Updated 8:30 AM:

Butte County fire crews are gaining ground on at least four fires that have burned about 35 acres. Flames were first reported Monday night. In a press release, Cal-Fire says 3 of the 4 spot fires are contained. The 4th has burned 15 acres, but is 50 percent contained. Cal-Fire’s Scott McClean says the flames are in difficult terrain off of Jordan Hill Road.

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At last report this morning, 250 firefighters were on the scene, along with 19 fire engines. Air support was also called in this morning.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Vice President Dick Cheney’s daughter Liz says she doesn’t believe her father did anything inappropriate in connection with a secret CIA operation officials have said was designed to capture and kill al-Qaida figures. Liz Cheney, a State Department official during the Bush administration, accused Democrats of politicizing government efforts to curb terrorism. Asked on MSNBC whether her father told the CIA not to keep Congress informed about the effort, Cheney said, “This is a classified program and he doesn’t talk about classified programs.”

A young boy was lifelighted to Enloe hospital Monday morning following a traffic accident on the ridge. The CHP reports a driver tried to pass another vehicle on Clark Road near Circle J Ranch. The driver reportedly noticed oncoming traffic, swerved, and lost control, driving over the edge. His 11-year old son was trapped in the vehicle for a short time. The youngster was lifelighted to Enloe hospital with neck and back inquires. The accident snarled traffic for more than an hour.

Enloe Hospital officials want to know your opinion of the hospital’s performance. Two public input meetings have been scheduled to help guide the hospital the next three years. Enloe CEO Mike Wiltermood says the public input will be used in shaping the plan.

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The first meeting is tonight from 6 to 7pm at the Enloe Conference Center. The second meeting is July 22nd.

A man wearing a surgical mask made off with cash from a Chico bank Monday afternoon. Chico Police say the suspect walked into the Tri-Counties Bank on Mangrove Avenue just before 3:30 PM, made a threatening statement, and demanded money from a teller. The robber reportedly claimed to have an explosive device. The man fled with an undisclosed amount of cash.

MARYSVILLE, Calif. (AP) – Three people have survived a crash after their helicopter clipped power lines east of Marysville. Yuba County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Melanie Oakes says none of the three were injured. Oakes says the pilot owns a solar power company. He and two passengers were flying from Auburn to a job site in Nelson, in rural Butte County, when the accident happened.

Tehama County leaders looking at more restrictions on medical marijuana. An ordinance is in the works that would limit how much can be grown and where it can be grown. The man authoring the ordinance is County Supervisor Bob Williams, who says it’s patterned after similar ones in Mendocino and Trinity Counties.

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Williams’ ordinance says marijuana cannot be grown within a thousand feet of any place where children gather. The ordinance will be considered on Tuesday.

Voting on two-day-a-month furloughs begins today for 22 thousand faculty members in the California State University System. The state is looking to cut almost 600 million dollars from the university system. Susan Green is President of the Chico Chapter of the California Faculty Association. She says the problem is professors don’t know when the furloughs would be.

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Green says even if the faculty association approves the idea, furloughs would only make up half of the money the state wants to cut.  She hopes the thousand or so local members of the faculty association cast their votes. The results should be released next Monday.

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) – The U.S. price of gasoline fell about 10 cents a gallon during the past two weeks to $2.56. That’s according to the national Lundberg Survey of fuel prices released Sunday. Analyst Trilby Lundberg said it’s the first significant price drop since early December. The latest average price of regular gasoline is $1.56 below the price at the same time last year, which peaked at an all-time high of $4.11. Wichita, Kan., had the lowest price, $2.26 for a gallon for regular. Honolulu was the highest at $3.20.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – California’s legislative leaders say they’re making progress with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on a deal to close the state’s $26.3 billion budget shortfall, expressing hope for an agreement by the end of the week. Lawmakers from both parties reported Sunday that they’ve made headway after a weekend of closed-door meetings at the Capitol, but acknowledged that a deal remains elusive. State Assembly Speaker Karen Bass says negotiators have days of talks planned and expressed optimism that discussions hadn’t broken down. The biggest test will come in a few days when lawmakers say they’ll address the most sensitive issues, including public education and social services cuts.