Winters Express Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Councilmembers approve creation of Paseo Park project ad hoc committee

By Jacob Hoffman Express staff writer

Winters City Council continued its discussion of the Paseo Park construction process and moved to create an informal committee to help expedite the process at its Feb. 21 meeting.

Winters Collective is 2022 Business of the Year

By Aaron Geerts Express staff writer

The Winters Collective has officially been named the town’s 2022 Business of the Year. Although the business took root in 2019, the accolade confirms it’s a must-visit staple of the community.

Started by Meika Ogando, the Winters Collective is a veritable mosaic made up of small businesses, workout classes, art popups, floral workshops and more. All these pieces come together to create a unique storefront that stands as Ogando’s creative ambi-

tion coming to fruition — despite the pandemic.

Nomination letters praised the Winters Collective for its efforts to bring in many retail items to Winters that were only found outside the city limits. Another nomination letter stated the business was a “role model” for “enhancing the relationship between the business community, nonprofits and the local residents.”

“COVID was definitely the biggest challenge since opening. Just being able to keep all of my Collective vendors motivat-

ed and needing them to see the worth and value of having a collective in Winters,” said Ogando. “The Winters Collective is a happy, addictive shop therapy that has all items that make you feel good. It’s a collection of eight different businesswomen that are smart, fun and have unique personalities that meet a broad spectrum of customers. It’s a small business that supports local business, the community and the arts.”

It’s no secret that ambitions to open a business downtown come with a heavy

City Council discusses future of hybrid meeting format

By Jacob Hoffman Express staff writer

During its Feb. 21 meeting, the Winters City Council mulled over the continuation of its virtual meeting system.

Briefly, City Manager Kathleen Salguero Trepa reminded the council that virtual meetings were a product of the

pandemic, allowing councilmembers to video call into meetings and the public to participate remotely. Trepa noted that “public participation has gone up significantly in the pandemic with remote access.”

“The state legislature has passed a bill and the governor has signed it that’s referred to as AB 2449,” which is similar to the law that first allowed public meetings to be held remotely, as it allows “a hybrid platform and rules

for people to participate…in a meeting remotely, but it has different rules than (the previous law),” Trepa said.

Firstly, councilmembers and commissioners are allotted two conditional absences from their in-person meetings, as well as emergency absences. In addition, the city can decide whether to continue with a true hybrid system that makes virtual broadcasting necessary for the continuation

See HYBRID, Page 3

financial burden. To Ogando, The Winters Collective is a way to simultaneously ease that burden on small business owners while giving them prime, Main Street real estate to operate on.

“I can’t imagine if I had a regular setup with employees and opened a new business during that time (that) we would have made it. Our setup is different where my vendors all work the store as part of the business model,” said Ogando. “I just really believed in the concept

See BUSINESS, Page 3

At a previous meeting, City Manager Kathleen Salguero Trepa informed the council that the city closed out a grant with the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) for $100,000 for the Paseo Park construction process and that the city has sent a second grant request of the same size to SACOG which the city expects to hear about in April.

Trepa told the council that city staff is “looking for some guidance and direction on where the council would like us to prioritize spending this next $100,000” because this grant is “clearly not going to do everything that people would like to see in the park, so we do need to focus our efforts on an area that can be accomplished with the $100,000.”

For possible uses of the funding, Trepa said the grant parameters are “pretty broad” regarding what the money could go towards, and provided a number of ways the money could be spent, including decorative screening for the park’s transformer, a structure to hold rotating art, and landscaping different areas of the park.

On Tuesday, the particular issue council discussed was whether the City Council wished to form an ad hoc committee to help determine the priorities of how the grant funding could be used for the Paseo Park project. Under the Brown Act, a California law that regulates the actions governing bodies can make beyond public record, an ad hoc committee can be formed of no more than two City Councilmembers tasked with addressing a specific issue for a short period of time, typically less than a year. The ad hoc committee is also an opportunity for the public and community members

See PASEO, Page 3

Kenney is 2022 Officer of the Year

By Aaron Geerts Express staff writer

The Winters Police Department (WPD) is the shield between the community and all manners of crime and public safety incidents. While the men and women of WPD operate under the motto, “Service with Integrity,” Officer Brandon Kenney was recognized as exemplifying it most in 2022 -- earning him the notoriety of being named the 2022 Officer of the Year.

Originally from

Vallejo, Kenney now lives in Fairfield with his wife and newborn child. Although he’s not local, Kenney has made an indelible impact within the community and WPD since he joined the ranks in February 2021. Given his quality of work, the community has made an impact on Kenney as well.

“It feels awesome to be named Officer of the Year. We have a lot of hardworking officers and community service officers in the department and it means a lot to have

earned Officer of the Year,” said Kenney. “Working in a smaller town like Winters allows me, as a police officer, to really engage with the community. In my two short years here, I feel like I can say I’ve had an impact on people in the community. Whereas in a bigger city, you don’t always get that connection. I enjoy being able to stop and talk to members of the community where I can help.”

According to

See OFFICER, Page 3

Commiunity member Jenni Jacobs Garcia with Winters Collective owner Meika Ogando and collective vendors Carla Knabke, Ayca Walters and Veronica Kenyon. The Winters Collective was named the 2022 Business of the Year.

Courtesy photo

Winters Police Department announce that Officer Brandon Kenney is the 2022 Officer of the Year for his extraordinary efforts to engage and connect with the community.

Gardeners — learn what to do while waiting for spring

By Denise Cottrell

In February, Punxsutawney Phil, the weather-forecasting groundhog, predicted six more weeks of winter when he emerged from his home and saw his shadow. His prediction did not seem possible a week ago with almond trees blooming and temperatures inching toward the 70s. Yet, he was correct — temperatures have dropped and winter is still here. What’s a gardener to do? There are several tasks that will help to prepare your garden for spring.

WFoL tree sale

If you have always wanted to plant fruit trees in your garden, March still affords the opportunity to plant bare-root fruit trees. If this is on your garden agenda, don’t miss the Winters Friends of the Library (WFoL) bare root tree sale on Saturday, March 4 where a Master Gardener will be available to answer your questions about planting and care of a bare root fruit tree. Rain or shine, the sale begins at 9 a.m., and a pre-sale for WFoL members at 8:30 a.m. Not a member? Join at the gate. The sale is located on the corner

Gifts That Sparkle!

of Railroad Avenue and Edwards Street where you will find WFoL selling apricot, nectarine, peach, plum, pluot, prune, apple, cherry, pear, almond, walnut and olive trees. The cost is $20 per tree.

Free events

While waiting for spring, don’t forget the UCCE Master Gardeners of Yolo will present a number of workshops, talks, and classes throughout the month of March.

A wide variety of topics are covered, and all Master Gardener events are open to the public at no cost. The events for March 2023 are listed below.

March 4: Kitchen Garden

Chat

The regular monthly Kitchen Garden

Chat led by UCCE Yolo County Master Gardener Treva Valentine will continue Saturday, March 4, from 10–11 a.m. on Zoom only, at ucanr.zoom. us/j/98028723763.

This month’s topic is “What to be Doing in the March Edible Garden” and will include

information on everything you ever wanted to know about starting your own plants from seed. Participants are encouraged to bring all their edible garden questions to share.

March 6: Herb Gardening Class

An Herb Gardening Class will be held at on March 6 at 1 p.m. at the West Sacramento Community Center located at 1075 West Capitol Ave., West Sacramento. If you want to learn about starting and maintaining

an herb garden, this is the class. For more information, please contact UCCE Yolo County Master Gardener Janet Branaman at branamanj4@ gmail.com.

March 9: Yolo Master Gardener–Yolo Library Workshop

On Thursday, March 9, from 3–4 p.m., “Some Tips on Growing Tomatoes in the Garden” will be led by retired UC Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor Gene Miyao. This is the workshop

Eventos hispanos

Resúmen de noticias de la ciudad

Ciudad en busca de comisionados

La Ciudad de Winters continúa buscando candidatos para comisionados. Hay cuatro asientos abiertos en cuatro comisiones de la Ciudad.

Las aperturas son:

Un puesto en la Comisión Asesora Hispana de Winters (Winters Hispanic Advisory Commission) el cual expira el 20 de Diciembre del 2025.

Un puesto en la Comisión Senior Para Personas Mayores de Winters (Winters Senior Commission on Aging) el cual expira el 1 de Junio.

Un puesto en la Comisión de Planificación de Winters (Winters Planning Commission) el cual expira el 1 de Julio del 2025.

Dos puestos en la Comisión de Acción Climática (Climate Action Commission) el cual expira el 30 de Junio del 2024.

Vea los detalles de los puestos de comisionado disponibles en línea en https:// tinyurl.com/2s3t53mx.

Reuniones comunitarias

El Jueves 2 de Marzo a las 6 p. m. se llevará a cabo una reunión conjunta del Concejo Municipal de Winters (Winters City Council) y la Comisión de Planificación. en el Salón Comunitario del Centro de Seguridad Pública (Public Safety Facility Community Room). La reunión en persona es un tall-

er comunitario para el proyecto de visión del centro (Downtown Visioning Project). El personal de la ciudad está pidiendo a la comunidad que comparta comentarios sobre posibles recomendaciones y opciones de programas para el centro de la ciudad, específicamente relacionados con cenas y reuniones al aire libre, cierres de calles, estacionamiento, uso de los callejones y recolección de basura.

El Concejo Municipal y el personal discutirán las metas y los proyectos prioritarios en un Taller de Establecimiento de Metas el Miércoles 22 de Marzo de 9 a.m. a 2 p.m. La reunión en persona tendrá lugar en la gran sala de conferencias del Ayuntamiento (Winters City Hall), en la entrada de Abbey Street.

Feria de Salud Comunitaria

Winters Healthcare se ha asociado con UC Davis Latinos United for Cancer Health Advancement, RISE Inc y Genentech para organizar una feria de salud comunitaria para la prevención del cáncer y para educar sobre el cáncer colorrectal. El evento

for everyone who grows or wants to grow tomatoes, so bring your tomato-growing questions. In his presentation, Miyao will cover the basics and some of the not-sobasics about tomato planting and watering smart. Join on Zoom at yolocounty.zoom. us/j/81440969077. For more information about this workshop, contact Jennifer Baumbach at jmbaumbach@ucanr.edu or Joan Tuss at Joan. Tuss@yolocounty.org.

de la feria de salud tendrá lugar en Winters City Park el Sábado 11 de Marzo de 9 a. m. a 1 p. m. Se invita a la comunidad a unirse y aprender sobre su salud y estar al tanto de los recursos y exámenes de salud disponibles en la comunidad.

Torneo de Baloncesto Capstone

El estudiante de Winters High School, Ernesto Villalobos, está organizando un Torneo de Baloncesto de Olimpiadas Especiales para su proyecto final de Capstone del último año dle Winters High School. Los estudiantes de la clase Winters Life Skills y los miembros del equipo Davis se enfrentan cara a cara en la cancha el Viernes 3 de Marzo. Las puertas del gimnasio de la WHS se abren a los espectadores a las 5 p. m., los jugadores entran a la cancha para jugar a las 6 p.m. La entrada al evento es gratuita. Se aceptarán donaciones durante el evento. Todos los ingresos y las donaciones en efectivo se compartirán para apoyar los programas del Equipo Davis y la Clase de Habilidades para la Vida del WHS.

Logros del Winters FFA

El pasado Miércoles 8 de Febrero, los miembros del capítulo Winters FFA viajaron a River City High School en West Sacramento para competir en la competencia de oratoria seccional. Winters FFA compitió contra diferentes escuelas en su sección, incluidas Davis, Delta, Esparto, Woodland, Woodland Pioneer y Woodland Christian. Una nueva competencia este año fue el Concurso de Oratoria del Credo en Español, en el que los concursantes recitan el Credo en Español y responden preguntas en Español. En la división de estudiantes de último año, Guadalupe López quedó en primer lugar y en la división de estudiantes de primer año, Melissa Barrera quedó en segundo lugar.

Courtesy photo

Master Gardeners of Yolo County will be on-site at the Winters Friends of the Library Fruit Tree sale on March 4 to prune trees and share tree-care information.

Por Personal del Winters Express Traducido por Carol Alfonso

and idea and knew it’d be an asset to our town. The special thing about Winters is we love this town and don’t always want to leave it, so it’s nice to be able to come to get a gift here on Main Street and support our local economy.”

After weathering a pandemic, wildfires and inflation on top of every other challenge of beginning a business, The Winters Collective entrepreneurs have proven themselves to be as resilient and tenacious as the community itself. Another nomination letter praised the Win-

PASEO

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to provide input to the two councilmembers on this project.

During the public comment section of the discussion, Paul Kastner inquired about having the ad hoc committee develop a long-term plan with the $100,000 before starting any construction, and encouraged the ad hoc committee to work with the community on this project.

Trepa replied that another architectural firm the city already consulted was of the opinion that the project’s scope was so ambitious that it would require much of the engineering to be finished before they could draw up any plans, which will likely cost far more than $100,000.

Further, Trepa ex-

the WPD social media announcement, the supervisors who nominated Kenney remarked on how he would show up to work every day with a positive attitude and is friendly and approachable with citizens on his calls. WPD also emphasized that he’s a team player, burns with passion for his job and inspires those around him.

Some of Kenney’s

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of the meeting or a system that allows for virtual participation but virtual broadcasting is only a convenience for participation.

Meaning if they choose the hybrid system and technical difficulties disrupt the livestream, the meeting would have to stop until the difficulties were fixed. With remote access as a convenience, the public could attend and participate remotely, but the council wouldn’t be forced to stop if a glitch occurs.

Technical difficulties have occurred recently. The Jan. 10 meeting had to be in-person only because of an issue with the recording system, and the audio for the Feb. 7 meeting wasn’t recorded, leaving no electronic archive.

Community members Kate Laddish and Ken Britton expressed support for the accessibility that virtual resources have provided to them and other Winters residents. Laddish shared about a coun-

ters Collective team for coming up with new ways to draw people to downtown Winters and for providing “space for locals to bring their ideas to life.”

The business thrived and evolved through the launch of the Studio Collective. In the space, Ogando and vendors were able to host workshops, classes and art shows. Outside of the storefront, they brought to life community fashion shows featuring local children and community members. They also host holiday shopping events like a Galentine’s Day event.

The Winters Collective is hosting its

plained that the SACOG grant can’t just be used for design, the grant money has to go towards construction in some capacity.

“We need to do a physical installation as part of the $100,000 from the SACOG grant,” Trepa said.

annual, Spring fashion show during the Spring open event on Friday, March 24.

all women in business together, working together and it’s pretty magical and special

“We try hard not to be just a regular retail store. We try to bring special events for the children and for the parents in town to make it a fun addition to Winters.”

“I’m proud and I definitely could not do it without all the involvement and support from our collective members. It is a cooperative where it’s

construction of those elements would incur.

“Any of what was envisioned previously is a very expensive park… so if we’re still trying to get to the concepts that have been discussed through the years…I would recommend that, again, we

to see it all happen,” Ogando said, praising her collective members. “I’m honored and value what we bring to the community. We try hard not to

committee, and asked Trepa, “Is there anything stopping us from forming an ad hoc to come up with chunks we think we need, disband it at the end of the year, and then just allow the plan that was developed to proceed?” which Trepa confirmed was within the capabilities of the City Council.

be just a regular retail store. We try to bring special events for the children and for the parents in town to make it a fun addition to Winters.” Ogando said her vendors go above and beyond to offer private shopping opportunities for the community, especially during the pandemic. She noted that they also have provided personalized and custom shopping for special gift requests, including providing workshops and classes for customers to participate in.

“Mainly, we’re all locals, we care, we know each other, we take the time to get to know our

have now, the pathway we have through there, and what do we do moving forward.”

customers and where they’re from,” Ogando said. The Winters Collective will be formally honored as the 2022 Business of the Year at the annual Toast to Winters event, planned for Friday, March 31 at the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Sacramento–Winters. Tickets are $90 per person and must be purchased in advance at the Winters District Chamber of Commerce’s website www.winterschamber.com.

“It doesn’t have to be all of the $100,000, but we have to show that we’ve made some physical improvements.”

Trepa reiterated the complexity of all proposed elements of the park and the high cost that a complete

notable accomplishments of the year are his industriousness in helping create a one-to-one mentor program for cadets as well as organizing the WPD’s “Shop with a Cop” Christmastime initiative.

“The top highlight for me was organizing the Shop with a Cop event,” said Kenney. “For the first time since the event was introduced, we were able to take two families on a shopping trip for Christmas. They were able to buy their

ty initiative, SB 411, that allows legislative bodies with appointed members to continue using a virtual meeting system. Britton spoke on how virtual meetings helped to reduce city officials’ carbon footprint.

Councilmember

Carol Scianna stated her support for the video option as a convenience so they wouldn’t have to cancel meetings due to a glitch and would still allow the community to participate and watch.

Mayor Pro Tempore Albert Vallecillo agreed, and inquired on how SB 411 would interact with the decision. Trepa explained that SB 411 doesn’t overlap with the expiring public emergency measure that allowed for virtual meetings, and noted

do it a little bit differently,” Trepa said, and that with the $100,000 currently on the table, the council needs to be focused and deliberate.

Councilmember Richard Casavecchia asked about the framework of an ad hoc

siblings and parents gifts for the holidays. Seeing their excitement and joy was the highlight of the year.”

From his service to his integrity as an officer, Kenney is a proud representation of law enforcement everywhere — but especially here in Winters.

“Officer Kenney was one of my Explorers (cadets) at Vallejo Police Department, back in the late 2000s and I worked with his older brother at Vallejo PD as well. He pursued other endeavors in the

that there is a difference between the City Council and Planning Commission meetings and the other city committees.

Trepa said there is a strain on city staff when they run multiple hybrid meetings a week and the technology would require extra effort on their part. She did say things may change once SB 411 is passed, and that councilmembers could revisit the discussion once it passes.

Councilmember Richard Casavecchia asked if there was “a functional difference between Zoom as a convenience and full hybrid platform for us?”

Trepa answered that “there’s no functional difference, we still have to go through the same effort, the only difference is the legal

Councilmember Carol Scianna expressed her hope that the ad hoc committee could get the designs finished and work on some screenings and hoped that the community could get involved with the ad hoc committee, as well as informally nominating Mayor Pro Tempore Albert Vallecillo to sit on the committee.

Mayor Bill Biasi summarized the mandate of the ad hoc committee by saying “what we need to do is to focus on what we

private sector prior to pursuing becoming an officer and he chose to work at Winters PD because he truly wanted to work at a supportive agency with a supportive community where he could make a difference,” said Police Chief John P. Miller. “He is the quality officer we seek and are trying to retain, and with the drastic shortage of qualified applicants to law enforcement, he literally could go anywhere he wanted — but we hope he doesn’t.”

requirement where Zoom is a convenience we don’t have to stop the meeting if we have a technology interruption.”

Council did not have to take action but did express agreement to go back to traditional meetings and to utilize Zoom as a convenience for City Council and Planning Commission meetings only. The other commissions will meet in-person only, effective March 1.

Biasi stressed that the committee should “take input from the community” and,“get as much feedback as possible…and prioritize what’s the most important.”  Casavecchia and Vallecillo volunteered to sit on the ad hoc committee, and the council unanimously approved the committee’s creation.

Meika Ogando, business owner

“What we need to do is to is to focus on what we have now, the pathway we have through there, and what do we do moving forward.”

Bill Biasi, Mayor

This picture of James “Spider” Thomas was taken in the summer of 1969 — when he was commuting between Pitts eld, Massachussetts — where he pitched for the Pitts eld Red Sox in the AA Eastern League, and McClellan Air Force Base, Sacramento, where he was assigned with the Air Force Reserves. Spider is one of the top ten athletes

100 Years Ago

March 2, 1878

(From the files of the Winters Advocate)

Observing a rush being made on Thursday last to the drug store of Thomas Keefe, on entering the store we found the excitement to proceed from parties bringing in gold obtained from the foothills near Winters, on the sheep range of J. R. Briggs. Messrs. Seeley and Steward obtained four ounces and a half, by the panning process, the rainfall furnishing the fluid. The existence of gold in the hills around Winters has long been known, and attempts have been made at times to work it out, but want of water rendered the efforts made unsuccessful.

The portion of the railroad bridge across the creek at this point, which was pressed out of line when the centre bents gave way, has been readjusted and connection will again be made in the course of the coming week.

The youngsters who made a raid on the Advocate printing office and carried off a quantity of job type and cuts, are notified that unless they return the same immediately they will be placed under arrest.

Public Safety Report

Released on Notice

City of Winters

Fire

Feb. 9: 5:44 a.m., medical aid, 900 block of Taylor Street

Feb. 10: 12:43 p.m., grass fire, Russell Boulevard/CR 93A

~4:56 p.m., medical aid, 300 block of Railroad Avenue

Feb. 11: 2:56 a.m., investigation (electrical), 600 block of Fourth Street

~8:06 a.m., medical aid, 100 block of Orchard Lane

~10:40 p.m., vehicle accident, Highway 128

Feb. 12: 12:45 p.m., medical aid, 10 block of Edwards Street

~6:50 p.m., medical aid, 830 block of W. Main Street

~6:55 p.m., medical aid, 100 block of Orchard Lane

~9:44 p.m., medical aid, 10 block of Priscilla Court

Feb. 13: 7:50 a.m., medical aid, 110 block of E. Baker Street

~1:11 a.m., carbon

Years Ago

130 Years Ago

March 4, 1893

W. E. Gammon who recently purchased the Wickers place, has bought sixty acres of the Waughtel place.

A millinery store is soon to be opened in Hemenway’s building, on corner of Main and First streets.

A construction train has been operating up and down the road during the week, laying steel rails in place of the iron ones heretofore in use.

Walter Hemenway has opened his photograph gallery and is ready for business.

A. B. Wilson has been appointed local agent for the Victor bicycle.

If there is one thing that gives the editor of a newspaper more joy than to add a score of new subscribers to his list, it is to whack off one who is narrow and selfish enough to want you to shut off his paper because you have given expression to an opin-

ion at variance with his own. When a fellow comes into the office and says with the air of a man who has you completely in his power and was about to crush and ruin you, I want you to stop my paper, we cannot get him off the list quick enough, and when he is off we feel as though a barnacle has been removed from the rudder of the journalistic ship.

95 Years Ago

March 2, 1928

A deal was consummated Saturday whereby the Citizens Bank of Winters joined the long line of California banks which have come under control of the A. P. Giannini institutions. The sale of the Citizens Bank was sanctioned by a vote of the bank’s directorate. About a year ago the First National Bank of Winters was purchased by the Bank of Italy and this deal brings about the consolidation of the two local banks under one head.

Winters High School defeated Rio Vista on the California Aggies Court Tuesday night by the score of 23 to 18 to take the S. C. A. L. championship. The local five will play Sutter Creek, who are the champions

of the Mother Lode section.

The championship hopes of the local Legion five were given a severe setback Saturday night when they lost to Knights Landing, 27 to 15. Next Saturday the Oakland Y. M. C. A. team will come to Winters for a game with the local Legion five. The game is being arranged by Harold Overhouse, formerly of Winters, who plays center on the Oakland team. The Y. M. C. A. team are the East Bay champions this year, as yet not having met defeat.

80 Years Ago

March 5, 1943

Pvt. Lee Sadler has been assigned to five months training at the University of Nevada. He is in the Air Corps.  Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Leggett heard from both their boys this week-George still in Hawall, and LaVerne in Camp McCain, Mississippi.

The High School Student Body will open their second scrap metal drive March 8, and it will continue for three weeks. During the first drive in November over 65 tons of metal were brought in.

The Fortnightly Club will meet Tuesday, March 9, in the Presbyterian annex. Hostesses are Mrs. Ann Gaddini, Mrs. W. A. Brinck and Mrs. Frances Hinck.  Miss Clara Salavierra has completed business training in a Berkeley school and has accepted employment in the local P. G. and E. office.

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.

monoxide alarm, 1000 block of McArthur Av-

enue

Feb. 14: 8:45 a.m., medical aid, 400 block of Morgan Street

~11:51 a.m., medical aid, 600 block of Ivy Loop

~12:05 p.m., medical aid, 1000 block of Hillview Lane

Feb. 16: 8:09 a.m., medical aid, 400 block of Creekside Way

~9:56 a.m., mutual aid, Winters Road

~3:32 p.m., medical aid, 410 block of Grant Avenue

Police Arrest Log

Feb. 16: Lopez, Ricardo Jr (Age 29);

Charges: Possession of Controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, Winters PD warrant; Disposition: Released on Notice to Appear

~Ochoa, Oscar Armando (Age 37);

Charges: Winters PD warrant, Solano SO warrant; Disposition:

Appearance

Feb. 17: Moffatt, Andrew (Age 40); Charges: Driving under the influence of alcohol, Crossing solid double yellow lines; Disposition: Transported to Yolo County Jail

Feb. 19: Speaks, Decarann (Age 32);

Charges: Driving with suspended driver’s license, Stop sign violation, Two stop lamps required; Disposition: Released on Notice to Appear

Feb. 21: Speegle, Brandon Alexander (Age 44); Charges: Battery, Elder abuse; Disposition: Transported to Yolo County Jail

Case Log

Feb. 16: 8:13 a.m., Third Street/Abbey Street, Vehicle Towed

Feb. 17: 9 a.m., 100th block of E. Baker Street, Vehicle Towed

Feb. 20: 10:17 a.m., 800th block of Jefferson Street, Misc. Information Report

Obituary

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 westward to California 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 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 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

to come out of Winters. He will tell you he is in the top ve. The Historical Society of Winters is having a Grand Opening for their current exhibit, The Wild World of Winters Sports, this Sunday March 5, from 1 to 5 p.m., 13 Russell St. Tom Crisp will host a program at 2 p.m., talking about the people featured in the exhibit. There will be refreshments.

Verbena Jean McGhee

Courtesy photo Verbena Jean McGhee

Soccer teams win Section Championships

By Sydney Andrade Expresss sta writer

It was an exciting week for Winters High School Athletics with both the men’s and women’s soccer teams winning the second round of playoffs and securing the Northern California CIF Section Championship titles on Saturday. Both teams competed in the NorCal CIF Regionals on Tuesday, Feb. 28.

Women’s soccer

Last Tuesday, Feb. 21 the women’s soccer team won their playoff game against Colusa High School, at home, by a score of 8–0.

This was the third time Winters faced Colusa, and they went into the game optimistic. While Colusa came determined to stay in the game, holding the Warriors at 2–0 at halftime, the Warriors quickly dominated Colusa in the second half adding six more goals to their total.

Yarethzy Sanchez and Izabella Bermudez scored the first two goals of the game off assists by Andrea Cojean and Ava Muir-Vickrey in the first.

“In the second half, we found our rhythm and scored six more goals to seal the semifinal victory,” said head coach Chip McKenna.

Samantha Ramirez added three goals in the second half in addition to Muir-Vickrey, Andrea Cojean and Elena Ortiz each scored one. The Warriors’ defense did an excellent job protecting their goal and clearing any of the attempts Colusa made to take a shot.

“Everyone got significant playing time which is great to provide our young, less experienced players with opportunities in higher pressure settings,” said McKenna.

This victory was extremely exciting for the Warriors because it allowed them to compete for the Section Championship Title, which is the ultimate goal.

On Saturday, Feb. 25, the women’s soccer team took the title of Section Champions, winning the game against Hamilton High School by a score of 3–0.

“The game versus Hamilton started well. We dominated possession for the first 15 min but our nervousness began to show,” said McKenna. With a tied score of 0–0 going into the second half the girls quickly convened at half-time and the results showed. During the second half, the Warriors had more controlled passing and finally had goals scored by Ava Skinner, Samantha Ramirez, and a penalty by Muir-Vickrey to seal the victory.

“The defense played well again and kept a clean sheet, but they were rarely challenged.

Sammy Ramirez was, again, key for us in the midfield, but the whole team contributed to the effort,” said McKenna.

The women advanced on to play Lowell High School in San Francisco to compete in the NorCal CIF Regionals Division V Soccer Championship on Tuesday, Feb. 28.

Men’s soccer

On Tuesday, Feb. 21, the men’s soccer team won their home

playoff game against Maxwell by a score of 9–1.

It was a slow first half as the Warriors not only battled against Maxwell but also had cold and windy playing conditions. It was the second half of the game when they were finally able to use the wind to their advantage, scoring seven goals.

Agustin Covarrubias was the lead scorer for the day with three goals. Alejandro Murillo had two goals, while Noel Gutierrez, Salvador Torres, Sebastian Pedraza and Esai Garcia each scored one.

“Gustavo Herrera, a midfielder for the Warriors, had a great game and made five assists. He had great vision and excelled at finding the spaces and open players,” said head coach Fernando Cervantes.

Garcia, Luis Lara and Sebastian Rodriguez were also key players defensively and did a great job protecting both Jairo Barajas and Bryan Angel at goal.

This victory against Maxwell allowed the men’s soccer team to advance into the

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#7 East Main Street, Suite E Winters, CA 95694 530-795-3929

ed w a r d j o n es c o m

OF THE

Augustin Covarrubias

Augustin Covarrubias, a Winters High School senior, is Pisani’s Athlete of the Week. Covarrubias has played on the WHS men’s soccer team the past four years and earned his spot as a starting midfielder, forward and captain. “Augustine demonstrates great leadership on and off the field. He is one of the lead scorers and also takes charge on defense when needed to help even things up,” said head coach Fernando Cervantes.

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Championships on Saturday, Feb. 25 where they won their

home playoff game against Williams High School by a score of 4–1.

The men once again played in tough conditions, however, the cold temperature and slippery fields didn’t stop the Warriors from competing at the top of their game.

“We started a little off. I think we were just trying to do a little too much,” said Cervantes.

Williams scored first, which for some teams is very hard to recover from, but the Warriors didn’t allow it to get in their head.

Murillo got the Warriors started off with a goal in the first half, which gave the men the momentum they needed to take over the game.

“Williams beat us in the championships

last year so we really wanted this one,” said Cervantes. The Warriors really put in the effort to communicate and play together as a team, Covarrubias stepped into a more defensive role and let his teammates do more of the work up top. After Murillo, Gutierrez scored two goals for the Warriors and Pedraza scored one which secured their title as Section Champions.

“I thought that everyone really stepped up and did a great job. Now we just need to carry that momentum into the game against Marshall without two of our key players who are out due to injuries they sustained in the Championship game,” said Cervantes.

CLÍNICA DE CIUDADANÍA CITIZENSHIP CLINIC

¿ Tiene una mica y desea convertirse en ciudadano estadounidense?

¡ Acompáñenos en nuestra clínica gratuita!

Dónde: Centro Comunitario de Winters ( 201 Railroad Ave)

Cuándo: 11 de marzo ( 9- 11 AM)

Cómo: Los abogados presentarán los requisitos de ciudadanía y programarán citas para el 25 de marzo y el 8 de abril

Quién: Para los residentes de Yolo County que tienen bajos ingresos y/ o tienen más de 60 años

NOW

Do you have a green card and want to become a U S citizen? Join us for our free citizenship clinic!

Where: Winters Community Center ( 201 Railroad Ave)

When: March 11 ( 9- 11 AM)

How: Attorneys will present on citizenship requirements and schedule appointments for March 25 and April 8

Who: For Yolo County residents who are low- income and/ or over the age of 60 years old

Courtesy photo

The Winters High School women’s soccer team documents their Northern California Section Championship win, showing o their patches and a team plaque.

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

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

Friday, March 3 Capstone Basketball Tournament, 6 p.m. (Doors open at 5 p.m.), WHS Gym

Sunday, March 5

Grand Opening: Wide World of Winters' Sports Exhibit, 1–5 p.m., Program featuring Tom Crisp at 2 p.m., Winters Museum, 13 Russell St.

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_/

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

Wednesday, March 8

Winters Senior Commission on Aging Meeting, 6:30 p.m., City Hall Large Conference Room (Abbey Street entrance), check www.cityofwinters .org/winters-senior-commission-on-aging

Saturday, March 11 Community Health Fair, 9 a.m.– 1 p.m., Winters City Park

Monday, March 13

Winters Climate Action Commission Meeting, 6:30 p.m., Zoom Meeting info, check cityofwinters.org/climate-action-commission

Wednesday, March 22

Winters City Council Goal Setting Workshop, 9 a.m.– 2 p.m, City Hall Large Conference Room (Abbey Street entrance)

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., Hooby's Brewing

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

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

January housing report key points HOMES, Page 2

Charley checks the thermostat OPINION, Page 3

Member of the month FEATURES, Page 5

Redwoods, new friends and banana slugs

By Crystal Apilado Editor-in-Chief

For over 36 years, Winters Middle School sixth graders have had the opportunity to attend a week-long environmental educational experience through Exploring New Horizons Outdoor School in Santa Cruz. This year, sixth graders

continued the long-time tradition at the Camp Sempervirens site from Feb. 6–10.

WMS made the switch to Camp Sempervirens from the Camp Loma Mar adventure last year when they brought both the sixth and seventh-grade classes to experience outdoor school following a break during the pandemic.

Sixth-graders had the opportunity to explore habitats at the beach and along the creek, hiked through the redwoods with their cabin groups, adventured on a solo hike, participated in the infamous mock town hall meeting and more. For many students, the camp

Sixth graders make their mark, clean creek

By Aaron Geerts Express sta writer

A handful of the sixth graders didn’t attend this year’s outdoor school trip, but that didn’t stop Winters Middle School teachers from providing them with an unforgettable school week outdoors with Mother Nature of their own.

This year, the sixth graders’ camping expedition took them to an outdoor school in Santa Cruz area redwoods. While the majority of the class was gone from Feb. 6–10, around 40 students stayed home. To pre-

Students pulled out a variety of items including toys, bottles and tires from the Putah Creek waters.

Courtesy photo

vent fear of missing out, WMS teachers Morgan Perez and

Melanie Ellison opted to give them a take on a local educational

experience outside.

“The overall goal of our week was similar to the outdoor camp’s. There was connecting with nature, leaving it better than we found it, and also developing friendships,” said Ellison. “That week, the students did some in-depth nature observation and documentation. There were also team-building activities like the human knot, capture the flag and kickball too. We just had them do outdoor, physical activities and wanted them to be outside and moving as much

See REDWOODS, Page 3 See CREEK, Page 4

Winters Friends of the Librar y Los Amigos de la Biblioteca de Winters

Fr uit Tree Sale

Venta de Árboles de Fruta

Sat. March 4 (rain or shine) 9:00AM UNTIL SOLD OUT E AR LY BIR D SA L E for members 8:30–9:00 AM Not a member? Join at the door! Park ing lot on Railroad Ave between Baker and Edwards

almond

apple

apricot

cherry

nectarine

olive

peach

plum pluot

prune

walnut

Bare root trees $20

Sab. 4 Marzo (llueva o truene)

I nformation:

VEN TA TEM P R A N A para socios 8:30–9:00 AM

9:00AM HASTA SE ACABA almendra manzana chabacano cereza oliva nectarina durazno ciruela pluot ciruela

Courtesy photos

ABOVE: Students learn about safety and boundaries about exploring the beach. BELOW: Izabella Vega and Cheyenne Larsen enjoy time at the beach. RIGHT: Students hike among the Redwoods.

California Association of Realtors

Special to the Express

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

• At the regional level, all major regions recorded yearover-year sales drops of more than onethird. The Central Valley dropped the most of all regions at -43.3 percent as eight of the 12 counties in the region registered sales drops of more than 40 percent yearover-year in January.

Southern California (-41.1 percent) was another region in the state with a drop of over 40 percent, followed by the Far North (-39.6 percent), the San Francisco Bay Area (-36.9 percent), and the Central Coast (-35.1 percent).

• All counties tracked by C.A.R. experienced a yearover-year sales drop in January, with 45 counties plummeting more than 30 percent and 11 counties falling more than 50 percent from a year ago. Siskiyou (-73.8 percent) had the largest sales drop, followed by Mono (-73.3

percent) and Yuba (-63.6 percent). Only two counties — Glenn (-14.3 percent) and Kings (-19.7 percent) — out of 51 counties monitored by C.A.R. had a sales decline of less than 20 percent in January from the same month of last year.

• At the regional level, median home prices dropped from a year ago in all major regions, with the San Francisco Bay Area declining the most and by double-digits year-over-year. With prices sliding more than 10 percent in six Bay Area counties, the Bay Area’s regional median price was down 14.6 percent from a year ago and the dip in January was the largest price decline since July 2009.

Median prices in the state’s other regions experienced more moderate declines, with the Central Valley’s median price decreasing 6.6 percent, followed by the Far North (-3.4 percent), the Central Coast (-2.6 percent) and Southern California (-0.2 percent).

• More than four out of five counties experienced a decline in

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their home price from a year ago in January, with 15 counties posting drops of more than 10 percent yearover-year. Plumas (-23.9 percent) had the sharpest decline of all counties, followed by Mendocino (-23.5 percent), and Del Norte (-19.5 percent). Nine counties recorded an increase in their median prices from a year ago, with four counties growing by double-digits. Siskiyou had the biggest price gain of all counties, increasing 30.8 percent from January 2022, followed by

Mono (18.5 percent) and Glenn (18.0 percent).

• Housing inventory in California continued to rise in January to reach the highest level in 32 months. The statewide unsold inventory index (UII) was double the level of 1.8 months recorded in the same month of last year, surging to 3.6 months in January 2023, a level last seen in May 2020, when the state underwent a pandemic lockdown.

Unsold inventory increased from a year ago by 88 percent or more in all price rang-

es, with the $500,000$749,000 price range gaining the most (112.5 percent), followed by the $1 million-and-up price tier (105.0 percent), the $750,000-$999,000 (100.0 percent) and the sub-$500,000 (88.9 percent).

• Weak housing demand continued to create carryover and elevate inventory on the surface, as 48 of the 51 counties tracked by C.A.R. registered an increase in active listings from January 2022. Five counties recorded a triple-digit, year-over-year gain in January as compared to 13 counties in December. Solano recorded the largest yearly growth of 163.6 percent, followed by Yuba (163.5 percent), Solano (119.9 percent), Amador (111.1 percent) and Placer (110.7 percent). Active listings decreased

Adobe/Stock image

from a year ago in three counties, with Mono (-27.3 percent) dipping the most yearover-year, followed by Del Norte (-23.1 percent) and Plumas (-8.4 percent).

• The median number of days it took to sell a California single-family home was 33 days in January and 12 days in January 2022.

• C.A.R.’s statewide sales-price-to-listprice ratio was 96.5 percent in January 2023 and 101.2 percent in January 2022.

• The statewide average price per square foot for an existing single-family home was $371, down from $372 in January a year ago.

• The 30-year, fixed-mortgage interest rate averaged 6.27 percent in January, up from 3.45 percent in January 2022, according to Freddie Mac.

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Express Yourself

An inactive lifestyle could place older adults in jeopardy

By Wally Pearce Winters Elder Day Council

February was Heart Health Month, but there is important information on warning signs related to cardiovascular health and a sedentary lifestyle absent of a lack of exercise that is important year-round. No matter an adult’s lifestyle choice, a healthy diet and way of life are certain keys to preventing and managing cardiovascular disease.

For a variety of reasons, in the United States and around the world, some people spend more and more time involved in sedentary activities. Not getting enough physical activity can often lead to heart disease — even for those people who’ve no other risk factors. An acute lack of exercise can also increase the likelihood of developing other heart disease risk factors, including obesity, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and Type Two diabetes.

The exact definition of a sedentary lifestyle is when someone spends six or more hours per day sitting or lying down, and lacks significant physical movement in their daily life.

The risk from a sedentary lifestyle varies with the time being inactive:

• Low risk indicates sitting less than four hours per day.

• Medium risk indicates sitting four to eight hours per day.

• High risk indicates sitting eight to 11 hours per day.

• Very High risk indicates sitting more than 11 hours per day.

was their first time overnight apart from their families and challenged them to unplug and explore nature. The Express reached out to students who attended outdoor school to find out what kind of experiences they gained from the experience.

Some of the big takeaways students shared were learning about how to identify poison oak, that redwood tree bark is fireproof and that one should, indeed, not kiss banana slugs. Many of them raved about going on the night hike and the solo hike in the redwood, learning more about the different animal habitats and discovering the peace found in nature. Others enjoyed the chance to make natural paint with rocks and mud

Getting some light exercise is always better than getting none.

Individuals that have been inactive may need to start an exercise program slowly and for some, under the supervision of their medical provider.

People can also keep adding more exercise gradually. The more a person can do, the better, but they should try not to feel overwhelmed and do what they can. Getting some light exercise is always better than getting none. Eventually, the goal can be to get the recommended amount of exercise for your age and health.

There are many ways to get exercise, and it’s important to find the types that are best for a person’s ability and needs. People can also try to add activity to their life in small ways, such as at home and with friends and family. It’s never too late to start and get moving.

To access some valuable information, please conduct a webpage search by entering the report title, “Exercise & Physical Activity for Healthy Aging Get Fit for Life,” and you’ll be directed to a very in-depth free report.

Before engaging in physical activities after being sedentary, it’s always safe that a person consults their treating physician to ensure the best-desired results are achieved in a protected and healthy manner.

It is cold outside and PG&E is loving it

Something was wrong with my PG&E bill last month. I was gone for most of January but left my thermostat on when I left. I know, my fault, but $1,400 was still a shocker. At my office, the thermostat is set to what I would call, “barely warm.” We do have electric heaters by our desks, but the bill was more than double what I would consider normal, while our usage was about the same as last year.

I set the thermostat to 64 in February, when the museum is open and turned it off when I left each day. I talked to the other tenants about lowering their thermostats, and it really seemed to help. Our February bill was “only” $669. I’m not sure what you do if you are a family and want to keep your kids warm but can’t

afford your PG&E bill. I’ve told everyone to wear a sweatshirt with a hood, but that didn’t go over very well.

This is nothing new. I’ve always complained about my power bill. Years ago, I remember Debra looking at me, all bundled up at her computer, as she told me, “I can’t type with gloves on.” I bought her a heater for her desk.

If I’m feeling too sorry for myself, I just turn on the news about Ukraine, where the Russians have bombed most of their power plants, leaving the citizens in the dark with no heat. It is hard to believe that we still

allow countries to invade one another without the world coming together and saying enough.

To change the subject, the Historical Society of Winters is having a grand opening of the Wild World of Winters Sports exhibit this Sunday, from 1-5, during their normal open hours. Tom Crisp, retired Winters High School teacher and author of local sports books, will be talking at 2 p.m. about the people in the exhibit.

Winters has a long history of athletes succeeding outside of Winters and you will find it interesting to

read about and see pictures of our famous sons and daughters.

A friend asked me to write about how volunteers have built a lot of what we are proud of in Winters. He wanted to know why we can’t build the pocket park with volunteer labor. That is a good question. There will be a committee working on a design, but when that plan is finished, let the citizens of Winters step up and do the work. It won’t be the first, or last, time that we use the talents of our neighbors to make Winters a special place to live.

I’ll see you on Sunday afternoon when volunteers at the museum will welcome you to their Wild World of Winters Sports. I’m not sure about snacks, but there will be refreshments and heat in the building. Have a good week.

The parade is marching on

Gramps Says

During the 1940 Battle of Britain, Churchill said of the RAF pilots, “Never was so much owed by so many to so few.” Not meaning to compare the annual Youth Day Winters Parade to the air bombardment of Britain, but most worthwhile endeavors, such as the parade, usually owe their success to a diligent few. For over 40 years, Mike Sebastian, our parade chairman, has been instrumental in successfully promoting and organizing the parade. Although he wouldn’t want the attention, he deserves a hearty “Thank You.”

Mike mentions that there seems to be less interest in the parade now than in the past and it has been more of a challenge to keep it going. The internet is posting more competing events. Some of the supporting organizations such as

the Lions Club, Soroptimist International and VFW are gone. This year the VFW from Dixon will be the color bearers. School bus transportation has been cut, and it is more difficult to bring bands from other areas. Last year the Mariachis were the only music imported from out of town. The good news is that many volunteers have stepped forward this year to help. It takes about thirty volunteers to pull it off and we only need about nine more to fill duties such as check-in, division marshals and to man barricades. Students from the High School usually fill the all-im-

only could they survive without electronics, but they had the opportunity to get to know their friends and classmates better.

“I learned how to work as a team and communicate as a team and as a cabin group,” Kayla Suarez said.

“I learned a lot about nature and I learned to work as a team to solve problems,” August Nelson said.

and play on the beach.

“I learned that it’s great to go on little walks or hikes once in a while,” Jayden De La Cruz said.

“It was awesome! We went to the beach and we made shelters it was the best part because I spent the whole time doing all this fun stuff it was the best,” said Ayden Poteat.

“During my week at Outdoor School Camp,

I went on hikes and saw some beautiful parts of nature that I had never explored,” Frances Lundy said.

“I learned to value nature more and sometimes just stop to smell the flowers, both literally and figuratively,” Jackelyn Cooper said.

Some students said they discovered not

portant positions of pooper scoopers. If you would like to lend a hand, contact Mike Sebastian by email at mjsebast63@gmail. com.

The Shriners have performed in our parade for 45 years. Last year their go-carts were stolen but we will see them this year in newly designed carts. We are fortunate to be on their limited tour list. The California State Horseman’s Association, which comes from far and near, is entering this year as well. It is still early, most of the entries sign up between now and the time of the event.

Late breaking news is that the Kiwanis

nect from electronics,” Diana Diaz said.

Some of the sixth graders are already making plans to return as camp counselors once the opportunity to apply comes in high school.

“It was really, really fun! The food was deli-

“I learned that enjoying the moment is really important because you may never get that moment again,” Zackary Strange said.

“I learned how to talk with people I never thought I would talk to. I also learned how to respect nature,” Julieta Duehas said.

“I learned to make new friends, appreciate nature, and discon-

Club of Winters will host the Duck Derby. Mike also mentions that we are fortunate to have long-standing sponsors of Youth Day events that assist in covering essential costs.

Sophie Says I will make a point to remind Gramps to recognize in this column the sponsors who help out this year. I hear that there are 25 Golden Retrievers marching in the parade. That will be a sight to see and I’m pleased to see my canine friends so honored. I’ll leave the marching to the youngsters. If I were invited to be in the parade, I would swallow my pride, take a senior benefit and let Gramps pull me in a wagon. After all at 16, in dog years, I’m over a hundred years old. I may not hear and see as well as I used to, but I still love a good

cious, the hikes were awesome and I learned a lot from them,” said Jack Jordling. “It was definitely a trip with the kids in my cabin, and the nighttime activities were very fun. I will definitely go back as a cabin leader when I am in high school.”

REDWOODS

Continued from Page 1

Some students took the Polar Face Challenge where they put their faces in the chilly creek water for no less than 10 seconds.

Courtesy photo

as possible during the week. Then we worked for several hours preparing this area of the school for our future, outdoor classroom/ garden with tables around it.”

No weed was spared from its fate of being yanked out by its roots by the sixth graders sporting their homemade, tie-dyed bandanas. The students’ week-long adventure was far from over, however, as Ellison and Perez took them on a day-long field trip down to the Putah

Creek Nature Park. “From 8:15 a.m. till 1 p.m., we were out there walking around the creek making observations, doing a nature scavenger hunt and doing a major trash cleanup at the low point in the creek where the salmon mural is. I thought it’d be a 45-minute activity, but the students were so into it and they didn’t want to stop,” Ellison said. “They hauled out wooden pallets, big pieces of pressure-treated lumber, garbage bags on top of garbage [bags] full of trash and tires.” Ellison wrote to the city and they sent a

big pickup truck to haul it. She said she initially thought they were “just going to collect a few shopping bags full, but (the students) pulled out so much trash they left the space spotless.”

“Many of them had not been down there, so this was just a wonderful day of them discovering, being curious about and appreciating this jewel of Winters in the Putah Creek Nature Park,” Ellison said.

From beautifying their school campus to cleaning up nature within Winters, these sixth graders thrived with this unique

learning opportunity. Beyond the pride, she felt watching these youngsters learn, Ellison simply sat back and enjoyed watching them smile.

“I’m in the classroom with these kids in math class for most of the year, and it’s not always the happiest place for them to be. But it was so wonderful to see them this happy. I’ve never seen most of them as happy as they were laughing, skipping and working hard and smiling the way they did when we were down there at Putah Creek,” said Ellison. “There was so much happiness

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when they were outside in nature, moving and being curious. We also went out into the yard and did some fort-building because there’d been a tree that’d fallen.

So, I brought my pruning tools, we cut it up and built stick forts in the back corner of the schoolyard. Then we did carpentry one day, and I brought in some scrap wood, hammers and nails and they just used their imagination to build stuff.”

Many of the students mentioned they had a lot of fun playing games like Capture the Flag and Sharks and Minnows, making

lemonade and bracelets, and even having some time bonding together. Some of them said the experience of cleaning up the campus and the creek was valuable.

“We learned that working together can get a lot done,” said Francisco Reyes.

“Picking up trash at Putah Creek was very fun and it gave me a feeling inside that I have never felt,” said Caden Selby.

“I helped clean a lot of trash at Putah Creek — it was a lot of trash. I couldn’t believe us humans would harm Earth like that,” said Sarahi Sanchez.

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:

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME

Case Number: CV2023-0043

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner: Anomulah Abrahemkhel filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows:

Member of the Month

By Guadalupe Lopez Winters FFA Reporter

The Winters FFA Member of the Month is Zander Shane. He is a Winters High school senior who enjoys all of his ag classes — all four of them to be exact.

This year is actually Shane’s first year taking an ag class, but he dove right in and took advantage of all of the hands-on experiences offered in the WHS Ag Dept. Shane seems to have a passion and dedication for all of his classes and he always pays attention to the smallest of details. Shane is a go-getter and is always working hard and trying his best in all of his ag classes.

Shane has attended both Welding and AMP camps at Butte College and is excited about participating on the WHS FFA Fabrication Team. Way to go, Zander!

Letters

Note of thanks

Having been a Winters Express subscriber for more than 20 years, I wanted to compliment you on the (Feb. 1) edition. I appreciated the thoughtful reporting on things that matter to me as a resident. The nice article about a former Winters High Student who is doing his best to make it in the difficult world of apparel and the article about the Abbey House Inn. Those are the kind of articles that I would love to see more of in our local paper. There are so many interesting people and small businesses that operate here that we don’t always know about them or even understand what they do.

I also applaud your efforts to be more inclusive with our Spanish-speaking community and find ways to make the paper and our local news part of that group as well. Having been part of the ESL group at the library, I know there is a really great group of Spanish-speaking folks that are getting great help as they navigate becoming citizens and assimilating into the local culture. They love Winters and are such a vibrant and important part of our community. It would be great to have more of their perspective in the paper. Maybe a local column from one of them? They are what help make the fabric of our community and there are some very amazing stories to tell.

Anyway, thanks for the news and I also do love the columns

about what happened in our town 100 years ago. It really helps bring our history to the forefront and reminds us of where we have come from.

MARCIA GIBBS

WFoL tree sale this Saturday

Winters Friends of the Library is dedicated to its mission of enhancing the community and in supporting the Winters Community Library through its annual Fruit Tree Sale. The community is invited to come out (rain or shine) on Saturday, March 4 at 9 a.m. until the trees are 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. If you're not already a member, you can join at our membership table to get early entry into the event.

WFoL is featuring bare-root fruit and nut trees grown by a premier nursery from the region. Sierra Gold Nurseries of Yuba City has graciously donated the trees, which will be on sale for $20 each. There is a limit of 10 trees per customer. The Master Gardeners of Yolo County will be at the event to explain techniques for pruning and planting the trees in your yards.

All proceeds from the sale of these trees will be used to expand the Winters Library collections and programs.

LINDA SPRINGER

Winters Friends of the Library

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

Jayson Angove: Heretic Brewing @ 6:30pm Heretic Brewing Company, 1052 Horizon Dr, Fair�eld

Fred Hersch @ 7:30pm SFJAZZ Center, 201 Franklin St, San Francisco

Gaucho at DecoDance @ 7:30pm

DecoDance Bar, 1160 Polk St, San Francisco

Cutthroat Comedy - in the Callback Bar @ 8pm / $15.25 Punch Line Comedy Club - Sacra‐mento, 2100 Arden Way, Sacra‐mento

American Authors @ 8pm / $25 Cafe Du Nord, 2174 Market St., San Francisco

The Emo Night TourSacramento @ 8pm Harlow's, 2708 J St, Sacramento

The Hyperdrive Kittens: ADAM BOMB, Red Voodoo & Hyperdrive Kittens presented by Ace's Space Radio @ 8pm Amado's, 998 Valencia St, San Francisco

GOOF, The Kill Poets, Mommy mommy, Cielo

@ 8pm / $10

Brick and Mortar Music Hall, 1710 Mission Street, San Francisco

BOAN

@ 8:30pm LowBrau, 1050 20th St, Sacra‐mento

Miranda Love: Heavenly House Band

@ 2pm Heavenly Ski Resort - South Lake Tahoe, 3860 Saddle Rd, South Lake Tahoe

Dave Ricketts Music: Dave Ricketts at Arbor SF

@ 5pm Arbor, 384 Hayes St, San Francisco

2nd Friday ArtAbout! @ 6pm

Join us at the Pence Gallery for our 2nd Fri‐day ArtAbout reception on March 10, 6 - 9 PM (free admission). Browse the art exhibits and enjoy a free wine tasting by Twisted Cedar Wines. Pence Gallery, 212 D Street, Davis. pencesocialmedia@ gmail.com, 530-758-3370

Stewart Patrick @ 6pm Bourbon Highway Country Bar & Kitchen, 1677 N Main St,, Walnut Creek

"Hex: Pisces Szn"

@ 7pm / $15 Oasis, 298 11th Street, San Fran‐

cisco

Comedy Allstars - in the Callback Bar

@ 7pm / $20.25

Punch Line Comedy Club - Sacra‐mento, 2100 Arden Way, Sacra‐mento

Melissa Errico: A Noir

Romance

@ 8pm Feinstein's at The Nikko, 222 Ma‐son St, San Francisco

Melissa Errico: "A Noir

Romance"

@ 8pm / $49 Feinstein's at the Nikko, 222 Ma‐son Street, San Francisco

Magician Jay Alexander

@ 9pm / $50 Marrakech Magic Theater, 419 O'‐Farrell St., San Francisco North Mississippi Allstars

@ 9pm / $25

The Independent, 628 Divisadero St, San Francisco

Henry Fong @ 10pm Temple, 540 Howard St, San Fran‐

NICK

Mission Synths, 3026 24th St, San Francisco

Flamenco Saturdays with Tachíria Flamenco’s Dance

Music Theatre

@ 5:30pm / $12.50

Peña Pachamama, 1630 Powell St, San Francisco

Magician Jay Alexander @ 6:30pm / $50

Marrakech Magic Theater, 419 O'‐Farrell St., San Francisco

Comedy Allstars - in the Callback Bar

@ 7pm / $20.25

Punch Line Comedy Club - Sacra‐mento, 2100 Arden Way, Sacra‐mento

"Catharsis" @ 7pm / $7.50

Oasis, 298 11th Street, San Fran‐

cisco

University Chorale - 3/11

@ 7pm Cathedral of the Blessed Sacra‐ment, 1019 11th Street, Sacra‐

mento

Dave Ricketts Music: Dave Ricketts & Friends at Alexander's Steakhouse @ 7pm Alexander's Steakhouse, 448 Brannan St, San Francisco

Mustache and Cleavage: Upstairs at The So�a @ 8pm The So�a, home of B Street The‐atre, 2700 Capitol Ave, Sacra‐mento

Magician Jay

850 O'‐Farrell St., San Francisco BIT @ 9:30pm DNA Lounge, 375 11th St, San Francisco

Living Trust SeminarVallejo, CA - March 14, 2023 @ 6:30pm This is a FREE Living Trust Seminar Vallejo Veterans Memorial Build‐ing, 420 Admiral Callaghan Lane, Vallejo. info@LearnLiv ingTrust.com, 800-350-6376

Clue @ 7pm San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Post St, San Francisco

Dave Ricketts Music: Dave Ricketts & Friends at The Sea Star @ 7pm The Sea Star, 2289 3rd St, San

@ 7pm San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Post Street, San Francisco Albert Cum‐mings @ 8pm The Crest Theater, 1013 K St, Sacramento Kolton Moore @ 8pm Harlow's, 2708 J St, Sacramento The Church @ 8pm Great American Music Hall, 850 O'‐Farrell St., San Francisco Emily Wolfe @ 8:30pm Bottom Of the Hill, 1233 17th St, San Francisco Teatru Al Cruzimii: TERROR APART, KORPO‐RAT SM ELECTRONIQUE, INFINEXHUMA, TRYP

Christa Burch: St, Patrick's Day in Ireland! @ 7pm Harris Center, 10 College Pkwy, Folsom

The Pennsylvanian - A Play by Jennifer Roberts, Music: Karl McHugh @ 7:30pm Z Below, 470 Florida St, San Fran‐cisco Six: The Musical @ 7:30pm Orpheum Theatre-San Francisco, 1192 Market St., San Francisco

Karinda Dobbins: We My

People Tour @ 8pm The Independent, 628 Divisadero St, San Francisco

Bad Mother Nature @ 8pm Powerhouse Pub, 614 Sutter St, Folsom

Sacramento Comedy Showcase @ 8pm / $8-$8.13

Punch Line Sacramento, 2100 Ar‐den Way, Suite 225, Sacramento

UCSF's16th International Conference Neonatal & Childhood Pulmonary

Vascular Disease 2023

@ 8am / $250-$595 Mar 16th - Mar 18th

This educational meeting will bring together international experts to explore our current understanding of the basic pathobiology as well as new and future therapies for pulmonary vascular disease. Hilton San Francisco Financial District, 750 Kearny Street, San Francisco. info@ocme.ucsf.edu, 415-4764251

Downtown Napa Wine

Crawl & Comedy Show

@ 11:45am / $40 Downtown Napa, 1st Street, Napa

Living Trust SeminarSuisun City, CA - March 16, 2023

@ 3:30pm

This is a FREE Living Trust Seminar Joseph A Nelson Community Cen‐ter, 611 Village Drive, Suisun City. info@LearnLivingTrust.com, 800350-6376

Stewart Patrick @ 6pm Bourbon Highway Country Bar & Kitchen, 1677 N Main St,, Walnut Creek

Living Trust Seminar - Va‐caville, CA - March 16, 2023

@ 6:30pm

This is a FREE Living Trust Seminar Round Table Pizza, 888 Alamo Drive, Vacaville. info@LearnLiv ingTrust.com, 800-350-6376

San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus

at Arbor

5pm Arbor, 384 Hayes St, San Francisco

Mandolin Manny @ 6pm Z Specialty Food, LLC / The HIVE in Woodland, 1221 Harter Ave, Woodland San Francisco St. Patrick's Day Pub Crawl @ 6pm / $20 The best way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in San Francisco! Mayes Oyster House, 1233 Polk Street, San Francisco. info@ crawlsf.com, 415-515-5220

Magician Jay Alexander @ 6:30pm / $50 Marrakech Magic Theater, 419 O'‐Farrell St., San Francisco San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus

@ 7:30pm Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco

Swing! Swing! Swing!

@ 8pm / $25-$75

It's a night of swing music with Professor Cunningham and His Old School! It's for everyone who loves to listen to swing and everyone who loves to dance to it (and everyone in between) Swedish American Hall, 2174 Market Street, San Francisco. info@jazzattheball room.com, 917-725-2400

Best of San Francisco Stand-up Comedy

@ 8pm / $15

A fresh line-up of SF's Best Comics every Friday at the beautiful Variety Theater in downtown SF's iconic Hobart Building. Variety Club Pre‐view Room, 582 Market Street, San Francisco. bestofsfstandup@ gmail.com, 415-748-5119

Swing this St. Patrick's Day!

@ 8pm / $25-$75

Award-winning swing band Profes‐sor Cunningham and His Old School are in town from New York! Swedish American Hall, 2174 Mar‐ket Street, San Francisco. info@jaz zattheballroom.com, 917-725-

2400

Tim Dillon

@ 8pm / $50-$90 Uptown Theatre Napa, 1350 3rd St, Napa

Magician Jay Alexander @ 9pm / $50 Marrakech Magic Theater, 419 O'‐Farrell St., San Francisco

Salvage Title Rocks Dan's for St Pat's! @ 9pm Dan's Irish Sports Bar, 1524 Civic Dr,, Walnut Creek

NEURO‐FEST 2023: Arti‐�cial In‐

telligence, Machine

Learning and the Science of Brain Health

@ 12:30pm / Free NEUROFEST, a one day free public event for com‐munity members of all ages, brings the exciting world of brain science to the community! UC Davis Conference Center, 550 Alumni Lane, Davis. kpcummings@uc davis.edu, 253-298-0522

Street, San Fran‐cisco Hokage Simon, Basi Vibe, Tyler Lauren, BZAR @ 8:30pm / $15 Brick and Mortar Music Hall, 1710 Mission Street, San Francisco Magician Jay Alexander @ 9pm / $50 Marrakech Magic Theater, 419 O'‐Farrell St., San Francisco Deuce Eclipse: Roccapulco Discos Resaca Collective w/ Los Daddy’s - Grupo Mijez @ 9pm Roccapulco, 3140 Mission St, San Francisco Desert Hearts: For The Love - San Francisco @ 10pm Halcyon SF, 314 11th St, San Fran‐cisco "The Rocky Horror Picture Show": Movie with Live Cast @ 11:30pm / $5-$10 Landmark Musical Theatre, 533 Sutter St., 2nd Floor, San Fran‐cisco Downtown Napa Wine Crawl & Comedy Show @ 11:45am / $40 Downtown Napa, 1st Street, Napa Mescalito (Tahoe): Tiny Seeds Scholarship Fundraiser @ 2pm South Lake Brewing Company, 1920 Lake Tahoe Blvd, South Lake Tahoe S.R. Laws at Blue Note Brewery @ 3pm Blue Note Brewing Company, 750 Dead Cat Alley, Woodland Bilal @ 3pm / $45-$85 Blue Note Napa, 1030 Main Street, Napa K-von - 15+ with Parental Supervision @ 4pm / $25.25 Punch Line Comedy Club - Sacra‐mento, 2100 Arden Way, Sacra‐mento SF Choral Artists: Sound and (Not Much) Silence @ 4pm / $15-$35 Join this acclaimed Bay Area chamber choir for an afternoon of extraordinary music! St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco. mkaulkin@ sfca.org, 415-494-8149 Roaring '20s: Jazz and Cabaret in Silent Film @ 4pm / $65 Take a time machine with us back to the Roaring Twenties and enter our speakeasy for a night of jazz, cabaret, �lm, food and wine. Verdi Club, 2424 Mariposa Street, San Francisco. michelle@sfsalonmu sic.com Gaucho at Brenda's @ 5pm Brenda's French Soul Food, 652 Polk St, San Francisco Magician Jay Alexander @ 6:30pm / $50 Marrakech Magic Theater, 419 O'‐Farrell St., San Francisco SAINT SINNER (Simpli�ed), in support of GONE GONE BEYOND @ 7pm Gold�eld Trading Post, 1630 J St, Sacramento The Deal's Not Done! @ 8pm / $30 Brick and Mortar Music Hall, 1710 Mission Street, San Francisco VÉRITÉ w/ Gatlin @ 8pm Bimbo's 365 Club, 1025 Columbus Ave, San Francisco The best place to promote your events online and in print. Visit us @ https://mynorcalevents.com powered by Featured Featured Editor's Pick Featured Featured Editor's Pick Featured Editor's Pick Editor's Voice Featured Featured Featured Editor's Pick Featured Editor's Pick Featured

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Magician Jay Alexander @ 6:30pm / $50 Marrakech Magic Theater, 419 O'‐Farrell St., San Francisco

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