ST. HELENA
Thompson announces $155 million for State Route 37 from bipartisan infrastructure law
This week, Rep. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) announced that the project to elevate part of State Route 37 is receiving $155 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“State Route 37 is an essential thoroughfare that faces significant risk from rising sea levels, threatening the commute for the millions who rely on it every year,” said Thompson. “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is the most significant investment in our country’s infrastructure since President Eisenhower’s interstate system, and now the State Route 37 project is receiving a major boost from this historic law.. I was proud to vote for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in Congress and I am glad to see the federal funding coming to our community to improve State Route 37, protect habitats, and combat the climate crisis.”
The federal funding will help guard against future flooding on a vital regional corridor that connects Marin, Sonoma, Napa, and Solano counties and enhance habitat connectivity for San Pablo Bay. The other $25 million is being funded by the State of California. The $180 million project will raise the roadway by 30 feet over Novato Creek by 2029, well above the projected year 2130 sea-level rise.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, was signed into law on Nov. 15, 2021. The law includes around $550 billion in new federal investment in America’s roads and bridges, water infrastructure, resilience, internet, and more.
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SANTA ROSA
Santa Rosa Symphony season opens with esteemed pianist Olga Kern
The Santa Rosa Symphony (SRS), in its 12th season as the Resident Orchestra of the Green Music Center, begins its 96th season this October. Opening the season, Kern Plays Greig on October 7, 8, & 9 at Weill Hall, with Francesco Lecce-Chong conducting. This season’s first performance will include four outstanding works on the program. Tchaikovsky’s Polonaise from Eugene Onegin, From the Northern Wilds by Michael Djupstrom, Greig’s exhilarating Piano Concerto in A minor performed by Olga Kern, and Sibelius’s uplifting Symphony No. 2, which brings a rousing conclusion to this powerful program.
Kern last performed with SRS in January 2022. Sonoma County was starting to have an Omicron breakout, significantly affecting the musicians. The orchestra played the Saturday performance in its entirety. On Sunday, some orchestra members tested positive, and the decision was made to release all musicians except for the string section for the Sunday performance. On Monday, the Strings were also released. Kern went above and beyond to perform Sunday and Monday with what turned into almost a private recital, along with SRS conductor Lecce-Chong. His wife, Chloe Tula, a professional harp player, joined them for the Monday evening performance.
Lecce-Chong said, “I am thrilled to welcome back a dear friend of the symphony to open our season, Olga Kern. When Covid-19 impacted portions of our orchestra in January 2022, Olga heroically performed three different programs for each of the three concerts at last-minute notice, showcasing her versatility as a soloist, chamber musician, and recitalist. Since then, we have become good friends, and I cannot wait to continue collaborating with Grieg’s magnificent piano concerto.”
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WASHINGTON
USDA announces $72.9 million in grant funding awarded to support U.S. specialty crop producers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced $72.9 million awarded to 55 states and territories through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP). The grant program provides funding to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops and support specialty crop growers through marketing, education, and research.
“USDA is excited to announce that this year’s Specialty Crop Block Grant awards marks over $1 billion invested in nearly 12,000 projects that support the U.S. specialty crop industry,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program is a critical piece of USDA and the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to support small and mid-sized producers and ensure Americans have sustained access to fresh, locally grown specialty crop products.”
Fiscal year 2023 SCBGP funding is awarded to the departments of agriculture in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Funding for SCBGP is authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill.
States are encouraged to subaward funding to projects that address the needs of U.S. producers of fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops. Funded projects include investing in food safety, specialty crop research, including research to focus on conservation and environmental outcomes, developing new and improved seed varieties and specialty crops, and pest and disease control. Additional projects focus on increasing child and adult nutrition knowledge and consumption of specialty crops; and improving efficiency and reducing costs of distribution systems.
More information on the projects is included in the individual press releases for each state and territory. The press releases can be viewed on the SCBGP 2023 Grant Awards webpage.
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