KQMS-AM (Redding, CA)

Shasta County Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis has agreed to take no legal position on Measure B as the state fights it in court. The lawsuit filed by California’s Attorney General and Secretary of State is being heard in Shasta County Superior Court. The AG had initially tried to fast-track the suit by going straight to a State Court of Appeal, but that court sent it back to the county venue.

After a three year closure, Chinook salmon fishing has returned to the Sacramento River. Thursday was opening day south of Woodson Bridge. The portion of the river up to the Red Bluff Diversion Dam will open August First. There will also be Salmon fishing allowed later in the year on the Klamath and Trinity Rivers. Specific regulations can be found on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife website. -Steve Gibson share

Another fire has started in the same general area as a few other fires in Western Lassen County near the Shasta County line. The 3-6 fire was first spotted Thursday afternoon in Dixie Valley, 14 miles southeast of Bieber. It was burning with a moderate rate of spread in shifting winds with spot fires. It’s now grown to 184 acres with no containment. Evacuation warnings are in effect for some residents.

A mess on the freeway closed one lane for an extended time Thursday morning. At 3AM Kevin Baugh of Medford Oregon was driving a Volvo semi truck with 2 enclosed trailers northbound on Interstate 5, heading up the hill out of Cottonwood. He ran over some sort of metal debris that was in the slow lane, and it ruptured the big rig’s right fuel tank. Baugh eased the tractor-trailer onto the paved shoulder as about 60 Gallons of Diesel gushed out of the tank and onto the ground.

Crews with Cal Fire/Shasta County Fire were dispatched Friday morning to a barn on fire in the Round Mountain area. The report came in at around 5:20AM for a barn alongside Highway 299 just north of Terry Mill Road. First arriving firefighters reported it to be fully involved in fire. Firefighters responded at 5:30AM to a car fire on Millville Plains Road near Dersch Road. Firefighters found the vehicle in the middle of the road fully engulfed in flames. -Steve Gibson

The family of a Red Bluff woman who vanished almost four years ago wants to launch a new search effort. In October of 2022, now-58-year-old Tammy Pitkin told the people close to her that she was going on a short trip, but she never returned. The following month a hunter found her Toyota Camry abandoned on a Forest Service road east of Sweet Home, Oregon. Tammy had been spotted in Sutherlin Oregon a few weeks earlier.

Some construction projects go up so quickly, people joke that they must have been dropped from the sky. That’s not far from the truth for a mixed-use housing project nearing completion this week on Parkview Avenue across the street from Redding City Hall. Monday morning there was a concrete slab foundation on the lot.

As Shasta County Health and Human Services scrambles to reduce costs to absorb state funding cuts, mental health services are taking a hit. “Circle of Friends Wellness Center”, a mental health program based in Burney, will close at the end of the month and leave a serious gap in mental health care for the Intermountain area. The facility is apparently not eligible for funding under the State Behavioral Services Act, which replaced the previous funding model.

A Rabies warning has been issued by Tehama County Health Services Agency after the discovery of two rabid bats. Most bats don’t carry rabies, but it’s important to avoid direct contact with bats and other wild mammals. If a bat bites a person or a pet, it’s good to get it tested. It can be captured by wearing heavy gloves and using a box or bucket.

The candidate filing period for Redding City Council just opened on Monday, but candidate Russ Wenham says he’s hit the ground running with almost $21,000 contributed so far. His campaign says the money was all gathered prior to June 30th from 68 individual donors. Wenham has been a Redding Planning Commissioner for the past two years, and he’s also worked as a civil engineer and engineering consultant. He’s vying for one of three open seats on the council.