Rex Ballard

Steve Hilton challenges Xavier Becerra to debate - Credit: latimes.com Steve Hilton wasted little time in making political ads highlighting Xavier Becerra's reluctance to hold a debate ahead of the upcoming November election. Now, it's reported that Xavier Becerra has indicated he will debate Steve Hilton more than once before the November 3 election. For weeks, the Republican challenger accepted every major media invitation and publicly pressed the Democratic frontrunner to commit to...

SNAP Logo - Credit usda.gov Enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, known as CalFresh in California) has fallen sharply, declining more than 13% in a single year. Preliminary USDA data shows participation dropping from 42.2 million people in May 2025 to 36.6 million in May 2026. This follows the implementation of expanded work requirements and other reforms in President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (also called H.R. 1 or the “big beautiful bill”), signed in...

When Washington was unable to pay troops he said, "Send for Haym Salomon" In the closing months of the Revolutionary War, George Washington faced a crisis more dangerous than any British army. His troops were unpaid, hungry, and edging toward mutiny. The Continental Congress had no money. Robert Morris, the Superintendent of Finance, had none either. Washington’s reply was sharp and immediate: “Send for Haym Salomon.” That summons brought forward one of the most consequential and...

Redding marked a significant milestone today with the grand opening celebration of the Sierra Pacific Regional Cancer Center. The new $70 million outpatient facility, operated by Dignity Health’s Mercy Medical Center Redding, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning at 10 a.m., followed by public tours until 3 p.m. Located at 2396 Henderson Road near the intersection of Cypress and Hartnell avenues along the Sacramento River, the approximately 40,000-square-foot, two-story center...

In Case You Needed Another Reason for Flock Cameras to Go A typical Flock Safety automated license plate reader camera with solar panel, mounted on a pole. These devices photograph vehicle plates and characteristics for law enforcement databases. Credit: theshoestring.org A Shasta Unfiltered reader from Tulsa, OK (raised in Redding and possibly returning) recently forwarded a ReclaimTheNet piece after reading our earlier coverage of Flock Safety cameras. The tip highlighted a Roseville,...

Redding’s inaugural IRONMAN 70.3 Northern California on Sunday, August 16, 2026, delivered a successful debut that highlighted the region’s scenery, community energy, and endurance sports potential. The event drew roughly 1,600+ athletes (plus thousands of supporters and spectators) for the classic 70.3 distances: a 1.2-mile swim in Whiskeytown Lake starting at Oak Bottom Marina, a 56-mile point-to-point bike through rolling Shasta County roads (with a net elevation loss of nearly 1,000 feet...

Hollywood’s production decline continues, with another longtime service company shutting down and Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison threatening to relocate the studio’s headquarters and jobs out of California unless Attorney General Rob Bonta settles or drops an antitrust challenge to Paramount’s planned acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Paramount Studios, Hollywood, CA - Credit: travelinusa.us Shadowcast Pictures, a Los Angeles-based production equipment rental company that supplied...

Mother and 17-year-old daughter forced to cover “XX-XY” and “For the Girls” shirts or leave Atlanta Dream-Indiana Fever game A Georgia mother and her teenage daughter say arena security singled them out during overtime of Sunday’s Indiana Fever-Atlanta Dream game, ordered them to cover their XX-XY Athletics T-shirts or face ejection, and handed them promotional Atlanta Dream “Wellness & Health Night” shirts to wear instead. Mom and daughter told to cover up XX-XY T-shirts, say they were...

Massachusetts Legalizes Abortion Up to Birth On August 10, 2026, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey (a professed Catholic) signed the Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act (H.5595 / Acts of 2026, Chapter 188), removing the state’s previous 24-week gestational limit and specific statutory exceptions for later abortions. The new law states that after 24 weeks, “an abortion may be performed by a physician based upon the professional judgment of the physician.” Governor Maura Healy, MA, signs...

Implications for Shasta County, Redding, and Anderson Typical Flock Cameral Installation - credit: cnn.com Shasta Unfiltered has extensively covered the rollout and controversy surrounding Flock Safety automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras in Shasta County, the City of Redding, and the City of Anderson. Local debate has mirrored a national wave of concern over mass vehicle tracking, data sharing, privacy, and documented cases of law-enforcement misuse. This week, Flock Safety CEO...

A man stood on the edge of Nashville’s Victory Memorial Bridge above the Cumberland River, livestreaming what he intended to be his final moments. Officers arrived. Traffic stopped. The situation was tense and fragile. Lieutenant Mike Hotz, a combat veteran and crisis negotiator, did not rush the man with commands or force. He simply approached and said, “Hey man, my name’s Mike… Can I just holler at you?” What followed was not a high-pressure negotiation. It was a conversation. Hotz...

As summer winds down and the election season ramps up, Shasta, Tehama, and Siskiyou counties offer several opportunities for residents to support local candidates, first-responder programs, trauma recovery for kids, and the ongoing fight for Second Amendment rights. Here’s a look at key upcoming events worth marking on the calendar. Fundraising Dinner & Live Auction to Support 2nd Amendment Lawsuit. Friday, August 21, 2026, Anderson VFW Hall, 3210 W. Center St., Anderson Mark Baird and the...

Drawing athletes and visitors from across the country while showcasing Shasta County’s outdoors. This Friday through Sunday, August 14–16, 2026, the City of Redding and surrounding Shasta County will welcome the inaugural IRONMAN 70.3 Northern California. More than 1,600 athletes have registered for the high-intensity half-distance triathlon—featuring a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, and 13.1-mile run—with thousands more family members, supporters, and spectators expected. Officials and local...

Hiring freeze already in effect as Circle 6 efficiency study continues; layoffs expected once findings are released. William Tarbox, who served as Redding City Manager from February until his death on July 19, 2026. Information circulating since the sudden death of Redding City Manager William Tarbox suggests budget shortfalls are significantly more severe than public statements have conveyed. Tarbox died July 19 of cardiac arrest at age 56, only five months after starting the job in...

Exclusive reporting from the Daily Caller News Foundation, amplified by The Daily Signal, raises urgent national security alarms. White House - Credit: unsplash.com A senior Chinese Communist Party-linked official with a documented background in Chinese state security and special forces sniper training has purchased a historic commercial building just 650 feet northeast of the White House grounds. According to a Daily Caller News Foundation investigation published this week, the Philip Qiu...

Update - August 14, 2026 Mayor of Lawrence, MA indicted for misappropriation of COVID funds Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña (left, in interview) and scene related to his arrest - Credit: NBC Boston On August 14, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced the arrest and charging of Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña (also styled Depena/DePena), 61, a Democrat first elected in 2021 and reelected in 2025. He faces one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering....

A recent discussion on X pointed out an uncomfortable pattern: the diagnostic thresholds for common conditions keep shifting, instantly turning large numbers of previously healthy people into patients—and reliable customers for the pharmaceutical industry. Hypertension, prediabetes, and diabetes were the examples cited. Those cases are well documented. They are also part of a larger process that has increasingly treated normal aging itself as a collection of medical deficiencies requiring...

INDIANAPOLIS — A razor-thin Republican primary for Indiana State Senate District 23 was overturned Monday when the Indiana Recount Commission rejected 10 ballots on technical grounds, handing victory to Trump-endorsed challenger Paula Copenhaver over incumbent Sen. Spencer Deery. Paula Copenhaver, Fountain County clerk and Trump-backed challenger, after the recount decision. (Indiana Capital Chronicle) The commission certified Copenhaver the winner by three votes. Final totals: Copenhaver...

Dr. Anthony Fauci’s legal troubles escalated this week after a Senate committee formally held him in contempt of Congress. At the same time, multiple states moved to compel his testimony and documents in response to discrepancies between his private diaries and earlier sworn statements.

When the nation’s highest court accepts lavish hospitality from billionaires who have business before it, when family real estate is sold to those same benefactors without timely disclosure, when justices’ spouses earn millions placing lawyers at firms that appear before the Court, and when the only ethics rules on the books lack any real enforcement, ordinary Americans have every right to ask a basic question: Can this Court still claim true independence?

Redding City Councilmember and former Mayor Tenessa Audette formally kicked off her campaign for another four-year term on August 4, 2026. In a video titled “Tenessa Is Ready for Four More Years,” produced by contributor Robert Exter, Audette outlined her record of service and asked residents to join her in continuing work on fiscal responsibility, public safety, and responsive local government. More information is available at VoteTenessa.com. “I believe Redding needs experienced leadership...

A federal court ruling grounded in the Constitution’s Taxing Clause could reshape how law-abiding Americans acquire certain firearms — and California gun owners are watching closely. On August 5, 2026, U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix of the Northern District of Texas permanently enjoined key registration and approval requirements of the 1934 National Firearms Act (NFA) as applied to suppressors (silencers), short-barreled rifles (SBRs), short-barreled shotguns (SBSs), and certain...

This report summarizes notable incidents, arrests, and enforcement activities reported by the Redding Police Department (RPD), Anderson Police Department (APD), Shasta County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO), and California Highway Patrol (CHP) Northern Division for the period July 1–31, 2026. Data is compiled from publicly available sources, including official agency media releases, press reports (KRCR, Action News Now, Redding Record Searchlight), social media updates, and daily arrest logs. A...

The Double Agent Who Helped Win Yorktown In the critical summer of 1781, as the fate of the American Revolution hung in the balance, a quiet, determined man moved freely between enemy lines. He carried no commission, wore no uniform, and risked certain death if discovered. His name was James — later known as James Armistead Lafayette — and the intelligence he delivered helped trap British General Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown and secure American independence. A young James Armistead is sent...