WEDNESDAY, March 13, 2019 | COLUSACOUNTYNEWS.COM
Pet of the Week
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First groundwater meeting held in Arbuckle
"Bobby" Bobby is a ten month old, male, Shepherd/Terrier mix. He only weighs 28 pounds and is likely done growing. He will be a medium sized dog. He is a happy dog who loves attention and seems to get along with everyone. He is leash trained and house broken. Bobby is microchipped, neutered, and up to date on Distemper/Parvo, Rabies, and Bordetella vaccines. If you are interested in meeting Bobby come by the shelter between 2-3 PM Daily. Adoptions are $10. Dogs must also be licensed in their county of residence.
CHP investigating pedestrian hit-and-run LLOYD GREEN JR. lloyd@colusacountynews.net
Authorities are searching for a hit-and-run motorist whose vehicle struck and injured a pedestrian Saturday on Old Highway 99 in Colusa County. The Williams Area CHP responded to a call shortly after 8:30 PM on Saturday, March 9, for a call of a vehicle versus a pedestrian on Old Highway 99 just south of Myers Road. Robert Francis, 51, of Arbuckle, was transported by air ambulance to Enloe Medical Center for major injuries, CHP Press Information Officer Franco Castillo said. “Francis was on the southbound right shoulder walking partially in the roadway when he was struck from behind by a vehicle traveling in the same direction,” Castillo said. The suspect vehicle described as a light-colored sedan with front end damage to the right portion of the vehicle. Anyone having information regarding the identity of the driver or the location of the vehicle is asked to call the Williams CHP office at (530) 473-2821. Callers can remain anonymous. ■
SUSAN MEEKER / PIONEER REVIEW
Colusa Groundwater Agency Chairwoman Denise Carter asks worried property owners at the first in a series of Town Hall meetings to support local control over state control of groundwater by approving a tax to fund the administration of the program. BY SUSAN MEEKER susan@colusacountynews.net
T
he first in a series of Town Hall meetings on the proposed groundwater management tax was held in Arbuckle on Thursday. Worried Colusa County landowners thronged to the first meeting trying to wrap their heads around the Proposition 218 process that will ultimately determine how the new Colusa Groundwater Agency will be funded going forward. The Colusa Town Hall meeting will be held March 14 at the VFW Hall on Bridge Street and the Maxwell Town Hall will be held March 20 at the Sites JPA office on Old Highway 99W. The meetings begin at 6 PM. Mary Fahey, Colusa County Water
Resources manager, said the Colusa Groundwater Agency was formed in response to passage of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014, known as SGMA, which requires the formation of local groundwater management agencies to develop groundwater sustainability plans by 2022, with the end goal of replenishing and bringing underground basins to sustainable levels by the year 2040. Gov. Jerry Brown signed the series of bills into law in response to historically low groundwater levels at the height of the drought. “It’s a very historic law,” Fahey said. “For the first time in California, groundwater is being regulated.” Colusa County, the cities of Williams and Colusa, local water districts, and other partners have pitched in to get the state-mandated program up and
running the past two years. Fahey said the time has now come to figure out how to keep the CGA going in order to administer the program and comply with the law to monitor wells and report groundwater levels, among other processes, that are estimated to cost about $500,000 a year. “We have to be able to finance the effort,” Fahey said. “It’s the law. It is essentially an unfunded mandate.” Only property owners outside the cities (Colusa and Williams) and public water districts (residential Maxwell, Arbuckle, and Princeton) will receive Proposition 218 notices by mid April. For the time being, the cities and public utility districts will cover the estimated 50-cent per year cost for each residential homeowner out of their General Fund.
See GROUNDWATER | PG 3
Maxwell hosts Home Ec Review and Cooking Craze CHERI AZEVEDO cheri@colusacountynews.net
CHERI AZEVEDO / PIONEER REVIEW
Arbuckle 4-H member Justin McPeek proudly displays his Best of Show Mini Garden at the Home Ec. Review last Saturday.
Gridley man arrested for attempted murder LLOYD GREEN JR. lloyd@colusacountynews.net
A Gridley man is in custody after shots were fired in the area of Balsdon Street in Grimes police said. Just after 10:25 AM on Monday, Jan. 25, the Colusa County Sheriff’s Office received a report of shots being fired and began a search for the suspect. “The reporting party advised the suspect had fired a shot at the victim and then fled the scene in dark-colored Honda sedan,” said Detective Sergeant Jose Ruiz in a press release. Colusa County Sheriff’s Deputies, along with Colusa County Task
Force responded to the scene. “While en-route, the Task Force observed a vehicle matching the description traveling towards the City of Colusa,” Sgt. Ruiz Said. “[They] followed the vehicle and attempted to make an investigative stop. The vehicle stopped, and one of the occupants quickly threw the suspected weapon used out the window of the vehicle.” The vehicle then fled at a high rate of speed at which point the Colusa County Sheriff’s Office was unable to locate the car or its occupants.
See SHERIFF | PG 4
Last Saturday morning, 4-H members from around Colusa County entered into competition their best works in arts and crafts, clothing and textiles, fly tying, mini gardens, home furnishings, photography, and foods projects. The 4-H review is held every year and gives members who compete a chance to have their projects on display for judging. Each entered member received a medal or ribbon. For those who exhibited five or more projects, Best of Show ribbons were awarded. Maxwell 4-H member Bianca Minutti received a Best of Show with her heart crafted candy jar. “I was shocked when they called my name,” Minutti said. The Home Ec Review has been
a longtime event in the county, and for the past three years has been held at Maxwell Elementary School. “The Home Ec Review has been around ever since I was in 4-H,” said Maxwell Community Club Leader Kristie Pearson. “The event is now permanently held in Maxwell. This is our third year hosting it.” A favorite, the Cooking Craze, is a newly established competition and this year’s competition included just two teams from Arbuckle. Contestants were given three secret ingredients to prepare their entrée: lamb meat, sour cream, and bell peppers.
See 4-H REVIEW | PG 3
Sheriff declares continued state of emergency BY SUSAN MEEKER susan@colusacountynews.net
The Colusa County Board of Supervisors last week, at Sheriff Joe Garofalo’s request, asked Gov. Gavin Newsom to continue to declare that a state of emergency exists in Colusa County as a result of a series of storms that continued to dump excessive rain on already saturated grounds. At 2:15 PM, on March 4, Garofalo once again proclaimed a local state of emergency due to recent flooding and high water events that were caused by excessive rainfall. CALENDAR..............PG 2 CLASSIFIEDS..........PG 10 LEGAL NOTICES.....PG 10
The declaration will be forwarded to the State Office of Emergency Services and Gov. Newsom, who could provide an opportunity for the county to receive up to 75 percent of the added costs incurred as a result of the storms, Garofalo said. The opportunity would not be limited to just county operations, but could apply to special districts and schools as well. Garofalo said the Sheriff’s Office has incurred additional costs since his first declaration of an emergency in January.
See EMERGENCY | PG 4 OPINIONS................PG 9 OBITUARIES............PG 4 SPORTS...................PG 6
March 13, 2019 ■ VOL: 12:11 ■ ISS: 408