South Placer 2020 in review

Editor's note: Gold Country Media annually highlights the top stories from the last 12 months. This week, we highlight January through September and next week, we highlight October through December. Reading the stories show south Placer's changes, strengths and challenges it has faced locally as well as statewide and nationally in 2020. January 2020 Placer restaurants set to showcase citrus Across Placer County, citrus season is in full swing. In an effort to highlight one of the county's signature crops, more than a dozen restaurants will participate in the inaugural Placer Citrus Restaurant Week. Coordinated through Visit Placer and Placer Grown, the themed week will showcase citrus through a number of various menu options. Placer Citrus Restaurant Week is done in coordination with California Restaurant Month and Visit California. A number of restaurants in Loomis, Roseville and Granite Bay have already joined in the Placer Citrus Restaurant Week. Two children safe after Monday carjacking incident near Thunder Valley A Sutter County man, who hours earlier was released from South Placer Jail, is being charged with multiple felonies after allegedly stealing a vehicle with two children inside, according to the Placer County Sheriff's Office. Charles Hall, 33, of Live Oak was detained by law enforcement authorities on the Thunder Valley Casino Resort grounds, according to a Placer County Sheriff's Office press release. Placer County child's death linked to flu Placer County Public Health Department announced that a school-aged Placer County child recently died from complications of influenza. The child was previously healthy and died in a Placer County hospital, according to the Placer County Public Health Division statement. The flu-related death is the second reported this flu season in Placer County. The first victim was identified as a 75-year-old adult. Town Talks touches on issues facing elderly in Loomis, Placer County Seniors in Loomis and Placer County are not immune to some of the overarching challenges faced by many entering the later stages of life. Access to affordable and nutritious food; lack of reliable transportation; rising housing costs; the inability to pay for medical expenses; and feelings of isolation and worthlessness are some of the most notable topics of concern. The above-mentioned issues facing seniors were among the topics discussed at the latest Loomis Library and Community Learning Center's Town Talks, which gleaned information from Senior L.I.F.E. Center representatives. South Placer prepares for 2020 With a new year and also a new decade starting, South Placer County officials are optimistic about a promising future. Communities placed a heavy emphasis on rebuilding and reinventing their downtown cores during 2019 and are looking to continue that effort in 2020. Recently-appointed Rocklin Mayor Greg Janda said the continued growth and focus around Quarry Park and the Quarry District is a mission for 2020. Loomis Town Manager Sean Rabe is looking forward to the new look that downtown Loomis will undergo this year. "We have a lot of projects going forward that will bolster our downtown and make it more vibrant and a place for visitors and residents to visit," Rabe said. On Dec. 20, the city of Roseville bought a four-story building for $10.5 million at 116 S. Grant St. that will house Roseville Electric Utility and offer more downtown office space. Roseville City Mayor John Allard II said he and staff will focus on that building. "Getting city staff and departments moved in there and fill the rest with private business is a top goal," Allard II said. Rocklin Council approves $1.5 million fire department purchase Rocklin City Council unanimously approved an approximately $1.5-million purchase of a tractor-drawn aerial ladder truck for the Rocklin Fire Department, which is expected to lead the fleet for the next 10- to 15-plus years. The introduction of the Pierce Enforcer 107-foot Ascendant Tractor Drawn Aerial Ladder Truck from Golden State Fire Apparatus is expected to replace a 20-plus year-old model currently used by the Rocklin Fire Department, according to a presentation by Rocklin Fire Chief Bill Hack. A secondary 100-foot aerial ladder truck used by the Rocklin Fire Department has been out of service for more than half the year and has proved unreliable as a primary response vehicle, according to the staff report. With "significant investment of capital" made to repair parts of the 100-foot aerial ladder truck's engine, it is anticipated to serve in a reserve capacity, according to Hack. Roseville City Council is charged up for green education Roseville residents can now better understand the potential benefits of electric vehicles with the Roseville City Council's approval of a contract with Plug in America during Wednesday's meeting. Plug in Americas, Electric Vehicle Dealership Engagement program provides a more in-depth education about electric vehicles than what the auto manufacturer provides. "This training is focused on the EV (Electric Vehicle) customers' experience and helps dealers educate shoppers on what it means to own an electric vehicle," said Roseville Electric Utility customer engagement program supervisor David Bradford. Supes being sued for approving Sunset Area Plan The Placer County Board of Supervisors is being sued for its Dec. 10, 2019 decision to approve the Sunset Area Plan and Placer Ranch Specific Project by the Center for Biological Diversity. The Center for Biological Diversity submitted the lawsuit to Placer Superior Court on Jan. 9. The center is a nonprofit organization that uses science, policy and environmental law to protect native species native species and habitats. The center's main office is in Tuscon, Arizona with offices in 10 other states. There are 45,644 members in Northern California and 1,860 members in Placer County, according to Center for Biological Diversity attorney Ross Middlemiss. "It is predominantly a CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) lawsuit, but beyond that, we are alleging that land use and planning is inconsistent with the General Plan and other applicable plans," Middlemiss said. Rocklin girl raises more than $1,100 for Australian animals Over the past several weeks, national news reports of devastating wildfires across Australia have detailed tragic incidents affecting not only thousands of people but millions of animals large and small. Half a world away, 8-year-old Maya Pocklington of Rocklin decided she was going to help those animals the best way she knew how: baking a whole bunch of treats. Approximately 15 dozen cookies, several huge trays of brownies and four trays of rice crispy treats later, Maya will be sending $1,104.85 to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Fund. Alongside her older sister Avery Pocklington and several friends on Jan. 15, Maya conducted a bustling bake sale that attracted dozens of students from Rock Creek Elementary and even a pair of Rocklin Police Department officers. Loomis Council approves vaping and tobacco ordinance After several months of discussions over the harm that vaping poses to youth, the Loomis Town Council approved an ordinance that banned the sale of all flavored vaping cartridges and electronic cigarette juice within town limits on Jan. 14. Additionally, Loomis Town Council's approved ordinance bans the sale of any tobacco product within a 1,000-foot radius of a school or park; the creation of an administrative citation penalty; and the creation of a youth-diversion program for minors caught with tobacco. Loomis Mayor Jan Clark-Crets reiterated support from a number of public speakers who urged the council to support the ordinance. "I completely agree with this being a first step and the commitment that Loomis leadership has to educating our youth," Clark-Crets said. "We will not give up on this by any means and we will have future items on our agenda regarding programs we want to put in place." RUSD files lawsuit against JUUL With unanimous support from the Board of Trustees on Jan. 15, Rocklin Unified School District filed a lawsuit in Placer County Superior Court Wednesday against JUUL, the largest manufacturer in the nation of vaping products. The district's lawsuit was filed on the same day as several other Northern California districts and follows the effort initiated by the Los Angeles Unified School District, which first alleged JUUL cultivated and fostered the e-cigarette epidemic that disrupts education and learning environments. Much like other district filing lawsuits against JUUL, Rocklin Unified School District seeks compensatory damages to provide relief from the district's financial losses as a result of students being absent from school, coordinating outreach and education programs regarding the health risks of vaping, and enforcement actions. The release states such enforcement actions include vape detectors, video surveillance and staff to monitor the school's property in an effort to combat the e-cigarette crisis. While Rocklin Unified School District is significantly smaller than many districts filing the lawsuit, Board of Trustees President Rick Miller said Rocklin schools are not immune to the challenges that youth vaping presents. "We're not joining this because we see this as a problem in L.A. or San Francisco, it is clearly a problem right here in Rocklin," Miller said. "Given the fact that we know we're struggling, we know there is the potential for real harm to our students, we felt a real obligation to protect our students. This was one of the best ways we could do it in an overall picture." Loomis removed from potential sales tax district With a "significant" decline in support by Loomis voters for a potential transportation sales tax measure, the Placer County Transportation Planning Agency Board moved forward without the town in a proposed South Placer tax district. The unanimous decision Jan. 22 came after the latest polling results showed Loomis voters were not supportive of a proposed half-cent sales tax measure, which might come before district voters in November. The cities of Lincoln, Rocklin and Roseville will remain in the proposed special tax district, with the final decision on whether to move forward with a sales tax measure expected in late March. In addition to the removal of Horseshoe Bar Road interchange project from the major project's list, Loomis will be ineligible for an estimated $300,000 in annual road maintenance funds. "The criteria used to create the district is that there needed to be substantial support from the contiguous cities (and town) that would be in the district," said Placer County Transportation Planning Agency executive director Mike Luken. "So, unfortunately the support from Loomis declined from almost two-thirds support in 2019 to 37 percent this January." Rocklin Council reviews Adventure Operations annual report With passes sold under the former Quarry Park operator still being honored last year, Adventure Operations reported an approximately $297,000 in losses from April to December 2019, according to a presentation before Rocklin City Council. According to Dylan Burt, Quarry Park Adventure's general manager and Adventure Operations, LLC. managing partner, passes sold from former operator Family Legacy Entertainment and then exchanged under the new operator accounted for approximately 20 percent of the park's overall attendance. According to the presentation, about 36,500 attendees visited the park since it reopened on April 12, 2019, with roughly 7,250 guests accounted as "previous pass holders." "This is our performance this year and is fairly dismal as you can see," said Burt referring to a performance report. "For now, those previous pass holders had a large effect on our ability to make money. Twenty percent of our guest traffic was non-paying." With the cutoff date for passes sold under Family Legacy Entertainment on Dec. 31, 2019, Burt was optimistic in the park's revenue prospects in 2020. Under a section of the presentation categorizing "previous pass holder unrealized revenue," Burt explained to City Council that the park would have turned a profit of approximately $122,000 if passes were purchased only under Adventure Operations. February Placer Union buys rifle safes for high schools In an effort to keep high school students safer, the Placer Union High School District recently came to an agreement with local law enforcement agencies to provide them a place to store rifles on campus. The memorandum of understanding document was crafted as an agreement between the district and the Placer County Sheriff's Office and the Auburn Police Department. "One of the primary duties of a School Resource Officer (SRO) is to provide students and staff with a safe and secure learning environment," the document between the Placer Union High School District, Sheriff's Office and Auburn Police Department stated. "This includes protecting the school community in the event of an active threat on or near one of our campuses. As such, the (school district) recognizes the need for our SROs to respond quickly and to have ready access to their rifles." The document stated that the Placer Union High School District would buy gun safes for Del Oro, Placer, Colfax and Foresthill high schools. The agreement outlined that the safes will be installed in an office with limited access. After installation, the control and operations of the safe will be turned over to either the Placer County Sheriff's Office or the Auburn Police Department. No one outside of law enforcement will be able to access the locker. "We really appreciate law enforcement taking the initiative to work with us to house a gun safe on our campus," said Del Oro High School Principal Chelsy Nauman. "This is one more way we can enhance the safety protocols we have in place today to keep students and staff safe." Roseville residents speak out about pedestrian safety Pedestrian safety in Roseville was brought up during public comment by a resident at Roseville's City Council meeting. Roseville resident Gina Woods, spoke about how her neighbor, Amber Henricks, was struck by a car on Feb. 1 while crossing the street at Woodcreek Oaks Boulevard and Parkside Way in west Roseville. "I said to my boys. 'It is my goal to make this intersection a safer place for our community this year,'" Woods said. "Exactly 48 hours later, my neighbor, Amber Henricks, a young mother of three small boys who was out getting her exercise was struck (by a car) and is now in an induced coma." 34M Event Center to open What was a deteriorating, economically-failing fairgrounds in Placer County just over two years ago has transformed into an impressive state-of-the-art facility. The much anticipated Placer Valley Event Center is set to open its doors next week. The Placer Valley Event Center, the latest and the largest piece in the transformation of @the Grounds in Roseville, will open Feb. 13, creating new opportunities to attract major amateur sports competitions, large meetings, trade shows, concerts and other events to the region. Maidu Museum celebrates 10th anniversary Since opening on Feb. 13, 2010, the Maidu Museum & Historic Site has welcomed an estimated 80,000 visitors and 90,000 schoolchildren to its facilities to learn about the lives of Maidu and Nisenan Native Americans. To honor its milestone of a decade, the multi-faceted cultural center welcomed the public to a free and family-friendly 10th-anniversary celebration. "The Maidu Museum & Cultural Site is a hidden, historical gem in the middle of the Maidu Regional Park," said Maidu Museum's marketing and communications coordinator Pam Allen. "So many people visit Maidu Park and don't take the time or maybe don't know about the museum and historic site. This event is a celebration of the rich cultural history of the site and the efforts to preserve and celebrate the history by building and opening the museum. A walk through the historic site is never the same; it changes day to day and season to season… I know that people who visited before will discover something new but my hope is that the many people who visited the museum for the first time will be in awe." Roseville optometrist gives youth a new look on life For 20 years, Dr. Paul Gollender has envisioned giving back to youth, and this Valentines Day, he did by providing free eye exams to them during the inaugural Eye Love You Back event. "Our mission statement is we want to provide vision care and free eye exams to people who can't afford it or there are other barriers," Gollender said. "We wanted them to feel welcome on Valentine's Day so we threw a party." By the end of the event, 53 youth received eye exams, ranging from ages 3 to 22. Of that number, 39 youth needed glasses, according to Gollender. The 39 youth will receive the glasses for free, according to Gollender. Rocklin Council approves ordinance to establish first responder fee In an effort to cover rising costs associated with medical emergency responses by fire department personnel, the Rocklin City Council on Feb. 11 unanimously approved an ordinance to establish a proposed Rocklin Fire Department first responder fee. The proposed $292 fee, which rises to $297 with associated billing costs, would be charged on all emergency medical service incidents where the patient is transported to the hospital. For those who are transported, the staff report indicates the bill will be sent to the patient's insurance company, including Medicare and Medicaid Services. If the patient does not have medical insurance, the report states the patient will be billed directly but can pursue processes to waive all or a portion of the fee due to financial hardship. Rocklin Fire Chief Bill Hack said on Feb. 11 that local governments have faced difficulty funding basic services and that fire agencies across the nation have begun to examine and enact fees for a variety of services previously supported by taxes only. Roseville Police to take on vaping in middle schools Roseville City Council approved a grant for $612,381 from the California Department of Justice that will fund a school resource officer for three years to prevent tobacco on middle-school campuses. Starting this month, Roseville Police Officer Ann Marie Howland will work to prevent tobacco use at the Buljan, Chilton, Silverado, Eich and Cooley middle schools. "I have actually been this week meeting with a lot of the counselors, because they know the main children who are having these issues right now," Howland said. "I think first and foremost, it is working with these kids and working with the counselors, as well as monitoring the campus on regular bases." Besides an on-campus presence during and after school, the Police Department is also planning on providing educational events with school staff, parents and students. Rocklin's Johnson-Springview Park splash pad construction to begin Johnson-Springview Park visitors might notice some changes in the works. Rocklin City Council unanimously voted to start work on a splash pad water area, which has been under discussion since November 2018. Included with the water area is a project to update and replace the nearby pavilions' wooden shade structures. The goal is to finish construction by Memorial Day and the arrival of hot weather. The long-term outcome is to provide a cool place for children to play. The splash pad will be located adjacent to the pavilion area, near the playground equipment. Loomis Library opens art display The much anticipated art display area at the Loomis Library and Community Learning Center opened Feb. 29 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. It was a bittersweet event, as catalyst for the display area and first featured artist Jeanne Schmidt did not live long enough to see the opening. Schmidt suddenly died on Feb. 16. This was a long-awaited project from the library's wish list. Library staff thanked Russ Kelley, Mike Pahl, Del Oro High School metal shop students, Loomis Quilt and Fiber Arts Guild members and Russ Kelley from the South Placer Lion's Club and American Legion Post 775 for their project contributions. Currently on display is selected artwork by Schmidt based on the animals of many children's stories. March First cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Placer County Following the first death March 4 in the second confirmed presumptive positive case of COVID-19 in Placer County, it is important for residents to understand as much as possible with regard to this new strain of virus, according to health experts. This is not a cold. This is not the flu. Being a new strain of infection means there is no vaccine and a mode of treatment has yet to be defined, other than supportive care. The coronavirus now spreading internationally is officially called COVID-19, which is an abbreviation of CO for "corona," VI for "virus," and D for "disease." Symptoms include fever, cough and difficulty breathing as with other mild to severe respiratory illnesses. Newsom declares state of emergency to fight COVID-19 As part of the state's response to address the global COVID-19 outbreak, California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a State of Emergency on March 4. Several California cities and counties have made similar declarations. Newsom's declaration makes additional resources available, formalizes emergency actions already underway across multiple state agencies and departments, and helps the state prepare to fight the broader spread of COVID-19. The proclamation comes as the number of positive California cases rises and following one official COVID-19 death in Placer County. Four Rocklin schools receive extra cleaning to prevent spread of virus Four schools in the Rocklin Unified School District (RUSD) underwent additional cleaning on March 4 as a precaution to COVID-19 following the first coronavirus death in Placer County. Three firefighters who were in contact with the COVID-19 fatality have family members attending Rocklin schools, according to school officials. The four schools that conducted the additional cleanings are Rocklin High School, Granite Oaks Middle School, Parker Whitney Elementary School and Sunset Ranch Elementary School. "In any instance where there might be a risk of COVID-19, the RUSD Facilities, Maintenance and Operations team is utilizing a high-strength sanitizing solution that has been approved by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) to combat against this specific strand of coronavirus called Oxivir," Rocklin Unified School District's spokeswoman Diana Capra said. 19th annual TATTOO-A-THON raises $25,300 for UC Davis Children's Hospital Wild Bill's Tattoo raised $25,300 in its 19th annual TATTOO-A-THON for the UC Davis Children's Hospital's Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Thirty-two tattoo artists joined together at the Wild Bill's shop at 115 Lincoln St. in Downtown Roseville and tattooed 154 individuals with all proceeds going to the UC Davis Children's Hospital's Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. The shop opened at 8 a.m. Saturday and didn't close until the final customer left at 2 a.m. Sunday. "Usually, we never have customers at 8 a.m. so this year we told people if they wanted to get seen pretty quickly, come in at 8 a.m. because that is the slowest time," Roxanne Hill said. "So we had five people at 8 a.m. all ready to get tattooed." Schools take action against COVID-19 As the number of COVID-19 cases are increasing throughout the region the last two weeks, schools are updating their plans to try to keep students and staff healthy. Some regional school plans are dependent on three scenarios defined by the California Department of Public Health. Some plans have sports games still happening but without the regular fans there or theater productions without the public at large in the audience. The Placer County Office of Education's order March 13 to close all public schools because of COVID-19. County health officer issues stay-at-home order Placer County Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson has issued a directive for residents to remain at home except to engage in "essential activities," effective 12:01 a.m. March 20, in response to local and regional spread of COVID-19. "It is critical that every member of our community heed this directive if we hope to slow the spread of this disease and prevent severe loss of life," said Sisson. "This is an extraordinary measure but we are in an extraordinary time, and we must act quickly to meet this moment." Some local watering holes ignore Newsom's request to close Many area bars, nightclubs, wineries and brew pubs in Placer County are scrambling after California Gov. Gavin Newsom advised March 15 that all these establishments should close to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Newsom was confident that the venues would close for the public's safety. "If you want to establish a framework of martial law, we have the capacity to do that but we are not at this moment feeling that is a necessity," Newsom said. On March 16, Newsom advised that all restaurants in the state close their inside dining rooms and switch to pick-up or delivery operations. Placer County is home to scores of restaurants and bars, along with nearly 40 breweries and wineries. Three Del Oro High School students tackle climate change While governments are puzzled as to how to handle climate change, three Del Oro High School juniors are making a change not only on campus but also in their community and potentially the region. Kevin Malaekeh, Jack Galloway and Jake Mccullough, all 17, started the Del Oro Environmental Club during their sophomore year to make their campus more environmentally-friendly. The three said they started noticing the impact that climate change and pollution has on places that they visited since they were children. "I have been a fly fisherman all my life and I have gone to the rivers that I used to fish with my dad and they are all dried up from droughts and pollution," Galloway said. "So that is definitely one of the inspirations as to why I helped start the club." SPCA dog adoptions temporarily stopped Placer SPCA adoptions are on hold, due to Gov. Gavin Newsom's order for Californians to stay at home to reduce the spread of COVID-19, according to the SPCA's Sarah Johnson. Sac State expanding to Placer County with major land donation California State University at Sacramento hit a major checkpoint March 24 in the school's quest to expand east and create a new campus in Placer County. Plans nearly two decades in the making took a big step forward after the California State University Board of Trustees approved creation of the new campus and accepted a land gift donation from billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist Eli Broad. The Placer County Board of Supervisors partnered with Broad's company, Placer Ranch, Inc., to provide the infrastructure needed for the new state university site. South Placer businesses struggle to fight COVID-19 With Gov. Gavin Newsom saying March 24 that the stay-at-home order will not be lifted for at least another six to eight weeks, the already grim COVID-19 situation for local businesses became even darker. Throughout Placer County, "non-essential" businesses have temporarily closed because of the order, leaving thousands unemployed and "essential" businesses such as restaurants struggling to survive under current operating restrictions. Take a breather for mental health While Placer County residents wade through this COVID-19 crisis with the rest of the world, it is important to be aware of mental health as well as physical health. Working at home while trying to teach children is difficult. But perhaps more concerning is the worry about the disease and when life will return to some type of normalcy. "Times of uncertainty, like the global COVID-19 pandemic,can spike anxiety in many people," according to Urmi Patel, Psy.D., Sutter Mental Health Services' clinical psychologist and director of clinical care. "Lives are upended and routines are erased. Schools are closed. Loved ones 65 years and above are homebound. Employees are working from home exclusively. And more importantly, as the number of COVID-19 cases rise across the U.S., causing concern for public health and the health of those closest to us." Patel recommends checking in on family and friends by phone calls or video chats. "Talk about things outside of COVID-19 to remind one another there are many other things to focus on during difficult times," Patel said. Placer County COVID-19 cases rise to 41 The number of COVID-19 cases in Placer County increased from 30, as of March 26, to 41 as of March 27. According to Placer County Health officials March 27, 37 percent of Placer County cases are between ages 18 to 49, 34 percent of cases are between ages 50 to 65 and 29 percent of cases are ages 65 and over. The areas in the county where the virus has been found include Auburn, Carnelian Bay, Granite Bay, Kings Beach, Lincoln, Loomis, Newcastle, Olympic Valley, Rocklin and Roseville, according to the Placer County Health Department. Placer County Health Official Dr. Aimee Sisson said on March 24 that the number of cases in the county would continue to rise as more tests were conducted. The first reported death was a Rocklin man on March 4. On March 28, Placer County Public Health reported Sunday that a second resident died of COVID-19 The person, an elderly adult with several underlying health conditions, was from south Placer County. April Sutter nurses voice frustration with lack of COVID-19 protection A group of nurses from Sutter Roseville Medical Center lined a section of East Roseville Parkway for a candlelight vigil April 1 to bring public awareness about the conditions they are facing while treating COVID-19 patients. Between 50 to 60 nurses, family members and friends lined the intersection of East Roseville Parkway near the main entrance of the hospital along Sunrise Avenue. Do's and don'ts of facial coverings With the Placer County Health Department recommending on April 2 for everyone to wear facial coverings when outside, some residents are unsure how to use facial coverings. "The purpose of these face coverings is to protect other people, not necessarily to protect yourself," Placer County Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson said. Sisson said that the virus spreads through respiratory fluids, such as mucus, and covering your nose and mouth reduces the chances of those fluids spreading. City of Roseville lays off 616 employees due to COVID-19 The April 2 Roseville City Council meeting served mainly as a COVID-19 week in review for City Council and the public as City Manager Dominick Casey covered updates and developments of the disease from city, county, state and federal levels. The city received 276 applications from small businesses to receive up to $20,000 from the city's small business loan program. Over the last few weeks, the city has laid off 616 temporary employees "who do not have work to do." "I know the optics on that aren't great but these were employees that weren't active," Casey said. The majority of these employees are from the Parks and Recreation Department. Placer County schools closed for 2019-2020 school year The Placer County Office of Education announced April 3 that all schools in Placer County will be closed for the rest of the 2019-2020 school year. Two days before, all the county's superintendents and Placer County Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson held a conference call meeting to decide if schools would close for the rest of the year. According to the Placer County Office of Education's Facebook post, this decision was made based on guidance from Sissson. Uhler says farewell after 18 years as supervisor After 18 years serving as Placer County's District 4 supervisor, 14 of which were consecutive, Kirk Uhler will join the private sector after losing the March 3 race to keep his seat. Uhler was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 1993 at age 25, making him the second youngest supervisor in California history. Uhler was unseated in 1996 but returned to the board in January 2007 at the brink of the 2008 recession. Local sewers take on COVID-19 Throughout Placer County, many kitchen tables and dining rooms have become make-shift workstations as quilters and sewers make masks and gowns for heavily-impacted and undersupplied medical facilities. With the increased demand on the medical field as the number of COVID-19 cases grows throughout the country and the state, many healthcare facilities have run low on supplies such as masks and gowns. In Placer County, an army of passionate sewers, quilters and seamstresses has come together over the last week to make masks and gowns to provide relief for medical professionals. Positivity rings through Passover and Easter adjustments The 2020 Passover and Easter celebrations will certainly have a different feel this year. Families and communities that traditionally gather for the annual holidays must now adjust to social distancing and stay-at-home recommendations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the "unique" feel to this year's holidays, several local service leaders say it's not all that bad. Most places of worship have transitioned to online services to connect their members through this distancing period. Roseville volunteers give away hundreds of masks The Roseville Community Volunteer Force gave away about 600 handmade masks April 11 to members of the public and raised $400 that will go toward helping the homeless. The giveaway was at the Roseville Galleria Mall parking lot near Pier 1 Imports and was put together by Roseville City Council member and Volunteer Force creator Scott Alvord. The group's first giveaway on April 4 at St. John's Church in West Park had a larger turnout than expected, and within 12 minutes, all 75 masks the group had were handed out. This time, the group purchased nearly 500 masks from local sewers and had another 500 masks donated from several sewers and businesses, such as JoAnn's Fabrics that donated 100 masks. COVID-19 deaths at seven for Placer County, as of April 15 On April 15, the Placer County Health Division reported a total of seven COVID-19 related deaths in Placer County. This is an increase of two deaths from two day's prior count of five. All seven COVID-19 deaths have been people who are age 65 or older with underlying health conditions. Golf courses reopen in South Placer as COVID-19 county order revised On April 16, Placer County Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson relaxed the COVID-19 stay-at-home order concerning golf courses, sports courts, dog parks and commercial gardening. Golf courses, sports courts and dog parks can reopen, as long as physical distancing guidelines are followed. Gardeners can also work again, as long as they follow physical distancing guidelines. Jones secures District 4 County Supervisor seat in final vote Suzanne Jones won the District 4 Placer County Board of Supervisors seat from Kirk Uhler, and the other two incumbent supervisors, Cindy Gustafson and Jim Holmes, kept their seats, as the Placer County Elections Office released the final vote count for the 2020 President Primary Election on April 2. Loomis expects final EIR for Costco by early summer The town of Loomis' final environmental impact report for a potential Costco to be built at the corner of Sierra College Boulevard and Brace Road is taking longer than expected. The report has required additional analysis and is still being processed, according to Anders Hauge of Hauge Brueck and Associates. The town of Loomis hired the local firm that deals with comprehensive environmental and planning services in Northern California and Nevada. The public comment period addressing the project draft environmental impact report closed on Feb. 10. Hauge said he is assuring each of the 393 written comments received in response to the draft environmental impact report is answered in a "factual manner." "Every written comment will be responded to," Hauge said. The comments came from neighboring Rocklin officials and staff, Caltrans, Placer County staff and Loomis, Rocklin and the unincorporated surrounding area residents. While some comments were similar to each other, others were different and required extensive work in response. May Placer County begins to reopen California Gov. Gavin Newsom at his Monday COVID-19 briefing said that the state will now begin to slowly transition into Phase 2 of the reopening plan. "We are entering into the next phase this week, end of the week," Newsom said. "With modifications, we will allow retail to start operating across the spectrum." That means many retailers are expected to be permitted to reopen Friday, including but not limited to clothing stores, bookstores, florists, toy stores and sporting goods. The phased reopening is expected to include limitations such as curbside pickup, social distancing and heavy sanitation. Area municipalities are also reopening public facilities while implementing social distancing measures. Placer medical industry hurting from COVID-19 California's economy has suffered, along with the rest of the country, due to the COVID-19 shutdown, and the medical industry is not immune from this impact. As surge tents popped up and COVID-19 response teams were formed, it seemed like the medical industry would be busier than ever with the incoming surge of COVID-19 patients. The opposite has occurred in Placer County, according to area medical professionals, as urgent care center and hospital representatives find themselves with hardly any patients and informing residents that it is OK to get care. Stay-at-home order still in effect during Stage Two Scores of area businesses are reopening the third week of May, after the California Department of Public Health's permission to reopen under Stage Two of the California Pandemic Resilience Roadmap. On March 19, Californians were given the never-before-issued order to lower the number of infections and fatalities from COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, so hospitals and other healthcare facilities would not be overwhelmed. The order immediately closed schools, most businesses except those defined as essential, churches and entertainment venues to the public. For counties to safely reopen under the California Roadmap to Modify the Stay-at-Home Order, there are four stages. Placer County is now in the latter part of Stage Two. While Placer County was one of the first four counties in the state given permission May 12 to reopen more types of businesses, the county is far from being able to fully open. And the March 19 stay-at-home orders are still in place for all residents, unless they're working or shopping at allowed businesses or engaging in essential activities. Del Oro grads to receive gift baskets from the community The Del Oro Parents Club wants Loomis to recognize that they are all "Better Together" when it comes to Del Oro High School's graduating seniors. "Since the whole coronavirus thing, we've been looking for a way to recognize our seniors in the community," said Lisa Garcia, the club's hospitality chairperson. Garcia does not have a child in the senior class but she wanted to work toward easing the stress caused by the loss of much of the traditional senior activities for the approximately 375 members of the 2020 graduating class. She and others proposed making up a gift basket for each senior to the Del Oro Parents Club board. The Del Oro Better Together Adopt a Senior Program was formed and the baskets became a reality with many individuals and donors helping. Rocklin seniors honored by parents decorating doors and schools Many front doors and porches in Rocklin have turned blue and silver this past week. Others have turned maroon and gold. The homes of Rocklin high school students have been decorated in honor of graduating seniors at a time to coincide with two special days in a senior's life. For one, Declaration Day, May 1, was when students had to commit to acceptance letters from their college of choice, according to Louise Cranston, mother of Rocklin High senior Samantha Cranston. Fencing around the currently closed Rocklin High School was also decorated prior to May 2, which was the date of the canceled senior ball. Loomis asks governor to allow all town's businesses to re-open The most discussion during the May 12 Loomis Town Council meeting focused on a COVID-19 update by Town Manager Sean Rabe and a resolution to allow all businesses to reopen within town, including Stage Three businesses. Gov. Gavin Newsom last week moved municipalities to Stage Two of his four-step reopening plan of loosening COVID-19 restrictions. Loomis council members said businesses such as hair salons, which fall in Stage 3, should also reopen. Council's resolution, drafted prior to the governor's announcement of moving to Stage 2, asks for the governor's support of Loomis businesses opening up with social distancing, under the guidance of Town Council and Placer County. The idea is to stop any differential between essential and non-essential businesses and their employees. "Everyone is essential, from the janitor to the CEO," said Councilman Brian Baker. Rocklin Council votes to support local business Rocklin City Council voted unanimously in favor of doing whatever the city can do to help businesses with reopening efforts by approving a business-support program resolution. Businesses were required in mid-March to temporarily shut down to stop the spread of COVID-19. Included in the resolution is a suspension of reinforcing the city's sign ordinance with council wanting to temporarily allow a variety of signage to encourage patronage of businesses. The city will also temporarily allow flexibility in payment of business license fees and a temporary waiver of fire inspection fees. Added to this is the city's desire to develop a "Shop Local" campaign promoting Rocklin business, wherever and whenever possible. Restaurants that have not before offered outdoor dining are encouraged to do so where possible and other businesses that might be able to use the outdoors are also encouraged. Galleria mall set to reopen to public next week Roseville's Westfield Galleria, the largest shopping center in the Sacramento region, is set to reopen to the public on May 22, following an extended closure due to COVID-19 and the accompanying state and county health orders. The decision to reopen the mall comes a day after state public health officials gave Placer County the greenlight to further open its local economy. "We are excited to open our doors again to the Placer County community as we begin our initial recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic," said Jeff Richardson, senior general manager, Westfield Galleria at Roseville. Loomis plans virtual Memorial Day; local homes decorated in red, white and blue Loomis refuses to allow those who have died in service to their country be forgotten in 2020. This Monday would have marked the 20th annual year for the Memorial Day ceremony organized by the Del Oro Wings leadership class with assistance from American Legion Post 775, according to Post 775 Commander Robert Black. With the COVID-19 stay-at-home order currently in place, the annual Memorial Day live ceremony held at Del Oro High School will not take place this year. But a virtual one will be available on the internet. This year's organizers are producing a video of the "would be" activities ahead of time, so residents can view a video of the ceremony any time of the day during the holiday weekend. Del Oro High School sophomore Cody Jones switched gears from a live ceremony to a virtual one. With assistance from a friend who took the Del Oro video production class, Jones filmed the American Legion members raising and lowering the flag and its chaplain and Del Oro students giving speeches and reading poems. "We're putting together what the ceremony would be if it were live," Jones said. Despite COVID-19, Rocklin 620 carries on tradition with drive-thru breakfast Amid the COVID-19 public health crisis, traditions of all sorts have been disrupted and the normalcy of everyday life has been rearranged for everyone - veterans included. Yet, on Memorial Day morning, the American Legion Post 620 of Rocklin continued its short-lived tradition of holding a community breakfast replete with burritos, orange juice, doughnuts and of course, face masks. While the American Legion Post 620 event was unable to be held inside the Rocklin Community Center at Johnson-Springview Park, like it has the last three years, the drive-thru event outside the building continued to showcase the spirit of the solemn day. "It means a lot to us that this post stays healthy, fruitful and continues to be a big part of the community," said Shawn Simmons, Post 620 vice commander. "… It's great to see the community come together and come out for a free breakfast. I mean, the price is right. You can't beat it." Unique to this year's breakfast was the generous participation of Veteran Effect, a recently- established nonprofit organization run by veterans for veterans. Some Rocklin land-use projects get extension Some Rocklin land-use projects will receive a year extension because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 26, Rocklin City Council unanimously approved an urgency ordinance to address the issue. "COVID-19 has presented major challenges to all aspects of business and land development is no exception …," city of Rocklin spokesman Michael Young said. "The extension provides a layer of protection to landowners, developers and the local economy in general from additional potential losses by preserving development opportunities." Urgency ordinance ZOA2020-0003 covers currently-approved and valid design review, conditional use permit, specific plan use permit and variance entitlements that are at risk of expiring because the COVID-19 pandemic is delaying the projects' start or completion, according to the city staff report. Roseville feeds 15,000 people with Family Meal Roseville To help a community in need and support local business, the city of Roseville is partnering with several nonprofit organizations and local restaurants to provide meals for at-risk community members. The program began in Sacramento and Yolo counties when a group of local restaurants in partnership with each county's housing divisions began delivering meals to residents experiencing food insecurity. Nixtaco owner Patricio Wise brought the idea to Roseville Deputy City Manager Megan McPherson to see if Roseville restaurants and nonprofits could partner to do the same as in Sacramento and Yolo counties. "So I invited some people to the table," McPherson said. "The Placer Community Foundation, the Health Education Council and we started thinking about who else should be involved and who needs this program." June Hacker Lab's closure in Rocklin will leave a void At the end of June, the Rocklin Hacker Lab powered by Sierra College on Granite Drive will shutter its doors in an effort to "centralize operations and focus on increasing virtual services," according to the company. The closure of the high-tech learning hub, which opened in 2015 and was one of the first collaborations between a makerspace and educational institution nationwide, will perhaps be missed most by engineering students. For Tony Osladil, mechatronics professor and Robotics Club Faculty Advisor at Sierra College, the Rocklin Hacker Lab loss will assuredly leave a void. Since his students were working on projects of their own design, Osladil said the level of critical thinking required was much greater than just working on a pre-planned, pre-designed school assignment. Specifically related to the Robotics Club, Osladil noted, collaborative student creations included autonomous firefighter robots, one-pound and 220-pound combat robots, souped-up toy electric ride-on cars and sumo robots. Taylor Road's phase-three work begins Work began on a section of Taylor Road in Loomis that will be resurfaced, sidewalks added and the bike trail extended. It's phase three of the Downtown Master Plan, according to Loomis Public Works director Britton Snipes. "We're going to overlay Taylor Road from about the feed store (Foothill Feed & Gift at 3293 Taylor) to Lemos Ranch Drive, a really bad stretch of road," Snipes said. One area of sidewalk will go in on the west side of Taylor Road from Horseshoe Bar Road to Webb Street and a second area from King Road to near the Blue Goose Event Center at 3550 Taylor Road. The bike trail will be extended from north of Del Oro High School (at 3301 Taylor Road) to Lemos Ranch Drive. The bike trail runs parallel to Taylor, separated from the road by a ditch. Roseville City Council postpones pay raise During a Roseville City Council meeting, the Roseville Charter Review Committee presented recommendations to change the city's charter so it can be placed on the Nov. 3, 2020 General Election ballot for Roseville voters. One item that the council disagreed on was whether council members should receive a pay increase since the last increase from $500 to $600 a month in 2000. The charter review committee recommended that council members go from their stipend of $600 a month for council members and $650 a month for the mayor to $.15 per capita for each council member with an additional $750 a month for the mayor. With a population nearing 150,000, that would equal each council member being paid about $22,500 a year. With their current stipends, council members make $7,200 a year and the mayor makes $7,800 a year. South Placer continues to see rise in COVID-19 cases Entering Stage Three of the California Pandemic Resilience Roadmap after state public health officials gave the OK, Placer County's confirmed COVID-19 cases has increased by 215 additional cases from June 1 to June 18. The number of confirmed cases June 1 was 217. As of June 17, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Placer County is 432. "As various sectors reopen, people are moving more throughout the community, thus increasing their chances of exposure," Placer County Public Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson said. "Public Health expects to see more cases as additional sectors reopen." Placer County supes approve to rescind delegation of authority The Placer County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution amendment to rescind the delegation of authority to end the local health emergency by the county health officer in a unanimous vote June 23. The Health and Safety Code, Section 101080, and the governor's emergency proclamation, authorize the legal authority to the Board of Supervisors to make the decision to terminate the local health emergency declared due to COVID-19. The amendment does not remove Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson's authority, as she would still be authorized to make recommendations to the board and to make another proclamation if warranted by the pandemic. Youth pushing for change in Roseville George Floyd's death caused by the actions of a Minneapolis police officer on May 25 has caused much anger throughout the country. But Floyd's death has also brought together protests throughout the United States hoping to bring a stop to systemic racism and police aggression. Such a peaceful protest took place in Roseville on June 8. Floyd, a black man, died May 25 while in police custody in Minneapolis after he allegedly paid for cigarettes at a deli with a counterfeit $20 and police were called to the scene by the shopkeeper, according to the New York Times. In Roseville, a group of about 50 protestors at Vernon Street Town Square in Downtown Roseville on June 8 held a candlelight vigil in memory of Floyd. The Roseville event also served as a safe place for residents to share their feelings, thoughts or experiences of racism and police brutality in the United States, California and Placer County. The protest was put together by 20-year-old Roseville resident Joe Miranda. His first time leading a protest, Miranda was unsure of what the turnout would be like. Miranda contacted the Roseville Police Department a few days before the protest to tell officials about his plans. "The diversity that Roseville has to offer is pretty minimal in comparison to Sacramento County so I am happy to see anyone out here who is willing to listen and pay their respects," Miranda said. Pat Stubbs of Penryn marks a 'blessed' century with family For Pat Stubbs' 100th birthday party, her family was not going to spare any expense. Then COVID-19 partly derailed those plans. While the 65-person guest list was whittled down to just seven, the enthusiasm from the 100-year-old Penryn resident was nothing short of enthusiastic. And much like the life she has been blessed to live, the worries of the world dissipated and laughter permeated through. "As far as having her birthday celebration during this time of turmoil, it wasn't on our minds at all," said Joanne Stubbs, Pat's daughter in law. "The love, support, laughter and joy consumed us throughout our day. It was a great break from reality. We are so lucky to live in a beautiful community as we do. We count our blessings and thank God he has allowed us to still have Pat in all our lives and to be able to celebrate her 100 years in good health with us." And even as she turned 100 on June 11, the creativity of the lifelong painter, Faberge Egg creator and former championship-show dog breeder shined through. "It is hard to imagine such intelligence, imagination and artfulness coming from a 100-year-old woman," said Nick Stubbs, Stubbs' second of four children. "But that's her! Rocklin's Quarry Park Adventures reopens Quarry Park Adventures, Rocklin's outdoor aerial adventure park, reopens with state Phase 3 guidelines for outdoor recreation and family entertainment centers in place with city of Rocklin guidance. Social distancing will be in effect. The park closed in March because of the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. "We are thrilled to be able to reopen, with strict safety guidelines for our staff family and guests, as the weather begins to warm up," said Dylan Burt, owner and managing partner of Adventure Operations, LLC. "Families have been at home for months so this will give them a great local option to get outside and enjoy some fun, family entertainment together." Roseville City Council pushes for anti-racism events Roseville Mayor John Allard II proposed an idea to the Roseville City Council during Wednesday's meeting: Can the city put together anti-racism and inclusionary events for Roseville citizens? Allard asked the council if he could share his thoughts and information he has gained by talking to Roseville residents, business, owners, volunteers, community leaders and elected officials about the death of George Floyd. Floyd, a black man, died May 25 while in Minneapolis police custody after he allegedly paid for cigarettes at a deli with a counterfeit $20. "One of those conversations that I had had a very strong impact on me as a resident shared his and his family's numerous experiences with racism in their place of work, local businesses and even in their neighborhood," Allard said. Allard committed to the resident that "we as Roseville are better than that and we would do something about it." Rocklin City Council approves $91.2-million budget Rocklin City Council approved a $91.2-million budget for fiscal year 2020-2021 in regular session Tuesday. In separate business, the council also approved a Recology Auburn Placer 4.2 percent rate increase in garbage collection service fees, effective July 1. The budget totals, set in the context of COVID-19 pandemic uncertainties, cover $76,039,900 for operations, $9,156,700 for capital expenditures and $6,044,300 for transfers out, city Finance manager Mary Rister said. The city anticipates revenues of $87,423,900, including interest and transfers in, according to the budget document. For the remaining amount, $3.8 million is being used from the capital project and gas tax reserves to pay for capital projects planned in Fiscal Year 2020-21. COVID-19's full impact on revenues is still unknown and an update in the fall will address those issues, Rister told the council. COVID-19 financial impacts shown in 2020/21 Loomis budget The town of Loomis will dip into reserves to balance its 2020/21 budget, as COVID-19's financial impact is anticipated to leave an approximate $310,000 shortfall, according to a presentation at Tuesday's Town Council meeting. Unanimously approved with staff recommendations, the July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 budget of $8.7 million was presented as a "deficit," due largely to the public health crisis' impact on sales and transaction tax revenue. Based on the most recent tax receipts and comments from economists, a staff report indicates sales and transaction taxes are at about 60 percent of the prior year. Loomis State of the Town goes virtual Amid a global pandemic, a wildland fire season and national civil turmoil related to police brutality incidents, public safety took center stage June 24 as the annual Loomis State of Town Address was held via video teleconference. Addressing the audience from a nearly empty Loomis Train Depot building, Loomis Mayor Jan Clark-Crets spoke of the town being "healthy, solid, vibrant and promising." While the address largely highlighted the positive perspectives in Loomis, Clark-Crets addressed how the COVID-19 public health crisis continues to impact everyday life across the country. "Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought my town address would be held here at the Depot with two other people in the room because of coronavirus," Clark-Crets said. "When I ran for Town Council, I certainly never had the idea that a global pandemic would happen in my lifetime, let alone my term in office. I know all of you feel the same way. It has been a doozy of a year." Other topics included a COVID-19 public-health crisis update, South Placer Fire District's update on wildland fires season and how the Placer County Sheriff's Office is dealing with protests sparked by George Floyd's death May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. July Placer County plans to keep bars, restaurants open Exercise extra caution this 4th of July weekend While Placer County's number of COVID-19 cases have almost tripled since June and while other California counties reclosed bars Monday in Stage 3 of the California's Roadmap to Pandemic Resilience, Placer County is not closing its bars. That's according to Placer County Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson on Monday. Four stages must be met in California's Roadmap to Pandemic Resilience before the state fully reopens from the COVID-19 stay-at-home order issued March 19. Placer County entered Stage Three on May 26, when state public health officials allowed two Stage Three businesses, hair salons and barbershops, to reopen. Although COVID-19 cases are increasing simultaneously as businesses such as bars and restaurants have reopened under Stage 3, the Placer County Public Health Department will not require businesses to shut down "at this time." "Placer County has not reached any of the triggers put forth in our attestation, nor any of the state thresholds that would land our county on the California Department of Public Health's watchlist for increased monitoring," Sisson said Monday. Placer 211 now available Looking for affordable housing, a ride to a medical appointment or where to sign up for Meals on Wheels? 211 Placer can help with that and a lot more. Placer County launched the free resource and referral network on July 1 with a phone helpline, text capability and a website. Grass Valley-based Connecting Point call center administers the service, which it also provides to Nevada County. Cost for the contracted program is $294,186 for the first year through June 30, 2021. Roseville goes virtual for 4th of July As the number of COVID-19 cases rise in Placer County, the city of Roseville has decided to provide alternative 4th of July celebrations to stay in compliance with the state's health and safety guidelines. Instead of the typical 4th of July parade, the city announced, there will be a shorter five-and-a-half minute version that residents can watch from a smart device. Destiny Church refuses to close Pastor Greg Fairrington of Destiny Christian Church in Rocklin announced via Facebook that he will defy Gov. Gavin Newsom's Monday rollback of re-openings, including places of worship. The rollbacks are to stop the spread of COVID-19. "I have told you before, we will not be shutting down the church," Farrington said in the video. "We will have church on Sunday. We are not going to allow the government to use data that is not supported factually to shut the church down." Loomis Costco Final EIR to be presented Tuesday The Loomis Costco on Sierra College Boulevard nears its next phase, as the Loomis Planning Commission will hold a special meeting July 7 to potentially push forward the Final Environmental Impact Report to the Town Council. The special meeting for the 155,000-square-foot retail facility comes after two public review periods for Draft Environmental Impact Reports over the last two years. Loomis Town Manager Sean Rabe noted the comment period for the latest Draft EIR ended prior to the COVID-19 pandemic on Feb. 10, 2020. The town of Loomis is following the standard 10-day comment period for the Final EIR. "The Planning Commission could either close the public hearing and make a recommendation on the project on July 7or continue to the public hearing to a date certain," Rabe said. "The commission will be making a recommendation and Town Council will be making the final decision on the project." Whenever council makes the final decision on the project, Rabe said, the timeframe for legal challenges starts. Actual plans for construction also become clearer after Town Council makes its final decision, Rabe added. The Loomis Costco Project includes the construction and operation of an approximately 155,000-square-foot warehouse retail facility and an associated fueling station. Specifically, the warehouse retail space would provide approximately 149,500 square feet of floor space dedicated to storage, retail goods and services. Additionally, the project description states the warehouse building would include an approximately 5,500-square-foot tire center. Initially, the station would have fueling capacity for 24 fuel positions, with the potential to expand to five fueling bays and 30 fuel positions as demand warrants. Planning Commission OKs Costco Final EIR Will head to Town Council for final approval The Loomis Costco project on Sierra College Boulevard will soon go before Loomis Town Council as the Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the retail facility's Final Environmental Impact Report on July 7. The recommended approval of the environmental document came with the majority of public comment Tuesday night voicing continued concerns over traffic proliferation, potential noise generation and specifically encroachment upon the Sierra Meadows Apartment complex adjacent to the 17.2-acre proposed future site. While nearly all of public comment called for further adjustments, Planning Commission members expressed support for the project's myriad of changes that have occurred over the last three years. Along with support for jobs generated by the Costco, various Planning Commissioners spoke of the needed potential tax revenue for Loomis, which has been estimated previously of upward of $1.5-million annually. "I think it is really important that we understand where Loomis is financially and it's not just the effect of COVID and what that does to our budget or anyone else's budget," said Planning Commissioner Jean Wilson. "The fact that we don't have enough income to pay for the kind of things we want, even in our roads. And we like to have our rural roads but one of the things about a rural road is it's an awful lot of miles of pavement with not many people on it bringing dollars to pay for that. This (project) will significantly help where we are." Roseville community fights to save Hotel Belvedere A group of Roseville residents is working to save the Belvedere Hotel in Historic Old Town Roseville from being demolished for new development. The group wants the hotel to be restored. In June 2019, the 502 Lincoln St. property was purchased by Derrek Lee of Old Roseville LLC with plans to build condominiums on the .23-acre lot. According to Opera House owner Richard Ryan, the property was put up for sale at $700,000 and the cost to renovate the hotel and get it to modern standards would have been at least $500,000. Hundreds attend church service in Rocklin Destiny Christian Church in Rocklin came to life this Sunday with live music, passionate and divisive sermons, and praise, all held inside the venue. That was in defiance of Gov. Gavin Newsom's July 13 order for places of worship, along with many businesses, to close their indoor operations or completely shut down. The church provided three ways to watch the service: online, inside and outside. Loomis protest remained peaceful despite counter protests A crowd of about 200 gathered Saturday afternoon at the skate park on Taylor Road in Loomis for a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest. Organizer and Loomis resident Zasu Scott said she wanted to raise consciousness in the community. "Loomis is primarily white, and so I feel like as an ally here … it's my responsibility to build trenches for change in my own community," Scott said. Protesters met at 4 p.m. to hear from speakers, including Stevante Clark, who talked about the loss of his brother, Stephon Clark, and the need for change, Scott said. Protesters also reviewed their rights and prepared a peaceful response for the counter All Lives Matter protesters who also gathered Saturday afternoon. At 4:30 p.m., the protesters marched to Raley's on Horseshoe Bar Road in Loomis and lined the street and overpass. Rocklin council discusses impact fees Proposed changes to impact fees on new residential development in Rocklin would add a trails category and significantly boost the amount for parks. In the Development Impact Fee Study, presented to City Council in regular session July 14, impact fees for a single-family detached house would go from $4,898 to $10,909.55, with the park improvements category representing the bulk of the increase from $711 to $6,067.98. The trails fee would be $1,283.27. The presentation by contractor NBS Government Finance Group is an early step in the process toward an eventual ordinance. It would be the first revise of the fees since 1999, Rocklin City Manager Steven Rudolph said. "This is a program we have not taken a close look at for over 20 years and as you can imagine, the amount we are charging is out of sync with what costs are today to build parks," Rudolph said in introductory remarks. "It's really important we take a hard look at this program and make sure we can deliver adequate facilities for our residents in the future. It's a complicated process because we certainly want money to come to the city so we can build the facilities. But at the same time, I understand there is a balance because we want people to come to Rocklin and buy homes. We want to maintain the marketability of our total impact fee structure and there's a lot of give and take. It's going to be a bit of a process and we hope we can start that discussion tonight." The new fee structure would expand from two to four categories, separating the formerly combined community/recreation facilities and public facilities. Rocklin City Manager Steve Rudolph to retire Sept. 21 Rocklin City Manager Steve Rudolph announced his retirement, effective Sept. 21, on Monday. Rudolph was appointed as Rocklin's city manager in May 2018 after starting his tenure in February 2017 as city attorney. He has more than 30 years of experience in public service, having worked as interim city manager, city attorney, general counsel, and special counsel for numerous public agencies, including Folsom, Galt, Sacramento County and other agencies. "The city of Rocklin is a special place, thanks to its friendly residents, hard-working business people and dedicated city staff," Rudolph said. "Although we have entered challenging times, Rocklin remains on solid footing thanks to conservative fiscal management and prudent planning from City Council and executive staff. I trust the future of Rocklin is in capable hands as I step aside to focus on my family and other endeavors." During his Rocklin tenure, Rudolph has focused the city on strategic planning; implementing a process to envision future needs while tracking more immediate priorities of each city department. Rudolph has also overseen major improvements to recreation amenities, opening the West Trails at the Sunset Whitney Recreation Area and starting operations at Quarry Park Adventures. All hands on deck for Downtown Roseville outside dining A truck filled with lumber dropped off ready-to-build deck kits for seven businesses in Downtown Roseville to provide more outside setting options for local restaurants. Erickson Framing from Roseville is supplying the lumber and the labor for all six Vernon Street locations: Monk's Cellar, Fig Tree Cafe, Vernon Street Grill, The Place, Bounty Hunter Cafe and Nela's Mexican Restaurant. There will be four 40-foot-wide decks for Monk's Cellar, Vernon Street Grill, The Place and Bounty Hunter Cafe, one 30-foot deck for the Fig Tree Cafe and one 28-foot deck for Nela's Mexican Restaurant, according to Erickson operations manager Bill Dalton. Supervisor Weygandt wants COVID-19 herd immunity; some experts disagree On July 8, Placer County Supervisor Robert Weygandt replied to a resident's email about the recent increase in Lincoln's COVID numbers, saying that herd immunity is what should be done to halt COVID-19's spread. The prevalence of immunity to a virus in a population can reach a threshold at which the spread of the virus is contained and that is "herd protection" or "herd immunity." Weygandt emailed the resident: "While I understand your concern around the recent increase in Lincoln's COVID numbers, it is not surprising considering the reopening and more people out and about mingling with each other. My personal perspective is that it is best to allow this virus to spread amongst healthy populations and to protect the vulnerable as much as possible... While I believe we should be keeping track of our hospital and ICU capacity, I also believe we need to be clear that while 18-49 year olds account for 57% of the total cases, only 5% of those have been hospitalized. If the goal is to get to herd immunity with the least damage possible, I believe we should allow for the virus to run its course in the younger, healthier populations and as mentioned above, continue to encourage the vulnerable populations to protect themselves as much as possible." Karen Anderson, the Placer County resident asking Weygandt the question, disagrees with that approach to eliminate COVID-19. "There have got to be people who don't want their families to be part of a grand experiment," Anderson said. "They just want to stay well. The herd protection is very dicey. Plus, medicine is not supposed to be faith-based. It is supposed to be science." Is herd immunity a good solution for getting rid of the virus? Not according to some national health experts and agencies. To reach long-lasting immunity from COVID-19, according to the Mayo Clinic, more than 200 million people in the U.S. would have to recover from COVID-19 to reach the herd immunity threshold. But with that many COVID-19 patients, the healthcare system could quickly become overwhelmed and millions of deaths, especially among older people and those who have chronic conditions, would occur. A COVID-19 vaccine is the "ideal approach" to achieve herd immunity without causing illness or resulting complications, according to the Mayo Clinic. Vaccines have successfully controlled deadly contagious diseases such as smallpox, polio, diphtheria and rubella, according to the Mayo Clinic. Weygandt told The News Messenger that he still agrees with his July 8 email about reaching herd immunity. "I don't dispute the science. The impression I have, in the end, with Covid-19, is that the spread rate will diminish dramatically because of something. I believe it will be herd immunity," Weygandt said. "Herd immunity can result from a person's inherent immunity, continued spread resulting in new immunity and a vaccine or vaccines." Rocklin City Council takes preliminary step on state's affordable housing mandate Rocklin City Council took a preliminary step on the state's affordable housing mandate, passing a resolution of intent to initiate a zoning ordinance amendment to create higher-density zones with a minimum of 24 units per acre. The amendment also would create mixed-use zones and rezone properties identified as appropriate for higher-density housing. The resolution passed 3-2 on July 28 with Mayor Greg Janda and Councilman Ken Broadway voting no The action is part of updating the city's Housing Element with the inclusion of an available sites inventory for lower-income housing in accordance with the city's Regional Housing Needs Allocation or RHNA. Rocklin's allocation for 2021-2029 is 5,661 units — 3,062 units in lower categories, 771 in moderate category and 1,828 in the above moderate category, according to the report. Roseville to receive $1.8-million from CARES Act Roseville City Council returned Wednesday to the Council Chambers at 311 Vernon St. with all council members and city staff wearing masks because of COVID-19 but the meeting was still not open to in-person visitation by the public. Roseville City Manager Dominick Casey said that the city is planning to open the meetings back up to the public in August but is unsure, due to the ongoing change in COVID-19 requirements and circumstances. It was also announced at the meeting that the city will reopen select city buildings and resume in-person services to the public at 8 a.m. Monday. "Per the mandate, masks will be required in all public spaces and staff will have a temperature check as they enter into the workplace and we will also be asking out patrons to do the same," Casey said. Lemon bars benefit cats and dogs A Roseville youth showed during Placer SPCA's Curbside for our Furry Companion event June 20 that age is just a number and shouldn't stop you from helping community members whether they walk on two or four legs. Twelve-year-old Bronte Nelson donated $260 to the Placer SPCA after she sold lemon bars to friends, family and neighbors. Bronte is a Loomis Basin Charter School seventh-grader. While hanging out with friends in her backyard, Bronte decided to put her passion for animals to good use and raise money for an organization that helps her furry friends. "I just have always loved animals and I just hate to see them in pain or have medical problems," Bronte said. "So I just always want to make a difference or impact them, I guess." Destiny Church refuses to close Pastor Greg Fairrington of Destiny Christian Church in Rocklin announced on Monday via Facebook that he will defy Gov. Gavin Newsom's Monday rollback of re-openings, including places of worship. The rollbacks are to stop the spread of COVID-19. "I have told you before, we will not be shutting down the church," Farrington said in the video. "We will have church on Sunday. We are not going to allow the government to use data that is not supported factually to shut the church down," On July 9, Placer County along with 29 other counties throughout California were placed on the COVID-19 County Monitoring List and were told that restaurants, breweries, wineries, brepubs, bars, gyms, places of worship and more need to roll back their reopenings. This follows Placer County, along with the rest of the state, seeing an increase of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations due to the virus. Roseville community fights to save Hotel Belvedere A group of Roseville residents is working to save the Belvedere Hotel in Historic Old Town Roseville from being demolished for new development. The group wants the hotel to be restored. In June 2019, the 502 Lincoln St. property was purchased by Derrek Lee of Old Roseville LLC with plans to build condominiums on the .23-acre lot. According to Opera House owner Richard Ryan, the property was put up for sale at $700,000 and the cost to renovate the hotel and get it to modern standards would have been at least $500,000. Ryan owns several buildings in the Historic Old Town District, including the Opera House and Four Score Coffee. Ryan said he was looking to restore the building but could not make the costs pencil out. The hotel began operations in 1917, only eight years after Roseville was incorporated in 1909. It closed as a hotel and became a private residence in 1989 after 35-year owner Pearl Manring died. Hundreds attend church service in Rocklin Destiny Christian Church in Rocklin came to life this Sunday with live music, passionate and divisive sermons, and praise, all held inside the venue. That was in defiance of Gov. Gavin Newsom's July 13 order for places of worship, along with many businesses, to close their indoor operations or completely shut down. The church provided three ways to watch the service: online, inside and outside. Destiny Pastor Greg Fairrington announced July 13 that the church would not close the church and he opened the church doors Sunday for anyone who wanted to hear his passionate sermon about the true path to God, pro-life and pro-straight marriage. "There is only one way that people can be in right standing with God and that is through Jesus Christ," Farrington said during the service. "Buddha can't get you there, Muhammad can't get you there, New Age can't get you there." August COVID-19 numbers keep rising Between Aug. 1 and Aug. 5, four more reported COVID-19 fatalities brought the total number of Placer County COVID-19 fatalities to 19. All four fatalities are in the 65-plus age group with pre-existing health conditions. "COVID-19 cases in long-term care facilities have increased. Typically, staff are infected in the community and transmit infection to other staff and residents," Placer County Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson said. "Given that residents of long-term care facilities are at high-risk of severe disease when infected with coronavirus, I expect to see more deaths resulting from these outbreaks." On July 28, Placer County had 1,753 cases. On Aug. 4, a week later, Placer County had 1,953 COVID-19 cases. That's an increase of 200 cases in one week. In addition, there were 60 COVID-19 patients in area hospitals and 14 in Intensive Care Units on July 28 and, a week later, 68 patients in area hospitals and 16 in Intensive Care Units. On Aug. 5, Placer County Public Health reported 1,998 confirmed COVID-19 cases. According to California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly, there is a statewide underreporting of COVID-19 cases due to technology issues with the electronic laboratory reporting system. On Aug. 4, the California Department of Public Health announced that the seven-day average number of new COVID-19 is 7,554 per day with 519,427 confirmed cases to date. As case numbers continue rising in California, according to the California Department of Public Health, the total number of individuals having serious outcomes will also increase. There have so far been 9,501 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic. The state's guidance for youth sports establishes a consistent set of rules that apply to all youth sports programs, including school-based, club, and recreational programs. Outdoor and indoor sporting events, assemblies and other activities that require close contact or that would promote congregating, such as tournaments and competitions, are not permitted at this time. Youth sports and physical education are permitted only when physical distancing of at least six feet and a stable cohort of participants, such as a class, can be maintained. Activities should take place outside to the maximum extent possible. United Way COVID-19 Local Relief Fund helps 97 Placer County families In a span of three months, United Way California Capital Region's COVID-19 Local Relief Fund dispersed $48,500 to 97 families in need in Placer County through a one-time $500 distribution to each family to help offset costs of rent, bills and other basic needs. United Way worked with Kids First and Lighthouse Community Counseling to identify low-income families in the county whose lives were disrupted by the pandemic and ensure they received the help they needed. United Way raised a total of $572,000 through the fund and worked with 11 nonprofit partners across the region to help 1,145 families in Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties. The fund closed at the end of June, but the structure remains in place in case of a second wave. "Stories continue to pour in from families across our region who have received help through our Local Relief Fund," said Stephanie Bray, president and CEO, United Way California Capital Region. "The vast majority of those we served lost income during the stay-at-home order and needed help paying rent and bills. With so many families in our region just one paycheck away from homelessness, gifts to our fund helped avert an immediate crisis for these families and our community." Four more COVID-19 fatalities reported Aug. 9 to Aug. 11 As state officials Aug. 11 reported that a total of 10,468 Californians have so far died from COVID-19, Placer County Health Department reported four fatalities in mid and south Placer County between Aug. 9 and Aug. 11. There were 2,377 confirmed cases in Placer County as of Aug. 11, up from 1,953 cases a week ago Tuesday, according to the Placer County Public Health Department. Many residents, as they follow stay-at-home orders issued to stop the virus from spreading, are concerned about the rising COVID-19 cases and deaths in Placer County and throughout the state. California, as of Aug. 11, had a total of 574,411 confirmed cases. There were 10,189 COVID-19 deaths in California on Aug. 8, according to the California Department of Public Health. By Aug. 11, 279 new cases brought the number to 10,468. Placer County Public Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson urges residents to continue practicing preventative measures. "There is a need to maintain coronavirus-safe behavior, especially as we head into fall. There is a risk that COVID-19 in combination with regular flu season will place an added burden on our local hospital system," Sisson said. "Continuing to practice physical distancing, wearing face coverings in public, maintaining hand hygiene and avoiding gatherings will help reduce disease spread. This in turn will support efforts to reopen businesses and schools." Council approves restaurant assistance grant program through CARES Act funds Rocklin City Council approved on Aug. 8 a proposal that would help allocate funds to local restaurants with incurred expenses, resulting from the impact of COVID-19. City staff's proposal aims to allocate up to $300,000 from Rocklin's $868,621 allotment of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that was signed into law in March. The funds would create a Restaurant Assistance Program in conjunction with the Rocklin Area Chamber of Commerce. "Part of the reason why we're recommending restaurants is because we feel that, given the limited amount of dollars available for this purpose, it makes more sense for us to use a target approach for supporting businesses," said Assistant City Manager Marc Mondell, noting approximately 150 restaurants in Rocklin that could be eligible for the assistance program. "We did consider, in working with the chamber, could we support a larger variety of businesses? We felt ultimately that the limited dollars wouldn't go that far or make that much of an impact with (other) businesses." Loomis Town Council unanimously approves Costco project Behind a unanimous decision Aug. 11, the Loomis Town Council approved the Costco project located at the corner of Sierra College Boulevard and Brace Road. Accompanied by longstanding concerns over potential traffic proliferation expressed by several local business representatives, area residents and most notably the city of Rocklin, Loomis Town Council members largely highlighted the benefits and necessity for Costco. Of the 155,000-square-foot Costco retail facility with accompanying 24-pump gas station, Loomis Mayor Jan Clark-Crets expressed confidence in project revisions and praised public input. In addition to the economic benefits, Clark-Crets spoke of Costco's business ethics as being a driving force behind her confidence in the project. "Yes, Costco will be a huge boon for Loomis and bring new and much needed revenue to our town," Clark-Crets said. "But it's so much more than that. The Costco corporation is renowned for dedicating quality to every area of their business and their outstanding respected business ethics. The town of Loomis is getting a Costco, one of the most premier and family-friendly businesses that we could hope for." Clark-Crets addressed several instances from the past two years where she said city of Rocklin staff were either uncommunicative or created obstacles. While Clark-Crets noted initial positive conversations with Rocklin City council members, she said, "the Rocklin city staff that has worked on this project has systematically and strategically torpedoed it from the beginning." How south Placer is enforcing COVID-19 guidelines With Placer County officials leaving COVID-19 guideline enforcement to the incorporated areas of the county, each city and town within southern Placer County is taking slightly different approaches to enforcement. "Enforcement has been and remains the discretion of local jurisdictions," Placer County public information officer Chris Gray-Garcia said. "We continue to refer complaints about businesses and activities in our incorporated cities to those cities for further engagement. In unincorporated Placer County, we continue our outreach and education approach to ensure our businesses are clear on the requirements of state orders and to help connect them with all available resources to help them through these incredibly challenging times." Christie Lynn Wilson's remains found Almost 15 years later, the remains of Christie Lynn Wilson have been recovered. In October 2005, the Placer County Sheriff's Office investigated the murder of 27-year-old Christie Lynn Wilson. The investigation resulted in Mario Garcia's arrest. Wilson was last seen in the Thunder Valley Casino parking lot with him. The Placer County District Attorney's Office prosecuted Garcia and he was convicted of first-degree murder. Despite extensive searches throughout Placer and Nevada counties, according to Placer County Sheriff Devon Bell and District Attorney Morgan Gire, Wilson's remains were not found until this month. Over a period of four days, Placer County Sheriff's Office detectives and Placer County District Attorney's Office investigators conducted additional searches at Garcia's former residence in Auburn. They scanned the four-and-a-half-acre lot using Ground Penetrating Radar technology. Detectives and investigators recovered skeletal remains that were brought to the Placer County Morgue for examination, according to officials. Dental records confirmed the remains found on the property formerly owned by Garcia are those of Christie Wilson. County leaders request state to let businesses reopen indoor operations, due to poor air quality Placer County Supervisors and area mayors called on the state Aug. 20 to reopen indoor business operations as soon as possible amid the state's damaging air quality due to wildfires. The county was taken off the state's COVID-19 watch list Aug. 19. Being off the list allows Placer County schools to begin the 14-day countdown to resume in-person instruction if they choose. Last week, the county sent a letter to the state asking that business be allowed the same path toward reopening. Health safety with smoke polluted air With more than two dozen fires burning across California, the air quality across the state and especially in the Sacramento region has become a major health risk for thousands of residents. The levels of smoke that Placer County has seen this year is not uncommon if compared to smoke from the King Fire in 2014 or the Camp Fire in 2018, according to a Placer County Air Pollution Control District news release. On Aug 24, the Placer County Public Health Office and the Placer County Air Pollution Control District extended the poor air quality advisory, due to the fires. The health agencies issued information on the dangers of smoke and how to avoid its harmful effects to the body. "Smoke contains very tiny particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs," the health agencies explained. "While all people may experience varying degrees of symptoms, the more sensitive individuals - such as young, aged and those with respiratory conditions - are at greatest risk of experiencing serious symptoms." Reginald Williams new Rocklin Fire Chief For Rocklin Fire Chief Reginald Williams, firefighters are the community's life-insurance policy. "We respond on their worst days and try to make them better," he said. Williams, whose first day on the job was Aug. 3, oversees the department's 41 employees and $10.7-million budget. Prior to coming to Rocklin, he spent 25 years with the San Jose Fire Department. He started as a firefighter paramedic and went on to serve as an engineer and battalion chief before becoming assistant chief, according to city of Rocklin officials. As he settles into the new job in Rocklin, the coronavirus looms large. "I would say the current challenges are what everyone is dealing with, the pandemic we are in and responding to COVID 19 and ensuring that our firefighters and first responders are safe and healthy but that we continue to serve the community," Williams said. "We are all doing the same best practices. We're limiting our exposure, sending one firefighter into a residence to do an evaluation before we send in the entire team. It's a benefit for the resident as well as for fire personnel. We do that without reducing the level of care." City looks to sell Tower Theatre Roseville City Council approved an option agreement to sell the Tower Theatre at 417 Vernon St. in downtown Roseville to the University Development Foundation for $1 to support higher education. In 1989, Angelo Tsakopoulos donated the Tower Theater to the city with the restrictions that the city could not sell the property without first consulting with Tsakopoulos and that the building could only be used for the advancement of the arts in Roseville. The option for University Development Foundation to purchase the building will last for one year in which time the deed restrictions will still be in place, according to the city's staff report. If the foundation decides to purchase the building, deed restrictions would be gone and any changes made to the building would go through the Planning Commission and potentially the City Council, according to Roseville Economic Development director Laura Matteoli. Coronavirus relief funds to go to Rocklin restaurants Rocklin City Council officially authorized a contract with the Rocklin Area Chamber of Commerce to administer the new Restaurant Business Assistance Program. A staff report presented at the Aug. 25 council meeting also set eligibility requirements for the grants that would be up to $3,000. At the Aug. 11 meeting, the council approved $200,000 in coronavirus relief funds for the program, along with $25,000 in coronavirus relief funds' funding to the chamber for administrative costs of overseeing it. According to the staff presentation Tuesday, restaurants applying for the grants must be for-profit, locally-owned/operated and have no more than 30 full-time equivalent employees. Eateries with up to five employees will have first priority, business with six to 30 employees second priority. Restaurants must be located in Rocklin city limits and offer dine-in service, as of March 1, 2020. Other requirements include a current Rocklin business license and being in good standing with the city as of Feb. 1 (no liens, judgments or excessive code violations). Franchisee applicants can not own more than two franchises. RUSD facing bullying lawsuit by Rocklin family A Rocklin family is suing the Rocklin Unified School District and one of its high schools for allegedly ignoring the parents' and their son's requests to investigate acts of bullying against their son. All Rocklin Unified School District members mentioned in the lawsuit, District Superintendent Roger Stock, Whitney High School Principal Justin Cutts and Whitney High School Vice Principal Jason Feuerbach, denied to comment as the case is in litigation. Ryan Lewis, 16, is now a Del Oro High School junior in Loomis. Lewis said he transferred on June 6, 2019 from Whitney High School at the end of his freshman year, after having his locker urinated in, gossiped about and being harassed by other athletes. According to Ryan's father, Stewart Lewis, Ryan has always been a high achiever in the classroom as much as he has been in athletics. Ryan was set to play quarterback for Whitney's varsity football team as a sophomore for the 2019/20 season. The bullying started around October 2018 at the end of the football season, Ryan said, after players found out he would move up to varsity the next year. "That kind of set some people off because I would be competing for a position that others are also competing for," Ryan Lewis said. Sunsplash faces COVID-19 enforcement by city Golfland Sunsplash could receive up to a $500 daily fine from the city of Roseville for not adhering to Gov. Gavin Newsom's order for waterparks and other businesses to close to stop the spread of COVID-19. The waterpark reopened at least three-plus weeks ago with large crowds and has not slowed down in popularity since. The mini-golf course and go-carts are also operational but the arcade and indoor laser tag are closed. At 11 a.m. Aug. 7, customers of all ages streamed into the waterpark with no face coverings and customers crowding together near the ticket-purchasing machines. According to Roseville public information officer Brian Jacobson last week, the waterpark has about two weeks until it will receive its first fine of $100 if it does not close. Roseville code enforcement employees have visited the business three times. The COVID-19 enforcement model for the city is to first provide compliance education to the business, second is for code enforcement to provide three warnings and third is for the Roseville Police Department to issue fines starting at $100. Sutter Roseville to see increased security Sutter Roseville Medical Center will have increased security this fall as Roseville City Council approved a grant from the medical provider for $735,417 to provide four police officers to the medical campus. The grant will fund four Roseville Police officers to serve as an additional security force for Sutter Roseville Medical Center. According to Roseville Police Captain Josh Simon, with the increased number of patients at Sutter Roseville Medical Center due to the new Emergency Department opening in April, the hospital has an increased need for a police presence. "As an example, if an assault patient comes into the emergency room, our officers must respond to investigate," Simon said. "If a patient becomes combative, our officers respond to assist. If a victim of a violent crime is flown to Sutter Roseville from a distant jurisdiction, our officers are often called to stand by with the patient until the appropriate officers' jurisdictions can make the drive to Roseville." Happy 103rd birthday to Doris Mesle On Monday morning, Rocklin resident Doris Mesle celebrated her 103rd birthday with a parade of 40-plus cars, including three Roseville Police Department cars that played the "Happy Birthday" song through their speaker system. "I am shocked," Mesle said. "I wasn't expecting this. I thought we were just gonna do cupcakes and ice cream." Mesle was born on Aug 17, 1917 during the final year of World War One and the beginning of the Spanish Flu. "This getting old is cramping my style and I don't like it one bit," Mesle said. Mesle joined the civilian United States Air Force on July 21, 1952 in Rome, New York as an items manager with her husband, Doug Mesle, who also served in the civilian Air Force. Mesle worked in New York for 13 years before being transferred with her husband to Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma for nine years. In 1974, Mesle and her husband were transferred one last time to McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento where they retired on Jan 10, 1980. Blue Line Arts brightens 2020 with Mural Project Blue Line Arts unveiled its Roseville Mural Project last summer that allowed well-known and up-and-coming artists to bring public art to Downtown Roseville and this summer, the project returns. Like last year, there will be five artists and five walls throughout the downtown area that will receive a one-of-a-kind mural work selected by a design committee. According to Blue Line Arts co-executive director Brooke Abrames, the design committee consisted of city employees, Blue Line Arts members and owners of the buildings that the art will go on. Abrames said that entries from across the county and the world were received, even with COVID-19 causing some issues with the project. "Because of COVID, though, we really didn't want anyone travelling for this so we tried to keep it as local as possible," Abrames said. This year's artists are Lin Fei Fei, Cassandra Burgess, Esther Chow, Zoey Rosenthal and MJ Lindo. Treemation burial to give life after death The Roseville Public Cemetery District has come up with a new burial option that not only is more cost-effective but can improve the cemetery's beauty and nature. Roseville Public Cemetery District Superintendent Kelly Ehrman came up with the idea of treemation after seeing memorial trees on Facebook. "I just came up with the idea as I went," Ehrman said. "We are the only county cemetery around that does it and we might be the only one in all of California because no one had ever heard of it before." The process of treemation, according to Ehrman, is to cremate the body and place it in a biodegradable cardboard urn to be buried beneath a tree of the deceased's choice. Ehrman said that most individuals and families ask to be buried under or near a tree so there is shade when others visit the grave. "I have been doing this for 23 years," Ehrman said. "Most people that get buried want to be by a tree because the actual cemetery is for the living and they want to be in the shade." September South Placer chambers of commerce petition for indoor operations The Open South Placer Safely Coalition, comprised of the Lincoln, Loomis, Rocklin and Roseville chamber of commerces, gave support Aug. 27 to the Placer County Board of Supervisors to bring businesses back inside due to the forecasted poor air quality in the county. The coalition created a petition that received 716 signatures within the first 24 hours, according to the coalition representatives. On Aug 21, the Placer County Board of Supervisors, along with several mayors in the county, sent a letter to acting State Public Health Officer Erica Pan to allow Placer County businesses to resume indoor operation due to the high amount of smoke in the air. Deputy secretary of external affairs Kate Folmar with the California Health and Human Services Agency said that the governor does not intend to give an exception to counties looking to reopen indoor operations due to poor air quality. In an Aug. 24 Auburn Journal article, Placer County Supervisor Cindy Gustafson said, "This isn't about profit over health. It's about all types of health, including mental health." However, the coalition of area chambers of commerce has a different motive of why the businesses should be allowed to open back up. "The Galleria needs to be opened," Roseville Area Chamber of Commerce Wendy Gerig said. "The anchors (stores) are the only ones allowed to open at this point (not all are) due to their exterior entrance. There are 220 inline stores and eating establishments that can't open – shopping online erodes our local sales tax revenue." An inline store is one that only has an entrance from within the mall. When asked if their concerns for public health were brought on by forecasted air quality index numbers or the daily amounts of pollution in the air, Gerig said that there was no proof to force businesses outside in the first place. "Our concerns are based on the fact that stats never proved that indoor dining, gyms, personal care salons, etc. were the source of the spike but we're the ones to be punished," Gerig said. On Aug. 28, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new tier base framework toward reopening counties, which looks at a county's new daily cases per 100,000 residents and the overall testing positivity rate. From worst to best, the framework indicates widespread (purple), substantial (red), moderate (orange) and minimal (yellow) levels of a county's positivity rate and daily cases per 100,000 people. According to the California Health and Human Services Agency, if a county has a metric that places it in a more restrictive tier than the other, the state will place the county in the more restrictive tier. A more restrictive tier means that certain businesses can not resume indoor operations or that the indoor capacity might be lower than a less restrictive tier. As of Aug. 31, Placer County's COVID-19 metrics is considered widespread, which means that the county is essentially back on the county monitoring watchlist, according to California Secretary of Health and Human Services Agency Dr. Mark Ghaly. Within the purple tier, restrictions on business sectors remain the same, although hair salons and barbershops can now reopen to indoor operations with modifications. According to Placer County Public Health Department's, schools are allowed to resume in-person instruction and will not require a waiver from the county. According to the Placer County Health Department, Placer County received a response from the California Department of Public Health indicating that schools will be allowed the option to resume in-person instruction on Sept. 1, as they would have after coming off the previous Monitoring List. The first weekly assessment by the California Department of Health and Human Services will be Sept. 8 to determine if the county will remain in the current tier or progress to the red tier. Placer County moves to COVID-19 red tier With the state's first weekly assessment under the new Blueprint for a Safer Economy tier structure, Placer County was placed in the red tier Sept. 8. The county was initially placed in the purple tier, which replaces the state's County Monitoring List and indicates widespread coronavirus within a county, due to the state using COVID-19 data from early August. According to the weekly Placer County COVID-19 update, the seven-day testing positivity rate was 3.8 percent for the week ending Aug. 18 and 4.5 percent as of Sept. 3, each falling within the orange tier. The seven-day daily case rate was 5.3 for the week ending Aug. 18 and 4.96 as of Sept. 3, both falling within the red tier. Based on the data for that two-week period, the county anticipated moving to the red tier, which indicates substantial COVID-19 spread. According to the state's blueprint, more businesses will be allowed to reopen and expand operations: Shopping centers will be able to open with 50-percent maximum capacity and reduced food court capacityPersonal-care services, museums, zoos and aquariums can operate indoors with modificationsPlaces of worship and movie theaters can operate indoors with 25-percent maximum capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewerGyms and fitness centers, including fitness centers within hotels, can operate indoors with 10-percent maximum capacityRestaurants can operate indoors with 25-percent maximum capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer.Based on the state's metrics, counties must remain in a tier for a minimum of three weeks and meet the criteria for two consecutive weeks to progress to the next tier. To move to the orange tier, a daily case rate between 1 and 3.9 per 100,000 residents, an average of 4 to 15.6 cases per day, would need to be reached. The county's testing positivity would also need to remain within 2 to 4.9 percent for the remainder of the month. On the other hand, if a spike in cases occurs and the daily case rate rises to greater than 7 or the testing positivity rises to greater than 8 percent for two consecutive weeks, Placer County could regress to the purple tier. Dr. Sisson did her job well This is not an easy time to be a doctor, let alone a county public health officer. With the worst pandemic that we've ever experienced, COVID-19, and now hazardous bad air during our extended fire season, we rely more than ever on our health professionals. California law requires each county to appoint a health officer, who must be a physician. The Board of Supervisors is required to ensure that the health officer has sufficient authority and resources, and that the organizational structure does not impede the health officer from carrying out their duties, according to California Government Code 3002. Since March, health officers have given us news we don't want to hear, such as to stay indoors and away from others who are not in our household to keep from catching and spreading COVID-19. The county health officials try to make us understand why state orders tell us to stay indoors because of the dangerous virus with long-lasting effects, and more recently, because of the smoky bad air. The Placer County Board of Supervisors this summer stripped Placer County public health officer Dr. Aimee Sisson of her responsibilities related to COVID-19. On June 23, the county supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution to return the authority to terminate the local COVID-19 emergency to them, which was previously delegated to the health officer under the supervisors' March 9 resolution. And on Sept. 8, Placer County's supervisors unanimously voted to end the declaration of the local health emergency regarding COVID-19. The Placer County public information office sent out a press release Sept. 9 saying that Sisson resigned as the Placer County health officer and public health director. The release said that Sisson was highly credited as being a leader in limiting the spread of COVID-19 and protecting the community from the virus during the last seven months. Yet Sisson said that the Sept. 8 action by the Placer County Board of Supervisors "made it clear that I can no longer effectively serve in my role as Placer County Health Officer and Public Health Director." Unfortunately, supervisors the last seven months questioned many of Sisson's COVID-19 decisions that were based on facts and dictated by the state Public Health Department. Some of the supervisors tried to micromanage her, although her job required her to follow state policies at all times. Sisson was always a proponent of reopening Placer schools and businesses; she was doing it safely and under state mandates, even when county supervisors and many residents denied that. As for the Placer supervisors who said the local emergency was over on Sept. 8, there were 3,220 confirmed cases in Placer County with 33 patients in the hospital and 12 patients in the ICU that day. As of Sept. 13, the county's number of cases increased to 3,316 with 31 patients in the hospital and nine patients in ICU. Health experts say that COVID-19 will not be under control until a vaccine is available and that cases are expected to surge this winter. In addition, the Mayo Clinic recently said that COVID-19 symptoms can sometimes persist for months and the virus can damage the lungs, heart and brain, which increases the risk of long-term health problems. So to say that the local emergency is over seems premature. Supervisor Kirk Uhler, who lost his seat in the March 3 election, was quoted on KCRA 3 as hinting that Placer County will not enforce violations, including those referring to social distancing guidelines and wearing facial coverings. "All I'm saying is the county is not enforcing any of this," Uhler told the reporter outside a Placer County restaurant. "If they are not selling alcohol or subject to a state license, they are free to make whatever decision they think is responsible." That Placer County restaurant, by the way, showed customers at the bar within six feet of each other and not wearing facial coverings. Placer ag value increases 17 percent in 2019 Strong prices and an increase in planted acreage of rice and walnut crops in Placer County helped drive a 17-percent increase of total crop value in 2019. That's according to the 2019 Placer County Agricultural Crop Report, presented to the county Board of Supervisors as an informational item at its meeting in early September. Placer County's total gross value of agricultural crops and products for 2019 was $86,707,959; representing an increase of $14,005,069 or 17 percent above 2018's value of $72,702,890. The annual totals reflect the gross value of agricultural crops and products, not the net incomes producers receive. Rice retained its spot as Placer County's top-grossing crop with a value of $25,766,652, which represented a $5-million increase due to strong prices and an increase in planted acreage. Although down significantly from 2018, beef cattle and calves remained second in overall value, with a total value of $12,925,000. Walnuts took over the third position at $11,777,842 with a significant increase in value of more than $6 million due to much of the recently planted new acreage coming into production. Placer County's fourth- and fifth- top crops for 2019 respectively were nursery stock at $7,048,500 and timber at $6,026,000. Loomis improvements on Taylor Road to be completed early A ribbon-cutting later this month will celebrate the completion of Taylor Road improvements that began in early June The project included overlay of Taylor Road from the 3200 block to Lemos Ranch Drive, addition of sidewalk on the west side of Taylor from Horseshoe Bar Road to Webb Street and from King Road to the 3500 block and extension of the bike trail about a half-mile from north of Del Oro High School to Lemos Ranch Drive. Phase three of the Downtown Master Plan cost $1.8 million and was contracted to Western Engineering and Asphalt in Loomis. The work came in on budget and about three weeks ahead of schedule, town of Loomis Public Works director Britton Snipes said. "I'm very happy with the way it turned out and excited to see people walking and using the bike trail," Snipes said. "It's a healthier alternative to driving everywhere." The road resurfacing was a much-needed fix, too. "The problem we were having was a lot of potholes on that section," he said. "People drive fast on that section. It was dangerous for (crews) to be out there filling potholes. It really needed to be overlaid so we weren't out there filling potholes all the time." This week's final touches included railing placement along the sidewalk and cleanup from Taylor Road to Horseshoe Bar and cleanup on Taylor Road from Del Oro High School to the town limit. Rocklin Police Chief Chad Butler named interim city manager Rocklin City Council has named Police Chief Chad Butler as interim city manager. He will step in for Steven Rudolph, who retires on Sept. 18. Butler begins the new duties on Sept. 19, while continuing as police chief. He will receive a 10- percent pay increase during the interim, boosting his base salary to $249,679.10. "The crucial part is having somebody here who is able to handle any emergency and this is what you live and breathe to do," Vice Mayor Jill Gayaldo said. "And we're able to do it quite frankly because we have an exceptionally strong assistant city manager and management staff." Butler will serve up to six months during the search for a new city manager. The Sept. 8 council meeting also included a Resolution of Appreciation and Commendation for Rudolph. He joined the staff in February 2017 as city attorney. He became city manager in May 2018. "(Rudolph) has achieved many notable accomplishments including leading the citywide strategic planning effort, overseeing major improvements to recreational amenities including opening the West Trails at the Sunset Whitney Recreational Area and starting operations at Quarry Park Adventures, all while acting as a good steward to city resources, consistently recommending a balanced city budget to council," the commendation says. Loomis Town Council to form community-operated General Plan committees The Loomis Town Council on Sept. 8 evaluated recommendations from town staff on the formation of several committees to assist in the Loomis General Plan. The mission of a General Plan Update Committee would be to provide the Town Planning Commission and Town Council with local insight into issues and solutions on specific topics. Loomis business owners, property owners and residents will bring unique experience and knowledge to the town in how best to meet its goals through policies and implementation, according to town officials. "We're looking for engagement from the community using the committee process," said staff planning consultant Anders Hauge during Tuesday's Town Council presentation. Hauge noted the intent of forming these committees is to "maintain the town's vision" for the next 20 years. Cat owners need to license their feline In an effort to reduce the number of stray cats that end up at the Placer SPCA, Roseville City Council voted to require owners to license their cats. According to Roseville Police Lt. Brian Lewis, 1,441 cats were brought to the SPCA last year where 62 were picked up by owners, 126 were euthanized and 1,253 were fostered, adopted or released. As part of the municipal code, it will also require veterinarians to provide monthly reports on vaccinations to the city in order to cross report with the licensing records. City officials hope that these measures will reduce the cost of having these animals sent to the SPCA. "In 2019, the city paid $468,325 in cat expenses alone to the SPCA," Lewis said. For cats that are chipped, the licensing fee will be $21 and those without chips will be $42. This is in line with the licensing fee for dogs, according to Lewis. Roseville Planning Commission approves demo of Belvedere Hotel Residents might be seeing the final days of the Belvedere Hotel in Historic Old Town Roseville as the Roseville Planning Commission approved plans to demolish the hotel so developers can build 18 high-rise single family homes on the property. After an hour-plus long discussion on Aug. 27, with testimony from residents and local organizations in opposition and in support of the project, the commission unanimously voted to approve the project. Roseville associate city planner Charity Gold told the commission that the 103-year-old building holds no historical significance to the city and that the project to build the homes falls in line with the city's Downtown Specific Plan. Those who called into the meeting voiced their concern of how demolishing the Belvedere Hotel will cause the city to lose one of its most important historical buildings in the city. Corpse Flower provides suspenseful bloom For almost a decade, Roseville High School faculty and students have been waiting for its third Corpse Flower to bloom in the Gene Domek Greenhouse on campus. In 2011, the school achieved its first bloom of its Corpse Flower, called "Tiger" after the school's mascot. Roseville High School was one of the few Corpse Flowers to bloom outside a large botanical garden or university, according to school officials. Roseville High School's second attempt in 2017 did not bear fruit as the Corpse Flower "Corona" failed to bloom. This year's flower, named "Thing Two," has reached more than six feet tall and was expected to bloom on Monday or Tuesday. But with smoke blocking out the needed sunlight, the plant's bloom has been delayed, according to Roseville High School teacher CJ Arrington. "The day it opens, the campus greenhouse will be open for a safe and sane public viewing late into the night free of charge, and everyone is invited to come experience this wonder of the plant kingdom," Arrington said. Placer County stays wrapped in orange glow An orange glow was cast across the buildings and streets of downtown Roseville, as well as throughout Placer County, Tuesday as a massive blanket of smoke from nearby wildfires envelopes the region. With an air quality index over 400 placing the air quality index into hazardous, Placer County Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson and the Placer County Air Pollution Control District called for an air quality advisory due to the increased level of smoke. "Smoke contains very tiny particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs," Sisson and the Air Pollution Control District said in a press release. "While all people may experience varying degrees of symptoms, the more sensitive individuals - such as young, aged and those with respiratory conditions - are at greatest risk of experiencing serious symptoms. Symptoms may include, but are not limited to, coughing, watery and itchy eyes, headache, scratchy throat and difficulty in breathing." Along with the heavy smoke was an increased amount of ash in the air falling and collecting on the ground. WWII veteran celebrates 100th birthday with hot rods This Sunday, World War II B-17 bomber pilot W.B. "Dub" Holland will celebrate his 100th birthday with a Roseville birthday parade from the Rods and Relics car club and the Lincoln Sports Car Club. Born on Sept. 13, 1920 in Fresno, Holland joined the Army Air Corps in 1940 where he was stationed in England until he finished his full term of service and was honorably discharged. After leaving the military, Holland returned to Fresno where he attended the Frank Wiggins Trade School to learn about photography. Holland started a photography business, Dub Holland Photography, where he took photos for school picture days, weddings, youth sports and passports. He had 30 employees and Holland eventually built his own mobile photo studio to serve the growing school districts in the area. Holland built the mobile studio on a Lazy Daze RV that he would tow with his station wagon. His business portfolio expanded and he began selling RV's in California and Oregon. Roseville City Council invests in public safety The Roseville City Council approved $345,000 in protective equipment for the Roseville Fire Department and the Roseville Police Department during its Wednesday meeting. Roseville City Council approved a purchase agreement through 2023 with Allstar Fire Equipment to provide structural turnout clothing for the Fire Department. "The clothing provides protection from heat, steam, blood borne pathogens, falling objects and provides for visibility/identification," Roseville Fire Chief Rick Bartee wrote in his staff report. "It is imperative that this equipment is in good working order at all times." The city will pay $105,000 to Allstar Fire for fiscal years 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23. A purchase order of body armor for the Police Department was also approved by City Council to either replace expired armor or outfit new officers with body armor. The armor cost is $30,000 and is included in the Police Department's 2020/21 budget, according to its staff report. Rocklin Unified looking to take next reopening steps The Rocklin Unified School District left its mark on local history to be one of the first transitional kindergarten through 12th-grade districts in Placer County to reopen campuses for in-person learning. Students stepped back on campus Sept. 21 to be in the classroom for the first time since statewide school closures in March, due to COVID-19 and Gov Gavin Newsom's state-of-emergency orders. Currently, the district is in its first stage of reopening that has students and teachers working with a hybrid in-class and at-home education program. Transitional kindergarten through first-grade will be on campus five days a week. Second-grade through 12th-grade classes, however, are using the hybrid system that has students on campus for two to three days and the two or three remaining days using distance learning. "It was a tremendous amount of hard work and collaboration that got us here," school district Superintendent Roger Stock said. "Our teachers, our principal, our custodians, you name it, have been working extremely hard to come up with options to make in- person learning work." Whitney High School freshman history teacher and Rocklin Teachers Professional Association President Travis Mougeotte said that being back on campus is a bit "weird." "There are just so many things as a teacher that you do and that you are trained to do and that you are required to do, that we are absolutely not to be doing right now," Mougeotte said. "Kids in classrooms are not nearly as talkative and active because it is weird and awkward for them as well." Roseville ranked 45th for best place to live in U.S. Against more than 1,890 cities throughout the nation, the city of Roseville has been ranked the 45th best city to live in by Money.com for its 2020 survey. Not only was Roseville ranked in the Top 50 cities, it is the only Californian city amongst the 1,890 cities. According to the article, Roseville's relatively-inexpensive real estate market, city-owned utility and waste services, homeownership rate, high-paying job opportunities and large retail offerings earned it placement in the Top 50 cities. Money.com research found that the median housing cost is $461,000, which is 10 percent below the state average, and that 63 percent of residents own their home, compared to the state's 55-percent ownership rate. To select its top 50 cities, Money.com starts with 1,890 cities and, through a series of filters, narrows down its search for their researchers to go out and make a final judgement, according to Roseville city officials. "The team of reporters then researched every location to ensure that the statistics were a true representation of each place and that other negative factors weren't at play," according to a city of Roseville press release. October Loomis Union schools return to campus in cohorts Sept. 27 was the first day back in the classroom for the first group of Loomis Union School District students. "It's nice to see us do school the way school is meant to be done, in person," said Loomis Union School District Superintendent Gordon Medd. The district implemented a two-cohort in-person model in which the first group physically attends classes Mondays and Tuesdays while the second attends Thursdays and Fridays. Students whose families elected to remain in distance-learning mode are allowed to do so until the end of the fall semester, Medd said. They will have the option to continue distance learning after the winter break if they choose. Live-streamed instruction is available for distance learning students at the same time in-person classes are taught. Wednesdays are reserved for strictly distance learning for all students until the district re-evaluates the success of the hybrid model. Rocklin Unified School District to stick with hybrid learning Four COVID-19 cases seen first week back to campus After a nearly six-hour meeting on Sept. 28, the Rocklin Unified School District Board of Trustees in a 3-2 vote decided to not take the next step in reopening with a full five-day school schedule. The board voted in favor of continuing on with its hybrid learning system that began on Sept. 21, which has smaller groups of students rotating between in class and at home learning during the week. The amount of public engagement on the item was high as more than 100 members of the public provided write-in comments and 41 teachers, students and parents called in to represent the feelings of several grade levels across the district. Of those 41 callers, 33 opposed the initial motion to begin a five-day school week in October. The remaining eight callers were parents who wanted to go to a five-day in-person schedule or have different school schedules between secondary and primary schools. Many of the students who called in were from the district's high schools, which during the first week back to school saw an outbreak of four COVID-19 cases. Disabled Parking Placards misuse common Did you know that it's illegal to drive with Disabled Person Parking Placards dangling from your rearview mirrors? How about it being against the law to use someone else's placard for your own benefit? According to California state law, a parking placard for a disabled person can only be used by the person to whom it is assigned. If caught, these misdemeanor offenders might find themselves before a judge, paying fines and possibly having the offense on their driving records. Depending on the jurisdiction, fines range from $250 to $1,000. Disabled Parking Placards misuse has become so common that one in every 12 Californians has been guilty of it, according to Nicholas Filipas, a Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) public information officer for the state. In Placer County, Filipas said, about one out of 30 individuals has been guilty of the offense. Placer County progresses to orange COVID-19 tier Placer County was placed in the orange COVID-19 tier Oct. 13. The county remained in the red tier following the Sept. 28 assessment, due to the metrics data from the period of Sept. 13 to 19, which the county's Oct. 2 update noted included "an increase in the proportion of cases who had participated in large gatherings …, which could be connected to Labor Day gatherings and activities." Placer County was initially placed in the red tier Sept. 8. According to the state's assessment for the period of Sept. 27 to Oct. 3, Placer County's testing positivity rate was 2 percent, which falls within the orange tier, and the adjusted case rate was 3.9, which also falls within the orange tier. Since the Oct. 5 assessment, the county's testing positivity rate increased 0.1 percent and the case rate increased by 1.4. With the new tier standing, some businesses will be allowed to expand operations further, whereas others will now be allowed to reopen. Placer County will remain in the orange tier for three weeks and have its next placement assessment Nov. 3. To remain in the orange tier at that time, the adjusted case rate would need to remain between 1 and 3.9, and the testing positivity rate would need to remain between 2 and 4.9 percent for the two-week period before the assessment date. If either metric exceeds these thresholds, Placer County could regress to the red tier. As of Oct. 14, there were 3,838 total confirmed COVID-19 cases and 51 COVID-19 deaths in Placer County. Don't put off getting your mammogram because of COVID-19 While the COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting our daily routines as we physically distance and stay away from others as much as possible, the pandemic is also causing residents to postpone their annual mammograms. Many residents are putting off annual medical visits this year, waiting until the COVID-19 threat is reduced. Since the average risk of a woman in the United States developing breast cancer today is about 13 percent or one out of every eight women, that postponement could become a matter of life and death. Statistics estimate 42,690 deaths (42,170 women and 520 men) from breast cancer this year. Breast cancer is the second most common cause of death from cancer in women in the United States, after lung cancer. Today, more than 3.8 million American women have been diagnosed with breast cancer and an estimated 2,620 men will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology. In 2016, about 3.5 million women throughout the country had breast cancer, according to federal figures. So breast cancer is not diminishing. A statistic shared for several years by breast cancer experts is that a woman every two minutes on the average is diagnosed with breast cancer in the U.S. This year, that number is lower, not because the disease has gone away but because fewer women are going for their regular mammograms during the pandemic. "We know that many people are not getting their recommended cancer screenings now due to COVID concerns (i.e. staying home instead of doing routine screenings) so that number isn't accurate in 2020 but would likely be in a typical year," said Gretchen Groves, American Cancer Society's West Region communications director. "It's important to also share that delaying screenings can lead to finding cancer later when it's more difficult to treat. It's recommended that if someone is experiencing symptoms they are concerned about, they contact their health care provider about the best course of action for them at this time." There is currently no cure for breast cancer and its early diagnosis is critical to survival. This year in California, according to Groves, there will be an estimated 30,650 new cases of breast cancer. A breast cancer diagnosis a few decades ago could have had grim results. Fortunately, that's not the case anymore as new medical treatments within the last decade have resulted in positive outcomes with survivors living a healthy life. Roseville Mayor Allard II retires from elected office after three decades In the late 1980s, then newly-married John Allard II and his wife, Lisa, spent a year looking around the region to find the perfect place to make a home and raise a family. "We kept coming back to Roseville," Allard said. "What's special is the community feel. Even as it gets bigger and is no longer a small town, people feel welcome and want to be involved. It's all about community." That was 33 years ago. For Allard II, who is now in the last few months of his term as Roseville City Councilman and mayor, it has been three decades filled with civic commitment. He credits his upbringing and the small-town ambiance of his childhood home, Turlock, for his strong affinity for public service. "My parents were very involved in service clubs, church and community events," he said. "My father was superintendent of schools for Stanislaus County for 12 years. We talked politics and government around the dinner table every night. Community service was very important to our parents." Rocklin Unified School District to stick with hybrid learning Four COVID-19 cases seen first week back to campus After a nearly six-hour meeting on Tuesday night, the Rocklin Unified School District Board of Trustees in a 3-2 vote decided to not take the next step in reopening with a full five-day school schedule. The board voted in favor of continuing on with its hybrid learning system that began on Sept. 21, which has smaller groups of students rotating between in class and at home learning during the week. The amount of public engagement on the item was high as more than 100 members of the public provided write-in comments and 41 teachers, students and parents called in to represent the feelings of several grade levels across the district. Of those 41 callers, 33 opposed the initial motion to begin a five-day school week in October. The remaining eight callers were parents who wanted to go to a five-day in-person schedule or have different school schedules between secondary and primary schools. Many of the students who called in were from the district's high schools, which during the first week back to school saw an outbreak of four COVID-19 cases. Whitney High School junior Carter Lewis was excited at the onset of hybrid learning as he would be able to have in-person social interactions with his friends. However, he has found that the learning material is not much different from at home and that there is too great a risk just to be able to see his friends in person. "Other students and I find ourselves being placed in a position where we could be easily contaminated, further spreading COVID and potentially spreading it to our loved ones," Lewis said. "Now attending school with 1,000 other people, my siblings and I are a threat to our families safety." Roseville filmmaker makes his directorial debut A local filmmaker is celebrating the first of two feature films set to be released this year. Roseville resident and 2010 William Jessup University graduate Ricky Borba, 42, made his directorial debut last month with the release of his first feature film, "My Brothers' Crossing." Borba, who graduated from Mission San Jose High School in Fremont, moved to Roseville in 2011 after living in Lincoln to attend William Jessup University. "My Brothers' Crossing" is based on the book, "In the Blink of an Eye: Forgiveness in Black and White," which depicts a true story of a black pastor who unintentionally has a head-on collision with his car into a motorcycle, killing a white couple shortly after the Missouri riots in 2014. The film was shot in 11 days in Virginia in May 2019 with a cast and crew filled with Sacramento and Placer County residents. It displays a contemporary feel of racial unrest in America and stresses the power of forgiveness and faith. Borba said the film could not have been released at a more significant time. "It needed to come out at this time," Borba said. "It's really truly helping people look at things differently, especially across racial lines." As of Sept. 8, "My Brothers' Crossing" held a 94-percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.1 stars out of a possible 10 on IMDB. Roseville invests in alternative power creation In an effort to keep up with the looming growth of the city of Roseville, the Roseville Environmental Utilities Department is undergoing a $47-million expansion of its Pleasant Grove Wastewater Treatment Plant. Ten percent of the project will be funded by grants and loans. Roseville Environmental Utilities assistant director of wastewater Ken Glotzbach said that the project's remaining cost will be covered by home builders as they build new homes and connect them to the city's sewage system. As this is a regional project, the city of Rocklin and Placer County will help pay for the project in proportion to their usage of the plant, according to Glotzbach. This expansion will be able to serve 30 percent or 10,000 more homes than what the plant is currently able to serve right now, according to Glotzbach. With a single home producing 300 gallons of waste water each day, the plant will have the ability to treat another 3,000,000 gallons of wastewater per day on top of its existing ability of 9.5 million gallons per day, according to Glotzbach. New Rocklin city manager begins job on Nov. 16 Rocklin City Council has named a new city manager, officially approving the appointment and employment agreement at its Oct. 14 meeting. Alexandra (Aly) Zimmermann, who has been Vista's assistant city manager since 2012, begins the job on Nov. 16. She replaces Steven Rudolph, who retired on Sept. 18. Zimmermann's three-year employment agreement provides an annual base salary of $240,000. She will also receive a city-paid $200,000 basic life insurance plan, AD&D policy for up to $200,000, automobile and cell phone allowance of $6,000 yearly, a retirement plan and other benefits provided to non-public safety department heads, a city press release said. Zimmermann's responsibilities in Vista included oversight of the city's $150-million operating budget, administration of the law enforcement contract with the San Diego County Sheriff and acting as city of Vista's chief labor negotiator, according to the release. "Ms. Zimmermann's experience across a broad spectrum of public administration responsibilities, along with her creative approach to new economic opportunities make her an ideal candidate to build on Rocklin's success well into the future," Rocklin Mayor Greg Janda said in the release. "We welcome Aly to Team Rocklin." Zimmermann was selected from a field of 73 applicants. Loomis Library to soon reopen to public The Loomis Library and Community Learning Center will reopen to the public, it was announced during the Oct. 14 Town Council meeting. Before Community Engagement librarian Sarah Comstock delivered a presentation of the library's annual report for fiscal year 2019-20, Loomis Town Manager Sean Rabe said the building will reopen "on a limited basis in the upcoming couple weeks." Despite challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, including a two-month closure from March 15 to May 20, the Loomis library exceeded expectations. "Despite being completely closed for two months, we still surpassed our circulation from last year," Comstock said, noting more than 21,500 items in circulation and an addition of close to 500 new card-carrying members. "I was very pleased with that." The library doubled the circulation from two years ago, and despite offering only curbside services since the end of May, was able to maintain 75 percent to 80 percent of the business it had at this time last year, Comstock said. "The library, in so many ways, is a reflection of the community," said Loomis Councilman Tim Onderko. "I hear a lot of people promote shopping local, which keeps the revenues coming in for the library. So, congratulations to the community in a lot of ways for stepping up and making a conscious effort to not only save it but make it something special." Roseville City Council receives first COVID-19 budget update After seven months of COVID-19 having a heavy hit on local economies across the nation, the Roseville City Council was presented with a budget update of how COVID-19 affected the city's economy from March through June. The city of Roseville closed out the 2019-2020 fiscal year on June 30 in the middle of a pandemic and an economic shutdown. That same night, it began the 2020-2021 fiscal year on uncharted waters. During its final meeting of the month on June 24, City Council made the decision to revisit the new 2020- 2021 budget in October to gain a better understanding of the COVID-19 impacts on the city and its economy. Roseville Assistant City Manager Dennis Kauffman's presentation informed City Council that the city came out better than expected but there still might be a long rebuilding process. On the issue of unemployment, the city remained under the state's unemployment rate. Even in March when the city was at 14 percent unemployment, the state had 16 percent unemployment, according to Kauffman. November County appeals to stay in orange instead of red tier During a Placer County Board of Supervisors meeting, Interim Placer County Health Officer Dr. Rob Oldham warned that the county could be back in red Tuesday if COVID-19 data continues the way it has in the county. The tiers are part of California's "Blueprint for a Safer Economy." Currently, Placer County is in the orange tier. The red tier indicates "substantial" spread of the virus, while the orange tier indicates "moderate" spread. If Placer County does return to the red tier, it would mean that restaurants and movie theaters would go back to 25-percent indoor capacity, malls would go to 50-percent capacity, wineries can only operate outside and breweries that don't sell food are closed. The two other tiers, Oldham said, are purple, the most restrictive tier for counties with widespread transmission, and yellow as the least restrictive tier for counties with minimal transmission. According to Oldham, the area of the county seeing the greatest spike in recent weeks has been the city of Lincoln and the remaining western Placer County area. "There were upticks in Lincoln and mid-Placer noted last week," Oldham said. "Our epidemiologists have referenced weddings, bachelor parties and similar activities being among the histories of recent cases." Oldham said that there is no exact data to identity specific events causing a rise in cases at this time. "The case rate has been trending up in recent days and I predict that if we eventually have to move back to the red tier, it will probably be because of this metric in particular," Oldham said. Loomis holding General Plan open house workshops Nov. 7, Nov. 9The town of Loomis will hold two open house workshops for information and input on the development of the 2020 General Plan. The public can meet with town representatives to receive information, ask questions and provide suggestions for various elements of the town's General Plan on Saturday and Monday. "We want to encourage people to come, fill out some comments and give us some recommendations," Loomis Planning director Marybeth Van Voorhis said. "It's totally interactive." Rocklin American Legion to virtually celebrate Veterans Day While COVID-19 has wiped out or altered many plans the past seven months, Rocklin American Legion is planning to virtually celebrate Veterans Day. Rocklin American Legion Post 620 is working with a handful of community members to put together a pre-recorded video tribute to its veterans from various branches of the military, including the Marines, Air Force, Navy and Army. "We also tried to spread out as many wars as possible," said American Legion Post 620 Commander Chuck Kolesar, who served 22 years over three decades in the Air Force, including a tour in Desert Storm in 1990. "Veteran Day is not just for veterans. It's for everyone who had veterans in their family." Kolesar said there will be video contributions from Whitney High School's ROTC color guard program, along with eight children from two neighborhood families singing from the Rocklin Cemetery. Several veterans will be pre-recorded, each speaking for two minutes on what Veterans Day means to them. Loomis Town Council appoints housing element committee The Loomis Town Council appointed General Plan Update Housing Element Committee members during the Nov. 11 council meeting. After receiving 30 applications from Loomis community members interested in serving on the housing committee, Loomis Mayor Jan Clark-Crets and council members Jeff Duncan, Tim Onderko, Brian Baker and Rhonda Morillas each appointed public members to vote on future housing issues in Loomis. The council selected Duncan as the committee's chairman and Planning Commission chairman Greg Obranovich as the committee's vice chairman. "Looking through everybody's applications and their qualifications, there's a lot of very qualified people in our town," Baker said. "I think we're really blessed in that sense." Committee members have to be property owners, business owners and/or residents within town limits. Rocklin council wanted more communication about support home A presentation to Rocklin City Council Nov. 11 addressed questions and concerns about a support home for the homeless in the Yankee Hill neighborhood. The Gathering Inn purchased the six-bedroom home there in April as part of Placer County's Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) program, Gathering Inn CEO Keith Diederich said. Diederich described the program as an intervention that combines affordable housing and support services for chronically homeless individuals meant to bridge the gap between homelessness and permanent housing by offering structure and life skills. At issue for City Council members is that they were not officially notified of the home. "Relative to the purchase of the property, there was no communication," Councilman Ken Broadway said. Diederich explained that Placer County made that decision. "When the program initially rolled out, two homes were purchased, one in Rocklin and one in Lincoln," he said. "Under that rollout, conditions were such that county staff thought it wasn't in the best interest to communicate this as a PSH home prior to us moving in." The Gathering Inn also purchased a Permanent Supportive Housing home in Roseville. Each of the three homes houses six tenants. The lack of communication about the home has been a source of frustration in the community, Rocklin Vice-Mayor Jill Gayaldo said. "This (information) would have helped a long time ago," Gayaldo said about the presentation. "It's unconscionable that I don't have it until now. If you want a successful program, you need this council to be involved. I can't answer my residents' questions if I don't have these questions answered." Placer County Supervisor Jim Holmes assured the council that he has discussed the issue of communication with Placer County Health and Human Services director Dr. Rob Oldham. "We're going to put something in place that if this happens again, we're going to have either him or our planning director contact your planning director or your planning staff to let you know what is going on, … Holmes said. "We're going to have more information. And I think having more information about what the program does would be very valuable as well, more than one meeting, maybe several meetings to explain what that issue is." Placer County one of 41 counties back in purple tier On Nov. 16, California Governor Gavin Newsom pulled the proverbial emergency break on the Blueprint for a Safer Economy system across the state as COVID-19 data increased statewide and nationwide. That caused Placer County to go back into the purple (widespread) tier from the red (substantial) tier. "We are sounding the alarm," Newsom said. "California is experiencing the fastest increase in cases we have seen yet, faster than what we experienced at the outset of the pandemic or even this summer. The spread of COVID-19, if left unchecked, could quickly overwhelm our healthcare system and lead to catastrophic outcomes." Placer County is one of 41 counties now back in the most restrictive of all the tiers. On Nov. 10, Placer County was placed back into the substantial or red tier as its metrics continued to show a trend upward out of the moderate or orange tier and into the red and purple tiers. Currently, Placer County's data shows that the seven-day case positivity rate is at 5.7 percent and the daily case rate is at 13 per 100,000 residents. The positivity rate places Placer in red where the daily case rate places Placer in purple. During the Nov. 17 Placer County Board of Supervisors meeting, Interim Placer County Public Health Officer Dr. Rob Oldham spoke about the impact that the rise in cases has had on hospitals and their preparedness going forward. "While they have seen the number of patients hospitalized due to COVID more than double, as I mentioned, COVID cases still represent less than 10 percent of their total bed capacity," Oldham said." Our hospitals and medical offices have become really experienced experts at treating COVID and also at keeping patients with other conditions safe from COVID." One school district temporarily closed amid rising COVID cases The Placer Union High School District announced Nov. 12 it will temporarily pause in-person instruction at all of its schools in an attempt to slow the rapidly spreading COVID-19 virus. On Nov. 16, in-person instruction at Placer Union High School District schools was paused and all students will return to remote learning for at least two weeks, Superintendent George Sziraki said in a letter to district staff and students' families. "As COVID-19 spreads, many businesses and schools and public agencies have implemented California Health Department guidelines and restrictions to reduce the possibility of exposure and spread of the virus through community mitigation," Sziraki wrote. "This aims to slow the spread of illness through protective and everyday preventive actions such as staying home when sick, covering coughs, social distancing, etc." The notice mentioned that the plan to pause in-person instruction is "not required but rather precautionary." Placer County returned to the red "substantial-risk" tier of California's Blueprint for a Safer Economy from the orange "moderate-risk" tier on Nov. 10 and entered the purple "widespread-risk" tier Monday. "Our communities and schools must work together to mitigate COVID-19 and stabilize the spread," Sziraki said. "I want to stress to all of you the important role you play in ensuring the continuity of instruction. We are relying on all of you to properly wear your face coverings, to maintain social distance and stay home when you are not feeling well." Food banks especially needed during pandemic Visits to area food pantries are rising because of the COVID-19 pandemic that has caused layoffs and business closures. "We've seen pretty much an average of a 25-percent increase in food assistance and in some cases up to 40 percent," said Placer Food Bank director of development Lisa Heinrich. The food bank offers a free monthly drive-through farmers' market distribution program in Lincoln and Rocklin, as well as Pollock Pines, Placerville, Sheridan, Cameron Park and Georgetown. The Salvation Army in Roseville is part of the food assistance network. Its food pantry is open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. A hot meal is available from 11 a.m. to noon on Fridays. The number of residents seeking food assistance has doubled this year, receptionist Sarah Pettit said. First United Methodist Church of Loomis' food pantry is open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays through Fridays (closed holidays). The church has seen a big increase in those seeking assistance. The Salt Mine is the primary food closet distribution site in Lincoln, serving Sheridan as well. COVID-19 has not only increased need in the community but it has changed the way Salt Mine is distributing food. The food pantry is open 9 a.m. to noon Tuesdays through Fridays and noon to 1 pm. Saturdays. It's now a drive-up service, with volunteers placing the food box directly in each vehicle, Salt Mine President Eric Long said. "This year, we are experiencing about five times the amount of our normal output," Long said. The greatest need is monetary donations. Roseville receives $1.7 million in CARES fundingAfter a several hour appeal process during Tuesday's Roseville City Council meeting, City Council approved a conditional-use permit for a boat and R.V. storage facility near a residential area. The future location of the storage facility will be at 1851 East Roseville Parkway. Neighbors in the surrounding Courtside and Eureka Village neighborhoods spoke during Tuesday's meeting about their concerns with the potential safety risk, traffic increases and decrease in their home values if the project goes in. "By putting an RV storage facility in our backyard is not benefiting the community," resident Doug Herrenschmidt said. "It is putting us at risk and I can't see anyone who would want to buy a home with an RV that is sitting 60 feet off of their fence line," The project is designed to have 305 spaces for boat and RV storage with the minimum distance of an RV from a property line being 60 feet and the maximum being 100 feet. Incumbent Roseville City Council members pull early election lead The first race results in the Nov. 3 General Election have been released. These are not official results and not all races have been decided by the Placer County Elections Office, which is planning to have the next round of election updates at 4:30 p.m. Friday. "After that, we will update every Tuesday and Friday in the late afternoon until we finish counting, which could be a few weeks, given that state law allows ballots postmarked on or before Election Day to be counted as long as we receive them by Friday, Nov. 20," said Placer County Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters Ryan Ronco Ronco said tens of thousands of votes still need to be counted from late mail ins, drop boxes in Placer County and elsewhere and corrections needed to be made from ballots with an unsigned envelope or mismatching signature. Roseville City Council denies appeal to save Belvedere Hotel After a year-long battle by residents to save the Belvedere Hotel in Historic Old Town Roseville, Roseville City Council members unanimously voted in favor Tuesday to allow the building to be demolished so condominiums can be built there. The hotel is at 502 Lincoln St. The hotel began operations in 1917, only eight years after Roseville was incorporated in 1909. It closed as a hotel and became a private residence in 1989 after 35-year owner Pearl Manring died. Manring's daughter moved out within the last five years to an assisted-living facility and was the last official hotel resident. Derrek Lee of Old Roseville LLC, the current property owner, plans to build 18 condominiums on the .23-acre lot. There was more than an hour of public comment by 15 residents who, for the majority, were opposed to demolishing the building and asked City Council to save the building and let it be renovated. Local restaurant owner, Matt Oliver, resists state guidelines The House of Oliver at 3992 Douglas Blvd in East Roseville has a sign on its window stating that mask wearing will not be required at any time during a visit to the restaurant. According to state health officials, masks or facial coverings are to be worn to minimize, but not eliminate, the spread of COVID-19 airborne particles that can be produced through any type of discharge from the mouth or nose. The posting occurred on the same day that Placer County, along with 40 other counties in California, were moved to the most restrictive tier, widespread, of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy system in an attempt to curb the rapid rise of COVID-19 cases throughout the state. Gold Country Media asked the restaurant's owner, Matt Oliver, questions about the signs. One of his answers follows below. Why did you post this sign saying "Face mask not required"? Oliver: "We found ourselves in a dilemma where we would have employees say they have medical exemptions. With my staff, it is against the law for me to ask why they have a medical exemption for why they can't wear a mask. Then we were finding customers coming in with the same thing and I was stuck asking my attorney, 'How do I navigate wearing a mask or not wearing a mask?' It came down to that we violate people's HIPAA (Health Information Privacy Accountability Act) guidelines if we have to have them provide material or refuse entry for the mask wearing." Public asked to provide comment to Rocklin policing Public members will have the opportunity to comment on the policies and procedures of the Rocklin Police Department as the department undergoes accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA). The assessors will begin their virtual examination of the Rocklin Police Department from Monday through Wednesday to ensure compliance with the commission's standards. According to Rocklin Police Sgt. Greg Jensen, the public is able to comment on any area of the department's policies and procedures including staffing, hiring practices, beats, police brutality and training. Jensen said that the department wants this to be another opportunity of transparency between the Police Department and the public. Loomis Town Council approves Pioneer expansion to El Dorado County, Placerville Loomis Town Council voted to approve the first amendment of Pioneer Community Energy's Joint Powers Agreement for expansion into El Dorado County and the city of Placerville as voting members in a special Nov. 19 meeting. Pioneer Community Energy is a not-for-profit government agency that aims to provide electricity at lower, more stable rates, governed by representatives from Placer County and the cities of Auburn, Colfax, Lincoln, Loomis and Rocklin. Expansion to El Dorado County and the city of Placerville would help the company keep its competitive rates, said Pioneer Community Energy executive director Don Eckert. "Pioneer has done a very good job at being competitive with rates," Eckert said at the Nov. 19 meeting. "But we're sort of stuck in this trench, if you will, where we're so focused on rates that our margins are very tight and we can't deliver on a lot of the other value plays that I think are important to Loomis." A key factor in adding El Dorado County and the city of Placerville is eliminating the Pioneer Community Energy's Board of Directors' weighted voting system. Under the current seven-member system, Placer County has the largest voting power with two voting members and 49 percent of voting shares. With one voting member each, Rocklin has nearly 26 percent of the voting shares, Lincoln nearly 15 percent, Auburn 6.3 percent, Loomis 2.7 percent and Colfax just over 1 percent. With expansion, El Dorado would instantly become the biggest shareholder at 36.81 percent. Placer County would drop to 29.15 percent, Rocklin 15.41 percent, Lincoln 8.91 percent, Auburn 3.75 percent, Placerville 3.72 percent, Loomis 1.61 percent and Colfax 0.63 percent. December Loomis library still providing services but remains closed As California continues to move into more restrictive safety measures amid surging COVID-19 cases, several businesses, services and organizations that planned to reopen must once again readjust. Among those organizations is the Loomis Library and Community Learning Center. The Loomis library staff planned to reopen its doors to the public in October after a seven-month closure due to COVID-19 precautions. A plexiglass installation delay for the staff counter put on hold the library's reopening plans long enough for Placer County to reach the most restrictive "purple tier" of California's blueprint for safely reopening the economy. "It didn't make sense to reopen when we're going into the worst tier," said library director Sarah Comstock. "We only have about four of us on staff, so we have to focus on staff safety. With such a small staff, if one of us got sick, we'd have to close down again, so we decided to err on the side of caution." The pandemic forced the library to close its doors to the public in mid-March, but the library found ways to continue services, including curbside pickup and drop-off, social media community engagement and virtual programming, near the end of May. Despite the closure amid the pandemic, Comstock said, the library was able to maintain fairly well. "We're doing far better with circulation than I ever thought we'd be doing," Comstock said. "It's held steady, if not increased a little bit. Considering that we're only doing curbside and only three days a week is really incredible to me. That speaks to our staff." With just under 2,100 card-carrying members, the library is still issuing temporary library cards to check out books, DVDs and gain access to the library's reference database. The library operates for public use Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Online programs include engagement with the local historical society, gardening tips with master gardeners and online story time. Every Friday, a staff member dressed up in a unicorn costume stands outside and hands out take-and-make craft kits for children. When the county can move back into the red "substantial-risk" tier, according to Comstock, the library should be able to reopen with modifications. "It's been a long time since we've had our doors open with people inside," Comstock said. "When we do reopen, it's not going to be like it was before. We want people to be prepared for that. There will be plexiglass to protect our staff, people will be required to wear masks, we're going to have to limit the number of people inside the building, and we're really going to encourage people to grab and go." Placer County sees rise in COVID hospitalizations Placer County has seen a rise in hospitalizations due to COVID-19 with 116 patients in the hospital and 17 in the Intensive Care Unit because of COVID-19 during the past two weeks, according to county data. As of Dec. 1, there are 6,664 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Placer County. Placer County has reported a total of 71 deaths from COVID-19 between the ages of 18 and 80-plus, also as of Dec. 1. According to Placer County Health Officer Dr. Rob Oldham, there are 732 licensed beds, with 122 for the ICU, between all Placer County hospitals. However, Oldham said, it is not the amount of beds the county is concerned with but the availability of staffing to provide care for patients in those beds. "Beyond bed capacity, one piece that is often overlooked is that beds are often easier to find than staff, which could be a concern if trends continue to worsen," Oldham said. "Our hospitals have plans in place, and our hope is that they don't have to use them. We'll continue to meet with them and support resource requests, such as PPE, on a frequent basis." Meth and heroin possession arrests on the rise in county Drug arrests in California have increased in half of its 58 counties, according to the Public Policy Institute of California while overall arrest rates in most Californian counties have decreased. In Placer County, law enforcement statistics show that methamphetamine and heroin possession arrests are increasing at a higher rate than other illegal drugs and that more men than women are charged. Additionally, those aged 30 to 39 have been arrested the most often and the majority of those charged have not been homeless. Placer falls into newest stay-at-home order At the end of the first week of the new regional stay-at-home order that went into effect Dec. 3, the Greater Sacramento Region, including Placer County, has fallen below 15 percent of ICU bed capacity. As of Dec. 9, the Greater Sacramento Region is at 14.3 percent of available ICU capacity. The stay-at-home order went into effect at 11:59 p.m. Dec. 10. In Placer County, as of Dec. 9, there are 8,544 confirmed COVID-19 cases since March, 146 people in Placer County hospitals because of COVID-19 and 85 total deaths since the start of the pandemic. The regional stay-at-home order focuses on the ICU bed capacity that a specific California region has available. If the whole region's capacity percentage falls below 15 percent, the region is placed on a three week stay-at-home order. Placer County with three major hospitals in the region has 122 ICU beds total with 23 percent of those beds available, as of Tuesday, according to Placer County Health data. The California Department of Health predicted on Dec. 3 that the Greater Sacramento Region would fall below the 15 percentile of available beds early this month. With the region falling below the 15-percent ICU available capacity mark, the stay-at-home order now in effect will be similar to what was seen during the March stay-at-home order. Rocklin swears in new mayor, vice mayor Rocklin has a new mayor. City Council selected Vice Mayor Jill Gayaldo as the new mayor at the Dec. 9 session. Councilman Bill Halldin was named vice mayor. Their terms are one year. "It is especially touching for me to be the fifth female mayor in our 127-year history and more importantly be the second Gayaldo (Hank Gayaldo was mayor in 1968 and 1970)," Jill Gayaldo said. City Council unanimously voted to support Pioneer Community Energy expansion to El Dorado County and the city of Placerville. The decision on approving Amendment No. 1 to the Amended and Restated Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement followed an update on two issues continued from the Nov. 10 council meeting: weighted voting and ratepayer reserve funds. Both issues are being viewed toward actions being taken, Pioneer Community Energy executive director Don Eckert said at the meeting. "(A required) 30-day notice was sent out to all the member agencies so in effect Jan. 21, we'll have the resolution up for vote by the Pioneer board to eliminate weighted voting," Eckert said. If approved, it would reduce Rocklin's share from about 26 percent to 11 percent, Councilman Greg Janda said. An alternative, as explained by Eckert, would be a blended-weighted vote that combines the board seat plus load share. Loomis housing element committee complete and underway The housing element committee for the town of Loomis' General Plan Update was finalized during Tuesday's Town Council meeting and had its first official meeting Wednesday. Seven members were chosen Nov. 10 by Town Council members, including committee chairman Jeff Duncan and vice chairman Greg Obranovich. They selected Jean Wilson of the Loomis Planning Commission and Ed Horton, former Placer County Water Agency Board chair, as auxiliary non-voting members. Joining appointed committee members Matt Fox, Gary Liss, David Ring and Russ Kelly are local Realtor Chiara Mosher and locally-licensed landscape architect Thomas Savage, appointed by newly sworn-in council members Jenny Knisley and James "Danny" Cartwright, respectively. Former Mayor Jan Clark-Crets also appointed retired teacher Maureen Valli as the 11th and final committee member. The committee was granted another appointee after Clark-Crets' original selection, Sonja Cupler, withdrew herself from consideration on Nov. 30, according to a town staff report. Stop the Surge in California: Save lives this holiday season California is facing the most challenging stage of the pandemic with a rapid escalation of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, combined with a sharp drop in ICU capacity statewide. According to state public health officials, a spike in travel, indoor gatherings and holiday festivities will further fuel this surge and overwhelm hospitals. "We are at a critical tipping point and must do everything we can to keep our loved ones safe and alive so we can enjoy many more holidays together in the future," said Dr. Erica Pan, Interim State Public Health Officer for the California Department of Public Health. "This isn't the year to encourage all your loved ones to come together for the holidays. As a mom, a sister and a daughter, I know how challenging it is but we must limit celebrations to people in our households and set up video calls with other family and friends. Do it for your health and the safety of the people you love." Public health officials urge Californians to stay home except for essential activities and to avoid mixing with other households. Everyone should also continue to wear masks when they leave home, stay six feet apart and wash hands. Roseville Mayor John Allard II concludes time on council Roseville City Council said goodbye to Mayor John Allard II during its Tuesday meeting, as he closed out his final meeting as mayor and City Council member after 12 years on the council. Allard II gave a tear-filled goodbye as he thanked his family, friends, fellow council members and the community for allowing him to serve the city in public office. "I can't thank my wife enough for what she has let me do through my career," Allard II said. "I just wanted to be a public servant and she let me do that and I thank you. Lisa was always there to raise the kids and take them where they needed to go while I focused on my career and I sometimes feel bad about that, but I think it has been a good ride. " Placer County Board of Supervisors Kirk Uhler and Bonnie Gore also wished Allard II goodbye and thanked him for the work he has done to build a stronger connection with the city and the county. "I wanted to say thank you, John, for your service to the city of Roseville and I just want to let you know how much I appreciated working with you on this council but also the last couple of years on regional boards," Gore said. "You have always worked really hard to advocate for this community and the city." Whitney High computer thief arrested A suspect who allegedly stole eight computers from the Whitney High School Broadcast room in Rocklin on Thanksgiving morning is in custody, according to the Rocklin Police Department. Kyle David McCray, 24, was arrested Wednesday morning by the Rocklin Police Department at the 1000 block of Provence Village Drive in Roseville, according to the Rocklin Police Department. Whitney High School staff reported the break-in on Nov. 26, according to the Rocklin Police Department. The break-in triggered an alarm that notified maintenance workers who discovered the shattered window and stolen computers. "Well, initially, like everyone else, I was just very shocked because it is not what you expect to hear on Thanksgiving," Whitney High senior and the school's WCTV19 staff leader Olivia de Lamadrid said. All 235,084 votes from 127 precincts have been counted The Placer County Elections Office has finalized the election results for the Nov. 3, 2020 General Election. The following results were released. Loomis Town Council The Loomis Town Council will fill two seats this election with three candidates running to fill them. Jenny Knisley, the Loomis Basin Chamber of Commerce executive director and James Cartwright will be the two new members of the Loomis Town Council. Knisley finished with 45.61 percent of the vote and Cartwright finished with 30.79 percent. The third candidate David Ring finished with 23.6 percent. Rocklin City Council Three Rocklin City Council seats were open in the Nov. 3, 2020 General Election. All three incumbent City Councilmen, Ken Broadway, Joe Patterson and Greg Janda, have officially secured their reelection As of Tuesday, Patterson has 25.18 percent, Janda has 22.57 percent and Broadway has 21.98 of the vote. Fellow candidates Josh Rolph, John Hobbs and Royce David finished with 16.16 percent, 7.73 percent and 6.37 percent of the votes respectively. Rocklin Unified School District Board of Trustee - two-year term Tiffany Saathoff won the two year term in the Rocklin Unified School District board of Trustees with 56.44 percent. Incumbent board member Camille Maben lost out with 43.56 percent of the vote. Rocklin Unified School District Board of Trustees With only two seats open for the school board, it was a close race for all three candidates as they each held about 30 percent of the total votes. Sole incumbent Rachelle Price secured her reelection with 34.67 percent of the vote, Julie Leavens Hupp will join the board with 34.56 percent of the vote and Michelle Sutherland holds 30.77 percent of votes. Roseville City Council District 1 All six precincts have reported with Tracy Mendonsa officially securing the district one seat with 59.45 percent of the vote and his opponent, LaMills Garrett, taking 40.55 percent of the vote. District 3 incumbent Councilman Bruce Houdescheldt has retained his seat after taking 49.62 percent of the vote. Fellow candidates Neil Pople and Geoff Sakala stand at 30.39 percent and 20 percent of the vote respectively. District 5 On the west side of the city, incumbent City Council member Scott Alvord ran against retired Police Officer Gary Johnson. Alvord was able to hold onto his seat 65.12 percent of the vote to Johnson's 34.88 percent. Roseville City School District Board of Trustees Two Roseville City School District Board of Trustees seats are up. Meghan Krafka will join the board with her holding 25.41 percent to incumbent Gary Miller's 24.09 percent. Fellow Incumbent Julie Constant secured her seat with 30.48 percent of votes. Kumi Wickramasinghe currently finished with 20.02 percent of votes. Roseville Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees With three seats open for the board of trustees, only one incumbent board member, Julie Hirota, has run for reelection and will remain on the board after receiving 27.18 percent of the votes. Candidates Pete Constant and Heidi Hall will join the board after locking down 22.59 percent and 22.41 percent respectively. Fellow candidates Gregory Burnis Harnage Jr., Margaret Njuguna and Bryan Richter finished with 11.84 percent, 9.13 percent and 6.86 percent respectively. Roseville Police Chief Maccoun to retire at end of 2020 This year's Dec. 31 will not only mark the end of a tumultuous year for the city of Roseville but also the retirement of Roseville Police Chief Jim Maccoun. Maccoun moved to Roseville with his family in 1968 at age eight with Roseville still having many years to come before it began having significant growth in the late 1980s. Public service was something Maccoun knew he always wanted to do as both his parents worked in public service, but law enforcement would go unconsidered by Maccoun for much of his youth. When he was at Sierra College in 1980 studying biology, Maccoun got his first taste of what law enforcement was like as a police service aide with the Roseville Police Department. "Once I started working at the Police Department, it was kind of addictive because it was a lot more interesting than biology," Maccoun said. Roseville swears in new mayor and councilmen In an effort to create some normality this year, the city of Roseville held an augmented in-person swearing-in ceremony of Mayor Kirsta Bernasconi, along with the three elected council members Wednesday night at the Civic Center. In order to allow for social distancing and keep from having too much crowding, each council member had their own time slot for their friends and family to take part in the swearing-in ceremony in the Civic Center entrance at 316 Vernon St. The event started at 4 p.m. with the swearing-in of Mayor Bernasconi by her father, Carl Funk. Easily having the largest attendance of the night, Bernasconi will be seated as mayor for the next two years. "I never thought I would be mayor of our city," Bernsaconi said. "It truly wasn't a goal or something I dreamed of. I would not be standing here if it was not for the support of my husband, my kids, my parents, my family, my friends, my team from Market Share PR." This election was the first City Council election to be done with by-district voting rather than at-large voting. The first council member to be voted in for the first time through the district voting process is Tracy Mendonsa representing District 1. Rocklin and Roseville go to five-day in person teaching The Rocklin Unified School District decided during a special meeting Monday night to go to a five day a.m./p.m. in-person instruction model with modifications for quarter three beginning on Jan. 19, 2021. The vote took place at 1:45 a.m. Tuesday with a 4-1 vote in favor of going to a five-day model. With the new a.m./p.m. model, students will split into a.m. groups and p.m. groups with an hour in the middle to allow for transition and cleaning of the classrooms to be done, according to the district. With the five-day model, transitional kindergarten students will be on campus for 11.25 hours per week, kindergarten through sixth-grade will be on campus for 13.25 hours per week, seventh- through eighth-grade will be on campus for 13.95 hours per week and ninth- through 12th-grade will be on campus for 14.52 hours per week. Placer Food Bank receives $80,000 in donations in one week The Placer Food Bank last week received a total of $80,000 in donations from John L. Sullivan and Wells Fargo Bank to go toward an endowment fund to help the food bank continue to feed area residents. On Dec.14, long-time car dealer John L. Sullivan surprised the Placer Food Bank with a $50,000 check. When Sullivan found out that his dealership group was planning to donate $5,000 to the food bank, he decided to multiply it by 10 to surprise the food bank. The check presentation took place at Roseville Toyota and Placer Food Bank's director of development Lisa Heinrich "was blown away" by the surprise and the generosity. Then on Dec. 17, Wells Fargo Bank, a 15-year partner with the Placer Food Bank, donated $30,000 to the food bank to go toward its endowment fund. This brings Wells Fargo's donations to the Placer Food Bank to $120,000 in 2020 Roseville Mayor Bernasconi is ready to rebuild in 2021 Taking a community leadership role in 2020 would seem challenging for many but Roseville native Krista Bernasconi is ready to lead Roseville into 2021 as its new mayor. In 2018, Bernasconi was voted onto the Roseville City Council for four years. Since she collected the second most number of votes, she was vice mayor for two years and now will serve as mayor for two years. As the council was split into districts late last year, Bernasconi wants residents to know that she believes that the council still serves the whole of Roseville. "For me, if there is an issue in some part of the city and a resident calls me, I am not going to ask them what district they live in," Bernasconi said. "I am going to help them, regardless of where they live, and I think that is what the residents want." Businesses unite this holiday season to help hungry families The holiday season can bring together unlikely partners to serve the community and Jaws Gear and Axle in Sacramento partnered this year with The Chef's Table in Rocklin to serve families in need with the Essential Together program. Jaws Gear and Axle owner Jeff Wilson wanted to find a way to help local businesses, along with families in need. "We have been fortunate because we are considered essential," Wilson said about his business. "We are essential together, though, and that is how I feel in a nutshell." Seeing the impact that COVID-19 has had on restaurants across the state and the hunger level among families, Wilson came up with the idea to give gift cards to families to redeem at a local restaurant. Wilson purchased $10,000 worth of gift cards from The Chef's Table to both help out a local restaurant and help families in Placer County experiencing food insecurities. "I know the first run of them, I gave him 120 gift cards," The Chef's Table Owner Erick Johnson said. "There were eighty $100 ones and forty $50 ones to target families of two and four." Christmas in Loomis The Loomis Family Christmas Tree soaks up the afternoon sun Wednesday in front of the Historic Loomis Train Depot Plaza and Blue Anchor Park while being protected from numerous Nutcracker decorations. While usual public Christmas celebrations were not held this year because of COVID-19, residents can still visit the town of Loomis tree. Merry Christmas, south Placer On Monday night, the Pebble Creek Drive Christmas light display in Rocklin drew hundreds of visitors in cars and on foot to its Disney, Marvel, Star Wars and classic Christmas inspired displays. A deep layer of fog filled the looped drive, adding a soft and somewhat magical glow to the thousands of lights that illuminated rooftops, lawns, garages and every nook and cranny of neighboring homes. Children could be heard excitedly screaming as they saw their favorite superhero, Disney character and even a mannequin of Santa Claus himself. Going to see Christmas lights in local neighborhoods is a timeless Christmas pastime. In 2020 though, it has become something of a premiere event as it is one of very few traditional Christmas events that has no COVID-19 related restrictions placed upon it. Rocklin council approves side letter agreement with firefighters union Rocklin City Council unanimously approved a side letter agreement with Rocklin Firefighters Union Local 3847 in a special session Dec. 21. The approval amends and extends the Dec. 21, 2017 Memorandum of Understanding through June 30, 2022. "The current MOU will expire Dec. 31," Rocklin City Manager Aly Zimmermann said in the presentation. "Due to the unstable climate in terms of what's going on with the city's financials and what we can do in this COVID era, representatives of the city and representatives of the union did meet and confer and determine to agree to a side letter that would extend the current MOU for 18 months, provide two stipends of $1,200 each and also, effective Jan. 1, 2022 contingent upon the approval which will also be negotiated and agreed upon, of a cafeteria plan for benefits for the city. It would increase the city's contribution from $1,200 to $1,350 to the cafeteria plan with $1,200 of that allocated to medical premiums." Fire Department employees on the payroll, as of Dec. 18, 2020, will receive the first lump sum payment of $1,200 in the next pay period following union ratification and council adoption. The second lump sum payment of $1,200 will be paid to employees on the payroll, as of July 2, 2021, according to a staff report.