Kiwanis celebrate 56th Easter Egg Hunt

SuSan HilanD SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The littlest kids came with baskets nearly as big as themselves for the annual Kiwanis Club of Fairfield Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday.

Children and their parents were lined up along a long rope, which separated them from the prized Easter candy on the green grass at Lee Bell Park.

The 56th annual Easter Egg Hunt hosted about 100 people for the annual event, with donations for the candy, baskets and prizes coming from local businesses.

Students from Armijo High School’s Key Club came to help spread the candy on the grass.

“I have only been doing this for two years,” said president Jim Grogan. “It was off because of Covid the last couple of years, so this is my second one.”

He noted the goal of the day was to have a fun day for kids with no pressure.

They could not have done it without the sponsorship of Costco in Fairfield, Walmart in Suisun, Jelly Belly and all the others who helped make the day possible.

In the past the event has drawn more than 200 people but since Covid those numbers have shrunk.

“But generations of people are returning,” he said. “We are looking to see what we can do next year to expand it.”

His favorite part is watching the

Fairfield police website offers information on local hate crimes

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield Police Department has made hate-crime data readily available to the public with the launch of its Hate Crimes Dashboard.

Susan Hiland/Daily Republic joy on the littlest kids faces as they find the candy in the grass.

Damita nicholes, 5, gives the Easter Bunny a high five at the 56th annual Kiwanis Easter Egg Hunt at lee Bell Park on saturday.

“My grandkids come out and it’s just a joy to watch them having such a good time,” he said.

Damita Nicholes, 5, of Suisun City came with her sister Danaya Nicholes, 2.

“This is my favorite because I like the bunny,” she said. “I want to hug a bunny!”

Grandmother Fay Smith was looking forward to the annual event with some fun over at the Kroc Center on Sunday.

“We have plans for another Easter egg hunt,” she said.

Parents Lee and Christine Hunt of Fairfield came out with bunny ears and glitter glasses with their three kids. She asked the kids if they wanted to wear bunny ears and they declined, so she decided to wear them herself.

It is the second year for them to enjoy the Easter fun.

“This puts smiles on to the kids’ faces and that is great,” she said. “This is turning into a family tradition.”

They planned later for an Easter dinner with friends and another Easter egg hunt, one that will include a real bunny and chicks on Sunday.

“They are so excited about it,” she said.

SCWA directors expected to hire new general manager

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Solano County Water Agency directors on Thursday are expected to remove the interim tag from Chris Lee’s title and make him the full-time general manager.

Rio Vista Mayor Ron Kott, who sits as the chairman of the SCWA board, said Lee has the experience and familiarity with pro- grams – noting particularly his work with groundwater sustainability. He said the board considered throwing a recruitment net outside the agency, but realized there were prime candidates internally.

“Why bring in someone from outside when you have perfectly good candidates inside the agency?” Kott said.

Three people inter- viewed for the post. The board unanimously landed on Lee.

Lee replaces Roland Stanford, who retired at the end of 2022. Prior to being named interim general manager in January, Lee served three years as assistant general manager. He marks his 19th year with the agency in May.

The commission meets at 6:30 p.m. in the Berryessa Room of the SCWA office, 810 Vaca Valley Parkway, Suite 203, in Vacaville.

Also on the agenda, the board will consider a national lobbying services contract, and will receive its regular reports on the Delta and Water Policy issues, the Delta Counties Coalition, Delta Protection Commission and Delta Conservancy, and a report on the North Bay Watershed Association.

The initiative follows state law enacted with the passage of Assembly Bill 485. It can be viewed under the Transparency Portal section, www.fair field.ca.gov/government/ city-departments/police/ transparency-portal-sb978/ ab-485-hate-crimereporting#!.

The dashboard is viewed best from a desktop computer, and may not display correctly on mobile devices.

The assembly bill requires local law enforcement agencies to post hate crime data on their respective internet sites every month. A “hate crime” is defined by existing law as a criminal act committed, in whole or in part, because of actual or perceived characteristics of the victim, including, among other things, race, religion, disability and sexual orientation. The dashboard depicts information reported to the department as it relates to hate crimes occurring within the city limits. Viewers of the dashboard can learn where and when hate crimes occur in Fairfield, which demographic groups are involved or targeted, and the types of crimes being committed against persons or property. Categories are designated by the Department of Justice and the data provided ranges from January 2011 to the most recent calendar month.

• Divorce/Custody/Visitation

• Wills/Trust & Estate Disputes/Probate

• Business Workouts

• Real Estate Law

Students to assess health of local creeks through SRCD program

Daily Republic Staff

The winter storms will make this year’s field work much different experiences than during the recent drought years.

“The value of the field-trip experi ence in helping students understand the role of creek monitoring cannot be overstated,” said Shea Kinser, education program manager for the Solano Resource Conservation Dis trict. “These hands-on experiences collecting data out in the field help illustrate the concepts we teach in the classroom and hopefully instill in students a desire to be stewards of our local waterways.

“Whether it’s putting on a pair of waders and holding a D-net in the creek or collecting a water sample and testing it for phosphates and nitrates, students gain valuable scientific field experience they can put on their resumes,” Kinser added.

This is the 15th year for the Biomonitoring Program, but it is only one of several water-education programs the district offers.

Education director Marianne Butler recently made a presentation to the Solano County Board of Supervisors outlining those programs.

In addition to Biomonitoring, the K-12 programs include the Watershed Explorers, as well as the Suisun Marsh Watershed, School Watershed Education and the Benicia Water Education programs.

More than 1,500 third-graders participate in Watershed Explorers; just as many sixth-graders are part of the Suisun Marsh curriculum; 600 students are in the Benicia program; and 4,000 students countywide are enrolled in the School Watershed program, Butler said.