Tri Counties Bank Donates $25,000 to Bring Downtown Redding Steam Whistle to Life

REDDING, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 8, 2026--

Tri Counties Bank announced a $25,000 donation to help complete the Downtown Redding Steam Whistle, a community landmark honoring the workers, entrepreneurs and industries that shaped the North State.

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The landmark’s three steel pipes are already in place. The fundraising campaign will add the systems needed to bring the whistle to life, including a boiler and steam-generation equipment, programmable controls, musical synchronization and up to 12 authentic steam whistles modeled after those used on 19th-century trains.

Expected to launch in spring 2027, the landmark will sound daily over downtown Redding and offer special programming for holidays, concerts, civic celebrations and other community events.

Project organizer Rocky Slaughter, chief legal and business officer of K2 Development Companies, said the vision extends beyond the physical structure: the goal is to create a defining symbol of downtown Redding that is recognizable to visitors and meaningful to residents.

Community members can support the project at several recognition levels. A $20 commemorative toy train whistle provides families with a keepsake, while larger gifts may receive prominent recognition, including permanent bronze plaques installed near the landmark.

For more information about the Downtown Redding Steam Whistle project, visit www.reddingwhistle.com.

About Tri Counties Bank

Established in 1975, Tri Counties Bank is a wholly-owned subsidiary of TriCo Bancshares (NASDAQ: TCBK), headquartered in Chico, California with corporate offices in Roseville, South San Francisco, and Bakersfield, with assets of nearly $10 billion and 50 years of financial stability. Tri Counties Bank is dedicated to providing exceptional service for individuals and businesses throughout California with more than 75 locations, advanced mobile and online banking, and access to approximately 40,000 surcharge-free ATMs nationwide. As California’s Local Bank, Tri Counties Bank prioritizes serving clients with local bankers and local decision-making, backed by corporate philanthropy, community engagement, employee volunteerism and investments. Recognized by various publications as among the Top Workplaces and Best Banks, Tri Counties Bank recruits and retains diverse and talented team members. Visit TriCountiesBank.com to learn more. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender. NMLS #458732.

Tri Counties Bank presents $25,000 donation to the Downtown Redding Steam Whistle project.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — For decades, the airport security checkpoint has marked the end of the road for friends and relatives seeing off a traveler. That is changing for some travelers.

The Transportation Security Administration has launched a new program at some U.S. airports allowing eligible TSA PreCheck members without plane tickets to pass through security and enter the gates, reviving a tradition that largely disappeared after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks nearly 25 years ago.

“As an exclusive benefit for our most trusted travelers, this new program makes it easier to return to the gate for welcomes and send-offs, meet friends during a layover, and enjoy dining and shopping along the way, bringing back the moments that once defined air travel,” TSA said on its website.

Before 9/11, people without tickets generally could accompany travelers to the gate. The attacks prompted sweeping changes to airport security, including restrictions on access to secure areas of airports.

The program, called “Gateside by TSA PreCheck,” is free, but people must apply online one to three days before their planned visit and receive approval before going to the airport. If approved, they can enter through a TSA PreCheck lane with an acceptable form of identification. The pass is valid for one calendar day, and visitors can re-enter that day.

TSA says members of other trusted-traveler programs who have a Known Traveler Number also can apply for access to the gates.

The program is initially available at 13 airports including Los Angeles International Airport, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City International Airport, according to TSA. But the agency says it plans to expand the program to more airports in the coming months.

FILE - Travelers walk through a TSA security checkpoint at Reagan National Airport in Washington, March 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)