ChicoSol

‘Angelversary’ of Rushing shooting observed

Family of Palermo woman killed by deputies gains ‘voice’

by Dave Waddell | Posted July 25, 2018

A couple dozen citizens gathered Monday evening for an “angelversary” to remember the life and death of Tyler Rushing, one year to the day after he was killed in a downtown shooting involving Chico police.

“It’s a very hard day for us,” said Scott Rushing of Ventura, Tyler’s father. Rushing said he expects to experience “a lifetime of trauma” over the killing of his only son on July 23, 2017. The shooting involved a private security guard and a Chico police sergeant.

In addition to Rushing and his wife Paula, in attendance at the commemoration were members and supporters of two other families who have had loved ones killed in officer-involved shootings in Butte County in the past 1½ years. read more

From Africa to Inglewood to Chico State

Senior from Nigeria overcomes challenges

by Nicte Hernandez | Posted July 18, 2018

Although he’s dealt with typical challenges that come with being the first person in his family to attend a university, Samuel Akinwande’s route to Chico State was far from typical.

Akinwande was born and raised in Nigeria, moving at age 11 to Inglewood, where education took a backseat to everyday worry about simply making it home alive after a day’s schooling.

“We had no help in high school when pursuing higher education,” Akinwande said. “Our counselors literally gave us our transcripts and said figure it out. That’s it.”

Chico State presented its own brand of culture shock to Akinwande, now a senior in the social work and Multicultural and Gender Studies program. But he became involved in multiple clubs and activities, serving as president of the African Student Union and Associated Students’ director of university affairs. read more

A newly-elected president, a new beginning

CSUC graduate says AMLO is a "beacon of hope"

by Floritzel Salvador | Posted July 5, 2018

Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) has officially won the presidency with 53.5 percent of the national vote. This is a new and hopeful beginning for Mexico, and AMLO is a beacon of hope for someone like me.

Mexico is a country that has been plagued with brutal murders, disappearances and extremely low wages, and these conditions have forced many Mexican citizens to flee and cross the U.S. border.

I am currently in my home state of Oaxaca, Mexico, a beautiful state that is rich in culture and tourism. Yet, it continues to be one of the poorest states in all of Mexico. In Oaxaca, teachers who have been killed and brutally tortured have made international news, indigenous communities that should be valued and cared for have been forgotten. read more

Mexican left may win presidency

Lopez Obrador's rhetoric hasn't changed in 30 years

by Leslie Layton | Posted June 30, 2018

photo by Gustavo Benítez courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO)

In 1988, I traveled with Andrés Manuel López Obrador – the man expected to win Sunday’s presidential election in Mexico — during his gubernatorial campaign in the southern state of Tabasco. I covered his quirky, upstart campaign for the San Francisco Chronicle, often riding in the back of his family’s little Volkswagen, largely because I sensed that he’d eventually be influential nationally, if not someday elected president.

This is to suggest that this passionate, fierce and bloody presidential race has been in the making for a very long time, and because 30 years ago a younger López Obrador was already a skilled politician. He was charismatic and smart, and he seemed to just need the right moment to stake his claim to the presidency and deliver power to the Mexican left. read more

AquAlliance, Winnemem blast bid to raise Shasta Dam

Environmental group says raising dam would swamp thousands of acres

by Dave Waddell | Posted June 28, 2018

photo courtesy of California Department of Water Resources

Hillside erosion around Lake Shasta in a drought year

A decades-old plan to raise Shasta Dam – resuscitated by the Trump administration — would not only flood what little remain of the Winnemem Wintu’s sacred tribal lands but more broadly denude “thousands of acres” of forested watershed above Lake Shasta.

The estimate of forest area to be inundated is from AquAlliance, a Chico-based environmental group. AquAlliance contends that a higher dam would drown riparian plant and animal life around Lake Shasta, leaving more hillsides naked and more sediment eroding to the bottom of the reservoir.

Media attention to date has largely focused on what raising 602-foot Shasta Dam by 18 1/2 feet would do to the scenic McCloud River, a trout-fishing oasis revered by the Winnemem and protected against dam building by California law. read more

El movimiento verde se vuelve café

The 'browning' of California's green movement

by Peter Schurmann | Posted June 26, 2018

Hace casi treinta años, Juana Gutiérrez, residente de East Los Ángeles y madre de nueve niños, retó a un gigante del petróleo y ganó. Reconocida positivamente en su momento en los medios nacionales e internacionales, se la veía a Gutiérrez como en la vanguardia de un movimiento medioambiental “incipiente”, uno arraigado profundamente en las comunidades de color de California cada vez más numerosas. (Read this story in English here.)

Hoy en día ese movimiento incipiente ha alcanzado su plenitud en lo que rápidamente se está convirtiendo en la nueva corriente principal del activismo medioambiental del estado. read more