Monday, November 6, 2006

Suisun City iMap System Now Online

Excerpted from Nov. 6, 2006 Daily Republic >>click for full article (subscription required)>>

By Ian Thompson

SUISUN CITY - Suisun City residents will be able to find out where crime is in their community as well as send in tips and information to the police, thanks to a new online crime mapping system.

The system is called the iMap Crime Mapping System, which will allow neighborhood watch groups, residents and businesses to send information and tips about crimes directly to the police department.

"If residents see something odd or suspicious, we want to know about it," Suisun City Police Commander Ed Dadisho. "With this system, they can check online to see if an incident was reported and instantly pass on to our investigators any information they may have about it."

Suisun City Police Officer Andrew White created the system using Google mapping software to display crime information from the department's reporting system.

This automatically updating mapping system can be accessed from any Internet-ready computer and it allows businesses and residents to e-mail tips to the police directly from the system.

'Family-friendly' Sunset Donuts Prospers Next to Starbucks

Excerpted from Nov. 6. 2006 Daily Republic >>click for full story (subscription required)>>

By Brad Stanhope

SUISUN CITY - In the shadow of the world's biggest coffee retailer, Bob Warren sits, reads the newspaper, sips a coffee and enjoys a pastry.

At Sunset Donuts, not Starbucks.

Warren, a 67-year-old tour bus driver, sits near the window at Sunset Donuts, in the Sunset Shopping Center near Rite-Aid.

"I come here anytime I'm off," Warren says. "It's been a little slow. Tourism's been slow. When it's busy, I work every day."

But when it's slow, he's here.

"I always come here to have coffee and associate with the owners," he says, smiling.

The owners are Pisey and Sithul Bou, who've run Sunset Donuts for 15 years. Although it sits a few yards from a Starbucks that opened a year ago, it continues to generate business.

"(Starbucks) hasn't hurt us at all," Pisey Bou says.

Leaders Focus on Pregnant Women in Suisun City Forum

Excerpted from Nov. 4 Vacaville Reporter >>click for more>>

By Erin Pursell/Staff Writer

The issue of prenatal substance abuse drew a lively crowd of 160 county leaders, health officials and experts and community members to a BabyFirst Solano forum Wednesday in Suisun City.

The purpose of the forum was to increase awareness and discuss support for the Solano County's pregnant women.

"Basically we're all trying to work together for the first time to provide a system of care for women who may be using substances while they're pregnant," said Jayleen Richards, a project manager for BabyFirst who helped organize the event. "A big piece is focusing on providing all these services within the prenatal care site so it becomes a sort of one-stop shop."

BabyFirst, which receives funding from First 5 Solano, is a public and private partnership aimed at creating a countywide, comprehensive system of care and support for mothers to help enable them - through education and support - to deliver and raise healthy, drug-free babies, staff said.

Wednesday's event focused on the agency's Prenatal Substance Abuse Initiative that has been ongoing for nearly a year.

KRON takes road trip through Suisun Valley

On the busy Interstate 80 freeway, cars race between the Bay Area and Sacramento.

But right beside the road, near Fairfield, we found an unexpected oasis, where life slows down quite a bit, and art and agriculture come together.

Suisun Valley truly is a pleasant surprise. Urban sprawl has taken over nearby areas, but Suisun Valley has retained its rural charm. Farms and vineyards dominate the landscape, and the area's beauty has attracted many artists here as well.

"It has an amazing feel out here," explains potter Joni Anderson. We're going to check it all out; from a legendary fruit stand, to a couple of wonderful wineries, to a fascinating community of artists and artisans.

Suisun Valley is located just north of Interstate 80, roughly halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento. It's about a 45 minute drive northeast from San Francisco.

As soon as we leave the highway, we're amidst farmland and ranchland, some with trees, some with cattle, and some with very unusual sculptures. Phillip Glashoff and his son Chad both sculpt using mainly recycled metal objects and they've put many of their larger pieces on display here at their sculpture ranch.

"We mimic each other as we go through life," explains Phil. "He uses my style, I use his. And we collaborate a lot." Chad's work is generally abstract, while Phillip's tends to be more whimsical. Chad quips, "One man's trash is another man's treasure!"

The Glashoff Sculpture Ranch is open by appointment only. A little farther into the valley, Phillip has a gallery with regular hours. It features many of the Glashoffs' pieces, plus the work of several other artists. The gallery is located at a quaint junction called Mankas Corner, which has become something of an art hub. >>click for more from KRON site>>


Take Notes:
  • Glashoff Gallery 2527 Mankas Corner Rd. (707) 427-8164 www.glashoffgallery.com
  • Vintage CafĂ© 2522 Mankas Corner Rd. (707) 425-3207
  • Vegetable Patch Owners Doug or Doreen Lum 2820 Rockville Rd. (707) 427-8164
  • Billy Hines Iron Art by Design 2525 Mankas Corner Rd. (707) 428-9977
  • Clay Station 2529 Mankas Corner road (707) 422-4942 www.dragonware.biz
  • Ledgewood Creek winery 45896 Abernathy Rd. (707) 426-4424 www.ledgewoodcreek.com Wooden Valley winery 4756 Suisun Valley Rd. (707) 864-0730 www.woodenvalley.com

Sunday, November 5, 2006

Suisun City Police to Expand Camera Program

Excerpted from Nov. 5, 2006 Daily Republic >>click for complete article (subscription required)>>

By Ian Thompson

SUISUN CITY - Suisun City police hope to have the funding in hand by the end of this month to purchase and put up a dozen wireless cameras in various high-crime locations throughout Suisun City.

Getting the cameras is part of the city's resurgent police force's campaign against crime.
Recent success with anti-graffiti cameras that snap pictures of offenders has spurred the department forward.

One camera the city already has overlooks the marina area from the lighthouse. So far, it has not been a factor in detecting any crime or vandalism in the immediate area, police said.

Local businesses, impressed with what they have heard of the cameras, have already asked if they could purchase their own, "which would be great," Suisun City Police Sgt. Ted Stec said.

The other cameras, once they are acquired, will be put in undisclosed locations police want to monitor better, Stec said.

A large television placed in the police department's dispatch center will monitor the sites around the clock. Computers already in the city's patrol cars will allow patrolling cops to catch the view, too.

In a presentation to the City Council, Suisun City Police Commander Ed Dadisho said the cameras will allow police to have a better idea of what they are dealing with before responding to the area.

Police already used motion-detector cameras to combat graffiti in problem areas such as near the ABC Animal Hospital near the railroad tracks that separate Suisun City from Fairfield.

Saturday, November 4, 2006

New plaza coming to Suisun City marina

Excerpted from Nov. 4, 2006, Daily Republic >>click for full article (subscription required)>>

By Ian Thompson

SUISUN CITY - Suisun City residents will soon get another grassy place to watch the harbor or events such as the city's Fourth of July fireworks show.

Workers are in middle of creating a plaza just south of One Harbor Center next to Driftwood Promenade that is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

The rectangular plaza has six steps leading up the north side and a large gently sloping grassy area that faces south toward the harbor with shade trees on either side.

"It will be great viewing for the shows and activities on the harbor. Farmers markets and the like can go in there," said Lee Evans of Suisun City's Public Works Department which is overseeing the work.

Friday, November 3, 2006

Fairfield Move Doesn't Impact Wal-Mart's Suisun City Plans

Excerpted from Nov. 3, 2006 Daily Republic >>click for full story (subscription required)>>

By Ian Thompson

SUISUN CITY - The Fairfield Planning Commission's decision Wednesday against allowing Wal-Mart Supercenter in Mission Village hasn't affected the mega-retailers' plans to build a supercenter in Suisun City.

"No effect. None at all," said Wal-Mart spokesman Kevin Loscotoff of the plans for Suisun City. "We continue to move forward with the project in Suisun City."

Suisun City planners are preparing a draft environmental report on how the proposed 230,000-square-foot store will affect the area around the 20-acre site bordered by Highway 12 and Walters Road.

Nearby residents who oppose the store have organized and plan to lobby against the proposal when it reaches Suisun City's planning commission next spring.

Thursday, November 2, 2006

ONLINE CRIME MAPPING SYSTEM A BOON FOR NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

System allows residents to proactively assist police, protect neighborhoods

SUISUN CITY — A new online mapping system will empower Suisun City residents as active participants in preserving the safety of their neighborhoods. The Suisun City Police Department has proactively pursued crime prevention partnerships with other agencies and the community, which is already one of Solano County’s safest cities.

The new iMap Crime Mapping System is a tool to enable established Neighborhood Watch groups and individual residents and businesses to give crime information and tips directly to the Police Department.

“Suisun City has a long history of a very active and successful Neighborhood Watch program,” said police Commander Ed Dadisho. “If residents see something odd or suspicious, we want to know about it. With this system, they can check online to see if an incident was reported and instantly pass on to our investigators any information they may have about it.”

The iMap Crime Mapping System was developed by Officer Andrew White using Google mapping software display crime report information collected from the Police Department’s reporting system. The automatically updating mapping system is accessible from any Internet-ready computer. It allows residents and business owners to e-mail tips to the Police Department directly from the mapping system.

Suisun City is the first Solano County police agency to provide such detailed information in a simple-to-use online format. “We are really opening up so people know what is going on in their community and can stay involved,” Officer White said.

Police managers will use the iMap Crime Mapping System to better focus enforcement efforts and tailor deployment of the Crime Suppression Unit. While the iMap system provides general information to the public, a more detailed version quickly delivers incident and historical information to officers working particular sectors or incidents.

“With the help of inexpensive, available technology and a little ingenuity, we are providing vital information and enhanced analytical tools to engage our residents and proactively deploy our police forces in Suisun City,” Dadisho said.

The iMap Crime Mapping System can be accessed online at www.suisun.com/crimemap
Suisun City Press Release issued Nov. 2, 2006