigning targets the vulnerable Some candidates rely on racist tropes or discriminatory language

photo courtesy of Yee campaign
District 1 candidate Rose Yee attending the Democratic National Convention.

by Natalie Hanson
posted Sept. 4

As racist and discriminatory speech become commonplace in electoral campaigns, candidates and campaign organizers are calling for a response. In Butte County and elsewhere, some would like elected officials to speak against discrimination and in favor of protecting marginalized Californians.

On a recent panel convened by Ethnic Media Services, organizers said that anti-immigrant rhetoric from the Republican Party is growing. Panelists said that many incumbents and GOP candidates use slurs against migrants, which fuels fear and anger against people who seek a better life in America. read more