That’s why transparency is so important, and that’s why we’re giving a big thumbs-up today to the Chico Police Department.

On Thursday — as required by Assembly Bill 481 — Police Chief Billy Aldridge hosted a public session on the department’s use of military-grade equipment. The meeting, in Chico City Council Chambers, drew about two dozen people, along with members of the Police Community Advisory Board.

What made this get-together different was, Aldridge held it before the annual report was reviewed or approved by the Chico City Council. And he did that following a request from a citizen who wondered what good the public meeting could do if the council had already approved the report.

It’s good that citizens are concerned about what equipment our police have and how (and when) it could be considered for use. Aldridge’s explanation of much of the equipment actually being used for de-escalation makes sense to us.

In any case, we appreciate the transparency, and the extra step of receiving the public’s input before the council discusses the report.

MISS — We were shocked and saddened by news that a Northwest Lineman College student died Monday after the utility pole he was climbing collapsed at the Oroville campus.

The Victorville Daily Press reported that the student was Carlos Mendoza, 19, of Adelanto. He graduated from Victor Valley High School last year and was just one week away from completing his lineman training program.

The college has sent thousands of highly qualified linemen into an invaluable area of work since its opening more than 30 years ago, with the Oroville location opening in 2006. Student safety and training, and the condition of the climbing poles, have always been priorities, leaving school officials — and us — at a loss as to how this tragedy could have happened.

Mike Daniels, president of Northwest Lineman College, said in a released statement “We’re working closely with local law enforcement as they continue to investigate the incident.”

We’re looking forward to learning those findings. In the meantime, our hearts go out to Mendoza’s family and loved ones, as well as all students and staff at the college.

HIT — A new residency program that’ll lead to more medical care for Chico?

Sign us up!

Our doctor-challenged town got a huge boost of good news Thursday when Healthy Rural California, a nonprofit born of the Butte-Glenn Medical Society, announced the inaugural class for a residency program for psychiatrists in training who will come to Chico next year — when a second residency program launches for family medicine.

“It’s important to do something to stabilize our medical community,” said Dr. Sean Maiorano, chief medical officer at Enloe Health. “We’re at a really unique opportunity (point) to grow our own and provide for our community and surrounding communities.”

HRC is exploring another residency, for internal medicine physicians, that could follow.

Here’s the truly beautiful part: The numbers show 50% of residents stay in the place where they train. If that holds true, we’ll get more psychiatrists and primary care doctors beyond the window of their residency — two per year in each, statistically speaking.

It’s all great news. Here’s to good health!

MISS — There was a scoop hidden a few inches into our Q&A with Chico Mayor Andrew Coolidge on Sunday, and we were sorry to see it.

Andrew Coolidge, who is in the final year as his second term as Chico mayor — while in his second stint on the council — told Evan Tuchinsky he won’t be seeking re-election this fall, although he did say he’d consider seeking office again in the future.

We’ll be sorry to see him go. While we didn’t agree with every decision he made — a distinction he shares with every other councilor in our city’s history — we were appreciative of the even-handed approach he brought to running the meetings and his ability to consider all sides of an issue.

He’s generally lined up with the conservative majority on council votes, but has shown he’s not afraid to break ranks depending on the issue.

We like those traits in any councilor. Here’s hoping he keeps the door open for a return come 2026.

Hits and misses are compiled by the editorial board.

Police Chief Billy Aldridge announced the launch of the survey last week with a goal to understand perceptions of the police department and areas which improvement can be made.

Among other things, the survey gives citizens a chance to express your views on department priorities, their experiences with previous interactions, and how you currently obtain information about Chico. There’s also a space at the end for general comments and concerns.

Access to the survey can be found on the police department’s website.

And speaking of transparency, on Thursday evening Chico Police will hold a community engagement meeting at the Chico Council Chambers beginning at 6 p.m. regarding the city’s military equipment use policy. The meeting is required by law; what’s notable is Aldridge has called for the meeting to gain community input ahead of the vote.

It’s important to make your voices heard, and it’s good that we have a police department willing to hear them.

MISS — We’ll preface this by saying that under our system of law, people are assumed to be innocent until proven guilty. That being said, the allegations against a Chico man accused of literally stealing money meant for our veterans are appalling.

Michael David Zylstra, 60, was arrested March 14 on suspicion of two counts of embezzlement and four counts of forgery, according to Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey.

According to Ramsey, Zylstra is accused of taking more than $60,000 from the American Legion and Disabled American Veterans.

Zylstra paid bail on the day of his arrest and was released, Ramsey said. He is scheduled to appear for a hearing at the Butte County Courthouse on May 10.

All thefts are bad. Stealing money meant for those who put their lives on the line in defense of our country? Heinous.

HIT — We were glad to see the Chico City Council agree to further evaluate their options regarding the rising costs at mobile home parks.

Mobile home park residents on fixed incomes shouldn’t be expected to cover unrealistic rent increases year after year. We understand the hesitancy of many on the council to go into the “rent control business.” On the other hand, in an era where affordable housing is among the hottest topics around, it’s dead wrong that people get priced out of some of the most affordable housing that still exists.

We’ll also note that the mobile home park in question, Pleasant Valley Mobile Estates, sold in December 2020 for $8.2 million. Huge jump in property tax obligation. Then, a year later, it sold again for a whopping $13.6 million and yet another huge jump.

That’s a pretty nice $5 million profit — and that’s where the occupants’ money is going.

In any case, there are no easy answers. That’s exactly the time elected bodies should spend some extra time trying to find the best one.

MISS — The tents are back in Chico City Plaza, and local officials have announced a plan to relocate the people staying there.

Again.

“Now wait a minute,” you might be asking. “I thought the plaza was already cleared out, and once an area has been cleared out, homeless people aren’t supposed to be able to camp there again.”

Well, so did we. Honestly, that struck us as a pretty clear-cut part of the settlement. But in the never-ending complexities of Warren vs. Chico, there always seem to be new interpretations, and there always seem to be objections, and (ultimately) the city needs to continually go through the same set of notifications as it did in the first place. As a result, the world’s longest running game of Whac-A-Mole just keeps on going — and so does the frustration from much of the public.

When will it end? Two dozen more enforcements? A hundred? Who knows? Or maybe with the Supreme Court finally providing some well-needed guidance on when and how cities are legally allowed to enforce their ordinances?

We do know this: Just as there is no one reason people become homeless, there’s no one “solution” to the problem. The billions of dollars employed up and down our state in recent years should prove that.

In the meantime, we think “all of the above” might be as good of an answer as any. The Genesis Pallet shelter, Torres Shelter, Jesus Center, CHAT, Safe Space and others are each carrying an invaluable load.

We’re wondering if, in the same spirit as the revisit of the mobile home park, the city might also be willing to listen to the North State Shelter Team’s plan to take over management of a campground. If it gets a few more people off the street, and likely saves the city and state resources while doing so, what’s the harm? Especially in just listening?

Hits and misses are compiled by the editorial board.

The Dallas-based telecom giant has applied to the California Public Utilities Commission to be released as the state’s “carrier of last resort,” a designation the company has held since 1996 requiring it to provide landline telephone service.

From a business perspective, the request makes sense. Current demand for landline services is very small — less than 5% of households in AT&T’s California territory have landlines, according to the company. And AT&T says it spends more than $1 billion a year to maintain landlines in the state.

Meanwhile, cell phones, along with broadband and fiber-optic cables, dominate the telecom industry, and demand for these technologies will only grow. The company says the money it spends on landlines could be used to strengthen more-advanced alternatives. And that 20 other states have already relieved the company of its carrier-of-last-resort status.

But here in California, with floods, fires, earthquakes and rolling blackouts, our relationship with landlines is more complex. Those copper wires are emergency lifelines when the power goes out. And given the distressing frequency of various natural and man-made disasters, approval of AT&T’s proposal should hinge on the availability of equally reliable ways to call for help.

Unfortunately, those comparable options don’t exist — yet. Currently, most California households get their voice services not as stand-alone landlines but as part of packages offered by broadband and mobile wireless companies. But, according to the state PUC’s Public Advocate’s Office, none of these technologies offer the same reach and reliability in an emergency as the humble landline.

Until they do, the PUC should not relieve AT&T of its carrier-of-last-resort responsibilities.

It is true that landlines’ popularity has tanked in the past two decades as consumers flocked to broadband and wireless. Between 2000 and 2021, landline demand plummeted 89%, according to AT&T.  But for the elderly, rural populations and those in vulnerable areas, legacy copper-wire telephone service is the only dependable means to call for help when power fails or disaster strikes.

For example, during the horrific Camp Fire in 2018, thousands of critical cellphone messages were missed, delayed or lost, hampering officials’ efforts to warn residents, while messages on landlines were more likely to reach them.

AT&T says the company cannot force current customers to give up their landlines, yet its PUC application only guarantees service for six months. What then? The company says the agency’s approval is only the beginning of a multi-step process to help landline customers move to more advanced options, requiring more government approvals ahead.

But the devil is in the details, and after months of AT&T’s startling letters to its California landline customers about the company’s proposed actions, resident complaints are flowing in, and officials are taking notice. Local governments, including Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, are requesting more information from AT&T. Bay Area members of Congress have launched opposition to AT&T’s plan, and the PUC has set two virtual hearings for March 19 before making a decision, likely this fall.

Meanwhile, uneven access to broadband services throughout the state could hamper the transfer of landline customers to more advanced voice technology. California is still struggling to bring broadband to rural regions and low-income urban neighborhoods, years after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation to bridge the digital divide. In its application, AT&T points to a federal program to ensure broadband equity, which it says is in a “decisive phase” as reason for a speedy approval.

But the deployment of billions in both state and federal dollars to expand high-speed internet in California remains controversial, with allegations that the process disproportionately reduces funding for urban areas in favor of wealthier suburbs.

Despite these issues, advanced voice services are available to most Californians. AT&T says fewer than 500 copper-based voice lines are in service in the Bay Area without an alternative. But it’s not clear that the alternatives are comparable. In the event of a power outage and/or natural disaster, will they make people safer?

Here the efforts of carriers such as AT&T are critical, and yet the industry’s track record in emergency-proofing its alternatives to landlines is less than reassuring. The Federal Communications Commission’s past efforts to make wireless carriers install eight hours of backup power at all cell sites and 24 hours of backup power at all central switching facilities failed in court on procedural grounds after the carriers sued.

So again, we’re not there yet.

AT&T is wrong when it refers to “plain old telephone service” as obsolete. When the lights go out and the cell phones go dark, that click and dial tone are often the last resort. Until there’s an equally accessible and reliable alternative to copper wires, the PUC should protect our access to them.

This week, officials from AeroFlite, a longtime and top-notch firefighting aviation firm, paid a welcome visit and explained why Chico was chosen as its newest location. Among other competitors, Chico beat out McClellan Airport in Sacramento.

Chris Niemann, the general manager of AeroFlite, said Chico simply has more to offer than most other areas.

“It’s the community and the similarity to Spokane (AeroFlite’s home base),” Niemann replied. “There’s a tie-in with the outdoors, with nature, with the things I know my employees already enjoy. It’s the comfort of being here of what the community has to offer.”

With another highly regarded business based at the airport, we figure the one thing that still needs to be offered locally is the return of commercial air service.

“We’re working on it,” Mayor Andrew Coolidge said, “and this helps.”

MISS — Few things epitomize the unique Chico experience better than Scotty’s Landing. We were saddened this week to hear that the longtime restaurant and bar on the Sacramento River has closed.

As reported in our newspaper Thursday, Scotty’s was served with a red-tag notice Tuesday, cited for “no power” and “unsafe electrical.” Owner John Scott said he had been dealing with electrical issues for more than one year between PG&E and Butte County; and that the property has been on the market for more than a year.

“I’m just trying to keep Scotty’s going and find the right person to buy it,” said Scott, 72. “I could have sold it, but I didn’t want to sell it to people that aren’t going to keep it for the people — for Scotty’s.”

It’s no exaggeration to say that Scott, like Scotty’s itself, has long since earned the title “north state icon.” His decades of service rescuing people from the river and working with law enforcement to help keep people safe — alive even — is unmatched, as is Scotty’s longstanding reputation as a great place to enjoy a meal and cool beverage, whether you’ve spent an afternoon on the river or not.

Let’s hope that there’s a positive outcome in store for this somehow. It’s worth fighting for, both from a county administrative and potential investor point of view.

HIT — Every so often, a new young golfer comes along and seems to take the world by storm.

We’re having a hard time remembering the last time it happened when the golfer was 8 years old, especially on a local level.

In any case, 8-year-old Livy Woodward of Chico is on quite a streak. As reported by our own “ace” of a golf correspondent, Ed Anderson, earlier this week, Woodward just won two more US Kids Central Valley Tour tournaments in a single weekend. She shot a 3-under par score of 33 to win at Swenson Park GC in Stockton by 5 strokes, and came back the next day at Dry Creek Ranch GC in Galt on Sunday and shot an even par 36 to win by 2 strokes.

This makes it six in a row for (to quote Anderson) “this young wonder woman.”

Woodward has been invited to the US Kids World Championship Tournament at Pinehurst, N.C. in August to compete in the girls’ 8-and-under division. We suspect you’ll be reading about her in our sports section for a long time to come.

MISS — We’re trying to think of something more despicable than taking advantage of senior citizens and fleecing them of much of their life savings. At this moment, we’re stuck for an answer.

With local scams on the upswing — one Willows woman reportedly lost more than $100,000 — the Butte County Board of Supervisors is considering a ban on Bitcoin machines, which have become one of the latest in a sickeningly never-ending series of tools used by lowlifes to take away money that was earned by other people.

Just in Chico over the past 16 months, there have been 25 Bitcoin fraud reports provided to the Chico Police Department with about $211,000 lost in that time frame, according to a presentation by Detective Kevin Hass.

The scams are shocking enough. Another thing that surprised us was the fact the scammers were often staying on the phone with technologically challenged seniors while explaining to them how to operate the machines while actually in the store.

This strikes us as an obvious red flag, and an often-missed opportunity to help. If a senior citizen is at a Bitcoin machine accepting instructions from somebody on the phone, we can’t help but suspect that a quick offer to help — from a customer or store employee — would probably nip that thievery in the bud.

We all need to look out for each other these days, especially our citizens who are most likely to be targeted by these awful scammers. They deserve no mercy for what they’re doing.

Hits and misses are compiled by the editorial board.

HIT — The 49ers had “The Catch.” The Denver Broncos had “The Drive.”

We think the Pleasant Valley girls basketball team will forever remember “The Shot.”

In a play that looked like something out of a Larry Bird highlight film, the Vikings won their NorCal semifinal playoff game last Saturday on a play that must fit into the “one in a thousand” category.

With a half-second to go and the score tied 62-62, PV’s Ava Dunn threw an inbounds pass three-quarters of the length of the court toward the right corner. The Vikings’ leading scorer, AJ Gambol, outraced her Oakland Tech defender and let the ball bounce, since touching it would have started the clock. Then, just as the ball got high enough to grab, she caught it and, in the same motion, turned and shot from the corner. The ball hit nothing but net at the buzzer, sending the Varley Gym crowd into a frenzy.

In a town that has made “postseason highlight” a rule rather than the exception, this was truly one for the all-time highlight reel.

The Vikings lost the NorCal title game to Colfax on Tuesday but, with every player except one returning next year, we suspect the highlights may be just beginning.

And speaking of postseason highlights, the Butte College women’s basketball team will play host to Cosumnes River at 6 p.m. Saturday in a Sweet 16 playoff game. The top-ranked Roadrunners are 28-1 on the season.

Well done, all!

MISS — Yes. Again.

Do a search for “PG&E rate increases PUC” and you may be surprised by how many stories pop up — but you’ll be even more surprised by how often the word “again” appears in the headline.

Well, we already have our second “again” of 2024. The always-reliable rubber stamp of the Public Utilities Commission has approved yet another PG&E rate hike (again) Thursday, this one scheduled to slap customers across the pocketbook in April.

And get this: This time, the topic wasn’t even open for debate (not that the PUC pays attention anyway). It was on the consent agenda.

How insulting. Just one more reason why this farcical, governor-appointed commission needs to be replaced with one chosen by the voters.

MISS — It was the most hotly contested topic in Chico in many years — and many voters shrugged it off.

Through Friday’s update, the numbers show just 35.13% of Butte County’s 120,112 registered voters cast a ballot in the primary election. For Chico voters, that included Measures O and P — in other words, the future of the Valley’s Edge development.

Two years ago in the June 2022 primary, about 40% of voters turned out. And in the general election that fall, a whopping 83.28% completed their ballots — even though California’s Democrat-heavy voter base makes the presidential race pretty much a foregone conclusion very four years.

It’s never been easier to vote. The United States Postal Service places the ballot right in your hands. All you have to do is fill out and drop it back into the mailbox.

Yet, barring a surprising number of late-arriving mail ballots, it looks like fewer than 20,000 people in Chico bothered to cast a ballot to voice their opinion on Valley’s Edge, and two-thirds of voters in Butte County didn’t bother to vote at all.

That’s just sad.

MISS — We were horrified by the car crash early in the morning of March 1 on The Esplanade that left an 87-year-old woman dead and an entire community with a whole lot of questions.

Barbara Ferris, a well-known and beloved member of the neighborhood, died from injuries suffered in a house fire started by the crash.

The suspect, identified Thursday as Jose Guadalupe Cervantes-Ayala, 24, is still being sought by police. He allegedly ran off after crashing the car into the house, leaving two female passengers trapped in the burning vehicle. They were rescued by passers-by.

The horrific scene unfolded after a University Police officer observed a vehicle driving in an unsafe manner on Warner Street and began pursuit.

The topic of police chases is literally a deadly serious one with a history in Chico. “Kristie’s Law” was proposed (but never adopted) after Kristina “Kristie” Marie Elena Priano, 15, of Chico was killed when her family’s minivan was hit by a vehicle being chased by Chico police in 2002.

It’s important to note the March 1 chase was initiated by University Police, not City of Chico police — and the ultimate responsibility for this tragedy lies in the hands of the driver who crashed the car and then fled the scene. But, we’ll also note that in a press release issued the morning of the crash, Chico State said “per UPD policy, the department will conduct an administrative review of tactics and procedures related to the pursuit.”

We expect the department to be forthcoming with the results of that review. The public deserves to know.

Hits and misses are compiled by the editorial board.

HIT: Election day is a half-week away, though we understand fully if you’re already over it. Campaigning on Valley’s Edge — Chico measures O and P — dates to last year at this time when referendum organizers mounted their signature drive. Candidates up and down the ballot added to the deluge of mailers and ads.

If you’ve already mailed in your ballot, good for you! That will make Tuesday easier for Butte County Elections officials and volunteers by giving them a head start on counting.

If you haven’t voted, we hope you do. Proposition 1 promises to reshape the state’s mental health system by allocating billions toward housing. The race for the White House seems set, but Californians have four leading prospects for U.S. Senate vying for two spots on the November ballot. Plus, two of the county’s five supervisor seats could change hands.

Primary elections often have low turnout. Early returns support this trend. Until Tuesday night, it’s not too late to make your vote count.

MISS: Government bureaucracy never ceases to befuddle. The Board of Supervisors learned this week that the county is probably out millions of dollars after FEMA retroactively added restrictions to compensating local jurisdictions for housing vulnerable people during the height of COVID.

County Administrative Officer Andy Pickett revealed that FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) likely won’t be providing the full reimbursement for the Project Roomkey program for homeless people “generally over 65 with respiratory conditions and immune or chronic diseases.” FEMA “offered to pay for the rooms so that the people could isolate themselves,” he continued, but “what (FEMA is) saying now is that they could only stay for 20 days and some individuals stayed much longer than that based on different needs.”

So, because county officials didn’t kick out people out of their rooms before the 21st day — three weeks in a multiyear pandemic — the county has to foot the entire $3 million bill.

“We implemented the program with the best information that we had at the time,” Pickett said, “so now it looks like FEMA is going back on their word.”

Hard to argue with that position.

HIT: It may seem odd to put a passing in a positive light, but we were touched by the outpouring of tributes to the late Tom Dauterman after he succumbed to cancer Monday at age 81. Dauterman was a pioneer in the field of agricultural machinery and one of the north state’s most generous philanthropists.

Dauterman started the company that would become Thomas Manufacturing out of a small shop in 1970 and a namesake hydraulics business in 1974. He revolutionized nut-tree harvesting with equipment he designed, even though he wasn’t formally trained as a mechanical engineer. In 2006, he co-founded Northern California National Bank and served on the board until the bank’s sale two years ago.

He and his wife, Sue, formed a charitable foundation that has donated millions to organizations including Enloe Health and the Salvation Army; he also gave his time and resources to support agriculture programs in local high schools and was a 35-year member of the service group Rotary.

Among the tributes he received, City Councilor Tom van Overbeek called Dauterman “a local giant.” We join the salute to his lasting impact.

HIT: Much like an obituary, a blizzard warning hardly ever comes across as good news to the people affected by it. This weekend, though, we’re looking to the snowline with a sense of relief.

The series of winter storms provided a lot of rainfall that filled our rivers, lakes, creeks and streams. Less so, the higher elevations with snow — but the latest flurries should put the snowpack over 100% and leave us good to go supply-wise for the year.

Now, bring on spring!

Hits and misses are compiled by the editorial board.

MISS — Shameful. Reprehensible. Despicable.

Honestly, we wish there were a stronger word to describe PG&E’s ripoff of its largely captive customer base, but we’re stuck to come up with one.

Just as customers were reeling from yet another round of massive rate increases approved by the ever-compliant Public Utilities Commission, PG&E released its 2023 profit report this week. Not surprisingly, it was obscene.

The company announced Thursday it earned $2.24 billion in profits last year, an incredibly unjustifiable increase of 24.6% from 2022. Even more alarming, the report also predicted the company’s investors could anticipate even better earnings in 2024; after all, we’re not done with these rate increases. Not by a long shot. As long as there are a few extra pennies in the pocket of any customer, PG&E seems determined to find them.

To the surprise of no one, this comes after the company got its traditional rubber-stamp-approval from the PUC for another rate increase. You know, because the extra money is so necessary for rebuilding its infrastructure and all.

The Utility Reform Network, a consumer advocacy group that goes by TURN, blasted the profit figures.

“TURN believes it is unacceptable for PG&E shareholders to pocket billions in profits at the expense of its customers who have seen bills skyrocket by 33% last year alone,” said Mark Toney, the group’s executive director.

Of course, the news is nothing but rosy in the eyes of PG&E. “Our story of progress continued in 2023, including further reducing wildfire ignitions and burying more powerlines than any prior year,” said PG&E Chief Executive Officer Patricia Poppe.

Our story of progress? For who? Certainly not customers who are resigned to freezing in the winter and roasting in the summer because they can’t afford the ever-growing bills. Also, there’s something disconcerting about PG&E bragging about reducing wildfire ignitions when they were the ones solely responsible for starting so many of these fires in the first place.

Meanwhile, five and a half years after the Camp Fire, we continue to hear from victims who aren’t getting their full payout from the Fire Victim Trust — assuming they’ve gotten a payout at all. Fire victims aren’t benefitting from this boon because the trust sold off its shares before this revenue spike that might have led to a greater return.

“Between its rank greed and rampant property destruction from wildfires, it’s difficult to identify another company that has inflicted more harm to the residents of the state than PG&E,” said Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, a consumer advocacy organization.

It’s sickening and it’s out of control. When will our elected officials finally stand up and say “Enough”?

HIT — The PG&E news leaves us in dire need of a feel-good story. Fortunately, we’ve got a great one right down the Midway.

In a story that feels straight out of “Hoosiers,” the Durham High wrestling team has taken the adage “the bigger they are, the harder they fall” to new levels. Going against much-larger schools, the Trojans won the Northern Section championship last Saturday, its first section championship in 64 years.

The team title marks the first time a small school has won in the era of the Masters Tournament.

“It’s just a small school, small town, everybody feels like family and that’s what this team is – it’s an extension of my family,” said Durham High wrestling coach Tony Cardoza.

Most impressively, the Trojans did it with a young team that only figures to get better in the years to come. Fittingly, it was the lone senior — Geovani Rico — who wrapped up the title with a pin in just 15 seconds.

From there, it was on to the CIF State Wrestling Championships held at Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield. Who knows? This David vs. Goliath story could be just beginning.

HIT — The week also featured some good news in terms of getting help, and housing, for those who need it.

First, after several delays, Everhart Village was able to open its doors and move in its first six residents. Chico Housing Action Team Director Nicole Drummond said Thursday the nonprofit received the necessary permit to begin operations at its Everhart Village project, a 20-cabin collaboration with Butte County Behavioral Health to house behavioral health clients at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness.

Also, Prospect View Apartments in Oroville is nearing completion. It’ll include 39 units. According to the Butte County website, the goal of the project is to provide a home and sense of stability to previously unhoused people. Instead of focusing solely on day-to-day survival, residents will be empowered to improve their lives and get back on their feet.

“It’s amazing to see so many people with the same goal in trying to end homelessness, even if it’s just one small area at a time,” said Pahua Thao, Butte County’s health and human services program analyst.

We agree. There’s no one-size-fits-all cure for homelessness; a mix of government efforts and private citizens tackling this issue on multiple fronts works to everyone’s benefit.

Unlike, say, obscene PG&E profits.

Hits and misses are compiled by the editorial board.

As we continue to publish election-related letters — odds are you’ve noticed a few about Valley’s Edge, for example — we’re again reminded of the passion those in Chico and throughout Butte County feel about local issues. That passion spills over onto our opinion pages as readers make their best cases for (or against) certain candidates and measures.

To give everyone a fair shake, we always limit writers to one election-related letter per election season. We announced the start of election-letter season at the beginning of the calendar year, and we’re here today to remind you that the deadline for submitting election-related letters is Thursday, Feb. 29.

To recap, here are the rules:

— Election-related letters must be received by Thursday, Feb. 29 to ensure they’ll all get in by Election Day on March 5. You get one letter per election season, period; not one per election topic.

— Keep personal insults out of this. Criticize a candidate’s record or positions all you want. Name-calling and demeaning comments aren’t going to win anyone over, but they might keep your letter out of the paper.

— We don’t print anonymous letters to the editor. We require first and last names, addresses and phone numbers. We don’t print the address and phone number but use it to verify identity. We don’t print purported facts that can’t be independently verified. When using facts, cite a source. We won’t print letters that require substantial research to verify.

— We don’t allow letters from candidates or campaign managers, unless it’s in response to a news story, letter or editorial specifically about them. They have ample ways to get their message out, including advertising. Candidates get to do this only once during this period — same as any other letter writer.

— All letters must be no more than 250 words. That doesn’t mean you have to use every single available word. More people will read your letter if it’s short. Get to the point.

— If we get letters that appear to be part of a letter-writing campaign, we’ll run a small sampling of them but not all. Be original.

— One last time, our cutoff date for receiving letters is Thursday, Feb. 29. Our goal is to run them all before Election Day and not drop any late bombshells.

— We’ll also note that during election season, we are allowing letters on national election topics. That means if you want to tell us how much you love your favorite presidential candidate and dislike the other guy, well, here’s your chance.

After Election Day, we’ll go back to our policy of allowing letters only on local issues. Exceptions will be allowed for letters that specifically explain how national issues are impacting people locally. You can also write letters in response to any story, letter or editorial that appears in our newspaper.

You’ll need to be very specific while making either connection. Sorry, but beginning a letter by saying “Chicoans should be concerned about what’s happening in … ” followed by 242 words with your opinion on the matter does not make it a local topic.

— Finally, we’ll publish only one letter per writer every two weeks.

We set these guidelines to give everyone a fair shake, and also to help keep our letters section a fresh, civil and robust venue for an exchange of opinions. We print around 1,500 letters to the editor every year; that’s a lot for a newspaper our size.

It can only happen in a community where people care about the issues and support their newspaper. We thank all of you for doing both.

Specifically, this one is hoisted in the direction of our veterans — along with an invitation for each of them to join in.

As noted in a letter to the editor this week by Mike Halldorson, past commander of VFW Post 1555, every Wednesday morning is Coffee Time for veterans at the Chico Veterans Memorial Hall from 7 a.m. until noon.

Free coffee and doughnuts are provided for any veteran — and veterans only. No family or friends. These brave men and women relied only on one another during their years of service, so they’ve more than earned the right to enjoy fellowship among themselves over coffee.

The program is supported by funds from various veteran organizations which use the hall. Donations are accepted, but not required.

Our thanks to everyone who continues to make this possible.

MISS — The Highway 70 corridor through Butte and Plumas County continues to be a dangerous one on many fronts. Winter closures because of mudslides and rockslides are practically becoming the rule rather than the exception.

Unfortunately, train derailments remain too common as well.

We got another reminder of that this week when an incredible 2.47 million pounds of coal was spilled into the middle fork of the Feather River after a 15-car Union Pacific train derailment at Blairsden in Plumas County.

The cars were transporting the coal to Portola at the time of the incident. No hazardous materials were released, and teams from Fish and Wildlife were on the scene for cleanup and to assess potential impact on the environment.

A 2014-15 Plumas County Civil Grand Jury report offered a scathing indictment of the dangers of transporting hazardous materials through the canyon. This report came after 11 railcars full of corn went off the tracks and down a steep embankment, noting they had “dodged a bullet” with that one.

Sometimes, the bullet isn’t dodged. We’re reminded of the 1991 Southern Pacific Railroad derailment that spilled 19,000 gallons of the herbicide metam sodium into the Sacramento River, basically killing everything in the water between that site and Lake Shasta.

Accidents happen. But usually, they’re preventable.

HIT — We were glad to see the Butte County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopt the Butte County Recharge Action Plan in an effort to help bolster groundwater reserves throughout the region.

As of the presentation on Tuesday, the Vina Subbasin has a water deficit of roughly 550,000 acre-feet for its storage. Christina Buck, assistant director for Department of Water and Resource Conservation, said the subbasin also faces a yearly decline of about 20,000 acre-feet on top of an increase in demand for the area serviced.

“The plan identifies five main actions with accompanying implementation steps that the county will pursue in partnership with the groundwater sustainability agencies and other agencies and organizations within the county,” said Department of Water and Resource Conservation Director Kamie Loeser.

On a somewhat related note, we’ll pass along this, from a Sites Project Authority news release issued Wednesday: “With the recent storms, Sites Reservoir could have diverted and captured 1.2 million acre-feet of water in 2023 and 2024 to date. Based on 2023 flows and significant storms this January and February, it is estimated that Sites Reservoir would be 80 percent full today following the critically dry prior years when Sites water would have been depleted.”

MISS — It was a thrilling Super Bowl and we wish the worst news we had to report was that the 49ers lost in overtime. Instead, we got another horrific example of what happens when angry idiots get their hands on guns.

A day that should have been among the most joyous in the history of Kansas City turned into a nightmare scenario of the worst order Wednesday when more than 20 people were shot at the end of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade and celebration. One woman died and most of the shooting victims were children.

Also shocking was the fact the alleged shooters were basically children too. Police have two juvenile suspects in custody and reports indicate the shooting occurred because of some sort of personal dispute.

Really? A personal dispute led to kids with guns firing bullets at one another with more than a million innocent people in the area? The sheer stupidity and callous disregard for life are equally stunning.

This all comes just a few months after a celebration of the Denver Nuggets’ NBA championship in June was also marred by a shooting. In that one, at least 10 people were injured, and that altercation began with what police believe was a drug deal gone bad.

Has our society sunk to such a lawless level that it’s not even safe to come together for a large celebration anymore?

Hits and misses are compiled by the editorial board.

And then there’s the whole role of being “the face of the school.” Most administrators are lousy at that. A select few are fantastic. At Chico State, we’ve already seen indications that new president Steve Perez is one of the select few.

For proof, all you have to do is take a look at a new video series from Chico State called “How To.” As the first episode shows, the series shows Perez learning from students about projects and experiences outside the classroom that enrich their education.

For starters, he met members of the Baja Society of Automotive Engineers club. They describe how to build and compete in an off-road vehicle — and, lo and behold, the video ends with Perez taking a test spin while apparently having the time of his life.

It’s just a lot of fun and fantastic publicity for an institution that could certainly stand an injection of both. We can’t help but wonder if a future episode might show Perez in the batter’s box; we hear he played a little baseball back in the day.

MISS — It had to happen sometime, and it finally did: The first rescue of the season from Ord Ferry Road, with somebody deciding “Aw, those warning signs that say ‘Don’t drive through the water unless you can see the lines on the road’ really don’t apply to me.”

Often, the people who try blasting through the deep dips on that road during flooding are folks from out of the area who don’t know any better. Most locals see the pictures and the videos every single year; it usually takes only one view of a person trapped in a car floating downstream to make a lasting impression.

This time, we’re told, the driver was actually someone who had successfully navigated the waters before, and figured he could make it again. (At least he was able to get out of the truck himself before rescuers arrived.)

We’ve even heard of folks starting a wagering pool guessing when the first “dip dive” of the year will take place, and what the excuse will be. There’s a document we’d like to see.

HIT — We’re happy to see the amount of water in our lakes should be plentiful again for the spring and summer of 2024.

As of Friday morning, Lake Oroville stood at 845 feet, just 55 feet below the top. Last year on this date, it was at 816 feet. Of course, after several years of substandard rainfall, even getting to that mark was a huge deal.

The lake will no doubt fill this year, just as it finally did last year in early June. After a slow start to our rainfall and snow this season, we’ve been making up ground steadily; last week’s storm left snow pretty low on the mountains on both sides of the valley.

It adds up to another year of enough water and full lakes as dam operators at Lake Oroville, Lake Shasta and elsewhere manage the late-winter flows to allow for room for the snowfall melt while keeping things below flood stage in the valley. So far, so good on all counts — and for all of that, we should be thankful.

MISS — Been a rough couple of weeks for meetings and schedules. We’ve noted the way the Chico Planning Commission meeting went off the rails last week, both in a story and in Evan Tuchinsky’s “City Insider” column. Yes, training seems to be in order.

Meanwhile, efforts to hold a forum about Valley’s Edge on the Chico State campus ended following complaints that the panel consisted of nothing but opponents of the project, which meant it was more of a campaign event than a forum. Colleges can’t host campaign events. Then opponents’ efforts to hold it elsewhere on campus (in a building rented by Smart Growth Advocates) ended when it was pointed out the meeting was too close to a ballot box. So from there they moved to a private, non-taxpayer-funded location — leaving us to wonder why they didn’t do that in the first place.

Finally, we’re thrilled to see a League of Women Voters “candidate speed dating”-style forum (Sunday, 1:30 p.m., Chico Masonic Family Center). Only problem is, it’s being held on Super Bowl Sunday — two hours before the game, right around the time a good number of 49ers (and Chiefs) fans will be firing up their parties. There’s probably not a worse Sunday on the calendar to plan such an event.

It’s an important forum and we hope they get a good turnout anyway.

Hits and misses are compiled by the editorial board.