From Daily Republic
By Audrey Wong
SUISUN CITY - Police will conduct tactical training starting today through Friday at the old Crystal Middle School campus on Cordelia Road and School Street.
Officers will practice entering buildings and handling active shooters, said Suisun City police Lt. Ed Dadisho. Active shooter is a police term for a suspect currently firing on victims. That could be a situation such as a sniper or like the Columbine high school attack, said Suisun City police Sgt. Ted Stec.
Tactical building entries are for situations such as serving search warrants, a barricaded suspect, parole and probation searches among other things, Stec said.
Police will not use live ammunition or guns in the exercises, Stec said. Officers will use fake guns and dress in plain clothes. Stec said he did not expect a lot of noise from the training.
Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department will lead the training. Dadisho was previously an LAPD sergeant. The first part of the training will be classroom instruction followed by role playing.
All Suisun City police officers have learned to deal with active shooters and entering buildings to meet state requirements for officers training, Stec said. But officers need to practice and polish their skills so they are prepared for anything, Stec said. Suisun City police also provide assistance for other local police departments during major incidents.
The training sessions will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Reach Audrey Wong at 427-6951 or awong@dailyrepublic.net.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Demolition of ranch house marks new beginning
From Vacaville Reporter
By Melissa Murphy/Staff Writer
Rush Ranch is getting a new nature center on its property, but not before some internal housekeeping is completed.
An excavator, manned by Ken Borders, an equipment operator with the Fish and Game Department, started in on Friday to tear down an old building that had once served as the ranch caretaker's house to make room for the future construction. Volunteers showed up on Friday and Saturday to help sort through the debris.
"It's always sad to get rid of things you're familiar with," Kirsti Muskat, a volunteer with Solano Land Trust, said Saturday morning after watching the frame of the house shake every time a part of the roof was pulled off. "But we're generally excited to see it go to make way for a better place. This is just one step in the process of building the nature center."
The State Coastal Conservancy (SCC) approved a $500,000 grant to the Solano Land Trust for construction of a nature center at Rush Ranch. This grant adds to the $500,000 awarded last year from the San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, according to the ranch's Web site.
The Patwins, the Native Americans who lived in the Solano County area and areas to the north, resided on what is now Rush Ranch for hundreds of years, the Web site said.
The Suisun Marsh is billed as the largest estuarine marsh in the entire United States. Now protected by state law, the whole of the marsh is a local environmental treasure that is a home to a variety of wildlife and birds.
The new facility will include a nature center and adjoining caretaker residence, as well as lab, living quarters, public toilets and office space for visiting scientists, said Ken Poerner, a member of Solano Land Trust.
The sorted debris will be given to a landfill to reuse. According to Poerner, who also organized the demolition project, 70 to 80 percent of the lumber gathered will be chopped up and reused, while about 10 to 15 percent of the metal will also be reused in some capacity.
Poerner put aside some floor beams that he plans to use to help restore the ranch's corral. He pointed out that the old house only sits on dirt and that a concrete foundation was never poured.
Muskat's children were also sorting through debris, finding chunks of insulation, window frames, pipes and water faucets. The Muskats regularly volunteer at the ranch, but this was the first time they've been a part of a demolition project.
"Sometimes (volunteering) is a lot of fun," said Tallin Muskat, 15, wearing work gloves while tearing through drywall. "We've been able to drive a bulldozer before."
More volunteers showed up to help Saturday morning.
One volunteer, Jessica Schneider, who works with the National Estuarine Research reserve, said she is very excited about the new facility. She watched, mesmerized, as the building was being torn down. She said that she's looking forward to having a convenient lab on the property in which to do research.
"We have a strong investment in this project," said Schneider, who also works with the weather station that sits close to the demolished building. "We have a great partner -ship with Solano Land Trust, plus it's a lot of fun."
Members of Boy Scout Troop 481 also showed up Friday to volunteer their time.
"A lot of people care about Rush Ranch and what it has to offer," Poerner said. "This is for the future."
Melissa Murphy can be reached at dixon@thereporter.com.
By Melissa Murphy/Staff Writer
Rush Ranch is getting a new nature center on its property, but not before some internal housekeeping is completed.
An excavator, manned by Ken Borders, an equipment operator with the Fish and Game Department, started in on Friday to tear down an old building that had once served as the ranch caretaker's house to make room for the future construction. Volunteers showed up on Friday and Saturday to help sort through the debris.
"It's always sad to get rid of things you're familiar with," Kirsti Muskat, a volunteer with Solano Land Trust, said Saturday morning after watching the frame of the house shake every time a part of the roof was pulled off. "But we're generally excited to see it go to make way for a better place. This is just one step in the process of building the nature center."
The State Coastal Conservancy (SCC) approved a $500,000 grant to the Solano Land Trust for construction of a nature center at Rush Ranch. This grant adds to the $500,000 awarded last year from the San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, according to the ranch's Web site.
The Patwins, the Native Americans who lived in the Solano County area and areas to the north, resided on what is now Rush Ranch for hundreds of years, the Web site said.
The Suisun Marsh is billed as the largest estuarine marsh in the entire United States. Now protected by state law, the whole of the marsh is a local environmental treasure that is a home to a variety of wildlife and birds.
The new facility will include a nature center and adjoining caretaker residence, as well as lab, living quarters, public toilets and office space for visiting scientists, said Ken Poerner, a member of Solano Land Trust.
The sorted debris will be given to a landfill to reuse. According to Poerner, who also organized the demolition project, 70 to 80 percent of the lumber gathered will be chopped up and reused, while about 10 to 15 percent of the metal will also be reused in some capacity.
Poerner put aside some floor beams that he plans to use to help restore the ranch's corral. He pointed out that the old house only sits on dirt and that a concrete foundation was never poured.
Muskat's children were also sorting through debris, finding chunks of insulation, window frames, pipes and water faucets. The Muskats regularly volunteer at the ranch, but this was the first time they've been a part of a demolition project.
"Sometimes (volunteering) is a lot of fun," said Tallin Muskat, 15, wearing work gloves while tearing through drywall. "We've been able to drive a bulldozer before."
More volunteers showed up to help Saturday morning.
One volunteer, Jessica Schneider, who works with the National Estuarine Research reserve, said she is very excited about the new facility. She watched, mesmerized, as the building was being torn down. She said that she's looking forward to having a convenient lab on the property in which to do research.
"We have a strong investment in this project," said Schneider, who also works with the weather station that sits close to the demolished building. "We have a great partner -ship with Solano Land Trust, plus it's a lot of fun."
Members of Boy Scout Troop 481 also showed up Friday to volunteer their time.
"A lot of people care about Rush Ranch and what it has to offer," Poerner said. "This is for the future."
Melissa Murphy can be reached at dixon@thereporter.com.
Sunset on the water--Suisun Slough boat cruises take guests for tours
From Daily Republic
By Stephanie Jucar
SUISUN CITY - The California Sunset, a blue and white, two-story boat docked in the Suisun City harbor, is hard to miss.
"It's the biggest boat in the harbor," said the boat's owner, Capt. Dan Thiemann.
Thiemann and his fiancee, Betty Jo Coleman, started giving 90-minute tours through 8 to 10 miles of Suisun City sloughs for the first time July 1.
"We're just getting started but we already have some regulars," he said.
Fairfield resident Caroline Fox came for a second time - and brought a friend.
"I've always dreamed of going here," she said, donning a jacket and scarf.
She spotted the boat several weeks ago on a walk down the edge of the harbor.
"It's a nice place to go with a friend," she said.
After taking pictures with Lynn Holt, the pair listened to the captain's message.
"We should see some exciting stuff in the way of wildlife," Thiemann said to his guests before he started the tour. "You're going to see what you would have seen in California 200 years ago, untouched by man. No roads, no buildings."
Many people who have lived in the area their whole lives have never seen the sloughs from sailing on the water, Thiemann said."This is their chance to see it," he said. "People want to sit, relax and have fun."
Short cruises are available Thursday through Sunday during the day and in the evening.
"We try to keep it as family-oriented as possible," Coleman said.
Rain or shine, Thiemann said he'll take people on tours year-round as long as guests come at tour take-off times.
On a late summer evening about 18 people of all ages hopped on the boat for a tour.
On a normal weekend night, Gina Prendivalle, 47, and Brian Pene, 40, usually eat a nice dinner at a restaurant together or mingle at a bar.
But on a Friday night a couple weeks ago, the couple decided to check out the scene at the Suisun City waterfront.
"It's a perfect night to go out and do this," Prendivalle said, leaning over the railing with her hair whipping in the wind on the second story of the boat.
They watched the sunset and cuddled close as the night grew cooler.
Keith and Nancy Weitemeyer celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary on the California Sunset, taking pictures of the late summer sunset and relaxing on the boat's second-floor benches.
"This is fun," the wife said. "I like being on top of the water."
Thiemann enjoys having large families with kids because they can learn about local waterways and sloughs, he said.
The California Sunset was the first boat 8-year-old Alondra Trujillo has ever been on.
"It's fun," she said, while chewing on a Snickers bar sold at a concessions stand in the boat. "I liked it when he started the boat."
Thiemann also lets passengers take the helm for a few minutes, while he answers their questions about boating and the wildlife around them.
The California Sunset is also available for private parties, Thiemann said.
Corporate parties, family reunions, birthdays, school field trips, weddings, amongst many other kinds of parties, have used the boat, he added.
On a romantic night with a partner, an educational tour with kids or a family outing, the California Sunset is a boat that invites you to explore the sloughs of Suisun City.
By Stephanie Jucar
SUISUN CITY - The California Sunset, a blue and white, two-story boat docked in the Suisun City harbor, is hard to miss.
"It's the biggest boat in the harbor," said the boat's owner, Capt. Dan Thiemann.
Thiemann and his fiancee, Betty Jo Coleman, started giving 90-minute tours through 8 to 10 miles of Suisun City sloughs for the first time July 1.
"We're just getting started but we already have some regulars," he said.
Fairfield resident Caroline Fox came for a second time - and brought a friend.
"I've always dreamed of going here," she said, donning a jacket and scarf.
She spotted the boat several weeks ago on a walk down the edge of the harbor.
"It's a nice place to go with a friend," she said.
After taking pictures with Lynn Holt, the pair listened to the captain's message.
"We should see some exciting stuff in the way of wildlife," Thiemann said to his guests before he started the tour. "You're going to see what you would have seen in California 200 years ago, untouched by man. No roads, no buildings."
Many people who have lived in the area their whole lives have never seen the sloughs from sailing on the water, Thiemann said."This is their chance to see it," he said. "People want to sit, relax and have fun."
Short cruises are available Thursday through Sunday during the day and in the evening.
"We try to keep it as family-oriented as possible," Coleman said.
Rain or shine, Thiemann said he'll take people on tours year-round as long as guests come at tour take-off times.
On a late summer evening about 18 people of all ages hopped on the boat for a tour.
On a normal weekend night, Gina Prendivalle, 47, and Brian Pene, 40, usually eat a nice dinner at a restaurant together or mingle at a bar.
But on a Friday night a couple weeks ago, the couple decided to check out the scene at the Suisun City waterfront.
"It's a perfect night to go out and do this," Prendivalle said, leaning over the railing with her hair whipping in the wind on the second story of the boat.
They watched the sunset and cuddled close as the night grew cooler.
Keith and Nancy Weitemeyer celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary on the California Sunset, taking pictures of the late summer sunset and relaxing on the boat's second-floor benches.
"This is fun," the wife said. "I like being on top of the water."
Thiemann enjoys having large families with kids because they can learn about local waterways and sloughs, he said.
The California Sunset was the first boat 8-year-old Alondra Trujillo has ever been on.
"It's fun," she said, while chewing on a Snickers bar sold at a concessions stand in the boat. "I liked it when he started the boat."
Thiemann also lets passengers take the helm for a few minutes, while he answers their questions about boating and the wildlife around them.
The California Sunset is also available for private parties, Thiemann said.
Corporate parties, family reunions, birthdays, school field trips, weddings, amongst many other kinds of parties, have used the boat, he added.
On a romantic night with a partner, an educational tour with kids or a family outing, the California Sunset is a boat that invites you to explore the sloughs of Suisun City.
Reach Stephanie Jucar at 427-6935 or sjucar@dailyrepublic.net.
Suisun City boat cruise: California Sunset
Cruise through the Suisun City sloughs
- Departs from Suisun City waterfront by Main Street
4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday; noon, 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
$15 adults; $5 children, under 3 are free. - Monday through Wednesday open for reserved groups of 10 or more at any time
- For reservations call (916) 289-8375
- Note: Regular cruise times Thursday through Saturday may change due to large party reservations
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