Speaking of awards …

Two local groups recently announced award winners, and the fact they’re all women is only partly coincidental.

Last Wednesday (Oct. 24), the Chico Peace and Justice Center announced two recipients of its Peace Endeavor award. They were Cathy Webster, whose protest action at the School of the Americas landed her in jail for two months, and Emily Alma (pictured), founder and director of Community Collaborative for Youth, a coalition of six programs that serve young people.

On Friday (Oct. 26), the Chico Chamber of Commerce announced the winners of its annual Women’s Achievement Awards. Maxine Bigler, of Healthy Enterprises, took home the coveted Jeanne Posey Award; Amy Louis, owner of Six Degrees Coffee Service and Distribution, won the Entrepreneur of the Year award; Judy Cline, trauma services coordinator at Enloe Medical Center, was chosen as the Outstanding Woman in Health Care; and Katy Thoma, a branch manager for Butte Community Bank (and former director of the Jesus Center), was selected for the Excellence in Finance Award.