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Volume 137, Number 34 — Locally owned since 1884
The hometown paper of Erin Reynoso
Winters, Yolo County, California, Wednesday, September 16, 2020
Winters businesses receive County’s Green Check Program certificates By Crystal Apilado
Yolo County Library launches Wifi hotspot lending program
Editor-in-Chief As of Tuesday morning, eight Winters businesses have received a “Certificate of Compliance” in Yolo County’s Green Check Program. The certificate recognizes and endorses business owners who are making efforts to be in compliance with the Yolo County and State COVID-19 health and safety requirements and guidelines. Yolo County launched the voluntary ‘Green Check Program’ on Aug. 27 with the intent to encourage and publicly recognize local businesses that are helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19 among staff and customers, and to inform Yolo communities of COVID-19 compliant establishments in their cities. Winters businesses currently listed on the Green Check Program page as having received their Certificate of Compliance include: Buckhorn Steakhouse, El Pueblo Meat Market & Taquera/Deli, Hooby’s Brewing, Putah Creek Cafe, Steady Eddy’s Coffee House, Winters Healthcare, Winters Pizza Factory and Yolo Federal Credit Union. Other establish-
By Crystal Apilado Editor-in-Chief
Crystal Apilado/Winters Express
Steady Eddy’s Coffee House is the latest to join other downtown businesses who are providing an outside seating area for customers at their location. ments in Western Yolo County include: Road Trip Bar and Grill (Capay), Seka Hills (Brooks), Bogle Vineyards (Clarksburg), Seka Hills (Clarksburg), Shear Intuition Salon (Esparto), and The Ravine on Sixteen (Esparto). “The creation of the Green Check Incentive program provides us with a way of recognizing and thanking the many businesses in Yolo County that stepped up and provided a safe and healthy environment for their customers and em-
ployees in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis,” said Gary Sandy, Chair of the Yolo County Board of Supervisors. “The creativity, responsiveness and innovation put forth by so many of our Yolo County businesses have been nothing short of extraordinary. We want to thank them and provide their customers with the confidence that when they enter these businesses they can be assured that health and safety are a top priority.” Businesses who apply for the incen-
Blue Terrace senior apartments, community center updates By Crystal Apilado Editor-in-Chief The Winters Senior Commission on Aging heard updates on the construction of the senior apartment building and on the development of the anticipated senior community center at their Sept. 9 meeting last Wednesday. Colleen Brock, a Se-
I ndex Features ........................ B-1
nior Management Analyst with Yolo County Housing, reported to Commissioners that construction of the Blue Mountain Terrace senior apartments was 50 percent completed. Next on the contractor’s task list was to install windows and doors. Blue Mountain Terrace will provide 63 apartment homes and a senior community
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Real Estate ................... B-3 Athlete of the Week..... B-6
Rain for week: 0.00 in. Season’s total: 0.01 in. Last sn. to date: 0.03 in. Winters rainfall season began 7/1/20. Weather readings are taken at 9 a.m.
center between Grant Avenue and Baker Street (behind the Winters Healthcare Foundation building). The three-story residential building will offer 1 and 2 bedroom apartments to seniors living on a fixed income. Tracy Jensen, City Clerk, told the Express the City of Winters and Yolo County Housing approved an Intergovernmental Agreement for grant management services for housing, community development consulting services, and as a technical advisor to the City. Jensen said upon Housing Manger Dan Maguire’s retirement the staff felt this was the best way to provide continuity in affordable housing implementation, as well as all things housing. At previous meetings Commissioners had expressed con-
See UPDATES, Page 3
tive program say their establishment is COVID-19 compliant by implementing and following a set of guidelines that include: face covering requirements, proper signage and distribution, personnel training, handwashing and hand-sanitizing protocols, cleaning and disinfecting protocols, measures to maintain social distancing, and measures to prevent unnecessary contact. Businesses that have been certified as compliant will
See GREEN, Page 3
Yolo County Library has purchased 100 hotspots with unlimited T-Mobile data plans to help select Yolo County families gain steadier access to the internet for the 2020-21 school year. To be eligible to participate in the program, an application must have a minimum of one child enrolled in a school located in Yolo County. Mark Fink, the Yolo County Librarian, told the Express that families who have opted to use a homeschool program and live in Yolo County may also apply if they do not have access to the internet at home. Applicants are not required to have a Yolo County Library card to apply. But the library will provide an application if this is the case. Fink said the library will not collect documentation from applicants, and they will self-certify to their current circumstances.
How to Apply
To begin the application process, call the Yolo County Library at 530-666-8009 between 1-5 p.m. on Monday through Friday.
Return of UC Davis students could impact county stats By Anne Ternus-Bellamy McNaughton Media Yolo County likely remains at least two weeks away from moving out of the state’s purple tier for counties with widespread risk of COVID-19 transmission, given the county’s elevated daily new case rate. That adjusted case rate dropped from over 9 per 100,000 residents last week to 7.5 this week, according to data released by the state Tuesday. However, to move into the red tier that would allow additional businesses to reopen, the county’s daily case rate must go below 7 and remain there for at least two weeks. The return of thousands of UC Davis students in the next week or two, many of whom will be screened by the university for COVID-19
upon arrival, could make that difficult if the increased testing results in higher daily case rates for the county as a whole. San Diego County, which has been in the red tier, risks a return to the purple tier given rising cases there, including at San Diego State University. The university reported Monday that 648 students had tested positive for COVID-19 and said, “the majority of these cases are among undergraduate students living in off-campus housing that (San Diego State University) does not manage.” On Tuesday San Diego’s adjusted daily case rate topped 7 per 100,000 residents and if it remains above seven for a second week, would likely mean the county is moved to the purple tier. Some 24,000 UC Davis students, mean-
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1. The applicant does not have internet access where they live. 2. They have a hotspot issued by a school from a service provider other than T-Mobile, and the device signal is very weak or nonexistent where they live. 3. The applicant has more than one child enrolled at a school located in Yolo County. 4. The applicant and/or their children are English Language learners. Questions about the program or application process can be directed to 530-666-8009.
Yolo sees drop in COVID case rate
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Applicants may also leave a message with their phone number and inquire to apply for the program so a library staff member can return their call. Library staff are able to assist in both English and Spanish. If applicants have a need for a different language, contact the library to make arrangements. The deadline to apply for a hotspot is Sept. 25. According to Fink, the following ranked criteria (1 highest need, 4 lowest need) will be used to select recipients for the program:
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while, are expected to be living in the region for the fall quarter which starts Sept. 28, according to a university survey. The vast majority will be living in apartments and single-family homes in Davis and surrounding cities. The university plans to test all students moving into university housing next week and expand that testing to all students and staff thereafter. The impact of that testing on the county’s daily new case rate would likely be seen over the next several weeks. Daily new case rates are not the only metric used by the state in its tier-based system: a county’s test positivity rate is also taken into consideration. Yolo County’s test positivity rate — the percentage of all
See CASES, Page 3
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