Winds Hampering SoCal Firefighting Efforts

  SIERRA MADRE, Calif. (AP) – Winds have unexpectedly kicked up in
Southern California, pushing a wildfire within yards of several
houses in Sierra Madre.
     Fire crews have been watering down embers that drifted onto a
few roofs and are working to keep the flames back. The 400-acre
wildfire has forced the evacuation of at least 1,000 people from
their [...]

Vacant Homes Hit Record High In First Quarter

     WASHINGTON (AP) – The Census Bureau says the percentage of
vacant homes in the U.S. has hit a record high in the first quarter
of this year.
     The report, released Monday, shows that 2.9 percent of U.S.
homes – excluding rental properties – were vacant, compared with
2.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007.
     The West had [...]

Butte Regional Transit Offers Free Rides for Spare the Air Week

Ride the bus for a week for free in Butte County.  The annual Spare the Air Week is again under way for Butte Regional Transit and Jim Peplow with the Butte County Association of Governments says ridership during Spare the Air Week was up over 40 percent last year and with high gas prices, he’s [...]

Ridge Home Damaged by Flames

A fire damaged a ridge home Saturday. The blaze happened on Eden Road…flames caused about 40 thousand dollars in damage. The Paradise Fire Department says the blaze was located in the kitchen and laundry room, but the cause is still under investigation. 15 firefighters were on the scene to help extinguish the flames.

Shasta Parents File Lawsuit over Bat

Parents of a Shasta High School student are suing school administrators over a bat. According to the Redding Record-Searchlight, a Redding teenager reportedly picked up a bat with his bare hands last year…his parents claim the school failed to notify them about the incident and say the bat was never handed over to public health officials [...]

Tax Rebates Should Start Showing Up in Bank Accounts Today

WASHINGTON (AP) – Those long-promised tax rebates are now on their way to U.S. taxpayers. People who chose to have their rebates directly deposited into their bank accounts will see the money there beginning today. The government’s paper checks will start going out on May 9th, a week earlier than previously announced.  The extra cash [...]