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Volume 139, Number 19 — Locally-owned since 1884
Winters, Yolo County, California, Wednesday, June 8, 2022
The hometown paper of David Herbst
LOOK INSIDE FOR WINTERS 2022 GRADUATION SPECIAL SECTION! Free copies available at Winters Museum during regular business hours, while supplies last. 13 Russell St., Thursday thru Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m.
Childcare crisis hits Winters By Aaron Geerts Express staff writer As if there wasn’t enough to stress about these days, finding childcare is another anxiety-inducing problem for parents and guardians. Unfortunately, Winters is not immune to the childcare crisis currently impacting the nation. There are a number of factors contributing to the childcare crisis the country finds itself in. Lack of funding for one, which contributes to the lack of attraction and retention of early childcare providers. Also, the cost of early childcare and infant care is often more than what
some families can afford — if they can even find them in the first place. And, of course, the recent pandemic has only added fuel to this fire. According to the article, “The True Cost of Providing Safe Childcare During the Coronavirus Pandemic,” the cost of childcare has increased 47 percent for childcare centers and 70 percent for family childcare homes. Accompanying that is data from the California Childcare Resource and Referral Network that indicate from January 2020 to January 2021 there was a 53 percent loss of licensed childcare centers and a 23 percent loss of licensed
childcare in Yolo County. “The childcare system in Yolo County, the state and the nation is fragile. Then going into the pandemic, an already-fragile and very decentralized system has become even more battered and tenuous,” said Gina Daleiden, Executive Director of First 5 Yolo. “Childcare is an underfunded system and many parents in Yolo County rely on smaller family childcare homes or private centers and that’s the system that’s been so battered during the pandemic. Childcare workers became first
See CRISIS, Page 3
Editor-in-Chief
EXPRESS
With Winters Joint Unified School Districts students officially on summer break, Winters Community Library has adjusted their hours to accommodate when schools is not in session. Face coverings are required when visiting the library during
specified hours, and are highly encouraged during the rest of the day. The Winters library curbside service was discontinued mid-May. This summer, the Winters Library hours are: • Monday/Wednesday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Mask Only 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. • Tuesday/Thursday: 12 – 8 p.m. • Friday/Saturday: 1 – 5 p.m. The Winters Library is closed on Sundays. The library hours are scheduled
through out the summer and will resume the “School In Session” hours on Aug. 20.
New program The Winters Community Library launched Mangonada Mondays. The free program, sponsored by the Winters Friends of the Library, is hosted on Mondays from 3 – 4 p.m. in the Margaret Parsons Room. The program is ideal for children ages six to 12. Attendees
See LIBRARY, Page 3
Index Features ........................ B-1 Classifieds ................... B-4 Community .................. A-2
We at he r Date
Rain
High
Jun. 01
.00
87˚
52˚
Jun. 02
.00
95˚
63˚
Jun. 03
.00
94˚
65˚
Low
Jun. 04 TRACE
86˚
61˚
Eventos hispanos ....... A-6
Jun. 05
79˚
59˚
Jun. 06 TRACE
81˚
56˚
Opinion ......................... B-3
Jun. 07
88˚
59˚
Real Estate ................... B-2 Athlete of the Week..... B-6
.22” .00
Chaplain Robert Duvall and K-9 service dog Kepi retired from the Winters Crisis Intervention team last May. On Monday, Duvall announced the duo is looking to get back into helping others and launched a GoFundMe to obtain a K-9 vehicle.
GoFundMe campaign set up for Duvall and K-9 Kepi By Rick von Geldern Express staff writer
Winters library launches new program, summer hours By Crystal Apilado
Courtesy photo
Rain for week: 0.22 in. Season’s total: 18.51 in. Last sn. to date: 7.99 in. Winters rainfall season began 7/1/21. Weather readings are taken at 9 a.m.
Last May Chaplain Robert Duvall and his K-9 service dog Kepi announced their retirement from the Winters Public Safety Crises Intervention Team where for over six years they volunteered and provided police, fire and community support. In Duvall and Kepi’s case, their retirement from public service didn’t last long and they created a GoFundMe campaign last week in effort to raise $20,000 to purchase and equip a K-9 vehicle.
“We currently work for the Vacaville Fire Protection District, again as volunteers and respond to any agency in Solano County,” Duvall wrote on the campaign page. “I’ve often been asked why I do this type of work. The simple answer is that I have a passion for helping others. That’s why I chose a career in Public Safety,” he added. After a distinguished career in Public Safety that included stints as a police officer, deputy sheriff, deputy coroner, flight medic and supervisory paramedic, Duvall retired in 2011 due to
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By Rick von Geldern Express staff writer There is no question that Winters is growing and along with growing are occasional “growing pains.” With hundreds of new homes built over the past six years and hundreds more on the way, concerns are being expressed of increased truck traffic, construction noise, dust, debris, city staffing shortages and an occasional planning oversight. One new issue first came before the Winters City Council at
the April 19 meeting by Mark Chambers, owner of Chambers Pools. Chambers explained he was hired by homeowner Sue Davis to build an inground swimming pool in her brandnew home’s backyard in the Heartland development. When he checked with the city to see if he could start digging the hole prior to applying for a permit, he was told there was inadequate permeable space and that, according to the city code, a pool would not be permitted.
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See KEPI, Page 2
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a medical condition. In 2013, Duvall was ordained as a law enforcement chaplain and in 2015, along with the Winters Police Department, he co-created the Winters Public Safety Crises Intervention Team and in that same year, Duvall was given a service dog, Kepi. For years, Duvall and Kepi were welcomed figures around Winters, both as stewards of the community and in service to first responders. Kepi was trained to detect stress, anxiety, depression and PTSD
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Davis told the Express when buying her home and dealing with the sales office, she expressed her desire upfront for a pool and was provided with referrals to pool builders by the sales representative. However, as Davis and others are learning, the City of Winters has had a section in its municipal code that, until recently hasn’t enforced limiting a lot’s impervious site coverage to 50 percent for single story homes. Smaller lot sizes
See CODE, Page 3
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