$1
including tax
Alumni Night invites past cheer squad to participate News, Page 2
Capstone kept local fruit stand open for season Features, Page 1
Volume 140, Number 31 — Locally-owned since 1884
The hometown paper of Daniel Nelson
Winters, Yolo County, California, Wednesday, August 30, 2023
City facing pending $2 million lawsuit By Angela Underwood Express correspondent The city of Winters is facing a pending $2 million lawsuit for the lack of reimbursement to a Homes By Town — Winters Highlands (HBT). On Friday, a special closed session for the Winters City Council was published on the city council meetings listing for Tuesday, Aug. 29. As of Tuesday morning, the meeting listing and agenda packet document had been removed. The Express reached out to the city to ask why the special meeting was no longer listed on the website. A letter dated May 22 from Pioneer Law Group,
LLP to the Winters clerk, council, and managers alleges the city owes HBT more than $2 million from a promise made in 2017. According to a city resolution in June of 2017, “The City and HBT entered into a Public Improvement and Maintenance Agreement for construction of off-site improvements” that included specific mandates. Those mandates included HBT fund and construct several off-site public improvements, including the West Main Street sewer pump station, a sewer force that main that extends from the Sewer
Courtesy photo
Winters City Council member Jesse Loren, Yolo Transportation District chair Tom Stallard, and Supervisor Lucas Frerichs previewed the new BeeLine on-demand transit service bus design in July.
New Beeline transportation service
See LEGAL, Page 3 By Angela Underwood
Council approves Harvest Fest Main Street closures By Amelia Biscardi Express staff writer
EXPRESS
After a bit of a back-and-forth, on Aug. 1, the Winters City Council unanimously decided to shut down part of Main Street for the three-day fall festival event in October, put on by the Winters Downtown Business Association. For the event, Main Street will be Closed from Railroad Avenue to First Street starting at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 27. Then from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Main Street will be closed from the driveway west of Elliot Street to Second Street on Oct. 28
2 Main St., Winters, CA 530.795.4503 buckhornsteakhouse.com
and Oct. 29. This 2nd annual Downtown Winters Harvest Fest is a three-day event hosted from Oct. 27 to 29 and will showcase many vendors, food trucks, as well as the downtown business community. City staff initially asked the council to not approve the extension request from Main Street to Elliott Street. A handful of Winters DBA members voiced their concerns, resulting in the extension of street closures being passed. Winters DBA president Chris Turkovich noted that, historically, the fall event has been bigger than the spring event. Delaney Holden, owner of Holden Events and Harvest Fest
Express correspondent A new streamlined transportation service is buzzing through Winters full-time. The Beeline will replace Yolo Transportation District’s (YoloTD) micro-transit service with new spacious passenger vans and a whole lot of convenience. Autumn Bernstein, YoloTD executive director, presented the new YoloTD Beeline plan to the Winters City Council on Aug. 1, detailing all the transportation district changes, in-
By Crystal Apilado Editor-in-Chief
See STREET, Page 3
On Thursday, the community is invited to bring a picnic meal, enjoy a free concert and support the Winters Robotics Club root beer float fundraiser. On Thursday, Aug. 31, the last free Thursday summer concert courtey of the Winters Downtown Business Association, features
Index
We at he r
with the flexibility to travel throughout the city conveniently at a fraction of the cost compared to leading on-demand services,” Bernstein said. Council member Jesse Loren, the transportation liaison for Winters, says while the new van and service times respect rider’s complex needs, it also remains the same. “Many of the people who use the Beeline service to work in Winters continue to use our established
See BEELINE, Page 3
Chicken & Dumpling at 6 p.m. at the Rotary Park Gazebo. The Winters Robotics team will be selling root beer floats to raise money to support their competition efforts this year. “(The fundraiser) benefits the Robotics Club by helping pay for robot-build parts and the registration for upcoming
See PARK, Page 3
Courtesy photo
The Winters Robotics Club is selling root beer floats on Thursday to support its upcoming year of competition.
High
Low
.00
91˚
64˚
.00
95˚
66˚
Mosquito tests positive for St. Louis encephalitis in Yolo County
Aug. 25
.00
99˚
63˚
Express staff
Aug. 26
.00
94˚
55˚
Eventos hispanos ....... A-2
Aug. 27
.00
95˚
53˚
Aug. 28
.00
93˚
58˚
Opinion ......................... B-3
Aug. 29
.00
95˚
55˚
Features ........................ B-1 Classifieds ................... B-4 Community .................. A-2
Real Estate ................... B-2 Sports ........................... B-5
Date
Rain
Aug. 23 Aug. 24
Rain for week: 0.00 in. Season’s total: 0.01 in. Last sn. to date: TRACE Winters rainfall season began 7/1/23. Weather readings are taken at 9 a.m. daily by local weatherman Joe Bristow.
The Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito & Vector Control District announced Friday that a mosquito sample has tested positive for St. Louis encephalitis virus in Yolo County. Laboratory staff detected the virus while performing routine testing of mosquito
samples collected from an area north of Woodland. SLEV is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito just like West Nile virus. Mosquitoes infected with SLEV are more commonly found in the Central Valley and some areas of southern California. However in recent
C U ST O M CLEANERS
Service all makes & models Accept all major credit cards Family owned & operated
State Contractor Lic# 864483
putahcreekcafe.com
the new service can be downloaded to the phone. But old-school travelers can still dial a number if they choose. Bernstein said calls for a pickup remain welcome. And the new vans are equipped with WiFi and USB ports for charging during the trip. Trips beginning and ending in Winters are $2. Visitors can book their journey up to seven days in advance. “Having an on-demand transit service that operates in Winters provides commuters or visitors
Root beer floats support robotics team
27990 County Road 90 Winters, CA 95694 www.pearcehvac.com 1 Main St., Winters, CA 530.795.2682
cluding added perks and new vans. According to Bernstein, the small vans reduce sound pollution when operating in nearby neighborhoods and provide a more comfortable ride. The Beeline offers seamless transfers to fixed route service and lower fares than for-profit on-demand services. Not to mention not missing the bus. “What’s cool about this service is people can just request a ride at any time,” Bernstein said. Only an app away,
116 D Street Davis, CA 95616 530-798-5500
www.smith-funerals.com FD-992
· Dry Cleaning · Laundry · Alterations 184 E. Grant Avenue, Winters (530) 795-1938
years, the virus has been spreading. This year, SLEV has been found in neighboring San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. “The finding of St. Louis encephalitis along with a record amount of West Nile virus activity this season highlights
See VIRUS, Page 3 YOUR
TIRE in Dixon 1920 North First Street, Dixon
707.678.8271
Brakes • Alignment • Farm & Truck Tires Short Drive to Dixon for Big Savings!