CALENDAR..............PG 2 CLASSIFIEDS..........PG 10 LEGAL NOTICES.....PG 10
February 6, 2019
OPINIONS................PG 9 OBITUARIES............PG 4 SPORTS...................PG 6
SINGLE C O PY
VOLUME: 12:06 ■ ISSUE: 403
75¢
FFA Field Day tests skills in agriculture
SUSAN MEEKER susan@colusacountynews.net
P
ierce High School was swimming in blue FFA jackets on Saturday as 1,700 high school students from around the state showed up in the rain to compete in agricultural-based contests ranging from floriculture and veterinary science to public speaking and welding. The weather started out a little rough Saturday morning, said Pierce High School Junior Alli Lux, who chaired the annual Arbuckle FFA Agriculture Technology Field Day, but clearer skies midmorning allowed the event, now in its 21st year, to run like clockwork. Lux said FFA members from 160 schools participated in the judged events, geared at teaching youth leadership skills, the spirit of competition, and the delights of working in agriculture. “The event is primarily to emphasize agriculture jobs,” Lux said. “It’s also about knowledge and growth.” The FFA Field Day was started in 1998, and was the only agricultural education event of its kind in California. The daylong event takes months to plan and dozens of donors, judges, and volunteers. “It’s just a big community effort,” Lux said. “It’s really nice that so many people come together and put this on every year.” Students competed in Ag mechanics, farm power, forestry, and many other events that were scattered throughout the campus and inside classrooms. Arie Prins, 17, a junior at Tulare High School and FFA chapter sentinel, has been in the FFA organization for three years. Saturday was Prins’ second year competing at the Arbuckle Field Day, and he said he enjoyed operating a backhoe in the farm power event the most.
Lloyd Green / PIONEER REVIEW
Cassie Buhard, 17, a senior at Nipoma High School competes in power equipment at the 21st annual Arbuckle FFA Field Day at Pierce High School on Feb. 2, 2019.
“It was a little hard at first getting used to the controls, but after that it was easy,” he said. Prins will graduate in 2020 and plans to attend the Caterpillar Academy at Reedley College. Until then, he plans to attend additional competitions while focusing on FFA and a career in agriculture. “I hope to be chapter president next year,” he said. Newcomers to the event included Maxwell High School freshmen Paige Vierra, Laisha Izquierdo, and Madison Pearson, who competed only in reciting the FFA creed, written nearly
Colusa Farm Show underway
90 years ago by E.M. Tiffany. “It was a little nerve-wracking but it was a lot of fun,” Vierra said. All three Maxwell students enjoyed watching the other competitions, knowing that FFA will continue to be a big part of their high school experience for the next 3 years. “I just want to grow as a leader, meet new friends, and try new things, because it’s definitely an eye opening experience,” Vierra added. Izquierdo and Pearson said they look forward to raising market animals for the Colusa County Fair as part of their FFA experience.
This year is Izquierdo’s first raising a pig, while Pearson comes from a long 4-H lamb project background. Pearson will take a lamb to the fair for the first time this year as a member of Maxwell’s FFA. The annual Arbuckle FFA Field Day culminated with a barbecue that fed more than 2,000 people as volunteers and competitors wrapped up another successful event. “I hoped everyone loved it,” Lux said. “We worked really hard on it. I have to thank (FFA Adviser) Cindy Rohde and the entire community. This would be impossible without them.” ■
Hunt broadens for suspect in brutal Colusa murder John Walsh to feature Karen Garcia case on new hit show SUSAN MEEKER susan@colusacountynews.net
SUSAN MEEKER / PIONEER REVIEW
The 54th annual Colusa Farm Show opened Tuesday with one-stop shopping for all farm services. Known as the “Granddaddy” of western agricultural expositions, the Colusa Farm show acquaints agriculturalists with the latest in modern farming equipment and techniques. Each year, the Colusa Farm Show is attended by farmers and suppliers from all over the world. The Colusa Farm Show continues today and Thursday from 9 AM to 5 PM. Admission is free. Food available for purchase.
Sweetheart Bingo
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9 • 5:30 PM NEARLY $1,000 IN PAYOUTS!
HOT BALL TICKET, HOT DOGS & DESSERT WITH BUY-IN Bring this ad with you and receive a Free Bonanza Ticket
COMMUNITY CENTER, 860 C STREET • WILLIAMS
our bout . a k s ry, a ubes delivedelivery t e m Ho paper news
It’s been a just over a year since 21-year-old Karen Garcia was brutally murdered, and people want her killer brought to justice. That is why John Walsh, of “America’s Most Wanted” fame, is joining the hunt for Salvador Vaca Garcia, Jr., who is suspected of killing Karen on Jan. 8, 2018, inside the Colusa apartment where the couple had been raising their 2-year-old daughter prior to a bitter breakup that followed his arrest on domestic violence charges a few weeks earlier. “Sal needs to be found,” said Tootie Hackett, who worked with the couple at Granzella’s, in Williams. “This has gone on for too long. It has been such a hard year for Karen’s family. It’s been a hard year for all of us.” Walsh will broadcast “Crocodile Tears,” tonight on the Investigation Discovery (ID) Network during his new show “In Pursuit with John Walsh.” The episode, which airs at 7 PM Pacific Time, is named for the tearful interviews Garcia Jr. gave to the media in the days following Kar-
Salvador Garcia en’s mysterious disappearance, the day after her sister and her four friends were killed by a wrong-way drunk driver on Interstate-5, near Woodland. Garcia Jr. has been on the run since Jan. 13, 2018, after investigators allegedly linked blood evidence found in his car and apartment to Karen’s death from blunt force trauma to the head. Her body was discovered inside her blue Honda in a Woodland parking lot on Jan. 14, the day after Garcia Jr. was last spotted writing “Bring Karen Home” at a car-tagging event in Williams. A van, later reported stolen by a family member, was found months later near
Tijuana, and is believed to be the vehicle Garcia used to make his escape. Colusa Police Chief Josh Fitch said the U.S. Marshals Service is still actively searching for Garcia Jr. in both Mexico and the U.S., and hopes Karen’s televised story leads to Garcia Jr.’s apprehension. “Any publicity is good publicity,” Fitch said. “It certainly can’t hurt.” The Colusa Police Department and the US Marshals continue to offer a $10,000 reward for information leading to Garcia Jr.’s arrest and conviction, Fitch said. Walsh’s 25-year run on “America’s Most Wanted” helped nab 1,244 criminals and 61 abducted children, before he went on to host a similar show “The Hunt.” Walsh rose to fame bringing criminals to justice following the murder of his 6-year-old son, Adam, who was abducted from a Sears store in Florida in 1981. His son Callahan Walsh is the new show’s co-host. Hackett said she saw the preview of tonight’s episode of “In Pursuit” during last week’s show, and that it had a chilling effect.
See GARCIA | PG 3
your local news $52 yr.
delivered
Call to Subscribe
(530) 458-4141
HOME DELIVERY AVAILABLE IN MOST AREAS OF ARBUCKLE, WILLIAMS, AND COLUSA.