Highlights, lowlights from the week’s news
HIT » One of the most beautiful things about springtime in our area is the incredible number of great community events. Every weekend, there is at least one special activity that can’t be found anywhere but in Chico.
Today, we pause to salute one that’s been going on for 40 years, and another that’s getting its start today. (Dare we say, off to a running start? Back to that in a minute.)
First, the Concourse Elite
Car Show held its 40th anniversary last Saturday at the Chico Elks Lodge. That’s 40 years of incredible entertainment, fantastic food and — best of all — fundraising for one of the best possible reasons.
“All the money will stay here in Chico with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, VFW Post 1555, and it will go to the veterans’ relief fund to help all of our veterans,” owner Bob Fitzgerald told Action News.
Meanwhile, there’s another event getting its start today, and we sure hope it sticks around for 40 years too.
The Chico Air Museum is hosting “Run the Runway!” beginning 9 a.m. today at Runway 31R at the Chico Municipal Airport.
The special event is a timed 1-mile run and gives an opportunity to run on one of the runways at Chico Municipal Airport — a first. The race will end at the Chico Air Museum, which will be open for free to visitors following the race.
These community events can’t happen without the support of the community, and Chico has never failed to step up.
MISS » The mass shooting in Sacramento last weekend was a horrific and senseless act of violence. Authorities are calling it a gang-related shootout, and at least one of the suspects in custody has a long history with the law.
Smiley Allen Martin, the second man to be arrested after the shootings that left six people dead, has a criminal record stretching back a decade. Just a year ago, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s office sent a two-page letter to the Board of Parole hearings urging no early release for Martin, who was serving a 10-year sentence for domestic violence and assault with great bodily injury.
He was released anyway.
So, while many clamor for “more gun laws” to quell the violence, we’re learning that the people arrested were convicted felons who were using firearms that weren’t legal to begin with.
Nobody is opposed to “common sense gun laws.” It might help if we started enforcing more of the common-sense laws already on the books, and keep violent criminals behind bars where they belong.
HIT » We’re tempted to give a “hit” to the fact that we’re finished with redistricting for another 10 years. But, despite the drama, turmoil and high-voltage partisan bickering that took place this go-around, we do think it’s important to find a positive in all of this, and here it is — the public was involved to an incredible degree, and you’ve got to admire the passionate input provided from so many people all across our politically divided landscape.
From those who showed up at meetings, or sent emails or made phone calls, or even submitted maps themselves, community involvement in this process has never been greater.
Some might say their voices weren’t listened to, but on the other hand, the people who
(for lack of a better term) “got their way” in the county, city and school-district realignments would strongly disagree.
The harsh reality is, whether you supported the progressive wing of the Chico Unified School District board or the conservative majorities on the Butte County board of supervisors and Chico city council, the majorities were simply not going to lose this fight. They were going to pick a map they liked, and as long as they got their hired demographers to sign off by saying “Yeah, in my opinion, that’s a legal map,” that’s the way they were going to vote.
As long as politicians are making decisions about political boundaries, it’s not going to change. Is there a better way? There has to be. And let’s hope we have a better system in place before 2032.
MISS » We expect accuracy from our public officials, and when they screw up, we often call them out on it.
Thus, when we screw up, we need to call ourselves out on it too.
In Tuesday’s newspaper, we misspelled the last name of Chico’s interim police chief, Billy Aldridge. No excuses. We blew it, and we deserved every one of the angry emails and phone messages that came our way as a result.
You know who didn’t complain? Aldridge. He was as kind and gracious as could be when we reached out to apologize, showing exactly the kind of level-headedness his many supporters have been praising.
Just further proof that Chico has the right man for the job.