1: An ambitious five-year plan that involves a mixture of new and old was announced for the Yolo County Fair. After a whirlwind six weeks on the job, Chief Executive Officer Sarah Pelle outlined a series of major projects and the return of some old and popular events.

2: The Pioneer High School girls varsity basketball team had two lengthy winning streaks snapped to begin the week. Rio Linda pulled off a 45-40 upset, handing Pioneer their first loss since Dec. 4 at Marysville and ending a 19-game success streak. The Patriots hadn’t lost in GEL action since Feb. 4, 2022, snapping a streak of 21 straight league victories.

3: A man with a felony warrant was taken into custody by local law enforcement after an hours-long standoff on a Woodland residential rooftop. The standoff, over in the neighborhood of Porter Street and Marin Place, caused multiple schools in the area, including Maxwell Elementary School and Greengate School, to go into lockdown due to the risk to public safety at the time.

4: Woodland High School traveled to the east side of Woodland for a varsity basketball doubleheader against Woodland Christian at the Jack Hamlin Gym. The Woodland Christian girls team prevailed with a 63-23 victory over their crosstown rivals. On the boy’s side, Woodland Christian also won by a final score of 74-53.

5: Woodland resident, Jeffrey Wendell Card, who was arrested following an hours-long standoff on a residential rooftop, pled not guilty on several felony charges in Yolo Superior Court.

6: With the sole possession of the Golden Empire League title on the line, the Pioneer High School varsity girls soccer team uncharacteristically stumbled at the finish line, losing a nervy 1-0 to rivals Casa Roble at the Woodland Community and Senior Center.

7: St. John’s Retirement Village in Woodland received a generous donation from Life Pointe Church for $92,310. According to St. John’s Board of Directors member Stan Levers, the donation was not only beneficial for the funding that is crucial to the reopening of the retirement campus, but it also confirms the widespread community support that underscores the need for the reopening of the only nonprofit senior residential care facility in Yolo County.

8: Parker Christensen, a local Eagle Scout candidate, selected his Eagle service project to aid the repopulation of the threatened burrowing owl. This species once flourished in Yolo County, but due to habitat loss caused by construction and agriculture, the numbers of these small animals have dwindled in recent decades.

9: Despite 12-of-22 boys varsity soccer players graduating from Esparto High School in the Class of 2023, the Spartans continued to roll this season on their way to consecutive Sierra Delta League championships. The Spartans clinched their second straight title at the expense of Woodland Christian, prevailing 5-1.

10: Dozens of attendees filled the Woodland High School Library for a community gathering to see a new mural exhibit inspired by the civil rights work of Latina activists from the Sacramento Valley.

11: Five of six high school varsity soccer teams from the City of Trees began the 2024 CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Soccer Playoffs across three respective divisions.

12: A train collided with a vehicle on Pioneer Avenue between East Kentucky and East Beamer. According to the Woodland Police and Fire Department’s social media accounts, no injuries were reported.

13: Woodland’s County Fair Mall closed indefinitely due to a notice to vacate the fire department issued following its discovery of fire code violations in the mall’s fire suppression system.

14: Woodland Councilwoman Victoria Fernandez was inducted into Youth-on-the-Move’s International Educators’ Hall of Fame for her dedication to teaching kindergarten students to use “zoo-phonics” and exposing them to cultural activities during her career as a teacher.

15: The Woodland Fire Department updated the City Council on its plans to relocate Fire Station 3 to the Willow Spring School site the city acquired in 2018, located at E. Gibson Road and Bourn Drive.

16: For the first time in nearly a decade, the Woodland Christian High School girls varsity basketball team earned an outright Central Valley California League Championship with an unbeaten record.

17: Eight Pioneer High School wrestlers competed in the Division IV CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Finals over the weekend in Sacramento County.

18: Students from around the area gathered at Woodland High School for the FCCLA Region 4 Spring Meeting to demonstrate their skills and measure their abilities against their peers for a chance to qualify for the California state-wide competition. FCCLA, or Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, focuses on students enrolled in Family and Consumer Science classes.

19: Following the soft opening, the MOSAIC Children’s Museum, Main Street’s newest addition, located at 120 Main St., Suite D, welcomed dozens of community members, financial supporters, Yolo County and city of Woodland civic leaders and most importantly, some children, for the celebratory ribbon cutting and grand opening.

20: The Woodland Opera House experienced a whirlwind of good luck during the Junior Theatre Festival, including a win in the coveted Outstanding Production Award category. Held annually in downtown Sacramento, the festival treats young performers to adjudications, workshops, presentations, concerts by industry professionals and presents awards for excellence in music, acting, dance and ensemble.

21: Woodland’s Spring Lake Park and Sports Park Bike and Pedestrian Overcrossing opened to the public after roughly two years of construction for both projects.

22: Woodland Joint Unified School District students were winners of a city of Woodland essay contest celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. The top four winning essays came from: first place — Sri Vaddella, a 10th-grade student at Pioneer High, second place — Melanie Salazar, an 11th-grade student at Pioneer High, third place — Sahil Zeb, an 11th-grade student at Woodland High and honorable mention — Kaylee Kacho, an 8th-grade student at Douglass Middle.

23: For the first time since merging from the Northern Section, the Esparto High School boy varsity soccer team brought home a championship to Yolo County. The Spartans made history at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento with their 4-2 defeat of Millennium of Tracy to win the Division VI CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Championship.

24: The Woodland Community College’s men’s soccer team was praised by the City Council for securing the Bay Valley Championship in its very first year of play.

25: Alexis Prado was crowned the 2024 Almond Queen in Guinda. The 17-year-old’s incredible work ethic and dedication to community service and leadership roles, including assisting senior citizens and coaching youth soccer, helped her receive the title.

26: The Woodland Police Department invited family, friends and city leaders for the department’s 2023 Annual Awards Ceremony as they celebrated their staff members for their service, leadership and bravery.

27: After years of attending conferences and seminars on top of working as the city of Woodland’s full-time clerk, Ana Gonzalez received a Master Municipal Clerk certificate, making her one of less than 1,400 in the country to do so.

28: The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office provided a notice in court of its intention not to seek the death penalty in the Davis stabbing case against Carlos Dominguez.

29: Clear skies and warm weather made this year’s Almond Festival one to remember as thousands drove up and down the valley weekend to enjoy the sun, local businesses and family-friendly events centered around the region’s most popular crop.