Opinion

Opinion Sundial bridge, Redding, CA - Credit: California.com "Why Redding, CA is the Perfect Place to Call Home" As the Shasta County Board of Supervisors wraps up hearings on the FY 2026-27 Recommended Budget, the numbers paint a familiar but troubling picture. The proposed $658 million budget reflects a roughly $27 million (4%) decrease from the prior year, with discretionary revenues projected to drop nearly 9%. Personnel costs, retiree health obligations, courthouse demo

Pictures posted by @FreddyLA7, a German football fan touring America for the 2026 FIFA World Cup As the 2026 FIFA World Cup unfolds across the United States, a heartwarming phenomenon is unfolding on social media: European fans arriving for the matches are discovering the real America — and they can't stop raving about it. From massive college football stadiums and endless portions at Buc-ee's to Southern hospitality, BBQ, and the sheer scale of our landscapes, these visitors

A heightened level of tyranny has surfaced at the Shasta County Board of Supervisors (BOS) meetings. Chair Kelstrom, and by omission, the remainder of the Board, showed their personal disdain and contempt for the people who want transparency and desire to participate in local government affairs. The meeting was eerily reminiscent of the last two months of Leonard Moty's term in office as Chair before his removal by recall.

Opinion The California government, once a beacon of opportunity and innovation, has crossed a perilous threshold. What began as progressive governance has evolved into something more insidious: a system of entrenched, unaccountable power that disrespects constitutional limits, overrides the will of the people, and imposes arbitrary rule at great human and economic cost. This is not mere inefficiency or policy disagreement. It represents a turn toward tyranny—majoritarian in f

Equal Justice or Does Something Smell Fishy? OPINION If a personnel department is doing its job properly, I would think that any employee complaints would be investigated, that bad behavior would be noted, and that offending employees would be warned. Since January, sources inside the Election Office have indicated that complaints were made about entrenched employees’ harassment of new employees and insubordination toward Clint Curtis, the new Registrar of Voters, and it

OPINION Update: In response to questions we received about our article, we are publishing additional information. A reader suggested that the majority of county workers are paid only the minimum wage of $17/hour and that they accept this meager wage only because of the benefits. While it is true that many do only get paid minimum wage, the data show that the vast majority of county workers are paid far more. Here is that data: Shasta County Public Employees (2024 data) Emp

I'm writing this after watching a very well-produced movie, based on real events, portraying a portion of the Vietnam War. The movie reminds me of the sacrifice, suffering, and lives lost that US military members and their families experienced in the name of attempting to preserve individual freedom. By extension, I'm also reminded of the U.S. Founders' sacrifices as well.

Opinion There is no such thing as non-political Experts suggest that claiming to be “non-political” is a myth that serves to maintain the status quo. It works like this: "If I tell you I’m not political you can’t question my motives for what I say and do." Watch how fast saying “I’m not political” shuts you up and probably even stops you from thinking. We can plainly see what people say and do, and determine which side of the fence they are on. Saying, “I don’t belong to a p

OPINION Redding, CA — In yet another example of selective reporting, Shasta Scout published a shallow, one-sided article on May 22, 2026, that whitewashes critical findings from the Anderson Police Department’s investigation into former Youth Options Shasta Director Susan Wilson. The article was entitled "Unsatisfied with lack of charges against former nonprofit director, Crye takes aim at Shasta's district attorney" by Nevin Kallepalli. While Shasta Unfiltered has consisten

Opinion Katske Lawsuit Against Shasta County ROV, et al. Appears to Be a Big Nothing Burger — Void of Legal Precedent or Substance Jennifer Katske, a Shasta County resident, political activist, and ICU/flight nurse who relocated from the San Francisco Bay Area around 2020, has filed two pro se (self-filed) lawsuits challenging aspects of the June 2, 2026, election and Measure B — the citizen-led charter amendment initiative focused on voter ID, hand-counted ballots, single-da

California lawmakers and Governor Gavin Newsom have once again prioritized ideology over biology, science, and child welfare with Assembly Bill 1084, signed into law in October 2025. Marketed as a simple “streamlining” of name and gender marker changes, the bill actually accelerates the process by which minors can obtain court orders to rewrite their legal sex on vital records like birth certificates. For kids whose parents go along with it, the court rubber-stamps the change

Opinion Piece “It is not who votes that counts, but who counts the votes.” Joseph Stalin (infamous communist): Stalin understood that control of the counting process trumps everything else. In Shasta County’s race for County Clerk and Registrar of Voters, voters face a choice that tests this reality. Joanna Francescut, the candidate with 17 years in the office, is on the ballot despite lacking a college degree — a credential that many other California counties treat as a base

Happily sweeping a huge pile of dirt under a rug, versus dramatically hyperfocusing on a small dirt spot OPINION I guess it’s perfectly acceptable for the prior Assistant Registrar of Voters (ROV) on the last day of ballot tabulation to tell election observers that ballot counting was finished, escort them out the door at 5 p.m., and then continue counting newly discovered ballots until 9:30 p.m. with no citizen observers present. I guess it’s fine for that same Assistant ROV

Opinion Piece Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn - Image politico.com I have been calling it for years: the left doesn’t “believe” in climate change — they worship it. And on Monday, April 28, 2026, that religious zeal was on full, unhinged display during a House Appropriations Committee hearing on the EPA’s FY2027 budget. Watch the full heated exchange here EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin — the no-nonsense Trump appointee who actually believes in following the law instead of ch

As California lawmakers in Sacramento push forward with ambitious new tax proposals to plug budget holes created by federal cuts and runaway spending, one inconvenient truth stands out: the state isn’t broke because it taxes too little. It’s hemorrhaging money through fraud, waste, mismanagement, and a bloated regulatory apparatus that strangles businesses and drives residents away.

In today’s fast-paced world, finding trustworthy news sources can feel like navigating a maze. Mainstream outlets often dominate the headlines, but many of us crave fresh perspectives that challenge the status quo. That’s where alternative media outlets come in. These platforms offer unique viewpoints, often focusing on local issues, conservative commentary, or underreported stories. If you’re looking to diversify your news diet, I’ve gathered some of the best options worth e

Are you one of the millions of Americans who can’t think of a single positive thing Trump has accomplished in his five years in office? Even though roughly half the country thinks he’s doing a good job, you may see things differently. You might even believe him to be flawed, reckless, or unfit for the role. While it’s conceivable that this media darling of yesteryear – once toasted by Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and Oprah Winfrey – suddenly became a Nazi, there’s another logi

California lawmakers are on the verge of reviving one of the state’s most dangerous predators — and the rest of us will pay the price with our safety, our livestock, and potentially our lives. Senate Bill 1305, the so-called “California Grizzly Restoration Act,” was quietly introduced in February by Sen. Laura Richardson (D-Inglewood). It doesn’t dump grizzly bears into the wild tomorrow, but it does something almost as reckless: it declares it official state policy to bring

Two days after oral arguments in Trump v. Barbara, the early indications are that the Supreme Court appears poised to strike down President Trump’s January 20, 2025, executive order restricting automatic birthright citizenship. Justices from across the ideological spectrum—including Chief Justice Roberts and Trump appointees Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett—expressed deep skepticism about the administration’s reading of the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause.

In a brazen act of political vandalism that reeks of desperation, someone has launched a targeted campaign of theft against yard signs supporting Clint Curtis for Shasta County Clerk in District 2. All along the roadways in District 2, Clint Curtis signs are disappearing overnight. Local supporters report that the thefts are not random — they are systematic, hitting high-visibility spots where voters driving by would see them every day.