Good morning, Chico.

CARD will host a free Halloween movie night featuring Hocus Pocus 2 at DeGarmo Park (3428 Esplanade) on Oct.

30 from 5–9 p.m., with food trucks, free popcorn, a 6:15 p.m. costume parade, and the movie at dusk (about 6:45 p.m.).

Chico’s Run for Food will return on Thanksgiving morning in Bidwell Park as a family-friendly fundraiser for the Jesus Center, and early registration ends Nov.

1 to guarantee a race-day shirt + the best pricing.

Retired bilingual speech therapist Peggy Suckow is funding equipment for Chico State's 28,600 sqft Human Identification Laboratory, which is under construction; the lab is California's only full-time forensic anthropology facility, has handled more than 638 investigations in 51 counties, and trains about 20 students each semester.

Chico State earned the Seal of Excelencia today after a national review that certified its campuswide efforts to improve Latino and all student outcomes, including expanded bilingual outreach, grant-funded student supports, and strategies to boost graduation and workforce readiness.

The 18th Annual Trivia Bee for Literacy wrapped up recently in Chico, raising funds for Butte County Library Literacy Services to support adults improving reading, writing, and English skills; the Bibliomaniacs won, Meat Bees Blue Team placed second, and The Luggage Tags finished third.

Cenergy Power presented to the Butte County Board a community benefits package for a proposed 300-megawatt solar field on 1,700 acres at Skyway and Neal Road near Paradise, offering $300,000 a year, a fire station parcel, and $500k and $250k grants, while supervisors requested a fuller application amid local opposition.

Cenergy Power told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Oct.

27 that a proposed 1,200-acre solar farm off Skyway could deliver up to $300,000 per year to Butte County, land for fire station and a $250,000 sheriff's grant; supervisors took no action and residents raised oak-tree and battery-fire concerns.

City officials will host a town hall to gather public input on the draft Unhoused Strategic Plan from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov.

4 in the City Council Chambers, with a Zoom livestream (passcode Unhoused) and email feedback accepted at unhoused@chicoca.gov.

Chico's park commission approved rules allowing families to scatter ashes in Bidwell Park with written city permission (permits will be issued by park staff), requiring remains to stay at least 200 feet from creeks and lakes and banning scattering on trails, playgrounds, and other heavily used areas.

Chico Fire Department appointed Phil Stelle deputy fire chief of operations; he will oversee daily emergency response and brings 27 years of experience after starting as a volunteer in 2003, leading technical rescue, creating the fire-investigation and drone programs, and helping secure about $6 million in grants.

A new Staybridge Suites by IHG is under construction along Highway 99 near Springfield Drive, just south of Logan's Roadhouse and Hampton Inn; the four-story, 123-room extended-stay hotel with kitchens and laundry was approved in 2023 and is now being built.