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Volume 138, Number 7 — Locally owned since 1884
The hometown paper of Ernie Gaddini
Winters, Yolo County, California, Wednesday, March 17, 2020
Yolo County eliminating overdue library fines at all branches
Yolo County eyeing a move to orange next week
By Anne Ternus-Bellamy
By Anne Ternus-Bellamy
McNaughton Media The Yolo County Library will stop assessing and collecting overdue fines effective April 1. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday, March 9 to eliminate late fees on regular items, special materials and electronic equipment borrowed from county libraries. The move comes two years after the board ended overdue fees for children’s accounts. According to Yolo County librarian Mark Fink, that decision in January 2019 resulted in a 28 percent increase in borrowing by children and youths compared to 2018. “This finding is consistent with results nationwide that the elimination of extended use fees reduces barriers for customers to access library resources and leads to increased use for all of our customers,” Fink’s report to the board said. “This change in practice is consistent with the li-
McNaughton Media
Courtesy photo
Ruby Buentello, Winters Community Library Interim Branch Supervisor places a book back on the shelf in the Children’s area. brary’s mission to pro- sult in a loss of about vide access for all to $40,000 in annual liideas that inform, en- brary revenues, representing about 1 pertertain and inspire.” “I love it,” said Su- cent of the Yolo Counpervisor Oscar Ville- ty Library budget. But Fink said it will gas of West Sacramenalso improve efficiento. “This makes all the cy. sense in the world.” See LIBRARY, Page 3 The move will re-
School district announces resignation of Waggoner principal next school year Winters Joint Unified School District Superintendent Diana Jiménez announced the resignation of the Waggoner Elementary school principal on Tuesday, March 16. In a message sent to the Winters JUSD community, she said Jennifer Kloczko, Waggoner Elementary Principal, had made the personal decision to accept a principal position in another district beginning in the fall of the 2021-22 school year. Kloczko has served as the Waggoner
administrator since March 2019. She came with 17 years of experience as a primary teacher and six as a site administrator. Over the past two years, she has accomplished a great deal for Winters youngest students bringing changes at Waggoner to allow staff to really focus on the foundation of literacy skills of TK through second grade and support student achievement. In a previous interview with the Express, Kloczko said her theory in working with youth as an educator is she wants every student to grow from wherever they are. Her goals for the
Index
Weather
Features ........................ B-1
Date Rain High Low
By Crystal Apilado Editor-in-Chief
Classifieds ................... B-6 Community .................. A-2
March 10 .32”
59˚ 40˚
March 11 .23”
55˚ 34˚
March 12 TRACE 60˚ 40˚ March 13 .00
70˚ 35˚
Eventos hispanos ....... A-4
March 14 .00
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March 15 .17”
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Opinion ......................... B-3
March 16 .03”
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Real Estate ................... B-2 Sports ........................... A-5
Rain for week: 0.75 in. Season’s total: 7.97 in. Last sn. to date: 11.94 in. Winters rainfall season began 7/1/20. Weather readings are taken at 9 a.m. daily.
staff include making an effort to learn where students are beginning and providing each student appropriate challenges giving them the opportunity to grow. “Students come with different skill sets and talents. We want every student to grow,” said Kloczko at the time. “There’s no other job that prepares kids for every other job. We’re preparing for their future and making a difference. It’s so exciting to watch them grow and learn. It’s rewarding. It’s a lot of fun.” Jiménez said all who have worked with Kloczko will miss her positive energy and instructional leadership. “She is reliably enthusiastic about teaching and learning, and relentlessly supportive of all students and their families. In addition to championing our students, Mrs. Kloczko is a strong district collaborator and team player. I am personally sad to lose such an amazing colleague, but I am grateful for the time and talent that she has given us over the past two years,” Jiménez said.
Yolo County is just a week away from moving to the orange tier for the first time during the pandemic. The state’s color-coded, tier-based blueprint for reopening allows counties to move to a less-restrictive tier after meeting the metrics for that tier for two consecutive weeks. Yolo County met the first-week requirement for the orange tier based on numbers released by the state on Tuesday, including an adjusted case rate of 3.3 per 100,000 residents; a test positivity rate below 1 percent and a health equity quartile rate
— which measures test positivity in the most disadvantaged communities — of 2.7 percent. The county’s actual case rate of 6.6 per 100,000 residents would not have met the threshold for the orange tier, but the county benefits from its large volume of COVID-19 testing, for which the state provides a bonus. Tuesday’s numbers were based on the week ending March 6 and next week’s will be based on the week ending March 13. If Yolo County does move to the orange tier on March 24, the following changes would occur: • Places of worship could expand indoor
By Anne Ternus-Bellamy McNaughton Media As of Monday, the pool of California residents eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine now encompasses nearly half of the state’s population. Among those who are newly eligible: individuals ages 16 to 64 with severe underlying health conditions or disabilities; utility workers who respond to emergencies; public transit workers; janitors in non-healthcare settings; and disaster service workers activated for emergency response. Also eligible this week: massage therapists and librarians, as well as residents of high-risk congregate settings.
The addition of individuals with highrisk health conditions and disabilities has been expected for several weeks. Meanwhile, the state has been negotiating with unions on the addition of specific job sectors, including transit workers and janitors. As of Monday, all joined the currently eligible population of healthcare workers, individuals over age 65, and workers in food and agriculture, education and childcare, and emergency services. However, even while many more people became eligible for a vaccine as if Monday, “there won’t be any more vaccine supply right away,” Dr. Aimee Sisson,
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Yolo County’s health officer, said in a PSA produced by Davis Media Access. “We will not have enough doses to immediately vaccinate everyone who is eligible,” said Sisson, “so I ask for your continued patience as we vaccinate residents.” Those newly eligible because they are at high risk for severe disease or death from COVID-19 will have to self-attest to that fact and will not be required to provide documentation. Medical conditions which make an individual eligible for the vaccine are: • Cancer, current with debilitated or immunocompromised state.
See VACCINE, Page 3
Yoche Dehe looking to move cannabis cultivation out of Capay Valley By Edward Booth Express staff writer The Yolo County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to table the county’s new cannabis land use ordinance on March 9 for a few months at the request of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation. The move happened after the Yocha Dehe proposed a plan to help relocate cannabis production out of the Capay Valley, the ancestral homeland of the tribe. Omar Carillo, Yocha Dehe director of government affairs, said at the meeting
that the Capay Valley, which constitutes the tribe’s ancestral and present day homeland, has become overrun with cannabis cultivation. The area represents eight percent of the Yolo County’s landmass, he said, but produces about half of the cannabis in the county. “Cannabis operations are simply incompatible with the unique topography character of the valley, not to mention the rural way of life and the culture for the people who live there,” Carillo said. “The tribe respectfully submits that the Capay Valley is a
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See ORANGE, Page 3
Vaccine eligibility expanding to more Californians
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capacity from 25 percent to 50 percent. • Movie theater capacity would expand from 25 percent or 100 people (whichever is fewer) to 50 percent or 200 people (whichever is fewer). • Gyms and fitness centers could expand indoor capacity from 10 percent to 25 percent. • Restaurants could expand indoor capacity from 25 percent or 100 people (whichever is fewer) to 50 percent or 200 people (whichever is fewer. • Wineries, breweries and distilleries could open indoors at 25 percent capacity or 100 people (whichever is fewer). • Bars could open
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Yolo County treasure, it deserves special land protection akin to that provided to other special areas with the goal of relocating all cannabis cultivation out of this agricultural gem.” The tribe wishes to relocate cannabis cultivation elsewhere by giving cannabis producers in the area a “soft landing” by compensating them for the land they purchased in the Valley while also paying a premium to help cover relocation costs, Carillo said. “The tribe and its neighbors have a
See CANNABIS, Page 3
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