Winters Express Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Celebrating National FFA Week

By Crystal Apilado Editor-in-Chief

Every year, FFA chapters across the country celebrate National FFA Week through events and opportunities. This year, National FFA Week is Feb. 18–25.

Winters FFA is hosting spirit days and events to share with other Winters High School students about the impact it has on its members and about the possible opportunities available.

Since its inception in 1955, the Winters FFA program has expanded and offered different hands-on opportunities and experiences for students in agriculture, business, public speaking, leadership and more.

This year Winters

FFA is hosting an ice cream social on Tuesday, a livestock meeting on Wednesday,

and a bowling night on Thursday. FFA member Eden Miller said the fun activities give students an introduction to the Winters FFA members and the organization itself.

President Ava Skinner said National FFA week activities are a way for them to show the school and the community about all the things FFA has to offer, and leads to

recruitment opportunities.

During last year’s festivities, they brought

baby livestock and tractors on campus and hosted flower identification sessions.

“It exposes the general school more to what we do out here,” Skinner said.

The community can follow the Winters FFA Chapter on Instagram @wintersffa and TikTok for regular updates from the officers.

However, one can help to support and celebrate Winters FFA achievements year-round. The Friends of Winters

FFA is a nonprofit organization run by alumni, parents and community members who volunteer with the goal to help make sure that Winters FFA students have the tools and resources they need to succeed.

The group works with the Winters FFA advisors to help raise funds to cover the costs for leadership conferences, to fund contests and competition fees and travel

“It exposes the general school more to what we do out here.”

Ava Skinner, Winters FFA president

expenses, to help purchase equipment for the WHS ag site and to provide scholarships to students who worked to gain their State FFA Degree. To learn more about Friends of Winters FFA, visit friendsofwintersffa.com or search for it on Facebook.

Courtesy photos

ABOVE: Winters High School FFA students at the Greenhand Celebration Night.

BELOW: The Floriculture class gives students a hands-on opportunity to work with oral arrangements and learn skills and techniques to running a business.

Week - Winters

Students grow valuable life experiences and skills

By Crystal Apilado Editor-in-Chief

When hearing the acronym FFA, one may envision the iconic blue corduroy jacket and livestock. However, it’s a misunderstanding that the FFA program is only about raising livestock and selling them to the highest bidder.

“A big misconception is all we do is animals. We are so much more than that,” said Kiana Miller, Winters FFA Vice President.

The Winters FFA program has evolved over the years since it was first established for students at Winters High School in 1955. WHS includes agriculture as one of its CTE Pathways that students can select to receive an education that integrates academics with real-world relevance to prepare for college and career readiness.

Kayla Mederos, WHS ag teacher and FFA advisor, said the ag education is based on a three-circle model, which each circle representing a different requirement in the ag program.

The SAE (Supervised Agricultural Experiences) is a project students perform involving practical agricultural activities outside of the class-

room, while the core classroom curriculum is where students learn and get handson with all things ag. FFA is the last circle of agricultural education that prepares students with leadership skills, personal growth experiences and business-related opportunities.

Ag educators Donnie Whitworth and Mederos provide a space for every student in the Winters FFA program. FFA students are given opportunities to explore diverse and unique SAE projects and dive head-first into the experience with resources, the ability

to learn what they can and gain exposure through hands-on projects.

“It’s really important that we provide those opportunities to students. We provide students with a number of opportunities to get involved,” Mederos said.

Kiana Miller listed off a variety of programs FFA students are able to experience including floriculture, woodworking and welding shop classes, raising livestock, working on the ag site farm site, and leadership opportunities.

Eden Miller, an FFA student, said the ad

teachers harbor an environment where students can explore their interests.

“Teachers are willing to offer resources available to help students to achieve their goals and project ideas,” Eden Miller said.

Ava Skinner, Winters FFA President, said she’s acquired better communication and social skills by serving as an officer and participating in competitions.

“The officer team interacts with people outside of the school. It encourages you to make new friends and strengthen your public speaking skills. I

talked to other officers in competitions, the state conference and at Nationals,”

Skinner said.

Eden Miller said it’s not just the FFA leadership members who get to experience interacting with other FFA chapter members.

“Other students have opportunities to go to different types of competitions. In Freshmen creed speaking students memorize the FFA Creed and need to use public speaking skills to answer questions about it,” Eden Miller said.

Additionally, she mentioned the

Impromptu public speaking career development competition where students learn how to speak on the fly and make a sound and cohesive speech without full-on planning, and the Job Interview where students pretend to apply for a job and gain skills they may need to know when actually do start applying for careers position.

Mederos said in addition to leadership and public speaking skills, FFA students gain valuable life experience by going to competitions. Many students get to experience air flight and travel for the first time when participating in competitions. They also learn how to order off a menu, get to attend fancy restaurants and visit attractions like Disneyland for the first time.

“By traveling and having simple life experiences that many adults may take for granted, these students may experience what it’s like to step out of Winters,” Mederos said. “They realize there are so many opportunities because they never had a chance to explore other areas of our state and our country.”

FFA is not just animals and tractors, many students have found success in executing specifically focused Senior Capstone Projects. From excavating and plowing the field to prepare for planting crops, to creating wedding floral arrangments for a wedding, and growing pumpkins to sell to the community — FFA students gain business skills and real-life

See SKILLS, Page 8

Courtesy photos

ABOVE: FFA provides opportunities for students to travel to compete in different competitions and events within the FFA national community. BELOW: The 2022 Ag Sales Team (Joe Aguiar, Ava Skinner, Bianca Dyer Gonzalez and Allison Aguiar) placed 13th in the nation at the National FFA Convention in October 2022.

Trustees approve process to update Facilities Master Plan

By Jacob Hoffman Express staff writer

Van Pelt Construction Services presented the Winters Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees with a proposal to provide a process to update and implement the school district’s Facilities Master Plan at the Feb. 16 meeting.

Van Pelt will work with the school district to identify additional state funding sources to add to local facilities funds and execute a current demographic study. Together they will prioritize facility projects to address community growth, the reconstruction of existing facilities and address short and long-term facility needs for Winters students.

Van Pelt representative Jennifer Gibb summarized for Trustees the process of updating and implementing the Facilities Master

Plan, which Gibb described as “inquiry and data-driven” with the goal of “producing high-quality facilities for high-quality education.”

Gibb noted a few of the data inputs that Van Pelt would determine in their planning process, which include demographics, sources of local, state, and federal funding, assessments of current facility conditions, and the development of cost estimates and project budgets for facility changes.

A key feature of this process will be the oversight and input of a Superintendent’s committee, with Gibb laying out some of the partners and stakeholders who will participate including students, classified and certificated staff, parent-teacher organizations and a number of other stakeholders.

In addition, Gibb said Van Pelt would hold a number of

MOW secures Winters kitchen location

By Crystal Apilado Editor-in-Chief

community input sessions to allow members of the Winters JUSD community to discuss areas of focus, and timelines for projects, as well as provide transparent education on funding availability.

Gibb laid out a proposed timeline, pending board approval, of a Facilities Master Plan slated to begin in March with site assessments and demographic data gathering. In mid-April, they would make time for community input meetings and by late April determine funding sources for projects. In May, the Superintendent’s committee would review Van Pelt’s plan and a draft review would be provided to the board, before being improved and eventually adopted by Trustees in June.

Following her presentation, Gibb invited board members to ask any questions.

Board Clerk Joedy

See PLAN, Page 5

Winters Market announces intention to withdraw liquor license application

By Crystal Apilado Editor-in-Chief

A last-minute decision on behalf of a local business owner changed the course of an agenda item that councilmembers were expected to take action on at the Feb. 7 Winters City Council meeting. Council was slated to hold a public hearing on Winters Market’s application for a Type-20 ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control) License.

If approved, the license would allow for off-sale beer and wine sales (off-site consumption only) at Winters Market.

City Manager Kathleen Salguero Trepa informed councilmembers that ABC considered the area where Winters Mar-

ket is located to have an “undue concentration” of alcohol licenses. Which ABC defines as a “ratio of off-sale retail licenses to the population in the census tract or census division in which the applicant premises are located that exceeds the ratio of off-sale retail license to the population in the county in which the applicant premises are located.”

In this situation, in order for a new alcoholic license to be issued, the local governmental body -— Winters City Council -— must approve a Determination of Public Convenience or Necessity (PCN)

Trepa said City Staff was not in support of approval of

the proposed PCN determination due to the market’s proximity to Winters High School making it a popular destination for students before, during and after school hours.

“While one option is to require that alcohol be locked and not available for sale during school hours, including one hour before and after the school day, the school schedule adjusts for a number of different reasons, adding a layer of complexity for tracking and enforcement,” Trepa said.

A letter submitted by Winters Joint Unified School District Superintendent Rody Boonchouy was accompanied by signatures from WHS staff and students on a recently signed Friday Night Live petition that had been circulated around the high school site, not in favor of allowing the license to be approved. The letter from Friday Night Live stated that “Granting the Winters Market request would send a message opposite of the one taught in our health classes on campus, which teachers our youth about the harmful effects of alcohol.”

Meals on Wheels

Yolo County announced it had secured a lease on kitchen space in Winters and expects it will be able to double the number of meals they provide for older adults in Yolo.

The additional 5,300 square feet of commercial kitchen space in Winters is located at 111 Main St. where the Buckhorn Restaurant’s catering business has been stationed for more than 25 years.

“Our kitchen is the heart of our operation, so sharing this transformational news on Valentine’s Day seems so appropriate,” said Joy Cohan, MOW Yolo Executive Director.

“Over the past year, the MOW Yolo team has been inspired to dramatically deepen our impact upon senior nutrition deficits in the county, which has made the capacity limits of our current kitchen in Woodland very frustrating.

American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding, approved by the Yolo County Board of Supervisors, has made it possible to begin to change this narra-

tive.”

A MOW press release stated the pandemic caused the catering operation to downsize, eliminating the need for such a large food production space. However, the Buckhorn was still responsible to pay the lease through part of 2023, until a community member advised Cohan of the potential for a “win-win” solution.

“The lease for the additional commercial kitchen space in Winters will mean serving more seniors in Winters, but also countywide, as we have both temperature-controlled equipment and vehicles that allow for safe transport of packaged meals from the commercial kitchens in both Winters and Woodland to locations

throughout the county,” Cohan said. Cohan told the Express that MOW is looking forward to re-exploring opportunities for this socialization program for seniors to return to Winters and other areas of the county.

“It is possible that congregate dining may return to the Winters Community Center later this year, especially once we are fully functional in the new Main St. kitchen. Overall, traditional congregate dining has been returning from pandemic pause very slowly, not just in Yolo County, but in neighboring counties, as well,” Cohan said.

To connect with services or to offer support, visit mowyolo. org, email welcome@ mowyolo.org, or call 530-662-7035.

Council expresses desire to create Paseo Park ad hoc committee

By Jacob Hoffman Express staff writer

Following a lively discussion on the Paseo Park project, Winters City Council asked City Staff to bring the topic of Paseo Park back on the next agenda so they could formally create a Council ad hoc committee to determine priorities for the SACOG grant.

At the Feb. 7 Winters City Council meeting, City Manager Kathleen Trepa presented a chronological timeline and information on funding for the Paseo Park project.

Trepa summarized that on Oct. 18, 2022, the Council authorized design-build agreements for Paseo Park construction services beyond the City Manager’s $20,000 procurement limit in order to expend a $100,000 SACOG grant by its Dec. 31 deadline. The councilmembers at that time also requested that an ad hoc committee be appointed to approve designs and contractor agreements, to which then-Mayor Wade Cowan and current Mayor Bill Biasi

were appointed. It was agreed by the Council and city staff that staff would provide a report on the use of the grant, which Trepa described as “the primary purpose” of the agenda item.

A number of members of the public addressed the council during the public comments section of the meeting, including Paul Kastner, who told Councilmembers he works for a company that would provide the pro bono services and claimed there “had not been much agreement or cooperation from the City,” emphasizing the need for “community involvement” in the creation of the park. Kastner also provided copies of Express published letters to the editor and a column by Richard Kleeberg, as well as a pro bono agreement for architectural work.

Other community members who spoke included Dillan Rivas, Chris Turkovich, Corinne Martinez, Bill Haley and Kate Laddish.

Rivas suggested that bollards should be installed on the

Main Street side of the Paseo Park walkway to support pedestrian safety and prevent cars from driving through the passage and using the park as a parking lot. Turkovich expressed an appreciation as a business owner and Winters Downtown Business Association President for the “much-needed” electrical upgrades and expressed excitement moving forward. He also supported seeing rotating art exhibits. Martinez acknowledged the City’s efforts to pursue funding and encouraged co-funding opportunities. She asked councilmembers to not lose sight of the bigger vision and said that it would be worse to allow the longer the park stays in its current condition because it didn’t have charm appeal.

Haley spoke to the history of what the Winters Center for the Arts did in 2010 to help develop the park. Haley noted that metal sheet piles could protect the historical building’s foundations from tree roots

See PARK, Page 5

Courtesy photo

Meals on Wheels Yolo is renting the space previously occupied by the Buckhorn Catering operation.

Years Ago

Dispatches from the Express archives.

0222 Years Ago

145 Years Ago

February 23, 1878

(From the files of the Winters Advocate)

On Saturday last, our hope that the rain had ceased for awhile was disastrously disappointed. That night a heavy rain storm set in, about the heaviest of the season. The railroad bridge, which had been repaired and the usual trains running over it for a week, was again, by the great rise of water in the creek bringing down great quantities of trees, etc, placed in jeopardy.

All day Sunday hands were busily employed endeavoring to clear the accumulation of drift wood from the piling, but without success, and early in the afternoon it became evident that the bridge must again be carried away by the pressure accumulating against the piling. Everything that could be moved was taken from the bridge, it having already began to to get out of line in the centre, which continued until about five o’clock when the central portion of six bents gave way with a crash, and floated down stream.

130 Years Ago

February 25, 1893

B. R. Sackett’s familiar face is seen on our streets nowadays, he having moved his family up from Alameda to the ranch recently purchased by him from Henry Seaman. It looks like old times to see Mr. Sackett about again.

Col. Sam Taylor and “Uncle” John Wolfskill came up from Alameda on yesterday morning’s train.

Rev. M. J. Jeffries, a Baptist minister, recently arrived from Missouri, has been in Winters this week and held services in the Baptist church here on Thursday evening.

A cane has been shown by J. B. McArthur, presented to him by Mr. J. R. Wolfskill which is a gift worthy of the honor and

a valuable keepsake. The stick was cut by Mr. Wolfskill from the bearing date tree on his farm, which is the only tree of the species which perfects its fruit in the country. The cane has an ivory handle, silver ferule and steel tip, and is handsome, strong and durable.

95 Years Ago

February 24, 1928

Winters High School won its 5th basketball game from Vacaville by the score of 23 to 13. Streeter played center for Winters and showed up very well, playing a fine defensive game as well as the offensive. He proved to be a much better player than Perkins, who has been on the crippled list for the past two weeks.

Rufus Chapman received severe burns about the left arm and chest one day this week when he removed the radiator cap from his tractor. He was taken to the Woodland Clinic for treatment and is now recovering at home.

Miss Dorothy Sackett who is specializing in music at the College of the Pacific with a purpose of becoming a concert singer was a performer at a student recital Tuesday evening.

80 Years Ago

February 26, 1943

Yosolano Chapter O.

E. S. held a pleasing meeting Friday night in observance of the 39th anniversary of the organization, Mr. R. B. Bigelow, Worthy Matron, presiding.

Relatives heard from Chris Martinez and Tony Martin, recently inducted into the service, that they would this week be en route to Mississippi.

Rev. and Mrs. Zimmerman were business visitors in Sacramento Wednesday.

Mrs. Sadie Cook and granddaughter of Oakland, J. E. Briggs and son Jimmie Jr. were holiday guests of members of the Briggs clan.

1932–2023

Verbena Jean McGhee passed away on Feb. 7, 2023 at the young age of 90 years old. She was a current resident at the Wesley Woods memory care facility in Waco, Texas at the time of her death. She was born Verbena Jean Ferguson in Hickman County, Ky. on July 26, 1932. She grew up in Columbus, Ky. where she met her loving husband Smitty McGhee at the young age of 18 years. They were married for over 43 years.

In 1952, they moved out West to California

Charlotte Ann Kimball passed away on Jan. 29, 2023, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. Charlotte and her second husband, Tom W. Neely lived in Winters for nearly 30 years, until Tom passed away on July 6, 2020.

Charlotte was born on Nov. 17, 1943 in Berkeley. Charlotte’s upbringing in a family with three brothers forged a lifelong pattern of proving herself while retaining empathy for the downtrodden. Following the example set by her mother Betty, throughout her life, she sought out opportunities to help others. In Winters, Charlotte particularly enjoyed teaching gardening for many years, at Wolfskill Continuation High School, seeing in students’ great potential, where others only saw misfits.

Charlotte attended UC Davis, immersing herself in the study of botany while also meeting her first husband John Glenn, and lifelong family friends, Jim and Gay VerSteeg. Charlotte began teaching in Mo-

Obituaries

and lived in Southern California and San Jose where they raised their three daughters.

In the mid-80s, they moved to Winters where they bought their forever home on Russell Street. The home was restored and remodeled in the style that was to be their little piece of heaven on earth. They lived there happily until her husband Smitty passed away in 1993.

While in Winters, Verbena was always busy lending her hand to any new opportunity that came her way. Cooking was a passion of hers and she honed

her skill at the famous Buckhorn restaurant making soups and chili for John Pickerel, who gave her an opportunity to show off her love of cooking. She helped open the Putah Creek Café across the street. She worked there baking, making pies, chili and soups.

Verbena Jean McGhee (also known as Bea or Bena) was preceded in death by her loving husband James Smith McGhee (Smitty) and her sweet grandson Kyle Wayne Lederer. She is survived by her loving daughters

lotte went on to found Le Marche Seeds International, an early supporter and proponent of the California Cuisine revolution.

Le Marche built on Georgeanne’s experience living in Southern France and Charlotte’s deep technical knowledge of botany. Jointly they brought in vegetables, herbs and particularly lettuces from global sources to be grown locally.

LaDonna Pearson (Mark), Carol Holtkamp (Dwight) and Pamela Rudy (Steve). She leaves behind five grandchildren Erin Gill (Rohan), Nikole Craft (Daniel), Clinton Lederer (Tabby), Scott Holtkamp, and Joshua Pearson (Jessica). She is also blessed to have eight great-grandchildren — who fondly called her GiGi or Grandma Great — Mia, Tearyn, Abbigail, Bowen, Colby, Connor, Madison and Noah. In lieu of flowers, kindly donate to the Memory Care facility of your choosing.

the annual tree and bulb sales and they believed strongly in providing educational access for all.

Crystal

Editor-in-Chief

Fred Gladdis, Special Editor

Sydney Andrade, Staff Writer

Aaron Geerts, Staff Writer

Jacob Hoffman, Staff Writer

David DeLeon, Advertising Director

Taylor Buley, Publisher-at-Large

Charles R. Wallace, Publisher Emeritus

doc County in 1968/9 as the first woman Ag teacher in the state, for which she was later honored by UC Davis’ School of Education. (See https://education. ucdavis.edu/spotlight/ charlotte-kimball).

During that time period, Charlotte and John lived on the Vassar Ranch, becoming close to Ann and Lucy Vassar.  There were innumerable trips and adventures as life took Charlotte and John first to Oregon, then to Georgia, and then back again to Dixon and the Vassars.

Later, as a teacher, first in Vacaville and then in Dixon, Charlotte became lifelong friends with Georgeanne Brennan. Georgeanne and Char-

Things just aren’t the way they used to be. Whatever happened to businesses that were eager to please? Well, there is one right here in our town. We offer the same outstanding service offered decades ago.

Are we hopelessly out-of-style?

We certainly hope so.

One of their most lasting accomplishments was formulating the bagged salad mixes that are now so ubiquitous.

Charlotte subsequently went on to manage large-scale re-vegetation projects for utilities, initially at Bechtel in San Francisco, and then via Kimball Neely Associates, a consulting firm run in partnership with Tom.  Remaining interested in education, Charlotte was an ardent supporter of the Winters Friends of the Library.   She and Tom were very involved in

Charlotte and Tom enjoyed plays, music and the Winters community. Nana Banana and Tommy Two-Tone, affectionate names given by Charlotte’s grandchildren, Sage and Max, were always up for an adventure with the grandkids — from riding donkeys to trips to the Oregon coast.

As her Alzheimers progressed Charlotte treasured her daily dog walks with her loyal dog Bo and the Russell Street crew — remaining topics of conversation well into her advanced illness. Charlotte’s interests, curiosity, and acceptance of others created a vast network of friends, wherever she went.

As her brother-inlaw, Bob, remarked, there wasn’t much that Charlotte couldn’t do and, if she wanted to do it, there wasn’t much dissuading her.

Lake Levels

The level of Lake Berryessa is up by 0.19 feet during the past week, with an increase in storage of 3,070 acre-feet of water, according to Ken Emigh of the Solano Irrigation District. Tuesday morning the lake level was 413.07 feet above sea level,

with storage computed at 1,078,749 acre-feet of water.

Evaporation on the lake averaged 93 acre-feet of water per day. The SID is diverting 50 feet per second of water in the Putah South Canal, with 32 feet per second flowing at the Diversion Dam.

Charlotte Ann Kimball

Courtesy photo Charlotte Ann Kimball

Picked by Charley Wallace

File photo

It was standing room only at this Winters Little League game in 1974. Not a cell phone in sight. One of the fans in the middle of the bleachers is George Castro. Can you name any others?

Verbena McGhee

and commented that the Winters Hotel was supposed to step in and help develop the park. He urged the City to engage with the community to develop a park concept, and provided a signin sheet of attendees from a 2010 community meeting.

Laddish expressed concern for the urban heat island effect and encouraged landscaping and seasonal shade. She suggested that the site furnishing be resistant to graffiti and cautioned against a water feature that would be turned off in drought conditions noting “waterless water features are a bummer.”

Councilmember’s discussion led to the

PLAN

Continued from Page 1

Michael asked Gibb logistical questions regarding the plan, including whether Van Pelt’s assessments will include all land assets, not just the facilities themselves, and inquired as to who would be the demographer.

Gibb answered that yes, the assessment would include all of the school district’s assets and that Van Pelt’s demographer is King Consulting, with whom Van Pelt has worked in the past and whom Gibb described as, “very true to their projections.”

Trustee Everardo

Zaragoza sought clarification on the cost estimates Van Pelt

request to have the topic come back on a future agenda so they can create an ad hoc committee since it was not on the current agenda.

Councilmember Jesse Loren urged the need for finding common ground and suggested the City consider looking into a Public Art ordinance similar to one in Santa Rosa.

Mayor Pro Tempore Albert Vallecillo said that the park has a lot of potential, but noted that realizing it will cost money — far more than the already allotted $100,000 from SACOG. He also stated that the designs for the park are not yet ready to implement, saying that what the council has “are not construction drawings, they’re concept drawings.”

Councilmember

will provide, asking if each recommendation will have a corresponding estimate, to which Gibb affirmed that Van Pelt’s project report “will come with site plans, and then it will have each of the

Richard Casavecchia expressed his hope that the city and the community can build off this momentum to promptly form an ad hoc committee to lay out phases for design/ construction and the next steps.

In a separate statement to the Express, Biasi expounded on some of the decisions and rationale of the council.

Clarifying on the ad hoc committee concept to during the meeting, Biasi said “the council’s direction was to bring this

gestion as to when to access the funding.

Trustees expressed excitement over the Facilities Master Plan, with Michael noting that he has “been through a lot of these, and sometimes

back to a future council meeting and have a discussion on forming an ad hoc committee” formed of “two councilmembers as well as some community members” who will “collecting the various concepts and ideas and try to come up with direction on what we want to see on the park and try and bring that back to the council.”

“This is just a beginning phase,” Biasi clarified. “This isn’t what the park is going to be as a finished concept, it’s just the

(Facilities Master Plan) is going to be something we can carry through for years to come,” Michael said.

Board President Carrie Green said she was “very much looking forward to this process” and that this collaboration “is all shaping up to be a really good plan.”

The 2022–23 fiscal impact is a one-time cost of $94,720 to be paid from the following funding sources: Developer Fees (Fund 25), ESSER III (Resource 3213), and Discretionary Block Grant (Resource 6762), as needed.

projects defined, and with the project, you will have the project budget, and then you’ll have a funding strategy assigned to it,” as well as a sug-

you don’t get the total cost” and oftentimes master plans would just lapse without ever getting worked on.

“The detail of this

Public Safety Report

Fire

We expect that the fire log will return next week.

Police

Arrest Log

Feb. 8: Perez Valdez, Ruben Jr (Age 47), Charges: Five Yolo County Warrants, Disposition: Transported to Yolo County Jail

Feb. 9: Cowdery, Norman (Age 56); Charges: Four Tehama Co Warrants, Possession of drug paraphernalia; Disposition: Released on Notice to Appear ~Ables, Jonathon Mark (Age 28), Charges: Glenn County Warrant, Disposition: Transported to Yolo County Jail

~Luxford, Serenity Christen (Age 21); Charges: Seven Tehama Co Warrants, Possession of controlled subs; Disposition: Transported to Yolo County Jail

~Robinson, Jamie Sizanne (Age 45); Charges: Three Tehama Co Warrants, One Red Bluff PD Warrant, possession of drug paraphernalia; Disposition: Transported to Yolo County Jail

Feb. 10: Garcia Duran, Salvador (Age 35), Charges: Winters PD Warrant, Disposition: Released on Notice to Appear

Feb. 11: Gutierrez, Doreen Laray (Age 44); Charges: Driving under the influence, DUI .08 percent plus, Basic Speed Law violation; Disposition: Transported to Yolo County Jail

Feb. 12: Brown, Kent Stewart (Age 56), Charges: One San Bernardino Warrant, Disposition: Released with a Notice to Appear

~Streets, Aurielle L (Age 32), Charges: Driving under the influence/.08 plus BAC, Disposition: Transported to Yolo County Jail

~Faulkner, Tristan Taylor (Age 21), Charges: Assault with a deadly weapon, Disposition: Transported to Yolo County Jail

Case Log

Feb. 6: 5:36 p.m., 800th block of W. Grant Avenue, Commercial Burglary

~6:07 p.m., 400th block of Grant Avenue, Stolen Vehicle Recovery

Feb. 7: 2:07 a.m., 100th block of E. Grant Avenue, Audible Alarm

The Trustees voted unanimously to adopt and move forward with the Facilities Master Plan as recommended.

~3:15 p.m., 700th block of Valley Oak Drive, Missing/ Located Person

~6:30 p.m., 800th block of Jefferson Street, Child Endangerment

Feb. 9: 7:50 a.m., 40th block of Main Street, Audible Alarm

~8:52 a.m., 800th block of Dutton Street, Towed Vehicle

Feb. 10: 10:38 a.m., 400th block of Anderson Avenue, Distribution of Child Pornography

~5:04 p.m., 10th block of Main Street, Distribution of Child

Feb. 12: 6:45 p.m., 500th block of East Street, Suspected Elder Abuse

~11:02 p.m., Martinez Way, Traffic Collision

Feb. 13: 8 a.m., 10th block of Baker Street, Battery

~9:20 a.m., 900th block of E. Grant Avenue, Fraud Theft

~1:27 p.m., 700th block of Matsumoto Lane, Misc Information Report

~2:21 p.m., 900th block of Kennedy Drive, Stolen EBT Card

Feb. 14: 6:42 p.m., 900th block of Railroad Avenue, Sodomy

beginning with the money we have to use now” and that at this moment “we don’t really have any funding to go forward.” This means, according to Biasi, the completion of the park will “still have a couple more years” before completion.

Biasi summarized his belief in this project by reiterating his commitment to getting input from the community, “we (City Council) do want to get community feedback on it, we’d like to make sure it does maintain that aspect

of being an art park… and we’re all looking forward to it being an asset for our downtown community to be able to enjoy.”

Trepa informed attendees that more public input could be shared at a joint Planning Commission and City Council meeting on Thursday, March 2 from 6–9 p.m. at the Public Safety Facility’s Community Room. She said the intention is to host a community workshop to discuss various policy options and recommendations for the Downtown Visioning Project.

“Waterless water features are a bummer.”

Kate Laddish, resident

“The detail of this (Facilities Master Plan) is going to be something we can carry through for years to come.”

Joedy Michael, Trustee

Soccer vying for Championships Saturday Basketball falls in first round

By Aaron Geerts Express staff writer

Last Wednesday, Feb. 15, the Winters High School men's varsity basketball team traveled all the way up to Mount Lassen to take on the Lassen High School Grizzlies in the first round of the 2023 D4 NSCIF Boys Basketball Playoffs. This marks the second year in a row the varsity squad has made it to the postseason.

The squad stepped out of their vans ready to compete. The Warriors played as hard as they had all year, staying in contention for most of the game, however, they came up short as the Grizzlies

Continued from Page 1

Winters Police Chief John P. Miller also submitted a position letter on behalf of the Winters Police Department.

Miller’s letter had a detailed breakdown of conditions that would have to be followed if the Council approved the PCN determination and the license was issued. The conditions included that no sales would be made during normal school hours, plus a minimum of on hour on each side of the regular bells schedule regardless of the day of the week -- which would start sales begin after 5 p.m. Additionally, all alcohol products must be physically inaccessible and locked during the details days and hours.

Winters Market owner Sumandeep Singh approached Council

would claw out a 62–46 win and put an end to the team’s season.

“The guys were really pumped up and ready to face a new team that wasn’t used to how we play. Despite the long van ride, we came out on fire shooting over 45 percent in the first half. Lassen had a major size advantage, putting three guys over 6-foot, 4-inches on the court at all times. We continued to compete, trailing by only 2 points with 10 minutes left in the game, but the altitude and their ability to out-rebound us was the difference late in the game,” said head coach Brendan

and announced that he had made a last-minute decision to withdraw the application with ABC in response to community concerns. He noted his business was there to provide for the community, especially the students.

Singh said he had fielded phone calls of concern over the past two weeks, and as a parent, he understood and wanted to help keep Winters youth safe.

Assistant City At-

McShea. “I think our team this year competed every game and there weren’t many nights, win or lose when the other team didn’t have to really fight for their points. We will miss our seniors a lot next year but the fact that we started a freshman and a sophomore was the first person off the bench is a sign of a strong foundation moving forward. The more younger guys understand the style of play that I want to run the faster we get to a place where we are hard to stop. That understanding is happening earlier every year.”

torney Martin de los Angeles advised councilmembers a public hearing was not necessary. However, to ensure the application is denied or withdrawn, the council should request that Singh send the City a copy of the intent to withdraw sent to ABC.

Councilmembers decided the best step was to move forward with the agenda and wait for Singh to show proof of the application withdrawal.

By Sydney Andrade Express staff writer

Last Thursday, Feb. 16, the Winters High School varsity soccer teams both dominated their competition, making it to the second round of playoffs.

The women’s varsity soccer team went up against Maxwell High School and won by a score of 11–0 with a homefield advantage.

The men’s varsity soccer team played directly after the women and went head-to-head against Durham High School to win with a score of 5–0.

If both teams win their games on Tuesday, they will head to the NSCIF Championships scheduled on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.

The championship games will be held at the Dr. Sellers field in Winters. General

admission is $10 for adults or $5 for senior citizens (over 60 years old). Students Kindergarten through eighth grade and high schoolers with an ASB card are $5. Unaccompaniedstudents K – 8 are $15.

PISANI’S ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Colton Brown

the Week.

was a key component

the men’s varsity basketball team’s success and playoff berth. He served as a great team leader on both ends of the court and in the locker room. “Some games we need him to score a bunch of points, some days we need him to guard a wing and some days we need him to play under the hoop,” said head coach Brendan McShea. “Heading into the playoffs he was pushing his teammates in practice and against Lassen, he guarded every position while scoring and rebounding at a high level.”

$10.00 Off Any Smog Inspection

’95

Must present

SERVING WINTERS SINCE 1959

Colton Brown, a Winters High School junior, is Pisani’s Athlete of

Brown

of

Winters FFA sees success at Sectional Speaking Competition

By Ava Skinner Winters FFA President

On Wednesday, Feb. 8, members of the Winters FFA Chapter traveled to River City High School in West Sacramento to compete at the Sectional Public Speaking competition. Winters FFA competed against different schools in their section including Davis, Delta, Esparto, Woodland, Woodland Pioneer and Woodland Christian.

The Creed Speaking competition is a freshman-level competition in which members recite and answer questions about the FFA Creed, which is an outline of the FFA organization’s beliefs about agriculture. Carlos Ramirez placed second, Jackson Bronson placed third and Izabelle Guzman placed fifth.

A new competition this year is the Spanish Creed Speaking Contest, in which contestants recite the Creed in Spanish and answer questions in Spanish. In the upperclassmen division, Guadalupe Lopez placed first and in the underclassmen division, Melissa Barrera placed second.

For the sophomore-level Impromptu Competition, contestants are given keywords and quotes pertaining to agriculture and are given one minute to prepare a 30-second to 2-minute speech on their topic. Eden Miller took home first place and Riley Hurst placed third.

Upperclassmen have the choice to compete in “Job Interview” or “Extemporaneous” competitions. Job Interview

contestants prepare a cover letter and resume, and compete against each other to demonstrate the best employment skills for a job in the agriculture industry. Al-

lison Aguiar placed first and Lauren Back placed fifth. For Extemporaneous, contestants have 30 minutes to use resources they bring to the competition

to prepare a four to six-minute speech on a topic of agriculture and answer five minutes’ worth of questions. Mikenzie Hapworth-Eldridge placed second.

Everyone placing in the top three for their competition will move on to the Regionals Competition on March 10 held at Modesto

See SUCCESS, Page 8

Winters FFA Vice President Kiana Miller celebrates with Lauren Back (left) and Allison Aguiar (right), who participated in the Job Interview competitions.

Courtesy photo

Winters FFA members Carlos Ramirez, Aidan Tuel, Jackson Bronson and Izabelle Guzman all competed in the Creed Speaking competition for freshman.

Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo

Melissa Barrera and Guadalupe Lopez competed in the rst, ever Spanish Creed Speaking Contest. Lopez placed rst and Barrera placed second.

Courtesy photo Eden Miller and Riley Hurst took top spots in the Impromptu Competition at the sophomore level.

experiences they first learned about in class.

“Our students can really flourish here and see success after college if they take opportunities in FFA,” Mederos said.

“Our students are successful in their Senior Capstone project because of the experiences they have in

SUCCESS Continued from Page

Junior College.

Winters FFA represented Winters well and eight of the 13 students who competed at Sections are moving on to Regionals. The Winters FFA is very proud of the students who challenged themselves by competing in this competition.

the FFA.”

Winters FFA students are also eligible to apply for over $10K in scholarships that are earmarked just for ag students. However, they have to take advantage of the opportunities and do the work to gain insight and real-world experiences.

Skinner said during an interview to Stanford, the interviewer

few of

was impressed by the leadership skills she gained through her SAE project. Skinner has learned a lot about public speaking, debate, leadership and practical skills through the program. Her involvement in FFA made a huge impact on the scholarship opportunities that were available to her.

Allison Aguiar (center) placed rst in the nation in the Individual Ag Sales Contest at the National FFA Convention in October 2022.

Thursdays

Eat Well Yolo Food Distribution, first and third Thursdays, 10 a.m. As supplies last, RISE, Inc., 200 Baker St. – Rooms 4 & 5, 530-668-0690

Monday, February 27

Roadmap to the Future : Winters Community Engagement Session, 5:30–8 p.m., English and Spanish , Winters Community Center, 201 Railroad Ave., Register at https://ycoe.org/roadmap

Tuesday, February 28

Winters Planning Commission Meeting, 6:30 p.m.,Zoom Meeting info, check www.cityofwinters.org/planning-commission/

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, March 2

Joint Winters City Council/Planning Commission Meeting - Downtown Visioning Project Community Workshop, 6-9 p.m., Public Safety Facility’s Community Room

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

Monday, March 6

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

Tuesday, March 7 Winters City Council Meeting, 6:30 p.m., Council chamber (318 First St.), Zoom Meeting info, check www.cityofwinters.org/city-council-meetings_/

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.) CANCELED March 23

Ongoing

Winters Friends of the Library meeting, first Monday, 7 p.m., Meeting details: https://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 Thursday of the month, 6 p.m. (sign-ups begin at 5 p.m.), 13 Main St.

Kiwanis Club of Winters meeting, fourth Thursdays, 6 p.m., Yolo Federal Credit Union Community Room 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.

Our sister city, Almogía — Part 2

By Woody and Rebecca Fridae Special to the Express

Mayor Cristobal Torreblanca Sanchez was reserved, polite and dignified. He was very familiar with our sisterhood and had been friends with Miguel Ruiz, the Winters citizen whose idea sparked the sister city idea over 30 years ago. Miguel (Mike) was born in Winters but decided to return to his parents’ homeland when he received the inheritance of a small home and piece of land from his father, Bernardo Ruiz. Miguel built a roundhouse in Los Nuñez and lived there for several years.

The mayor remembered that Miguel offered to sell him the roundhouse, called la casa redonda, when Miguel had to leave Spain after his wife had a heart attack and there were no such services available to the Ruiz family in the province of Almogía. Miguel kept his dream alive by uniting his beloved Almogía and the place of his birth in California.

Mayor Torreblanca had traveled to Winters in 1993 as a councilmember to help celebrate the initiation of the sisterhood of the two cities; he and two of his fellow councilmembers marched in the Winters Youth Day Parade. He remembered having dinner at our house when we hosted the delegation, as I had been on the City Council during the time the process of the sisterhood began.

The mayor also recounted meeting Craig McNamara, who, he said, also raised

almonds, as Mayor Torreblanca still does today. He said that the types of crops that grow in Winters are very similar to those grown in Almogía because the latitude of the towns is very similar. Winters is 38.5 and Almogía is almost 37 degrees, a difference of only 1.5 degrees.

Many of the original settlers who left Spain to find good land and work opportunities arrived in Hawaii first, but when the land and work was not as promised by the sugar plantation barons, they left and sailed into San Francisco, where they eventually discovered Winters.

There were many families who came to that route, not only from Almogía, but other rural towns in southern Spain. The Lopez, Ruiz, Martinez, Carbahal, Martín, Ramos, Fernandez, Carrión, Molina, Campos and Rubio families came from similar parts of this region, Andalucía.

Much flatter, but with similar climate and rainfall, they

discovered that they could raise similar crops to those of their homeland. It must have seemed like a dream to them at the time; great, open, flatter land, similar growing conditions, and room to grow. Little by little, families and friends heard about the good land opportunities in California and followed the exodus from Hawaii.

While in Almogía, the mayor and councilmembers showed us the council chambers.

There, prominently displayed on the front wall, was the Declaration of Sisterhood with Winters. The mayor proudly accepted the framed proclamation we had brought from Winters, and he gave us a similar framed document, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Sister City adoption. I had not realized that it was the 30th anniversary until that moment. We all posed for photos, holding both proclamations. They also displayed their Almogía flag, like the

See ALMOGIA, Page 4

Woody Fridae/Courtesy photo

The skyline of Almogía as seen from a nearby roadside.

Courtesy photo

Almogía Councilmember Isabel Arabal (right) shows o the Almogía City ag, like the one raised in Winters in 1993 to commemorate the sister cityhood.

Home sales inch up in January for second month straight

California Association of Realtors Special to the Express

• Existing, single-family home sales totaled 241,520 in January on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, up 0.4 percent from December and down 45.7 percent from January 2022.

• January’s statewide median home price was $751,330, down 3.0 percent from December and down 1.9 percent from January 2022.

• Year-to-date statewide home sales were down 45.7 percent in January.

California home sales edged up in January for the second straight month, as interest rates continued to take a breather, but still remained below the 250,000-unit sales pace for the third straight month.

Closed escrow sales of existing, single-family detached homes in California totaled a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 241,520 in January, according to information collected by the California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.) from more than 90 local

Realtor associations and MLSs statewide. The statewide annualized sales figure represents what would be the total number of homes sold during 2023 if sales maintained the January pace throughout the year. It is adjusted to account for seasonal factors that typically

CADRE#00811568

influence home sales. January’s sales pace was up 0.4 percent on a monthly basis from a revised 240,630 in December and down 45.7 percent from a year ago, when a revised 444,400 homes were sold on an annualized basis.

“Thanks to slightly waning interest rates and tempering home

prices, California’s housing market kicked off the new year with another step up and continued to improve in January as buyers gained more confidence in purchasing a home and the affordability outlook improving slightly,” said C.A.R. President Jennifer Branchini, a Bay Area Realtor.

“While the monthly sales gains have been nominal over the past two months, the market is moving in the right direction, and more gradual improvements could be coming in the months ahead as the market moves into the spring home buying season in a few weeks.”

California’s median home price receded in January to $751,330, down 3.0 percent from the $774,850 recorded in December, which was the fifth straight monthly decline. January’s price also was lower on a year-overyear basis for the third consecutive month, declining 1.9 percent

from the $766,250 recorded last January.

“Job layoffs in recent months, primarily in the tech sector, have contributed to a decline in both sales and prices in higher-priced housing markets, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area,” said C.A.R. Vice President and Chief Economist Jordan Levine. “With home prices expected to remain soft and the mix of sales continuing to shift toward less expensive housing units throughout the rest of 2023, the market will see more downward price adjustments in the next few months.”

• Remodels/Additions

530.682.0302 LIC. #817420

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

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 $1,250,000.

35.75 ACRES OF INCOME PRODUCING WALNUTS!

Located just East of town towards Davis off Russell Blvd. Could make for a great building site (check with the county)! Offered at $1,049,000.

BEAUTIFUL RANCH STYLE HOME on .4 of an acre.

Completely

Remodeled kitchen and Master Bedroom. Appointment only. Offered at $659,000. GREAT CURB APPEAL! 4 beds, 3 full baths. Just over 2100 square feet. Centrally located close to all schools. Offered at $599,000. 3 BED, 2 BATH ON A CORNER LOT. Established neighborhood. Offered at $445,000. Call 530-383-1185. Call

Residential, Commercial & Agricultural Real Estate RECIPIENT OF THE YOLO COUNTY ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS MASTERS CLUB SINCE 2012 (530) 795-3834 127 Carrion Court, Winters

INTERESTED

Adobe/Stock image

California home sales edged up in January for the second month straight, as interest rates continued to take a breather.

Gardening tips from a wannabe farmer

Dave Rodriguez once told me to fertilize on Halloween and Super Bowl Sunday, and, as I was fertilizing my lawn this weekend, I realized that the Super Bowl used to be played in January.

Better late than never. Chris Gertz tells me to spray every time it rains after Valentine’s Day. Good advice, but I’m lucky if I spray my apricot and peach trees a couple of times a season. I usually have extra copper sulfate and oil, so I spray our roses and Japanese maples, too. Someone should let me know if that is OK, or am I just wasting chemicals.

If you still take Sunday drives, you will

notice a lot of walnut orchards are being torn out. Local farmers tell me that the expected price will be below production cost and you will be seeing more and more orchards being taken out. The big question is, what will they plant in their place? I don’t think it will be apricots or peaches.

I don’t think I’m cut out to be a farmer. You can only pray for rain so many times before you lose your faith and start to question your occupation. Name

me another industry that makes a product, ships it away, and then waits to see how much they will be paid, or when they will receive a check. Who allowed this situation to become the norm?

When I do a printing job, people will ask about the price. If it is too high, they go somewhere else. If they like the price, I deliver it just before they need it. With farming, what do you do with a crop when no one wants to pay you a fair price for it? Sure, there are

years when the price is high and everyone is happy, but when the price is low, what are you supposed to do with your trees? I guess the answer is to take out the orchard and plant something else.

A friend described being a farmer: “We live poor and die rich.”

Meaning that when a farmer dies, the family usually sells the land and never looks back. Some farms have been passed along from generation to generation, the same as newspapers. There comes a time when it just isn’t profitable or there isn’t anyone who wants to continue the family tradition.

I’ve noticed a few For Sale signs around

Beer, wine and how to eat an elephant

Winters Market

ABC License

Recently Winters Market, on the corner of Railroad and Grant, had applied for a license from ABC to sell beer and wine for offsite consumption (Type 20 license). I prepared 15 total questions for the Applicant, the Police Chief and any representative from the High School or School District who might be there to speak to their concerns, but neither I nor any other councilmember got a chance to ask anything.

I know I’m treading a delicate line here since this issue isn’t formally resolved. I can’t discuss the merits of this application nor give an opinion on the issue, but there is a lot of interest in it. The short version of what happened is the owner of Winters Market announced, during the public hearing, that he will be withdrawing the application.

Due to the proximity to the high school, and ABC classifying the town as having an “oversaturation” of type 20 licenses based on their per-capita rule of thumb, the permit question came before City Council.

In general, my default starting position on permit issues is that if you want to engage in legal action or behavior on your property, or in your home or business, you should be allowed to. If there are community concerns about that legal behavior, you should hear them out, present a plan, and, where a permit or license is required, a determination should be made in a way that assesses the risk of the concerns in an objective, unbiased way.

In this case, City Council was asked to make a finding on something called a determination of public convenience or necessity. If you are interested in what that is, there is information in the Feb. 7 agenda packet. Going into the hearing, I also had a general idea of what combination of answers would lead me to support approval and what combination would lead me to reject approval, but I still don’t have answers to them, and we did not get a chance to make any determination.

At the hearing, the applicant stepped to the podium and stated he had just decided to pull his application based on community feedback. To me, it seemed like he made that decision sometime between the moment he was asked if he had anything to say, and when he arrived at the podium.

I hope the applicant didn’t decide to pull his application because he felt he had no path to approval, because that was not the case in my mind. In any event, the item was continued to next month pending official notification that the application is withdrawn. Should the applicant decide to continue pursuing a Type 20 license appli-

cation, I echo the mayor’s comments at the meeting that we will be happy to continue the hearing to make a determination on the question.

Pocket Park

The topic of Pocket Park has gotten spicy as of late. Bottom line up front: it is clear to me that we have enough direction from residents on the desired elements in this park, and we decided to bring an item back at a future meeting to create an ad hoc committee of two city councilmembers, city staff, and potentially community stakeholders to develop a phased development plan to finish the park.

There has been a lot of discussions, out-

rage, anger, frustration and other forms of public outcry over Pocket Park downtown because we

the county, I think more than I usually see. It will be interesting to watch what happens when all of the baby boomers start to die off. Will their children or a grandchild step up and take over the farm, or will the next generation just look at the money and decide to sell?

It isn’t just farmers and newspapers I’m talking about. Look at any small business

and see how many are being run by third or fourth generations.

I’ll add that McNaughton Newspapers, owner of the Express, is being run by fourth-generation members of the family, maybe the fifth generation, I’m not sure. So there is always hope that someone will see the benefit of taking on a family business. Cross your fingers and have a good week.

Letters

Thank you for front page article

The students' work on the valentines that you featured on the front page last issue (Feb. 15 edition) was the result of a lot of community support. We want to thank the Winters Joint Unified School District led in enthusiasm by our new superintendent Dr. Rody Boonchouy, Ace Hardware and especially Gino who is ever generous, Winters Rotary for turning out on a Saturday to hoist the scaffolding, the ever-supportive Winters Participation Board members, Kona Ice and Belle Boutique who continue to collect hearts. Without a village, this would never happen. Winters is that village.

VALERIE WHITWORTH

Winters Participation Gallery Chair

one Miguel Ruiz had raised on the steps of City Hall in Winters thirty years ago.

Later, we enjoyed some refreshments in the town square, just outside the Almogía city offices. This is the plaza where they celebrate the special town dance festival called the Verdial, an annual celebration that draws people from all over the region. A huge stage is set up at one side of the large plaza and youth perform the traditional dances and music of this region, called the “verdiales.” I imagined something akin to our Festival de la Comunidad, or our Tractor Parade.

The Verdial is a special ancient dance that is similar to the Flamenco, or Fandango, but even older. It is

named for the verdial grape

and goes back to the times of Moorish origins with Arabic instruments. Las Verdiales is typically celebrated as an annual competition between outlying villages and crowds from all over Almogía attend the festival. The music and costumes are a symbol of their culture and history.

We asked about the “Alcalde” statue we had seen above at the smaller plaza.

“Oh, that word has doble sentido,” (double meaning) the current mayor explained. Alcalde means the mayor of the village, but in music, it means conductor, or director, as well. The stick, he explained, is the director’s baton.

Later, we had a chance to visit other tiny communities from which Winters’ families have sprung. We spent several days driving around

Almería, Lubrin, El Chiva, and El Marchal. All of them represent possibilities of future sister cities. We took names and made a few connections. Something for a future trip, perhaps. When we embarked on this journey, we were not sure if the Almogíans were

aware of the sister cityhood, or if anyone here was aware of our town some 10,000 kilometers away. The emails I exchanged with the mayor’s office had been business-like, and somewhat terse. But we can clearly report that Almogía has not forgotten the Ruiz dream:

from the street they named for us, to the plaque on the town hall meeting chambers, to the living memories of those we met, the sisterhood with Winters is alive and well.

We were privileged to carry the good wishes from our City Council to theirs. The proclamation we presented says, in part, that …Winters is a community that celebrates its diversity with inclusivity, nurturing care for others and respect for all, and bonding together over community meals, events, music and a little dancing in the streets — like the festivals in Spain … Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by the City Council of Winters that it hereby celebrates and honors its Spanish heritage and the town of Almogía, sending warm regards to its residents and our family members.

HELP WANTED

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME

Case Number: CV2023-0044

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS:

Petitioner: Yousaf Maidanwall filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows:

Present name

Yousaf Maidanwall to Proposed name Matheulla Hadi

T H E C O U R T O R D E R S t h a t a l l p e r s o n s i n t e r e s t e d i n t h i s matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated bel o w t o s h o w c a u s e i f a n y w h y t h e p e t i t i o n f o r c h a n g e o f n a m e s h o u l d n o t b e g r a n t e d A n y p e r s o n o b j e c ti n g t o th e name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted If no written objection is timely filed the court may grant the petition without a hearing NOTICE OF HEARING

Date: 3/14/2023

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

How many Airbnbs are enough for Winters?

In the past few months, our City Council has approved three new Airbnbs in Winters, which will all become part of the local hotel/ motel market.

What is an Airbnb?

Airbnb is shorthand for Air Bed & Breakfast, and they are houses that are independently owned and used as short-term rentals. They are, in effect, mini-motels, where visitors can rent a house for a couple of days, or a week, with no on-site staff present or available.

The owner of the Airbnb house pays a commission to the Airbnb parent company to list their rental on the international Airbnb website.

We now have at least six fully approved Airbnbs in Winters.

And I’ve heard that two more Airbnb applications are expected. The three recently approved Airbnb’s are at at 436 Russell, 205 Main, and 11 E. Main.

Has there been a community discussion about how many Airbnbs will be allowed?

No. Has there been community discussion about the negative impact on housing availability in Winters? No.

Has the City Council

Continued from Page 3

town because we installed a straight walkway bisecting the lot. The agenda item of the park was straightforward but complicated by 17 years of building emotions.

To me, with a few exceptions, what happened in the past is irrelevant to the goal. The simplistic summary is that the property was sold to the city and the seller/local community groups had five years to bring a completed development plan with community input to the city. The document record has several concept drawings and sketches but no complete engineering or development plan. I do see sufficient input though.

The “park” has languished for 17 years, in part due to a lack of money, government bureaucracy, and lack of emphasis from previous city councils (likely due to lack of funding). I don’t say that to assign blame, but to give some context for how we got here. The list of reasons is not supposed to be comprehensive. Resources have not been available to complete the park, no plan is complete, and no direction has been provided yet by any city council to acquire the missing resources.

I may have entered the meeting with a more practical perspective than my four colleagues because I hadn’t even joined the Army, much less moved to town, when this lot was sold to the city. The others all

established any restrictions, limitations, or any Airbnb policy at all for Winters? Again, no.

I believe that Airbnbs have a strong negative impact on our community, on our current hotels, and on a majority of our local business. And Airbnbs certainly have a significant negative impact on our local real estate market, both rental homes and homes for sale.

Who benefits from Airbnbs? Airbnbs are a wonderful asset for wealthy families who already own one or two, or maybe even five or 10 homes, and can afford to buy an extra house to convert into an Airbnb shortterm rental. Airbnbs usually generate profits and tax deductions for the owner.

But who is hurt by the growing number of Airbnbs in Winters? It’s the middle and lower-class people who are being hurt because as the number of Airbnbs increase, residents with less wealth will find fewer homes available to purchase or rent, and also see prices rise for those homes still available on the market. Every time an Airbnb is approved, it

seemed to have some direct or indirect involvement in the process leading to a little bit of defensiveness, perhaps, which is normal. Their comments all attempted to address the public comments and offline chatter that has recently occurred on social media and in this very paper. I didn’t care about the noise. It’s time to complete the park.

What I heard, at a basic level, is that people are upset that we have no park. Outcry over funding, architectural designs, grants, and even the pathway itself are just the vehicles to carry 17 years of frustration.

We have public input on the desired use and what elements are wanted there. At this point, I feel we are getting caught up with questions like “do we want a round or square stage?” and “should the path be curved or straight?”

We need to take a breath and focus on the goal.

This is why I cut straight to the common elements of the multiple concept sketches and suggested we stop designing by a committee and form a City Council ad hoc working group to develop an achievable, affordable, phased development plan, that seeks grant funding by phase. Otherwise, we will be having this discussion for another 17 years.

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. I don’t know how long it will take, but the park will get done, piece by piece, phase by phase.

leaves one less home for locals to live in.

If an Airbnb opens on your street, it will not improve your neighborhood.

Transient Airbnb customers never become part of your street or community. Most of us enjoy knowing who our

neighbors are. We know that our friends across the street keep an eye on our house when we are gone. We know we can borrow a lawnmower or half a dozen eggs from one of our neighbors. And, as we get to know our neighbors, we make new friends.

But when an Airbnb appears on your street, you lose that community connection. You will never know the

people living in that house. Those transients won’t help you, watch out for you, or become your friends. The warm and friendly character of your street and neighborhood is forever changed. And if you live next door, or across the street, from an Airbnb, it gets even worse. Instead of having actual neighbors you know and recognize, you will have a

fly-by-night motel right next door, bringing in new transient visitors, day after day, and week after week. We now have two hotels in Winters — the just-opened Fairfield Inn near 505, and the still fairly new Winters Hotel downtown. (And we also have the much smaller Abbey Street Inn.) Each new Airbnb creates financial damage to the hotels.

Small renovations for a big impact

Metro

Special to the Express

Home renovations provide a host of benefits. Such projects can increase resale value and improve on the safety, aesthetics and functionality of a home.

Some homeowners may employ the mantra “go big or go home” when they embark on home improvements, thinking that only the largest renovations produce noticeable change. But that’s not the case. Various smaller renovations can provide a lot of bang for homeowners’ bucks as well.

• Countertops (and hardware): A complete kitchen overhaul may stretch some homeowners’ budgets. However, changing an older countertop for a new material can provide the facelift a kitchen needs. And while changing the cabinets may be homeowners’ ultimate goal, swapping hardware in dated finishes for newer handles and pulls can provide low-cost appeal.

• Paint : Painting a space is an inexpensive improvement that adds maximum impact. Paint can transform dark and drab rooms into bright and airy oases. Paint also can be used to create an accent wall or cozy nooks. Homeowners also can showcase their personalities with their choice of paint colors.

well.

• Lighting: Homeowners should not underestimate what a change in lighting can do. When rooms or exterior spaces are illuminated, they take on entirely new looks. It’s worth it to invest in new lighting, whether it’s a dramatic hanging light over the dining room table or task lighting in dim spaces.

• Weatherproofing: Improving windows, doors, weatherstripping, and insulation in a home can offer visual appeal and help homeowners save money. The initial investment may be significant, but those costs will pay off in energy savings. According to One Main Financial, space heating is the largest energy expense the average American homeowner has, accounting for around 45 percent of all energy costs.

• Mudroom: Turn an entryway into a more functional space with the addition of cabinets, benches or custom-designed storage options that perfectly fit the area. Cubbies and cabinets can corral shoes, umbrellas, hats, bags, and much more.

• Accent updates : Any space, whether it’s inside or outside a home, can get a fresh look with new decorative accents. Invest in new throw pillows and even slipcovers for living room sofas. Use new tile or paint the brick on a fireplace in a den, then update the mantel with decorative displays. Purchase wall art that can bring different colors into a room. Change the cushions on deck furniture and buy color-coordinated planters. These subtle changes will not cost as much as full-scale renovations, but they can still help homeowners transform their homes.

Most Airbnbs allow up to six people to stay per night — those six people would have probably paid for two or three rooms at a hotel. So on any given day, the six Airbnbs in Winters may be preventing 12 to 18 hotel rooms from being filled. That’s a considerable amount of lost income for

See POINT, Page 7

Freshen up your home’s exterior

Metro Special to the Express

As any homeowner knows, renovation projects tend to cost a lot of money. The average cost of a home renovation is difficult to gauge, as such endeavors run the gamut from complex projects like a kitchen overhaul to simpler ones like painting a room inside a home.

Though there might not be an “average cost” of a renovation project, homeowners can expect to spend thousands of dollars on projects that are not very small in scale. However, there are many budget-friendly ways homeowners can tend to the exterior of their properties.

• Power washing: Power washing won’t break the bank but it can revive the look of a home. Power washing removes dirt and grime from the siding of a home and a power washing can be used to clean porches, walkways and patios as well. Power washing after winter can be a good idea, as the elements can take a toll on a home’s exterior.

• Furnished front porch: A furnished front porch can serve

as a welcome sign to neighbors and provide a great place to relax with a morning cup of coffee and a good book. Homeowners with a small porch won’t need to bust their budgets to upgrade their front porch furnishings.

• Window box installation: Installing window box planters is another cost-effective way to brighten up a home’s exterior. Homeowners can hang window boxes outside windows on the front of their homes and then fill them with brightly colored flowers to add an inviting pop of color to their home exteriors. Keep in mind that soil and developed plants can be heavy, so look for a sturdy box as well as one that has drainage holes.

• Replace hardware: Another simple way to freshen up a stale exterior is to replace hardware. Door knobs, knockers, house numbers, and even the mailbox can appear dated after a while. Replacing these items is inexpensive and quick but can have a profound impact on how the exterior of a home appears to residents and visitors.

our local hotels. It makes me wonder why the City did so much to solicit, encourage and help those hotels get built, but it is now actively approving lower-priced Airbnb competitors that bleed off customers from our hotels every day.

Airbnb transient residents do not support the vast majority of our local businesses. While Airbnb customers do spend money at our local restaurants and wine-tasting venues, they simply do not spend money at all the other places where full-time residents spend money: the pharmacy, dry cleaners, hardware store, auto repair places, accoun-

tants or dentists. People who actually live full-time in Winters do support these local businesses — but transient Airbnb users do not.

Every time we allow a residential property to become a short-term Airbnb rental, we decrease the local housing supply and lose another housing opportunity for a local resident. And with fewer homes available for rent or

purchase, prices rise, making it harder for local people to find a place to live, and also more expensive if they find one.

What we need our City Council to do — and do quickly — is to initiate a community discussion about the Airbnb issue, consider possible restrictions and limitations, and create a new policy to deal with a wave of new

Airbnb applications. How many Airbnbs should we permit in Winters? We already have at least six. Will the City allow that number to grow to 16? Or will it be 26? Or even more? It is time for the City Council to establish a maximum limit. Read more from Richard Kleeberg at JustThePoint.com. Contact him at Starbase27@ gmail.com.

Approaches for the spring cleaning ritual

Metro Special to the Express

Spring is a season of re-

newal. When the flowers are blooming and the trees are budding and the weather is pleasantly warm, people often feel inspired to make changes around their homes. Work may begin with culling belongings and organizing essentials.

There is debate regarding where the practice of “spring cleaning” originated. Some researchers link it to certain religious groups. It has long been an ancient Jewish custom to thoroughly clean a house in preparation for the springtime feast of Passover. The house is scoured to remove any yeast bread, or chametz, from the home. Similarly, members of the Greek Orthodox church celebrate “Clean Week,” which is a week of cleaning before Lent. In Iranian culture, families spend days cleaning prior to the Persian New Year, which begins on the spring equinox.

Spring cleaning also has some secular roots. For

instance, in the 1800s, Londoners routinely cleared their homes of grime and soot that accumulated over the winter.

Spring cleaning is still a ritual for many today. As people embark on their plans to tidy up, these tips can help them along.

Tackle one big task a day

Who hasn’t started one project only to be distracted into moving along to another room? This often occurs when people discover something out of place in one space and then move that item where it belongs, only to find a new cleaning task at hand in that space. Inefficiency can make you give up on spring cleaning prematurely. Agree to address one room/task a day. Keep a basket or box handy to store errant items until you move on to the next room.

Stock up on supplies

Prepare all of the cleaning supplies in advance. Put together a tool kit of sorts with the equipment you need, including mops,

brooms, rags, cleansers, and the like. Organization can keep you on course. Harness your strengths and weaknesses

Some people clean because they are stressed or angry, others do so to avoid other tasks. Keep personality in mind when establishing a cleaning schedule. For example, clean at night if you’re a night owl, or wait until you are feeling

The role of nature in home design

Metro

Special to the Express

Outdoor living spaces were prioritized during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when public gatherings were greatly limited and individuals were urged to stay home as much as possible. Such demands have had a ripple effect on various industries, including home design.

According to a survey conducted by the New Home Trends Institute in collaboration with Pro Builder, 58 percent of the more than 300 residential architects, designers and design-minded builders say connection to the outdoors/nature will be an important influence on their design choices in the years to come. In addition, 45 percent of respondents indicated increased attention will be afforded to outdoor entertaining spaces.

So what might the outdoor spaces of homes built in the not-so-distant future look like? Respondents to the survey anticipated a growing demand for various built-in outdoor features, including:

• Firepits or fireplaces

Metro/Stock photo

Residential architects, designers and design-minded builders say connection to the outdoors/nature will be an important in uence on their design choices in the years to come.

• Outdoor kitchens • Gazebos or pergolas

• Pools

• Spas or hot tubs

Though trends and consumer demands are ever-shifting, architects and designers are anticipating that future homeowners will want more developed outdoor living spaces and greater access to nature, which is something current homeowners can keep in mind when renovating their properties.

antsy before embarking on a “calm down cleaning.”

Tackle seasonal chores first Some tasks need to get done to prepare for the spring and summer season. These may include cleaning the grill and sorting through outdoor furniture and decor. Spring cleaning may involve readying the pool for another year of use, or cleaning out rain gutters to prepare

for spring storms. Tackle time-dependent tasks first and then move on to others that are less time-sensitive. Spread out the work Some people like to devote full weekends to spring cleaning, but that can be overwhelming for others. Breaking down cleaning tasks into 15- to 30-minute intervals each day can make the job more tolerable.

Spring cleaning season has arrived, and these tips can make the job more e cient and manageable.

Metro/Stock photo

From almond to walnut: Fruit Tree Sale on March 4

By Linda Springer

Special to the Express

There’s nothing like picking and eating fresh, tree-ripened fruit. Here’s the perfect event to make that dream come true. The Winters Friends of the Library is holding its annual Fruit Tree Sale (rain or shine) on Saturday, March 4 from 9 a.m. till sold out, at the parking lot on Railroad Avenue between Baker and Edwards streets.

WFoL members can

enter the sale at 8:30 a.m. Not a member? A membership table will be set up at the

are bare-root fruit and nut trees grown by a premier nursery from the region. Sierra Gold Nurseries of Yuba City has donated the trees, which will be on sale for $20 each. There is a limit of 10 trees per customer.

Master Gardeners

entrance where members can join on the spot and gain early entry.

Featured this year

Free caregiver retreats available

By Gia Martucci YoloCares Marketing and Communications Specialist

For caregivers of people with a life-limiting condition, tending to one’s own needs often becomes the least of their concerns. As they become experts in their loved one’s disease, hyper-focused on any changes in condition or their loved one’s physical needs, they may lose sight of their own well-being which takes a toll on their mental and physical health.

Oftentimes, this vigilance leads to caregiver burnout. “When caregivers don’t have the space to process their feelings of grief or anxiety, the burden can become too heavy,” says Chris Erdman, Center for Loss & Hope manager. Being a caregiver can feel isolating; as their loved one’s mobility decreases, they become increasingly tethered to their home, unable to get time for them-

selves without worrying about the safety of their loved one.

To combat these issues, The Center for Caregiver Support began offering one-day retreats in the Spring of 2022. Retreats included creative and reflective activities, a chance to be in the community with other caregivers, as well as on-site care at Galileo Place for the attendee’s loved ones. These events were an instant hit with attendees and it was immediately clear that what caregivers most appreciated was the chance to share their feelings with others who were traveling on their journey.

“Simply witnessing the reciprocal empathy between caregivers, is in itself a balm for them to receive. Our retreats are a place to be held and witnessed in the tremendous amount of love and dedication it takes to be a caregiver,” says Debra Chapman, grief group

coordinator.

In 2023, YoloCares will be offering bi-monthly retreats. Each event features a different theme and will offer different activities. These retreats are free to anyone living in YoloCares’ service area:

• Saturday, March 18, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m, Tools for riding the emotional roller coaster

• Saturday, May 6, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Mapping the grief journey

• Saturday, July 15,

9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Topic TBD

• Saturday, Sept. 16,

9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., What letting go can teach us about living well

• Saturday, Nov. 4, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Helping a loved one with brain change

If you know of a caregiver who would benefit from attending a retreat, encourage them to contact griefsupport@yolocares.org to register for future events.

will be on hand to explain techniques for pruning and planting the trees. Trees include apple, cherry, apricot, peach, nectarine, prune, olive, plum, pluot, almond and walnut. To find a more extensive and detailed list of avail-

able trees, go to the Winters Friends of the Library website at wfol.org. Proceeds from the sale of these trees will be used to expand library collections and programs a the Winters Community Library.