Anwan Baker named new library director
Anwan Baker has been named the new director of the Lodi Public Library.
The library’s board of trustees were set to approve an agreement with Baker on Monday evening, and he is scheduled to start on Sept. 24.
“In Mr. Baker, the board is delighted to have found someone who has the skills and passion to lead the Lodi Public Library,” Board president Caitlin Casey said. “At a time when libraries are adjusting to new needs and expectations, Mr. Baker brings a variety of talents that ensure the library remains a relevant and vital resource for the Lodi community.”
Baker will fill the vacancy left open after the sudden retirement of former library director Dean Gualco earlier this year.
City spokesman Jeff Hood, who also serves as the director of Lodi Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services, had been serving as interim library director for the past eight months until trustees were able to fill the position.
Baker has been an adult services supervisor with the Berkeley Public Library system since 2012.
Previously, he served in a variety of roles for the Live Oak Public Libraries in Savannah, Ga., including three management positions.
Baker was twice the chair of the Savannah Children’s Book Festival, the largest children’s book festival in the country.
Baker holds a Master of Library and Information Science degree from Florida State University as well as undergraduate and master’s
SACRAMENTO — An extended stretch of Interstate 5 in Shasta County has reopened with restrictions after five days of closure caused by the raging Delta Fire, which has ignited big rigs and cars, injured at least one person and consumed more than 47,000 acres as of Monday morning, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Caltrans, as well as the California Highway Patrol and local law enforcement agencies, announced that the 45mile stretch of I-5 between Redding and Mount Shasta, closed since Wednesday, had been reopened as of 8:30 a.m. Monday.
There are restrictions in place, though. A 17-mile stretch of the reopened freeway will be reduced to one lane in each direction. Roads are open to through traffic only, meaning ramps to and from I-5 in affected fire areas will be regulated by CHP and Caltrans, according to a news release.
Additionally, no flammable vehicles — such as those containing logs or lumber — will be allowed through; they will be screened northbound at Fawndale Road and southbound at Mott Road, Caltrans said in a news release. Those vehicles will need to continue to use the Highway 299 detour.
Caltrans still warns motorists to expect long travel times and significant delays in Monday’s announcement. A day earlier, Caltrans tweeted that the stretch of freeway would remain closed indefinitely.
Reports by California Highway Patrol officers and other drivers last week estimated that the designated detour route, Highway 299, had added about eight hours of travel time due to severe congestion.
The blaze, which started last Wednesday about 10 miles north of Redding near Lakehead, has burned 47,110 acres and was 5 percent contained as of 7:30 a.m. Monday, according to the U.S. Forest Service’s Shasta-Trinity National Forest unit.
The fast-growing fire forced more than a dozen truckers and other drivers to abandon their vehicles on the freeway last week, CHP officials said.
Fire officials expected the situation to be “moderate” early Monday as smoke from the Delta Fire shades the burning areas, but fire behavior could become “active” once that shade breaks, according to Sunday night’s incident report. Burnout operations continue along the north and northeastern edges of the fire, the report said.
Cal Fire and the California Interagency Incident Management Team have taken unified command in fire efforts, Shasta-Trinity National Forest said in a tweet Monday morning.
Mandatory evacuation orders were still in place as of Monday morning for Shasta County residents along the I-5 corridor from Exit 707 at Vollmers north to Exit 714 at Gibson, as well as for residents in Trinity County from East Fork Road to Ramshorn Road east to the county line. Evacuation advisories are also in place nearby. Two evacuation centers are active, at Mercy Oaks in Redding and at the National Guard Armory in Mount Shasta.
The latest evacuation information can be found on Shasta-Trinity National Forest’s incident page.
About 2,400 fire personnel among were assigned to the Delta Fire as of Sunday night, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
The Delta Fire started last Wednesday afternoon and erupted to 5,000 acres the same day. Officials believe it is human-caused, according to the official incident report, but no other details are known about the fire’s origins.