Appliance Repair in Big Creek, CA

Hays Post

A new sports apparel chain, Pro Image, will be opening before Christmas in Big Creek Crossing mall in Hays.

Robert Alvarez, 38, will be the local owner and operator of the store in Hays under his local business RJ & Sons.

The next closest Pro Image location is in Wichita.

The store will have a large inventory of hats and other team-branded items, such as jerseys (both adult and youth), signs, decor, cups, glasses and key chains. The store also will carry collectibles.

Pro Image will carry merchandise for local favorites, including NFL, NBA, MLB, some hockey, as well as area college teams K-State, KU, OSU and the Huskers. Alvarez is working on a licensing agreement with Fort Hays State University to carry FHSU apparel and merchandise.

Alvarez's father was in the Navy, and he grew up living on the coast of California as his father was moved from base to base. His mother is from Leoti and the family lived in Kansas for a time after his father retired from the Navy. Alvarez served in the Army before settling back in Hays.

Alvarez has experience as an assistant manager for a craft store franchise, as well as a store manager and corporate employee for a national discount retailer.

He said he has always been a huge sports fan. He went to his first baseball game — the A's versus the Giants. — with his dad hen he was 5 years old. That was during the Mark McGwire-Jose Canseco era. At that time, the Giants had Barry Bonds.

"I love the A's. I will always have a heart for them, but when Barry Bonds just hit a home run out of nowhere, it was great," he said.

Alvarez said he wanted to stay in Hays and realized Hays has a lot of potential to grow.

"I love sports and I bring the knowledge of retail, and I'm excited to bring it to Hays," he said.

He said he wanted to promote local business that will keep revenue here in Hays. However, he acknowledged his biggest competition will be online sales outlets.

"It think a lot of people order online because it just isn't here," he said. "I hope I can give people better opportunities. That's what I'm trying for."

Pro Image will be in the northeast section of the mall in the space that had been most recently occupied by the Simple Pure CBD shop. Alvarez said he hopes to have the store open between Nov. 15 to 23 — before Black Friday.

The store will have drawings that will be conducted during the first week of business. Tickets will be available with a purchase of $50 or more. Pro Image will also participate in the FrostFest Parade, and Alvarez plans to give out fan merchandise during the parade.

The store will have the same hours as Big Creek Crossing, which are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays.

HURON, Calif., Nov 15 (Reuters) - The land along the Arroyo Pasajero Creek, halfway between Sacramento and Los Angeles, is too dry to farm some years and dangerously flooded in others.

Amid the cycles of wet and dry — both phenomena exacerbated by climate change — a coalition of local farmers and the nearby city of Huron are trying to turn former hemp and tomato fields into massive receptacles that can hold water as it percolates into the ground during wet years.

This project and others like it across California's Central Valley breadbasket aim to capture floodwaters that would otherwise rush out to the sea, or damage towns, cities and crops.

Traditional water storage in the form of damming rivers to create reservoirs damages the environment.

With parts of California suffering a historic drought, water was so scarce in the Central Valley this year that Huron was allocated only a quarter of the water it was contracted to receive from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

The city, one of California's poorest, had to buy water on the open market, raising residents' bills, said engineering consultant Alfonso Manrique.

The new project, known as a recharge system, turns unused fields into large ponds to hold water so that it can percolate into the porous rock and earth below, creating or restoring an aquifer rather than rushing to the sea.The city is building a new well to be fed from the aquifer, Manrique said.

Capturing runoff will also help protect the city of less than 7,000 people from catastrophic floods.

The project near Huron is one of about 340 recharge systems that have been proposed by water agencies in California - enough to store 2.2 million acre-feet by 2030 if they all are built, the state Department of Water Resources said. That's enough for 4.4 million households for a year.

"I'm hoping we can make water more affordable for our residents," said Huron Mayor Rey Leon.

Outside the United States, countries including India are also beginning to increase the use of recharge ponds to store water in natural or human-made aquifers. Water use and resilience is among the topics being discussed by world leaders at the United Nations COP27 climate summit in Egypt this month.

While the idea of storing water underground is not new, a recent California law regulating groundwater use has spurred a spate of projects that the state is helping to fund.

In the small community of Okieville about 40 miles (65 km) east of Huron, the Tulare Irrigation District is building a new recharge pond on land purchased from a local farmer, said Aaron Fukuda, who is the district's general manager.

A number of Okieville residents ran out of potable water during the state's last big drought, which lasted from 2012 through 2016. The new pond, on about 20 acres of former farmland , will help to guide water underground to store it for residents as well as agriculture.

The project costs about $2 million, including about $1.8 million in state grants.

In addition to the comparatively small projects being built by rural water districts and farmers, the massive Metropolitan Water District, a regional water wholesaler that serves Southern and parts of Central California, is building a 1,500-acre recharge pond in the high desert near Palmdale, in partnership with local water authorities.

ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE

California's complex networks of reservoirs, rivers and aqueducts were viewed as engineering marvels when the state and federal government built them in the mid-20th century.

But the system relied on damming and diverting rivers, and flooding canyons, damaging their ecosystems. The last big dam was built in 1980. Since then the state's population has nearly doubled to 40 million residents.

California's agricultural economy, one of the largest in the world, relies largely on irrigation to water its crops, further taxing the system.

Now, new reservoirs are hard to approve and expensive to build. The underground storage projects, according to Ann Hayden, water expert at the Environmental Defense Fund, "are going to be easier to finance, they're going to be easier to permit and they're going to get more public support."

ROOM UNDERGROUND

These human-made aquifers and underground water banks will not solve all of California's water problems, but they can make a significant dent, said Sarah Woolf, a water consultant whose family owns some of the farmland being used for the Huron project.

There's room below the agricultural land that will be served by the Huron project to store 1 million acre-feet of water, or about 326 billion gallons - enough to serve 2 million households for a year.

"These are needed all over the place," Woolf said.

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Coho salmon have been documented for the first time in Mill Creek, to the surprise of ecologists and conservationists alike. Their appearance in the San Vicente Redwoods stream comes just one year after the removal of the Mill Creek dam.

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Beneath the cool water of Mill Creek in the San Vicente Redwoods, silvery coho salmon have been spotted for the first time ever. Their appearance comes as a welcome surprise to conservations and ecologists, who returned to the creek in September to survey the site following the removal of the Mill Creek dam a year earlier.

For over a century, the Mill Creek dam had segmented its namesake stream. Conservationists hoped removing the dam would allow steelhead trout to migrate upstream, reclaiming decades of lost habitat. Removing the dam would also free trapped sediment, which conservationists hoped could create spawning grounds for endangered coho salmon.

Scientists identified 15 juvenile coho salmon at the base of Mill Creek, near its junction with San Vicente Creek, as well as 12 juvenile steelhead trout, including some upstream of the dam’s removal. As exciting as it is to see the coho so soon after the dam’s removal, aquatic ecologist Mike Podlech says, it is not yet clear whether the appearance of the fish is related.

Regardless, Podlech adds, restoration of this habitat is critical. Turn-of-the-century redwood logging, water diversion, development, mining and damming all resulted in extensive habitat damage to streams in the San Vicente Redwoods. Today, coho are on the verge of becoming extinct; streams are at best sparsely populated, if not devoid of their presence entirely.

Monterey Bay encompasses the southernmost tip of the coho salmon’s range. Streams here are canopied by redwoods, whose fallen limbs create necessary shelter for coho. Gravel basins provide ideal nest habitat: Female cohos expertly move pebbles using rapid tail-fin movements to create round depressions — known as “redds” — that are perfect for salmon eggs.

Coho salmon are anadromous fish: Born in freshwater streams, they migrate down and out to the ocean, then return home to spawn. Coho stay with their young until they die, and the cycle begins anew.

Coho salmon have been a “vital part of the ecosystem for millions of years,” said Ian Rowbotham, senior land stewardship manager at the Sempervirens Fund, which spearheaded the effort to remove the dam. The cyclical nature of their lives produces “a cycle of bringing nutrients from the ocean back to inland sites where some of those nutrients just aren’t readily available. And so they form kind of a building block of that ecosystem.”

Bringing down the Mill Creek dam

The disruptive nature of the Mill Creek dam paired with the potential enticement of fish to return made its removal an obvious conservation project. The necessity of this project was further underscored by the fact that the dam, 12 feet high and 25 feet wide, was “a century-old mistake,” Rowbotham said. “The information we have was that the dam wasn’t put far enough up in the watershed for gravity flow for where it needed to go. So it was basically not useful right from the beginning.”

After nearly a decade of preparation by the Sempervirens Fund, in collaboration with three other groups that manage the San Vicente Redwoods — the Peninsula Open Space Trust, Save the Redwoods League and the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, as well as the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County and a partnering tribal land trust, the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band — the dam fell in a matter of minutes.

Oct. 4, 2021, the day of dam removal, happened to be Melisa Cambron Perez’s first day on the job as field operations manager. “It was a little bit chaotic,” she recalled. Two imposing excavators made light work of knocking down the wall of the dam and redistributing granite boulders and soil along the original contours of the stream. Then Mill Creek began flowing freely for the first time in over 100 years.

Perez described being onsite as breathtaking: “Everything was green. This was an area that had a very low-severity burn [from the CZU fires]. So a lot of the understory was coming back and the redwoods looked amazing.”

Shortly after the removal of the dam, the area was soaked by historic two-week-long October storms. The timing was ideal, Rowbothan noted: The rainstorms held off until after the dam removal, and “we saw a ton of sediment start to move downstream, right off the bat.”

‘Dude, get out of the way!’

Rowbotham returned at the end of the winter season, in March, with a team of engineers, ecologists and biologists to check on the progress of the former Mill Creek dam site.

As they were assessing the area where Mill Creek meets San Vicente Creek, one field ecologist was greeted by a pushy trout. “A steelhead literally starts trying to swim up the creek,” Rowbotham recalled, “right next to his foot, to the point where we’re like, ‘Dude, get out of the way!’”

For Rowbotham, who had “never seen particularly large fish at all in that segment [of Mill Creek] before,” it was “a very special moment where it feels like you’re starting to see change in a really positive way.”

The positive news didn’t end there. In September, Rowbotham and Perez joined Podlech, ecologist Jim Robins and California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Sean Cochran to see how the dam’s removal was affecting fish.

Shocking all present, the very first fish found was a juvenile coho salmon. “It was just amazing,” Perez said. “There [was] such excitement over seeing such small fish.” Added Rowbotham, “we had anticipated that, with removing the dam, access upstream probably [would be] more so for steelhead … so finding coho on Mill Creek was a huge surprise for sure.”

One thing remains murky: whether the dam’s removal is directly responsible for the presence of coho in Mill Creek. As Podlech explains, the area in which coho were documented is very near the San Vicente stream, a known habitat for coho. The team doesn’t yet know whether the juvenile coho found in Mill Creek were the product of coho spawning in Mill Creek or whether the eggs were swept from the adjacent San Vicente Creek into Mill Creek.

Regardless, removal of the dam is crucial to the well-being of the stream and its fishy inhabitants. “Should coho start moving upstream,” Podlech said, “it’s very reassuring to know that the dam is gone so the dam is not going to get in the way in the future.”

Freebies and dining discounts are offered Friday, Nov. 11 at restaurants throughout California to thank U.S. military for their service.

WALNUT CREEK, CA — Walnut Creek Veterans will be honored with freebies and discount deals on Friday as the community's salute to those who served.

Veterans Day, a day to honor former military and active duty, is Friday, Nov. 11.

The holiday originated in 1919 as Armistice Day to mark the one-year anniversary of the end of World War I. The date of Nov. 11 is significant because fighting between Allied nations and Germany ceased on the 11th hour of the 11th day in the 11th month in 1918, according to the American Legion Auxiliary

In 1954, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower changed the name to Veterans Day. And not to be confused with Memorial Day, Veterans Day pays tribute to all veterans — those who have served and are currently serving, along with those who have passed.

Here are a few deals and discounts that will be given in Walnut Creek on Friday.

If you know of other restaurants in your neighborhood offering Veterans Day specials, share with readers in the comment section.

APPLEBEE'S

Continuing its 15-year, Veterans Day tradition, the chain offers active duty military, veterans, reserves & National Guard a free full-size entrée from an exclusive menuFriday, Nov. 11. These special guests also receive $5 Bounce Back Card to redeem for dine-in, to-go or delivery. Meal options include: 6-ounce sirloin; Double Crunch Shrimp; Fiesta Lime Chicken; chicken tenders; bacon cheeseburger; Oriental chicken salad; & Three-Cheese Chicken Penne. Info. Location finder.

Visit the Applebees in neighboring Dublin: 4808 Dublin Blvd.

On Friday, Nov. 11, veterans & active military are invited for a complimentary non-alcoholic beverage & entree from prix-fixe menu with salads, pizza & pasta. Upsells & additions may not be included, and not valid at franchise locations in stadium, university & airport locations. Bring valid ID. Details here.

A CPK can be found in Walnut Creek: 1325 South Main Street.

Vets will be treated to a free, three-item combo meal Veterans Day at all locations Nov. 11. Included are rice, sweet corn tamalito, beans & choice of tacos, salsa chicken, picadillo beef, pork or vegetarian, enchiladas, pork tamale, chile relleno or chicken flautas. Website. Valid ID required. Find sites in Elk Grove, Emeryville, Fairfield, Roseville, Sacramento, Santa Rosa, South San Francisco, Union City & Vallejo.

Veterans & active military can get a free meal Nov. 11 at participating restaurants. Available in-restaurant only. Menu choices: soup & salad; chicken bacon ranch quesadillas; Oldtimer with Cheese; or six boneless wings. Check participation with your nearby California locations. See offer details.

Visit the Chili's Grill & Bar in Pleasanton: 4801 Hopyard Rd.

Active & former military members can enjoy 20% off their orders Veterans Day, Nov. 11. Among dining options are paninis, pastas, breakfast meals & more. Don't forget military ID. Find locations throughout California.

Visit the Corner Bakery in Pleasanton: 6770 Bernal Ave.

DENNY'S

Veterans & active military can score a free "Build Your Own Grand Slam" Nov. 11 from 5 a.m. - 12 p.m. at particpating locations. Valid military ID or DD 214 required. Offer details here.

WENDY'S

On Veterans Day from 6:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m., veterans and active duty are treated to free breakfast combo offer — Maple Bacon Chicken Croissant, Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit or Breakfast Baconator at participating locales. Valid military ID or Veterans Advantage card required. Check your local Wendy's.

7-ELEVEN

On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, score a free Quarter-Pound Big Bite, all-beef hot dog. Available to military & veterans for one day only in-store & via delivery through 7NOW app. Don't forget ID and hot dogs can be customized with such condiments & toppings as hot chili, melted nacho cheese, onions, jalapeños & pico de gallo.

The Cascade Theatre this week features a band from my old stomping grounds in Ventura County, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. A number of local favorites are active this week, ranging from Honeybee at the Cicada Cantina, to Ashley Black at Dry Creek Station, to Joe Steele at Kelly’s Pub and Wine Bar. Enjoy, and thanks for reading.

Wednesday, November 16

Mumblefinger at Enjoy Local in Red Bluff. 5:30 – 7:30 pm.

Nick Ciampi at Sweetspot in Redding. 6 pm.

Honeybee at Cicada Cantina in Redding. 6 – 8 pm.

Steve Hermann at Three Shastas Bar & Grill in Redding. Starts at 7:30 pm.

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at the Cascade Theatre in Redding. Allison & Victor open. 7:30 pm.

Comedy night at the Overtime Lounge in the Win-River Casino. 8pm.

Thursday, November 17

Open mic at Trinity County Brewing Company in Weaverville. Starts at 4 pm.

Gimley at Sweetspot in Reddding. 6 pm.

Evening in Manhattan, a Broadway and Jazz Revue, at Anderson High School. 7 pm.

A play, Charlotte’s Web, at the Redding Performing Arts Center. 7 pm.

Open mic at Fratelli’s Pizza Parlor in Redding. Hosted by Nick Ciampi. Starts at 7 pm.

Open mic at Mt. Shasta Brewing Company in Weed. Hosted by Ben Brown and Kolby Stancil. Starts at 7 pm.

Chris Haggerty at Three Shastas Bar & Grill in Redding. Starts at 7:30 – 10 pm.

Hill Street Band at the Overtime Lounge in the Win-River Casino. 9:30 pm.

Friday, November 18

Ashley Black at Dry Creek Station in Bella Vista. 5:30 – 8:30 pm.

Brandon Antakk at Fratelli’s Pizza Parlor in Redding. 7 pm.

Preston Jacobs at The Shack Social in Redding. 7 pm.

Joe Steele at Kelly’s Pub and Wine Bar in Redding. 7 until 10 pm.

Steve Hermann performs for the Friday Night Dance (aka “The Senior Prom”) at the Redding Senior Center. Presented by Shasta Dance Clubs. Starts at 7 pm.

A play, Charlotte’s Web, at the Redding Performing Arts Center. 7 pm.

A play, Hamlet, at the Axiom Repertory Theatre in Redding. 7:30 pm.

3 Mile Road at Three Shastas Bar & Grill in Redding. 8:30 pm.

Roger Jaeger at the Silver Dollar Club in Shasta Lake. 8:30 pm.

California Grown at Cody’s OK Corral in Cottonwood. 8 – 11 pm.

Saturday, November 19

A play, Charlotte’s Web, at the Redding Performing Arts Center. 2 pm.

Steve Hermann at Dry Creek Station in Bella Vista. 5:30 – 8:30 pm.

A Dyar Situation at Kelly’s Pub and Wine Bar in Redding. 6 pm.

Roger Jaeger at Fall River Brewing Company in Redding. 6 pm.

Max Gandy at Taroko Asian Bar & Grill in Redding. 6 – 9 pm.

Live music at The Shack Social in Redding. Starts at 7 pm.

Adam’s Audicity/Entendu at Fratelli’s Pizza Parlor. 7 pm.

House of Unorthodox at Demented Designs in Anderson. 7 – 10 pm.

Jonathan Foster at POPS Performing Arts & Cultural Center in Dunsmuir. 7 pm.

A play, Charlotte’s Web, at the Redding Performing Arts Center. 7 pm.

A play, Hamlet, at the Axiom Repertory Theatre in Redding. 7:30 pm.

The Coffis Brothers/Belda Beast at The Dip in Redding. 8 pm.

California Grown at Cody’s OK Corral in Cottonwood. 8 – 11 pm.

3 Mile Road at Three Shastas Bar & Grill in Redding. 8:30 pm.

Sunday, November 20

Preston Jacobs at The Shack Social in Redding. 11 am – 1 pm.

A play, Hamlet, at the Axiom Repertory Theatre in Redding. 2 pm.

Open Stage Blues Jam at Three Shastas Bar & Grill in Redding. Presented by The Blues Society of Northern California. 5 – 9 pm.

Arthur Buezo at Watson’s Vets Club in Mount Shasta. 10 pm.

Monday, November 21

Tuesday, November 22

Music and dancing at the Frontier Senior Center in Anderson. Presented by Shasta Dance Clubs. Starts at 7 pm.