Category: Community

Seven years after Camp Fire, McKay’s work continues

Changemaker: Former school bus driver portrayed in Hollywood film is still rescuing kids
by Yucheng Tang | Posted November 7, 2025
Former school bus driver Kevin McKay keeps the list of children who were on his bus in the Camp Fire in a drawer at home. Photo by Yucheng Tang.

This story is part of ChicoSol’s Changemaker profile series.

Kevin McKay was driving school bus #963 to his Paradise home when he was radioed — just as the film “The Lost Bus” shows — that an empty bus was needed for stranded students at Ponderosa Elementary.

That was the morning of Nov. 8, 2018, when the flames of the Camp Fire that ultimately would claim 85 lives and destroy 11,000 homes were raging through Feather River Canyon toward Paradise. McKay was about to make a decision that would make him one of the most famous school bus drivers in the country.  

Part of him wanted to rush home, to alert his mother and son, Shaun, to leave for Chico to escape the fire. But another part of him knew the kids at school were waiting — and they needed him, too. read more

Candidate speculation begins in the wake of Prop. 50

The ballot measure's passage divided Californians but passed in a landslide
by Natalie Hanson, Lindajoy Fenley and Leslie Layton | Posted November 6, 2025
District 1 Rep. Doug LaMalfa would face competition in a more liberal congressional district. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Californians handed a big win to Proposition 50, according to preliminary Nov. 4 election results, signaling a major change to congressional maps in historically red districts like District 1.

The majority of voters in the rural Northern Sacramento Valley opposed the proposition, which will significantly reshape its District 1 that is now represented by Republican Doug LaMalfa. The Butte County Clerk-Recorder reports today that almost 46% of the county’s voters favored Prop 50 and more than 54% opposed.

Opposition was even greater in Glenn and Tehama counties, with the “yes” vote further behind at almost 29% and 27% respectively. 

Statewide the picture was quite different. CalMatters’ reports today that nearly 64% of Californians voted for Prop. 50. read more

Council approves revised massage ordinance

Challenges to immigrant therapists remain
by Yucheng Tang | Posted November 5, 2025
Massage therapist Amy Alward is skeptical the ordinance will be effective. Photo by Yucheng Tang.

The Chico City Council unanimously approved Nov. 4 a new massage ordinance aimed at preventing human trafficking and illicit activity in local establishments. The ordinance establishes several operational standards for massage businesses and was developed after multiple rounds of community engagement.

Initially, the proposal required all massage practitioners to be certified by the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC).

After community feedback, the ordinance was revised to include several exemptions. Long-time practitioners can now receive a permanent exemption from CAMTC certification by providing proof of prior massage-related education and at least five years of work experience as massage therapists.  read more

ChicoSol’s online newspaper experiment comes of age

NewsMatch matches donations dollar-for-dollar
by Lindajoy Fenley and ChicoSol staff | Posted November 3, 2025

Eighteen years ago, we founded ChicoSol as a bold, extraordinary experiment. We wanted to provide a platform for local news that would be online, nonprofit and bilingual, with information available in both English and Spanish.

Throughout the country, print newspapers were being swallowed up by corporations that were cutting their resources and eating their profits. We had very few models for something different.

But our readers proved the experiment could work, joining a subscriber list and later a small-donor base. Now we run stories that are viewed by thousands of readers, and nonprofit digital news sites are thriving in communities across the country.

Today, we’re poised for more growth as we launch our second NewsMatch fundraising campaign. We’re asking you to partner with us during an annual fundraising drive that will match your donations dollar-for-dollar. read more

Immigration crackdown produces fear among students

League of Women Voters hosts community conversation on immigration and criminal justice
by ChicoSol staff | Posted October 26, 2025
Maitreya Badami, center, speaks as fellow panelists Juan Araujo (left) and LeAnn Jenswold listen. Photo by ChicoSol.

Maitreya Badami, an associate professor at Chico State, talked during an Oct. 25 panel presentation about the fear that is affecting student life on campus.

“There definitely is an atmosphere of fear among our Latino students, whether they are citizens or non-citizens,” said Badami, an associate professor in the political science and criminal justice department. “They’re not participating in activities that they would otherwise. I am talking to citizens and folks with green cards, lawful permanent residents, not to mention our DACA students who have this temporary protection that could be gone at any moment. They’re terrified.”

DACA status refers to people who have temporary protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Immigrants with legal status can become vulnerable in the crackdown underway because of past convictions, political activity or for other reasons. read more

Council increases security, code enforcement at Alternative Camping Site

Unanimous Council vote increases nighttime security for the neighborhood
by Yucheng Tang | Posted October 22, 2025
Public Works Director Erik Gustafson. Photo by Yucheng Tang.

The Chico City Council voted Oct. 21 to increase visits by Jesus Center staff to the Alternative Camping Site from twice a week to seven days a week, and to have Armed Guard Private Security patrol not only the site, but also the nearby neighborhood.

The plan will be implemented for two months at the north Chico homeless encampment, after which time City staff will return to the Council with an assessment.

Meanwhile, the City will incorporate several new rules into the site’s code of conduct, require that residents who are now eligible for the Genesis pallet shelter relocate there, and provide pallet pads to help raise existing tents off the ground.

The updated Code of Conduct for unhoused people living on a corner lot at Eaton and Cohasset roads will prohibit the addition of any structure of any kind to an assigned space; will ban certain items — including generators, full or empty gas cans, electrical cords and propane tanks of any size; and will permit animal fencing but only with prior approval. read more