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Volume 140, Number 24 — Locally-owned since 1884
The hometown paper of Nicolas Chapman
Winters, Yolo County, California, Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Fireworks spark two fires, Police issue eight citations for illegal pyrotechnics
Trustees approves new courses, curriculum
By Crystal Apilado
By Jacob Hoffman
Editor-in-Chief
Express staff writer
The Winters Police and Fire Departments were kept busy last week due to an influx of fireworks usage that sparked two fires in town. Fire Chief Jack S. Snyder III said Winters Fire responded to a fire on July 3. Fire crews responded to a palm tree on fire on Main and Aster Streets. According to Snyder, the fire had been extinguished prior to their arrival and was most likely caused by a firework. The second fire sparked near the E. Grant Avenue and Railroad Avenue intersection. Fire crews arrived on the scene at 10:29 p.m., and Snyder said the fire appeared to have started on the E. Grant Avenue side of the property and burned through the fence into Double M Trucking, Inc.’s side. The blaze was kept to an area of approximately 20 by 50 feet. Snyder said initially the crew requested two additional engines for “manpower and station coverage from West Plainfield Fire.” However, due to the vegetation being maintained in that
New courses were approved by the Winters Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees during its June 22 meeting. These include a new professional culinary pathway, AP Macroeconomics, and revamping the K–fifth science and sixth through 12th grade Spanish curriculums. Though approved at the June 22 meeting, the course additions were first brought before the trustees as an information item during their June 8 meeting. Assistant Superintendent Phoebe Girimonte presented the proposed changes to the trustees. “This year” she said “our Winters High School team is proposing two new courses.” The first “is AP Macroeconomics” which “would take a look at the broad scale of the economy, focusing on the economies of countries and the entire world.” “The next course that is being pro-
Courtesy photo
An aerial, illegal firework caused a fire along Grant Avenue which burned through the fenceline and caused minor damage at Double M Trucking, Inc. on July 4. area and within the business property, the fire crew contained the blaze quickly. The property damage was minimal due to the slow rate of the fire spread. The fire is under investigation and anyone with any information is encouraged to contact the Winters Police Department. Public reports with pictures and videos of illegal fireworks usage should be sent to wfdadmin@winters-
fire.org or tips.winters@winterspolice. org. “Illegal Fireworks are extremely dangerous. The unintended consequences of setting them off are rarely considered. The vegetation is very dry out now, despite all the rains we had over the winter. Leave the fireworks to the professionals and don’t put yourself in jeopardy of starting a fire that can damage
your property or others and cost you a lot more than what the illegal firework cost you,” Snyder said. “We remain extremely concerned by the use of illegal fireworks by members of the community. Illegal fireworks cause fires and are extremely dangerous,” city manager Kathleen Salguero Trepa said. “And because additional resources
See FIRE, Page 5
posed” Girimonte said “is the Culinary III, and the title is ‘HERO,’ standing for Hospitality Entrepreneurship, and Restaurant Operations, this is a career technical education course that would represent a capstone in our existing culinary pathway” of which there are currently only two. “This course would build on students who are self-motivated workers who wish to enhance their own employability skills through project based learning,” Girimonte said. Trustee Kristin Trott asked Girimonte if the Culinary III course could include working local business, which Girimonte answered was a primary motivation for the course. Girimonte also told the trustees the number of students planning to take AP Macroeconomics is 15 and seven to 10 students for Culinary III. On June 22, Girimonte reminded
See COURSE, Page 5
Winters receives grants Winters fire crew rescues paddle boarders, first for clean-air projects water rescue of season By Jacob Hoffman Express staff writer
EXPRESS
As part of more than $500,000 in grants for clean air projects, Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District will be awarding Winters with two grants. The first, part of Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management
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District’s “clean technologies/low-emission vehicles” initiative, will provide funding for the Winters Police Department to purchase a zero-emission patrol motorcycle. The second, awarded to the city itself, will fulfill the alternative transportation initiative by providing the Winters with city bike racks and signage. The Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District’s Board of Directors made the
approvals on June 14, with funding totaling $517,725 for 12 projects across Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District as part of the 2023 Clean Air Fund (CAF) Grant Program. As part of a press release describing the grant program, the district said the projects are going to be implemented “over the next year in Yolo County and the northeastern portion of Solano County.”
See GRANT, Page 6
Index
We at he r
Features ........................ B-1
Date
Rain
High
Low
Jul. 04
.00
101˚
58˚
Classifieds ................... B-4
Jul. 05
.00
94˚
57˚
Jul. 06
.00
92˚
56˚
Jul. 07
.00
92˚
54˚
Jul. 08
.00
89˚
54˚
Jul. 09
.00
90˚
53˚
Jul. 10
.00
85˚
49˚
Jul. 11
.00
90˚
57˚
Community .................. A-3 Eventos hispanos ....... A-6 Opinion ......................... B-3 Real Estate ................... B-2 Sports ........................... B-7
Rain for week: 0.00 in. Season’s total: 0.00 in. L a s t s n . t o d at e : 0.00 in. Winters rainfall season began 7/1/23. Weather readings are taken at 9 a.m. daily by local weatherman Joe Bristow.
State Contractor Lic# 864483
putahcreekcafe.com
Editor-in-Chief A Winters Fire Department crew rescued two paddle boarders from Putah Creek on Saturday, July 8 — officially marking the first water rescue of the summer season. Winters Fire was dispatched at 5:08 p.m. on July 8 for a water rescue at the fishing access point No. 5 on Putah Creek. According to Fire Chief Jack S. Snyder III, the initial report said two subjects were in a canoe in the water and were unable to get to shore. The crew on Engine 26 responded and located the two trapped individuals, who were on paddle boards and caught in a tree hanging over the water on the Solano County side of Putah Creek about 100 yards east downstream of Fishing access point No. 1. Snyder said the two individuals were rescued and no injuries
were reported. Winters Police Department, Yolo County Sheriff, CHP and its helicopter, Reach and the Vacaville Fire Protection District and UC Davis Fire Department all offered assistance on the incident. “The teamwork and communication between the multiple Law Enforcement and Fire agencies was key to a successful operation with no further incident,” Snyder said. Snyder cautioned that while the water looks fun and refreshing, it is still dangerous. He urges community members and visitors to always use caution when entering any waterway, and to utilize and wear personal floatation devices. “The water may look calm on the surface but maybe going a lot faster under the surface. Let others know where you are going, what you will be doing, and the time that you will be complet-
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ed when partaking in any water activities,” Snyder said sharing water safety tips. “Also, before going in the water, look up and downstream and try not to go into the water alone. The water is a great outdoor activity and we would like everyone to enjoy it and ask everyone to enjoy it safely.”
Creek safety
Matthew Schechla, Winters Fire Captain and Paramedic, who was the incident commander for a June 16 rescue, said that it’s, 2022 said it’s important to note that if you don’t see anyone else in the water, it’s for a reason. “It looks calm, it’s kind of deceiving,” Schechla said. Schechla said some of the remote areas along Putah Creek have limited to no cell phone coverage, and the foliage and terrain can often be rough to access a situation and
See WATER, Page 6
YOUR AD HERE! Contact David DeLeon at david@wintersexpress.com