Winters Express Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Eighth graders make environmental change Features, Page 1

Trustees hear Facilities Master Plan costs proposal

By Jacob Hoffman Express staff writer

The Winters Joint Unified School District Board of Trustee were presented with an updated draft of the district’s facilities master plan by Trent Sommers, the Principal Architect at Casa Studio, and Project Development representative Jennifer Gibb at its May 18 meeting.

The presentation included community demographics, enrollment projections, financial strategies, and current and future facility needs.

Providing an overview of the demographic information provided in more detail during the April 20 board meeting, Sommers said this data allows the district to “really dive down what you

can expect from your enrollments so you can right-size your facilities and use that information to make informed facility decisions.”

Gibb then presented the project’s financial strategies for the master plan, beginning by reviewing what funding the district currently has available for this project. According to Gibb, the district has $23 million available, with the potential of increasing that number through state funding and partnerships to reach around $40 million over the course of the next 10-20 years, as Gibb notes facilities master plans are typically “long-term” in scope. This assessment was built on a quantitative

See PLAN, Page 3

School district recognizes retiring staff, approves new emergency equipment

By Jacob Hoffman Express staff

writer

A number of items were addressed by the Winters Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees during the over two-hour meeting May 18, including recognizing retirees and the approval of facilities works across the district.

The school district recognized the contributions and services of seven retirees, including Kelly Adams, Connie Balasek, John Barsotti, Hernando Diaz, Saundra McKinney, Kristie Oates, and Jeff Sims — whose collective time at Winters JUSD is over 130 years.

Community honors local veterans who gave the ultimate sacrifice

By Crystal Apilado Editor-in-Chief

The Winters Cemetery District (WCD) hosted the first Memorial Day event in four years on Monday, May 29.

Human Resources Director Lisa Dennis provided a brief summary of the accomplishments of each retiree as well as a thank you to each departing member of the district. Board President Carrie Green expressed the gratitude of the board by saying, “Thank you to all our retirees, for your years of service, for our students and for our district.”

Van Pelt Construction Services program manager Jennifer Gibb sought board approval for the appraisal of two district properties, one at 4922 Bowman Rd. and the other at 11 E. Grant Ave. in order to determine their value, which will be done by Van Pelt Construction Services. Gibb described these appraisals as being important

See BOARD, Page 3

Joe Bristow, WCD chair, opened the event by sharing the traditional Memorial Day flag etiquette of raising the flag to full staff at sunrise and immediately lowering it to half staff, before raising it to full staff again at Noon.

“It’s delightful to see everybody here, this is the first time we’ve been able to do this in four years,” Bristow said.  The Rev. George Elrod gave the invocation and also served as the guest speaker later in the event.

Share input, hear update on County Hazard Mitigation Plan in Winters

By Crystal Apilado Editor-in-Chief

The Yolo County Office of Emergency Services is hosting a public meeting in Winters on June 7, from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Winters City Hall conference room (318

First St.) to gain input from residents on the potential hazards and potential strategies on how to reduce the hazard impacts in Yolo County and to share an update of the county’s Hazard Mitigation Plan.

The county’s Hazard Mitigation Plan assesses the risk of floods, drought, wildfires, severe weather and other natural hazards of concern.

Residents can view the 2018 plan at https://tinyurl.com/ OESPlans.

The plan is updated every five years and submitted to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In partnership with the cities and special districts in Yolo County, the 2023 update will address an updated list of hazards, assess the likely impacts of

those hazards, revise goals and prioritize projects to reduce the effects of future disasters in our communities.

All county residents are encouraged to provide their input by attending one of the scheduled public meetings where information about the plan, including the hazards identified, will be discussed. Hard copies of the plan will be available at the scheduled public meetings, and also accessible at https://tinyurl.com/ OESPlans after the meetings.

Meeting dates

In addition to the June 7 meeting in Winters, the schedule of public meetings includes:

• June 5, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Fire Station 45,

2040 Lake Washington Blvd. in West Sacramento

• June 6, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Knights Landing Community Center, 42114 Seventh St. in Knights Landing

• June 7, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., Woodland Community Center, 2001 East St. in Woodland

• June 8, 6 to 7 p.m., Virtual Meeting accessed at https://tiny url.com/2023-YoloHMP

• June 9, 10 to 11 a.m., Davis Senior Center Game Room, 646 A St. in Davis

Residents can submit comments by email to OES@yolo county.org.

For more information, call the Yolo County Office of Emergency Services at 530-406-4930 or email oes@yolocoun ty.org.

Crystal Apilado/Winters Express

Crystal Apilado/Winters Express

Members of Winters Girl Scout Troops 1225, 1933 and 2744 recite the Pledge of Allegiance at the Memorial Day ceremony on May 29. See MEMORIAL, Page 3

On Monday, May 29, the Service Veterans of Northern California Volunteer Honor Guard did a 21-gun salute at a Memorial Day ceremony in honor of the 26 veterans killed in action who are laid to rest at the Winters Cemetery.

Lake Berryessa water levels down

The water level of Lake Berryessa went down during the past week by 0.25 feet, with a decrease in the storage of 4,490 acre-feet of water, according to Ken Emigh of the Solano Irrigation District. On the morning of Tuesday, May 30 the lake level was 430.35

feet above sea level, with storage computed at 1,374,028 acre-feet of water. Evaporation on the lake averaged 264 acre-feet of water per day.

The SID is diverting 359 cubic feet per second of water in the Putah South Canal, with 44 cubic feet per second flowing at the Diversion Dam.

plant fruit trees on

By Ava Coker, Erika Garcia and Nevaeh Gutierrez Special to the Express

In the Winters Middle School Environmental Education class there have been multiple projects completed to help with not only our earth but also our school. Our group decided to plant six fruit trees — two apples, two pomegranates and two pineapple guava.

This project was originally proposed by Maci Dodic, Chase Gibson and Alberto Zaragoza in the fall of 2022 and approved by the Board of Trustees. It has been funded by the Caring For Our Watersheds program. We decided to implement this project because we could use fresh fruit in our school lunches or breakfasts. The trees also beautify our campus and help our environment. The fruit trees we planted take in CO2 (carbon

dioxide) and release oxygen into the atmosphere. This helps get rid of unwanted greenhouse gasses.

Our group is very thrilled we had the opportunity to help our earth and our school become a better place.

Eventos hispanos

Mercado de Agricultura Dominical pendiente de aprobación del condado

Se están realizando esfuerzos para revivir un mercado de agricultura local en Winters.

Chris Turkovich, presidente de la Asociación de Negocios del Centro (Downtown Business Association - Winters DBA) y propietario de Turkovich Family Wines, le dijo al Winters Express en una llamada telefónica que actualmente están esperando la aprobación del Condado Yolo para hacerlo oficial, pero Winters DBA recibió el visto bueno del personal de la ciudad para comenzar a comercializar el Sunday Farmers Market (Mercado de Agricultura Dominical) en las redes sociales.

Ahmad (Simba) Baratti, de Simba’s Heirloom Farm, está coordinando los esfuerzos y presentó la solicitud al Condado Yolo. Según Turkovich, una vez que reciban la aprobación del Condado, volverán al Ayuntamiento Municipal de Winters (Winters City Council) para solicitar una modificación al horario del cierre de calles aprobado en

Febrero.

En la reunión del Concejo Municipal de Winters del pasado 7 de Febrero, los miembros del concejo aprobaron que Main Street estaría cerrada desde la intersección de Railroad Avenue hasta el cruce de peatones en Paseo Park desde el último fin de semana de Marzo hasta el último fin de semana de Octubre de Viernes a Domingo por la tarde (antes del mediodía) para el 2023. La administradora de la ciudad, Kathleen Trepa, señaló que la ciudad tiene personal programado para trabajar hasta el mediodía los Domingos y que la reapertura de la calle debería alinearse con el cronograma. Turkovich dijo que Winters DBA solicitará al consejo que modifique la reapertura dominical para volver a un cierre dominical de todo el día para adaptarse al horario del Mercado de Agricultura Dominical de 9 a.m. a 1 p.m. Sin embargo, los organizadores están esperando la aprobación del condado antes de que el cierre de la calle pueda presentarse ante el Concejo Municipal de Winters.

Mientras tanto, los vendedores relacionados con la agricultura pueden comunicarse con Baratti para obtener más información sobre cómo inscribirse para participar en el Sunday Farmers Market enviando un correo electrónico a simba@ simbasheirloomfarm. com. Turkovich dijo que Winters DBA se acercó a Baratti porque tiene experiencia y conocimiento sobre la organización de mercados de agricultores. Winters DBA continuará ayudando a promover y reunir a la comunidad para que participe y asista. “Este es nuestro segundo esfuerzo en un mercado de agricultores. Lo intentamos hace unos 10 años y no funcionó del todo. Al ponerlo en Main Street y contar con el apoyo de la comunidad, esperamos que este mercado de agricultores dure,” dijo. Con la aprobación del condado, se espera que el Sunday Farmers Market funcione todos los Domingos del 11 de Junio al 24 de Septiembre en el centro de Main Street de 9 a.m. a 1 p.m. Turkovich dijo que las actualizaciones se compartirán en el Winters Express y en el sitio web Discover Winters y en las cuentas de redes sociales.

Por Crystal Apilado Traducido por Carol Alfonso

Courtesy photo

Nevaeh Gutierrez, Erika Garcia and Ava Coker carry a young tree to a spot on the Winters Middle School campus where they will plant it with five other fruit trees.

Elrod is a decorated combat veteran having received a Bronze Star and Purple Heart while serving in Vietnam. He has also authored a book about his experience there and is currently working on a second book.

said in his speech. “Memorial Day is the time for Americans to reconnect with their history and core values by honoring those who gave their lives for the ideals we cherish.”

“This day is about those who did not come home. Those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, those who gave their lives for us to live free,” Elrod

BOARD

Continued from Page 1

for the school district to “understand the potential value of those properties [in order] to help aid the master planning process,” and that appraisals allow Winters JUSD to “use properties that you might not have student use on for partnership leveraging, or trade, or sale,” concluding that it gives the district, “a data point that (they) can use.”

Gibb also presented an action item propos-

PLAN

Continued from Page 1

This assessment was built on a quantitative study based on the useful life of systems and components, including the costs of rehabilitation and the remaining system life and anticipated future costs, with the end goal of creating a “living document to help direct the next decade of facility spending.”

Sommers noted that the district has thus far done a good job of maintaining its facilities through routine maintenance, with the Facility Condition Index used by the assessment finding most buildings to be in good or excellent condition, but that ongoing maintenance needs are always going to appear.

The costs involved in the plan are broken down into four sections, which are construction costs, general conditions, which Sommers describes as “the costs associated with actually doing the work” required ADA upgrades; and project soft costs, which are, “the fees you give out to get the work done…the cost of doing business as navigating a system as complex as doing an architecture project with the state of California.”

Elrod read the list of 26 names of local veterans who were killed in actions and asked attendees if they recognized any of them, before pointing out how close to home it hit.

Winters Girl Scouts from Troops 1225, 1933 and 2744 (and this editor) led attendees in

ing a repainting of the Winters High School gym.

“As part of your amazing high school site,” Gibb explained, “we’d like to showcase some of the existing buildings, and one of them is the gymnasium,” continuing that, “we’d like to request approval for moving forward with getting some new paints.”

Gibb says that Winters JUSD has already solicited two quotes, the second of which from H.B. Restoration Inc. quote was for $36,600.00, considerably less than the first quote with the poten-

ed by site, the assessment found that the 200 Baker St. building will be around $227.50 per square foot, about $271.25 per square foot for Waggoner (Elementary), about $190 per square foot at (Shirley Rominger Intermediate), about $210 per square foot at (Winters Middle School), and about $86 per square foot at (Winters High School), which Sommers notes

the Pledge of Allegiance and in a singalong to My County Tis of Thee. David Hawk provided music for singalongs to multiple patriotic songs including America the Beautiful and the Star Spangled Banner.

The Service Veterans of Northern California Volunteer Honor Guard were present during the ceremony and fired a 21-gun salute in honor of the 26 veterans who were killed in action and 468 veterans who are laid to rest in the Win-

tial for being even less if work takes place during the off-season/ before the summer break.

ters Cemetery.

Trumpeter Michael Haviland performed Taps to conclude the ceremony.

Many local veterans were in attendance, as well as their families, community members, Mayor Bill Biasi, Mayor Pro Tempore Albert Vallecillo, Council member Jesse Loren, and Yolo County Supervisor Lucas Freirichs.

Bristow thanked the VFW for helping to place flags in downtown Winters, as well as volunteers who helped to place 494 flags on all of the veterans’ graves on Friday morning.

The event was livestreamed on Facebook by Elrod’s wife Jan Elrod. The Winters Express is looking into whether the video can be embedded on its website for those who would like to view it.

complete before the next school year.

As the last item of the facilities portion of the meeting,

public announcement server system.

Lavelle explained that the current server which hosts the Rau-

and will no longer accept manufacturer updates or improvements,” which means it, “will not support new equipment…or accept any new emergency updates or any construction that happens moving forward.”

As an “apples to apples” comparison of the costs estimat-

as exceptionally low. The presentation includes detailed reasoning and background for each estimate provided and concludes that shortterm needs will total around $22.6 million, intermediate needs around $5.4 million, and long-term needs around $5 million.

Sommers explained that in all of these assessments “the (facility) need exceeds (the facility) funding potential” and stressed that “you are in a good space, I want to reiterate that your maintenance seems to be doing a very good job…I don’t think I’ve assessed any other school that’s below 10,” referring to WHS’s “excellent”

When asked by Trustee Sterling Davis about the timeline, Gibb said if approved the construction would take place over the summer and be

rating on the Facility Condition Index.

But Sommers also noted, “You do have needs, and you want to proactively plan those to make sure you meet them.”

Trustees expressed some concern over the cost of the WHS construction with President Carrie Green saying, “It really is almost a brand new campus, so to see that as the highest need in the short term is really confusing.”

Sommers explained that “it’s because of the size,” continuing that, “all of that campus is permanently built, so we assessed all of it, and so when you start to spread out that much money over that much area, it just adds up slowly.”

Sommers also reiterated that maintenance costs will appear no matter what, noting that WHS is in excellent condition, “but that doesn’t make the maintenance costs zero.” He also pointed back to the other costs besides construction and noted that if the cost per square foot were that of Waggoner, short-term costs for WHS alone would

Raena Lavelle, Winters JUSD Coordinator of Educational and Informational Technology, requested approval for the replacement of the phone

reach more than $20 million.

Gibb acknowledged that “it is hard when you put so much money into a campus to even fathom that ‘whoa, it needs $8 million today,’ but we have to be thoughtful of the reality of these maintenance needs, and that’s what we want the community to understand.”

Trustee Kristin Trott also asked if there was room for spreading out costs from ideal standards, such as, “spreading out carpets every five years instead of three.”

Here, Sommers pointed back to the “living document” basis of the facilities master plan, calling this assessment, “all the clay on the wheel,” and that when the district decides how to move forward, “now you have all the data, because what we want you to do is be able to make informed decisions on data you can rely on.”

Regarding shortterm next steps, Gibb explained that they will present a final master plan at the next board meeting, and suggests holding a board study session focused on this plan.

Green acknowledged the presentation’s data was “overwhelming” and left some questions, but that it will prompt, “a lot of good conversations that need to be had.”

land and Mitel System which includes district phones, bells, the PA system and emergency announcement system, “is past its life expectancy,

This change will also take place during the summer, Lavelle said, so there should be no disruption to the bell system, and will cost $25,802.17 taken from the Measure R Bond funds.

The board passed all the above agenda items unanimously.

Crystal Apilado/Winters Express

Veteran Rev. George Elrod gave the invocation and was the guest speaker at the May 29 Memorial Day event.

“(The emergency announcement system) is past its life expectency and will no longer accept manufacturer updates or improvements.”

Raena Lavelle, technology coordinator

“Memorial Day is the time for Americans to reconnect with their history and core values by honoring those who gave their lives for the ideals we cherish.”

George Elrod, speaker

“The (facility) need exceeds (the facility) funding potential.”

Trent Sommers, architect

City of Winters

Fire

May 17: Vehicle

Fire, Co Road 89

May 18: Medical

Aid, 800 block of Carrion Circle

~Medical Aid, 100 block of E. Baker Street

~Medical Aid, 900 block of Railroad Avenue

~Medical Aid, 700 block of Dutton Street

May 19: Medical

Aid, 100 block of Second Street

~Vehicle Accident, Hwy 128

~Medical Aid, 1000 block of Taylor Street

May 20: Medical

Aid, 10 block of Main Street

~Medical Aid, 200 block of Rosa Avenue

~Medical Aid, 400 block of Morgan Street

~Vehicle Accident, Co Road 31

~Medical Aid, 700 block of Matsumoto

Lane

May 21: Medical

Aid, 700 block of Valley Oak Drive

May 22: Medical

Aid, 100 block of Orchard Lane

~Vehicle Accident, Co Road 89

~Medical Aid, 400 block of Morgan Street

~Lift Assist, 400 block of Main Street

May 23: Medical

Aid, Russell Boulevard

Police Arrest Log

May 14: Banuelos, Luis Alberto (Age 34), Charges: Two Winters PD warrants, Disposition:

Transported to Yolo County Jail

~Duran, Raul

Jose (Age 42);

Charges: Probation

Violation, Public Intoxication, Disposition: Transported to Yolo County Jail

May 21: Luna, Alexis (Age 18),

Charges: Under the influence of a controlled substance, Disposition:

Transported to Yolo County Jail

May 22: Cortez, Omar (Age 30);

Charges: Convicted felon in possession of ammunition, Violation of PRCS

Terms, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia; Disposition: Transported to Yolo County Jail ~Pena, Holly Anne (Age 32);

Charges: Possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia; Disposition: Released on Notice to Appear

May 23: Roberts, Christopher (Age 38), Charges: Davis PD Warrant, Disposition: Transported to Yolo County Jail

Report Log

May 18: 4:56 a.m.,100th block of E. Main Street, Vehicle Burglary

~8:11 a.m.,200th block of Emery Street, Vehicle Burglary

~9:05 a.m., 200th block of Railroad Avenue, Towed Vehicle

~9:23 a.m., 10th block of Main Street, Towed Vehicle

~9:49 a.m., 700th block of Matsumoto Lane, Suspicious Circumstances ~4:30 p.m., 100th block of Grant Avenue, Distribute Intimate Image with the intent to humiliate

~6:16 p.m., 700th block of Dutton Street, Industrial Accident

May 19: 2:36 a.m., 700th block of Matsumoto Lane, Audible Alarm

May 21: 10 p.m., 800th block of Dutton Street, CPS Referral

May 23: 2:32 a.m., 200th block of Railroad Avenue, Audible Alarm ~10:18 a.m., 700th block of Hill Place, Fraud

~2:10 p.m., SB

I-505/Russell Boulevard, Missing Person Located

For our editorial policy on crime log entries, see winters express.com/unpub lishing-policy.

The Winters Senior Center is seeking funding for equipment and programming. Mail checks payable to Winter Senior Center Fund to: Yolo Community Foundation, P.O. Box 1264, Woodland, CA 95776

145 Years Ago

June 1, 1878

(From the files of the Winters Advocate)

George Turner has opened a barber shop next door to the Advocate office, where he is prepared to do all work in his line.

Mr. B. Mooney has had fitted up a fine first class saloon, Main Street, Winters, where he keeps constantly on hand the finest brands of whiskies, brandies, wines and cigars; also agent for the Empire Brewery beer.  Wool is coming into town in large quantities and is commanding from 18 to 22 cents per pound.

130 Years Ago

June 3, 1893

There was a strawberry festival last Thursday evening in the parlors of the Peacock Hotel in Monticello. It was gotten up by friends and admirers of Miss Stitts, teacher of the Monticello School, now taking a couple of months’ vacation.

George Hurd has opened a new barber shop in Doll’s building, on Main Street, and is very neatly and cosily fitted up.

George Morris’ horse ran away on Tuesday evening last, breaking his buggy

Years Ago

Dispatches from the Express archives.

and scratching the horse’s legs up considerably. Mrs. Morris was in the buggy when the horse started and was thrown out. She was considerably bruised and shaken but, fortunately, was not seriously hurt. The accident was caused by a kitten running against the horse’s legs.

At the regular meeting of Golden Rod Parlor, Native Daughters of the Golden West, held last Monday evening, the following officers were elected to serve the ensuing term: President, Nora Sims; first vice president, Ida Lamme; second vice president, Ada Hanson; third vice president, Mary Johnson; recording secretary, Maye Wolfe; financial secretary, Annie Snodgrass; treasurer, Pauline Spencer; Marshal, Bertha Wolf; and past president, Emma Rust.

95 Years Ago

June 1, 1928

The new high school

gymnasium was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies Friday evening. There was a large gathering of interested community people. Trustee W.A. Brinck acted as master of ceremonies. The high school quartet, George Chapman, Henry Forden, Arthur Belz and Norval Morlan, Patty Baker accompanist, favored with two selections.

Miss Lorene Waggoner came over from Sacramento for a week-end visit at the J.S. Waggoner home.

Miss Frances Wolfskill of Oakland is visiting with her aunt, Mrs. Sallie Ish.

Mrs. Ruth Hoskins and Miss Lillis Chapman graduate from Mills College next Friday and receive their degree of Bachelor of Arts.

Rev. and Mrs. John Young were given a basket dinner by the membership of the Christian church at noon Sunday as a goodbye on the eve of their departure to Oregon.

Mr. and Mrs.

Obituary

Gregg Stevenson Blandin passed away on Sunday, April 23, 2023, at his home in Winters surrounded by his family. He was 65 years old and had battled cancer for six years. He is mourned by his wife Annette; his children Krista and Stefan; his children-in-law Joseph Bouton and Shahlo Blandin Teshaeva; his

granddaughter Nyomi; and many, many friends across the world. His family and friends will gather together in Winters on Friday, June 9 to celebrate his life.

Gregg was born on October 25, 1957, in Hartford, Connecticut to Lorna and Ward Blandin. After graduating high school, he joined the United

States Navy in 1975, completing his service in 1981. He met the love of his life Annette (née Gutfeldt) while she was visiting relatives in Berkeley and they were married on Dec. 27, 1988, in Bern, Switzerland. He was a gifted engineer and

Harry Fredericks spent the last weekend at Salinas and Dillons Beach.  With Winters Post, American Legion as a nucleus, Memorial Day was observed generally in the community. The Legion boys assembled at their hall and with flags marched to the cemetery. There short services were said, taps sounded and the colors left flying at the grave of each comerade.

80 Years Ago

June 4, 1943

Carl Holmes, U.S.N., in training at Farragut, Idaho, surprised local friends by arriving with a bride the first of the week for a honeymoon visit with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. O.C, Holmes. Mrs. Buell Ish, chairman, announces that the service flag roll is complete, and is on display in the postoffice.

Mr. and Mrs. H.H. Johnston were hosts Monday evening in their home in Buckeye, honoring hostess’ nephew, John Djubek, U.S. Navy enlistee, on leave from Farragut, Idaho, prior to probable departure overseas.

At the meeting of the city council Tuesday night, Lloyd Adams was sworn in as City Clerk.

entrepreneur, founding and co-founding several successful companies. After “retiring,” he designed and constructed telescope platforms, fueled by his passion for astronomy.

Gregg was a beloved husband, father and friend. He was interested in many things and passionate about every one of his interests. A man of exceptional integrity, he did not believe in cutting corners in any of his projects. With his intelligence, humor and conversation, he touched the lives of everyone he talked to, from close friends to complete strangers. He is dearly loved. He will be so missed.

Gregg Stevenson Blandin

Courtesy photo Gregg Stevenson Blandin

Picked by Charley Wallace

Photo by Debra Ramos

OUTSTANDING ATHLETES: Students in Woody Fridae’s fifth-grade class were honored with Presidential, National and Participant physical fitness awards at an awards assembly at Waggoner School on June 10, 1993. From left (back row) are Jose Villegas, Brian Button, Sergio Prado, Miguel Guerrero, Daniel Guzman and Andrea Mayes; (front row) Omar Kozin, Tawny Carbahal, Natasha Lopez, Rosalinda Martinez and Paul Gilpin.

Project Linus gathers June 14 Community invited to Elder Day Celebration

Project Linus Special to the Express

Do you enjoy quilting, knitting or sewing? Join Project Linus to make blankets for children who are seriously ill, traumatized or otherwise in need.

Come to the gathering at the Davis Senior Center on Wednesday, June 14, from 1:30–3 p.m. to share ideas, patterns and lots of good conversation. All are welcome to attend the meeting and help sew Linus labels on handmade blankets

that will be given to Yolo County organizations that serve children in need.

Project Linus members may take home donated fabrics and yarn each month to complete a blanket. Finished blankets can be brought to the next monthly gathering or to the Joann Fabric store in Woodland.

For general information, drop-off location questions or fabric and yarn donations, contact Diane McGee at  dmmyolo@gmail.com.

Valley Clean Energy receives award for AgFIT pilot program

Valley Clean Energy Special to the Express

As part of the California Community Choice Association’s (CalCCA) annual conference from May 17–19 in San Diego, Valley Clean Energy (VCE) was honored as runner-up in the Reliability category of the annual Community Impact Awards in recognition of its AgFIT Pilot Program.

Launched in 2022, VCE’s AgFIT, or Agricultural Flexible Irrigation Technology pilot, supports local growers in decreasing energy usage and costs. In partnership with Polaris Energy Services and TeMix, the program provides incentives for irrigation automation and leverages software to help agricultural customers manage energy costs while providing maximum flexibility. The system gives agricultural customers visibility into energy prices a week ahead to help schedule irrigation for when energy costs (and other demands on the grid) are lowest.

“Valley Clean Energy is honored to be recognized for our work in Yolo County.

Serving a large agricultural sector, it is important that we develop programs and solutions to fit the needs of our customers,” said Tom Stallard, VCE’s Board Chair and Woodland city council member. “In just a short time, the program has helped growers shift about 40 percent of their energy use away from summer evening critical peak hours. We plan to expand enrollment in the program and hope to see even more impact and customer savings.”

The CalCCA Annual Conference featured workshops and sessions with keynote speakers from statewide agencies and highlighted the growing CCA movement within California. During the inaugural awards ceremony, CCA programs were recognized for their outstanding and innovative projects across three categories: Equity, Reliability, and Decarbonization.

CalCCA has 25 CCA members and six affiliates serving over 11 million customers and over 200 cities and counties throughout California.

By Wally Pearce Winters Elder Day Council

Throughout history, elder adults continue to accomplish and donate much to our families and community. That truth remains unerring today and gives us ample reason this year to reserve a special day, Elder Day, in honor of all older adults, but especially those valued elders that are 90 years of age and older, who mean so much to us.

Why are elder adults important? Because they store the wisdom that holds the family secure, makes them strong and are the ideal mentors. From all experiences the insight they have accumulated over the years, to better judge a situation and give constructive advice to their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and more. They also play a key role in solving disputes among family members.

Why is it important for elder adults to reflect on their lives?

They have the unique ability to reassemble, and that helps people remember who they used to be to help them define their identity in the current moment. The self-described stories of their past provide an incredible source of affirmation, their history is memorialized.

Why do we at the Elder Day Council ask our elderly for their treasured stories from the past? Because we believe that encouraging elder adults to share their stories benefits their emotional, physical, and mental well-being, and leads to greater empathy and a stronger connection with the listener.

Each year the Winters Elder Day Council celebrates our elder adults, applauding them publicly

festive reception. It is amazing to hear their valued stories of life and to witness a personal glimpse of history as they share their precious narratives.

One honoree recounted that as a young girl, her grandfather was so big, he resembled Popeye, and because of that she still loves Popeye. Each one of their stories is a key element lovingly woven into our community’s fabric.

Throughout history, elderly adults have achieved and shared much with all of us and yet it often goes unnoticed and sometimes even taken for granted. In too many cases, which remains true today and gives us ample reason each year to reserve a special day, Elder Day, in honor of those that are 90 years of age and older.

This year, Elder Day, Saturday, June 24, is set aside to give

homage and appreciation to our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents by showing them our sincere affection and gratitude. This is a time to bring the entire city of Winters community together to celebrate the people highlighted that day. Public acknowledgment is for their personal contributions to our families, friends, and community. In 2023, the Winters Elder Day Council will join hands with the past and present to come together.

The 90-plus crowd — those most vulnerable of human beings — is succumbing rapidly and heartbreakingly.

Entire limbs are being lopped off family trees, and their wisdom and lore far too often go unnoticed.

Many of the very oldest of those who survived world wars, polio, the Great Depression, the Holocaust,

and more, are being lost to history. Our elders are our rootstock — and connections to our past, foreign lands, and forgotten ancestors. They are our most experienced and loved continuity.

Equally important, please mark your calendars and plan on attending this wonderful Elder Day festivity on Saturday, June 24, from 2 to 4 p.m. at St. Anthony’s Parrish Hall located at 511 Main St., here in Winters. Come listen to the local history being shared in the city of Winters.

Everyone, all our families and friends, are welcome to come and share in this free gala event. Even if you do not know those being honored, come, and please link arms with us and attend the Elder Day event because you’ll be taking part and showing community support for those valued honorees.

PISANI’S ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Hayden Green

Hayden Green, a Winters High School sophomore, is Pisani’s Athlete of the Week. Green played a huge role in leading the WHS junior varsity baseball team in RBIs and fielding every position head coach, Manny Garcia needed him to. “He’s a great teammate and started out in left field. By the end of the year, he played all over the place but did a really good job at first base and second base. Not only that, but he was very coachable, too,” said Garcia.

’95 and older, vans, HD, RVs extra Must present this ad at time of write up.

OneCreek Seasonal Restoration Technician Program is back

Putah Creek Council

to the Express

Putah Creek Council’s OneCreek Seasonal Restoration Technician Program is a paid ($15.50/hour) part-time, seasonal position designed to give participants experience working with local partners and stakeholders along the Putah Creek Watershed. With the help of partner agencies, the OneCreek Program provides work experience in fieldwork days, nursery work days and skill development days.

The Summer 2023 OneCreek season will run for nine weeks: the second week of July through the first week of September, with the first week of August off. The time commitment is between 6 to 8 hours a week and includes a combination of on-site fieldwork and independent reading and research, depending on partic-

ipants’ availability. Previous restoration experience is not required and applicants do not need to be enrolled students in order to participate.

Join Putah Creek Council this summer to work with and learn from experts selected for the educational opportunities they provide in habitat restoration, native plant landscaping, outdoor recreation management, native plant propagation, and nursery operations. Technicians receive an introduction to Restoration and Conservation career paths from regional professionals.

These experts will give guided presentations and engage in discussion activities about the concepts learned. The program will include exposure to the science behind the various restoration projects and research being conducted in the region. In

addition, participants will receive the contact information of the agency representatives they gain handson experience and job training during employment. The oneon-one opportunity to gain experience in the field with prospective employers is not often presented through college courses.

Work days will be held primarily outdoors within Solano and Yolo Counties and vary depending on the day. Transportation to the work site is not provided. Applicants may apply via Google Forms, found on our website, and submit their resume and cover letter to the Education Program Manager Brenda at brenda@ putahcreekcouncil. org and cc Stewardship Program Manager Nicolle at nicolle@ putahcreekcouncil. org

More information about the 2023 OneCreek Program is available on the Putah Creek Council websites on the Job

Opportunities page under the “Who We Are” tab or visit https:// tinyurl.com/yc5x3u99. The community can also email brenda@ putahcreekcouncil. org or nicolle@putahcreekcouncil.org, or call the Putah Creek Council office at 530795-9000.

Putah Creek Council’s OneCreek Seasonal Restoration Technician Program is designed to give participants experience working with local partners and stakeholders along the Putah Creek Watershed. Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo

Participants work with and learn from experts selected for the educational opportunities they provide in habitat restoration, native plant landscaping, outdoor recreation management, native plant propagation and nursery operations.

FEATURES

Thursday, June 1

Winters Hispanic Advisory Committee

6:30 p.m., City Hall Large Conference Room (Abbey Street entrance)

Thursdays

Eat Well Yolo Food Distribution, first and third Thursdays, 10 a.m. As supplies last, RISE, Inc., 417 Haven St., 530-668-0690

Tuesday, June 6

Winters City Council Meeting, 6:30 p.m., Council chamber (318 First St.), Zoom Meeting info, check www.cityofwinters.org/ city-council-meetings_

Wednesday, June 7

Winters public engagement meeting: 2023 Yolo Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan update, 2–3 p.m., City Hall Large Conference Room (Abbey Street entrance), Public Zoom link: https://tinyurl.com/bdd6xe5n

Winters City Council Special Meeting: Budget Workshop, 6:30 p.m., Council chamber (318 First St.), Zoom Meeting info, www.cityofwinters.org/city-council-meetings_

Wednesdays

Eat Well Yolo Drive – Through Food Distribution Wednesdays, 3:30 p.m. As supplies last, Winters High student parking lot, off Railroad Avenue

Upcoming

Thursday, June 8

Winters JUSD School Board Meeting, 6 p.m., School District Office, Zoom Meeting info, check https://bit.ly/ WintersJUSDBoardAgendaCommunitySite

Wednesday, June 14

Winters Senior Commission on Aging Special Meeting, 5:30 p.m., City Hall Large Conference Room (Abbey Street entrance), check cityofwinters.org/ winters-senior-commission-on-aging

Saturday, June 24

Winters Elder Day Celebration, 2–4 p.m., St. Anthony’s Parrish Hall (511 Main St.)

Library Services

Winters Library Open to Public (School in Session)

Winters Community Library, Mon/Wed: 8 a.m.–6 p.m., Tue/Thu: 8 a.m.–8 p.m., Fri: 8 a.m.–5 p.m. , Sat: 1–5 p.m.

Teen Tuesday (ages 12-18), Second Tuesdays, 13:30 p.m., Winters Community Library

Bilingual Storytime (ages 0-5), Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m., Winters Community Library

Virtual English Conversation Group, Tuesdays, 2-3 p.m., One time registration required: Contact Nancy Pacheco 530-666-8019 or nancy.pacheco@ yolocounty.org

Mangonada Monday (ages 6-12), fourth Monday, 3:30 p.m. Tech Thursdays, Second Thursday, 2-7:30 p.m., call 530-666-8005 to schedule an appointment

Afterschool Adventure (ages 6-12), Third Thursday, 3:30 p.m., Winters Community Library Saturday Matinee, First Saturday, 2 p.m., Winters

Community Library

All You Need is Love Romance Book Club, Second Saturday, 4 p.m., Hooby’s Brewing

Older Adult Programs

Winters Senior Foundation Chair Yoga Class for Seniors, Wednesdays, 9:30-11 a.m., St. Anthony Parish Hall (511 W. Main St.)

Winters Senior Foundation Social Gathering, Thurdays, 1-3:30 p.m., St. Anthony Parish Hall (511 W. Main St.)

Ongoing

Winters Wide World of Sports exhibit Thursday thru Sunday, 1-5 p.m., Winters Museum, 13 Russell St. Winters Friends of the Library meeting, first Monday, 7 p.m., Winters Community Library, Margaret Parsons Room, wfol.org

Rotary Club of Winters meeting, Thursdays, Noon, The Buckhorn

Winters Museum public hours, Thursday thru Sunday, 1-5 p.m., 13 Russell St.

Winters Open Mic, third Saturday of the month, 6 p.m. (sign-ups begin at 5 p.m.), Downtown Main Street. Kiwanis Club of Winters meeting, fourth Thursdays, 6 p.m., Hooby's Brewing

Democracy Winters meeting, third Saturdays, 10 a.m.Noon, Meeting details in newsletter, contact info@ democracywinters.org

Alcoholics Anonymous meetings: » St. Anthony Parish Hall, 511 Main St. (back entrance) Tuesdays, 7-8 a.m. and Fridays, 7-8 a.m. » Yolo Housing office building, 62 Shams Way: Thursdays, 7-8 p.m. and Sundays, 9 a.m.

April housing report key points HOMES, Page 2

Remembering Winters’ veterans OPINION, Page 3

Bronson, Lopez are Youth awardees FEATURES, Page 6

Eighth-graders create environmental change

By Crystal Apilado Editor-in-Chief

This school year, Winters Middle School educator Melanie Ellison was tasked to launch the first eighth-grade environmental education wheel class to give students handson opportunities to make decisions and take action on environmental-related issues of their choosing on campus. In the last trimester, students began harvesting the fruits of their labor and finished up details on the new WMS school garden.

The class switches new eighth-graders in each trimester, creating a domino effect of work actions. Students in the first and second trimesters took a look at understanding natural environmental systems and took a look at the WMS environment to identify specific issues they could take action on and propose projects.

At the Nov. 3, 2022, Board of Trustees meeting, eighth-grade students made presentations on projects about recycling efforts and planting fruit trees on the WMS campus. In the next trimester, students also identified a project to naturally control rodents in the area by adding owl boxes for barn owls. By the third trimester, all three projects had received funding through the Caring for Our Watershed competition, and students were able to fully implement them into reality.

Pollinator garden

Eighth-grade students in the first tri-

mester proposed the creation of a pollinator garden on campus, and second-trimester students began the work to create a small school garden featuring five raised garden beds. Now in the third trimester, students are already working to harvest peas, lettuce varieties, carrots, chard, and garlic. Students harvesting the vegetables for salads they were able to eat in the last few weeks. They will harvest the garlic during the last week of school.

Fruit trees

The fruit tree proposal evolved beyond the initial three fruit trees proposed into the beginning of a small campus orchard featuring apples, pomegranate and pineapple guava trees.

Ava Coker, an eighth grader at WMS, said she learned a lot of interesting things working on the fruit tree project. The most surprising was that trees needed to be planted a specific

distance apart from each other to prevent the roots from intertwining with each other below ground.

“I did not know that trees can link together,” Coker said.

Recycling efforts

The recycling project is currently being maintained by students. After funding was obtained, students brought in 24 recycling bins for all of the WMS classrooms. The eighth graders also worked to create an educational presentation of the correct usage of the recycling bins — specifically with information about what can and what does not go into them.

“They actually took that proposal and put it into action,” Ellison said.

Deanna Alanis, a WMS eighth grader, said it’s important that students not put trash or dirty items that could contaminate the recyclables in the recycling bin. She said they also educated their peers about what types of

items can be composted.

“It’s important for kids to experience (this class) if they didn’t already know about recycling tips and other environmental issues,” Alanis said. “We are able to learn about what we can do about them.”

Ellison said the class is waiting for the school district to help provide the additional hours for custodians to help empty out the new recycling bins. The added bins doubled the number of bins needing to be emptied at the end of the day and until additional hours are approved students are taking it upon themselves to empty them.

“We’re still missing that piece and currently we are relying on students to empty the bins in the meantime,” Ellison said. “It’s a workaround, but the school district said they’re on board and just need to fund additional custodial hours.”

See CHANGE, Page 6

Jemima Lanfranco and Henry Girimonte, eighth-graders at Winters Middle School, showing off the salad they made from the lettuce grown in the school garden.

Courtesy photo

Key points from April resale housing report

California Association of Realtors

Special to the Express

Key points from C.A.R.’s April 2023 resale housing report include:

• At the regional level, sales declines accelerated in all regions, with the Central Coast dropping the most at -42.8 percent.

The Far North (41.8 percent) followed closely behind as four of the six counties in the region recorded a drop of more than 40 percent. Sales in the San Francisco Bay Area (-38.5 percent), Southern California (-37.4 percent) and the Central Valley (-36.7 percent) all declined at a faster pace than the prior month, with each region falling by more than a third on a year-over-year basis.

• All 51 counties tracked by C.A.R. registered a sales decline from the previous year, with sales in 44 counties dropping more than 30 percent and sales in five counties sliding more than 50 percent from a year ago.

Mariposa (-80.8 percent) had the largest sales drop, followed by Calaveras (-59.0 percent) and Santa Cruz (-58.4 percent). Lassen (-4.8 percent) was the only county with less than 10 percent annual sales decrease. Closed sales should improve in many markets the upcoming month, however, as 39 counties

experienced a monthly increase in pending sales.

• At the regional level, median home prices continued to drop from a year ago in all major regions, but only one region posted a double-digit decline compared to three regions in the prior month. The San Francisco Bay Area (-16.7 percent) remained the region with the biggest sales drop, as six out of nine counties in the Bay Area region fell more than 10 percent year-over-year. The sharp decline

is partly attributed to the base effect, as prices surged a year ago when many homebuyers tried to close transactions before rates climbed further. Central Valley (-8.0 percent) and Southern California (-6.2 percent) recorded the second and third largest drop in April, respectively, followed by the Far North (-3.8 percent) and Central Coast (-2.9 percent).

• More than three-quarters of all counties experienced year-over-year price declines in April, with

13 counties falling more than 10 percent. Mono (-50.1 percent) had the biggest drop of all counties, followed by San Francisco (-22.8 percent), Alameda (-18.0 percent) and San Mateo (-18 percent). On a positive note, 12 counties registered an increase in their median price from last April, a jump from six counties in March. The price increases were either mild or moderate for most counties, with only one county’s median price surging by double-digits. Glenn (24.1 percent) had the biggest gain in price of all counties again in April, followed by Amador (6.7 percent) and Monterey (5.4 percent).

• New Construction

• Remodels/Additions

• Housing inventory in California bounced back after dipping month-over-month for two straight months. The statewide Unsold Inventory Index (UII) in April 2023 also increased from last year, jumping 38.9 percent on a year-over-year basis. The surge in the UII continued primarily due to low housing demand as existing home sales remained below the 300,000 benchmark. All price ranges recorded an increase in the UII of more than 20 percent in from a year ago, with the $1 million and higher price sector gaining the most (64.7 percent), followed by the $500,000-$749,000 price range (33.3 percent), the sub-$500,000 (26.3 percent) and the $750,000-$999,000 sector (21.1 percent).

• The median number of days it took to sell a California single-family home was 20 days in April and 11 days in April 2022.

• C.A.R.’s statewide sales-price-to-listprice ratio* was 100 percent in April 2023 and 104.2 percent in April 2022.

• The statewide average price per square foot** for an existing single-family home was $395, down from $433 in April a year ago.

• The 30-year, fixedmortgage interest rate averaged 6.34 percent in April, up from 4.98 percent in April 2022, according to Freddie Mac.

Street * Winters, CA Phone: (530) 795-4531 * Fax: (530) 795-4534

CARRION PROPERTIES

Residential, Commercial & Agricultural Real Estate

• Residential/Commercial John M. Carrion, Owner/Broker CA DRE #: 00970701

RECIPIENT OF THE YOLO COUNTY ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS MASTERS CLUB SINCE 2012

SUPER CLEAN custom home just east of Winters on 6.5 acres. HUGE shop. A piece of paradise. Call for more info. Offered at $1,295,000. SMALL COTTAGE STYLE HOME on 55+/- acres of English walnuts. Great location and great soil. $1,399,000.

SUPER CLEAN & FRESHLY PAINTED. 5 bed, 3 bath home, walking distance to beautiful downtown Winters. Low maintenance front and backyards. Offered at $769,000. Call for details.

AN ABSOLUTE PIECE OF PARADISE ON 3.26 ACRES! Just outside the Winters City limits. This home has it all. Tastefully remodeled great room, includes your own personal bar, and an amazing wood burning fireplace. The outdoor pool area is like a private retreat.Beautiful outdoor kitchen with all the amenities, as well as a full outdoor bathroom and shower. Oh ya, there’s more. The shop is 50X90 and has its own gym area. Plenty of room for the motor home, and or boat. Offered at $2,275,000

5.85 ACRES OF WALNUTS in between Winters and Davis off Russell Blvd. County says you can build on it! Offered at $550,000. Call for details.

38 ACRES! Beautiful Chandler Walnut orchard. Located just outside of Winters off Putah creek road. Very well taken care of. Great producer, Excellent soil, solid set sprinkler system with an ag well. Would make for an awesome building site! Offered at $1,095,000.

35.75 ACRES OF INCOME PRODUCING WALNUTS! Located just East of town towards

(530) 795-3834

127 Carrion Court, Winters

• Repairs

INTERESTED IN SELLING?

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS IN NORTH VACAVILLE!

6 approved lots with separate APN numbers. Final map approved project is ready to move forward. Lots located in area of million-dollar(+) homes. Seller owns 31 water rights. Call today for more details! Priced at $1,199,999.

5 ACRES ZONED INDUSTRIAL. Commercial water and PG&E at lot. Great location on Airport Road close to new housing tract and Trilogy housing tract. Call for details.

Sale Pending! ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS FRESHLY RENOVATED VACAVILLE, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom single story. White kitchen with stunning wrap around countertops and brand new stainless steel appliances. Landscaped yard with stamped patio perfect for entertaining. Close proximity to schools and shopping. $599,000

Sale Pending! 5 ACRE, 3 BEDROOMS, 2 BATHROOMS with a nice horse set 3 stall barn with tack room, outdoor sand arena, fenced and cross fenced, 2/2 bath modular home along with a large shop, custom chicken coop. Home has been completely remodeled in 2017 down to the studs and and reinforcing foundation. All new heating and air,

Express Yourself

Memorial Day is both a time to honor our military and the start of summer

Do you care about Winters

Thanks, if 1943 really is “35 Years Ago” then I’m only 39 years old instead of 84.

Again, why don’t you use more recent items in the “Years Ago” section of the paper? Does anyone really relate to what happened in 1878?

Still wondering if you really care about Winters.

Sadly,

KAREN CHRISTIE Include community feedback

The following letter was sent on May 26 to the City Council Ad Hoc Committee responsible for the downtown pocket park. The recent survey sent out to the citizenry ignored the work of 20 years and the many surveys already in the hands and sometimes voted on and accepted by the City Council.

I am encouraging the Committee to build on what is there already instead of recreating a rather ragged new attempt.

Dear Al and Richard,

In the 2021 the folks developing the idea of the H’Art Park construction conducted over twenty surveys regarding ideas for the park. Participants were allowed to state what they wanted in the pocket park, rather than given a list. These items were then costed out and put in the final plans by Quincy Harris. The list was submitted to the City Manager and the City Council voted to adopt the plan based on this list.

Things that were not on your recent list survey, but were asked for by the community at large were these:

• ADA drop-off to allow ADA access to downtown and the pharmacy

• Covered classroom/stage with electrical hookups for bands and a sink

• Seating for over 50 people to allow for performances in the classroom/stage area

• Demonstration of native plant gardens

• Game tables

• Women’s Recognition seating area with table and seating (already funded by the Soroptimists and Fortnightly and in the H’Art Park bank account)

• Doggie bag station

• Lighting for both shows and performances

Bocce was on your list, but I wondered why because we have a bocce court on downtown Main Street. It was used so little that it is now converted into a seating area for a local restaurant, but might revert if there is popular demand.

VALERIE WHITWORTH Letters

Looking at all of the flags around town brings both a smile to my face and tears to my eyes. It is hard not to remember those who are no longer with us, and summer days of my youth.

Whether you fly a flag during the holidays or just admire others that do, it is impossible not to think about military friends and relatives that served our country the last Monday of May.

I can remember when people were talking about the last living World War I veteran. Soon we will be talking about the last surviving World War II soldier, and then the last Korean and Vietnam veteran. It is a little too early to mention Gulf War soldiers.

Walking through our local cemetery doesn’t just bring back memories of the names on the headstones, but of what

Gramps Says

It all started innocently enough. Entering Sophie in the Youth Day Parade to promote her idea to have the downtown park dedicated to Winters’ sister city in Spain, Almogía, seemed to be worthwhile. But this did not take into account that Sophie loves to watch a parade, but she does not like to be in a parade.

At first, everything fell into place. Our neighbor Chris was willing to loan us a little red wagon in which Sophie could ride. As a bonus, Chris provided an umbrella to protect Sophie from the sun and even decorated the umbrella and wagon with flowers. I prepared a neat sign that fit in the rear of

these people did to keep Winters going. There are family names that help get Winters started in the 1870s, some are still around, doing their part to continue on the family traditions. There are also family names that I recognize from our yesteryear columns, but can’t think of a living relative still active in our community. I’m sure they are plenty still around, just with married names that I don’t recognize.

This should be the time of early apricots, but I’m failing as a backyard farmer, with my one apricot tree losing most of its crop to wind and rain. I’ll be lucky if there are a handful of apricots left on

the tree by the time they are ready to be picked. I have better hopes for my peach tree, if I can keep the birds from destroying my crop. The oranges and lemons are bulletproof and always produce more fruit than we can eat.

The school on my street was active last week with kids gathering outside for endof-the-year awards. I didn’t see them leave for their summer break, but I’m sure there were more smiles than tears. Especially from the teachers and staff.

Think happy thoughts when you see a flag flying in the breeze or while walking through a cemetery, and enjoy your summer.

the wagon that read, “Build Almogía Park.”

What could go wrong?

Lesson One: Everyone paid attention to Sophie but to my knowledge, no one read the sign.

Lesson Two: An entry in a parade does not see a parade. All we saw were the hind ends of the magnificent prancing horses that the Vaqueros rode.

Lesson Three: Never volunteer to help stage a parade division and be an entry in the parade as I did.

In this conflict of interest, the smooth running of a parade division will suffer the most.

Lesson Four: Never trust your passenger. Sophie escaped! Some concerned parade viewers alerted me that Sophie had jumped out of the wagon. She was making a beeline due west on Edwards Street as if to say, “I’m outta here.”

I abandoned the red wagon and managed to catch up to her with the help of a

See SOPHIE, Page 4

Legal Advertising

YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER A public auction sale to the highest bidder for cash cashier s check drawn on a state or national bank check drawn by a state or feder al credit union, or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association or savings association or savings bank specified in Section 5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do business in this state will be held by the duly appointed trustee as shown below of all right title and interest conveyed to and now held by the trustee in the hereinafter described property under and pursuant to a Deed of Trust described below The sale will be made but without covenant or warranty, expressed or implied, regarding title, possession, or e n c u m b r a n c e s t o p a y t h e r e m a i n i n g p r i n c i p a l s u m o f t h e note(s) secured by the Deed of Trust with interest and late charges thereon, as provided in the note(s), advances, under the terms of the Deed of Trust interest thereon fees charges and expen ses of the Trustee for the total amount (at the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Sale) reasonably estimated to be set forth below The amount may be greater on the day

dersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness o f t h e s t r e e t a d d r e s s o r o t h e r c o m m o n d e s i g n a t i o n , i f a n y , shown above If no street address or other common designation is shown directions to the location of the property may be obtained by sending a written request to the beneficiary within 10 days of the date of first publication of this Notice of Sale

NOTICE TO POTENTIAL BIDDERS: If you are considering bidding on this property lien you should understand that there are risks involved in bidding at a trustee auction You will be bidding on a lien, not on the property itself Placing the highest bid at a trustee auction does not automatically entitle you to free and clear ownership of the property You should also be aware that the lien being auctioned off may be a junior lien If you are the highest bidder at the auction you are or may be responsible for paying off all liens senior to the lien being auctioned off before you can receive clear title to the property You are encouraged to investigate the existence priority and size of outstanding liens that may exist on this property by c o n t a c t i n g t h e c o u n t y r e c o r d e r s o f f i c e o r a t i t l e i n s u r a n c e company either of which may charge you a fee for this information If you consult either of these resources, you should be aware that the same lender may hold more than one mortg a g e o r d e e d o f tru st on the p rop erty NOTIC E TO PROP-

ERTY OWNER: The sale date shown on this notice of sale may be postponed one or more times by the mortgagee beneficiary trustee or a court pursuant to Section 2924g of the California Civil Code The law requires that information about trustee sale postponements be m ade available to you and to the public, as a courtesy to those not present at the sale If you wish to learn whether your sale date has been postponed and if applicable the rescheduled time and date for the sale of this property, you may call (800) 280-2832 or visit this Intern e t W e b s i t e w w w a u c t i o n c o m u s i n g t h e f i l e n u m b e r a ssigned to this case 48073220 Information about postponeme n ts th a t are ve ry sho rt in d u ra ti on or tha t occ ur c lo se i n time to the scheduled sale may not immediately be reflected in the telephone information or on the Internet Website The best way to verify postponement information is to attend the scheduled sale NOTICE TO TENANT: You may have a right to purchase this property after the trustee auction pursuant to Section 2924m of the California Civil Code If you are an eligible tenant buyer " you can purchase the property if you match the last and highest bid placed at the trustee auction If you are an eligible bidder you may be able to purchase the property if you exceed the last and highest bid placed at the trustee auction There are three steps to exercising this right of purchase First 48 hours after the date of the trustee sale you can call ( 8 0 0 ) 2 8 0 - 2 8 3 2 , o r v i s i t t h i s i n t e r n e t w e b s i t e www auction com using the file number assigned to this case 4 8 0 7 3 2 2 0 t o f i n d t h e d a t e o n w h i c h t h e t r u s t e e ' s s a l e w a s held, the amount of the last and highest bid, and the address of the trustee Second you must send a written notice of intent to place a bid so that the trustee receives it no more than 15 days after the trustee s sale Third you must submi t a bid so that the trustee receives it no more than 45 days after the trustee's sale If you think you may qualify as an "eligible tenant buyer or eligible bidder you should consider contacting an attorney or appropriate real estate professional immediately for advice regarding this potential right to purchase The

SOPHIE Continued from Page 3

few Good Samaritans who headed her off. Who knows where she was headed but I am grateful that she was considerate enough to wait to escape until we had passed through Main Street and the viewing stand in front of City Hall.

Sophie Says

While I was not too happy to be on display, I noticed that everyone along the street was smiling and having a good time. I especially enjoyed the group of four or five children who ran

to the wagon to make friends and pet me. Gramps hasn’t made much progress in 79 years. When he was seven years of age he entered a parade pulling a little red wagon on which his mother and a neighbor lady installed a cardboard box. They painted the box to look like a jail cell.

Protruding through the bars of the jail were papier-mâché heads of Hitler, Tojo and Mussolini. Gramps, dressed in a soldier outfit, won first prize for his entry. I notice that he did not win any prizes this year.

Memorial Day in Winters

Iknow it isn’t polite to talk about politics and whatnot. But I feel there is great importance in honoring and paying our respects to those in our military who lost their lives. And I’m a firm believer that I want my children to know that Memorial Day isn’t about getting a day off and having a grand barbecue – although I will be transparent and say we did pull out the grill for our dinner.

A few months ago, Joe the Weatherman Bristow asked me if my Girl Scout Troop would be interested in leading the Pledge of Allegiance at the upcoming Winters Memorial Day service at the cemetery. This would be the first Memorial Day service in four years that the Winters Cemetery District has hosted. And, from my memory, the local Boy Scouts usually participated.

Harnessing my inner Girl Power, I said yes. Once Joe had obtained approval from the board, he also asked if we would sing a patriotic song.

I agreed and reached out to my Troop of Juniors and Cadettes to see who would be interested. The Brownie Troop also showed interest in participating and we grew to a good-sized group. I considered the two Daisy Troops but decided it might not be an age-appropriate event for them. Which I feel was a good call because my little Daisy, who had to attend by default, barely made it through.

I feel a good-sized gathering of community members was in attendance. Veterans and their families, the community, council members and city officials were there — Winters showed up. I’m hoping that next year we can double the number of people there.

Not to brag, but your Girl Scouts were amazing. They were brave and confident in their duties, and considerate and thoughtful while listening. They lead the attendees in the pledge and then went right back up there and sang “America” — a song they had just learned a few weeks in advance.

I felt it was an honor to have my girls and their Girl Scout sisters there to listen to the Rev. George Elrod, a veteran, who shared his experience serving in Vietnam, as well as his perspective on Memorial Day and what it stands for.

The message was clear, we have the freedoms that we have because our service men and women put their lives on the line to give it to us. George listed off everything from freedom of the press to the right to burn a flag, we have these freedoms because of the sacrifices our service men and women made.

I give big kudos and much respect to Joe and George. The event was heartfelt

and on point. I also didn’t realize that more than 400 veterans are buried in our local cemetery. I realize that it’s been around for as long as our town has — but when put into perspective I never imagined how many folks are laid to rest there. The event was livestreamed on Facebook, and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to embed it on our website so that folks who aren’t on Facebook and weren’t able to make it can view it. I’ll keep you all updated.

Crystal Apilado/Winters Express

Veteran Rev. George Elrod shows off his collection of Veteran-themed caps in the opening of his speech.

I felt it was an honor to have my girls and their Girl Scout sisters there to listen to Veteran and Pastor George Elrod who shared his experience serving in Vietnam, as well as his perspective on Memorial Day and what it stands for.

Bronson, Lopez are Yolo Youth Service Award recipients

By Aaron Geerts Express staff writer

Winters High School seniors Leslie Lopez and Brinly Bronson were selected as recipients of the Yolo Youth Service Award (YoYoSA) by the Yolo Community Foundation. The two WHS Class of 2023 members represent the hard work and dedication Winters Warriors are known for.

The Yolo Community Foundation hosts the YoYoSA scholarship to encourage Yolo County youth to volunteer with local nonprofits within their community. Eligibility for high school seniors requires they have worked with a Yolo County nonprofit for at least 60 hours during their junior and senior years of high school. These teens must be sponsored by a nonprofit organization for their work in order to be eligible for the YoYoSA

award. If chosen, the recipient receives a $1,000 scholarship and the sponsoring organization receives a $500 donation.

Leslie Lopez

Lopez put in hours of hard work and dedication with RISE, Inc. as a youth mentor. Maira Galvan, RISE Youth/Food Distribution Coordinator, said that RISE seeks to “seeks to build strength-based communities where everyone is able to provide their natural gifts to their neighbors and contribute to their community.” Lopez's dedication and efforts working with students in RISE youth programs were solid reasons why RISE sponsored her for the award.

“Leslie would go above and beyond to be consistent with her participation in the youth program. She participated in RISE during COVID with younger kids and acted as a men-

tor when she was younger. She also helped out with distance learning during COVID, too, and worked on the computers,” Galvan said. “I started working at RISE last year, and for me, she was a reliable source when it came down to the (Winters Middle School) girls’ groups. She’d show up and help as a tutor on Wednesdays after school and was successful in providing her knowledge and social skills to the sixth, seventh and eighth-grade girls that were in the class.”

Galvan also raved about Lopez’s maturity, how she donated her afternoons to tutoring, went on field trips and how she was able to make a connection with the young ladies involved with RISE.

Brinly Bronson

Bronson put in vital and meaningful efforts with the Winters Friends of the Library (WFoL) to make

the Winters Community Library and its programs more accessible to the public.

“Brinly did not ‘phone in’ her participation in the work of the (Winters) Friends of the Library. She brought so much energy, creativity and technological know-how every week. She is always cooperative and collaborative with the library volunteers and staff and is unfailingly polite to all who come into the library,” said Revalee Hemken, WFoL Member at Large and a co-mentor to Bronson. “I remember her being quite shy at the beginning of the school year but tremendously intelligent and capable. Over the year, she really put herself out there. She talks to strangers and is very engaging and has a can-do attitude that will really take her far.”

Bronson used the knowhow she derived from her FFA SAE project of making metal signs to help distinguish the book genres at the library as well. She went from one library project

CHANGE

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Owl boxes

Two groups worked to propose owl boxes and students in the third trimester rolled their sleeves up to build them. With the boxes constructed, they need to get them installed.

The boxes were constructed with goals to attract barn owls, provide openings that will prevent predators like raccoons from entering the box, a movable panel to give students

an opportunity to observe what is going on inside the box as well as a panel to clean out materials as needed.

Henry Girimonte, a WMS eighth-grader, called the project a hands-on opportunity to learn about owls. Eighth-grader and project member Jemima Lanfranco stressed on the importance of natural rodent control on campus saying that “owls eat the rats so we don’t have to use poison.”

Ellison called her students “change makers” and gave

them full credit for the projects.

“These guys are hard workers, they can make all kinds of differences,” Ellison said. “I provided the opportunity. They used their creative problem-solving skills to make it happen.”

Coker said adults aren’t the only ones who can make things happen.

“Kids see (adults) on TV shows changing the world, but there are students in our hometown who are changing the world too,” Coker said on

why the environmental class is important.

A bonus to the outdoor space is the addition of an outside classroom. UC Davis had trees that toppled over during the winter storms, and Ellison utilized her connections there for an opportunity to bring them to WMS. Ellison was able to obtain redwood and pine tree stumps, donated by UC Davis, to place between the fruit trees and garden to create an outside learning space for all WMS educators and students.

to the next, until she found herself transitioning from avid library volunteer to library staff member.

“She made beautiful signs for all the genres in the library. Then Brinly saw Revalee could use some help in the book room and worked with her to reorganize it and made more signs. From there, she started doing everything for the library and eventually got hired on as a page,” said Rebecca Fridae, WFoL Past President and Bronson's co-mentor.

“She makes her signs using the plasma cutter from the FFA and made us a metal sign for the library, but didn’t have enough time to make signs for the little free libraries around town. Luckily, she worked it out with Donnie Whitworth so she’ll be able to finish over the summer. She’s choosing to do that. I mean, what senior would do that for us?”

Bronson and Lopez were honored by the Yolo Community Foundation alongside three fellow YoYoSA recipients on Monday, May 22.

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Leslie Lopez worked with RISE Inc. as a Youth Mentor to support and engage with Winters youth in RISE programs like the Winters Middle School Girls Group.

Courtesy photo

Brinly Bronson worked with Winters Friends of the Library to make the Winters Library more accessible and engaging for the community.

Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo

Two groups worked to propose owl boxes and students in the third trimester rolled their sleeves up to build them.