The Sierra Nevada snowpack continues to build during one of the wettest winters in California’s recorded history. The manual snow survey by the Department of Water Resources (DWR) at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada found a snow water equivalent (SWE) of 43.4 inches. February’s Phillips survey found 28.0 inches of SWE, and January’s reading was 6.0 inches. The March 1 average at Phillips is 24.3 inches.

On average, the snowpack supplies about 30 percent of California’s water needs as it melts in the spring and early summer.  More telling than a survey at a single location are DWR’s electronic readings from 98 stations scattered throughout the Sierra Nevada. Statewide, the snowpack today holds 45.5 inches of SWE, or 185 percent of the March 1 average (24.6 inches).

Measurements indicate the water content of the northern Sierra snowpack is 39.2 inches, 159 percent of the multi-decade March 1 average. The central and southern Sierra readings are 49.0 inches (191 percent of average) and 46.4 inches (201 percent of average) respectively.

State Climatologist Michael Anderson said the winter season has been “historic,” especially in the central and southern Sierra where elevations are higher and where snowfall has been near the 1983 record amount.

The Phillips snow course, near the intersection of Highway 50 and Sierra-at-Tahoe Road, is one of hundreds surveyed manually throughout the winter. Manual measurements augment the electronic readings from about 100 sensors in the state’s mountains that provide a current snapshot of the water content in the snowpack.

Frank Gehrke, chief of the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program, conducted today’s survey at Phillips and said of his findings, “It’s not the record, the record being 56.4 (inches), but still a pretty phenomenal snowpack…. January and February came in with some really quite phenomenal atmospheric river storms, many of which were cold enough to really boost the snowpack.”

Gehrke said the central and southern regions in the Sierra Nevada are tracking close to 1983, which had the maximum recorded snowpack statewide.

More than a thousand mourners, dominated by members of law enforcement from police and fire divisions as far away as Utah and New Mexico, many wearing black bands across their badges in a show of solidarity, filled the sanctuary of Adventure Christian Church in Roseville March 4th to pay their respects to fallen California Highway Patrolman Lucas Chellew.

Among the mourners were the officer’s sister, Hanna Chellew, who followed in her big brother’s footsteps to become a member of the CHP’s motorcycle division. Choking back tears, she recalled her brother’s wide, dimpled grin and propensity for pulling pranks, but mostly reflected upon his unwavering dedication to service and family.

“From a little sister’s perspective, Lucas was the best big brother any one could ask for,” she told mourners, among them, several state legislators, including Gov. Gerry Brown and Attorney General Xavier Becerra. Calling him her “role model,” she said “Every year that passes, Lucas will be a year older. And I will have another year to be better. To be more like him.”

Chellew, 31, graduated fourth in his class from the CHP Academy in 2009 where he was pinned by his father, retired CHP Captain Charles Chellew.  He served on the elite Mounted Patrol Unit for the Capital Protection Section before transferring to South Sacramento’s West Valley motorcycle division. Some members of his squad were assigned the somber duty of carrying their fellow officer’s casket into the sanctuary to the sound of bag pipes, while others offered emotional anecdotes about their friendships with Chellew and his tenacious sense of duty.

“This is a message to you and my squad, the South Side Squad,” said Chellew’s commander, CHP Captain Evan Robinson. “He was a fighter pilot and bad guys beware.” Speaking more directly to Chellew’s family seated front row near his flag-draped casket, Robinson added “That’s your son. That’s your husband. That’s your brother. He was all in.”

According to CHP reports, Chellew was pursuing another motorcycle rider, Alberto Quiroz, 26, on Feb. 22nd when he was cut off by a car, crashed and later died from his injuries. Quiroz, of Sacramento, was later arrested and remains on bail. He faces three felony counts in connection with the accident, including a felony charge of evading an officer. Quiroz was scheduled for arraignment February 27. No further hearings had been set for the case of press time.

In addition to his parents and sister, Chellew is survived by his wife, Christina, and their two children, Hadley, 15 months, and Cameron, 6.  Christina Chellew did not speak during her husband’s memorial, however, when fellow academy classmate CHP Officer Troy Christensen was overcome with grief while delivering a part of the service, she went on stage to comfort him.  Composed, Christensen said “You’ll be sadly missed and I look forward to seeing you one day my brother Lucas.”

Mike Wolfe, Frank Fritz, and their team are excited to return to CALIFORNIA! They plan to film episodes of the hit series AMERICAN PICKERS throughout the region in Spring 2017!

AMERICAN PICKERS is a documentary series that explores the fascinating world of antique ‘picking’ on History. The hit show follows Mike and Frank, two of the most skilled pickers in the business, as they hunt for America’s most valuable antiques. They are always excited to find sizeable, unique collections and learn the interesting stories behind them.

As they hit the back roads from coast to coast, Mike and Frank are on a mission to recycle and rescue forgotten relics. Along the way, the Pickers want to meet characters with remarkable and exceptional items.

The pair hopes to give historically significant objects a new lease on life, while learning a thing or two about America’s past along the way.

Mike and Frank have seen a lot of rusty gold over the years and are always looking to discover something they’ve never seen before. They are ready to find extraordinary items and hear fascinating tales about them.

AMERICAN PICKERS is looking for leads and would love to explore your hidden treasure. If you or someone you know has a large, private collection or accumulation of antiques that the Pickers can spend the better part of the day looking through, send us your name, phone number, location and description of the collection with photos to: americanpickers@cineflix.com or call 855-OLD-RUST.

Get ready to be a leak detective and do your part during Fix A Leak Week, March 20 through 26. The average home leaks more than 10,000 gallons of water per year – the amount of water it takes to wash 270 loads of laundry. That’s almost a year’s worth of laundry!

Take the WaterSense Fix a Leak Week Challenge

In just a few minutes, you can search your home for leaks and stop water waste. Many household leaks, like worn toilet flappers, dripping faucets, and leaky showerheads, are quick and easy to find and fix, and can make a big difference in your water usage.

How to Check for Leaks:

• Review your Water Bill. For a family of four, if your spring/winter water use is more than 12,000 gallons per month it’s likely you have a leak. Also look for a spike in water usage from one month to the next.
• Visually examine all of your faucets and showerheads. Even a slow dripping faucet can waste more than 1,000 gallons a year.
• If after flushing your toilet doesn’t shut off, you may have a leak. Check your toilet with a simple dye test. Place dye tablets or a couple of drops of food coloring into the tank. If the colored water appears in the bowl within 15 minutes, there is a leak in the flapper valve. A simple and inexpensive fix!
• Look under your sinks for pooling water around pipes or rust around joints and edges.
• Check your dishwasher, clothes washer and water heater for pooling water, rust or loose connections.
• Walk your yard and look for soggy areas. A soft spot can indicate you have a leak in your service line or sprinkler system.

If you have attempted all of the items noted above, but are still uncertain if you have a leak, Sacramento Suburban Water District customers can request assistance from one of our Water Conservation Technicians, and for a more complete assessment, they can also request a Water Wise House Call by calling 916.972.7171.

If any of your fixtures need replacing, make sure to look for the WaterSense label when purchasing new ones. They are independently certified to be at least 20 percent more efficient than standard models.

So join in the search and find the drips and leaks in your home. And remember to check for and fix leaks inside and outside your home all year long.

Just over half of the 250 business property owners with commercial assets in the 10-acre Fair Oaks Boulevard Public and Business Improvement District (PBID) corridor have paid all or a portion of two tax installments earmarked for planned improvements for Carmichael, which include battling blight and crime on the roughly 437 properties in the assessment area.

In addition, stakeholders have created a nonprofit, the Carmichael Improvement District (CID) to manage the PBID budget and project oversight. Eight board members are in place and a search for as many as three more representing a cross-section of the corridor’s property owners is underway, according to CID President Gary Hursh, a property owner and attorney with a business on Fair Oaks Boulevard, the PBIDs core thoroughfare. Among the board’s immediate tasks is to ensure assessments are paid to the county in full by the April 10 deadline and, upon processing and release of all funds by the county board of supervisors, begin long-awaited improvements.

 “We’ve formed the non-profit, have a board in place and will be looking for a few more members as we begin to move toward finally seeing the funds for the year come in,” said Hursh, adding that $125,000 of the expected $301,838 assessment total for 2017 had been paid as of March 1. The CID has tentatively allocated more than half of its 2017 budget, $156,956, toward “Clean and Safe Enhancements,” such as security, litter and graffiti removal, illegal dumping and abandoned shopping carts and cars. Other budgeted items include funds for streetscape enhancements, administrative fees and a prudent reserve. Also, according to Hursh, some funds will be earmarked for the hiring of an administrator who will oversee all day-to-day operations of the nonprofit and expenditures.

Crime, security and blight are at the top of the list for obvious reasons, said Linda Melody, executive director of the Carmichael Chamber of Commerce and also a CID board member. Many business owners, she said, believe problems have been mounting since the passage Proposition 47 in 2014. Echoing recent remarks to the community by Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Shubert, Melody said crime, the release of inmates under Prop. 47, and the growing numbers of homeless individuals living in doorways and parking lots along the CID’s path are connected and of critical concern.

“Homelessness, Prop. 47, and crime are considered related by many of the area’s business owners,” Melody said. However, even she admits, neglect in the businesses district, currently experiencing a near 18 percent vacancy rate, has been coming for decades. “Carmichael is going to be 107 years old in the fall and many issues of concern about worn out buildings and neglect have been ongoing for years.”

The PBID for Fair Oaks Boulevard, which includes 350 assessed parcels, was approved by just under 70 percent of local property owners in the fall of 2016. The renewable, five-year agreement with the county, according to Hursh, may be expanded to include a wider tax base and coverage area over the next five years. For now, however, the board is hoping for full approval of its bylaws, budget and contract by the board of supervisors, all expected to take place later this month.