Elisa Ballard

On Sunday morning, April 19, 2026, three Shasta County citizen election observers were interviewed on the KQMS radio program “Poke the Hornet’s Nest” with host Nick Gardner (9:00 - 10:00 a.m.; 1670 AM 105.7 FM). They detailed multiple concerns they observed during ballot processing and tabulation for the November 2024 General Election and the subsequent canvass.

The three candidates vying for Shasta County’s District 5 Board of Supervisors seat offered sharply contrasting visions Thursday evening, April 16, 2026, during a candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters at the Frontier Senior Center. Incumbent Supervisor Chris Kelstrom, Anderson City Councilmember Michael Gallagher, and retired nurse and business owner Gary Oxley each highlighted their backgrounds while sparring over public safety, infrastructure funding, family values and the jail.

Incumbent Supervisor Kevin Crye, challenger Richard Gallardo, and Redding City Councilmember Erin Resner squared off Wednesday night, April 15, 2026, in a League of Women Voters forum, laying out contrasting visions for Shasta County’s future as voters prepare for the June primary.

An important election will take place this June to decide who will serve as Shasta County's Registrar of Voters for the next four years. Clint Curtis, the current Shasta County Registrar of Voters (ROV), was appointed on April 30, 2025, by the Board of Supervisors after the retirement of Thomas Toller (who only held the position for approximately 10 months). Until Curtis's appointment, citizen election observers were treated poorly, kept behind metal fences and other barriers.

On April 7, 2026, quick thinking and extraordinary courage prevented a potential tragedy at Pauls Valley High School in Oklahoma. Surveillance video captured the dramatic moment when Principal Kirk Moore charged at an armed former student, tackling him to the ground and stopping what authorities say was intended to be a Columbine-style mass shooting.Victor Lee Hawkins, a former student, entered the school's lobby carrying two handguns. Principal Moore was shot in the leg during the incident.

On Tuesday, April 7, 2026, the Redding City Council unanimously approved an emergency resolution to accelerate permanent repairs to a critically damaged section of Tarmac Road and its underlying storm drain system, which was severely eroded during December’s heavy flooding. Other items addressed at the meeting included a proclamation by Mayor Mike Littau designating April 11 - 18 as the "Week of the Young Child," highlighting the importance of supporting young children's earliest years.

Have you ever made careful plans—only to watch them crumble? Maybe a job fell through, a relationship ended, or health news arrived that left you reeling. In moments like these, the words of Scripture become an anchor for the soul. The Lord declares in Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Notice that God doesn’t say He might have plans—He knows them.

Don’t miss the opportunity to meet and hear from the candidates appearing on the ballot for the June 2nd Election! Three events are scheduled by the League of Women Voters: District 1 Supervisor Candidates, District 5 Supervisor Candidates, and Shasta County Clerk / Registrar of Voters Candidates.

Darin Hale, a candidate for California’s 1st Assembly District and Anderson Union High School District trustee, continues to spotlight what he calls a troubling shift in public education: the expansion of the California Community Schools Partnership Program (CCSPP) into on-campus mental health and medical services that can bypass parents. Hale argues the program is creating “Medical, Behavioral, and Wellness Clinics on each school site,” with schools already treating students without parental

For centuries, the Shroud of Turin has captivated believers and skeptics alike: a 14-foot-5-inch by 3-foot-7-inch linen cloth bearing the faint, haunting front-and-back image of a crucified man. Once widely dismissed as a 14th-century forgery following the 1988 carbon-dating tests, the relic has returned to the center of a vigorous scientific debate. Fresh research and re-evaluations by prominent experts now point to compelling evidence that the shroud could date to the time of Jesus.

Shasta County supervisors were scheduled today to consider approving a major overhaul of the Cottonwood sewer system that would nearly quintuple the one-time capital improvement fee charged to new development — from roughly $6,279 per household equivalent (HE) to $28,300 — while authorizing a roughly $37.9 million (2022 dollars) upgrade to the aging wastewater treatment plant. The Supervisors decided to postpone making a decision until July, after they have more time to assess the report.

Sheriff Johnson honored the many volunteers assisting his department Johnson spoke about the six chaplains who went out on 28 calls during the year, the Citizen Volunteer Patrol who assists in many areas including conducting proactive patrols, traffic control and meetings with business owners, the Explorer Program for youth 14 - 21 years old, the Reserve Unit who help on patrols, the Asphalt Cowboys organization who assist with special needs and fundraising.

President Donald Trump on Monday issued his “COMPLETE & TOTAL ENDORSEMENT” for Steve Hilton in the race for California governor, posting on Truth Social that he has "known and respected" the former Fox News host for many years. “Gavin Newscum and the Democrats have done an absolutely horrendous job,” Trump wrote, criticizing high taxes, rising crime and the exodus of residents and businesses. “Steve can turn it around, before it is too late, and, as President, I will help him to do so!

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 back the grizzly.

In November of 2025, a comprehensive, peer-reviewed study was released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that delivered a scathing indictment of “gender-affirming care” for minors, concluding that puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries.  These interventions expose children and adolescents to significant, often irreversible harms with virtually no reliable evidence of long-term benefit. Commissioned in response to President Trump’s January 2025 Executive Order

Since Lorenzo Leone Pasini made his dramatic entrance into the world on February 5, 2026, at just 26 weeks and 5 days of gestation, weighing a tiny 2 pounds 2 ounces, his parents Jessi and Alessio have continued to share their raw, heartfelt NICU journey with their online community.

Homeowners near the River Ranch community have filed a lawsuit against the City of Redding and Shasta County, challenging the approval of a land lease for a proposed alternative custody campus that could eventually include a large new jail. The River Ranch Neighborhood Association filed the lawsuit on February 27, 2026, in Shasta County Superior Court. The suit claims the City of Redding improperly bypassed required environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Shasta County Board of Supervisors District 1 candidates Rich Gallardo, Erin Resner, and incumbent Kevin Crye addressed members of the Shasta County Republican Assembly (SCRA) on Thursday evening, April 2, at Shasta Bible College. Following their speeches and a question-and-answer session with an audience of approximately 40 people, SCRA members voted to endorse Kevin Crye for the June 2 primary election.

As Easter draws near, many American families sit at kitchen tables wondering how to stretch one more grocery dollar or keep children safe amid headlines of division and unrest. The cost of living climbs, polarization deepens, and worry feels like a constant companion. Yet in the very heart of these struggles, the Easter story offers something the world cannot: unshakable hope rooted in God’s love and the victory of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of John records Jesus’ own words just before His...

The Redding City Council has approved spending up to $300,000 to hire an out-of-state consulting firm to examine every city department for waste and inefficiencies. The contract with Circle 6 Consulting, Inc., based in Texas, was approved in mid-March 2026 at the request of new City Manager William Tarbox. Work is scheduled to begin immediately and wrap up by September 30, 2026.

In a decisive written ruling issued today, Shasta County Superior Court Judge Benjamin L. Hanna dismissed Jennifer Katske’s petition seeking to block the “Shasta County Voter ID, Hand-Counted Ballots, and Absentee Voting Limits Initiative” from the June 2, 2026, ballot. The court sustained a demurrer filed by the measure’s proponents (Intervenors), finding that Katske’s First Amended Verified Petition for Writ of Mandate failed to state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action.

The Shasta County Board of Supervisors took several significant actions during its regular meeting on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, including streamlining electric vehicle charging station permits, and allocating nearly $2 million in opioid settlement funds for youth behavioral health services. The board also held a public hearing on a contested solar energy project and faced protests from home health care workers over stalled contract negotiations.

In a packed courtroom, Shasta County Superior Court Judge Benjamin Hanna heard arguments from petitioner Jennifer Katske, who is representing herself in pro per. Katske seeks a writ of mandate to prevent Measure B—a 14-point election integrity initiative—from appearing on the June 2, 2026, ballot. The judge stated that he would issue a written ruling by March 27, 2026.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a leading Republican candidate for California governor in 2026, has seized approximately 650,000–657,000 ballots from the November 2025 statewide special election on Proposition 50, launching an investigation into alleged discrepancies in vote counts. The action has sparked a high-profile clash with California Attorney General Rob Bonta and local election officials, who say the probe lacks credible evidence of fraud and could undermine public confidence.