Highlights and lowlights from the week’s news

HIT » A simple coincidence or something greater? That’s how we see Kimberly Conserve’s tale of the Christmas box.

As a youngster in Belize, Conserve received a Christmas box filled with simple toys. Now as an adult and student at Butte College, she’s creating boxes in Chico as part of Calvary Church’s effort.

Her childhood box included a jump rope and personal letter tucked into a donated shoe box. Ten years later, she has strong memories of how that generosity and caring touched her, and she’s doing the same.

Perhaps the words and encouragement in the letter helped her into adulthood, and she, in turn, is doing the same for someone else.

Operation Christmas Child matches decorated shoe boxes with children in third world countries, and is a program undertaken by Samaritan’s Purse International Relief Organization, which played a role in the Camp Fire recovery efforts here.

If ever there was, this certainly is the time to spread generosity and good will.

MISS » This miss isn’t really aimed at the effort on the Paradise ridge to thin the forests, but with the annual wildfires, it’s ironic that a lot of burning is going on up there.

Earlier in the week, crews from the Butte Fire Center set fire to piles of brush and thinned wood in the Magalia area, and warned nearby residents they’d be seeing smoke, but there wasn’t danger. Considering what the ridge has gone through, the warning was a wise move.

This action was necessary to boost the area’s resistance against wildfires, and was likely long overdue.

But given the recent coverage of biomass and co-generation in California, maybe it’s time to explore other options as well. Granted anything like a co-generation plant in this area would be years in the making, but the discussion is worth having.

As was pointed out, getting rid of wood and fuels through co-generation — the burning of material to create electricity — offers opportunity that could be valuable in California, considering what the recent past has held.

HIT » The first paragraph said it well: “As if 2020 couldn’t get any more weird and unusual, a tornado touched down in Butte County at Spring Valley School on Wednesday.”

What’s next? Snow in downtown Orland?

Like many of our readers, we just shook our heads and wondered how can life get any stranger.

On the good side, no one was hurt, and not much damage occurred. When we hear what happens in the south and midwest states when tornadoes touch down, horrible damage and deaths are almost guaranteed.

Not only was the silver lining here that the school’s new playground equipment was preserved, but that the students were enthralled with their close encounter witih strange weather. Most of us never get that opportunity.

MISS » We can’t blame the former Paradise residents Rusty and Kyla Awalt for moving out of California, but it was sad news, considering their contributions to this area.

A Paradise native, Kyla Awalt was among those who stepped up after the Camp

Fire to help organize the zone captains program.

Zone captains are responsible for particular areas on the Paradise ridge through the rebuilding process. They communicate between residents and government, helping to clarify confusion, share information and solve issues.

The family’s role was evidence of their commitment to the ridge, but like many others, they found life is a struggle not only in Chico, but in California. They’re moving to Tennessee.

Their story is one often repeated: High cost of housing, plus California regulations and costs, plus quality of life don’t add up to a promising future.

People are leaving California because there’s no relief in sight. We’ve heard this observation, and likely will hear it for years to come.

Nevertheless, the effort that the family and others made in supporting their community and helping the ridge rebuild is worthy of public thanks.