1: Three Woodland Christian student-athletes mapped out the next few years of their athletic careers when they all signed college commitment letters as they look forward to the next competitive step.

2: Yolo County Supervisor Angel Barajas, in collaboration with the Dunnigan Fire Association, prepared for the annual toy distributions for the children and youth of Dunnigan, Yolo, and Zamora for the fourth year in a row.

3: The holiday season is finally upon us, and the city of Woodland hosted a plethora of festive events for folks of all ages throughout the month of December, including the Elf on a Shelf and Tree Lighting events, the annual Christmas Parade, and the opening of the Woodland Ice Rink.

4: The Yolo County Board of Supervisors honored one of their own on Tuesday morning — a resolution was approved honoring longtime Supervisor Jim Provenza, who has served in his seat since 2008. As a supervisor for 16 years, Provenza championed justice, equity and the needs of underserved communities.

5: Woodland Community Care Car volunteers have been overwhelmed by the continuing support from the Woodland Reveille Lions Club. Reveille recently donated two $1,000 checks, building its massive donations to Care Car to approximately $80,000 in the past decade.

6: Earlier this week, the Woodland Police Department welcomed two new professional staff employees aboard during a swearing-in ceremony inside the City Hall Council Chambers at 300 First St. Records Specialist Precilla Barrón and Management Analyst Anuelle Jumuad were both officially welcomed aboard during the Wednesday evening ceremony in front of family, friends and fellow department staff.

7: Earlier this week, elected officials, health care providers, and representatives from Fourth & Hope and Friends of the Mission celebrated the grand opening of the expanded Walter’s House facility at the East Beamer Campus. This significant expansion increases treatment capacity from 44 to 60 beds, addressing the urgent need for substance use disorder treatment services in Yolo County.

8: Sights, sounds and smells of Christmas spread across much of Woodland as Dickens in the Valley returned for its second decade. The annual event featured six homes this year, each decorated in Christmas finery, supplemented by music and scents of cinnamon and cider. The 2024 fundraiser for Friends of Meals on Wheels sold about 500 tickets, the money of which will fund in part the Elderly Nutrition Program and Meals on Wheels. Past events have raised as much as $60,000.

9: An unforgettable night of holiday cheer took over downtown Woodland’s Heritage Plaza earlier in the month, culminating with the yearly Tree Lighting Ceremony, marking the start of the holiday season in Woodland. Sponsored by the Woodland Hoteliers Group, the city of Woodland, Bayside Church of Woodland, and Hoblit Motors, the night’s festivities included a lineup longer than Santa Claus’ naughty list.

10: For the first time in 12 years, the Davis and Woodland High School varsity basketball teams met on the Woodland High School gym hardwood, rekindling a Yolo County rivalry as old as time. The teams’ lack of familiarity hurt the Wolves (2-2) more than the Blue Devils (1-4), who hopped back on the bus with a 78-46 win Friday night.

11: Saturday evening in Freeman Park in downtown Woodland was unlike any other in the town’s history. For the first time, the park was transformed into a Winter Wonderland with the grand opening of the town’s first-ever outdoor ice skating rink — complete with holiday tunes and smiles galore.

12: Saturday was “The Biggest Day of Giving” for the Yolo County Toys for Tots, where volunteers will help over 800 families pick toys, games, books, and more to give to Yolo County’s children in need this holiday season.

13: The Woodland Joint Unified School District (WJUSD) identified over $600 million in facility improvements and repairs, a cost over triple the district’s annual budget of $127 million two years ago. With a need costing over three years’ worth of WJUSD operating budgets, the school board, administration, educators, and parents sought to approve Measure P: a bond that would’ve given the district $160 million and would then qualify the district for matching funds from the state. However, the measure did not pass.

14: The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office dismissed a complaint earlier this week against a Woodland man charged with involuntary manslaughter after a Yolo County Grand Jury did not find any probable cause that the incident was a criminal act. According to a press release from the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office, the charges stemmed from the death of 2-year-old Ailahni Sanchez Martinez on March 16 at the 76 gas station on West Street in Woodland.

15: A close winter basketball game between two city rivals? What more could one ask for? Well, the close game part of it was at least the case in the first half, as the Woodland Christian varsity basketball team pulled away from city foes Pioneer High School in the third quarter, outscoring them 22-14 en route to an eventual 82-68 victory Thursday night.

16: Woodland Regional Park Preserve had several organizations and volunteers out this past week, helping out with Planting Week, a planting and mass weed removal project. The Woodland Regional Park Preserve is a 160-acre park located at the site of the retired landfill located east of County Road 102 and south of County Road 25, which has been a longtime project for many collaborating Woodland organizations

17: As an early Christmas treat, the Pioneer and Woodland High School basketball teams met for the first and only time this season in the finale of the Yolo Scramble, a round-robin mini-tournament featuring other local schools, including Winters and Woodland Christian, with Pioneer (4-6) pulling out a tight 62-54 victory over the Wolves (2-6).

18: The Woodland community gathered along Main Street for the 57th Annual Holiday Parade, with a theme of “Making Spirits Bright.” The parade began at 4:30 p.m. and was presented by the Woodland Chamber of Commerce and co-hosted by the city. It went from West Street to Fifth Street, with many displays from sponsors showing off this year’s theme.

19: The Yolo County Board of Education held its final meeting of the year earlier this week to swear in new and returning trustees along with electing its officers for the upcoming year. During the meeting, the board welcomed two trustees in Shelton Yip of Davis, who was re-elected to a four-year term, and Maria Olmedo of Woodland, who was elected to her first term.

20: The Yuba Community College District recently congratulated and welcomed three newly elected board members, including Jose Garcia, who was elected to Trustee Area 6, which includes a portion of Yolo and Colusa counties.

21: The Union Pacific Railroad Community Ties Giving Program granted $9,500 to nonprofit Make It Happen for Yolo County to provide underserved youth in Yolo County who are transitioning into independent living with furniture, household goods and resources to furnish their first apartment or home.

22: A 28-year-old Davis man was given the maximum sentence earlier this week for repeated charges of domestic abuse. The man was identified as Cairo Jones and was given 11 years and 8 months in state prison for inflicting corporal injury on a person with whom he had a dating relationship while having a prior conviction for domestic violence, inflicting great bodily injury and using a deadly weapon.

23: Michael Vick has talked to at least two schools about becoming a college head coach. Sacramento State president Dr. Luke Wood said Monday he has spoken with Vick about the opening at his school, and the Virginian-Pilot reported that Norfolk State has also interviewed the former NFL sensation to be its next coach.

24: The Yolo County Board of Education held its final meeting of the year earlier this week to swear in new and returning trustees along with electing its officers for the upcoming year. During the meeting held this past Tuesday, Dec. 16, the board welcomed two trustees in Shelton Yip of Davis, who was re-elected to a four-year term, and Maria Olmedo of Woodland, who was elected to her first term.

25: Late last month, Pioneer High School junior shortstop Marisa Bryson verbally committed to continue her athletic career at Stanford University.

26: Earlier in the month, Yolo County District 5 Supervisor Angel Barajas and his staff joined Executive Director of Meals on Wheels Yolo County Joy Cohan and her team to deliver meals to seniors in the Capay Valley.

27: Police were called to a shooting on Baird Court near Powers Circle earlier in the month at around 3:55 p.m. Officers quickly responded and located a male victim with life-threatening injuries. Tragically, the victim later passed away at UCD Medical Center.

28: The city of Woodland appointed John Murphy as a new member of the Woodland Planning Commission. According to the staff report, member Chris Holt resigned after thirteen years of consecutive service on Nov. 21.

29: Yolo County is making history as one of the first in the country to add the Volvo DD25 Electric compactor to its fleet. According to a county press release, this marks a significant step forward in the county’s commitment to environmental sustainability and its goal to achieve a carbon-negative footprint by 2030.

30: Woodland native David Delgado won his first professional boxing bout late last month.

31: Earlier in the month, UC Davis announced it accepted a formal invitation to join the Mountain West Conference beginning July 1, 2026. The Aggies will compete in all Mountain West Conference-sponsored sports, except for football, which will continue to participate in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in the Big Sky Conference.