APRIL
■ Colusa County Office of Education’s Children Services sponsors the annual Family Fair on April 2 to celebrate “Month of the Young Child.” The event helps bring awareness largely to the services available that promote health and strengthen families. Hundreds of people were glad for the return of the popular event that supports local children and families after the 2020 Family Fair was canceled during the pandemic, and the 2021 event was held as a drive-thru. About 30 government and private agencies participated. Kids received goodies like children’s books, bookmarks, pencils, activity books and crayons, treats, and bubbles, while parents received information about literacy, employment opportunities, and health. Children also enjoyed a petting zoo, drawing on the sidewalk with chalk, and a jam session with CCOE Division Director of Support Services Joe Moye, who is also an accomplished children’s performer.
■ The Super Seven Award Dinner returned to the Methodist Church Social Hall on April 4 where it was held for more than 40 years prior to the pandemic. Torchbearer Gamma Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi, who have organized the event for the last 24 years, recognized the top seven scholars from the senior class (Gladiz Almaraz Ramirez, Lissandra Fuente-Garcia, Holley Hickel, Ethan Lay, Nick Price, Maria Emely Valdez, and Renee Wrysinski) and junior class (Lexy Avera, Sofia Benitez, Emily Garza, Joey Alvarez, Nisi Patel, Luis Rodrigues, and Rodolfo Mendoza) at Colusa High School. Not only were the 14 honorees recognized for their academic achievements, but their parents were acknowledged for raising the nation’s future doctors, lawyers, scientists, and engineers.
■ The Colusa County Board of Supervisors decided April 5 not to fill the county’s highest paid position, but not for the lack of trying. Human Resources Director Jolene Church said attempts to recruit a salaried psychiatrist to replace Dr. Gerardo Toribio has failed, despite recruitment postings nationwide since before Toribio retired on Dec. 31, 2021. Since Dr. Torbio’s departure, Behavioral Health has contracted psychiatric services to serve Colusa County’s needs.
■ Safe Haven Wellness and Recovery Center faced many challenges over the past few years, including the loss of its prior location to fire and the end of congregate activities during the pandemic. But the popular Behavioral Health program officially switched back on their “open” sign on April 5, during an open house at their new location at 124 E. Webster St., Colusa. Safe Haven, established in 2008, is a peer supported drop-in center that serves adults and older adults who are in recovery from substance abuse, dealing with mental health issues, or overcoming isolation through social interaction with peers.
■ The controversial choice between leaving an aging parsonage unchanged or growing a sustainable congregation to care for the historic Grimes Community Church and adjacent property was settled by the Colusa County Planning Commission on April 6 after two opposing sides reached a compromise. The Planning Commission voted 5-0 to approve a use permit that would allow Pastor Marty Decker and the church board of directors to expand the rear of the old parsonage house to allow for a fellowship hall, new ADA restroom, kitchen, additional Sunday School classrooms, and a food pantry. The parsonage was constructed as a residence in the 19th century after the church was built in 1871, and has been used for the Sunday School since the 1950s, when the structure was expanded and remodeled the first time.
■ The Ministerial Association of Colusa County launched their second telehealth program at the Colusa Assembly of God Church on April 8. Colusa County Pneumacare, a new virtual clinic, will allow anyone with an urgent medical need to speak to doctors and behavioral health specialists in Anthem’s network of medical providers. Pneumacare is connected to the aptly-named “Hope Center,” located at the church, which also provides a food pantry, resources and referrals, computer access, and Life Discovery groups.
■ Two men were sentenced April 11 to three years in state prison after taking a plea deal with the District Attorney’s Office that got them off the hook for attempted murder. Misael Agraz Nunez, 43, of Williams, and Jesus Villareuel-Basurto, 25, of Willows, pleaded no contest and guilty, respectively, in Colusa County Superior Court, to assault with a deadly weapon for their part in a robbery scheme reportedly orchestrated by Yuba City grifter Isela Gradilla, 40, whose previous convictions include identity theft and burglary.
Gradilla was sentenced to three years in state prison for using a ruse to lure a Williams man to an area near Lonestar Road, in Arbuckle, where Agraz-Nunez and Villareuel-Basurto reportedly stabbed him multiple times during the course of the robbery.
■ Colusa County Sheriff’s Office correctional staff, administrators, and patrol sergeants started utilizing a full-body vertical scanner before inmates are admitted to the jail as part of their daily operations. The $170,000 piece of equipment can produce an image that with a trained eye will allow jail staff to detect anything out of the ordinary that has been inserted in, swallowed, or taped onto the body that could otherwise slip through during a standard pat down or strip search, said Sgt. Kristopher Cooper.
The Intercept-Tek 84 is the only American-made body scanner that detects both metallic and nonmetallic threats, including weapons, cell phones, drugs, and other contraband.
■ The Colusa County Board of Supervisors agreed to help the Bureau of Reclamation in the restocking of fish at East Park Reservoir. The recreation area, popular with anglers, suffered the unavoidable death of fish when the water was released to repair the gates that allow the water to flow through the 111-year-old dam. The board on April 15 agreed to order $15,000 worth of Florida-strain Largemouth Bass from Willow Creek Fisheries. East Park Reservoir opened for recreation on April 15 with free admission the first week. Between April and June, the BOR restocked the lake with about 5,000 juvenile Florida-strain Largemouth Bass (4-5 inches in length) and 10,000 large fry (2 inches); 5,000 adult, 10,000 juvenile, and 50,000 fry Bluegill; 1,000 adult, 5,000 juvenile, and 10,000 fry Redear; 30,000 mosquitofish; 45,000 adult Fathead Minnow; 800 adult Blackfish; and 5,000 juvenile (3-5 inch) and 1,000 adult (12 inch) Channel Catfish.
■ Five people from the Central Valley were arrested after the Colusa County Sheriff’s Office busted a large growing operation at the former Riverbend Rice Mill, just outside the Colusa City limits. Colusa County Sheriff’s Office Specialized Operations and Response Team, with assistance from the San Joaquin County Task Force, served a search warrant at the location of the large-scale illegal indoor marijuana grow around 7 AM on April 21, which led to the seizure of 4,832 mature marijuana plants. The illegal operation at the former mill, located in the 200 block of East Main Street, is connected to others in the San Joaquin area. Colusa residents have complained of strong marijuana odor in the downtown, but Colusa has three legal cultivators in the same area. The rice mill shut down in 2018.
■ The last week in April, Colusa County residents observed the deployment of new innovative helicopter-based technology that gathered information about the state’s groundwater aquifer structure. California Department of Water Resources officials launched the $12 million program to support drought response and the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act by using airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey data to provide water officials a better understanding of California’s groundwater systems. The low-flying helicopter towed a 100-foot round hoop with scientific electronic equipment under its belly, and flew about 65 mph around 100 feet off the ground. According to DWR officials, the AEM surveys will be conducted over the next several years in high-and medium-priority groundwater basins around the state, where data collection is feasible.
■ Colusa County Agricultural Commissioner Anastasia Allen on April 26 reported a devastating start to a virtually nonexistent season for rice. Allen anticipated as little as 7,000 acres of rice would be planted in 2022 because of drought, down from a normal season in which 147,000 acres of rice are planted. Allen said the overall economic impact from the reduction in agriculture crops this year is compounded by the loss of about 75 percent of the almond crop to February’s freeze, in which temperatures dropped to 28 degrees and lasted for over nine hours.
■ The Colusa County Board of Supervisors on April 26 recognized the lengthy service of Gail Beduhn on the Colusa County Planning Commission. Beduhn was appointed in 1991 and stepped down after 31 years of dedicated service to the citizens of Colusa County. Beduhn donated nearly 2,000 hours of her time to the position and has been involved in numerous decisions throughout her tenure. Beduhn read over 50,000 pages of planning related documents and attended over 330 meetings during her tenure on the commission.
■ The emotionally-charged “Every 15 Minutes” program returned to Colusa High School, April 27-28, creating a mock drunk-driving-related crash that was as close to reality as possible. Funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety and the California Highway Patrol, the program typically rotates through Colusa County high schools each year to challenge students to think about the potential consequences if one or more of them are killed or seriously injured in an alcohol-related crash. The program was not held at any high school during the pandemic. The 2022 “Every 15 Minutes” program at Colusa High School was organized as a senior project by Reece Roper and Holley Hickel.
MAY
■ Colusa County book-in-common readers partied on May 2 like the 1920s for the 2022 Virginia Yerxa Community Read. Multiple events surrounded F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” a novel set around a mysterious millionaire during a decadent period in American history. VYCR events included painting piggy banks at libraries throughout Colusa County, the showing of a documentary about the inspiration behind one of the world’s most beloved novels, social hour and roundtable discussion, a lecture on modern literature, a tour of Colusa’s historic homes and buildings, and floral design. The highlight of the event was the Stagehands’ single-scene performance from “The Great Gatsby,” at the Community Theater at the old Colusa Union High School. The five-character parlor scene included Brendan Ferrell as Nick Carraway, the “narrator” of Fitzgerald’s novel, Megan Farrell, Winston Welch, Loni Gross, and Mitchell Yerxa, as Jay Gatsby. The local book-in-common project honors the late Virginia Yerxa, a Colusa icon who pushed for higher reading skills and higher educational goals in the Colusa community for more than 60 years.
■ The Stonyford Rodeo drew its usual crowd of spectators and participants to the Colusa County foothills May 6-8. Friday’s events kicked off with 2021 Stonyford Rodeo Queen, Michaela Decker, crowning her successor Aubrianna Keeler. Keeler, 20, a Stonyford resident, graduated from Maxwell High School in 2020. She has competed in the contest since age 15. The rodeo was dedicated to Jacque and the late Phil Ray.
■ The Colusa County Farm Bureau had all its usual players at the annual Bounty Festival, but the newly revamped event on May 7 included some of the county’s youngest guests. The annual fundraiser, which had been an indoor event for ages 21 and older, was held outdoors at the Colusa County Fairgrounds carnival area, where guests could bring their kids.
In keeping with the original Local Bounty fundraiser, the Farm Bureau invited local restaurants, wineries, and breweries to provide samples of their food or brew. The event included a silent raffle of desserts made by 4-H members, with the proceeds going to 4-H, and a raffle of many donated items that benefited the Colusa County Farm Bureau. The 2022 expanded outdoor event also included a large kids zone, where many children enjoyed bounce houses, games, an obstacle course, a pedal tractor race track, corn hole, miniature golf and other amusements.
■ California Governor Gavin Newsom on May 13 proposed a $300.7 billion budget for 2022-23, which he said would provide relief from rising inflation, ensure public safety, address homelessness, transform public education, and combat climate change. The Governor’s California Blueprint included an $18.1 billion inflation relief package that provides direct payments to help address inflation, help people pay their utility bills and rent, and reduce costs like health care and child care. Included also in the budget was $660 million for funding for new police officers and mental health support for law enforcement, support for victims of sex trafficing, cracking down on internet crimes against children, and tackling the opioid crisis. About $128.3 billion was to be spent to improve education, universal preschools, after school meals and affordable child care.
■ The Colusa Swim Team and the City of Colusa Parks, Recreation, and Trees Commission introduced new equipment and future plans for the Colusa Town Pool at an Open House on May 14, where community members came for a swim and checked out the impressive improvements made since last summer. The event and new equipment may inspire people to come visit the pool more often, officials said. Improvements included skylights in the bathrooms, shade, and seating at the pool. A pool cover was also purchased, saving 80,000 gallons of water from evaporation during this summer, and a structure for the solar thermal pool heaters.
■ The annual Veterans Car Show on May 14 was back at Veterans Memorial Park, where the event started a few years ago to raise awareness about mental health services. About a dozen antique, classic, and uniquely painted vehicles lined Jay Street, and the park was packed with information about physical and mental health programs, veterans services, substance abuse treatment. Colusa County Behavioral Health and Safe Haven Wellness and Recovery Center organized the event. Mental Health Awareness Month is recognized in the United States each May and has been observed every year since 1949.
■ The Colusa County Office of Education honored local educators during a dinner at the Education Village in Williams on May 13. The first-of-its-kind ceremony is intended to be an annual event.Special guest El Dorado County Superintendent of Schools spoke of the importance of honoring heroes. CCOE honored Moses Espino, Colusa Unified utility worker/bus driver, and Bonnie Piper, Maxwell Unified School District custodian/maintenance worker, as Employee of the Year. Chuck Wayman, CCOE Deputy Superintendent of Student Services, was recognized as the Administrator of the Year. Michelle Cherry, of Pierce Joint Unified School District, received the nod for Elementary School Teacher of the Year; Maite Testerman, Colusa Unified School District, was honored as Middle School Teacher of the Year; Tammy Arce, Colusa Head Start, was Preschool Teacher of the Year; Nikolas Willis, Williams Unified School District, was High School Teacher of the Year; and Sierra Reading, of Pierce Joint Unified, was Rookie Teacher of the Year. CCOE also honored Emily Abken, Jennifer Carter, and David Wright as Special Educator of the Year.
■ Pierce Joint Unified School District recognized the high school’s top students on May 16 at the annual Distinguished Dozen dinner. The event recognized the academic achievement of eight juniors, due to a tie, and seven seniors, who “managed to persevere with grit and a positive mindset to earn this recognition. The top seniors of 2022 were Amanda Gonzales, Ashley Martinez, Anthony Feliz, Gisela Herrera, Morgan Erickson, Rocio Calderon, and Fernando Valencia. The top juniors were Chasey Miller, Cynthia Corona, Emma Schlosser, Veronica Duarte, Tatum Mulqueeney, Celeste Grajeda, and Wafa Yafai, and Armando Palomares.
■ A Yuba County child sex predator was sentenced to two years in state prison on May 16 for sending harmful matter to a Colusa County minor. Tony Anthony Underwood, 35, pleaded no contest to the single charge in a plea deal with the District Attorney’s office that dismissed the felony charge of contacting a minor for a sexually explicit purpose. Underwood was previously convicted in 2007 after pleading guilty to having unlawful contact with a minor in Yuba County. He was sentenced to five years in state prison, but was released on parole in 2011, with an assessment that he was at high risk to reoffend, according to the Megan’s Law website.
■ Williams police officers said on May 18 they would continue to work with the school district and parents to curb fights orchestrated on school grounds for the purpose of posting the videos on social media. Law enforcement agencies across the country have seen a rise in the dangerous trend with youth establishing actual “fight” pages that encourage others to send in videos for them to post. School district officials and parents fear the behavior will result in more students being violently targeted for the purpose of entertainment in an effort for the students to make their videos go viral. Williams officials said it was school officials that alerted them to the videos and, so far, police have not been called at the time the fights actually occur.
■ Hundreds of people flocked to Maxwell on Saturday, May 21 for the 91st running of the annual high school rodeo. The event began with a parade of over 90 entries including a first-time appearance from the Maxwell Junior High Marching Band, who took the Best Overall Award.
The American Legion Auxiliary placed first for their beauty float. Rodeo royalty included Chairman Shane Danley, 2022 Rodeo Queen Madison Pearson, and Princesses Paige Vierra, Emma Fleming, and Ryann Dennis. Elsa Johnson served as the 91st Annual Grand Marshall.
■ A Maxwell man was sentenced on May 23 to two years in state prison after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography. Martin Torres Mendez, 24, was also sentenced to two years for being a felon in possession of ammunition, but the two sentences will run concurrently. Mendez pleaded guilty to the charges in a deal with the District Attorney’s office to avoid a lengthy prison sentence on other felonies, including possession of an illegal weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon, and obliterating the serial number of a firearm, which were dismissed. Mendez was arrested on Feb. 24 after a lengthy investigation by the Colusa County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations and Response Team in connection to the Jan. 31 shooting that occurred in the 100 block of Oak Street in Maxwell, in which shots were fired into an inhabited dwelling.
■ The Colusa County Board of Supervisors and department heads on May 24 gave a standing ovation to Interim Behavioral Health Director Noel O’Neill, who attended his last board meeting before he hands over the reins to incoming permanent Director Tony Hobson on June 1. In the 16 months that O’Neil led the department, while helping Colusa County recruit a permanent director, the Behavioral Health Department initiated the No Place Like Home affordable housing project, reestablished Safe Haven Wellness Center in a new permanent location, organized a Bright Vista Youth Center, aided the county in purchasing a congregate facility for committed individuals with serious behavioral health needs, and provided more mental health services in jail, schools, and in the community.
■ Residents across Colusa County gathered on Memorial Day, May 30, to honor the many veterans buried in cemeteries in Arbuckle, Colusa, Williams and Maxwell, including those who gave their all and those who found their final resting places in the years long after their service. American flags whipped in the wind as the volley of gunfire and the distinctive sound of Taps marked ceremonies held one after another in observance of the holiday. Members of the Maxwell American Legion Post No. 218 and Colusa Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 2447 opened and closed ceremonies in five area cemeteries where hundreds of service members are buried.
■ The fire on the west side of the Sacramento River that started by a spark from a brush mower in the 3000 block of Highway 45 on May 24 was 100 percent contained by May 31, according to Incident Commander, Chief Jeff Winters, of the Sacramento River Fire Protection District. The wildland fire burned a total of about 520 acres within the Sac River Fire District and 75 acres within the Colusa State Recreation Area. About 20 acres of wheat was damaged, along with 12 PG&E power poles, and one abandoned vehicle. No structures were destroyed or damaged although 15 structures were initially threatened.
■ Beef just wasn’t on the menu for the Glenn-Colusa Cattlewomen and Cattlemen’s gathering on May 31 – it was the subject of conversation. The outdoor dinner was held at the O’Connell Ranch in Colusa. Making up for cancellations the past two years, the event served to recognize several of their own who have dedicated their lives to the cattle industry: Cattleman of the Year, Ed Owens, Cattleman of the Year, E. Dan O’Connell, and longtime Cattlemen’s Association Secretary Marsha Bucke.
JUNE
■ The body of a 19-year-old Arizona man who disappeared under the water while swimming in the Sacramento River in Colusa, on May 30, was located on June 2 after three days of searching.
The body of Damon Evans, of Casa Grande, Ariz. was found around 1 PM after a cadaver K9 alerted in the area where the Colusa County Sheriff’s Office and the Woof Search Dog Team from California Office of Emergency Services had been searching.
A witness had reported Evans began to struggle while swimming across the Sacramento River, just east of Levee Park, before he vanished.
■ The Colusa Groundwater Authority took their first groundwater report on the road. Authority officials have given multiple presentations to public agencies and stakeholders in Colusa, Williams, Maxwell, and Arbuckle. The report, which the California Department of Water Resources will require annually, provides an overview of local groundwater conditions and the Colusa Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan. CGA Chairwoman Denise Carter said the Groundwater Sustainability Plan, which is presently under a review by the State, is a joint document of the Colusa and Glenn groundwater agencies that describes how the two agencies will reach long term groundwater sustainability by outlining the need to reduce overdraft conditions and by identifying projects that may replace or supplement groundwater supplies to meet current and future water demands.
■ Williams Pioneer Day went off without a hitch on June 5, drawing hundreds of people to the downtown. The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 2447 led the parade, followed by emergency vehicles, decorated floats, vehicles, and walking groups. Also taking up the front was Grand Marshal John Troughton Jr., escorted through the parade route in a red convertible. Pioneer Day, which was established in 1974 by the Williams Businessmen’s Association, is a Citizens for Better Williams project. CBW awarded cash prizes to the first place float, the Goforth Generations. Boes Bargains was awarded second place and the Williams Elementary School PTO won third place. Following the parade, a vendor fair was held at Redinger Park, sponsored by the Williams Community Church.
■ The June 7 primary had lower than usual voter turnout in Colusa County. Only 2,126 votes (21.1 percent) ballots were counted out of 10,071 registered voters on Election Day. In 2014, 47.14 percent cast a ballot in the district primary, and 43.23 percent of voters in Colusa County cast a ballot in the statewide district primary election four years later in 2018.
■ The Colusa County Fair ran a full four days, June 9-12, after being canceled two years during the pandemic, with several pre-events on June 8. The Colusa County Fair Foundation presented the 2022 Heritage Awards to E. Dan O’Connell and Lee and the late Margaret “Cookie” Trayham and the Trayhnam family at a fundraiser on June 8. Whitney Traynham, 13, of Colusa, won the title Mini Miss Colusa County on June 8, but all seven contestants walked away winners after being judged on talent, communication skills, visual poise, and personal interview. Arbuckle’s Chasey Miller, 16, was crowned 2022 Miss Colusa County, opening night of the Colusa County Fair, on June 9. Mr. Cinderfella, Valentino Serafini, of Arbuckle, was crowned June 10.
■ Colusa County Superintendent of Schools Mike West served as Grand Marshal of the 2022 Colusa Fair Parade, sponsored by the Colusa Lions Club. The 2022 Colusa County Fair Destruction Derby was a smash up on the final day of the exposition, June 12, when Lain Kalfsbeek won the main event and Ron Alves won the Truck Derby.
■ The Williams City Council on June 15 approved appropriating the 2022/2023 Supplemental Law Enforcement Service, also known as the COPS funding, to supplement law enforcement salaries. With increased benefit and retirement costs, the $100,000 the city receives annually no longer covers the entire annual cost for even one police officer, but the funding does help, Police Chief Jim Saso said. The City of Williams hired two new police officers, fresh from the police academy. Officer Blake Morrow and Officer Calvin Ware were sworn in on June 13. Officer Xai Lee was promoted to Sergeant the same day.
■ With California’s legal cannabis industry on the verge of going up in smoke, the Williams City Council on June 15 slashed cannabis fees 50 percent for the first project that is set to go north of the sewer ponds, after developer Marco Guizar asked for the reprieve due to poor market conditions for marijuana. Guizar’s outdoor growing operation has been in the works for several years, despite a floundering cannabis industry burdened by hefty taxes, costly regulations, and competition from corporate farms and the flourishing illegal weed trade. The reduction will take Guizar’s fees from about $178,000 to $89,000.
■ Colusa Founders Day celebration on June 19 marked the second year for the festival to bring a fun, free mid-morning summer event to everyone, especially those who love local history. Founders Day is sponsored the third Saturday in June by the Chamber of Commerce, Pioneer Review Community Fund (Community Foundation of Colusa County), Farmer’s Daughter, the City of Colusa Heritage Preservation Commission, and the City of Colusa, to celebrate Colusa’s incorporation on June 16, 1868. The event included vendors in Memorial Park, entertainment, and guided and self-guided tours in downtown Colusa.
■ The Colusa County Board of Supervisors appointed Alfred Seller Jr. to the Colusa County Behavioral Health Board as an At-Large Alternate Member to serve a three-year term effective June 21. The purpose of the Behavioral Health Board is to provide oversight and monitoring of the Colusa County mental health system on behalf of the Board of Supervisors, the governing body of the MHB, while also advocating for Colusa County residents during times of crisis. Sellers is a resident of Williams. He currently serves on the Williams City Council and has served two terms as mayor.
■ The sixth annual Farm to Fork dinner was held on June 23. The event highlighted the wide variety of foods produced throughout the region and typically sold at the market throughout the summer, including mushroom, fruits, vegetable, nuts, and beef. Funds raised at Farm to Fork helps fund the Premier Mushroom Grant Program, which provides small but critical grants to many local non-profit organizations for art and literacy programs, fire prevention education, and community events. The dinner, although a ticketed event, also serves to recognize donors and food contributors. About 200 people attended the outdoor event in Veterans Memorial Park.
■ The United Way of Northern California announced on June 24 that supplemental funds were awarded for emergency food and shelter programs in Colusa County. The selection was made by a National Board that is chaired by the U.S. The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency consists of representatives from non-profit associations and churches. The funds will be used to expand the capacity of food and shelter programs in high-need areas around the country. Colusa County, under phase 39, was awarded $19,164. Additionally, ARPA-R Phase allocated $59,231.
■ Colusa businesses and community members have stepped up to sponsor “Free Swim Days” so the public can swim at the Town Pool at no cost each Saturday during the summer. June 25 was the first free admission day of the summer, after Hickel & Hickel donated $300, which officials said helps cover the labor costs associated with the pool. The donation was matched by Councilman Greg Ponciano, followed by Denise Conrado, Josh Hill, and Mayor Pro Tem Daniel Vaca.
■ Three young women were chosen to reign over the Holy Ghost and St. Anthony Portuguese Festa in Princeton on June 25, and the Portuguese fare served as the noon meal tasted the same as it has for more than 100 years. The festa, which was skipped two years in a row because of the pandemic, celebrated the old traditions of Portugal that were handed down to the descendants of mostly Azorean people who settled throughout the Central Valley of California in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The legend of the Holy Ghost Festa dates back to when Queen Isabella (St. Elizabeth) and King Diniz ruled Portugal during the great famine of Europe in the early 1300s. The 2022 festa’s Big Queen, Sydnee Wilson, 17, of Maxwell, shared the role with the two young ladies who would have reigned during the 2020 and 2021 celebrations, had they not been canceled: Madison Fonseca, 19, and Bailee Haywood, 16, of Maxwell.
■ The Colusa County Grand Jury released its annual report on June 28 confirming the City of Colusa’s misuse of public funds, lack of transparency, and code violations while hosting a series of events in the summer of 2021. The jurors launched their investigation following complaints from multiple members of the public about the city’s handling of four summer events: Country in Colusa music festival; Fourth of July Watermelon Festival; Taco Festival; and Duck Days. The report largely confirmed what the Pioneer Review previously reported that city staff violated numerous policies and procedures; failed to to obtain food permits; sold beer and hard liquor at the events without a license and legal ability; misled state authorities on permits; exceeded their purchasing authority; used credit cards and cash from the General Fund on unauthorized purchases; and spent tens of thousands of dollars with businesses out of the area.
■ The Colusa County Board of Supervisors on June 28 extended the contract of Dr. Julian Delgado for public health officer services. The board approved an increase of $300 per month for a total of $3,300 per month through June 30, 2024. The budgeted two-year compensation of $117,095 is funded by the Public Health Unit programs, and has no fiscal impact on the county’s general fund, officials said.
■ Colusa officials warned residents that revised federal flood maps were on their way more than a decade ago, likening them to “an ugly baby one will be forced to adopt.” Just as expected, FEMA’s new preliminary flood maps, which were gleaned from supercomputers used to crunch data gathered with the latest technology, places about 25 percent of Colusa in a flood zone, including the new housing development at Colusa Industrial Properties, officials said. The Colusa City Council held a special meeting on June 28 to discuss the maps and gave direction to city engineer Dave Swartz to make every valid objection to the feds to protect citizens from either having to pay costly flood insurance in areas that have seen little flooding in the past 150 years – or at least delay the inevitable.
■ On June 28, Colusa High School’s Future Business Leaders of America Chapter embarked on a journey to Chicago, Ill. for the National Leadership Conference. In 2022, Colusa FBLA was able to send eight students to the conference to compete in different events. Holley Hickel competed in Job Interview; Bella Badaluco competed in Computer Applications; Jaspreet Shoker and Ethan Lay competed in Retail Management; Reese Roper, Juan-Carlos Casorla, and Chase Carrere competed in Broadcast Journalism; and Kegen Wells competed in Local Chapter Annual Business Report.
■ The Reclamation District originally known as Swamp Land District No. 108 should have celebrated its sesquicentennial two years ago, but the delayed birthday bash to celebrate one of the greatest marvels on the Sacramento River went off June 29, as originally planned.
Government officials, farmers, and other guests strolled along the massive structure that turned previous swamp lands south of Grimes in Colusa and Yolo counties into vast agricultural lands that produce food sent around the world.
■ The Colusa County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a placeholder budget for the 2022-2023 fiscal year on June 30 that – on paper – took a hefty dip into their reserves, slashed salaries across the board, made significant reductions in department budgets, and froze hiring except for only essential positions in order to give staff time to work through a massive reduction in revenue before the final budget had to be approved in September.
JULY
■ California State Parks on July 1 announced grant funding to renovate aging infrastructure within the Colusa Sacramento River State Recreation Area, which is managed by the City of Colusa. The city’s grant amounted to $642,950 to rehabilitate the septic system, dump stations, automatic pay machine, and turf renovation, and to replace the damaged boarding float, picnic, and campground features. The California Locally-Operated State Parks Program grants are funded by Proposition 68, which voters passed in 2018
■Despite a fight from Assembly Republicans for a gas tax suspension, California residents already paying nearly $7 per gallon for gasoline in some areas, saw an added 3 cents per gallon tax increase at the pump on July 1. The tax added another $500 million to state coffers, but predominantly hurt low-income working families, who were reportedly hit the hardest this year because of the highest inflation rate in 40 years, Assemblyman James Gallagher said. The tax brought the total tax on gas charged by the State of California to 54 cents per gallon.
■ With summer in full swing, the City of Colusa began raising awareness of the benefits of parks and recreation as an essential community service. The City Council declared July as “Parks Make Life Better Month,” a California Park and Recreation Society’s public awareness campaign during National Parks and Recreation Month, intended to inform citizens of the importances of access to local parks, open space, and recreation facilities.
■ Independence Day was celebrated in multiple communities on July 4. In Grimes, Beverly Thayer was honored as Grand Marshal in the Grimes Day Parade, with hundreds of people in attendance. In the annual Jim Davison Memorial Rubber Duckie Race, hundreds of rubber ducks floated from the state park in Colusa to the bridge, bringing cash prizes to Doug and Susan Hanson, first place; Denise Conrado, second place; and Nic Weber, third place. The Fourth of July festivities concluded with aerial fireworks displays in Colusa and Williams.
■ Republican Leader James Gallagher (Yuba City) and his wife Janna on July 7 hosted an event in Chico to recognize recipients of the Assembly District 3 Women of the Year Award for 2022. Recipients of the award, among them Shiela Etchepare of Colusa, were honored at a special lunch at Tres Hombres in Chico. Gallagher presented each woman with a formal resolution and offered comments of gratitude for their service to the community.
■ The Colusa City Council on July 19 adopted a proposed $4.8 million spending plan for 2022-23 that anticipated general fund expenditures would exceed revenue by about $273,000. Colusa Finance Director Ishrat Aziz-Khan said the proposed budget is somewhat conservative and could change by mid-year when actual revenues are better known. Colusa’s budget largely funds public safety, which includes a $1.6 million police department and $913,000 for fire protection.
■ Colusa County opened Bright Vista Youth Center in Colusa on July 20. Bright Vista is a “drop-in” center dedicated to helping Colusa County youth, ages 12-17, learn techniques that will enhance their social, coping, and leadership skills through supportive workshops and structured daily activities, officials said. The program is a joint effort of Colusa County Behavioral Health, Probation Department, Colusa County Office of Education, and is funded by the Mental Health Services Act.
■ The Arbuckle Revitalization Committee held its first Watermelon Festival on Saturday, July 23. The event included vendors, kids games, a barbecue lunch, watermelon, and other summer fun activities. Special entertainment included the Woodland Stompers line dancing group. Valentina Gonzalez, 5, sang the National Anthem.
■ The Williams City Council on July 20 authorized staff to apply for state funding to help implement SB 1383, which will require jurisdictions to stop disposing of organic waste (sewer sludge) from wastewater treatment plants at landfills. The legislation, passed in 2016, targets the reduction in emissions from organic waste by 75 percent by 2025.
■ California Department of Food and Agriculture Karen Ross, along with Undersecretary Christy Birdsong, met with farmers and community members most affected by drought and shrinking water resources at a community meeting at the VFW hall in Colusa on July 27. Colusa County Supervisor Densie Carter, who invited Ross to hear Colusa County’s plight, and 23 representatives from local farms, businesses, and the community spoke about the impacts, challenges, and assistance needed in the face of an 82 percent loss this year of surface water diversions, which decimated Colusa County’s agriculture economy.
■ Colusa VFW Post 2441 and Maxwell American Legion Post 218 came together with veterans and community members at the annual veterans picnic on July 30 in Veterans Memorial Park in Colusa. The annual event, which consisted of a lunch and raffle, raised money to support services for veterans. This year, the post donated $1,000 of the proceeds to the Maxwell American Legion Auxiliary.
AUGUST
■ The Colusa County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 2 loosened the shackles they created when they implemented a hiring freeze in June to overcome a nearly $2 million budget shortfall in the 2022-23 budget. Chairman Merced Corona appointed Supervisors Kent Boes and Daurice Smith to an ad hoc committee to review and approve recruitment requests for positions that need to be filled sooner than it takes to get a request for approval on the board’s agenda.
■ The Colusa City Council on Aug. 2 approved a water services agreement with Colusa Industrial Properties to provide water to the public during peak demand, when the city is experiencing difficulty in meeting its water production needs. The rate established by CIP in order to deliver water is about $235 per day, which covers PG&E and other costs incurred by CIP to pump additional water for public use.
■ The Maxwell Park and Recreation District hosted National Night Out on Aug. 2 in conjunction with a nationwide event that has been held the first Tuesday in August for 39 years. The event is held in communities across the country to promote police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make neighborhoods safer. This was the first NNO for the small town of Maxwell.
■ Colusa Cemetery Board of Directors Laurie Waters, Janice Bell, and Frank Miller hosted an open house on Aug. 2 at the district office, located on the peaceful cemetery grounds on Wilson Ave. The event was held to encourage cemetery staff, ministers, mortuary staff, law enforcement, media, and the public to work together to make the burial of loved ones less stressful.
■ After months of pressure from Colusa citizens to consider placing a cap on the number of marijuana businesses that can operate in the city, the City Council agreed to discuss it at an upcoming meeting. Citizens also pressured city officials to “follow the money” by conducting the annual audits the manufacturing companies agreed to from the onset, and to establish odor regulations that can be legally enforced. More than concerns about the city’s newest cannabis manufacturers seeking approval, citizens at the Aug. 2 meeting said the Colusa City Council failed to live up to their promises to keep Colusa free of marijuana odors and had thus far refused to put “teeth” into their agreements with pot growers that would be enforced.
■ The second annual Taco Fest drew hundreds of people to Colusa on Aug. 6. The summer festival, sponsored by the City of Colusa, included a taco competition, food trucks, vendors, community booths, bounce house, piñatas, and entertainment. DFT Cornhole hosted a tournament in which 40 teams competed.
■ The Colusa County Board of Supervisors voted 3-1 on Aug. 16 to again implement AB 1265, which allows the jurisdiction to reduce 10-year California Land Conservation Act (Williamson) contracts to nine years, and the 20-year Farmland Security Zone contracts at 18 years, as a way to make up for some of the county’s property tax losses that result from landowner participation in the long-running agriculture and open space preservation program. Chairman Merced Corona voted against implementing the amended program, advocating instead for a complete non-renewal of all Land Conservation contracts in the county’s jurisdiction, which would put more than $3 million in property tax revenue annually into county coffers.
■ The detection of West Nile Virus in a sentinel chicken proved as a reminder that the mosquito-borne virus is not a thing of the past. The Colusa Mosquito Abatement District detected its first West Nile Virus positive case this season in a sentinel chicken flock located on the east side of the town of Colusa. The chicken was tested on Aug. 16.
■ As of Aug. 17, all Colusa County schools had reopened to relaxed COVID rules after two years taking pandemic precautions. In most cases, California school districts and county departments of public health had the last say when it came to Covid protocols, but most followed state recommendations. At the start of the 2022-23 school year, the CDC no longer recommended schools test students without symptoms to screen for Covid, nor quarantine students who have been exposed to the virus but have no symptoms.
■ The Colusa Planning Commission on Aug. 24 approved a 40-year developer agreement with Mike Olivas and Courtney Dubar that sets the financial terms for the Triple Crown Cannabis and Business Park proposed on East Clay Street. The Planning Commission, following a 2.5 hour discussion on the controversial project, deadlocked 2-2 to approve the conditional use permit that would pave the way for construction of the facility, largely following complaints by citizens that general disclosure to the public was misleading about the project and the people involved. The failed motion to approve the conditional use permit allows the project proponents to appeal directly to the City Council, officials said.
■ Walkers and runners hit a course on Moon Bend Road through shaded walnut orchards at the inaugural Empire Walnut Festival in Colusa on Aug. 27. The first-of-its-kind event was held at the Empire Nut Company’s state-of-the-art hulling and packing facility, strategically built in the center of their walnut farming operations. There was no cost to participate in the festival, which is intended to become an annual event.
■ The 44th District Agriculture Association chose “Summer Tans and Cattle Brands” as the theme for the 2023 Colusa County Fair. The Colusa County Fair will run June 9-12, 2023. The fair board narrowed down five top choices, including “Summer Days and County Ways.” The 2023 theme, offered by Director Sue Gibbs, received unanimous support from the board.
SEPTEMBER
■ After a two-year reprieve during the COVID-19 pandemic, Colusa’s previously scheduled 9 percent sewer rate increase kicked in Sept. 1. The rate should have been implemented in 2020. City Manager Jesse Cain said that if the city had maintained the rate schedule adopted in 2018, sewer rates in 2022 would currently be 15 percent higher, with another 3 percent set to go into effect next year.
■ The women who made Stonyford history – and those who preserve it – were honored Sept. 3 at the town’s second Founders Day. The annual event is held to honor those who settled in the community first known as Smithville, named after founder John L. Smith. Smith left Illinois in 1863 and settled on the banks of Stony Creek late the same year, where he established a hotel, blacksmith shop, and the first lumber and flour mills in the area.
■ Colusa officials on Sept. 6 canceled plans for a second Country in Colusa music festival, opting instead to scale back its third city-sponsored event in 2022 to a less expensive fall festival. The recommendation came from the city’s ad hoc committee, who determined the planned concert would be too taxing on city staff and coffers, especially since time was running out to undertake such a substantial endeavor and book the entertainment.
■ California Independent System Operators, which runs the state’s electrical grid, reported California was falling short of its power supply during a record breaking heatwave, thus increasing the likelihood of blackouts during peak hours. Energy officials said electrical demand peaked at around 51,000 megawatts on Sept. 6, the highest demand the state had ever seen.
■ The Colusa City Council on Sept. 6 approved an application to the U.S. Department of Transportation Reconnecting Communities Pilot Planning Grant program to further the city’s goal to connect the downtown to the Sacramento River, which would ultimately enhance tourism and economic development. Plans for the Levee Park area began in 2020 when the city applied for – but did not secure – a $8.5 million Proposition 68 grant to build a marina on the river. City officials said they have not given up the dream and are exploring different avenues and grants to achieve that goal. The city applied for a $1 million grant to plan, repave, restructure, and add facilities along Main Street.
■ Williams Councilman Sajit Singh’s high-back black chair sat empty at the Sept. 21 City Council meeting, the first since the Mayor Pro Tem’s sudden death on Sept. 12. Singh, 49, died unexpectedly, just a few days shy of his 50th birthday. He served on the Williams City Council for four years and was the top vote getter in a highly contested election in 2018. Prior to his election, he served on the Williams Planning Commission. His death has inspired a possible city memorial to remember and honor him and others who have meant a lot to the community, which includes former Williams High School music teacher and Community Center stalwart Ron Simmons, who died Sept. 14, just two days after Singh. An actual proposal for the memorial has not yet been developed.
■ The Stonyford man who accidentally started a vegetation fire in Stonyford on June 30 was sentenced on Sept. 12 to 24 months probation. Karl Kristofors, 68, admitted he recklessly caused the fire by burning trash in a fire pit behind his house. The fire spread in the dry vegetation to neighboring structures. Kristofors was later ordered to pay in excess of $20,000 in restitution to his neighbors for the damages.
■ The Colusa County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 13 welcomed the county’s first principal planner to its ranks. Community Development Director Greg Plucker introduced the new planner, Steve Geiger, who was hired to focus primarily on water and natural resource issues, in addition to general planning, economic development, and airport planning issues. Prior to his employment, Geiger served as senior planner with Sutter County Development Services since 2013.
■ Colusa County’s agriculture production showed continued decline amid severe drought conditions, dropping more than $98 million in a single year, when Agricultural Commissioner Anastacia Allen on Sept. 13 released the 2021 Colusa County Crop Report. The report showed gross crop values decreased 12 percent from the previous year, from about $927 million in 2020 to $828 million. Allen said agriculture values are expected to drop significantly more once figures are compiled for 2022, as a result of reduced water allocations for rice, due to drought, and a freeze that all but wiped out the almond crop in February.
■ About 60 volunteers slipped into rubber gloves on Sept. 17 to pick up trash and debris along the Sacramento River in Colusa. The annual Colusa River Cleanup, sponsored by Premier Mushrooms, was part of the state’s largest annual volunteer event, organized by the California Coastal Commission. Colusa’s workday was held in conjunction with the 38th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day, which focuses on protecting inland rivers and the ocean from an abundance of trash that harms marine life and degrades the environment.