CHICO, Calif. (AP) — A businessman pained over the destruction to the town of Paradise caused by a deadly Northern California wildfire plans to give $1,000 each to students and staff members from the local high school.
Real estate developer and restaurant owner Bob Wilson plans Tuesday to hand out checks totaling $1.1 million to Paradise High School's 980 students and 105 teachers and staff members in the nearby small city of Chico.
Wilson is from the San Diego area and says he thought of the donation after reading a Los Angeles Times story about the high school still standing with students scattered and separated from each other.
Wilson says high school was the only "truly carefree time" of his life and that learning about the students' difficulties broke his heart.