The following is the July 1 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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Hey, it’s Daniel! Let’s dive in.
I went to Esparto for the first time a month or two after I moved here. I’d heard of the town, but only through news reports and accounts of the explosion that happened shortly before I arrived.
On that first trip, I saw the site of the disaster, but I also noted how tidy and well cared for its main thoroughfare through town was. There were small businesses with their doors open, a park with a nice jungle gym and a library decked out in seasonal decorations.
As I spent more time with the people in Esparto, I quickly learned that they take pride in their quiet corner of Yolo County.
Today is the anniversary of the deadly fireworks explosion on the outskirts of Esparto. Even now, questions remain unanswered.
But even as details about the investigation come in, people who live in the less than 4,000 person town point to life beyond death and destruction.
Also this week, I’m re-upping a story about the Guinda Corner Store, which lies just up the road from Esparto on Highway 16.
And a story about a local photographer’s seven favorite places to capture natural beauty within driving distance of Sacramento. One of them is — you guessed it — the Capay Valley.
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
Esparto looks beyond tragedy in defining its community after fireworks explosion
Residents point to what defines their community beyond tragedy.
BY DANIEL HENNESSY | dhennessy@kvie.org
In short: A deadly explosion erupted at a fireworks facility on the outskirts of Esparto a year ago. As the explosion and its aftermath remain front of mind, residents of the small town in western Yolo County point to things beyond destruction and death that define their home.
A bit more: Wounds are far from healed, but life in Esparto continues.
NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
This 135-year-old corner store stocks up for rural Yolo County locals and passersby
A photographer’s 7 favorite places to capture natural beauty a short drive from Sacramento
Fireworks fines, enforcement rise across Sacramento area ahead of Fourth of July
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?
Last week was the Western Yolo Agricultural Roundtable, which brought together farmers, county staff and local leaders to talk about agricultural issues in the county. At the meeting, officials from a handful of agencies provided updates on several programs that promise to affect local agriculture.
- April Meneghetti, the Yolo County director of environmental health, and Kristin Sicke from the Yolo Subbasin Groundwater Agency, gave an update on the agricultural well moratorium that went into effect last year. Staff will come before the Board of Supervisors July 21 to provide a full update on the moratorium, including potential changes.
- At the July 21 meeting, supervisors will decide whether to extend the moratorium past Aug. 25 and whether to require meters for new agricultural wells. The moratorium prohibits the drilling of most new agricultural wells in certain parts of the county.
- Yolo County Agricultural Commissioner Humberto Izquierdo said his office is working on detecting and controlling broomrape, which is an invasive and parasitic weed that could harm tomato crops in particular. The weed does not have chlorophyll and relies on its ability to attach to other plant roots to survive.
- At the meeting, Supervisors Angel Barajas and Lucas Frerichs discussed county efforts to bring more housing online for farmworkers.
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, ask a question about Yolo County or tell me where I need to go next!
This week, I’m pulling from Abridged Senior Food Editor Benjy Egel’s recent City of Treats newsletter. Benjy was born and raised in Davis and, until I read it in his intro about the Fourth of July, I didn’t know his Yolo County origin story.
“It’s an ideal holiday for kids, who can run around block parties and eat all the hot dogs they want, and feels like microdosing summer break as an adult. In fact, my parents were so charmed by Davis’ 1997 Fourth of July spectacle that they moved there later that year, persuaded that it’d be a great place to raise my sister and me.”
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.
- Registration is open for the first Summer Leadership Camp led by new members of the Yolo County Office of Education’s Yolo Youth Commission. The camp is a free three-day program that brings high school students from across the county together to “build friendships, strengthen leadership skills and explore ways to make a positive impact in their schools and communities.” More information can be found here.
- Mangonada Monday is happening at the Winters Community Library at 3:30 p.m. July 6. Join library staff for a Mangonada slushy and crafts in the Margaret Parsons Room. More information can be found here.
- Mother Goose on the Loose! is happening at the Mary L Stephens library in Davis at 10 a.m. July 7. Toddlers and their grown-ups are invited to join a program that includes music, movement, rhymes and books. 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.
Daniel Hennessy joins Abridged from the California Local News Fellowship. He’s a reporter covering Yolo County.