BUTTE COUNTY NEWS
Credit card, foreclosure clinics offered this...
CHICO -- Free legal assistance is available Wednesday and again Feb. 29 to people with credit card debt during clinics put on by Legal Services of Northern California.
Preventive care and Medicare topic of talk in...
CHICO -- The spring semester's first coffee connection for Chico State University's Interdisciplinary Center on Aging will take place 8:30-11 a.
Super Bowl DUI arrests were low this year in Butte...
OROVILLE -- Butte County's Avoid the 8 task force reported arresting just four people Sunday on suspicion of impaired driving, as all available officers hit the road to conduct saturation patrols.
Fundraising meeting to keep Bidwell Mansion open...
CHICO -- Community members who want to help with the Run for Bidwell Mansion and raise money to keep the state historic park open are asked to attend a meeting Wednesday.
Dog captures alleged beer snatcher at Chico store
CHICO -- A man later accused of robbery was chased down and bitten by a Chico police dog Sunday evening.
Police arrest three for alleged bad checks, ID...
OROVILLE -- A man suspected of identity theft crimes in Butte County and Yuba City and wanted in Washington state was arrested with two other people recently in Oroville.
Neighbor squabble in Oroville leads to shots,...
OROVILLE -- An apparent altercation between neighbors resulted in one man being shot and another man arrested Monday afternoon, according to officials.
Local Audubon Society offers program, field trips...
CHICO -- Altacal Audubon Society plans the following program and field trips. All activities are free of cost unless otherwise noted and are open to the public.
Run through red light pushes second car into house...
CHICO -- In an accident at East Eighth and Cypress streets Monday morning, the driver of a white Ford van crashed into a light pole, causing a second vehicle to run into a fireplace chimney.
Chico Creek Nature Center has new chief
CHICO — The perennial job of fundraising for a nonprofit organization is near the top of Courtney Farrell's new to-do list, but not far behind is making the north valley more aware of a sometimes-unknown resource.
Estranged wife testifies in Bangor standoff trial
OROVILLE — The estranged wife of the man on trial for a 26-hour standoff with police Monday detailed what happened inside their Bangor residence in February 2010.
Chico police: Attack may not be hate crime
CHICO — Brian Denham, 30, is recovering from injuries he received during an attack early Saturday morning, while walking out of a downtown eatery with two male friends who were dressed in women's clothing.
Chico Creek Nature Center loses two owls
CHICO — Since mid-January, both screech owls sheltered by the Chico Creek Nature Center have died of unknown causes.
Redevelopment, city manager recruitment and more...
CHICO — Chico's administration will try Tuesday night to help the City Council feel the "magnitude" of the redevelopment agency's elimination.
Charter school creation safe from legislation...
CHICO — Pending legislation that could be used to block creation of some charter schools, wouldn't mean much today in Chico.

Placer supervisors OK slimmed-down spending plan
The Placer County Board of Supervisors has approved a proposed $769 million budget for 2009-10, $96 million less the the current year's budget. The budget approved Tuesday is an interim spending plan that will take effect July 1 and guide expenditures until the board adopts a final budget, no later than Oct. 2. It eliminates an earlier projected deficit of $18.6 million through cost savings and minimal use of reserves, a county news release states. County officials, however, are bracing for further effects of the state budget crisis. Changes associated with the governor's May revision of the state's proposed budget are expected to cause at least an additional $11 million in budget reductions for Placer County. The $18.6 million deficit anticipated in February was eliminated in part through $6.7 million in cost savings achieved through 12 days for mandatory time off for employees. Placer Public Employee Organization members, as well as management and confidential employees, agreed to the furloughs to avoid layoffs. A hiring freeze remains for most jobs. The county has 164 fewer filled positions than it did in the 2007-08 fiscal year. The number of filled positions is expected to drop by an additional 62 in 2009-10, the news release states. Officials said restricted and other dedicated funding will allow several community improvement projects to advance, including the South Placer Adult Detention Center, the Auburn Folsom Road widening project, park projects in the Martis Valley and Dry Creek areas, and the Highway 65-Sunset Boulevard over-crossing. A workshop on revisions to the state budget and other state actions is tentatively scheduled for the board's June 23 meeting.