News1Front
$1
including tax
History mural completed News, Page 5
The future of Winters is on the table
Opinion, Page 1 Volume 137, Number 37 — Locally owned since 1884
Winters, Yolo County, California, Wednesday, October 7, 2020
The hometown paper of Greg & Charlotte Mehl
Board plans phased return to in-person instruction By Crystal Apilado Editor-in-Chief
Taylor Buley/Winters Express
Future publishers Beckett and Forest Buley enjoy a hayride at Winters High FFA’s Trunk or Treat event last year with their father (and Express publisher) Taylor Buley.
County offers guidance for safe Halloween celebrations By Anne Ternus-Bellamy McNaughton Media From picking out pumpkins (and cradling ducklings and kittens) at Impossible Acres to trick-ortreating in neighborhoods throughout the city, the festivities surrounding the Halloween season are much-loved traditions for many Yolo County residents. But the COVID-19 pandemic has cast a shadow over this year’s festivities, with fears the virus will spread when groups gather and treats are handed out. The more people interact with those outside their household, and the longer
that interaction lasts, the higher the risk of getting and spreading the novel coronavirus. But there are still ways to enjoy the festivities, and Yolo County health officials issued some guidance earlier this week on how to do so. First up: that annual trip to the pumpkin patch. Family-friendly activities this time of year usually include everything from petting zoos to corn mazes; hayrides to pumpkin picking. Not all of those activities will be available this year, but some will be, with local pumpkin patches opening this week. So
how to be safe? Step one, as usual, is face coverings. According to the county’s guidance, all customers entering a farm or other agribusiness must wear a face covering unless they are younger than 2 years old or have other exemptions. All staff at such businesses must wear face coverings as well. Businesses themselves should provide protective equipment to staff and equip customer entrances and exits as well as check-out stations with sanitation products like hand sanitizer. Social distancing
See FUN, Page 3
School Board Trustee candidates virtual forum set for Oct. 12 By Crystal Apilado Editor-in-Chief The Winters Area Education Association is hosting a Candidate Forum for the seven candidates who are running for Winters Joint Unified School District board trustee seats in the Nov. 3 election. The free event is being hosted on a virtual platform due to
I ndex Classifieds ................... B-3
current COVID-19 restrictions. The forum is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. The line-up of candidates who will appear on the Nov. 3 election ballot have been confirmed as: Trustee Area 1: Two candidates are contending for the seat, which is a four-year term — Incumbant Ralph F. Anderson
Weather Date
Rain High Low
Sept. 30
.00
94˚ 58˚
Oct. 01
.00
101˚ 65˚
Oct. 02
.00
94˚ 59˚
Eventos hispanos ....... A-6
Oct. 03
.00
91˚ 57˚
Oct. 04
.00
95˚ 54˚
Opinion ......................... B-1
Oct. 05
.00
91˚ 52˚
Oct. 06
.00
94˚ 52˚
Community .................. A-5
Real Estate ................... B-2 Athlete of the Week..... B-1
Rain for week: 0.00 in. Season’s total: 0.01 in. Last sn. to date: 0.03 in. Winters rainfall season began 7/1/20. Weather readings are taken at 9 a.m.
and challenger Kristin Trott. Trustee Area 3: Two candidates are contending for the seat, which is a two-year term — Incumbant Stephanie Chávez and challenger Joedy Michael. Trustee Area 5: Three candidates are contending for the seat, which is a four-year term — Incumbant Rudolph Muldong and challengers Everardo Zaragoza and Lisa Dennis. Winters teacher Andrea Hurst said it is important for the community to be informed of the candidates and their vision for Winters youth. “People should hear what each candidate sees for the future of our schools and their vision of education,” Hurst said. To view the event online on Oct. 12 visit https://wintersjusd-org.zoom. us/j/91851725248.
Winters Joint Unified School District administrators are going back to the drawing board to reconfigure what the hybrid school schedules will look like. Meanwhile, the school district will be sending out the next family survey to gather important, current information from families who have students at Winters schools. Board of Trustee members heard the steps for a phased return to in-person instruction from Assistant Superintendent Sandra Ayón at the Oct. 3 Winters JUSD school board meeting. With Yolo County now in the red tier they are working to ensure they are ready for students to return to school sites later this fall. Ayón said that although the county is currently in the number range of the orange tier, we are not permitted to move to the orange tier until we have been in the current red tier for a consecutive three weeks.
Phased return
Ayón presented the school district’s plans to return with a five phased approach. Currently the school district is in phase one, and are working
on phase two where they plan to bring a partial return of small cohorts onto campus. Phase 2 will provide in-person, targeted, specialized support and services at school for students who are in the special education program or who have a specified IEP for in-person learning services. Their goal is to have these small cohorts on campus as of Oct. 26. The five phases were presented as: • Phase 1: Full distance learning. This phase best ensures physical health and safety • Phase 2: A partial return and limited physical contact. This phase is responsive to the most urgent student needs. • Phase 3: A hybrid model. This phase re-introduces students to in-person instruction with minimized contact. It also includes a distance learning model for those who opt into it. • Phase 4: A modified, in-person model. In this phase, all students and staff would be on campus, with limited contact and health protocols in effect. • Phase 5: Full, in-person learning. This phase is a return to a full, in-person instruction model like we had before
By Anne Ternus-Bellamy McNaughton Media Typically in a sixmonth period, Suicide Prevention of Yolo County receives around 3,000 calls from individuals in crisis via its 24-hour hotline, according to executive director, Diane Sommers. Since 1966, the nonprofit’s specially trained volunteers have provided immediate telephone support to individuals in severe psychological distress. But 2020 has been different. In the last six months, volunteers have received close to 4,600 calls, Sommers told the Yolo County Board of Supervisors last Tuesday, and more related to the COVID-19 pandemic than any other regional suicide pre-
vention center in California. “People are really impacted by it,” she said. “(We’re) really hearing how COVID-19 is affecting people with deeper feelings of depression, loneliness and anger. I don’t think any of us could imagine that this virus would have such a dramatic life-changing effect.” Given the pandemic’s impact on the mental health of so many county residents, Sommers urged everyone to “stay informed and follow the state and county guidelines that are necessary to really reduce and prevent the spread of COVID-19.” Sommers was speaking to county supervisors on Sept. 29 during the board’s recognition of Sep-
We deliver friendly hometown service!
Service all makes & models Accept all major credit cards Family owned & operated
Restaurant: 795.4503 Catering: 795.1722
State Contractor Lic# 864483
School Shutdown Threshold Ayón shared the number of positive COVID cases it would take to shut down in-person learning by site location. “Since we’re such a small school district it’s important to be aware of the number of cases that can actually close a classroom, site and ultimately the district,” Ayón said. A classroom would revert to Distance Learning for 14 days when one student or staff member of that classroom tests positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, a school site would revert to Distance Learning for 14 days when there are multiple cases in multiple classrooms or cohorts (groups) or five percent of students and staff test positive for COVID-19 within a 14 day-period. The entire school district would revert to Distance Learning for 14 days when 25 percent or more of its school sites have been physically closed due to COVID-19 within 14 days (which for Winters JUSD would be two schools). Specifics for Winters schools with 5 percent of positive cases of staff and stu-
See SCHOOL, Page 3
County recognizes importance of suicide prevention Calls for help in region at an all-time high
WINTERS AGGREGATE
27990 County Road 90 Winters, CA 95694 www.pearcehvac.com
COVID-19.
34 Main Street Winters, CA 95694 530-795-5600
www.smith-funerals.com FD-2013
• Fruit Tree Soil • Moss Rock • Bulk Bagged Perlite • Blended Planting Soil • Large Selection of Flagstone
4499 Putah Creek Rd.
(530) 795-2994
tember as National Suicide Prevention Month — a presentation that came just a week after the suicide of a Woodland teen that has devastated members of that community. In presenting the resolution, Supervisor Oscar Villegas of West Sacramento noted that, “suicide prevention could not be more important to our community than it is right at this exact moment, for all the reasons we all know.” The resolution recognized the work of Suicide Prevention of Yolo County, including not only its 24-hour, seven-daysa-week crisis line, but also the 24-hour ASK crisis line for adolescents and the SOS — Signs of Suicide education and
See PREVENT, Page 3
C U ST O M CLEANERS · Dry Cleaning · Laundry · Alterations 184 E. Grant Avenue, Winters (530) 795-1938