The following is the May 13 edition of the Abridged by PBS KVIE Yolo County email newsletter, by reporter Daniel Hennessy and the team at Yolo Local. Want it sent directly to your inbox? Sign up here.
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Stay in-the-know on all things Yolo! Weekly email with stories and insights from Yolo County reporter Daniel Hennessy.
Hey, it’s Daniel! Let’s dive in.
More often than not, when I open my mailbox and a thick ballot book is sitting in it, I feel an immediate Cortisol spike.
The official election material, with pages of instructions, arguments and legal language, can be difficult to digest. At times, I’ve gotten to the end of the booklet and been more confused than when I started.
If that’s how you’re feeling as this year’s election cycle heats up, I have a couple of ideas:
👀 If you’re in Davis, keep an eye on this running list of reader questions about Measure V’s Village Farms project that we’re working to answer. You may find that your question has already been answered. If it hasn’t, send it along here.
🗳 If you want more general information on the election, including statewide decisions, come meet me for our VotingMatters event on May 22. Our friends at CalMatters, who put together this useful voter guide, will join me and Yolo Local at the Mary L. Stephens-Davis Branch Library to answer questions about the election. It’s free (and there will be pizza). Help us out by RSVPing here.
Also in this week’s newsletter, some non-election news about Three Sisters Gardens in West Sacramento and California King Salmon back on local shelves.
We’ve teamed up with Yolo Local, a civic media initiative of Davis Media Access, to bring you this weekly newsletter. Here’s what you need to know today:
STORY OF THE WEEK
What about the environment? Developer accountability? We answer your Village Farms questions
Abridged by PBS KVIE is answering questions from readers about the project.
BY DANIEL HENNESSY | dhennessy@kvie.org
In short: One reader asked about the potential effects on the environment and another wondered what kind of accountability measures are in place for the developer.
A bit more: We’ll continue to answer questions heading into in-person voting. If you have one, ask in the form at the end of this story.
NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
West Sacramento considers commercial use of Three Sisters urban farm site
California king salmon make their way back to Sacramento-area dinner tables
Yolo County to explore tax increases and other revenue-generating ideas to fix budget
DISPATCHES FROM THE FARM
Agriculture is a central part of life in Yolo County, so I’ll be checking in each week with a farmer, rancher or other industry player for the latest ag updates. What are the people who help produce our food thinking about?
This week, Lisa Leonard from the Capay Valley is keeping us in the loop.
- On Lisa’s ranch, they’re just wrapping up kidding season, which means there are plenty of baby goats around.
- The dry farmed hay is out of the field and ready to be put up into the barn.
- There is a contingent of baby chicks on the ranch.
- Lisa and company are getting ready for a hog harvest so they can provide meat at farmers markets.
- The perpetual work of coop and fence repair continues.
- There’s a new rafter of turkeys on Lisa’s ranch. They’re learning how to be free range and have just figured out how to roost in the trees on the ranch.
HEARING FROM YOU
The best way to learn about a place is to listen to the people who know and love it. Each week, we’ll feature a quote or tip from a community member that captures a slice of life in our county. Write to me with something interesting or ask a question about Yolo County!
This week, we’re highlighting a question we received from Kathy Knapp through our newsletter submission form:
| “How about a story regarding the Barn Owls at Cache Creek Nature Preserve, the short-eared owls, and great horned owls as well? I just helped install a barn owl box in my neighborhood.”
Thanks for the suggestion, Kathy! We didn’t know about all the kinds of owls at Cache Creek Nature Preserve. I’ll look into it!
UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS
It can be hard to keep up with local government and community events, so we’ll continuously feature a few below. Have something you think we should highlight? Email me.
- Tales for Tails at the Mary L Stephens Davis Branch Library is on May 15. Kids ages 5 to 12 can come in at 3 p.m. and read to a therapy dog. More information can be found here.
- Page Turners at the Yolo Branch Library is at 1 p.m. May 18. Participants can come in to discuss their last read and hear what other members of the community have been liking. More information can be found here.
- The Yolo Basin Foundation offers guided tours of the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area the third Sunday of each month through June. “View flooded seasonal and permanent wetlands, native grasslands and young riparian forests. Depending on the season, look for migrating and resident waterfowl, shorebirds, songbirds, raptors, and wading birds.” The third Sunday of May is this coming weekend.
- Join Abridged by PBS KVIE and Yolo Local on May 22 as we welcome the nonprofit statewide publication CalMatters as they break down, analyze and answer your burning questions about this year’s primary election, in a conversation centered around the latest edition of their Voter Guide. More information can be found here.
Want to discover more events across the Sacramento region, in Yolo County and beyond? Check out Abridged by PBS KVIE’s new searchable events calendar with things to do across the four-county area.
BEFORE I GO,
Thanks for coming back (and signing up) for this newsletter. Remember: I’m accountable to you. If you read a story and think there’s an angle I’m missing, I want to hear about it! Please reach out with your feedback and know that I take it seriously.
See you next week!
Daniel Hennessy joins Abridged from the California Local News Fellowship. He’s a reporter covering Yolo County.