$1
Shakespeare theatre workshop registration now open News, Page 6
including tax
Local farm stand owner takes it up next level Features, Page 1
Volume 140, Number 2 — Locally-owned since 1884
Winters, Yolo County, California, Wednesday, February 8, 2023
The hometown paper of Jessica Smith
Youth Day 2023 event is a go By Crystal Apilado Editor-in-Chief The 2023 Winters Youth Day event is officially on the books for Saturday, April 29. Following a call out to the community, resident Stephen Roehrs volunteered to serve on the Youth Day Committee board — filling an essential need that President Mike Sebastian said was a make-it-or-break-it decision on whether the event would happen this year. The committee chose “Grow Youthful” as the theme for the 85th Annual Winters Youth Day Celebration. The theme was submitted by Josie Hoskins, a Shirley Rominger Interme-
diate School student. Hoskins won a $100 prize, and the theme will be used for the parade entries as well as Youth Day marketing items like the annual t-shirts. The next steps for committee members are to start updating forms to begin accepting parade entries, launching the Duck Derby duck sales, accepting Grand Marshal nominations and working with Winters High School to identify who the Youth Council will be. More information will be shared in the Express, on the Youth Day Facebook page, and on the Youth Day website at wintersyouthday. com.
Local News Briefs Express staff
E-Waste collection event
EXPRESS
The Winters Combined PTA is hosting a free e-waste collection event on Saturday, Feb. 18 from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. on the corner of Grant and Railroad Avenues in the Mariani Nut parking lot. President Danielle Smith told the Express the Winters PTA partnered with Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps (SRCC) to recycle all of the collected e-waste. They will accept monitors, televisions, desktop and notebook PCs, VCRs, stereo equipment, speakers, keyboards, mice, PDAs, digital cameras, telephones, cell phones,
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printers, copiers, laser and multifunction scanners and fax machines, small household appliances such as toasters, mixers, blenders and vacuum cleaners with the dust bag removed. They will not accept: large household appliances (i.e. refrigerators, washers, dryers, etc.) furniture, microwaves, or hazardous household waste items including batteries, solar panels, car batteries, paint, pesticides, used oil, cleaning supplies, fluorescent light bulbs, water heaters, tires, etc. Anyone with questions regarding this event should contact Winters PTA at winterspta@gmail.com.
Council goal-setting workshop A Winters City Council goal-setting workshop is scheduled for Saturday,
See LOCAL, Page 3
Courtesy photo
Almogía Councilmember Isabel Arabel, Winters residents Rebecca and Woody Fridae, Almogía Mayor Cristobal Torreblanca and Almogía Councilmember Juani Pino Godrid show off the Almogía and City of Winters proclamations designating each other as sister cities. Winters City Council approved the proclamation in January 2023.
Fridaes present Almogía city council with Winters sister-city proclamation By Jacob Hoffman Express staff writer At its Jan. 10 meeting, the Winters City Council approved a proclamation recognizing the Spanish city of Almogía as a sister city to Winters. Former Mayor Woody Fridae and his wife Rebecca were in Spain when the proclamation was passed. Woody and Rebecca personally presented the proclamation to Almogía’s City Council and met with its mayor Fridae shared their experience with the Express and the history behind the relationship with Almogía which began in the 90s. The proclamation was the culmination of decades of work and cross-continental connections, and reads “sister city relationships are intended to create global relationships based on cultural, educational, and information exchanges to increase awareness, appreciation and recognition of our common bonds across national boundaries,” and that with the proclamation Winters “celebrates and honors its
Index Features ........................ B-1
We at he r Date
Rain
High
Low
Feb. 01
.00
59˚
29˚
Feb. 02
.00
57˚
30˚
McNaughton Media
Community .................. A-6
Feb. 03
.28”
56˚
34˚
Feb. 04
.01”
57˚
40˚
Eventos hispanos ....... A-3
Feb. 05
.44”
57˚
47˚
Feb. 06
.01”
57˚
35˚
Feb. 07
.00
62˚
36˚
Sunday, Feb. 5 marked the last day of service provided by the OptumServe COVID-19 test-to-treat mobile bus in Yolo County. Last Wednesday, the county reported the service would close as state funding for it has been closed out as part of the planned ending of California’s
Classifieds ................... B-4
Opinion ......................... B-3 Real Estate ................... B-2 Sports ........................... A-2
Rain for week: 0.74 in. Season’s total: 23.45 in. Last sn. to date: 17.09 in. Winters rainfall season began 7/1/22. Weather readings are taken at 9 a.m daily by local weatherman Joe Bristow.
By Anne Ternus-Bellamy
prunes and cut fruit at the Griffen ranch. The article written by Express staff writer Anna Peerbolt said Ruiz wanted his community to know about his Spanish town and wanted his Spanish relatives to get to know Winters. Now himself in Almogía, Fridae described his presentation of the proclamation from the Winters City Council to the Mayor Cristóbal Torreblanca and the Ayuntamiento of Al-
mogía and was in turn gifted a written statement commemorating the 30th anniversary of the sisterhood. “I had not realized that it was the 30th anniversary until that moment,” Fridae said. In fact, this meeting was a reunion for Fridae and Torreblanca who previously met in the early 90s when the sister cityhood was first presented to Winters City Council.
See ALMOGIA, Page 3
COVID-19 state of emergency on Feb. 28. Yolo County’s Health and Human Services Agency will continue to provide free COVID-19 antigen tests at numerous locations across Yolo County. In Winters, Antigen tests are available in an outdoor vending machine outside of Winters City Hall, 318 First St. The other outdoor vending machines in
Yolo County are located in Davis (Mary L. Stephens Library, 315 E. 14th St), Esparto (Regional Library, 17065 Yolo Ave), West Sacramento (Community Center, 1075 W. Capitol Ave) and Woodland (La Superior Market, 34 W. Court St). A county media release noted all county libraries have antigen tests available at branch locations.
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Courtesy photo
Woody Fridae stands on “Calle Winters.” The 50-meter street is located in Winters sister-city of Almogía, Spain.
Yolo’s mobile COVID testing program ends
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Spanish heritage and the town of Almogía, sending warm regards to its residents and our family members.” Fridae recalled being on the Winters City Council in 1991 when resident Miguel Ruiz first presented the proposal for a sister cityhood with Almogía in honor of the town his father came from. “His parents were born in Almogía. They came to the Winters area and he grew up in Winters,” Fridae said. Ruiz traveled and lived between the cities his whole life. In 1991, Ruiz approached the city with the idea, and City Council “gave him the green light” Friday said. Ruiz then communicated with Almogía’s City Council, called the Ayuntamiento, and established a relationship with the town. Fridae said he recalled it was in 1993 when the sister cityhood was finally agreed to. An Express article published on May 23, 1991, noted Ruiz’s family moved to Winters in 1921. His father was a local farmer and the family, including all 13 children, would pick figs and
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