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Stroke awareness for seniors News, Page 2
New homes, new beginnings for Yolo youth Features, Page 1
Volume 142, Number 50 — Locally-owned since 1884
The hometown paper of A.E. Danzero
Winters, Yolo County, California, Wednesday, January 14, 2026
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Courtesy photo
Winters Middle School music students River Mayes, Webby Williams and Kira Olmos have earned spots in the 2025-26 California All-State Honor Choir and Band. They perform on Jan. 17 in Sacramento.
Logan Chrisp/Winters Express
Jose Diaz, owner of Ample Electric, and members of his Winters-based team celebrate being named the 2025 Business of the Year.
Winters students reach Ample Electric named All-State Music honors 2025 Business of the Year By Crystal Apilado Editor-in-Chief
EXPRESS
Three Winters Middle School students will showcase their talents on a statewide stage after being selected for the 2025-26 California All-State Honor Choir and Band. Over 800 auditions were submitted for the Junior High Honor Choirs and more than 900 for the Junior High Honor Bands this year. After careful review by panels of judges, only the most exceptional musicians were invited to perform. Winters Middle School
music students Webby Williams (choral), Kira Olmos (choral), and River Mayes (instrumental) earned spots in this elite group. “This is an enormous achievement, and we’d like to give our biggest congratulations to them,” said Winters Middle School music teacher Matthew Loya. The performances will take place at Sacramento’s Memorial Auditorium, 1515 J St., on Saturday, Jan. 17. The Junior High Choirs will perform from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the Junior High Bands will perform at 5 p.m. Admission is free.
The power of music For River Mayes, an eighth-grader in Advanced Band, this
marks a return to All-State after participating last year. “I got in last year and thought I had a good chance to get in again, especially considering I am much more skilled currently,” he said. Mayes added that the experience makes him “a much better musician, learning from others” and has given him “a passion that I can actually put to use.” Eighth-grader Webby Williams, who sings in Advanced Choir, described choir as “my love, my life, and my lady.” She said earning a spot in All-State “gives more purpose to the hours I have spent practicing and training for
See MUSIC, Page 4
Index Features ........................ B-1
We at he r Date
Rain
High
Low
Jan. 07
.00
63˚
46˚
Jan. 08
.00
66˚
36˚
Jan. 09
.00
57˚
45˚
Jan. 10
.00
61˚
32˚
Eventos hispanos ....... A-5
Jan. 11
.00
61˚
33˚
Jan. 12
.00
63˚
31˚
Opinion ......................... B-1
Jan. 13
.00
63˚
31˚
Real Estate ................... B-2
Rain for week: 0.00 in. Season’s total: 13.51 in. Last sn. to date: 9.55 in.
Classifieds ................... B-4 Community .................. A-2
Sports ........................... B-5
Winters rainfall season began 7/1/25. Weather readings are taken at 9 a.m. daily by local weatherman Joe Bristow.
By Logan Chrisp
Express staff writer The Winters District Chamber of Commerce has honored Ample Electric as the 2025 Business of the Year. The award, one of four given out by the chamber during the annual Toast of Winters festivities, recognizes businesses that serve as role models, providing contributions to the Winters community that extend beyond the services they offer to
their customers. Owner Jose Diaz purchased Ample Electric in 2009, when it was a small operation with just two people working out of a garage on Baker Street. Sixteen years later, the company has grown into a major electrical and civil contractor. Ample’s footprint now extends from San Francisco to Fresno, all while remaining rooted in Winters. At the peak of operations, Ample
Electric employs around 120 people between its Winters and newly opened Sacramento offices. Even with both locations, Diaz and his team sometimes struggle to find space for all their employees. Despite the growth, Diaz has kept Ample Electric firmly planted in the Winters community. Diaz moved to Winters with his family in the early 1990s, trading big-city life for
See BUSINESS, Page 4
Marovich honored as Senior Citizen of the Year By Jacob Hoffman Express correspondent If you had canoed down Putah Creek in 2000, it would have felt “like canoeing through a landfill,” said Rich Marovich, the first Putah Creek Streamkeeper and the 2025 Senior Citizen of the Year Award honoree. Each year, the award — part of the Winters District Chamber of Commerce’s Toast of Winters community awards — is presented to a Winters resident who has significantly contributed to improving the quality of life in the community. The health and well-being of Winters’ environment contribute to life in ways that can’t be measured, and this year’s awardee played a central role in that improvement. Before Marovich’s tenure, Putah
See MAROVICH, Page 5
Crystal Apilado/Winters Express
Rich Marovich, the first Putah Creek Streamkeeper and 2026 Senior Citizen of the Year, has spent more than two decades restoring and protecting Putah Creek and its habitat.
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