WHO’S MANNING THE WELCOME WAGON? … lamenting the loss of five coyotes, Mayor Joe Krovoza noted that “A new family of coyotes will move in, and we must be prepared to welcome them.” … that may be going a bit far for those folks who are deathly afraid of anything wilder than Fido, but for most of us it makes sense … then again, I’m not certain I’m ready to have a pack of coyotes escorting our young ones as they ride their bicycles to school this fall …

SPEAKING OF THE MAYOR … Krovoza had it right when he said of the city’s contract (via West Sac) with the USDA’s Wildlife Services: “We’re contracting with a group that doesn’t even remotely share our values.” … amen to that …

LIFE IMITATES LIFE … there was an outstanding letter to the editor earlier this week concerning the USDA’s “lethal trapping” of those five innocent golf-loving coyotes … it was signed by one Gene Trapp … I am not making this up … I then received an impassioned email from the executive director of Project Coyote, a kind woman named Camilla Fox … again, I am not making this up … somewhere in town there must be a guy named Smokey Bear who will agree to chair the city’s newly created Coyote Relations Commission …

TIMELY REPORT … just in time for the State Fair — and maybe even the esteemed Yolo County Fair — NBC news did a big-time investigative report that concluded it’s extremely hard for the average citizen to win at midway carnival games … you think? … apparently, even Kobe Bryant wouldn’t be able to win the basketball toss, due to the bounciness of the ball and the oddly shaped rim … had NBC talked to me, they would have had a different story … throughout my childhood my mom proudly displayed the dozens of coffee mugs I would regularly win at the County Fair’s dime pitch … game operators would hide the really good stuff when they saw me coming …

SPRUCING UP THE NEIGHBORHOOD … residents on my side of the tracks are rightly proud of the new patio seating at the best Greek restaurant in North America, the mighty Symposium along East 8th Street … while everyone seems to have a different Symposium “favorite,” mine is the “Captain’s Steak,” which is easily the best steak in Yolo County …

GAS PAINS … budgeting for gas for our family’s recent foray into the Pacific Northwest was difficult at best … prices were all over the map, but when you see signs along the highway that say “No Gas Next 50 Miles,” you’re pretty much happy to pay whatever they’re asking … the highest we paid was $4.59 in Dorris (along Highway 97 in extreme Northern California) and the lowest was $3.24 in Junction City, Ore. … in Oregon, of course, they don’t let you pump your own gas, and they insist on washing the bugs off your windshield and checking the oil … in Ashland, however, just a couple of hours down the road from Junction City, gas was a whopping $3.99, probably because at this time of year Ashland is populated by well-heeled Davisites getting their annual Shakespeare fix …

SIGNS OF THE TIMES … two signs remain etched in my brain from our travels, the first for “Sawtooth Dental” in Twisp, Wash., and the second for “Durn Good Burgers” outside Wenatchee … we didn’t stop at either, though I did make a strong pitch for the latter …

— Reach Bob Dunning at [email protected]

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