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Volume 139, Number 48 — Locally-owned since 1884
Winters man suspected of random Davis apartment break-in By Lauren Keene McNaughton Media A Winters man faces robbery and burglary charges after entering a West Davis apartment at random last week. According to Lt. John Evans, 27-yearold Keenan Ricardo Campos tried to enter several apartments in the 2900 block of Por-
tage Bay West on the afternoon of Dec. 22 before he got into a woman’s residence. A 911 call first went to California Highway Patrol dispatchers, who reported hearing sounds of a struggle between a man and woman. Officers went to the complex and obtained a description of the suspect, who was located nearby and
The hometown paper of Dean Meyer
Winters, Yolo County, California, Wednesday, December 28, 2022
taken into custody. Evans said the female victim had called 911 on her cell phone, which Campos allegedly grabbed out of her hand and ended the call, resulting in the robbery charge. Campos also was booked into the Yolo County Jail on suspicion of burglary and loitering.
Video aids local grand theft arrest By Lauren Keene McNaughton Media Winters police credit surveillance video for the arrest of a theft suspect last week. In a Facebook post, the Winters Police Department said the investigation began shortly after noon Monday, Dec. 19, with a theft report in the 500 block of Railroad Avenue, where the victim reported
having several fishing rods worth $3,250 stolen from his truck bed. “The victim reviewed his surveillance cameras and saw a subject walking away from the area with the fishing rods; however, the subject put them down when he saw a Winters Police Department unit on routine patrol pass nearby,” the post said.
Officers recognized the suspect, identified as 34-year-old Luis Alberto Banuelos of Winters, from prior contacts and began looking for him. During the search, the victim called police dispatchers and reported seeing him walking through nearby Rotary Park. According to police, Banuelos fled when he saw
See ARREST, Page 3
Streamkeeper reports over 500 salmon making their way up Putah Creek By Todd R. Hansen McNaughton Media
EXPRESS
It has been a comeback year for salmon in Putah Creek. Max Stevenson, the streamkeeper for the Lower Putah Creek Coordinating Committee and the Solano County Water Agency, estimates more than 500 fish are in the creek system. The boards at the Los Rios Check Dam were removed in late October, and the fish have been making their way into the creek ever since. “There are hundreds of salmon in the system and they are still coming up,” said Stevenson, who took over Jan. 10 for longtime streamkeeper Rich Marovich. “There are probably more than 500.” That after a year in which only four fish are known to have reached the spawning redds after an unusual series of circumstances led to dozens of salmon dying due to low levels of oxygen in the water. Heavy rains in late October 2021 dislodged loads of organic material and caused an overflow
Robinson Kuntz/McNaughton Media
Multiple community members have shared photos of salmon swimming in the water of the Winters area of Putah Creek. The above siting was Thursday, Dec. 22. from the east levee to drain into the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area. When the refuge then used that water to flood rice fields for waterfowl habitat, some of that water spilled into Putah Creek, resulting in low oxygen levels. Salmon are particularly susceptible to oxygen depletion, which is a reason why cooler water temperatures are best. The phenomenon had never been known to happen before. This year, ironically, it is the drought that may have helped bring the fish back to Putah Creek, Stevenson said. That is because despite the lack of rainfall, the stability of Lake Berryessa has allowed for normal water flows in the creek, and that has given a place for the salmon to go. “That is probably one of the reasons,” said Stevenson, add-
ing the water temperature is very good. Officials also added in about 80 tons of gravel to build and improve the salmon spawning areas, and Stevenson said the fish have claimed the new territories and are using them for spawning. Stevenson said the fish are easily seen from the Winters park area, and specifically from the railroad and car bridges. “They are jumping out of the water,” he said. “So next year, we may use even more (gravel),” suggesting maybe 500 tons could be brought in to the creek. “Five hundred tons maybe would be good for five 100-foot sections,” he said. The past practice in the creek has been to simply dig up the redd areas, loosening the existing gravel and other materials in the stream so
See SALMON, Page 3
Index Features ........................ B-1 Classifieds ................... B-4 Community .................. A-5
Crystal Apilado/Winters Express
We at he r Rain
High
Low
Dec. 21
.00
65˚
34˚
Dec. 22
.00
50˚
37˚
Dec. 23
.00
46˚
40˚
.00
56˚
36˚
Eventos hispanos ....... A-5
Dec. 25
.01”
60˚
39˚
Dec. 26
.00
48˚
39˚
Opinion ......................... B-3
Dec. 27
1.30”
52˚
40˚
Sports ........................... A-2
Don Saylor steps down after serving over two decades as Supervisor By Jacob Hoffman Express staff writer The last Winters City Council meeting was one of bittersweetness and farewells, not only as three of the council’s longest serving members bowed out of their seats, but also as the Winters-area County Supervisor concluded his decades of service to the city and to Yolo County. Don Saylor has been Yolo County District 2 Supervisor in Winters for 27 years, and worked alongside city staff and a rotating roster of city councilmembers to furnish Winters with many improvements and additions, and he was honored alongside the outgoing city councilmembers. Outgoing Mayor Wade Cowan, who worked alongside
Saylor for many years, presented Saylor with a proclamation recognizing his work with the city and thanking him for his service and his “dedication and collaborative spirit,” through the years. “Supervisor Saylor has served many years of public service, and was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in November of 2010,” Cowan began, providing a list of Saylor’s accomplishments in and around Winters, including securing funding for the Winters Healthcare Pharmacy, working to get Yolo County Health and Human Services offices in Winters, helping to bring Winters Healthcare to Grant Avenue, and coordinating fire response efforts in 2020. Cowan conclud-
Rain for week: 1.31 in. Season’s total: 7.81 in. Last sn. to date: 15.88 in Winters rainfall season began 7/1/22. Weather readings are taken at 9 a.m.
By Anne Ternus-Bellamy McNaughton Media The public is welcome to attend a swearing-in ceremony for Yolo County’s recently elected officials. The ceremony takes place at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 3, in the atrium of the Yolo County Administration Building, 625 Court St., in
Woodland. Six elected officials are scheduled to be sworn in that morning, including Lucas Frerichs, who was elected to serve Winters on the Board of Supervisors. Frerichs is filling the seat for Supervisor Don Saylor. Others taking their oaths on Jan. 3 are: • Jesse Salinas, Yolo County’s
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ed the proclamation with, “the Winters City Council does hereby declare its deep appreciation for Supervisor Saylor’s dedication and commitment to serving the Winters’ community, and for his efforts to improve the lives and extend better service to our shared residents,” before providing an informal and heartfelt anecdote describing when Winters first entered Saylor’s district, thanking him for honoring his promise to represent and collaborate with Winters. “You did step up, and you did come, you were always here…for all the events, and you did what you needed to do to represent us properly, and I just want to say, I appreciate that,” Cowan said.
See SAYLOR, Page 3
County officials to take oath of office Jan. 3
Date
Dec. 24
Real Estate ................... B-2
Outgoing mayor Wade Cowan shares his gratitude for the work Supervisor Don Saylor did for the City of Winters during his 27 years as a Yolo County District Supervisor.
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clerk-recorder/assessor/registrar of voters; • Supervisor Gary Sandy of Woodland; • Garth Lewis, Yolo County’s superintendent of schools; • District Attorney Jeff Reisig; and • Sheriff Tom Lopez. Members of the public are invited and light refreshments will be served.
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