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Free CPR education for community members News, Page 2
Harvesting fruit for community Features, Page 1
Volume 142, Number 40 — Locally-owned since 1884
Winters, Yolo County, California, Wednesday, November 5, 2025
The hometown paper of Moyra Barsotti
School burglary attempt foiled, suspect in custody Express staff
Logan Chrisp/Winters Express
Dignitaries and community leaders and local residents celebrate 25 years of the Putah Creek Accord at the Winters Salmon Festival, marking decades of habitat restoration and salmon conservation.
25 years of restoration honored at Salmon Festival By Logan Chrisp Express staff writer
EXPRESS
The eighth annual Winters Salmon Festival, held in Rotary Park on Saturday, Nov. 1, was made extra special this year by coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the Putah Creek Accord, the stream-saving agreement that guaranteed Putah’s future. “We all know Putah Creek was not always as it is today,” Yolo County Supervisor Lucas Frerichs said. The Putah Creek Accord was a historic settlement in 2000, when local agencies and advocates worked together to draft the accord, which brought permanent environmental flows to 23 miles of the creek running from Monticello Dam near Lake Berryessa to the Yolo Bypass. The accord ended a decade-long legal battle between the Putah Creek Council, the City of Davis, UC Davis and the Solano County Water Agency over water rights and environmental pro-
Winters Police Department officials confirmed that Christopher Dante Britton, 34, of Fairfield, was arrested on Nov. 4, in connection with attempted burglaries on Winters school campuses and fraudulent use of stolen credit cards throughout the Bay Area. Walnut Creek Police Department took Britton into custody after Winters PD and multiple Bay Area law enforcement agencies had issued a broadcast bulletin seeking him. Britton was booked at the Contra Costa County Main Detention Facility
on six felony and one misdemeanor warrants. Authorities said Britton’s pattern, or “modus operandi,” involved entering school campuses while classes were in session, seeking open, unoccupied classrooms, and taking staff purses. The stolen credit cards were then used fraudulently. He was previously arrested on April 25, by the Marin County Sheriff’s Department for similar crimes across Marin, Alameda, and Contra Costa counties. Thanks to the vigilance of staff at Waggoner Elementary School and Shirley
Rominger Intermediate School, Britton was contacted on Oct. 24, but left the campus before committing any theft. Winters Police have requested that the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office pursue felony attempted burglary charges.
Incident details According to Winters PD, officers were first dispatched to Waggoner Elementary at approximately 12:20 p.m. on Oct. 24 after staff reported a suspicious subject on campus. Staff initially believed the individual was a
See ARREST, Page 5
$225K approved for emergency food during CalFresh freeze By Rebecca Wasik McNaughton Media
Logan Chrisp/Winters Express
Costumed salmon characters bring fun and photo opportunities to the Winters Salmon Festival, delighting children and adults alike. tections. “This collaboration, this partnership, it most certainly falls into the category of doing something correct,” said Congressman Mike Thompson. Thompson gave current stream keeper Max Stevenson a congressional record statement and an assembly resolution to acknowledge the 25 years of work that have been done to preserve the creek. The impact of the accord is obvious. In 2013, only eight Chinook salmon were recorded traversing Putah Creek to
spawn. A decade later, more than 750 returned. By the start of this week’s festival, 350 salmon had already been counted. “This proof is in the pudding,” Stevenson said. “There’s fish underneath the old railroad bridge right now.” Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, who grew up in Winters, presented a joint resolution with Senator Ben Cabaldon’s office honoring the Putah Creek Council and the Lower Putah Creek Coordinating
See ACCORD, Page 5
Index Features ........................ B-1
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Rain for week: 0.00 in. Season’s total: 2.10 in. Last sn. to date: 0.26 in.
Sports ........................... B-6
See FOOD, Page 5
Community urged to donate blood
Rain
Community .................. A-2
out at these sites by 20 percent. The Yolo Food Bank is also accepting donations from the public, grocery stores and farmers as part of its Food First Initiative. 100% of funds donated will be used to purchase fresh, healthy food for Yolo County residents in need between now and Dec. 15. Yolo Food Bank executive director Karen Baker says some grocery stores, like the Davis Food Co Op and Nugget Market, as well as farmers, have already stepped up and donated to the Food First Initiative. It has raised about $165,000 since Nov. 1. At each emergency distribution, community members in need will be provided with one bag of produce and protein and one bag of shelf stable food items. The food bank will have enough for 400 people at the
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On Tuesday, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors approved a $225,000 allocation in Pomona Funds to provide support to CalFresh families in an agreement with the Yolo Food Bank to deliver this community support. Supervisor Angel Barajas recused himself from this item. As part of the federal government shutdown, SNAP/CalFresh benefits have been delayed for 42 million Americans, including 5.5 million Californians. In September 2025 alone, Yolo County issued $5.6 million in CalFresh benefits to 18,759 households for a total of 27,622 individuals who were eligible. With information on this situation evolving by the hour, Yolo County has been looking for ways to fill the gap in regards to food insecurity amidst the
confusing landscape. The hope for the $225,000 is to split it into thirds with onethird going to gift cards for CalFresh recipients to use, onethird for food purchases to be distributed at emergency food distributions by the Yolo Food Bank and the other one-third to be issued to non-profit organizations as support to meet rising demand. Even once benefits again become available, it could take one to three weeks for those benefits to be loaded onto cards. Issuing partial benefits is very difficult due to the system not having the infrastructure to do so. Issuing partial benefits would result in much longer delays. In response to the SNAP/CalFresh delay crisis, the Yolo Food Bank has added new sites and dates to its food distribution schedule. It has also increased the amount of food being given
High
Winters rainfall season began 7/1/25. Weather readings are taken at 9 a.m. daily by local weatherman Joe Bristow.
The Winters Fortnightly Club, in partnership with Vitalant, is calling on residents to help save lives at the upcoming Winters Community Blood Drive. The event will be held Monday, Nov. 10, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Winters Community Center, 201 Railroad Ave. This month, the goal is to collect 25 pints
of blood to ensure patients in need have access to lifesaving resources. All donors will also have a chance to win a $10,000 gift card from Vitalant. Walk-ins are welcome, but scheduling an appointment is recommended for a faster experience. Appointments can be made online at donors.vitalant.org using the Advanced Search feature
with blood drive code SMFM164, by calling 877-258-4825 and mentioning the code, or by scanning the QR code on flyers around town and on social media. Eligible donors must be at least 16 years old (with parental consent for those under 18), weigh at least 110 pounds, and be in generally good
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See DRIVE, Page 5
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