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Volume 137, Number 44 — Locally owned since 1884
The hometown paper of Tom Reynolds
Winters, Yolo County, California, Wednesday, November 25, 2020
Trustees expecting City shifting to virtual services schools to open in while county is in purple January 2021 community spread of COVID-19,” said TreEditor-in-Chief pa. The City of WinEffective Monday, ters is implementing Nov. 23, the public changes to how the lobbies at City Hall public can access and the Public Safety services at City facil- Center are closed to ities in response to walk-ins. The City is Yolo County’s recent requesting the pubreturn to the purple lic to instead contact tier. City staff via phone or City Manager, Kath- email. leen Trepa said staff Contact informaare implementing a tion for department variety of measures staff is available on to maintain services the City’s website at via email, phone and http://www.cityofwinthrough online ser- ters.org/contact/, or vices in order to mini- the public should call mize direct in person 530-795-4910. Staff contact with mem- will make appointbers of the public. ments for in-person “We are making meetings with the some changes to ac- public when necescess [for] city hall as sary and as appropripart of our efforts to ate if remote coorditry and minimize the nation is not possible.
By Crystal Apilado
By Crystal Apilado Editor-in-Chief Winters schools expect to welcome students back on campus in a hybrid-model system in January 2021, pending on which tier Yolo County is in. At the Nov. 19 Winters Joint Unified School Board Meeting the Board of Trustees unanimously approved to open schools back up in the proposed hybrid (for on campus learning) and long-distance learning models as of Jan. 19, 2021, if Yolo County is out of the purple tier. Assistant Superintendent Sandra Ayón noted students would not be able to return to campus until the county had been re-
moved out of the purple tier for the allotted amount of time. “We want to stay safe and stay open,” Ayón said. Staff will be learning asynchronously, as students participate in distance learning lessons on Dec. 9 and Dec. 16. Ayón said Winters JUSD is in the process of planning professional development training to prepare for the upcoming shift in January. She said teachers will still be doing live check-ins with students on those dates. In addition to training, the school sites have arranged their classrooms to allow for proper social distancing, and set up
See SCHOOLS, Page 8
Trepa noted specifics for each department as: More specific department information is below:
Building: Those who need over the counter permits should call the Building Division at 530794-6708. Permits will be issued electronically or by mail, and arrangements may also be made to coordinate plan drop off and pick up. Finance: Utility payments and other correspondence with the City may continue to be made through the drop box in front of City Hall (318 First St.). Receipts for payments will be
mailed or emailed. The public may continue to make cash payments; however, no change will be provided and over-payments will be credited to an individual’s account. Fire Personnel: The public should contact the Winters Fire Department’s non-emergency business line at 530-795-4131. The Yolo County Dispatch Non-Emergency Line/Burn Day Status can be contacted at 530-666-8915. For Fire Prevention, Plan Reviews and Inspections the public can make an appointment by con-
See CITY, Page 8
Yolo COVID case numbers continuing to surge By Anne Ternus-Bellamy
Future subscriber: Cesar Jesús García Gastélum
Courtesy photo
Cesar García Villagómez and Christina García Gastélum of Winters announce the birth of their son, Cesar Jesús García Gastélum. Cesar arrived at 7:12 a.m. on Sept. 24, 2020 at Kaiser Permanente Vacaville. He weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces and measured 20.5 inches at birth. Cesar joins big sister Alessandra (2 and a half). Paternal grandparents are Roberto and María Esther Garcia. Maternal grandparents are Juan and Maria Gastélum, all reside in Winters. Great grandfather is Jose Garcia of Guanajuato Mexico.
McNaughton Media Yolo County remains deeply purple in the state’s color-tiered COVID-19 framework with virus cases here continuing to surge. New numbers unveiled by the state Tuesday show the county’s adjusted daily new case rate was 20.9 for the week ending Nov. 18, up from 17.4 the week before and more than three times the rate of 6.7 two weeks ago. A daily new case rate of 7 per 100,000 residents is the threshold for entering the purple tier. Meanwhile, the county’s test positivity rate also rose from 6.7 percent for the week ending Nov. 11 to 7.2 percent the following week. The county’s own data shows both the daily new case rate and the test positiv-
Crystal Apilado/Winters Express
Signage in Downtown Winters encourages patrons and visitors to social distance. ity rate have only in- yellow tier. tive cases that began creased further since Cases in California in late October is now Nov. 18. are growing faster impacting hospitals as What’s happen- than ever, Dr. Mark well, with COVID-19 ing in Yolo County Ghaly, California’s hospitalizations up is happening across secretary of health statewide by 81.2 perthe state. As of Tues- and human services, cent over the last 14 day, 45 of the state’s said Tuesday. days, Ghaly said. 58 counties are now “We are truly in the “We know that 12 in the purple tier and midst of a surge,” he percent of today’s casno counties remain in said. See UPDATE, Page 8 the least restrictive That surge in posi-
Investigations ongoing regarding altercation with armed Winters teen By Lauren Keene McNaughton Media
I ndex Features ........................ B-1 Classifieds ................... B-6 Community .................. A-7 Eventos hispanos ....... A-3 Opinion ......................... B-2 Real Estate ................... B-3 Athlete of the Week..... B-4
Weather Date
Rain High Low
Nov. 18
.17”
67˚ 54˚
Nov. 19
.01”
68˚ 41˚
Nov. 20
.00
67˚ 41˚
Nov. 21
.00
68˚ 34˚
Nov. 22
.00
68˚ 31˚
Nov. 23
.00
66˚ 35˚
Nov. 24
.00
67˚ 39˚
Rain for week: 0.18 in. Season’s total: 0.27 in. Last sn. to date: 0.03 in. Winters rainfall season began 7/1/20. Weather readings are taken at 9 a.m.
Chaos erupted at the Winters Police Department on Sunday night when an armed teenager threatened officers from outside the building, later triggering a chase during which a Yolo County sheriff’s deputy “unintentionally” discharged his firearm, officials said. The incident unfolded shortly after 6:30 p.m., when officers received a report of a man armed with a knife outside the West Main Street police station, which was closed to the public at the time. Officers who were inside the lobby made contact with the person, who allegedly was holding a three-inch knife. “The subject repeatedly
yelled he wanted to kill the officers, stabbing and kicking the glass doors to the lobby multiple times,” police said in a social media post following the confrontation. Police requested assistance from the Yolo and Solano County sheriff’s departments, initiating de-escalation techniques in the meantime. During those negotiations, “the subject then drew a handgun from his front pocket and briefly displayed it but did not point it at the officers,” police said. “The subject threw the gun into nearby bushes but continued to hold the knife in a threatening manner, still yelling repeatedly he wanted to kill the officers.” The siren from an approaching Yolo sheriff’s deputy car
prompted the person to flee north on Main Street, leading to the closure of nearby streets while officers pursued him on foot and by vehicle, police said. The chase continued eastbound on Aster Street, a residential neighborhood, where one officer deployed a Taser but was unsuccessful in subduing the person. “The subject physically resisted officers and the deputy discharged his firearm during the altercation,” police said. “The subject was not hit and was taken into custody but continued to physically resist.” Two Winters officers reportedly suffered minor injuries during the altercation. Police identified the person
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