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Volume 138, Number 5 — Locally owned since 1884
COVID testing on decline By Anne Ternus-Bellamy McNaughton Media Concerns nationally that the number of new COVID-19 cases, which have declined dramatically since January, have now leveled off or even inched up were echoed by the governor on Monday. “We are seeing a bit of a plateau,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said, “and one needs to be mindful of that.” Those concerns are heightened given the reopening that’s occurring at the same time. Counties like Yolo in the red tier have been able to resume indoor services in restaurants, gyms and more (at limited capacity), while schools appear to be on the verge of resuming more in-person instruction. The case plateau has also been accompanied by a decline in the amount of COVID-19 testing being done, both nationally as well as here in Yolo County. Experts have offered a number of explanations for the decline in testing, including the decrease in positive cases, which results in fewer people exposed and in need of testing. Other explanations include reduced holiday travel, public health staff prioritizing vaccinations over testing and pandemic fatigue. Yolo County’s online COVID-19 dashboard does show a decline in tests administered. After averaging around 440 COVID-19 tests per day in December and 600 per day in January, the county averaged fewer than 230 tests per day in February — less than any other month since June except for the month of September. Testing does not appear to have decreased on the UC Davis campus, however. The university’s online dashboard shows
See TESTING, Page 5
Express investigates Fire safety for new three-story buildings By Rick von Geldern Express staff writer Winters is not only expanding outward with hundreds of new homes, but also upward with new three-story buildings. In the event of a fire, an aerial ladder truck is necessary to reach third floor windows and rooftops, and the Winters Fire Department (WFD) does not have one.Costs for a platform (bucket) aerial truck are in the $1 million range. In addition to the cost of a truck, training and personnel resources are required. Winters Fire Chief, Brad L. Lopez said, “recent construction of structures within
With Yolo County moving back into the red tier last Wednesday, Winters schools are looking to welcome all students back onto campus beginning the second week of March. Superintendent Diana Jiménez sent out a notification to families that students in the A Group cohort would begin school on Monday, March 8, and students in the B Group cohort would begin on Thursday, March 11. Waggoner Elementary School, Shirley Rominger Intermediate School, Winters Middle School and Winters High School have already welcomed back small cohorts of students who were identified as needing the intervention of in-person learning opportunities. Now, all students whose families
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Eventos hispanos ....... A-4
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Rain for week: 0.00 in. Season’s total: 6.61 in. Last sn. to date: 11.35 in. Winters rainfall season began 7/1/20. Weather readings are taken at 9 a.m. daily.
Rick von Geldern/Winters Express
Workers examine the park pathway and sidewalk concrete pour at the Three Oak Park location
Courtesy photo
Waggoner Elementary School has social distancing guides placed around on campus and in classrooms. indicated they plan to return to in-person learning will be back in the classroom. A number of families opted to stay in a long-distance learning model for the remainder of the current school year. A “Student Daily Health Screening Questionnaire” was sent home to families in both Spanish and English. While the paper does not physically need to be turned in daily, families are asked to go over it before bringing their child to school. Questions range from from COVID exposure questions, to signs and symptoms, including if a student currently has a fever. Students who have any of the symptoms of illness (even mild) are being asked to stay at home. Schools are also asking families to keep children at home if anyone in the the home has symptoms and has not yet received
a negative COVID test result. In either event, a parent or guardian must call the absence in to the specific school’s attendance line. Bus protocols are also being put in place. All students riding the school bus will have their temperature checked before getting on the bus. They will also need to wear a mask. Parents and guardians are asked to help younger students to put their masks on securely before hand. Each school has different drop off and pick up locations and procedures in place. Parents and guardians must remain in the car and a staff member will open the door to help younger students out. All students will have their temperature checked before they enter the school. Staff will also help to guide students to enter and exit the
See SCHOOL, Page 5
City looking to open Three Oaks Park to public in April By Rick von Geldern Express staff writer Parks serve as the heart of communities, encouraging public activity and providing open space to connect for an improved quality of life. The City of Winters is looking to open it’s newest park to the public this spring. Three Oaks Park is a new 10-acre multi-purpose project under construction in the northwestern subdivision of town on Taylor Street, bordered by Moody Slough Road to the north and Vasey Street to the south. The park, under construction since its September 2020 groundbreaking, is being built-out in three phases. Phases one and two are each twoacre parcels and are on schedule to open to the public in late April. They will showcase a variety of amenities, such as two half-acre dog
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Express staff writer The Yolo County Office of Emergency Services gave an update Feb. 23 to the county board of supervisors on LNU Lightning Fire Complex response and recovery efforts. Additionally, the Yolo County Fire Safe Council, formed as a result of community feedback after the LNU complex fire, held an introductory meeting on Feb. 23. The purpose of the council is to identify and support projects that address wildfire prevention, response and post-fire recovery efforts throughout the county, according to Tanya Meyer, program manager for the Yolo Conservation District.
Editor-in-Chief
Date Rain High Low
Sports ........................... A-2
be required, Lopez said, “the closest resource would be requested.”The WFD’s Mutual Aid System participates with Dixon Fire, Vacaville City Fire, UC Davis Fire, Woodland Fire and West Sacramento Fire; all have aerial ladder fire trucks. Winters City Manager, Kathleen Trepa, confirmed in an email that these buildings are built according to current fire codes and added, “It’s not uncommon particularly in smaller towns to not have all types of apparatus, which is why mutual aid agreements are in place to access those resources if necessary.”
By Crystal Apilado
Features ........................ B-1
Real Estate ................... B-2
and smoking will be permitted in individual units. Hotel Winters, a downtown three-story hotel with 79 rooms and suites and a rooftop lounge opened to the public in early 2020 and is a non-smoking property. The Marriott Fairfield Inn, a three-story, 72 room hotel located next to the I-505 corridor has a projected opening date in late July and is a non-smoking property.The WFD participates in the Calif. Master Mutual Aid System that recognizes and shares resources from neighboring fire departments. In the event of a fire in which an aerial ladder truck would
By Edward Booth
Schools welcoming students back on campus next week
Weather
Community .................. A-7
our community of extended heights is a cause for concern,” but surmised that with current fire codes, sprinklers and alarm systems, the risk is low. Blue Mountain Terrace is a three-story independent senior living apartment complex under construction for occupants 62 and older living on fixed budgets. Twenty units have been reserved for disabled residents and occupancy is slated for spring 2021.According to Missy Krinke, executive assistant for Dumas Management Company, apartments are being furnished with electric cooking appliances
Fire recovery, protection efforts launch
See FIRE, Page 5
Index Classifieds ................... B-6
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Winters, Yolo County, California, Wednesday, March 3, 2021
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parks, one for large and another for small dogs, a combination futsal-basketball court, walking paths, a picnic and barbeque area with shade structures and innovative play structures for children. Sidewalks and walking path throughout the park have been poured, irrigation is now being installed and the playground, soil amending, trees and electrical will be completed over the next eight weeks. No start date has been set for the largest and final phase of the park. This section consists of fouracres and includes space for soccer and baseball fields. For safety purposes, the contractor is requesting that the public stay out of the park area until construction is completed, or they may need to erect a temporary construction fence.
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A2 — Winters Express, Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Cross country club controls top spots at Arbuckle meet By Jeff Rawlinson Express staff writer The Winters High School cross country club traveled to the Arbuckle golf course on Monday, for the second Sacramento Valley League meet of the season. The Warriors ran a new course of rolling hills through the grounds of the golf course. The Winters’ Athletes made a great showing at the meet, both varsity teams came in first place. The mens varsity team claimed a decisive hold on first place. Brandon Colter, Christian Hernandez and A.J. Pignataro took command of the 5000 meters competition taking second, third and fourth place, respectively. Crossing the finish line within 25 seconds of each other
Jeff Rawlinson/Winters Express
Joanna Cuevas finished the Womens 5000 competition in 29:39 minutes at the Arbuckle meet. Colter came in at 21:12 minutes, Hernandez at 21:28, and Pignataro at 21:37. In the Mens 2 mile competition two Warriors also had a close finish. Derrick Olsen came in at15:48 and Nathan Vigil finished behind him at 16:38. The mens varsity team placed first scoring 26 points to Colusa’s 30.
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This week all of the women’s cross country members competed on the varsity course in the 5000 meters. The Warriors routed Colusa at the competition, bringing home a team score of 20 to Colusa’s 35 points. Lilianna Rodriquez came in at 25:05, followed minutes behind by Ava Skinner at 28:36. Vicky Banuelos and Joanna Cuevas finished one second apart with Banuelos coming in at 29:38 and Cuevas at 29:39. The Warriors solidified first place for this week’s competition. Athletes from Live Oak, Pierce and Willows also participated in the competition, but did not have the required five runners to be considered for a team ranking. In the coming week
PISANI’S ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Diego Rodriguez Diego Rodriguez, a sophomore at Winters High School, is the Pisani’s Athlete of the Week. This is Rodriguez’s second year on the WHS cross country club. In one week he improved his race time by three minutes. His best time for the season is now at 24:00 minutes on a 5,000 meter course. A noteworthy aspect of the achievement is that the second course was longer than the first.
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At the Arbuckle meet, Ashton Baylor (left) finished the Mens 5000 competition in 25:05 minutes. Ian McCrary (right) finished the race only minutes behind at 28:21. the Warriors will return to the Colusa Sacramento River State Park.
Upcoming sports
The WHS football schedule has been released. This season the football team is playing: • March 12 v. Woodland. • March 19 @ Dixon. • March 26 @ River City. • April 2 v. East Nicoalus. • April 9 @ Live Oak. • April 16 v. Pioneer.
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opened up their sports programs. Both of the WHS mens and womens soccer teams are already practicing out on the field as they await the finalized schedule for the season which is expected to run March 22 through April 22. Sports expected to play during the upcoming spring season are baseball and softball starting April 22. Track and field begins on April 21.
Sign ups happening now for annual Winters JUSD Poetry Jam/Slam By Olivia Rodriguez Special to the Express It’s time again for the Poetry Jam/ Slam hosted by Winters PTA, Winters High School, Winters Friends of the Library, Winters Unified School District, Winters Elementary, Winters Middle School, and Winters Community Library, featuring TK-12 student recitations. The Poetry Jam is an informal performance where students, either individually or in teams, recite an original poem they have composed or choose a favorite poem to present to the audience. Through the recitations, students have the opportunity to express themselves and deepen their understanding and appreciation of poetry. This year, the event takes place virtually through a live webinar on Thursday, April 22 beginning at 6:30 p.m. when students in transitional kindergarten through fifth grade recite. Following their recitations, at approximately 7:15 p.m., students in sixth through 12th grades compete in the Slam for monetary prizes and gift cards from local businesses. Event organizers give special thanks to the event Sponsors First Northern Bank, Winters Friends of the Library, Steady Eddy’s, and Pizza Factory Winters for the gift
card prizes. This year’s Slam judges are Jovany Aguilera, local rapper; Sally Hirst, Winters Community librarian; Liz Coman, Winters educator; Jesse Loren, City Councilmember; and Woody and Rebecca Fridae, local retired Winters educators. In addition, Winters PTA is sponsoring a Kona Winters gift certificate for all individual and small group performances for TK-12th grades, and Kona Winters is also providing a free upgrade to all participants in whole-class performances. All students can sign up on a Google Form in their Google Classrooms and are encouraged to participate. They will need to sign up by April 5 and submit a video of their poetry recitation by April 12 on Flipgrid. Students who need help submitting their video should contact Rodriguez at orodriguez@wintersjusd.org or get in touch with their teacher. The event is free and fun. The Zoom link for the webinar will be posted online via each of the Winters school sites in April. Questions can be directed to Olivia Rodriguez at Winters High School 530-795-6140 or in an email to orodriguez@wintersjusd.org.
Winters student fundraisers aiming to support student activities By Crystal Apilado Editor-in-Chief Winters students and leadership classes have been working to raise money for school activities, which has proven to be challenging while attending school virtually.
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• April 23 V. Pierce. Sacramento Valley League games this season are with East Nicolaus, Live Oak and Pierce. For at home games, Junior varisty plays at 5:30 p.m. and varsity plays at 7:30 p.m. The WHS soccer schedule has not yet been released. Athletic Director Daniel Ward said they are having to create a customized scheduled based on schools in neighboring counties who have
A See’s Candies “Yum-Raiser” has been set up at Winters Middle School to raise funds to support the Associated Student Body and in sending two classes of students to Outdoor School in 2022. This year’s sixth grade class will get an opportunity to attend Outdoor School next year since they were unable to attend this year. The last day to support the middle school fundraiser is on Friday, March 12. The WMS fundraising storefront is offering a selection of See’s chocolates and Easter treats online at http://bit.ly/3k2nenH. Fliers with information about
delivery and general fundraiser FAQs are available in English http://bit.ly/3k1XZBU and in Spanish http://bit.ly/3rZ8TLI.
Senior Class of 2021
The Senior Class of 2021 is selling pies to raise funds for their Safe and Sober grad night event. The pies are 10” in diameter and will be delivered frozen, in time for Easter. Available pie flavors include apple, rhubarb, blackberry, apricot, pumpkin, Dutch apple, boysenberry, peach cobbler, apple cobbler, peach and mixed berry. The last day to order is Friday, March 19. The pies are being sold for $15 each by any Senior Class member. Community members who do not have a connection to a student can get information on how to place an order through Cara Duarte at 707688-2196 or Rhonda Driver at 707372-8638.
Winters Express, Wednesday, March 3, 2021 — A3
County supervisors criticize PG&E over January power outages By Anne Ternus-Bellamy McNaughton Media The winds were howling anew last Tuesday as Yolo County supervisors received an update on the last wind event here, one that brought prolonged power outages to much of the county. And while supervisors praised PG&E line workers for their bravery in late January as they repaired equipment amid heavy rain and wind, they also had some sharp critiques of the utility itself. Among the criticisms: The lack of information from PG&E at the time on where outages had occurred and when customers could expect restoration of service left county supervisors limited in their ability to help constituents. “The real key for us,” said Supervisor Oscar Villegas of West Sacramento, “is communication.” “There’s got to be a better way to communicate rather than having folks calling me 24 hours a day and I have no information because I’ve been given no information to share. That’s incredibly frustrating and I know you guys can do better,” Villegas told a PG&E representative. “There’s got to be a way of being more forthright, even when you don’t know,” he said. Beginning on Jan. 26 and through Jan. 31, more than 30,000 county residents lost power, some for hours, but others for days. Some 9,000 customers in Davis lost power, along with more than 13,000 in West Sacramento, nearly 8,000 in Woodland and others in Winters and unincorporated areas, according to the county. In rural areas, the loss of power meant for some the loss of water, and through-
out the county people reliant on medical devices that required electricity were left wondering where and when to get help. Critical infrastructure was also impacted, including the wastewater system in Winters and Woodland Memorial Hospital. “Power was restored in different areas at different times due to the nature of the damage,” noted Dana Carey, the county’s director of emergency services. “Some of it was power poles, some was lines; all of it had to be assessed before restoration.” The weather event was not a surprise — both the county and PG&E had advance notice. However, said PG&E’s Brandon Sanders, “this storm was… the strongest we’ve had since 2011 and the highest outage activity threshold since 2010, so a really substantial event. “We knew it was coming,” he said. “We prepared. We activated our operations emergency centers throughout Northern California… we brought crews from out of the area (and) staged those resources in addition to a lot of contract crews.” However, he said, “it was just a highly damaging event.” understand “We the frustration of our customers and the duration of those longer outages and we’re definitely wanting to work in partnership with you all and your office of emergency services to do what we can to better prepare and address your concerns for future events.” As for supervisors’ criticism about PG&E not providing customers with timely estimates of power restoration, Sanders said that, too, was a function of the severity of
the event. “We did face some challenges with customer communications just based on the scale of the event,” he said. “It’s a step-bystep process.” That process, he explained, includes, first ensuring public safety, then determining the location and the extent of damage
“We know they’re going to continue so we really need to strengthen the reliability of the infrastructure. These storms are not going to dissipate.”
Don Saylor, Yolo Supervisor for each individual outage, then sourcing material, engineering fixes and deploying crews. “That’s the point in time where we have a clear vision of when that estimated time of restoration will be,” Sanders said. “So just given the scale of the event, I think we were somewhat challenged because there was so much assessment that needed to occur and we were also facing that inclement weather which is a safety concern for our personnel also.” His explanation did not entirely satisfy county supervisors. “Many of your editorial comments about the size and scope of this storm, and difficulty with keeping pace with that… strike me as both dated and not sufficiently anticipatory of the future we’re all facing,” said Supervisor Gary Sandy of Woodland. “I feel like we have utilities in crisis right now, which is to say, we’re seeing more demand under brand new weather
Newsom inks $6.6 billion deal to incentivize school reopening By Edward Booth Express staff writer Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers announced a $6.6 billion budget deal Monday that would incentivize California school districts to open classrooms to the elementary school students from kindergarten to second grade by the end of March. The budget package — contained in California Senate Bill 86 and Assembly Bill 86 — would offer financial incentives for schools to open for in-person learning. Two billion dollars is reserved for grants to fund safety measures for in-person instruction, such as personal protective equipment, COVID-19 testing and ventilation upgrades. An additional $4.6 billion would fund an expansion of social-emotional support and learning opportunities in programs such as summer school, tutoring and mental health services, Newsom said. Districts will lose 1 percent of eligible state funding each day if in-person learning isn’t offered to all K-2 and high-needs students by the end of March, with ongoing loss of funds only halting once in-person learning becomes
available to those designated students. School districts in counties that fall under the red tier in the state’s color-coded reopening system, such as Yolo County, would be required to open up in-person learning for all elementary school students and one grade of either middle or high school or risk the same penalty, according to a press release. The budget package would also codify Newsom’s announcement last month that the state would set aside 10 percent of California’s COVID-19 vaccines for education workers. Overall, 9.1 million vaccinations have been administered so far in California, Newsom said, and the state’s COVID-19 test positivity rate has fallen over the past six weeks. “Things are moving in the right direction; things seem to be stabilizing,” Newsom said. “We’re seeing vaccinations increase. We’re seeing the positivity and case rates decrease.” At the press conference, held at Franklin Elementary School in the Elk Grove Unified School District, Newsom and several lawmakers expanded
upon the deal and the motivations behind it. Senator Richard Pan said that, as a pediatrician, he knows many students have been struggling with distance learning as well as anxiety, depression and other problems resulting from isolation in the pandemic. “It’s so very important that we try to make up for the delays that have happened because of this pandemic despite the best efforts of our educators to try to keep our students on track,” Pan said. Assembly speaker Anthony Rendon said it was important to think of schools as more than just a part of California’s budget, as more than a safe daytime place for children to be and as more than a prerequisite to earning a living. He added the plan is geared toward providing the resources and incentives districts need to ensure school can be “all things, for every child in California.” “When schooling is done right, it does so much more,” Rendon said. “It opens worlds and challenges hearts. When education is wrong, it is we who have failed the children; it is not the children failing school.”
conditions that are brought forth by climate change and I have no confidence whatsoever that the utilities are preparing for that,” said Sandy, who added that Yolo County is a small county “that can’t respond to much and, frankly, we just need to see a lot more from the utilities about advance planning, about how they’re going to handle crises, how they’re going to mitigate the affects of some of these storms in the future.” Sandy’s colleagues agreed. “It’s definitely not the last of these events,” said Winters Supervisor Don Saylor. “We know they’re going to continue so we really need to strengthen the reliability of the infrastructure. These storms are not going to dissipate. They’re going to continue to be as fierce as this one was.” Saylor added that he wanted deeper conversations with PG&E “about what you’re able to do and what you’re going to be doing.” Said Supervisor Jim Provenza of Davis: “We do need advance planning.” “We’re not really planning for the emergencies or disasters of today,” he said. “We’re planning for the emergencies of tomorrow, which are going to be worse because even
if the cities, the counties, the state, the national government does everything it can and should do to prevent climate change, the failure to do so in the past has resulted in a situation where things are going to get much worse before they get better. So our planning should focus on what is coming in the future… “Hardening infrastructure is really important,” Provenza said. “And we need to look at having redundant systems … and, most immediately, the communication is
essential.” Sanders pledged the utility would do better. “I take responsibility for that lack of communication and you have my personal commitment going forward that as long as I’m the liaison to your board I will do a better job of communicating in these types of events,” he said. “You have my word.” He also said PG&E will be holding town hall meetings in the county to ensure better communication and planning going forward.
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A4 — Winters Express, Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Las escuelas de Winters esperan recibir a los estudiantes en recintos el 8 de Marzo
Se publicaron actualizaciones deportivas de la escuela secundaria
Por Crystal Apilado
Por Crystal Apilado
Traducido por Carol Alfonso
Traducido por Carol Alfonso
Con el Condado Yolo moviéndose al nivel rojo el pasado Miércoles, las escuelas de Winters esperan darle la bienvenida a los estudiantes a sus recintos a partir de la segunda semana de Marzo. La superintendente Diana Jiménez envió una notificación a las familias de que los estudiantes del grupo A comenzarían la escuela el Lunes 8 de Marzo y los estudiantes del grupo B comenzarían el Jueves 11 de Marzo. En la reunión de la Mesa Directiva del Distrito Escolar Unificado de Winters (Winters Joint Unified School District - Winters JUSD) del 18 de Febrero, la Dra. Amy Sisson, Oficial de Salud del Condado Yolo, dijo que todas las escuelas K-12 pueden reabrir después de cinco días en el nivel rojo. Sisson dijo que el Condado Yolo pasaría oficialmente al nivel rojo el Miércoles 24 de Febrero, lo que permitirá que las escuelas sean elegibles para reabrir el aprendizaje en persona después del quinto día el 28 de Febrero. También confirmó que después de que una escuela abra, no tendrá que cerrar de nuevo si el condado vuelve al nivel púrpura. “Una vez que una escuela ha reabierto, puede permanecer abierta”, dijo Sisson. La Escuela Primaria - Wagoner Elementary School, la Escuela Intermedia - Shirley Rominger Intermediate School, la Escuela Media - Winters
El Viernes 19 de Febrero, el Departamento de Salud Pública de California (California Department of Public Health - CDPH) publicó el conjunto más reciente de pautas para los deportes juveniles. El CDPH anunció que los deportes de alto contacto (fútbol, polo aquático y rugby) con participantes mayores de 13 años pueden reanudarse en condados con una tasa diaria ajustada de casos de COVID-19 de 14 personas o menos por cada 100,000 habitantes. El Condado Yolo estaba en 6.6 el fin de semana pasado. Para la Escuela Secundaria de Winters (Winters High School - WHS), la actualización significó que el Soccer y Fútbol Americano masculino y femenino podrían comenzar a practicar de inmediato. El director atlético Daniel Ward dijo que el equipo de porristas del WHS también podría comenzar a practicar. Bajo la nueva guía, los deportes de alto contacto como el fútbol soccer requerirían pruebas semanales de jugadores y entrenadores una vez que comiencen los juegos para cualquier condado 7 por 100,000; con los resultados de la prueba disponibles dentro de las 24 horas posteriores a la competencia. Aunque el estado pagaría la factura y proporcionaría materiales de prueba, Ward dijo que los detalles aún están en proceso. Sin embargo, los números actuales del Condado Yolo no activan el requisito de la prueba semanal. El CDPH y la Federación Intercolegial de California (California Interscholastic Federation - CIF) dieron luz verde a los deportes al aire libre sin contacto a fines de Enero. El club de campo traviesa del WHS compitió en su primer encuentro contra Colusa el Martes pasado, y su
Foto de cortesía
El personal hace una limpieza profunda en las aulas para preparar el regreso de los estudiantes. Middle School y la Escuela Secundaria Winters High School ya le han dado la bienvenida a pequeños grupos de estudiantes que fueron identificados como necesitados de la intervención de oportunidades de aprendizaje en persona.
“Una vez que una escuela ha reabierto, puede permanecer abierta.”
Amy Sisson, Oficial de salud del condado Todos los sitios escolares del Winters JUSD, incluido el Centro Preescolar - Winters State Preschool Center y la Academia de Preparación - Wolfskill Career Readiness Academy, han organizado foros familiares para repasar los detalles específicos de dar la bienvenida a los estudiantes a la escuela en el modelo híbrido aprobado de
aprendizaje en persona y programas de aprendizaje a distancia. Las familias y los tutores que se perdieron la presentación de sus estudiantes pueden verlos en el sitio web de cada escuela. También deben comunicarse con la oficina de la escuela específica si tienen más preguntas. Los fideicomisarios aprobaron por unanimidad el Plan de Seguridad de Winters JUSD COVID-19 para la instrucción en persona. El Plan de Seguridad COVID-19 y la Lista de Verificación de la Directriz Escolar (COVID-19 Safety Plan and School Guidance Checklist) están disponibles para ver en la página COVID-19 del sitio web del Winters JUSD en https:// www.wintersjusd. org/. Busque el botón amarillo “COVID-19” en la parte superior derecha de la página. La página del Winters JUSD COVID-19 también incluye la presentación de Sisson, la presentación “Pathways to Reopening Schools” (Vias De Re-Apertura Escolar), recursos de aprendizaje a distancia y enlaces a recursos relacionados con COVID del Condado Yolo.
El Condado de Yolo empieza a vacunar trabajadores de educación El Condado de Yolo Comunicado de prensa El Condado de Yolo está acelerando sus esfuerzos para apurar acceso a dosis de la vacuna de COVID-19 para los individuos que trabajan en educación. Esta semana, el Condado reservo 20 por ciento, o 800 dosis, de su abastecimiento actual de vacunas para educación. Para rápidamente distribuir vacunas a esta industria, el Condado esta trabajando con la Oficina de Educación del Condado de Yolo (YCOE), los cinco distritos escolares del condado, y también la Clínica de Dignity Health de Woodland, uno de los sistemas de cuidado médico más grande de la nación. La Clinica de Dignity Health de Woodland está operando privadas clínicas especializadas el 26 y 27 de febrero para vacunar a trabajadores de educación ya en el salón de clase o en el campus. YCOE y los cinco distritos escolares de proporcionaron los nombres de los empleados que califican a la Clínica de Dignity Health de Woodland para programar citas. Individuos en educación quienes califican para la vacuna basado en priorizado basado en su exposición de salud ocupacional – si es que van al trabajo en persona o si estarán yendo en el
futuro. “Yo estoy muy entusiasmada sobre la colaboración con la Clínica de Dignity Health de Woodland para rápidamente vacunar a los trabajadores de educación,” dijo la Oficial de Salud Publica Dra. Aimee Sisson. “Regresando los estudiantes a aprendizaje en persona tiene varios beneficios educacionales y de salud, y vacunando a los empleados de las escuelas apoyara a este grupo en sentirse cómodo de regresar a los salones de clase.” Hasta ahora, el Condado de Yolo está superando el anuncio del Gobernador Gavin Newsom de la semana pasada que, empezando el 1 de marzo, que al menos 10 por ciento del abastecimiento de vacunas del estado será priorizado para trabajadores en educación. El Condado de Yolo es uno de los 35 condados activamente vacunando a los trabajadores de educación. El 16 de febrero, el Condado de Yolo expandió elegibilidad para incluir a todos los trabajadores de la primera línea en la Fase 1B Nivel 1 del marco de priorización de vacunas del Estado de California, que incluye a todos los individuos quienes trabajan en educación. El Condado de Yolo Continuará a pri-
orizar las vacunas para trabajadores en educación en la siguiente orden: • Trabajadores en educación de K-12 ya trabajando en un campus de la escuela (publica, privada, y charter). • Trabajadores en programas después de clase. • Trabajadores en educación posterior trabajando en el campus. • Trabajadores en edcación no trabajando en el campus de una escuela, pero planeando retornar pronto. • Trabajadores en programas después de clase todavía no trabajando en el campus de una escuela K-12, pero planeando retornar pronto. • Trabajadores en educación posterior todavía no trabajando en el campus, pero planeando retornar pronto. Si usted trabaja en educación y todavía no ha programado su cita o recibido su dosis de la vacuna, por favor contacta a la Oficina de Educación del Condado de Yolo. Clínicas para la vacuna del Condado de Yolo se publican en la pagina web de la vacuna del Condado de Yolo en http:// www.yolocounty.org/ coronavirus-vaccine, con citas adicionales por venir.
segundo encuentro contra Arbuckle el Lunes. Según Ward, el club de campo traviesa sería el único deporte del WHS que podría competir durante la primera temporada deportiva de la Liga del Valle de Sacramento (Sacramento Valley League - SVL), que finaliza el 17 de Marzo. Bajo las nuevas pautas, los atletas de WHS podrían participar en más de un grupo deportivo. Lo que significa que los atletas podrían competir potencialmente en dos de los cuatro equipos deportivos activos durante la temporada actual. “Quiero que los niños puedan hacer todo lo que puedan,” dijo Ward. “Tenemos muchos detalles que tenemos que resolver. Los entrenadores deberán trabajar juntos para ver si esto es posible.” No hubo cambios en las pautas con respecto a los equipos contra los que pueden jugar las escuelas secundarias. Según Ward, WHS solo puede jugar en equipos dentro del Condado Yolo o los condados vecinos, y su tasa de casos ajustada también debe ser inferior a 14 personas por cada 100,000. “Tenemos suerte de ser vecinos de tantos condados. Tenemos muchas opciones ”, dijo Ward. Dijo que un desafío es esperar que algunos condados caigan por debajo del número mágico de 14. Otro desafío es armar un horario porque algunas de las escuelas secundarias que WHS juega tradicionalmente dentro de la liga, no están en los condados vecinos. Un nuevo cambio permite que un deporte que ha comen-
zado a practicar oficialmente no se cierre, incluso si el número dentro del condado supera los 14 casos por 100,000. “Tan pronto como tengamos nuestra primera práctica oficial, se nos permitirá terminar nuestra temporada sin importar lo que pase”, dijo Ward. Si hay una prueba COVID positiva dentro de un equipo deportivo, WHS seguirá todas las pautas estatales y del condado para la situación. Ward dijo que tanto los estudiantes como los entrenadores están emocionados de volver a hacerlo. “Me alegro de que el atletismo esté brindando esa salida a los niños en este momento, y lo necesitan ahora más que nunca. Los entrenadores también están emocionados de volver al trabajo ahora mismo ”, dijo Ward. Los plazos actuales de la temporada deportiva del SVL son: • Fútbol Americano / Porristas: del 19 de Marzo al 23 de Abril. • Fútbol Soccer: 22 de Marzo al 22 de Abril. El béisbol, el softbol y la pista están planeados para la temporada deportiva de primavera y se ejecutarán: • Béisbol / Softbol: 22 de Abril al 3 de Junio. • Atletismo de pista y campo - Track and Field: del 21 de Abril al 21 de Mayo. Ward dijo con pesar que, lamentablemente, no hubo cambios para los deportes de interior como el voleibol, el baloncesto y la lucha libre. Los tres deportes podrían abrirse una vez que el Condado Yolo ingrese al nivel amarillo. Ward dijo que actualmente no hay un calendario de liga para ninguno de ellos.
Campamento de Verano Munchkin de Winters
Grados: 1er- 8vo Grado Sitio: La Escuela Elementaria Waggoner
La inscripción comienza: Martes 2 de Marzo
Registro de prioridad temprana para estudiantes que actualmente están en el Programa Despues de Escuela, estudiantes sin hogar o de crianza, estudiantes de educación migrante.
Dias de Programa:
Lunes a Viernes 21 de Junio al 9 de Julio & 12 de Julio al 30 de Julio Entrada : 8:30am • Salida de: 2:30 a 5pm
Para mayor información por favor visite www.cityofwinters.org ¡REGÍSTRATE AHORA!
Esta institución es un proveedor de igualdad de oportunidades
Winters Express, Wednesday, March 3, 2021 — A5
Local healthcare systems grappling with COVID’s impact on finances, staff and more By Anne Ternus-Bellamy McNaughton Media While the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has provided for many a light at the end of a long tunnel, challenges may remain for quite some time for the Yolo County healthcare providers charged with delivering those vaccines. Local healthcare systems, which will continue to focus on the virus and vaccinations for months to come, are also coping with decreased revenue, staff burnout and patients who delayed preventive care over the last year, leading in some cases to acute conditions. During a COVID-19 community summit hosted by the Yolo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, representatives of local healthcare systems — along with a variety of other sectors — provided an update on the challenges they are dealing with even as the end of the pandemic may be in sight. Near the top of the list: Convincing patients that it is safe to access care, not just for their own well-being,
FIRE Continued from Page 1 Dana Carey, manager of the OES, gave the presentation, covering such topics as fire cleanup efforts and the county’s large animal evacuation and shelter plan. Additionally, supervisor Don Saylor gave an overview of the three Greater Winters Area Listening Sessions, held throughout October last year with three Greater Winters Leaders: Saylor, Mayor Wade Cowan and Solano county supervisor John Vasquez. In August 2020, the LNU complex, consisting of over 250 individual fires, sparked and spread across Lake, Napa Sonoma, Solano and Yolo counties. The fires burned across a total of nearly 400,000 acres, destroyed about 1,500 structures and caused six deaths. The LNU fires were officially extinguished in October 2020. In Yolo County, the fire destroyed five residences and damaged one, Carey said, along with damaging a large number of grazing lands. All damaged properties have completed phase one cleanup, which involves the removal of household hazardous waste materials, such as pesticides, fertilizers, pool chemicals, asbestos and compressed gas cylinders. The ongoing phase two cleanup involves the removal of many results of fire damage, like contaminated soils, ash, hazardous trees and metal. Carey said more work is being done to create and revise evacuation policies and plans. She said the OES is working with the county sher-
but also for providers’ bottom line. The combination of having to suspend scheduled procedures during COVID-19 surges while many members of the public avoided medical offices out of fear of contracting the virus was a double-whammy for providers. “Hospitals across the country are facing one of the most serious economic downturns ever,” “Nonprofit hospitals such as ours have been especially impacted as they serve the most vulnerable patients who are uninsured and underinsured,” said Bravo. Like other healthcare systems, Dignity saw revenue and patient volumes decline while costs for PPE, testing and added staff capacity increased. “As a health system, we are a large provider for Medicaid patients and already operate on a slim margin,” Bravo noted. “CARES Act funds are essential to our hospital to help stabilize our finances. Without federal aid, our ability to sustain care for those most in
need would be at risk.” CommuniCare Health Centers, a federally qualified health center with clinics in Davis, Woodland and West Sacramento, was similarly impacted. “When the pandemic first hit, we actually had to close our dental services to everything but emergencies, and our dental department … is a big part of our revenue,” said CEO Dr. Melissa Marshall. Meanwhile, the impact on patients themselves who weren’t receiving care is a big concern. “Most of our chronic disease indicators in terms of diabetes, hypertension, all have gotten worse over time,” said Chris Kelsch, executive director of Winters Healthcare. “That’s just something we see across the board.” The pandemic, he said, didn’t just shut down businesses and schools; it also shut down regular medical care that couldn’t be provided over the phone or by video. “Doing dental remotely doesn’t really work well,” he noted. “Same with mental
health. A lot of things are in person and people need to be here in order for it to happen.” Likewise well-child visits. “We are really having a problem getting our patients to come in for their preventative care visits,” said Jessica White, director of operations in Yolo County for Elica Health Centers. “There was a drop in both adult and pediatric well visits in 2020,” she said. And now with schools on the verge of reopening, “it will be really important for children to come in and get their immunizations.” The impact of people avoiding care over the last year has been evident in hospitals and emergency rooms, according to Sutter Davis Chief Nurse Executive Tamara Powers. “We’re starting to see a lot higher acuity here in the hospital setting and believe a lot of that is related to the fact that many in our community continue to be concerned about accessing healthcare at the hospitals or even in a physician’s office,” Powers said.
iff’s office to draft a repopulution or reentry plan, to be paired with the county’s evacuation plan. The plan would support the return of evacuated individuals. OES is also working with community partners, the animal services section of the sheriff’s office and the UC Davis Veterinary Emergency Response Team to draft a large animal evacuation and shelter plan, Carey said. “I just wanted to go ahead and let everyone know it’s a building process and we’re definitely in the forefront of it as much as we can be,” Carey said. Saylor talked about the listening sessions, which resulted in the county gathering feedback from community members impacted by the fire and creating several ongoing programs to better serve the community. Those programs include the creation of the county Fire Safe Council and the development of a Community Wildfire Protection Plan and considerations for community alerts and warning systems.
homeowner training. Dodd said the governor’s budget proposal sets aside roughly $1 billion in wildfire prevention, response and recovery. The proposal looks to assign $323 million to fire resiliency programs, Dodd said. “For me, prevention is the only thing that’s going to get us out of this,” Dodd said. In terms of senate bills, Dodd said SB 109 would establish the office of wildfire technology, research and development, which would be responsible for study, test and advise on technologies and tools in order to more effectively prevent and suppress wildfires. And SB 440, he said, would allow the California Earthquake Authority to invest funds in a natural disaster mitigation effort overseen by a joint powers authority, which would effectively send funding to make homes resistant to earthquakes and wildfires. Heather Nichols, executive director of the resource conservation district, talked about the process of putting together a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) and the Fire Safe Council. “If steps one and two are basically to gather the stakeholders and gather information, step three is to agree upon what the risks are, what the priorities are for action,” Nichols said. She said a CWPP steering committee was coordinated in January, and they’re developing the plan. The plan will then come back to the county Fire Safe Council for review and input.
The CWPP would be updated every year or so, she said. Christopher Baker, northern regional coordinator for the California Fire Safe Council, talked about the role of local fire safe councils, which operate under the county council and which he defined as: “grassroots community-led organizations that mobilize residents to protect their homes, communities and environments from catastrophic wildland fires.” “The county fire safe council is often a coalition of public and private sector organizations that share a common vested interest in wildland fire prevention and loss mitigation,” Baker said. “Fire safe councils support the local fire safe councils in many ways including funding for grant awards or assisting communities in completing defensive space and home hardening projects.” Winters city manager Kathleen Trepa, who attended the meeting, said in an email that the city supports the implementation of a Fire Safe Council to assist with risk mitigation and emergency preparedness efforts. “The relationships formed through this Council, and the techniques and strategies undertaken to help prepare and respond to a wildfire event will serve the community well, and potentially help us respond to other emergencies as well,” Trepa said.
Fire Safe Council
The kickoff meeting of the Yolo County Fire Safe Council was largely informational and featured several speakers with expertise on fire policy and fire safe councils. California Senator Bill Dodd spoke about the utility of fire safe councils and statewide action related to fires. Dodd said fire safe councils help prepare local communities for the reality of wildfire season by, for example, identifying hazardous fuel reduction projects and providing community and
KITCHEN & BATH
COUNTERTOPS
SCHOOL Continued from Page 1 school safely. Waggoner Principal Jennifer Kloczko mentioned in a Waggoner Wave announcement that staff realize that some of their students have never been on campus before. Staff will help make sure they get to where they need to go. Each of the school site’s bell schedules and details regarding drop off and pick up protocols have been posted on their website, along with the site specific Family Forum presentations detailing both the approved hybrid in-person learning model and long distance learning programs. Families and guardians who missed their student’s presentation can view them on each school’s website. They should also contact the specific school site’s office if there are further
TESTING Continued from Page 1 the number of tests administered there has remained consistent since November. Likewise, Healthy Davis Together testing continues at a steady clip. Testing in Yolo County also remains as accessible now as it has ever been, including state- and county-run testing offered throughout the county most days of the week. County officials continue to urge residents to take advantage of it. “It’s really important to get tested for COVID,” county spokeswoman Jenny Tan said Monday. “If you leave your house for any reason, please get tested regularly.” A list of all testing available in March in Yolo County can be found at https:// yolocounty.org/coronavirus.
Yolo County numbers
As for a plateau in cases, it’s not clear that Yolo County has hit one. Cases here have continued to decline week to week, with a seven-day average on Monday of 26 cases per day, one of the lowest numbers the county has seen in many months, though still two or three times what the county saw back in late September and early October. During those two months, the county averaged fewer than 15 cases per day. But by November, the county’s average had jumped to about 52 new cases per day, followed by 106 per day in December and 108 per day in January. February showed significant improvement with an average of about 40 new cases a day and those numbers declined week by week throughout
questions. At the Feb. 18 Winters Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting Yolo County Health Officer Dr. Amy Sisson confirmed that after a school opens it would not have to shut down again if the county goes back to purple tier. “Once a school has reopened it can stay open,” Sisson said. The COVID-19 Safety Plan and School Guidance Checklist are available to view on the Winters JUSD website’s COVID-19 page at https:// www.wintersjusd. org/. Look for the “COVID-19” button on the upper right of the page. The Winters JUSD COVID-19 page also includes the presentation by Sisson, the Pathways to Reopening Schools presentation, distance learning resources and links to Yolo County COVID related resources. the month.
Vaccine rollout
The declining number of new cases comes as more and more Yolo County residents receive COVID-19 vaccinations. Through last Thursday, county health officials had administered 11,837 first doses and 7,455 second doses, though both numbers will rise when doses given over the weekend are added in, Tan said Monday. Combined with vaccines administered by healthcare systems, between 15 and 20 percent of county residents had received at least one dose by the end of last week. More shots are on the way. Private clinics scheduled for this week will focus on workers with the Yolo Food Bank as well as those in education and childcare, agriculture and more. “We will also open up some public spots for a clinic later on this week, so please keep your eye open for those slots on our vaccine page,” Tan said Monday. That page is at yolocounty.org/coronavirus-vaccine. The county continues to receive batches of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and expects, at some point, to receive the newly authorized Johnson and Johnson vaccine. “We don’t know how many doses the county will be getting,” Tan said. County residents are advised to check with their healthcare providers as well as Rite Aid and CVS about additional vaccine availability. Most are still only vaccinating healthcare workers and individuals age 65 and over, however.
A6 — Winters Express, Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Yesteryear Picked by Charley Wallace
In 1967, Pam Wurth, left, and Jan Young, won top honors and a gold award for 4-H members at U.C. Davis. Photo by Relfe Ehret
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March 18. 1971
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March 21, 1941
A suggestion by the Police Chief Richard Washbaugh at Tuesday nights meeting of the city council to the effect that the city consider annexation of the city dump property in order to put it under Winters police department jurisdiction was referred to the planning commission for consideration and recommendation. Congressman Robert L Leggett reported this week that the property formerly occupied by the U.S. Army Strategic Communications Command Facility will be formally deeded to DQ University April 2, 1971. Supervisor William Duncan and Mrs. Duncan recently completed moving into their new home in Davis. They have, for the past 24 years, resided in the Buckeye District Northeast Of Winters. Richard Soto, 1971 Winters Youth Day Mayor, has announced the appointment of Joe Ogando, police chief, Elizabeth Felix, police woman; Ken Galloway, fire chief; Danette Pede, fire woman; Gus Villalobos, dog catcher, and city council: Bob Button, John Carbahal, Bibbie Faircloth, Christine Clarkand Sharon Ellis. Four teachers have notified the school board that they plan to leave the local system at the end of the school year.
The List Of Youth officials, who will take over the administration of government in Winters on Youth Day, April 28, has been completed. Elected officials are Mayor Dale Corbett, Judge Jean Schroeder, City Clerk Bob Kozen and City Treasurer Daphine Constant. John Ramos, who is in the U.S. Navy, stationed at San Diego, is now home on a 15 day furlough, visiting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. George Ramos. Mrs. James Christie and two grandchildren, who have been visiting with her for the past several weeks, left Monday for the Santa Monica home of Dr. and Mrs. Eugene Ireland. Superior Judge Percy King Jr., in Napa last week was awarded $1,250 damages for injuries suffered by a Monticello girl when a boulder smashed into a Monticello Stage Lines bus. Defendants in the action were Parish Brothers and Peter Kiewit and Sons Co., contractors on the Monticello Dam project. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas D. Fox attended a rural mail carrier meeting which was held in Folsom Sunday. Mrs. Anna Quinby, sister of Miss Jennie Reasoner, has arrived from Seattle, Washington, to make her home here.
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Mr. and Mrs. George Thissell last Sunday marked their 62nd marriage milestone. They were married at the bride’s home at Tucker’s crossing, March 16, 1879, by Rev. TL Duke, pioneer Methodist divine. The engagement of Eugene Ireland and Rene Rossi was informally announced this week in University of California campus circles. Chief of Police G.A., Crowder sounds a warning about the dog menace. He states that he has been obliged to kill several dogs this week that were affected with the disease. The fire department was called out about 9 o’clock yesterday morning to put out a blaze in the roof of the Main Street building owned by Mrs. Lucy Judy, and occupied by transients. A committee was appointed by the Service Club to try to attract industry to Winters. On the committee are J.H.D. Bassett, George Moore, Wilbur Riley, Milton Sharp, Buell Ish, R.A. Young and Carl Holmes. Mrs. Josephine Brinck, Mr. and Mrs. J.H.D. Bassett, and Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Laycock attended a recent banquet and British Relief meeting in Sacramento. Mr. and Mrs. Fred Covell are this week taking up residence in Sacramento where he has employment. Their sons will finish the school year before joining them. Misses Elda Button, Marjorie Jean Herron and Mae Holmes, and Lee Sadler, students at San Jose Teachers’ College, arrived at their homes here on the first of the week for a week’s spring vacation.
https://yolo.boutique
March 23, 1906
Tuesday, March 27, the Current Topics Club will give an entertainment at Rummelsburg’s opera house. Ida Root Gordon well known as a platform entertainer, has been engaged as the chief attraction of the evening. The Gannon brothers have leased the band dancing floor and will enlarge it for a skating rink The local Native Sons have elected Arthur Craner delegate to the Grand Parlor which meets in Ventura on April 28. EE. Baker went to San Francisco Tuesday morning to purchase stock for the new store of Anderson Baker Co. A.B. Ish has added a fine Jersey bull to his cattle herd. The rainfall from the 12 inst. to the morning of the 23rd has amounted to 1.67 inches, making a total for the season of 22.50. The Women’s Improvement Club will give their regular spring carnival April 19, 20, and 21. It will be the best yet. Current Topics Club program Thursday evening, March 29 Life and Character of King Christian, Miss Brokaw, The Chinese Awakening Miss Pearse; The Children’s Court, Lawrence Wilson; and LaFollette, H.G. Boyce. The entertainment tomorrow night is for the benefit of the high school piano fund. Seats on sale at Wyatt’s. The revival services at the Baptist Church are well attended. Mr. Petit is a forceful speaker, and commands close attention. The Polmatier Sisters are billed for Winters Tuesday, April 10. This is one of the best attractions on the road.
Please, don’t drink and drive.
We would rather not be your designated driver.
Public Safety Report Fire
Feb. 19: 7:03 a.m., vehicle accident, CR 31/ CR 93A. Feb. 20: 5:28 a.m., medical aid, CR 89. ~10:07 a.m., outdoor misc. fire, CR 92D/CR 27. ~10:28 a.m., medical aid, 950 block of Kennedy Drive. ~5:58 p.m., carbon monoxide alarm, 430 block of Russell Street. Feb. 21: 1:06 p.m., medical aid, Highway 128. Feb. 22: 2:12 p.m., grass fire, 820 block of Walnut Lane. ~5:23 p.m., lift assist, 800 block of Carrion Circle. ~11:35 p.m., medical aid, 300 block of Rosa Avenue. Feb. 23: 5:20 a.m., medical aid, 400 block of Russell Street. ~5:36 p.m., public assist, Moody Slough Road/Castle View Lane. ~9:22 p.m., medical aid, 100 block of Almond Drive. Feb. 24: 12:30 a.m., medical aid, 200 block of First Street. ~9:18 a.m., gas odor investigation, 110 block of Main Street. ~9:45 a.m., fire alarm, 400 block of Morgan Street. ~3:09 p.m., grass fire, I-505/Russell Boulevard.
Police Arrest Log
Feb. 17: Robert Paul Neal (Age 58), Charges: Solano County Sheriff Office misdemeanor bench warrant and Winters Police Department misdemeanor bench warrant, Disposition: Transported to the Yolo County Jail. ~Terri Lynn Medina (Age 52); Charges: Possession of drug paraphernalia, Yolo County Sheriff Office misdemeanor bench warrant; Disposition: Released on a Notice to Appear in Court. Feb. 18: Miguel Jara Jr. (Age 56), Charges: Winters misdemeanor bench warrant regarding a 2020 case, Winters misdemeanor
bench warrant regarding a 2019 case; Disposition Released on a Notice to Appear in Court. ~Ruben Valdez Perez Jr., (Age 45); Charges Woodland PD misdemeanor bench warrant, three Yolo County Sheriff Office misdemeanor bench warrants, Yolo County Sheriff Office felony bench warrant; Disposition Transported to the Yolo County Jail. ~Ruben Valdez Perez Jr. (Age 45), Charges: Possession of methamphetamine, Disposition: Released on a Notice to Appear in Court. Feb. 20: Armando Palmerin Guzman (Age 33), Charges: two warrant arrests, Disposition: Transported to Yolo County Jail. ~Armando Palmerin Guzman (Age 33), Charges: Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of Methamphetamine pipe, Disposition: Released on a Notice To Appear.
Case Log
Feb. 8: 1:30 p.m., 100 block of East Baker Street, Stolen License Plate. ~2:01 p.m., 900 block of Wyatt Lane, Grand Theft. ~2:25 p.m., 700 block of Main Street, Found Property. Feb. 16: 12:38 a.m., 600 block of Railroad Avenue, Audible Alarm. Feb. 17: 12:45 p.m., 200 block of Rosa Avenue, Vehicle Towed. ~2:06 p.m., 400 block of Second Street, Verbal Domestic Dispute. Feb. 19: 12:26 a.m., 500 block of East Street, Domestic Dispute. Feb. 20: 9:48 a.m., 100 block of East Grant Avenue, Audible Alarm. Feb. 21: 8 a.m., 400 block of Main Street, Petty Theft. ~4:44 p.m., 400 block of Edwards Street, Disturbing the Peace. Feb. 22: 10:37 a.m., 400 block of Edwards Street, Miscellaneous Service Report.
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Winters Express, Wednesday, March 3, 2020 — A7
City budget deficit smaller than expected Yolobus offering free rides for COVID-19 By Edward Booth Express staff writer The Winters City Council on Feb.16 received several reports related to city finances, including the 2019-2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. Shelly Gunby, the city’s Director of Financial Management, presented the CAFR. She said Winters exceeded revenues by about $335,000 in the 2019-2020 fiscal year — which runs from July 1 2019 to June 30 2020, and therefore includes the first four months of the pandemic. The deficit, filled with general fund reserves, was smaller, however, than the projected number of $491,000. Much of the drop in revenues is directly tied to a drop in tax revenues because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gunby said. COVID-19 public health orders shut down much of the local economy, particularly during the first months of the pandemic. “The reason that we have these expenditures in excess of revenues is because our sales tax went down when we basically had to shut down in March for the COVID-19 pandemic,” Gunby said. “That did away with a lot of our revenue sources. People were staying home, they weren’t buying gas, the restaurants
“There’s obviously still areas we have to make changes for long-term because we can’t keep spending our reserves down or we won’t have anything left.” Bill Biasi, Councilmember were closed and, as we all learned about, 64 percent of our sales tax comes from gas and restaurants.” Councilmember Bill Biasi said it was good the city ended up with less of a deficit than projected, but it was still a problem that the city had to spend over $300,000 out of its reserves to cover the deficit. “There’s obviously still areas we have to make changes for long-term because we can’t keep spending our reserves down or we won’t have anything left,” Biasi said. Council member Jesse
Loren asked city manager Kathleen Trepa whether the city had fully rebounded financially from the 2008 recession. Trepa said yes, that the city had fully rebounded before COVID-19. “We’ve taken a little bit of a step back because we lost ground on our sales tax. Trepa said. “Our revenues are higher than they were during the recession and we are headed in the right direction if we can get through COVID and get our economic engine moving again.” Gunby said the city currently has a structural deficit and a lot of budget balancing is being done with onetime funds, such as revenue gained from issuing building permits. She added that what would really help the city’s revenue sources is everyone going back to work and having the ability to participate in the local economy. “We need people to have the ability to go out and spend money,” Gunby said. “So that means we need to be able to recover, we need to get people traveling again, we need people to be able to go out and socialize again and so until we’re able to get back to some sense of normal.”
By Jose Perez Special to the Express Yolobus is offering free transit rides to Yolo County residents who are in need of transit for COVID-19 vaccination appointments. The vaccination related free rides will be available on Yolobus fixed routes, paratransit and microtransit services, effective March 1 through June 30. “We feel that providing free rides to those needing transportation to obtain their vaccinations is a good thing for us to do for residents living in our communities,” said Terry Bassett, Executive Director of the Yolo County Transportation Dis-
trict. To get a free ride to and from a COVID-19 vaccination appointment, show the driver the confirmation of the COVID-19 vaccination appointment (appointment card, email or text message). Face masks are required for all patrons utilizing Yolobus services. Community members who need assistance in planning a trip on microtransit, paratransit, or fixed route, should call Yolobus at 530-666-2877. The fixed route schedule information is available at www. yolobus.com. For information on vaccination locations, visit www.yolocounty. org.
Joe Trotter
Financial Advisor #7 East Main Street, Suite E Winters, CA 95694 530-795-3929
e d ward jo ne s .com
PG&E encouraging community to help prevent power outages by securing metallic balloons Pacific Gas & Electric Press Release As creative at-home celebrations soared during the pandemic, so has the number of outages caused by metallic balloons. Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is reminding all of its customers to celebrate special occasions and holidays responsibly. If balloons—particularly metallic ones—come into contact with overhead power lines, they can disrupt electric service, cause significant property damage and potentially result in serious injuries. They advise to keep balloons inside and weighted down. Last year, metallic balloons were the cause of 453 power outages across PG&E’s service area in Northern and Central California, disrupting electric service to more than 250,000 homes and businesses. This is nearly a 30 percent increase in balloon-caused outages from 2019. In the Sacramento Region, balloon outages in significant in 2020: In PG&E’s Sacramento Division, which includes Yolo County, there were six outages in 2020 caused by metallic balloons which knocked out power to more than 1,400 customers. Some of the outages
in 2020 from neighboring areas include: • In Dixon two balloon-caused outages, knocking out power to 16 customers. • In Davis there was one outage, knocking out power to 170 customers. • In Fairfield there was one outage impacting 94 customers. “Over the past year, we’ve seen a significant increase in the number of balloons floating into our power lines and causing outages, and we suspect that there could be a correlation to the pandemic and the advent of creative athome celebrations. Metallic balloons are an easy way to make at-home celebrations more festive, but nothing puts a damper on a romantic evening faster than a widespread power outage you, your friends or your neighbors. Keep your holiday safe by ensuring metallic balloons are secured with a weight,” said Ken Wells, Vice President, Electric Distribution, PG&E. As more and more people celebrate at home, creativity is taking center stage and balloons are a fun way to liven up celebrations. But if used improperly they can certainly put a damper on the fun. Make sure to stay safe and have fun. The top five cities in
PG&E’s coverage area that reported balloon-related outages are Bakersfield, San Jose, Oakland, Stockton and San Francisco. Sometimes these outages interrupt electric service to important facilities such as hospitals, schools and traffic lights. You can see for yourself by checking out this video that shows how balloons can create safety issues: PG&E Mylar Balloon Safety In order to significantly reduce the number of balloon-caused outages and to help ensure that everyone can safely enjoy celebrations at home PG&E reminds customers to follow these important safety tips for metallic balloons: • Look up and live! Use caution and avoid celebrating with metallic balloons near overhead electric lines. • Make sure helium-filled metallic balloons are securely tied to a weight that is heavy enough to prevent them from floating away. Never remove the weight. • When possible, keep metallic balloons indoors. Never permit metallic balloons to be released outside, for everyone’s safety. • Do not bundle metallic balloons together. Never attempt to re-
WTC seeking play scripts By Jim Hewlett Special to the Express The Winters Theatre Company (WTC) will be producing another Ten-Minute Play Podcast, debuting in June, on the WTC website at winterstheatre.org. The theme for the podcast production will be “Fathers and Suns,” as it will be released on Sunday June 20, which is Father’s Day and the first day of summer. The podcast will consist of eight 10-minute plays in an audio-only format, with the theme
of either dads or summertime…or both. The eight winning plays will be selected after the submission period closes Saturday, April 10 at 5 p.m. PDT. Dust off your typewriters and submit up to three scripts with the theme of dads and/or summertime. The complete list of submission requirements, and contact information is posted on the Winters Theatre website at winterstheatre.org.
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trieve any type of balloon, kite, drone or toy that becomes caught in a power line. Leave it alone, and immediately call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000 to report the problem. Never go near a power line that has fallen to the ground or is dangling in the air. Always assume downed electric lines are energized and extremely dangerous. Stay far away, keep others away and immediately call 911 to alert the police and fire departments. Other tips can be found at pge.com/ beprepared/.
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A8 — Winters Express, Wednesday, March 3, 2021
A big thank you to...
COVID-19 Vaccine Update
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Please call ahead to be screened, and make an appointment for testing.
Key data from January sales report
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Thursday, March 4 Winters JUSD Food Distribution (Youth 18 and under), 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Waggoner Elementary School
Equestrians ride a path to next level By Aaron Geerts Express staff writer
Winters JUSD School Board Meeting, 6 p.m. Study Session/7 p.m. Business meeting, School District Office/Zoom Meeting info, check https://bit.ly/ WintersJUSDBoardAgendaCommunitySite Thursdays Eat Well Yolo Food Distribution, first and third Thursdays, 9:30 a.m., RISE, Inc., 200 Baker St. - Rooms 4 & 5, 530-668-0690 Yolo County Housing Authority Food Distribution, third Thursday, 11 a.m.-Noon, 62 Shams Way, 530-668-0690 Friday, March 5 Winters COVID-19 Testing Site, 7 a.m.-7 p.m., Winters Community Center
For most, competition takes place on a court or field. For Winters’ own Liliana Gonzalez and Lexi Ferguson, however, competition takes place on horseback. Ferguson first saddled up when she was just four years old. She was nervous at first, but after a year of hard work and practice, riding became second nature. Nowadays, she trains with her favorite horse, Duke. “Duke is 10 and I started riding him about 8 months ago,” said the fearless fourth grader. “I like riding on Duke because he knows what I want to do and he calms me down. He’s a really good horse and understands the person that rides him.” Although riding began as a hobby, this dynamic duo has made a splash in local competitions where they recently
Courtesy photo
Lexi Ferguson and her horse Duke compete in a barrel racing event. Her goal is to make it to the National Finals Rodeo. took home three third place ribbons and one second place ribbon. “We do barrel racing, poles, big T’s, keyhole and butterfly,” Ferguson explained. “My favorite is barrel racing. The best part though is just seeing who’s there to cheer me on like
Liliana Gonzalez currently competes on the Sutter Buttes Region polo team.
my friends and family. Then I get to cheer for them too.” A young rider with enough ambition to fill a horse trailer, Ferguson’s goal is to eventually compete in the National Finals Rodeo. She also has advice for aspiring equestrians. “If you really want to get into riding, just keep trying and don’t give up!” Meanwhile, fellow Winters equestrian, Liliana Gonzalez was born into the world of horseback riding — literally. “My dad is a semi-pro polo player, so I’ve grown up around horses,” Gonzalez said. “I was actually born in Woodland on the polo grounds where he works and it’s always been in my life.” Although still a senior in high school — and a proven stud on the soccer field — Gonzalez is also on the Sutter Buttes Region polo team and currently competing in San Diego in the girls’ regional seeding games. The challenges she
Courtesy photo
See EQUESTRIANS, Page 7
Monday, March 8 Winters JUSD Cohort A First Day of School Winters Community Blood Drive, 1- 6 p.m., Winters Community Center, Registration information at donors.vitalant.org Wednesday, March 10 Winters Senior Commission on Aging Meeting, 5:30 p.m., Zoom Meeting info: www.cityofwinters. org/winters-senior-commission-on-aging/ Wednesdays Eat Well Yolo Drive-Through Food Distribution, Wednesdays, 3:30 p.m.-as supplies last, Winters High student parking lot, off Railroad Avenue.
Local farmer honors his father with Centenarian recognition
Thursday, March 11 Winters JUSD Cohort B First Day of School
Upcoming
By Sydney Andrade
Tuesday, March 18
Express staff writer
Winters City Council Meeting, 6:30 p.m., Council Chambers/Zoom Meeting info, check www.cityofwinters.org/city-council-meetings_/
Library Services Winters Library Curbside Pickup,
Winters
Community Library, Monday 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Wednesday 2 p.m.-6 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Spanish Bilingual Storytime with Ms. Gaby, Mondays, 6:30-7 p.m., https://yolocounty.zoom. us/j/569996903 Mother Goose on the Loose with Ms. Sue, Tuesdays, 10:15-10:45
a.m.,
https://yolocounty.zoom.
us/j/98471793400 Lunchtime Storytime with Toni and Friends, Wednesdays, 11-11:30 a.m., https://instragram.com/ winters_wfol Storytime with Ms. Kate, Thursdays, 11-11:30 a.m., https://yolocounty.zoom.us/j/98188024347 Virtual English Conversation Group, Tuesday, 2-3 p.m., One time registration required: Contact Nancy Pacheco 530-666-8019 or nancy.pacheco@ yolocounty.org Library Online, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Call 530-666-8005
Ongoing Winters Friends of the Library meeting, first Monday, 7 p.m., Meeting details check: https://wfol. org/ Winters Music Boosters meeting, second Monday, 7-8 p.m., Meeting details check: https://www. musicboosterswinters.org/ Democracy Winters meeting, first/third Saturdays, 10 a.m.-Noon, Meeting details in newsletter, contact info@democracywinters.org
Ben Shimomura, a former longtime resident and farmer of the Winters community, received the Japanese Centenarian Recognition from Consul General Toru Maeda on behalf of the Prime Minister of Japanese in October. “The Prime Minister honors all Japanese citizens and former citizens who become 100 years old with a special certificate which thanks them for their long life and service,” wrote Shimomura’s son, Floyd Shimomura. While all Japanese citizens that reach the age of 100 receive this recognition, Shimomura’s centenarian recognition was particularly special due to a quirk in Japanese law that allowed Shimomura to automatically acquire dual citizenship even though he was born and resided in the United States his entire life. This Japanese law was abolished in 1924, four years after Shimomura was born. Receiving the Jap-
anese Centenarian Recognition is an accomplishment on its own, but for Shimomura and his son Floyd, this recognition signifies something even greater than a family heirloom and praise for living a long life. Shimomura explained that his father, Itaro Shimomura, died four days before his 100th birthday. While these 99 years should have been celebrated, Shimomura Courtesy photo said that at the funeral every- The Shimomura family is pictured in a 1932 portrait one focused on (from right to left) Sawano, Itaro, Harumi, Ben and the four days his Kimiyo (Uenishi). father did not Japan provided a large part of live rather than the 99 years that he did live. the farm labor force in the WinFor Shimomura receiving the ters area and was once home Japanese Centenarian Recog- to approximately 60 families of nition was a way of honoring the Japanese descent, includhis father’s life and achieving ing the Shimomura family. Shimomura was born Dec. 4, what he was unable to do. Accord- ing to Floyd, prior 1920, while his family worked to World War II, and lived at Bassett Ranch, raising apricots and almonds. Shimomura grew up in Winters Ben Shimomura, and attended Winters High received the School from 1935-1939. He was Japanese a Boy Scout and played second “Centenarian base on the varsity baseball Recognition” team. He also ran track and for reaching his played basketball. 100th year from Shimomura’s father came Consul General to Winters and found farm Toru Maeda of San work in 1906, where he reFrancisco. sided, worked and raised his Courtesy photo
See Centenarian, Page 7
B2 — Winters Express, Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Key January home sales data Calif. Assoc. of Realtors Press Release • At the regional level, sales continued to record healthy yearover-year gains in all major regions, except in the Far North, which was the only region that posted an annual sales decline. The San Francisco Bay Area had the highest year-overyear growth rate at a gain of 31.8 percent over last January. Sales in the Central Valley region moderated slightly (6.9 percent) but continued to grow on a year-overyear basis. • Resort communities sustained their momentum going into 2021, as sales continue to outpace the rest of state. South Lake Tahoe and Mammoth Lake both had a sales growth rate of more than 30 percent. • More than 80 percent of all counties – 42 of 51 – tracked by CAR recorded a yearover-year increase in closed sales. Counties with an increase from
last year averaged a gain of 22.7 percent in January, compared to 36.1 percent in December. Nine counties experienced a sales decline at the beginning of 2021, with Yuba dropping the most from last year at 25.4 percent. • All major regions’ median prices continued to increase by double digits on a yearly basis, with the San Francisco Bay Area growing the fastest at 20.2 percent. The Central Coast region had another strong month, increasing 18.6 percent from January 2020, followed by Southern California (15.0 percent), the Central Valley (14.5 percent), and the Far North (10.5 percent). • Forty-seven of the 51 counties tracked by CAR reported a gain in price on a yearover-year basis, with 40 of them increasing more than 10 percent. • Homeowners reluctant to list their homes for sale during the pandemic is contributing to a shortage
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of active listings. As a result, CAR’s Unsold Inventory Index (UII) remains extremely low at 1.5 months in January and was down sharply from 3.4 months in January 2020. The index indicates the number of months it would take to sell the supply of homes on the market at the current rate of sales. • Active listings fell 53.4 percent from last year and continued to drop more than 40
percent on a yearover-year basis for the eighth straight month. On a month-to-month basis, for-sale properties dropped 10.7 percent in January. • Except for the Bay Area, housing inventory continued to tighten up across the state in all major regions, declining more than 45 percent in January. Southern California had the biggest year-over-year supply drop of 56 percent in January, followed by the Central Coast (52.1 percent), the Central Valley (-48.6 percent), the Far North (-46.5
percent), and the San Francisco Bay Area (-30.9 percent). • All 51 counties reported by CAR experienced a yearover-year decline in active listings in January. Merced had the biggest drop from last year, with a decline of 72.8 percent, followed by Madera (-71.9 percent) and
San Bernardino (-70.8 percent). Thirty-two counties had less than half the active listings they had in January 2020. San Mateo (-0.3 percent) and San Francisco (-5.6 percent) were the only counties in California with less than a 10 percent decline in active listings from the prior year.
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PENDING SUPER CLEAN. 3 bed, 2 bath. RV parking, remodeled PENDING kitchen. $424,900. ING IN ELMIRA. 2 bed,P 2E bath. $249,000. ND IN WOODLAND. 3 bed, 1 bath, SOLD1100 sq. ft. Offered at $344,900. AWESOME RANCHETTE, located just east of town. Beautiful home and shop. All on 32 acres of walnuts.
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70 ACRES, 52 OF WHICH ARE INCOME PRODUCING WALNUTS. SOLID SET SPRINKLER SYSTEM. Located between Winters and Vacaville on Winters road. Offered at $1,579,000.
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4 beds, 3 baths, 2,778 sq. ft.
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7 East Main St., Ste. C Winters, CA 95694 530.795.4000 Camelot Winters, Inc.
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44498 N. El Macero Drive, El Macero • $1,025,000
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4 beds, 3 baths, 2-car garage , 2,397 sq. ft.
708 Ivy Court, Winters • $544,000
SOLD
4 beds, 3 baths, 2,406 sq. ft.
17801 County Road 85, Esparto • $970,000
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3 beds, 3 baths, 2-car garage, 2,885 sq. ft.
114 Almond Drive, Winters • $469,500
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3 beds, 2 baths, 1,673 sq. ft.
451 Abbey Street, Winters • $395,000
SOLD
3 beds, 2 baths, 1,357 sq. ft.
205 Baker Street, Winters • $350,000
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2 beds with bonus room, 1 bath, 1,500 sq. ft.
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Winters Express, Wednesday, March 3, 2021 — B3
Express Yourself I still believe in newspapers to tell us truth
Wintergreens
I
t seems that 2020 has made the council feel that they have 20-20 hindsight on weed in Winters. In a not-so-recent letter to the editor, I have been accused of fomenting a “Libertarian choose your own adventure, with a side of don’t tread on me.” I’ve never been one for labels but maybe I should act the part; I support the Winters City Council repealing the restrictions on commercial cannabis within city limits. Now, I have never tried marijuana, CBD nor THC, nor have any interest in it. But your/my/our personal choices shouldn’t be thrust upon and remove choice from others who have different viewpoints, desires and inclinations. Speaking with a friend before the City Council meeting last week, he jokingly quipped that he might be the ideal small town purveyor of potent pot. We then launched into a discussion of how hard it would be to find the ideal location for a retail cannabis location in Winters. In 2017, City Ordinance 2017-07 enacted city code 17.205.030 to ban “commercial cannabis cultivation” and “activity” within city limits. At the request of the Downtown Business Association and Chamber of Commerce, our city council began discussions during the Feb. 16 council meeting to examine if it is high time for high times in Winters. The council seemed amenable to it due to the sales tax revenue pot-ential. Predictably, Mayor Pro Tempore Biasi suggested that consultants would be needed … this is becoming repetitive for anyone who attends council meetings regularly. Everything seems to be farmed out to consultants at $20,000 to $80,000-a-pop. I think we the people need to
S break council of this tendency to automatically delegate everything to consultants. Council is elected to make decisions; they have decades of combined experience. The capable staff is hired to support council direction with the leg work and manage the city’s day to day. Committees are appointed to flush out and draft policy. If we wanted consultants to run the city, we would have elected them to do so. Ordinance 2017-07 may or may not have been shortsighted at the time and resulted in hamstringing the city from agile adaptation to an emerging market, but that does not mean we should simply open the market without a plan simply because the city budget is lacking. Taylor Buley made a great point during public comment — we lost first-mover advantage but we still have last-mover advantage of being able to build on what our neighbors have done. I doubt it takes an expensive consultant to review city code and regulations from towns that permit commercial cannabis. City staff and members of council who have the time and inclination to read can certainly figure out what works and what doesn’t. Of all the numerous meetings council members go to — of which the details on what was accomplished are rarely shared — I presume at least one has resulted in connections that can relay other cities successes, failures and lessons learned. Simply allowing for retail marijuana sales in Winters without a plan does the city nor
the prospective business owners any good. We need to consider a few questions including: • Can the business survive on its own? • How many businesses do we want … one, two, five? • What impact would a retail shop have on current and future businesses in the vicinity? • Do we want to encourage the opening of a lab that tests and certifies product content (something the cannabis market is lacking due to FDA restrictions on existing food grade labs)? How do we incorporate one of the few brick-and-mortar retail growth opportunities left in an Amazon economy into our existing local economy? It must be done in a way that upholds the town’s image, serves those with medical needs, enables responsible recreational use, and ideally differentiates the business from other options. The Winters City Council has more than 30 years combined experience in city government. I have to believe that this body is more than capable of reading existing neighboring city regulations on commercial cannabis and making an informed choice without spending our money on consultants. The feedback the council has received so far was overwhelmingly in favor. Absent an outcry against commercial cannabis in town, it would seem the council should get to work. Let’s open Winters for commercial cannabis and see how the market responds to Wintergreens™.
ociety seems to be divided between those who believe in the truth and science, and those who live in a world of make believe and conspiracies. I’ve had a couple of discussions with friends who don’t believe in fact-checking. They make comments like, “why would you trust snopes.com?” They keep sending me Internet links that I know aren’t true and I’m tired of responding with my own links to fact-check sites. I’ll admit that I find some of the origins of these conspiracy theories fascinating. Even discussions about vaccines or wearing a mask have become political, but I don’t like talking about the weather, so the arguments continue. I even get grief when I bring up newspapers as a place to find the truth. I like to say that if a newspaper finds out they made a mistake, they print a retraction and update their stories. That isn’t good enough for some people, and that is when I realize that I’m just wasting my time and energy trying to talk with them. A newspaper is like any other news source. If you don’t like one channel on the radio or television, turn the channel. If you don’t like a columnist, turn the page. I enjoy the difference of opinion in newspapers, especially those that I don’t agree with. Sometimes it makes me think of other options to problems or gives me pause to my way of thinking. My hat is off to Taylor in finding both sides of the political spectrum to submit columns. I tried to find a conservative writer, willing to turn something in once a month. The best columnist lasted four
Ask Me Anything: Fallen citrus, mask-wearing and graffiti Ask Me Anything is a new advice column in which you are invited to, well, Ask Me Anything! You can ask about personal ethical or relationship situations you are struggling with, that thing you’ve always wondered about, or really anything. I’ll do my best to find an answer and most definitely give you my advice or opinion. Thank you for the questions! Ask me anything, and I’ll answer. M.L. Flagel Q: Is it OK to pick up a neighbor’s fallen citrus that is on the sidewalk? This is a great question, especially in Winters where we enjoy such an abundance of naturally-grown produce right in our back (and front) yards. I’ve wondered this myself, so thank you for the nudge into some research. According to California law, the answer is YES, it’s lawful to take fruit that has fallen onto public property (such as a sidewalk). It’s not legal to take fruit off a tree that is on someone else’s property. There are some interesting branches to this question though (pun intended). What about fruit on a neighbor’s tree that hangs into your yard? Also, yes. It seems
that if a neighbor’s tree fruit hangs over your property, it’s yours for the picking. It’s not, however, legal to go onto another’s property to pick fruit off of their tree. When in doubt, ask the tree-owner. That would be the courteous and considerate thing to do anyway. In all likelihood, the person will be appreciative of you asking and invite you to help yourself. Q: My child wants to play at the park with other children, yet many adults and children there don’t wear masks. What should I do? Such a timely and complex question, to which there is no simple answer. But, since you asked for my opinion, here it is …. When in public places, there will always be inherent risks that you cannot control. Mask-wearing among adults (and children) is one of those. You can politely (and directly, no beating-aroundthe-bush) ask the adults if they would be willing to wear masks so that your child can play nearby. If they aren’t — or
clearly aren’t receptive to your request — it’s probably best to instead seek out those adults who do wear masks and invite them and their children to meet you at the park. While you don’t want to be the mask police, you also want to be able to take advantage of the park and having your child play outside. Given the current climate and the polarizing attitudes about masks, it may be best to stay away from groups that don’t wear masks and start paying attention to when similarly like-minded, mask-wearing adults are in the park, and go at those times. Q: Who takes care of cleaning the graffiti on the Putah Creek Walk, and if I spray paint a solid color to cover over profanities to “clean it up” am I breaking the law? Another great question, and I learned a few things researching the answer. The easy part is that the City of Winters Public Works Department is responsible for cleaning up graffiti in Winters. “Cleaning up” graffiti is a bit more complicated. It turns out that carrying spray paint in a public facility like a park, playground or recreational area is a
See ASK, Page 7
When you lose respect for people because you think they are ignorant, stupid or just gullible, that is a big problem. months. Taylor has kept his columnist for more than a year and it gives Winters a better look at both sides of issues. It used to be that we all tried to get along, but I’m afraid that we are getting to the point that everyone has picked a side, whether that be Republican, Democrat, liberal, conservative, religious or even economic. Good solutions to problems don’t matter anymore if your opponent comes up with the idea first. If President Trump had a plan to solve a problem, Republicans clapped, Democrats opposed it. But, if President Biden came up with the same solution, Republicans oppose it while Democrats support it. Drives me crazy. It might be time to come up with a third party that wants to bring the country back together, end all of the bickering and work on solutions to our problems. I’m not
sure of a name, but I’d vote for the Common Sense Party every election. I’ll admit that I lean to the right in supporting businesses and would like to see some fiscal responsibility, but I lean to the left on social issues and would like to see and hear solutions to the homeless, housing costs, healthcare and ending the pandemic. Some of our problems are what they call systemic and we will all have to have a change of heart to find common ground. Good luck with that thought. Can we find enough common ground to stop all of the bickering, finger pointing and name calling? When you lose respect for people because you think they are ignorant, stupid or just gullible, that is a big problem. I’ve been telling people that fit into that category to join the Flat Earth Society, but I’m not sure they understand my point. Wikipedia describes Flat Earth groups as science deniers. If the shoe fits, wear it. I may need to calm down, maybe listen to our city council talk about opening a marijuana dispensary or try to read more fiction. To those that agree with me, have a good week.
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B4 — Winters Express, Wednesday, March 3, 2021
S P R I N G
Bridal Guide
Planning your wedding in Winters Express staff Finding a wedding venue is one of the bigger challenges for couples planning to get married this year, especially as counties slide between tiers. Winters not only provides small town charm, but also is home to many potential wedding venue options depending on how fancy or intimate you’d like your special day to be.
Take it outdoors Home to multiple orchards, ranches and wineries, Yolo County offers multiple outdoor locations for a wedding ceremony and reception. Many venues have made adjustments with COVID guidelines to provide couples with an outdoor location for their ceremony and celebration. Turkovich Family Wines is offering outdoor patio elopements up to four guests or microweddings up to 14 guests at their winery location on Buckeye Road outside of Winters. Turkovich has collaborated with multiple local vendors to create budget-friendly packages for couples looking for an affordable option, and to support small businesses. Including an optional addon of Photography by Christian Duran & Co. Both packages include a three-hour rental, officiant, bouquet and boutonniere handcrafted by Roxie’s Flower Truck, plus charcuterie appetizers and their Sparkling Rose to toast for the couple and
Valley Press Co./Courtesy photo
From invitations and save the dates, to place cards and digital prints, Valley Press Co. is a local business available for your printing needs. their guests. The microwedding option also includes a mini cake for the couple and cupcakes for guests by Claire’s Cupcakery, plus six bottles of Turkovich wines. For more information contact their Event Manager for available dates and booking information at Katie@turkovichwines.com.
Keep it downtown Some of Winters downtown businesses have also made adjustments to provide both outdoor seating and COVID-friendly indoor seating to provide couples with a venue to entertain guests. However, one of the newest additions has been
Hotel Winters. Hotel Winters offers three different wedding packages. Wedding ceremonies can be held in the courtyard or up on the Abbey Lounge. A cocktail or plated reception is held in one of their special event rooms based on the number of guests and package selected. All three packages include a wedding cake with champagne toast, the Chef’s selection of passed appetizers and/or a two course plated meal, plus a bartender for the event. Couples also get an overnight stay in the Hotel Win-
ters Bridal Suite with a welcome charcuterie basket and bottle of local wine. ZenTerra Spa at the Winters Hotel also offers packages and services to help relax in time for the special day or for guests to unwind after travel. For more information contact their event coordinator at 530-505-9123 or fill out the form online at https://www.hotelwinters. com/weddings-and-events/.
Gifts and decor details Many local shops offer wedding planning services as well as gifts for the wedding party and favors for guests.
Plants and flowers: Florals by Chris, Roxie’s Flower Truck and The Local Floret are all local businesses with a passion for creating beautiful flower arrangements for your special occasion. Visit them on Facebook or on their website for more information. Invitations and announcements: From invitations and save the dates, to place cards and digital prints, Valley Press Co. is a local business available for your printing needs. Valley Press Co. is a full service letterpress printing company in Winters. Fill out the wedding inquiry form online at https://www. valleypressco.com/ to get in touch for more information. Delicious baked treats: In need of more sweet treats? Cakes, cupcakes and more are available in Winters. Lester Farms Bakery and Claire’s Cupcakery provide local options for a special celebration. Unique gifts: Many local shops are along Main Street in Winters for gifting and favor needs. The Winters Collective hosts 12 vendors from plants, home decor, a boutique, jewelry, skin and spa products, printed cards and products, baked goods, printed cups, bags and clothing all created by local crafting and more. Also located on Main Street are The Flying Pig and The Farmer’s Closet Boutique, Becky’s Bella Boutique and Adry’s Fiesta Boutique. All feature a variety of unique accessories and jewelry, or other wares.
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Winters Express, Wednesday, March 3, 2021 — B5
S P R I N G
Bridal Guide
How to plan a socially-distant wedding to the pandemic can still invite all of their loved ones to witness the festivities online, but pare down the in-person guest list to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19. Limit in-person guests to immediate family and those people who
Metro Special to the Express It’s likely that few people heard of “social distancing” prior to 2020. That changed as the novel coronavirus COVID-19 spread rapidly across the globe and the world found itself in the midst of a deadly pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines social distancing as keeping a safe distance of at least six feet between yourself and other people who are not from your household. Public health officials continue to champion social distancing while acknowledging the fatigue that many people have experienced as the pandemic stretched on for months. Though much of the world hit the proverbial pause button, life went on during the pandemic. Perhaps nowhere was that more evident than at the altar, where many couples still tied the knot, albeit in scaled back ceremonies that adhered to social distancing guidelines in their communities. Engaged couples who have yet to tie the knot no doubt recognize that planning a socially distant
Metro/Stock photo
While planning a socially distant wedding presents some unique challenges, couples can take certain steps to ensure their big day is memorable and safe. wedding will not be the same as organizing more traditional ceremonies and receptions. While planning a socially distant wedding presents some unique challenges, couples can take certain steps to ensure their big day is memorable and safe. • Spread the socially distant word. Let guests know what they’re in for should they decide to take part in the festivities. Many people have strictly followed social distancing guidelines, while others have been reluctant to do so. Couples intent on keeping themselves and their guests safe from COVID-19 should emphasize that their weddings will be socially distant affairs so there’s no
confusion come the big day. • Stream the wedding online. Stream the wedding online for those guests who won’t be in attendance. By the end of 2020, millions of people had already “attended” weddings via platforms like Zoom, so loved ones may be experienced virtual guests by the time couples walk down the aisle in 2021. Couples who may need some help planning virtual affairs can visit the virtual wedding coordinators at Wedfuly. com, who recently partnered with Zoom to help couples bring their ceremonies online. down the • Pare in-person guest list. Couples who planned large weddings prior
are part of your social distancing bubble. • Plan a party for down the road. Couples can still celebrate their nuptials with family and friends down the road. Plan a post-pandemic reception and let guests know you will fill them in on the
details once social distancing restrictions have been lifted. Socially distant weddings may require couples to take some unusual steps as they try to tie the knot while keeping themselves and their loved ones safe.
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B6 — Winters Express, Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Legal Advertising
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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILED IN YOLO COUNTY CLERK'S OFFICE Jesse Salinas, Yolo County Clerk/Recorder F20210126 02/08/2021 dho, Deputy
Business is located in YOLO County Fictitious Business Name: BANKERS LENDING GROUP, AG LAND RE Physical Address: 417 Mace Blvd Suite J338 Davis, CA 95618 Mailing Address: Names of Registrant(s)/Owner(s): 1) Navi Bains 8282 Bains Drive Davis CA 95618 2) Lakh Bains 8282 Bains Drive Davis CA 95618 Business Classification: A Married Couple Starting Date of Business: 1/1/2020 s/Navi Bauns / Lakh Bains Official Title: Corporation Name: I hereby certify that this is a true copy of the original document on file in this office. This certification is true as long as there are no alterations to the document, AND as long as the document is sealed with a red seal. Jesse Salinas, County Clerk/Recorder, dho, Deputy Clerk State of California, County of Yolo Published February 17, 24, March 3, 10, 2021
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILED IN YOLO COUNTY CLERK'S OFFICE Jesse Salinas, Yolo County Clerk/Recorder F20210097 02/01/2021 Kquam, Deputy
Business is located in Yolo County Fictitious Business Name: CREATIONS BY HEATHER Physical Address: 100 Main St Winters CA 95694 Mailing Address: Names of Registrant(s)/Owner(s): Heather Moore 1104 Almeria Ave. Winters CA 95694 Business Classification: Individual Starting Date of Business: 1/3/2011 s/ Heather Moore Official Title: Corporation Name: I hereby certify that this is a true copy of the original document on file in this office. This certification is true as long as there are no alterations to the document, AND as long as the document is sealed with a red seal. Jesse Salinas, County Clerk/Recorder, Kquam, Deputy Clerk State of California, County of Yolo Published February 17, 24, March 3, 10, 2021
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILED IN YOLO COUNTY CLERK'S OFFICE Jesse Salinas, Yolo County Clerk/Recorder F20210036 01/12/2021 Kquam, Deputy
Business is located in Yolo County Fictitious Business Name: CHARTNOTE Physical Address: 2027 Cannery Loop Davis, CA 95616 Mailing Address: Names of Registrant(s)/Owner(s): Statnote 2027 Cannery Loop Davis CA 95616 Business Classification: Corporation Starting Date of Business: 12/15/2020 s/ Gerardo Guerra Bonilla Official Title: CEO Corporation Name: StatNote I hereby certify that this is a true copy of the original document on file in this office. This certification is true as long as there are no alterations to the document, AND as long as the document is sealed with a red seal. Jesse Salinas, County Clerk/Recorder, Kquam, Deputy Clerk State of California, County of Yolo Published February 10, 17, 24, March 3, 2021
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILED IN YOLO COUNTY CLERK'S OFFICE Jesse Salinas, Yolo County Clerk/Recorder F20210085 01/29/2021 dho, Deputy
Business is located in YOLO County Fictitious Business Name: A&M LAND SERVICES Physical Address: 14663 County Road 100B Woodland CA 95776 Mailing Address: Names of Registrant(s)/Owner(s): Parwinder Singh Khagura 14663 County Road 100B Woodland CA 95776 Business Classification: Individual Starting Date of Business: 12/20/2020 s/Parwinder Singh Khagura Official Title: Owner Corporation Name: I hereby certify that this is a true copy of the original document on file in this office. This certification is true as long as there are no alterations to the document, AND as long as the document is sealed with a red seal. Jesse Salinas, County Clerk/Recorder, dho, Deputy Clerk State of California, County of Yolo Published February 10, 17, 24, March 3, 2021
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILED IN YOLO COUNTY CLERK'S OFFICE Jesse Salinas, Yolo County Clerk/Recorder F20210080 01/28/2021 Kquam, Deputy
Business is located in Yolo County Fictitious Business Name: DAVIS GOLD AND SILVER EXCHANGE, CAL NATIONAL COIN Physical Address: 338 G Street Suite A Davis, CA 95616 Mailing Address: PO Box 375 Fair Oaks CA 95628 Names of Registrant(s)/Owner(s): 1) John Heleva 8320 Niessen Way Fair Oaks CA 95628 2) Dawn Heleva 8320 Niessen Way Fair Oaks CA 95628 Business Classification: A Married Couple Starting Date of Business: May 1, 2014 s/ Dawn Heleva Official Title: Corporation Name: I hereby certify that this is a true copy of the original document on file in this office. This certification is true as long as there are no alterations to the document, AND as long as the document is sealed with a red seal. Jesse Salinas, County Clerk/Recorder, Kquam, Deputy Clerk State of California, County of Yolo Published February 24, March 3, 10, 17, 2021
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ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR NAME CHANGE FILED YOLO SUPERIOR COURT January 21, 2021 By A. Cleveland Superior Court of California, County of Yolo 1000 Main Street Woodland, CA 95695 Petition of BRUCE STANTON CRONK for change of name ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME Case Number: CV2021-0098 To all interested persons: Petitioner: BRUCE STANTON CRONK filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Present name BRUCE STANTON CRONK to Proposed name BRUCE STANTON OTTEN THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING Date: March 11, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. Dept. 10 The address of the court is Yolo Superior Court Clerks Office - Civil 1000 Main Street, Woodland, CA 95695 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: Winters Express. Date: December 2, 2020 Samuel T. McAdam Judge of the Superior Court Published February 10, 17, 24, March 3, 2021
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR NAME CHANGE FILED YOLO SUPERIOR COURT February 18, 2021 By Ruillsae Superior Court of California, County of Yolo 1000 Main Street Woodland, CA 95695 Petition of NINA NERO for change of name AMENDED ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME Case Number: CV2020-1708 TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner: NINA NERO filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Present name Leilani Anita Simone Jones to Proposed name Taelonnie Anita Simone Nero THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING Date: April 1, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. Dept. 10 The address of the court is Yolo Superior Court Clerks Office - Civil 1000 Main Street, Woodland, CA 95695 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: Winters Express. Date: February 18, 2021 Daniel M. Wolk Judge of the Superior Court Published March 3, 10, 17, 24, 2021
WINTERS LEGALS ATTENTION OWNERS/DEVELOPERS INVITATION FOR PROPOSALS Yolo County Housing (YCH) invites owners and developers of property in the County of Yolo to submit proposals for participation in the Housing Choice Voucher (formerly Section 8) Project Based Voucher (PBV) program. The primary purpose of this allocation is to existing housing, rehabilitation or new construction projects with planned completion by December 31, 2020 that are safe, decent and sanitary for rental to low income families who are eligible for Veterans Administration Supportive Housing (VASH) or Mainstream Vouchers. Higher ranking will be provided to proposals that include on-site supportive services tailored to meet the needs of residents. Proposed projects must comply with Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program regulations and requirements as specified in 24 CFR 983.57 including, but not limited to the following: deconcentrating poverty and expanding housing and economic opportunities; the program site(s) must be suitable from the standpoint of facilitating and furthering full compliance with Fair Housing laws; and the program site must meet the minimum Housing Quality Standards and Housing Accessibility requirements as specified in 24 CFR 983.101 and 983.102. Proposed project costs and operating expenses will be the responsibility of the owner. Rents that are established for the project will be commensurate with other comparable rents for similar rental units in the areas in which the project is located. Up to 50 PBV vouchers are available under this RFP. Project-based assistance is limited to the greater of 25 units or 25 percent of the units in any one development, except in proposals to serve elderly or disabled households or households receiving supportive services. RFP packets are available at the Yolo County Housing website www.ych.ca.gov on February 29, 2021. The submission deadline is 5:00 p.m., Monday, March 29, 2021. For questions about this RFP and the PBV Program, contact Janis Holt, General Director, 530-662-5428 or jholt@ych.ca.gov. Published: March 3, 2021
Winters Express, Wednesday, March 3, 2021 — B7
Express Yourself Honoring COVID dead
Joe Bristow/Courtesy photo
Winters Cemetery honored their COVID deaths last week as part of the half million who have died in the across the country.
ASK Continued from Page 3 misdemeanor (see Cal. Penal Code 594.1(d)(e)). If you want to minimize your criminal exposure, I suggest you use regular paint. (I could find nothing about the legality of carrying a can of regular paint in a public park.) By the way, it is also apparently illegal to carry spray paint “while on a public highway or street,” which begs the question why the Winters Police don’t just wait outside of Ace to cite people? (joking) More importantly, the answer depends more on the definition of vandalism. Under California Penal Code 594 vandalism
is defined as, “maliciously damaging, destroying or defacing another person’s property.” I would argue that a solid defense to vandalism is that you are not destroying or damaging, but rather enhancing and improving another’s property. So, my advice is to go with good intent to improve and enhance, don’t carry spray paint, and try your best not to get caught. I’m sure many other community members would appreciate your efforts. Disclaimer: The advice offered is intended for informational purposes only. This advice is not intended to replace or substitute for any professional, financial, medical, legal, or other professional advice.
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lmost everyone has heard that the new COVID vaccines were developed in less than one year. Many people are afraid of these vaccines because they believe that the process was rushed. But these new vaccines were not really designed in just one year — it has actually taken 30 years of research to produce today’s Covid vaccines. Last year, when scientists first began to look for a COVID -19 vaccine, they got a fortunate break from the nature of COVID itself. Scientists quickly found that the COVID-19 virus is actually a new strain of an older virus, called SARS. (SARS means Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.) Because COVID-19 is a member of the SARS family, scientists were able to use the structural foundation from
a current SARS vaccine, as the primary building block for the new COVID-19 vaccines. Scientist were also able to use the amazing power of a concept called CRISPR. (CRISPR is a technique used to find a specific bit of a DNA gene sequence inside a cell.) The possibility of using CRISPR was first suggested thirty years ago, in the 1990s, but it did not become workable for vaccine development until recently, in 2015. It used to take three to six months to complete some key laboratory tasks in virus research, but CRISPR now allows scientists to do this work in just a few days.
Another remarkable modern technology, called mRNA, was also discovered about thirty years ago. (mRNA, or Messenger RNA, is a process that makes multiple copies of a specific characteristic found in the DNA of the virus.) Both the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccines are mRNA vaccines. In the last ten years, Messenger RNA technology has become a viable lab process, and has allowed COVID-19 vaccines to be developed with breathtaking speed. Scientists use mRNA to create millions of copies of the protein “spike” that appears inside the COVID virus. When placed in
EQUESTRIANS Continued from Page 1
Courtesy photo
Lexi Ferguson and her horse Duke compete in a barrel racing event. Her goal is to make it to the National Finals Rodeo.
faces, however, go beyond the competition itself. “One of the most challenging parts of riding is living up to my father’s expectations because he’s a semi-pro,” Gonzalez said about stepping out of her father’s shadow. “He wants me to learn at my pace, but in the back of my head I want to be as good or better. He really wants me to succeed and puts me in situations to grow and learn.” While riding begets a fair amount of stress, it simultaneously
Scientist were also able to use the amazing power of a concept called CRISPR. the vaccine, these copied “spikes” are recognized by our immune system, which prevents us from getting the disease. The new COVID-19 vaccines are the first mRNA vaccines ever created. Just about all the vaccines we used for the past 60 years contained some of the live virus, or a weakened version of the live virus, or some inactive (dead) virus. What makes mRNA vaccines so unique is that they contain none of the deadly virus — none at all! Messenger RNA vaccines are the first ever vaccines that do not contain any of the deadly virus. provides Gonzalez a soothing solace. “Recently, I’ve had a lot of stress and anxiety,” Gonzalez explained. “When you ride horses, you just focus on them and don’t think about outside things or distractions. It’s very therapeutic for me.” Gonzalez continues to blaze her own trail with promise that it’ll lead her to a spot on the collegiate polo team at Cal Poly San Louis Obispo. Blessed with youth, skill and an abundance of opportunity, there’s no doubt Ferguson and Gonzalez will ride head on into success.
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CENTENARIAN Continued from Page 1 family until the evacuation in 1942 — a direct result of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Shimomura and his family — along with approximately 20,000 others of Japanese ancestry — were evacuated and placed among 10 internment camps. Shimomura was placed at a camp in southeastern Colorado until 1945 after the conclusion of World War II. In 1946, Shimomura returned to Winters, started a family, and was invited to live and work on the Tufts apricot ranch. While living at Tufts Ranch,
Shimomura did all of the general farm work associated with tending an apricot orchard. “He pruned the trees in the late fall, repaired equipment in the winter, sprayed, irrigated and thinned the budding apricots in the spring, and helped in the picking, packing and shipping in the summer” wrote Floyd. In 1950, Mary J. Bassett invited Shimomura and his family to return to Bassett Ranch as tenants. Bassett inherited Bassett Ranch from her parents in mid-1930, but it was her uncle Bill Bassett who managed and resided on the property.
In addition to the farm work that Shimomura’s father and mother did prior to being evacuated, they also provided elder care for Bill during his last years. Due to the kindness that Shimomura’s parents showed to Bill in the pre-war years, Bassett felt gratitude toward the Shimomura family and sold Bassett Ranch to Shimomura three years later. Shimomura loved living and raising his family in Winters. He enjoyed a long career in farming until retiring in 1984, after all four of his children had gone to UC Davis and were pursuing
other careers. After retirement, Shimomura sold Bassett Ranch but continued to live there until 1989 when he moved to Woodland. To the Japanese community, the Centenarian Recognition is a token of gratitude for a long life of service. To Shimomura, receiving the Centenarian Recognition meant honoring his father’s life and achieving what he was unable to do. But to Floyd, the Centenarian Recognition that his father received is a source of pride because it shows their family’s deep roots in the Winters community.
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B8 — Winters Express, Wednesday, March 3, 2021
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