🌱 Pacific Charter School Battle + Omicron Arrives In Placer

Hey, Roseville - it's Fri-YAY!

You've come to the right place to find out about everything worth knowing today in Roseville.

Let's get to it!

First, today's weather:

We won’t see much of the sky today and you can pretty much count on some light rain, especially this morning. Temperatures are expected to reach a high of 54 degrees and an overnight low of 42. Winds are coming from the southeast at about 5-10 mph and humidity remains high at around 92% during the day.

Here are the top five stories in Roseville today:

1. Critics of a proposed Pacific Charter School in Roseville have filed a petition asking the Roseville Joint Union High School District Board to deny Pacific Charter Institute’s (PCI) petition to open the school. The petition against the new school is sponsored by the Eureka Union Teachers Association and cites PCI’s poor track record and lack of experience with brick-and-mortar schools. Opponents also fear programs and services already in place for K-12 schoolchildren will be cut by adding another 400-student school to the area. Learn more, including both petitions and an RJUHSD Findings Report, in this article. (Roseville Today)
2. A Roseville startup company, Hank, that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to maximize heating and air system’s efficiency in commercial buildings, was recently acquired by Fortune 500 Company Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL). Hank’s AI platform, branded as “the virtual building engineer,” saves building owners 20% to 35% on utility costs while also keeping office spaces more comfortable for workers. Hank was the winner of the 2019 Sacramento Region Innovation Award in the sustainability category. (Sacramento Business Journal and Yahoo! Finance)
3. Faithful Roseville Daily readers know that 2022 is the year that Californians will reduce organic waste (food scraps) in our landfills by composting at the household and community levels. State Bill SB1383 seeks to reduce organic waste disposal by 75% by 2025, reducing the methane gas byproduct than contributes to global warming. If you haven’t seen any changes in your waste collection process yet, that is because the City of Roseville is currently conducting the second phase of a pilot study to determine the best way to implement a citywide composting program. Learn more on the City’s Food for Soil webpage. (City of Roseville Environmental Utilities)
4. The first five cases of the omicron variant of COVID-19 have been confirmed, two last week and three this week, in Placer County. Information based on other countries’ experiences with omicron predicts that this variant’s surge will be short-lived and will see lower hospitalization rates than we had with other variants, according to Interim Public Health Officer Dr. Rob Oldham. However, Oldham also points out that this pandemic hasn’t always behaved as expected. (ABC 10)
5. Ten days before it was set to expire, California’s indoor mask mandate has been extended until February 15th as coronavirus infection rates skyrocket in the Golden State. There is no expected mandate to close businesses or schools, although some have opted to close temporarily when inundated with infections. “We believe we have a lot of tools to keep things moving and apply those tools in a way that is not disruptive to California,” explained California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly. (FOX 40)

From our sponsor:

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Today around Roseville:

• With the holiday season and fighting off (or recovering from) COVID, it seems folk have been too busy to donate blood lately, leaving our blood banks dangerously low. Make an appointment to donate at the Vitalant/KCRA 3 Blood Drive at Sierra College! Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins will be accepted if there is space. Today & Tomorrow
• There’s a full lineup of entertainment tonight at The Fig Tree Coffee Lounge! They’re kicking off the evening, appropriately, with Six-O’Clock Jasmine, followed by Silver Linings and ending the evening with Poetry and Jams. 6:00 pm
• Country rock and blues are on tap at The Union tonight as Fast Fairlane returns to the stage. 7:00 pm
• Dinosaurs are roaring through Sacramento this weekend and they’re hanging out at Cal Expo. Jurassic Quest features rides, inflatables, games, crafts, a giant fossil dig and over 100 live-scale dinos – including a T-Rex! Online tickets range from $19 to $37 depending on package add-ons. Today-Sunday
• Do you dream of growing juicy, tasty fruit right in your own yard? Don’t miss Top Ten Tips for Growing Fruit Trees, a free webinar from the Roseville Utility Exploration Center, tomorrow morning! Register now to get the link. Tomorrow 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

From my notebook:

• Impacted by the coronavirus surge, 105 Noshery is closing its doors until January 12th due to employee illness and staff shortages. Its post received many well wishes from loyal customers and even some encouragement from a Campelli’s Pizza team member. Campelli’s just opened back up after a temporary closure due to employee COVID cases. (Facebook)
  
• A great job, where you are an instant celebrity to adoring children all over town - sound too good to be true? The City of Roseville is hiring garbage truck drivers! Check out the details and fill out an application. Your fans await. (Facebook)
• 916ink, the awesome literacy nonprofit that provides workshops and tutoring to youth throughout the Sacramento region (and Community Write Nights for adults), is going virtual with a free, remote creative writing series for students in grades 3-5. (Instagram)
  
• Golden Sierra Job Training wants to help you land your dream job in 2022! Check out all the workshops and events coming up this month. And they are all free of charge! (Instagram)
• Did you know that Cal Fire has an archeology program? It's true! Since 1979, the program identifies and manages archaeological, historical and tribal cultural resources found in Cal Fire’s project areas. The archeology team also helps to preserve the artifacts from harm as they work in the area. (Instagram)
  

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And there you have it, folks. I'll be back tomorrow with your weekend edition of The Roseville Daily!

— Kelly Risse

About me: My name is Kelly Mays Risse, and I have lived in Roseville just about all my life. I graduated from Roseville High School and majored in Journalism at CSU Sacramento. My husband and I loved growing up and raising our three boys here in the 'Ville. I have watched Roseville evolve from a cheerful little railroad town to a large and diverse city. I love where we live, from the hiking trails to the hip new restaurants, and I love the people who live here. I am excited to bring the highlights to you in The Roseville Daily!