A sad start to 2021 despite some locally happy events
A Woodland man apparently attempted suicide at Fire Station No. 2 on south West Street Sunday morning, and I’m terribly sorry to have to report that information so soon into 2021, although I don’t know if he lost his life or not. When I first came to The Democrat in 1987 one of the first stories I did was to report on a suicide attempt of a man who had a gun to his head on Second Street, about a half block south of Main. The man, thank heaven, never carried out his threat being talked down by a police officer.
My general rule with suicides is that they are private affairs if attempted in private ( the exception being if the individual is a public or well- known local person) and to be reported on if attempted for carried out in a public setting or if other people become victims as well. In most cases, the No. 1 rule is to “tread lightly.” I don’t want to speculate why a person chooses to take his or her life out of consideration for their families. Of course, if someone takes their life and the lives of others, then the rules are tossed aside.
All this being said, I feel empathy for the man who took his life at the fire station. I can only hope his family finds understanding and peace at some point in the future as well as receive counseling. I also hope the firefighters involved get the necessary counseling. Undoubtedly, all of these other “victims” will need some help.
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In the way of positive news to start the year, I want give my personal congratulations to Brenda Johnson at 547 Second St., for winning the second “Illuminate Woodland” holiday light display contest held by Visit Woodland, the Woodland Hoteliers Group and The Daily Democrat. I had seen the home during my travels around town and thought it was an award winner. Johnson also received a $ 5,000 grand prize. The second- place prize of $ 3,000 was awarded to Jami Quan at 1605 Spruce Drive. And the home of Jillian and Joaquin Cameron at 716 El Dorado Drive, was honored with the $ 2,000 third- place prize.
It will be interesting to see who competes in 2021 and whether there will be more competition once we get through the coronavirus pandemic.
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And while I’m at it, let me congratulate Saharay Lomeli and Ignacio Lara on the birth of Ignacio Lara at 4: 36 a. m., New Year’s Day at Woodland Memorial Hospital. Young Ignacio weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces and was 21 inches long. The family lives in Esparto where Saharay is a stay- at- home mom because the couple also have four girls, whose names are a real trip: Eileen Lara, 8; Elissa Lara, 5; Elena Lara, 4; and Emma Lara, 2. All of who were born in Yuba City.
Typically, I make arrangements in advance with Woodland Memorial Hospital to be on alert to cover the birth of a “New Year Baby.” So, on or about New Year’s Day, I’ll get a phone call letting me know and I’ll make arrangements to get to the birthing ward at the hospital for a story. I also give the new mom a few hours for sleep and a shower.
This year, because of the pandemic, neither hospital staff or myself wanted to put anyone at risk, so I relied on a photograph taken by a nurse and speak on the phone with Saharay. It wasn’t something I wanted to do because I get a better feel for the family by seeing them in person. But it was the right thing to do.
I’ve covered these births for more than a decade and each one is unique. Sometimes, the parents are super excited and have all their family present with everyone talking at once, which makes it hard to hear what’s said, let alone fit into the small birthing room. Sometimes, the first baby is truly a first baby and there’s a bit of a hush and awe as new mother and dad realize they’ve created a new life.
I always ask the families if there is anything “special” about the new baby or the family. In this case, I was able to elicit that the girls all had names starting with “E.” That may not seem like much, but it was different. The reason I ask that question is that some years past I learned through conversation the new mother had also been a “first baby” of the year, and that her mother had been a “first baby.”
One never knows unless one asks.