Elisa Ballard

Democrat Xavier Becerra has not agreed to another debate with Republican Steve Hilton after their only scheduled fall matchup, while a Hilton campaign poll taken immediately afterward shows the governor’s race tightening. The week has also brought a fight over Becerra’s family story and a backlash, much of it from Republicans, against a sexually suggestive Hilton ad aimed at liberal voters. The two nominees to succeed termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom had debated for an hour on CNN on Sept. 30 in...

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday that temporarily allows dyed, off-road diesel on the highway and defers the federal excise tax on that fuel through Dec. 31, a step the White House says is meant to cut costs for farmers, truckers, and other diesel users. The order, titled “Emergency Tax Relief on Diesel Fuel,” directs the Treasury secretary, in consultation with the secretary of war, to determine within five days whether relief is authorized under federal...

Steve Hilton and Xavier Becerra clash over homelessness - Credit nbclosangeles.com (fair use for news commentary) BURBANK — Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton spent an hour Wednesday night arguing less about the fine print of California government than about who is to blame for the state’s condition: President Donald Trump, or 16 years of one-party Democratic rule in Sacramento. The CNN debate, moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash at the network’s Burbank studio, is...

Shredding truck parked behind the Election Office on September 30, 2026 September 30, 2026 Redding, CA REDDING — A shred truck was already parked behind the Shasta County Elections Office on Market Street on Wednesday morning when Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis stopped the destruction of November 2024 election materials. Curtis, in front of staff and local reporters, began opening sealed boxes so the vendor could start feeding them into the truck. Curtis opened 10 boxes and found log sheets...

September 27, 2026 Redding, CA On Sunday morning’s “Jefferson State of Mine” on KCNR (1460 AM / 96.5 FM), hosts Terry Rapoza, Janet Chandler, and Win Carpenter interviewed Shasta County Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis and his wife, Jody Curtis, about the federal review of June 2, 2026, primary ballots and what Curtis described as additional problems in that election. A federal grand jury subpoena issued Sept. 10 by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California directed...

Jackie LaBarbera (Shasta County Office of Education Member) REDDING, Calif. — Jackie LaBarbera did what Anderson families elected her to do. Sacramento and the statewide teachers' union have spent four years trying to make her pay for it. LaBarbera was elected to the Anderson Union High School District Board in 2022; then, in 2024, she was elected to the County Office of Education Board as the top vote-getter for SCOE Area 2, but she continued serving on the Anderson Board. In a statement...

Opinion There is hardly any aspect of American life that the government does not now touch. Some of that involvement is the work citizens have long expected: delivering water, regulating or supplying power, building and maintaining roads, providing a safety net for the poor and the elderly, policing and locking up criminals, fighting fires, educating children and young adults, and defending the country. The problem is how far that reach has gone beyond those core duties — telling us where we...

The nine candidates for Redding City Council's three open positions answered questions at the September 16th forum. (L-R) Rebecca Ann Miller, Joana Rebollar, Russ Wenham, Mark Mezzano, Paul Saulsbury, Christina Prosperi, Jack Munns, Elise Sloan, Tenessa Audette The Greater Redding Chamber of Commerce’s Redding City Council candidates forum on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, was held at the Cascade Theatre, 1731 Market Street, Redding, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Host/emcee: Todd Jones, president and CEO...

You don't want to miss the authentic Italian food served up by the friendly Sons and Daughters of Italy club members at South City Park in Redding. This is a yearly fundraising event for the group that is involved in many philanthropic activities in town. They cook up the meat sauce from scratch just like mamma used to make, and you won't be disappointed! There will be raffle prizes, a silent auction, vendor and craft booths, a bocce tournament, and classic cars on Saturday. The spaghetti...

DALLAS — Republicans closed the first midterm national convention in their party’s history Thursday night with a two-day rally at American Airlines Center that organizers billed as a 20,000-person showcase for President Donald Trump, congressional candidates and the Make America Healthy Again agenda. The Sept. 9–10 gathering was not a nominating convention. Delegates did not pick a ticket. The purpose, RNC leaders said, was to put midterm races on a national stage and keep Trump at the center...

The Fire Department was named in an efficiency study as wasting taxpayer dollars with "baked-in" overtime. (Image is AI generated.) REDDING, Calif. — Circle 6 Consulting Inc. will present its comprehensive findings on ways to reduce unnecessary budget spending at the Redding City Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday, September 15, starting at 6 p.m. The public can view the meeting agenda packet, with the 83-page presentation attached, on the city's website (or click here). However, the...

The Lindsay Clancy Trial Sketch by Robert Exter PLYMOUTH, Mass. — A Massachusetts jury spent seven days trying to decide whether Lindsay Clancy was criminally responsible when she strangled her three children. It could not. On Sept. 4, Superior Court Judge William F. Sullivan declared a mistrial. The charges remain. So does the fight over what the record actually shows — and over what kind of story the public thinks it has been watching. Clancy, 36, a former labor-and-delivery nurse, is not...

PALO CEDRO — Shasta County singers still have a short window to enter a karaoke contest offering a $1,000 grand prize. Moms for Liberty Shasta County will host “Stars, Stripes, and Karaoke” on Saturday, Sept. 19, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Palo Cedro area. Chapter Chair Katie Gorman told Shasta Unfiltered that sign-ups have been strong and that only seven singer slots remain. She said she expects a large crowd. Contestants pay a $100 entry fee. Spectators register free. Because the event is...

School Board Candidates: Teresa Roberts, Sanny Ong, and Linda Glass Discuss How They Plan to Improve Education in Shasta County Schools REDDING — Conservative school-board and city-council hopefuls told a packed Shasta County Republican Assembly (SCRA) meeting Thursday that local government has drifted from core academics, parental authority, fiscal discipline and public safety — and that boards and councils must stop rubber-stamping Sacramento and union priorities. The Sept. 3 gathering...

REDDING — Redding’s general fund is in “significant financial distress,” Interim City Manager Michael Webb told the City Council on Tuesday, Sept. 1. Consultants then walked the council through the first batch of “quick wins” from a $300,000 efficiency study — most of them one-time cleanups, not permanent cuts. Circle 6 Consulting screened $82.6 million in potentially releasable capacity across city funds. After staff validation, $14.3 million was released, recovered or realized. Only about...

Redding, CA Patrick Jones, guest hosting the "Freedom in Action" radio show on KQMS (1670 AM; 105.7 FM/104.9 FM) for Kelly Frost on Saturday morning, September 5, 2026, (7 a.m. - 9 a.m.) detailed his experiences with political corruption, mismanagement, and a lack of transparency during his time on the Redding City Council and Shasta County Board of Supervisors. He outlined specific scandals involving financial malfeasance, unethical deals with the McConnell Foundation, and systemic...

REDDING — The Shasta County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, received first-year updates on youth substance-use prevention programs, reviewed progress on reducing veteran homelessness, and examined the projected fiscal and operational impacts of federal legislation known as HR 1 on county social services. The meeting ran long, approximately 5 hours, as many other issues were addressed, including a new ADU (Additional Dwelling Unit) ordinance, public hearings to approve...

Tenessa Audette Presented Budget Crisis Information to the Public (Image from Facebook Live Stream of Mountain Top Media) REDDING, Calif. — In a detailed presentation Monday evening, August 24, 2026, at Faith Community Church on South Bonnyview Road, Redding City Councilmember Tenessa Audette outlined her assessment of how missing, incomplete, and inaccurate budget reporting by city staff contributed to the approval of what she described as unsustainable employee raises, particularly for...

Are County Management and Labor Unions Covering Up Potential Crimes by Employees in the Elections Office? Shasta County Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis has released video evidence he says shows entrenched Elections Office employees bypassing security protocols to enter secure rooms without logging their presence—actions he calls a form of break-in and potential interference in election processes. Curtis presented the footage during an August 19 appearance on Catherine Engelbrecht’s True the...

Councilmember Tenessa Audette Mountain Top Media is inviting the public to hear about the budget challenges facing the City of Redding. Councilmember Tenessa Audette spent months last year reviewing budget reports, staff documents, and audits. During city council meetings, then-Mayor Jack Munns repeatedly interrupted her and limited her ability to question staff about how budget figures were derived. Under subsequent Mayor Mike Littau, she was also not permitted to fully present her detailed...

REDDING, Calif. — The Redding City Council held its regular meeting Tuesday evening, Aug. 18, 2026, at the Civic Center Council Chambers, 777 Cypress Avenue, focusing on public comments, a wide-ranging update to the city’s master fee schedule, progress on a major water infrastructure project, and received glowing reviews from the Ironman organization. Mayor Mike Littau presided, with Councilmembers Jack Munns, Erin Resner, Dr. Paul Dhanuka (Vice Mayor), and Tenessa Audette present, along with...

Compiled from Freddie Mac PMMS historical data. Interest rates that determine what families pay for mortgages are closely linked to a key benchmark set by the Federal Reserve: the federal funds rate. This is the overnight interest rate banks charge one another for reserves. When the Fed raises or lowers its target for this rate, the effects flow through the broader economy and strongly influence longer-term rates, including the 30-year fixed mortgage rate that most homebuyers use. The Federal...

REDDING, Calif. — Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis and his wife, Jody, described a hostile work environment, deliberate sabotage efforts by longtime Elections Office staff, and a recent security breach at the county Elections Office during an appearance Sunday morning on the “Jefferson State of Mine” radio show on KCNR. Curtis was appointed Shasta County Registrar of Voters on April 30, 2025, and assumed the office May 13, 2025, to complete the unexpired term that runs through early January...