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Winters Open Mic achieves nonprofit status News, Page 6
Youth program planning second year Features, Page 1
Volume 139, Number 50 — Locally-owned since 1884
Winters, Yolo County, California, Wednesday, January 11, 2023
The hometown paper of Elizabeth Nelson
State grant aids school district to transition bilingual program By Jacob Hoffman Express staff writer Winters Joint Unified School District was one of 27 districts out of 140 applicants to receive a Dual Language Immersion (DLI) grant from the state as part of the Global California 2030 initiative. This grant will provide funding for a 50:50 ratio of language in the classroom and a 90:10 DLI program with the goal of having half of the Kindergarten through 12 students speak two or more languages by 2030. Assistant Superintendent Phoebe Girimonte and English Learner Specialist Delia Garcia-Espinoza presented the benefits of this proposed model and what this grant and the DLI program will mean for Winters students. Garcia-Espinoza defined DLI by citing a 2001 study that says, “in Dual Immersion Programs, English-dominant and target-lan-
guage-dominant students are purposefully integrated with the goals of developing bilingual skills, academic excellence, and positive cross-cultural and personal competency attitudes for both groups of students.” Girimonte and Garcia-Espinoza expounded on the benefits researchers found amongst bilingual students, including improved scores on standardized testing and on cognitive skill assessments, as well as cultural and social benefits derived from being able to engage with people in other languages. The current Developmental Bilingual Education (DBE) program, approved by Winters JUSD Trustees in 2013, has a 50:50 language allocation model. The transition to the DLI program is expected to be a three-year process. Speaking on what the DLI program’s
See GRANT, Page 3
Crystal Apilado/Courtesy photo
Railroad Avenue flooded at the Grant Avenue intersection into the majority of the lane. Flooding continued down most of the road toward Esparto.
Heavy rains flood Putah Creek Nature trail, more storms on the way By Crystal Apilado Editor-in-Chief On Monday, part of the Putah Creek Nature Park trail was underwater as the creek waters rose, and multiple rural roads across Yolo and Solano Counties remained closed due to flooding from the downpour of rain over. At 9 a.m. on Monday, local weather man Joe Bristow reported to the Express that the to-date rainfall total of 17.30 inches had surpassed the season rainfall total of 17.09 inches. As of Tuesday af-
ternoon at 2:30 p.m., Lake Berryessa was at 403.11 feet and a little over 88 percent capacity. The lake spills at 440 feet, according to the Solano County Water Agency. Lake Berryessa News reported the lake level is 36.9 feet below the Glory Hole — the highest it’s been since last July. The Solano Irrigation District reported the Putah Creek flow rate was at 400 cfs (Cubic Feet per Second) as of Tuesday morning. While the City of Winters experienced some usual flooded areas and plugged
Maia the dog gives her owner a forlorn look as she’s told not to jump into the waters flooding the nature trail. drains during the first wave of storms, City Manager Kathleen Salguero Trepa urged residents to remain cautious as more storm systems are expected to pass through the area over the next week and a half. “The soil is so sat-
urated, please help monitor trees closely for signs of uplift, unusual leaning, etc,” Trepa said in her Jan. 6 City Manager update. Trepa noted a few trees had become
See STORM, Page 5
Frerichs, other county officials, sworn into office By Anne Ternus-Bellamy McNaughton Media
EXPRESS
Lucas Frerichs was sworn into the Yolo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, while five other county officials took their oaths as well during a ceremony at the county administration building in Woodland. Frerichs, who spent 10 years on the Davis City Council, succeeds Don Saylor, who retired after
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decades of service in public office as the county supervisor for the Winters area. Joining Frerichs for another term on the board is Supervisor Gary Sandy of Woodland, who also took his oath Tuesday, as did four re-elected incumbents who serve in countywide offices — District Attorney Jeff Reisig, Sheriff Tom Lopez, Superintendent of Schools Garth Lewis and Clerk-Recorder/ Assessor/Registrar of Voters Jesse Salinas. Frerichs, Sandy, Lewis and Salinas will serve four-year terms, while Reisig and Lopez will serve
six-year terms, thanks to a new state law (AB 759) signed by the governor in October that moved elections for county district attorneys and sheriffs to presidential election years. Under the new law, any district attorney or sheriff elected in 2022 (as Reisig and Lopez were) will serve a six-year term with the next election for those offices occurring during the 2028 presidential primary. Noting the new law, Lopez quipped that “those of you who voted for me, you got
See COUNTY, Page 6
Index Features ........................ B-1 Classifieds ................... B-4
We at he r Date
Rain
High
Low
Jan. 04
.55”
47˚
41˚
Jan. 05
1.47”
58˚
42˚
Jan. 06
.17”
56˚
46˚
Jan. 07
.04”
56˚
45˚
Jan. 08
1.37”
59˚
46˚
Eventos hispanos ....... A-2
Jan. 09
2.71”
59˚
49˚
Jan. 10
.45”
60˚
43˚
Sports ........................... B-5
Rain for week: 6.76 in. Season’s total: 17.75 in. Last sn. to date: 17.09 in. Winters rainfall season began 7/1/22. Weather readings are taken at 9 a.m.
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Roxie’s Flower Truck announces plans for Design Studio By Jacob Hoffman After receiving approval from the Planning Commission on Dec. 15, Roxie’s Flower Truck will soon be building a Design Studio at 505 East St. The Winters Express talked with Roxie’s owner Kristen Karlen about what this new expansion will entail and what customers can look forward to in the future. Karlen said the location is owned by the Karlen family and she’s been working out
of it for about three years, but over the years the 70-plus-yearold building’s current condition has started to fall apart and the safety and curb appeal has declined. “Over time as my business has grown so has my need for space, and something a little more secure and something safer,” Karlen said. Karlen said she and her husband decided “it’s just time” and brought a plan for a new building on that spot to the Winters Planning Commission.
According to Karlen, this plan — now approved and underway — is to “just demolish the entire building” rather than remodel or renovate “and start again.” “We want to make it something that’s attractive, that is welcoming and multifunctional, and something that is safe,” Karlen said. Regarding how long construction will last, Karlen said the old building is being demolished on Feb. 15
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Kristen Karlen, Roxie’s Flower Truck owner, excitedly submitted the building building permit at City Hall with a stamp with a stamp of approval for her new Design Studio.
Express staff writer
Community .................. A-6
Real Estate ................... B-2
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See STUDIO, Page 3
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