The Mercury News Saturday Edition — February 12, 2022

Vaccine for kids under 5 delayed

P zer extending trials so FDA can review more data on a third dose

By John Woolfolk jwoolfolk@bayareanewsgroup.com

Parents hoping to vaccinate their preschoolers and toddlers against COVID-19 will have to wait months after the Food and Drug Administration and Pfizer said Friday they are extending trials of the proposed reduced-dose for children 6 months through 4 years old to review more data.

The announcement marks a reversal from just 10 days ago when they announced that the FDA on

Feb. 15 would consider authorizing two doses of the vaccine for the 23 million American kids in that age group while awaiting more data on the e ectiveness of a third dose.

“Given the recent omicron surge and the increase in hospitalizations among the youngest children that are at the highest levels of the pandemic, we thought it was our obligation to act with urgency,” said Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s center for biologics evaluation. “Our

goal was to understand if two doses would provide sufficient protection to move forward. At this time, we believe additional information regarding the ongoing evaluation of a third dose is needed.”

Pfizer said in a statement Friday that “cases continue to ac -

FROM S.F. TO CHINA’S OLYMPIC MEGASTAR

By Julia Prodis Sulek jsulek@bayareanewsgroup.com

In Beijing, Eileen Gu is called the Snow Princess. Her fresh face and highlighted tresses grace billboards and glossy ads for Louis Vuitton and Ti any. Her gold medal performance in the Winter Olympics women’s big air freestyle ski event crashed the Chinese social media site Weibo, when more than 300 million people swooned over the teenager’s historic achievement.

But her 85-year-old Chi -

nese grandmother, waiting and watching from the home they share in San Francisco, doesn’t get all the fuss.

“I’m not used to all this nonsense of making a big deal about success,” Gu’s grandmother, Feng Guozhen, said in an exclusive interview this week with the Bay Area News Group.

Perhaps the attitude of this spry grandmother helps keep the 18-year-old sudden megastar and daredevil grounded as she becomes the unforgettable face of the Beijing Winter

P zer is collecting more data from clinical trials of a three-dose coronavirus vaccine for young children to evalaute its e ectiveness.

Valley Fair parking fee sparks backlash

Mall employees deliver petition to West eld protesting new policy

By Grace Hase ghase@bayareanewsgroup.com

Those days of leisurely strolling the mall, window shopping without thinking about what you’ll spend — other than what strikes your fancy — have passed. At least at San Jose’s Westfield Valley Fair.

Shoppers who poured into the mall this week discovered they had to open their wallets after a couple of hours to keep their cars parked in the lots without getting a ticket.

And they weren’t too happy about that, nor are the store employees who have to fork over $40 a month to park next to their work.

“I don’t like it the way it is right now,” said Santa Clara resident Kiran Desai, who was shopping at the mall Wednesday. “We come here because of the ease and con-

MAY 2020 IN OAKLAND

Ex-Air Force sergeant pleads guilty in slaying of federal o cer

By Nate Gartrell ngartrell@bayareanewsgroup.com

SAN FRANCISCO » Steven Carrillo, the ex-Air Force sergeant who joined an anti-government militia and began plotting murderous attacks against law enforcement, has pleaded guilty to killing Federal Protective Services Officer Pat Underwood in a May 2020 driveby shooting. Carrillo, 33, appeared Friday before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who took the unusual step of requiring Carrillo to read his own plea agreement into the record. The order essentially forced him to publicly admit not just to murdering Underwood but to aligning with anti-government groups, plot -

BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS

PISARENKO – THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Gold medalist Eileen Gu of Team China celebrates during the medal ceremony for the women’s freestyle skiing big air event at the Winter Olympics on Tuesday in Beijing. The U.S.-born teen lives in San Francisco but competes for China, her mother’s homeland.

Eileen Gu’s grandma: ‘She’s not thinking about politics, just for the love of it’

Adele, shown at the Brit Awards on Wednesday, won’t say if she is engaged to Rich Paul.

Adele

By Nardine Saad Los Angeles Times

All’s well in Adele’s love life. So well, in fact, that she wants to have another baby.

During a pretaped appearance for Britain’s “The Graham Norton Show,” the English singer addressed last month’s last-minute postponement of her Las Vegas residency. That unexpectedly segued into hints about expanding her family. She’s apparently planning to have a baby next year, presumably with her sports agent beau and rumored fiance, Rich Paul (who’s doing great, by the way). “I am trying to make a conscious e ort to stop being so anal with my privacy. I’m trying not to be two completely different versions of myself. It is exhausting switching on and o ,” the “Easy on Me” singer said on the show, which aired Friday in the U.K.

“I will be disappearing in terms of my music, but you might see a glimpse of me now and then, and I won’t be in complete hiding. It takes me a while to recharge, and I would like to have more children — I only just feel like I’ve caught up with my sleep

o

from nine years ago when I had my son.”

The singer’s chat-show segment came on the heels of her Brit Awards appearance this week. Her hometown presence at the event lit up social media for two unanticipated reasons: She rocked an enormous diamond ring on her ring finger, fueling engagement rumors. And she raised eyebrows in her acceptance speech.

“I understand why the name of this award has changed, but I love being a woman and being a female artist,” she said at the gender-neutral ceremony. That led some critics to accuse her of being a trans-exclusionary radical feminist.

On Norton’s show, the singer flashed her new jewel, prompting the host to ask if she was indeed engaged.

“If I was, would I ever tell anyone if I was or wasn’t?” she said, remaining coy. The ultra-private star quietly married ex-husband Simon Konecki after the birth of their son, Angelo. Their divorce, however, led to her award-winning “30” album, but she said that although their family is separated, “We’re nailing it and doing a really, really good job.”

Australia declares struggling koalas an endangered species

New classi cation won’t force changes

By Manan Luthra

The New York Times

»

SYDNEY

The Australian government on Friday declared the koala an endangered species, as drought, bush fires, disease and habitat loss have drastically reduced the numbers of an animal that is an emblem of the country’s unique wildlife.

The announcement, by the country’s environment minister, came two years after a parliamentary inquiry predicted that koalas could be extinct by 2050 without urgent government intervention.

Reclassification from vulnerable to endangered does not require the Australian government to take any special action. But it separately announced that it would adopt a recovery plan for the koala issued by the country’s environmental department.

That plan would aid the creation of laws protecting koalas and their natural woodland habitats. Additionally, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced last month that the government would commit 50 million Australian dollars ($35.7 million) over four years to koala recovery and conservation e orts.

The plight of the koala

A rescued koala in Adelaide, Australia, in January 2018.

Years of drought, res and habitat loss have drastically reduced the population of the iconic marsupial.

gained global attention in 2019 when bush fires raged over millions of acres in Australia, blackening the animal’s habitats. A report commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund-Australia estimated that 60,000 koalas had been “killed, injured or a ected in some way.”

In response, the Australian government committed 18 million Australian dollars ($12.8 million) to be split between restoring the koala’s habitats and investing in koala health research.

In 2020, WWF-Australia, the International Fund for Animal Welfare and the Humane Society International collectively nominated the animal for listing as an endangered species. The groups found that koala populations in

News of the weird

People with issues

“All I wanted was some steak,” one customer was heard to say in a video of a brawl that broke out at a Golden Corral in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, on Jan. 28, CBS Philly reported. Employee Gaven Lauletta gave his account of the incident: “There was a shortage of steak and two parties were involved and one family cut in front of another family; they were taking their time and they ran out of steak and it got into a heated exchange at the tables,” he said. — Send items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

1909

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded in 1909.

1973

Operation Homecoming began as the rst release of American prisoners of war from the Vietnam War took place.

1999

The Senate voted to acquit President Bill Clinton of perjury and obstruction of justice.

2006

the states of Queensland and New South Wales had decreased by 50% or more since 2001. It’s unclear how many koalas remain.

While the animal welfare groups welcomed the Australian government’s actions announced Friday, others said that key problems — specifically land clearing, deforestation and resulting habitat loss — had been neglected.

Deborah Tabart, chair of the Australian Koala Foundation, said the animal’s new status “doesn’t mean anything.” The federal government, she added, “may be offering our koalas a nice new word, but behind all the photo opportunities and political rhetoric they continue to approve the destruction of the koala habitat.”

Birthdays

Movie director CostaGavras is 89. Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Russell is 88. Actor Joe Don Baker is 86. Author Judy Blume is 84. Actor Maud Adams is 77. Singer Michael McDonald is 70. Actor Joanna Kerns is 69. Actor-talk show host Arsenio Hall is 66. Actor Josh Brolin is 54. Actor Christina Ricci is 42.

Figure skater Michelle Kwan e ectively retired from competition as she withdrew from the Turin Olympics due to injury. Snowboarder Shaun White beat American teammate Danny Kass to win the Olympic gold medal.

Today’s estimated jackpot: $172 million

MATTHEW ABBOTT — THE NEW YORK TIMES

Canadian judge orders an end to blockade at border bridge

Police warn that anyone blocking streets subject to arrest and seizing of vehicle

By Rob Gillies, Tom Krisher and Mike Householder

The Associated Press WINDSOR, ONTARIO » A judge on Friday ordered protesters at the Ambassador Bridge over the U.S.-Canadian border to end the five-day-old blockade that has disrupted the flow of goods between the two countries and forced the auto industry on both sides to roll back production. It was not immediately clear when or if law enforcement o cers would be sent in to remove the demonstrators, who parked their pickups and other vehicles in a bumper-to-bumper protest against the country’s COVID-19 restrictions and an outpouring of fury toward Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government.

Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz of the Ontario Superior Court said during a virtual hearing that the order would be e ective at 7 p.m. to give protesters time to leave. Windsor police immedi-

ately warned that anyone blocking the streets could be subject to arrest and their vehicles may be seized. At the bridge, a person, who would not provide his name, grabbed a microphone and addressed the crowd. He asked the protesters if they wanted to stay when 7 p.m. rolled around or leave. By a show of applause, it was agreed they would stay. “OK,”’ the man said.

“Let’s stand tall.”

The crowd responded by singing the Canadian national anthem and chanting “freedom.”

Since Monday, drivers mostly in pickup trucks have bottled up the bridge connecting Windsor to Detroit. Hundreds more truckers have paralyzed downtown Ottawa over the past two weeks. And protesters have also blocked two other

U.S. conservative gures cheer on trucker protest

By David Bauder

border crossings, in Alberta and Manitoba.

The judge’s decision came after a 4 ½-hour court hearing at which the city of Windsor and lawyers for auto parts makers argued that the blockade was causing undue economic harm for the city and region.

Supporters of the protesters, some of them truckers, argued that an order to disband would disrupt their right to peacefully protest vaccine mandates that hinder their ability to earn a living.

The ruling came in a day of fast-moving developments as federal, provincial and local o cials worked simultaneously on di erent fronts to try to break the stando with the so-called Freedom Convoy, whose members have been cheered on by the right in the U.S., including Fox News personalities, Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

“This unlawful activity has to end and it will end,” Trudeau warned just hours earlier. “We heard you. It’s time to go home now.”

The Associated Press

NEW YORK » Several conservative media figures in the U.S. have taken up the cause of Canadian truckers who have occupied parts of Ottawa and blocked border crossings to protest COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates.

Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity cheered the truckers on while showing four live reports from Ottawa this week. Tucker Carlson’s online store is selling “I (heart) Tucker” T-shirts edited to say “I (heart) Truckers.”

“Send our solidarity, love and support to all of the brave people who are there,” Hannity told Fox reporter Sara Carter, who was with the protesters in Ottawa, on his show Thursday. “Don’t give up.”

The Canadian protesters are protesting vaccine mandates for truckers and other COVID-19 restrictions and are railing against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, though many of the country’s infection measures are

already rapidly being lifted as the omicron surge levels o . The five-day blockade has disrupted the flow of goods between the U.S. and Canada and forced the auto industry on both sides to roll back production.

In a bulletin to local and state law enforcement officers, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned that it has received reports of similar protests being planned in the U.S. The agency said the protests could begin in Southern California as early as this weekend and potentially spread to Washington around the State of the Union address in March.

Between Jan. 18 through Thursday, Fox News Channel had devoted 10 hours and 8 minutes of airtime to the story, according to the liberal watchdog Media Matters for America, which is a frequent network critic.

A senior Canadian government official said Friday that the Fox coverage has “fanned the flames and contributed to misinformation” about the protests in Canada.

Jury hears closing arguments in Palin vs. N.Y. Times trial

By Tom Hays

The Associated Press

NEW YORK

» A widely circulated New York Times editorial falsely linking former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to a mass shooting was a libelous display of arrogance and unchecked power, Palin’s lawyer said in closing arguments Friday at a defamation trial.

A Times lawyer conceded the newspaper had made a mistake, but argued there was no evidence it had set out to damage Palin’s reputation.

At the time of the 2017 edi-

GEORGIA

torial, Palin was far removed from her fleeting fame as the Republican vice-presidential nominee, trying to live a quiet life in her home state, plainti attorney Kenneth Turkel told a jury in federal court in Manhattan. The piece drew her into an unfair fight, Turkel said.

“What this dispute is about in its simplest form is power, and lack of power,” he said. He also called it an example of how the Times “treated people on the right they don’t agree with. ... They don’t care. She’s just one of ‘them.’ ”

The Times ran a correc-

tion but never apologized to Palin, which was “indicative of an arrogance and sense of power that’s uncontrolled,” he added.

He added: “Sarah Palin has done nothing to deserve this. ... All they had to do was dislike her a little less and we’re not sitting here today.”

In his closing argument, Times lawyer David Axelrod called the case “incredibly important because it’s about freedom of the press.”

The First Amendment protects journalists “who make an honest mistake when they write about a person like Sarah Palin … That’s

Judge in Arbery death federal trial to seat the jury Monday

By Russ Bynum

The Associated Press

SAVANNAH, GA. » The federal judge presiding over the hate crimes trial of three White men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery said she will seat a jury Monday after a week spent asking potential jurors what they already know about the Black man’s death as well as their views on racism in America.

U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood said Friday she’s ready to start the trial with 64 people deemed qualified to serve as impartial jurors. That pool will be narrowed to a main jury of 12 plus four alternates Monday, when the judge also expects attorneys to make opening statements.

It will be the second time the port city of Brunswick, on the Georgia coast south of Savannah, has

held a trial in Arbery’s killing since November, when the same three defendants were convicted of murder in a Georgia state court.

Father and son Greg and Travis McMichael armed themselves and chased 25-year-old Arbery in a pickup truck after spotting him running in their neighborhood on Feb. 23, 2020. A neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, joined the pursuit in his own truck and recorded cellphone video of Travis McMichael blasting Arbery with a shotgun. No arrests were made in the case until the video leaked online two months later.

A judge last month sentenced the McMichaels and Bryan to life in prison for their murder convictions. But they still face a federal trial on hate crime charges, which allege that they violated Arbery’s civil rights and targeted him

because he was Black.

All three men have pleaded not guilty in the federal case. The judge said she expects the hate crimes trial to last between seven and 12 days.

The judge and attorneys worked Monday through Friday to interview more than 160 potential jurors pulled from 43 counties across southern and eastern Georgia. Nearly twothirds of them were dismissed for having strong opinions about the case after watching portions of the state murder trial or news reports about it.

Some of the 64 jury pool members returning to the courthouse Monday said they knew little about the case. They include a man, identified in court only as juror No. 421, who on Friday told the judge: “The only thing I really know is that it’s a high-profile case and there might be a video related to it.”

all this was about — an honest mistake,” Axelrod said.

Jurors deliberated about two hours at the end of the day without reaching a verdict. They are to resume Monday morning.

The jury must decide whether the Times acted with “actual malice” against a public figure, meaning a Times editorial page editor knew what he wrote was false, or with “reckless disregard” for the truth when he inserted the disputed wording into the piece. If the nine jurors find there was libel, they can set monetary damages.

Palin sued the Times for unspecified damages in 2017, about a decade after she burst onto the national stage as the Republican vice-presidential nominee. She alleged the newspaper had damaged her career as a political commentator and consultant with the editorial about gun control published after U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, was wounded when a man with a history of anti-GOP activity opened fire on a Congressional baseball team practice in Washington.

In the editorial, the Times wrote that before the 2011

mass shooting in Arizona that severely wounded former U.S. Rep. Gabby Gi ords and killed six others, Palin’s political action committee had contributed to an atmosphere of violence by circulating a map of electoral districts that put Gi ords and 19 other Democrats under stylized crosshairs.

In a correction two days after the editorial was published, the Times said the editorial had “incorrectly stated that a link existed between political rhetoric and the 2011 shooting” and that it had “incorrectly described” the map.

ALABAMA School system faulted for inadequate response to a Nazi salute incident

By Jay Reeves The Associated Press

BIRMINGHAM, ALA. » An Alabama school system’s “disconcerting” response to complaints from a Jewish student that a teacher had classmates perform a Nazi salute shows a lack of commitment to diversity, an organization that promotes civil and human rights said Friday.

While Mountain Brooks Schools issued a statement saying it was “deeply apologetic for the pain” caused by a lesson that “lacked sensitivity,” the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute questioned actions by the system, which previously ditched a diversity program produced by an organization that combats anti-

Semitism.

“It is in this light that we find a more recent incident involving the Nazi salute displayed by students in a Mountain Brook classroom particularly disconcerting, as it shows a conspicuous lack of preparation on the part of administrators to discuss, teach and lead in this area,” the city-owned educational institute said in a statement.

A spokesman for the school system, located in a nearly all-White, wealthy suburb of Birmingham, did not immediately return an email message.

In a story first reported by the Birmingham-based Southern Jewish Life, a Jewish student said he was shocked last month when a history teacher at Moun-

tain Brook High School had classmates stand and give a sti -armed Nazi salute during a lesson on the way symbols change.

The student, Ephraim Tytell, said school o cials reprimanded him and told him to apologize to the teacher after he shared a video and photos of the incident on social media. The student said he refused.

The lesson was meant to show how symbols change by demonstrating that something very similar to what’s now widely known as a Nazi salute was used before World War II to salute the U.S. flag. Called the “Bellamy Salute,” it was ditched in 1942 for the right-handover-the-heart gesture following the United States’ entry into the war.

NATHAN DENETTE — THE CANADIAN PRESS VIA AP

Truckers and supporters block the access leading from the Ambassador Bridge, linking Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, as truckers and their supporters continue to protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions on Friday.

White House warns of ‘immediate’ threat

Russians show acceleration of troop buildup at the border with Ukraine

By Katie Rogers, Eric Schmitt and Julian E. Barnes

The New York Times

WASHINGTON » The Biden administration warned Friday that President Vladimir Putin of Russia could mount a major assault on Ukraine at any time, having built up formidable land, sea and air forces on three sides of its smaller neighbor.

U.S. intelligence o cials had initially thought Putin was prepared to wait until the end of the Winter Olympics in Beijing before possibly ordering an o ensive, to avoid antagonizing President

Xi Jinping of China, a critical ally. In recent days, they say, the timeline began moving up, an acceleration that Biden administration officials began publicly acknowledging Friday.

“We continue to see signs of Russian escalation, including new forces arriving at the Ukrainian border,” Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, told reporters Friday, adding that an invasion could begin “during the Olympics,” which are scheduled to end Feb. 20.

U.S. o cials still do not know whether Putin has decided to invade, Sullivan insisted. “We are ready either

BULLETS STRIKE FIVE OFFICERS

way,” he said. “Whatever happens next, the West is more united than it has been in years.”

The United States has picked up intelligence that Russia is discussing next Wednesday as the target date for the start of military action, o cials said, acknowledging the possibility that mentioning a particular date could be part of a Russian disinformation e ort.

The combination of the Russian troop movements and the new information about a possible date helped to trigger the flurry of diplomatic activity and public warnings by the NATO allies Friday.

Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, told reporters at a news conference in Melbourne, Australia, that an

“invasion could begin at any time. And, to be clear, that includes during the Olympics.”

Blinken added that U.S. officials “continue to see very troubling signs of Russian escalation, including new forces arriving at the Ukrainian border.”

The United States has ruled out sending troops to defend Ukraine but has increased deployments to NATO member countries in Eastern Europe, and Friday the Pentagon ordered 3,000 more soldiers to Poland.

Putin and Biden will speak by phone today, according to the Kremlin and a White House spokesperson, and the Kremlin said Putin would also speak again with President Emmanuel Macron of France. The Kremlin said

Police: Man shot ex before ambush

By Jacques Billeaud and Terry Tang

The Associated Press

PHOENIX » A man who shot his ex-girlfriend at a Phoenix home early Friday ambushed the first o cer on the scene, seriously injuring him, then opened fire on other police as they tried to rescue a baby that was left outside the door.

The woman later died. In all, five o cers were shot, including four who were wounded while trying to take the baby to safety. Four more o cers were injured by shrapnel or ricocheting bullets, police said.

Of the five shot directly, four remain hospitalized. All of the o cers were expected to survive, and the baby girl was unharmed.

“I cannot recall an incident in city history where so many o cers were injured,” Mayor Kate Gallego said at a news conference near the scene. “A baby is safe today because of our Phoenix police o cers.”

The most seriously injured

WASHINGTON

o cer was the first to arrive at the home, around 2:15 a.m., following a report of a woman shot. He was invited inside, Phoenix police Sgt. Andy Williams said.

“As he approached the doorway, the suspect ambushed him with a gun and shot him several times,” he said. “That o cer was able to get back and get away to safety.”

Video from the scene shows another man coming outside holding a baby

and a satchel. The man put the satchel on the ground and then laid down the infant, wrapped in a blanket, between the satchel and the front door. He raised his hands to surrender while backing away from the house.

After that man was detained, other officers approached the doorway to get the baby girl, and the suspect fired more shots. The police returned fire, which then led the suspect to barricade himself. Eight of the o cers were

wounded by bullets or shrapnel in that exchange, Williams said.

Police were able to get the baby to safety as a SWAT unit took over. The suspect remained barricaded for several hours and was later found dead from a gunshot wound inside the home.

They also found the suspect’s ex-girlfriend, who had been shot and was critically injured. She died hours later, police said. Williams said the baby was believed to be the woman and suspect’s child. She is now in state custody.

The man who brought the baby outside su ered nonlife-threatening injuries. Williams said he’s a family member and is cooperating with police.

“No information suggests that he’s part of the ambush, but it’s an ongoing investigation,” Williams said.

Police identified the gunman as 36-year-old Morris Jones and said they were still trying to learn about the circumstances preceding the incident.

Biden to split frozen Afghan funds for 9/ 11 victims, relief

By Aamer Madhani

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON » President Joe Biden was expected to issue an executive order Friday to move some $7 billion of the Afghan central bank’s assets frozen in the U.S. banking system to fund humanitarian relief in Afghanistan

By Liz Alderman

The New York Times

President Emmanuel Ma-

cron announced a major buildup of France’s nuclear power program Thursday, pledging to construct up to 14 new-generation reactors and a fleet of smaller nuclear plants as the country seeks to slash planet-warming emissions and cut its reliance on foreign energy.

The announcement represented an about-face for Macron, who had previously pledged to reduce France’s reliance on nuclear power but has pivoted to burnishing an image as a pro-nuclear presi-

and compensate victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, according to a U.S. o cial familiar with the decision. The order will require U.S. financial institutions to facilitate access to $3.5 billion of assets for the Afghan relief and basic needs. The other $3.5 billion would remain in the United States and be

dent battling climate change as he faces a tough reelection bid in April.

“What our country needs is the rebirth of France’s nuclear industry,” Macron said at a nuclear turbine factory in the city of Belfort in eastern France. “The time has come for a nuclear renaissance,” he added.

Macron’s move is seen as a pivotal moment in a growing debate over nuclear power in Europe. The divide has taken on new dimensions as leaders pledge to avert a climate catastrophe and grapple with an energy crisis that has sent prices for natural gas and electricity surging to record

Setting the record straight

used to fund ongoing litigation by U.S. victims of terrorism, the o cial said. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the decision had not been formally announced.

International funding to Afghanistan was suspended and billions of dollars of the country’s assets abroad,

highs — in part because nuclear energy production has fallen. The French plan is aimed at cementing the country’s position as Europe’s biggest atomic power producer and positioning Électricité de France, or EDF, to compete more aggressively against Chinese and U.S. companies in the growing global market for nuclear energy.

With an estimated starting price of 50 billion euros ($57 billion), Macron’s blueprint consists of constructing six mammoth next-generation pressurized water reactors at existing nuclear sites around France starting in 2028, with an option to

that the conversation with Biden would be at the White House’s request; the White House spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe private conversations, said the Kremlin had suggested a call Monday and the White House proposed a call sooner, on Saturday.

Russia’s foreign ministry dismissed U.S. talk of war as mere propaganda.

“A coordinated information attack is being conducted against Moscow,” the ministry said in a statement, along with a list of previous Western warnings of a possible imminent invasion. That messaging, it said, is “aimed at undermining and discrediting Russia’s fair demands for security guarantees, as

EXPLAINER

well as at justifying Western geopolitical aspirations and military absorption of Ukraine’s territory.”

Maria Zakharova, the ministry spokesperson, wrote on the Telegram app: “The White House’s hysteria is as revealing as ever. The Anglo-Saxons need war at any price.”

Sullivan said, “Russia could choose in very short order to commence a major military action against Ukraine,” but added that officials could not be sure exactly when or if Putin may decide to invade. As he spoke, Biden was preparing to depart for Camp David for the weekend; the whir of Marine One’s blades could be heard in the White House briefing room.

Where could the revelations about Trump records lead?

By Eric Tucker

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON » Revelations that Donald Trump took government records with him to Mar-a-Lago are creating a political headache for the former president — and a potential legal one, too. House lawmakers have opened an investigation and the National Archives and Records Administration has reportedly asked the Justice Department to look into the matter. The Justice Department and the FBI have not yet said what, if anything, they’ll do.

A look at what could lie ahead:

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN

OTHER AGENCIES SEEK

A JUSTICE DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATION?

The Justice Department routinely receives referrals from Congress and other government agencies when those agencies come upon conduct they think might break the law.

first reported this week that the archivist asked the Justice Department to investigate the discovery of 15 boxes of White House records recovered from Trump at his Mar-aLago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, and that the former president had a habit in o ce of tearing up records both “sensitive and mundane.”

WHAT MIGHT INVESTIGATORS LOOK FOR?

There are several issues potentially at play, including the Presidential Records Act, which was enacted in 1978 after former President Richard Nixon wanted to destroy documents related to the Watergate scandal.

mostly in the United States, were frozen after the Taliban took control of the country in mid-August. The country’s long-troubled economy has been in a tailspin since the Taliban takeover. Nearly 80% of Afghanistan’s previous government’s budget came from the international community.

consider building up to eight more by 2050.

Macron said France would also build a prototype small modular reactor — a new type of scaled-down nuclear power plant — by 2030, pitting the country against a growing number of others pushing out the technology.

Environmental groups denounced the plan, saying that Macron had not consulted Parliament or French citizens, and that nuclear power, which doesn’t produce direct carbon emissions but generates long-term radioactive waste, was a nonstarter in the fight against climate change.

A story published in the Local News section Wednesday, “O cials sticking with mask restrictions, for now,” incorrectly reported the number of COVID-19 cases Santa Clara County is experiencing. The county is averaging 2,400 cases a day. The Mercury News corrects all signi cant errors that are brought to the attention of the editors. If you believe we have made such an error, please send an email to: mncorrections@bayareanewsgroup.com

Sometimes those referrals result in investigations and even criminal charges, though in many other instances they do not. The Justice Department is generally not bound to take any action suggested to it by another agency.

The Washington Post

The law mandates that presidential records are the property of the U.S. government, rather than belonging to the president himself. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., the chair of the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement announcing the investigation that Trump was required under the law to turn over the documents to the National Archives before leaving o ce, and that lawmakers are seeking information about the contents of the boxes recovered from Mar-a-Lago.

ROSS D. FRANKLIN — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A large police presence is in front of a house where several Phoenix Police Department o cers were shot and four others were injured a er responding to a shooting Friday.

Teen bystander says she knew instantly Floyd was ‘in distress’

By Amy Forliti and Steve Karnowski

The Associated Press

ST. PAUL, MINN. » A woman who was 17 when she came upon Minneapolis police pinning George Floyd to the street testified Friday at a federal trial for three ocers that she knew instantly the Black man was “in distress,” as he screamed in pain and shouted that he couldn’t breathe.

Alyssa Funari, now 19, said that when she drove past officers on top of a man in the street on May 25, 2020, she got out of her car and started recording because she had a “gut feeling” something was wrong.

“I instantly knew that he was in distress. ... He was moving, making facial expressions that he was in pain,” she said. “He was telling us that he was in pain.”

Former O cers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao are charged with violating Floyd’s civil rights while acting under government authority. All three are accused of depriving Floyd, 46, of medical care while he was handcu ed and facedown as Of-

ficer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee onto Floyd’s neck for 9 ½ minutes. Kueng knelt on Floyd’s back and Lane held down his legs while Thao kept bystanders back.

Kueng and Thao are also accused of failing to intervene to stop Floyd’s killing, which triggered protests worldwide and a reexamination of racism and policing.

Prosecutors told the court that they will rest their case Monday after three weeks of testimony from law enforcement officials, doctors and eyewitnesses.

The announcement came

after prosecutors showed snippets of bystander and police video with timelines and transcripts as Matthew Vogel, an FBI special agent, described what the materials.

The timelines and transcripts are meant to help jurors sort out sometimes confusing videos that show a chaotic scene from various angles and capture different pieces of the officers’ conversations, Floyd’s fading cries of, “I can’t breathe,” and frantic pleas by bystanders to check his pulse.

The footage included video of Kueng and Lane talking to a sergeant about

what happened, but saying incorrectly that Floyd was still breathing when paramedics arrived, and mentioning nothing about their inability to find Floyd’s pulse. The head of the Minneapolis homicide unit testified Thursday that he noticed similar problems with what they told him.

On-cross examination, Thao’s attorney, Robert Paule, noted that some of the dialogue in the videos can’t be made out — or that people might hear things di erently. He asked about a statement from Floyd about drugs that was a matter of dispute Chauvin’s state murder trial last year. Attorneys had argued about whether Floyd yelled, “I ate too many drugs” or “I ain’t do no drugs.” Vogel said: “It was unintelligible to me.”

One of the prosecution’s key arguments has been that the o cers were trained to provide medical aid in emergencies, and that Floyd’s situation had become so serious as police held him down that bystanders — even children with no medical training — knew something was wrong.

Biden climate damage cost estimate struck down

By Matthew Brown, Matthew Daly and Kevin McGill

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON » A federal judge on Friday blocked the Biden administration’s attempt to put greater emphasis on potential damage from greenhouse gas emissions when creating rules for polluting industries.

U.S. District Judge James Cain of the West -

ern District of Louisiana sided with Republican attorneys general who said the administration’s action to raise the cost estimate of carbon emissions threatened to drive up energy costs while decreasing state revenues from energy production. The judge issued an injunction that bars the Biden administration from using the higher cost estimate, which puts a dollar value on damages caused by every ad -

ditional ton of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere.

President Joe Biden on his first day in o ce restored the climate cost estimate to about $51 per ton of carbon dioxide emissions after the Trump administration had reduced the figure to about $7 per ton. Former President Donald Trump’s estimate included only damages felt in the U.S. versus the global damages captured under

the higher estimate.

The Biden administration’s revival of a higher figure initially set under the Obama administration would be used to make future rules for oil and gas drilling, automobiles, and other industries. Using a higher cost estimate would help justify reductions in planet-warming emissions by making the benefits more likely to outweigh the expenses of complying with new rules.

OBITUARY

Visual e ects wizard Trumbull dies at 79

By Richard Sandomir The New

York Times

Douglas Trumbull, an audacious visual effects

wizard who, in his early 20s, created the memorable hallucinogenic sequence in Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” in which an astronaut hurtled through space, died Monday at a hospital in Albany, New York. He was 79.

His wife, Julia, said the cause was complications of mesothelioma.

Trumbull had been hired by Kubrick as a $400-a-week artist, and his first job was to create graphics for the 16 screens that surround the “eyes” of HAL 9000, the seemingly omniscient computer that controlled the Discovery One spacecraft.

Then, using a process

called slit-scan photography, he conceived the trippy five-minute scene in which astronaut Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea) soars at hyperspeed in his pod through a phantasmagorical cosmic passageway in the universe.

Trumbull used a motorized camera that tracked to a slit in a rotatable rectangle of sheet metal, behind which he manipulated illuminated art — wedding his ambitious youthful vision to Kubrick’s.

“It wasn’t about the normal cinematic dynamics of close-ups and overthe-shoulder shots and reversals and conflicts and plot,” Trumbull told The New York Times in 2012. Kubrick, he said, “was trying to go into another world of first-person experience.”

Parents, teachers push against ‘Maus’ removal

By Kimberlee Kruesi

The Associated Press

ATHENS, TENN. » Growing up in rural eastern Tennessee, James Cockrum hadn’t given much thought to speaking about his Jewish heritage in front of a packed school board meeting.

But four days after news broke that the McMinn County school board unanimously voted to remove a Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust from the district’s curriculum, Cockrum celebrated the birth of his daughter. That lifechanging moment left the 25-year-old wrestling with the realities of the community he grew up in.

“My father was of Jewish descent; I’m of Jewish descent. There is nothing more personal to anybody

can come as ashock, leadingpeople to put off or evengowithout care. Simplyput —without dental insurance, theremay be an importantgap in your healthcare coverage.

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than our heritage,” Cockrum said. “This is very disturbing.”

Cockrum was one of a handful of people who spoke at the meeting to try to persuade the McMinn County School Board to reconsider its decision that sparked international attention, renewing concerns about book bans and the growing threat of antisemitism.

After the board quietly removed “Maus” last month, February’s meeting was packed with concerned parents, teachers and students who spilled into an overflow room to see how the board would respond to the criticism.

Instead, the board said a graphic novel was inappropriate for children because of curse words and a depiction of a nude corpse.

Previous dental work canwear out.

Even if you’ve had quality dental work in the past, you shouldn’t takeyour dental health forgranted. In fact, your odds of having adental problem only go up as you age.2

Treatment is expensive —especially the servicespeopleover50often need. Consider these nationalaverage costs of treatment $217 fora checkup $189 forafilling $1,219 for acrown.3 Unexpected bills likethis can be areal burden, especially if you’re on afixedincome.

1“Medicare& You,”Centersfor Medicare&Medicaid Services,2021. 2“Howmight my oral and dental health change as Iage?”, www.usnews.com, 11/30/2018. 3American Dental Association, Health Policy Institute, 2018 Survey of Dental Fees, Copyright 2018, American Dental Association.

MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT VIA AP

Bystanders including Alyssa Funari, le lming, witness as then Minneapolis police o cer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on George Floyd’s neck for several minutes in 2020.

FEDERAL COURT

TENNESSEE

venience of parking. But to start charging me for parking and doing the shopping, it does not bode well with me.”

Even though he paid only $1 for his third hour of shopping, Desai said he’ll likely find another place in the area to park for free in the future. Santana Row, an open-air shopping center right across the street, currently doesn’t charge for parking. However, there are restrictions for parking in the neighborhood surrounding the mall.

The paid parking, which started Tuesday, is part of Westfield Corp.’s e ort to limit the number of cars left at the mall by people commuting to work or using the garages as free parking for nearby Mineta San Jose International Airport. The mall has 8,400 spaces, although management hasn’t indicated how many of those routinely get staked by interlopers.

Westfield installed the 28 payment kiosks more than two years ago, but because the pandemic kept almost

Vaccine

FROM PAGE 1

cumulate according to the study protocol and more data are being generated because rates of infection and illness remain high in children of this age, especially due to the recent omicron surge.”

“Given that the study is advancing at a rapid pace,” Pfizer said, the company said it “will wait for the three-dose data” believing “it may provide a higher level of protection in this age group,” which “is also supported by recent observations of three dose booster data in sev-

Carrillo

everyone away in 2020, it didn’t start charging for parking until now.

After the first two free hours, customers and mall employees have to pay $1 an hour, up to a maximum of $10 a day. Moviegoers at the Showplace Icon Theatre get a break — free parking for the first four hours.

The mall’s employees have to pay unless their stores pick up the tab for them at $40 each month.

“It’s not right at all,” said Antonio Garcia, who works

eral other age groups.”

Pfizer and the FDA did not have a clear timeline for when authorization of the shots will be considered. Pfizer said it expects to have three-dose protection data available “in early April.”

Pfizer’s proposed vaccine for children younger than 5 was to be given in two doses three weeks apart as it is for other age groups, but at about one-third of the dose given to children 5-11 and one-tenth of that for adolescents and adults.

In December, Pfizer announced a setback in its trials of the proposed preschooler vaccine, with data suggesting two doses produced an acceptable im -

at the Diesel store and noted that although some stores are covering their employees’ share, many aren’t.

He organized a petition drive objecting to the parking charge, saying, “It’s a greedy move by the mall.”

For many mall workers making minimum wage, $40 equates to a week’s worth of groceries that comes out of their paycheck, Garcia said.

Valley Fair employees early this week delivered

mune response in children 6 months to 2 years but not in 3- and 4-year-olds. Because of that, the company said it had begun evaluating the e ectiveness of a third shot for kids under 5.

The FDA has authorized and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended booster shots five months after the second shot of Pfizer’s vaccine for everyone 12 years or older. A third Moderna vaccine booster is recommended for those 18 and older five months after the second shot, and those who had Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose vaccine are urged to get a booster after two months.

The Feb. 1 decision to

the deal.

People line up to check their parking tickets at the Monroe Parking Garage at West eld Valley Fair mall in San Jose on Wednesday. Parking is free for the rst two hours and $1 per hour a er that, maxing out at $10.

the petition with more than 1,000 signatures to mall management. They’ve yet to receive a response.

Mall management refused to answer questions about the impact paid parking will have on employees and instead issued a statement that said: “We are aware of concerns by some employees who work at the center. By creating a more controlled parking environment, the hope is that the already popular center brings even more

consider authorizing the vaccine at two doses in kids under age 5 while continuing to evaluate a possible third shot drew criticism from some medical experts who called it an “unprecedented” rush that could undermine public confidence.

Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, however, insisted that the federal review remains rigorous and that “the FDA will not cut any corners.” The FDA’s Marks did not mention any safety issues but otherwise would not detail what prompted the FDA and Pfizer to abandon the plan to consider authorizing two doses for kids under 5 while spending more time analyzing three-dose

customers to support retailers allowing them to flourish.”

Valley Fair is the first of Westfield’s Bay Area locations to charge for parking. Oakridge in San Jose doesn’t charge, and the San Francisco Centre doesn’t have a dedicated garage, meaning patrons have to take public transit or find parking elsewhere.

Simon Property Group, which owns shopping centers and outlet malls in Milpitas, Gilroy, Livermore, Stanford and Pleasanton, also doesn’t charge for parking.

The new parking plan makes Valley Fair somewhat of an outlier among Bay Area malls. Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek charges for parking after the first three hours — $5 for the next hour and $7 for the hour after that, up to a maximum rate of $25. And Bay Street in Emeryville charges $2 for the first three hours, increasing the price incrementally up to a $12 daily maximum. The day after Valley Fair started charging for parking, some patrons said they’re going to simply spend less time at the mall.

Los Gatos resident Van-

results.

Weekly COVID-19 case rates tracked by the CDC have been lower in children under 5 than other age groups but have grown with successive waves of more transmissible variants. During last winter’s January peak, the U.S. rate of weekly cases per 100,000 in kids under 5 peaked at 152. But last August with the delta variant, it peaked at 187, and last month, with the contagious omicron variant, it hit 812.

Hospitalizations for all age groups peaked higher last month than during earlier COVID-19 case waves. Death rates in kids under 5 remain low and similar to those seen earlier in the

essa Starr thought the parking fee was unfair to the “smaller stores” because there would be “less shoppers browsing.”

She also speculated that the mall’s decision to charge for parking had more to do with the $1.1 billion, 500,000-squarefoot expansion that began shortly before the pandemic.

The expansion brought in more than 80 new stores, including a new anchor — Bloomingdale’s — and a two-level Apple flagship store. A number of new eateries also opened, including a multi-floor food emporium for the Italian marketplace Eataly.

After struggling through 2020 with pandemic-induced shutdowns, the mall last year reported sales had rebounded to 2019 levels.

But Garcia said employees aren’t going to let the parking issue go and are planning to picket in protest if management continues to ignore their concerns. “With how slow it is during COVID times,” he said, “we’re operating at a loss as workers and even more so with this pay cut we have to take.”

pandemic.

But Marks said the decline in case numbers since mid-January isn’t the reason for delaying review, noting that “we’re still having a tremendous number of cases here.” He noted that the rise of omicron in December over last summer’s dominant delta variant complicated clinical trials.

“I hope this reassures people that the process has a standard and that we follow the science and anything we authorize has the safety and e cacy that people have come to expect from our regulatory review of medical products,” Marks said. “We’re absolutely committed to moving as rapidly as we can.”

ting attacks and promoting anti-police violence on Facebook. Carrillo was part of the so-called Boogaloo movement, which believes in an impending civil war.

Before he pleaded guilty to two federal o enses, the court heard from Angela Underwood Jacobs, Pat Underwood’s sister, who called Carrillo a “domestic terrorist” and an a ront to the oath he swore to protect the United States.

“Cowards like you fear true bravery,” Underwood Jacobs said as Carrillo watched in silence. “(Pat Underwood) will live on through his family and friends. … You no longer deserve your freedom.”

She described her brother as a compassionate, courageous and “innocent man.”

“His life was horrifically taken from him. … And why, Mr. Carrillo?” she asked. “Our lives will never be the same again.”

Carrillo was arrested a

Eileen Gu

FROM PAGE 1

FROM PAGE 1 Games, especially in China where she has spent every summer since she was 2. The San Francisco teen returns to the spotlight at 6 p.m. PST today in pursuit of her second gold medal in the freeski slopestyle event.

“Eileen is very levelheaded,” Feng said, speaking in Mandarin on Thursday in an interview translated by a neighbor, “and she would never let fame get to her.”

From the hallways of San Francisco University High School to her own front yard, those who have watched Gu come of age believe she is the right woman for the moment, uniquely capable of balancing her whirlwind success and sidestepping the controversies over her decision to compete for China instead of the United States. While China doesn’t permit dual citizenship, the U.S.-born teen hasn’t made it clear whether she’s renounced her U.S. citizenship or been granted an exception.

week after Underwood’s murder, in Ben Lomond, after allegedly ambushing and murdering Santa Cruz sheri ’s Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller in a shooting that injured three other o cers. Police allege he lobbed pipe bombs and opened fire on the o cers using the same gun he used to kill Underwood.

In another rare move for federal court, prosecutors and the defense already have agreed to the sentence Carrillo should face: 41 years. But first they will have to get Gonzalez Rogers to sign on. A former private attorney and Obama appointee, Gonzalez Rogers isn’t exactly known for leniency against convicted criminals, and she informed both parties she would need serious convincing at a sentencing hearing tentatively set for June 6.

“I am going to need a su cient showing to justify this agreement,” the judge said in court Friday, emphasizing the word “sufficient,” and adding that it is “not clear” she will accept

As she often puts it, “Since I was little, I always have said when I’m in the U.S., I’m American, when I’m in China, I’m Chinese.” Her grandmother says Gu talks from the heart. “She’s not thinking about politics, just for the love of it,” Feng said. “She’s not being manipulative, because she’s very pure, just wants people to be happy, to have fun.”

Gu speaks fluent Mandarin, endearing her further to her fans in China, where she is known as “Gu Ailing.” And she often talks about her summers in Beijing taking math classes by day and encouraging her female classmates to join her playing in a boys basketball program at night.

Gu’s accomplishments are impressive by any measure: Not only was she the youngest person to win the gold medal in Olympic freestyle skiing history when she landed a double cork last week, she was the first female rookie to win three medals at the X Games. She was a top runner on the high school cross-country team and doubled up on her classes in junior year to graduate a year early to

If Gonzalez Rogers decides not to accept the prison term, it will mean that Carrillo will head to trial — where his admissions in court Friday could be used against him.

Standing in a red Santa Rita Jail jumpsuit, with his head barely reaching his attorney’s shoulder, Carrillo read a lengthy statement, admitting to using a homemade AR-15 to fatally shoot Underwood and wound his partner, firing 19 rounds from a white van as it drove by the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in downtown Oakland on May 29, 2020.

The alleged driver, Robert Alvin Justus Jr., is still facing federal murder charges. Referring to him only as “Individual One,” Carrillo said he never threatened Justus, contradicting a statement Justus made to the FBI suggesting he participated in the murder because he was under duress.

Carrillo admitted he “actively discussed and encouraged violence against

prepare for the Olympics. She scored a nearly perfect 1580 out of 1600 on the SAT and will enter Stanford as a freshman in the fall. She has signed sponsorship contracts with more than 20 companies in the United States and China, including Red Bull, Beats by Dre, Victoria’s Secret and Cadillac.

“With all that, you think she would have at least a fairly high opinion of herself, and you just never get that,” said Jim Ketcham, athletic director for San Francisco University High, the private high school where she graduated from last year. “She just acts completely humble and completely normal.”

Before Gu traveled to New Zealand during her high school years for a week of ski competitions, she would visit “every one of her teachers personally to apologize about missing class,” he said. Before a trip to Australia for a World Cup, she worked on a schedule with her cross-country coach to avoid missing as few races as possible.

Ketcham largely credits Gu’s mother, Yan Gu, and Feng, her grandmother —

law enforcement” online, that he “aligned myself with an anti-government group,” and said things like, “this is a great time to perpetuate the destruction of the government.” In the wake of the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, and the ensuing cross-country protests and riots, Carrillo admitted he encouraged other Boogaloo followers to use the unrest to encourage violence against police.

As Carrillo spoke, members of Underwood’s family cried and consoled each other. Two people left the courtroom.

Carrillo agreed to take the deal just a week after federal prosecutors formally decided they would not seek the death penalty in his case. Angela Underwood Jacobs blamed “our current political climate” for that decision but said she was pleased Carrillo would not waste taxpayer money sitting on death row, appealing his case. One of the crimes Carrillo pleaded guilty to — use of a firearm in furtherance

the two women Gu herself has called “the two most fiercely independent women that I know.”

The family is reluctant to discuss Gu’s American father, but her successful single mother and grandmother raised her appreciating both American and Chinese cultures in an elegant home overlooking the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Gu’s mother immigrated to the United States 30 years ago, graduating with degrees in biochemistry and molecular biology at Auburn University before earning an MBA at Stanford and forging a career in finance. Yan Gu spent weekends skiing at Lake Tahoe — a passion she would share with her daughter.

Gu’s grandmother holds a degree in the sciences from a prestigious university in Nanjing, where she played basketball. When she retired as a senior engineer in the Structural Reform Department of China’s Ministry of Transport, she moved to San Francisco to help raise her granddaughter.

Before Eileen was old

of a violent o ense that resulted in death — carries a potential life sentence but is a lesser o ense than the first-degree murder count he originally faced. He also pleaded guilty to attempting to kill Underwood’s partner.

James Thomson, Carrillo’s attorney in the federal case, was not available for comment Friday.

Carrillo still has to reckon with state murder charges of killing Gutzwiller. He waived his right to a preliminary hearing last year — a possible sign that a plea deal was in the works — but there was no indication Friday that he would avoid a trial tentatively set for later this year.

“I am glad Carrillo is closer to being held accountable for the senseless killing he committed in Oakland,” Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart said in a statement to the Santa Cruz Sentinel. “Now it is time he is held accountable for killing Damon. Nothing will bring Damon back, but we all want closure on this terrible mur-

enough to walk, her grandmother taught her to recite poems from the Tang Dynasty and was a constant cheerleader at her afterschool sports, from junior varsity basketball to varsity track. Together in the kitchen, they make dumplings.

“She has a relationship with them that is as strong and positive as you could possibly imagine,” Ketcham said. “And I just have a feeling that a little part, or a big part, of her decision to compete for China was really just a sign of respect for those two people in her life who were born in China and love their country.”

In 2019, Gu announced on Instagram her “incredibly tough” decision to compete for China: “I am proud of my heritage and equally proud of my American upbringings,” she wrote. “The opportunity to inspire millions of young people where my mom was born, during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games is a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity to help to promote the sport I love.”

Inspiring young people, especially girls, has been a goal since grade school.

der and want to make sure Carrillo never harms another person.”

Santa Cruz County District Attorney Je Rosell attended Carrillo’s hearing Friday in San Francisco. He did not comment on the federal case but confirmed that there had been no changes to Carrillo’s case in Santa Cruz County. His o ce has not yet made a determination on whether or not it will seek the death penalty for Carrillo, should his prosecution be successful, Rosell said.

Before his arrest, Carrillo was stationed at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield and was assigned to an anti-terrorist squadron. Four other members of the Boogaloo-linked militia he joined, known as the Grizzly Scouts, are set to be sentenced at the end of the month for destroying evidence — electronic communications with Carrillo — after the Ben Lomond shootout.

Santa Cruz Sentinel sta writer Jessica York contributed to this report.

While attending Katherine Delmar Burke grammar school — an all-girls private school in San Francisco — Gu delivered a speech in seventh grade about women’s empowerment, a tape of which Adidas would use as a voiceover in 2019 for a women’s golf commercial. “I encourage you all to step out of your comfort zone,” Gu’s young, high-pitched voice says, “and to show the boys that girls are just as powerful as they are …”

To the athletic director, Gu is the kind of person who “doesn’t know what she can’t do.”

And if that means that an 18-year-old can influence the future of girls in China, Ketcham said, Gu’s the one to do it.

“I think she sees that if she’s successful representing China in these Olympic Games, there is going to be an incredible increase in opportunities for girls in China to become athletes and experience the joy that she’s felt being an athlete,” Ketcham said, “and I think we’re watching that happen right before our eyes.”

Sta writer Summer Lin contributed to this report.

NHAT V. MEYER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Landowners sue S.J. over Coyote Valley

City’s moves to protect scenic landscape stand in the way of three families selling the property

By Maggie Angst mangst@bayareanewsgroup.com

More than 50 years ago, three San Jose families bought vast acres of open land in North Coyote Valley with the expectation of one day selling the properties to a developer and turning a major profit.

But a recent move by the city

to protect the scenic landscape on San Jose’s southern edge from becoming a sprawling industrial park has dashed their dreams.

And now they’re taking the city to court.

In a federal lawsuit filed this week in the Northern District of California, the Benson, Foster and Lester families who own 126.5 acres of undeveloped land

in the North Coyote Valley argue that a series of land-use changes by the city to indefinitely preserve the bulk of North and Mid-Coyote Valley as open space and farmland amounts to an unlawful taking of their land for public use.

The property owners now are asking a judge to demand that the city buy the properties — located just south of Bailey Avenue between Monterey Road and Santa Teresa Boulevard — for a fair-market value.

GROUNDBREAKING OF MEMORIAL LAUDED

Bill would require shot for all workers

Assembly member Wicks unveils the rst-of-its-kind proposal

By Emily DeRuy ederuy@bayareanewsgroup.com

Under a sweeping new bill unveiled Friday, California would require businesses big and small to make sure all their workers, from employees to independent contractors, are vaccinated against COVID-19.

The proposal, from a group of Democratic lawmakers, is part of a broader package of legislation aimed at limiting the spread of the deadly virus.

“People are craving stability,” said Assembly member Buffy Wicks, an Oakland Democrat who is one of the bill’s lead authors. “We can make that stability happen together.”

The move comes after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked a nationwide vaccine mandate for large employers President Joe Biden’s administration had hoped to implement, leaving vaccine rules up to states to implement. That decision, Wicks said, put the onus on Sacramento to act.

“We feel very strong about our legal footing here,” Wicks said.

The new exhibit will honor Japanese-Americans who were imprisoned at Tanforan Racetrack during World War II

By Aldo Toledo atoledo@bayareanewsgroup.com

SAN BRUNO

» Dozens of people crowded inside the San Bruno BART station Friday morning to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new memorial for Japanese Americans who were imprisoned at the Tanforan Racetrack during World War II, permanently cementing the infamous history of internment into the city’s memory.

The memorial will feature a bronze-cast statue depicting the famous Dorothea Lange picture of two children of the Mochida family who, with their parents, are awaiting an evacuation bus at Centerville, a reminder for all who walk past it that 8,000 Bay Area residents of Japanese an-

cestry were forcefully and unjustly detained and processed at the Tanforan “Assembly Center” for internment in Utah.

It took nearly a decade to get all the funding and planning together to build the statue, an endeavor that was taken on by the Tanforan Assembly Center Memorial Committee led by President Doug Yamamoto starting in 2012. But for the many Japanese American victims of human rights abuses by the U.S. government, the memorial is really 80 years in the making.

“The committee has been waiting I don’t know how many years,” said committee member Steve Okamoto. “We’ve faced years of frustration, obstacles and delays. So this is a truly spe-

» PAGE 3

‘THIS KIND OF STUFF MEANS THE WORLD TO ME’

Who are the Oakland school district hunger strikers?

By Kayla Jimenez and Ray Chavez

Sta writers

On day 10 of a hunger strike against Oakland Unified’s move to close and merge several neighborhood community schools that primarily serve Black and Brown students, Maurice André San-Chez, a Westlake Middle School choir director and liaison of the campus’s Gay Student Alliance, celebrated their 10-year anniversary in Oakland on the lawn of Westlake Middle School.

At dusk the night before, surrounded by supportive community members, loved ones, an altar and a drum circle, San-Chez said they didn’t know when they

moved to Oakland in whether they’d feel accepted by the community.

San-Chez and fellow hunger

striker Moses Olanrewaju Omolade, a community schools program manager and teacher at Westlake Middle School, have gotten communitywide support and the national spotlight since they embarked on their hunger strike Feb. 1, saying they are willing to risk their lives for the future of Oakland schools.

On Wednesday, San-Chez showed off colorful cards of support, a watercolor-painted flower with the words “There is beauty in destruction,” and drawings from Westlake students, school alum and people

Assembly Bill 1993 would allow for limited medical or religious exemptions but require testing for anyone who remains unvaccinated. The bill would require new hires to have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by the time they start, and a second dose within 45 days. Businesses

SAN JOSE Research and o ce complex land a tech company buyer

By George Avalos gavalos@bayareanewsgroup.com

SAN JOSE » A big o ce and research complex in north San Jose have been bought by a real estate company, a property deal that enables the company to lease space from the new owner on a long-term basis.

South Bay Development, acting through its a liate McKay Ringwood San Jose, paid $58 million for a complex that totals four buildings, documents filed Wednesday with the Santa Clara County Recorder’s O ce shows.

Synaptics, which provides touchscreen controls for makers of mobile phones, notebooks and hand-held computers, sold the buildings to the real estate developer.

Wells Fargo Bank provided a loan of $46.1 million to South Bay Development at the time of the real estate company’s purchase, according to the county property records.

The buildings involved in the property deal have addresses of 1109, 1151 and 1251 McKay Drive and 1140 and 1150 Ringwood Court, county documents show.

CORONAVIRUS

PHOTOS BY RAY CHAVEZ — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Karyl Matsumoto looks Friday at a photo of her mother, Lilian Matsumoto, whose picture is part of a permanent photo exhibit by photographer Paul Kitagaki Jr. at the San Bruno BART station in San Bruno.

Tanforan Assembly Center Memorial Committee President Doug Yamamoto speaks during a groundbreaking ceremony for a memorial plaza. It will include a bronze statue to honor residents of Japanese ancestry who were unjustly imprisoned at Tanforan during World War II.

that do not comply would face a penalty, although the specifics still are being worked out.

“We haven’t determined that yet,” Wicks said, adding that she wants to have a conversation with members of the business community to create a strong bill.

“Workers deserve to be safe,” she said. “There are many jobs that can’t be done remotely.”

The bill already is generating pushback from Republicans and conservatives who have chafed at policies they say limit personal freedoms and sow partisan divides.

“I have a whole bunch of problems with this,” said Matt Shupe, chair of the Contra Costa County GOP.

Lawsuit

FROM PAGE 1

“It’s really a basic question of fairness,” said Edward Burg, a Los Angelesbased attorney representing the property owners. “We’re not saying that there’s anything wrong with the city’s desire to preserve Coyote Valley. What’s wrong is spending $96 million to buy properties right across the street and refusing to buy my clients’ properties when the goal is exactly the same.”

The lawsuit specifically takes aim at the inconsistent approaches San Jose has taken to preserve Coyote Valley.

In November 2019, the city of San Jose partnered with environmental groups to execute a historic $96 million deal to buy 937 acres in Coyote Valley from leading Silicon Valley developers Brandenburg Properties and the Sobrato Organization. As part of the deal, San Jose agreed to fork over $46 million while the Peninsula Open Space Trust, a nonprofit group based in Palo Alto, paid $42 million and the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority contributed $5 million.

Then, exactly two years later, the San Jose City Council on Nov. 16, 2021, approved a series of amendments to the city’s general plan aimed at further preserving Coyote Valley

“I think a bill like this only doubles down on the division and the fighting, and it’s really unfortunate.” The proposal, Shupe said, forces every business to be “an enforcer on their employees” and puts people who don’t want to be vaccinated in an impossible position.

“Are we forcing them to become homeless? How is that good policy?” he said, adding that he thinks the state risks losing jobs or tax revenue if the mandate passes.

Less sweeping earlier mandates also have prompted some resistance.

In San Jose, for instance, the police union and other public safety workers lobbied the city to scale back a vaccine mandate. And the proposal comes as some places, including most Bay Area counties, are rolling back mask mandates,

and as people increasingly grow frustrated with pandemic restrictions. Republican state lawmakers have called for an end to California’s state of emergency. North in Canada, truckers have blocked a busy U.S. border crossing, snarling the movement of goods and shuttering nearby auto plants, in protest of COVID-19 restrictions.

“While other blue states are restoring freedoms, California Democrats are trying to further restrict them, making our workforce and economic problems even worse,” CAGOP Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson said in a statement. “The voters will hold them accountable.”

But health care workers, labor organizations and some business groups praised the idea of a universal worker vaccine mandate Friday.

The current patchwork of mandates varies from city to city, leaving many businesses struggling to keep up and forcing them into making uncomfortable, politically charged decisions about whether to require vaccines.

“We need a statewide standard,” said John Arensmeyer, CEO of the Small Business Majority, which represents nearly 20,000 small businesses in California. “Small businesses don’t want to be traffic cops in debates about public safety.”

Businesses, he said, “just want to put their heads down and run their businesses knowing they have certainty and stability.”

From a public health perspective, said infectious disease expert John Swartzberg, mandates work where education campaigns about the safety and e cacy of

vaccines, as well as outright bribery, have not, and help reduce the strain on hospitals and exhausted health care workers.

Swartzberg acknowledged that “nobody likes being told what they have to do.” But, he said, he remembers years ago when seat belt requirements were controversial. “Look at the number of lives they save.”

Last year, Wicks developed a proposal that would have required not only workers but patrons to be vaccinated. That bill never went to print. The current version, which is limited to workers, will “focus the conversation a little bit more,” she said.

This year’s bill is part of a broader slate of legislation put forward by members of the state “vaccine caucus.” State Sen. Scott Weiner, a San Francisco Democrat, has proposed

legislation allowing children 12 and up to get vaccinated without parental consent, and lawmakers also have introduced bills aimed at making sure students are vaccinated.

Richard Pan, a doctor and lawmaker who chairs the state Senate’s health committee, co-authored the worker mandate proposal and introduced a school vaccine bill, said the worker vaccine legislation would help protect the most vulnerable members of society, noting that though vaccines don’t entirely prevent transmission of COVID-19, they do keep people safe from severe illness and death, and reduce the likelihood of infection.

“This is so critically important,” Pan said. “We don’t want people to be worried when they go to work that they might be exposed to this disease.”

for open space and farmland. As part of that vote, the city rezoned 314 acres of remaining undeveloped land in North Coyote Valley, which included land owned by the property owners who are suing, from an industrial park designation to agricultural.

In both instances, city leaders wanted to achieve the same goal: preserving the rural expanse of farmland and open space on the southern edge of San Jose.

So the notion that the city would pay one set of property owners millions to achieve its goal while leaving others empty-handed “unfairly discriminates” against the property owners who the city failed to compensate, the lawsuit argues.

“Our ask is that the city acts fairly and treat my clients’ properties the same as the Brandenburg and Sobrato properties,” Burg said.

City Attorney Nora Frimann declined to comment on the matter, citing the pending litigation.

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo previously told this news organization that there “simply was no pot of money that the city has to pay everyone what they think their land is worth.”

The Daily Commuter

“That is not the way it works with land use in this city or any other cities,” he said after the November 2021 vote. “We make land use decisions all the time that diminish the value of land and we do so within the law and within the constitution.”

In January 2020, the families who are suing the city entered a contract to sell their land for more than $44 million to Texas-based real estate developer Crow Holdings Industrial.

Under a preliminary plan submitted to the city, Crow Holdings Industrial has proposed building two warehouses that were designed to span the length of more than six football fields. The project, which would have been located at 8820 Santa Teresa Boulevard, was expected to replace 126 acres of mostly vacant farmland, as well as Spina Farms Pumpkin Patch and fruit stand — a beloved South Bay destination for families, cyclists and visitors.

That plan, however, tanked in late 2021 after the consequential vote by the San Jose City Council in November 2021.

Within days of the rezoning of their properties,

by Jacqueline E. Mathews

Crow Holdings Industrial terminated its contract with the property owners, squashing hopes of their anticipated multimilliondollar payout, according to the suit. In addition, the new land use designation precludes their properties for seasonal pumpkin patch uses because such seasonal uses are not permitted under the new agricultural zoning, the lawsuit states.

The property owners and their attorneys argue that using the land for farming is no longer economically feasible, leaving the property owners with minimal options to make use of their land now. They are requesting a trial before a jury.

Megan Fluke, executive director of the environmental organization Green Foothills, said that the land-

owners were “grasping at straws.”

“This is an expensive distraction they are inflicting on the public,” Fluke said in a statement Friday. “The City Council vote was the culmination of many years of work, millions of dollars of public and private investment, and overwhelming community support.”

Development battles coming out of Coyote Valley have been waged for more than six decades.

Although city officials currently are focused on preserving the valley’s undeveloped land, that wasn’t always the case.

For decades, the Coyote Valley was seen as a promising area of the city for thousands of new jobs and homes. In the early 2000s, the city’s plan for the area

envisioned the development of more than 50,000 new jobs and up to 25,000 new homes in the valley.

But over the years, environmental advocates have lobbied for city o cials to concentrate development in the urban core and instead use the undeveloped land in the valley to support small farmers and provide recreational opportunities for the community.

The valley, which encompasses a total of 7,400 acres, is celebrated by environmentalists for its vital natural functions, including reducing flood risks, maintaining good water quality and supporting wildlife. It’s the last remaining open valley floor in the Bay Area for wildlife to migrate between the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Diablo Range.

“Our ask is that the city acts fairly and treat my clients’ properties the same as the Brandenburg and Sobrato properties.”

— Edward Burg, Los Angeles-based attorney

cial occasion.”

From April to October 1942, the former Tanforan Racetrack — now home to the soon-to-be-redeveloped Tanforan Shopping Center — was the site of an internment camp where thousands of Japanese Americans were detained and processed for forced relocation and internment in places like the Topaz War Relocation Center in Utah.

The relocation center would be home to people like Jean Mitoma, a 100-year-old Palo Alto woman who spoke with The Mercury News before her death and who described the grueling, humiliating, dehumanizing and traumatic events of her forced internment.

For families like Mitoma’s — and many of the other Japanese Americans who attended Friday’s groundbreaking — the forced relocation meant giving up homes, furniture, family heirlooms, pets and history without knowing whether any of it would be returned. Many times, families returned in the postwar period to vandalize valuables they’d stored in warehouses or downright nothing at all, forcing many to start over from scratch.

In a speech to the crowd Friday, Congresswoman Jackie Speier said the memorial should serve as a reminder for all people that prejudice is real, its consequences are severe and that something like this should

never happen again.

“People were stripped of their liberty and property at a time when bigotry prevailed and the Constitution was scrapped and Americans lost their way,” Speier said. “This memorial should remind us how important it is for all of us to enjoy the freedoms of this country. Something like this should never happen again.”

Speier — who is retiring this year — compared the internment of Japanese Americans with the cruel treatment of Mexican immigrants at the border,

“I was like ‘No, why would I?” San-Chez said.

“And they’re like ‘Because, they’re not closing Westlake.’ ”

which she witnessed while on a congressional trip to Department of Homeland Security camps where asylum-seekers were kept in deplorable, freezing conditions.

“I looked into a cell filled with children and looked at a little girl who was balling,” Speier said. “People were imprisoned here in a racetrack, in stables. Many of our friends and colleagues are descendants of people who were interned here.

“This memorial should serve as a daily reminder we will not tolerate this in

Keith Brown, Oakland Education Association president.

America.” The new memorial is the first installation of its size dedicated to internment victims. The committee that organized it began its work 10 years ago with the installation of a photography exhibit featuring the work of Lange and Paul Kitagaki Jr. Inside BART station

Located inside the San Bruno BART Station, once the site of the detention center, the exhibit showcases Lange’s historical photos of the mass incarceration of Japanese Amer-

members have visited the teachers.

icans on the West Coast alongside Kitagaki’s contemporary images that include some of Lange’s original subjects from 1942.

Standing beside two pictures of her mother at the BART station Friday — one of her as a young child at Tanforan and another depicting her at an old age — former South San Francisco Mayor Karyl Matsumoto remembered her time at Manzanar, one of the 10 American concentration camps where more than 120,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated from March 1942 to November 1945.

tation.

Like about 100 other chil-

dren at Manzanar, Matsumoto was orphaned and adopted by Lillian and Harry Matsumoto after the war’s end. She said internment “broke” her adoptive father, and many of her other family members also su ered from the post-traumatic stress of internment.

“I was imprisoned at Manzanar, but my grandparents, aunts and uncles were here at Tanforan,” Matsumoto said. “I’ve been in this committee since the get-go, and it’s been a hard sell from the beginning. It was little notice and BART finally in their infinite wisdom came and gave us the green light. It means so much.”

Matsumoto, painting a picture of her family’s struggles during the ’40s, said that it’s unimaginable to sit at home with less than a month to pack all your things or sell them for pennies on the dollar without knowing where you’re going or whether you’d ever return to your home.

“To come here and see that you’d be kept in horse tables, it was just heartbreaking,” Matsumoto said.

With Asian hate crimes increasing across the country and particularly in the Bay Area, Matsumoto said she hopes that people will learn from the past and keep atrocities from being committed again toward minority groups.

“Thirty years, ago people didn’t know about this or didn’t want to hear it. It’s unconscionable,” Matsumoto said. “History tends to repeat itself, but I hope it won’t.”

lives in the line for all of us.”

in the community who have stopped by to visit over the past week and a half.

“This kind of stu means the world to me,” San-Chez said, adding that they are a liaison for LGBTQ+ students at the school, and students often come to them to share their new pronouns or open up to them about their own struggles.

The night before, in a heated, hourslong meeting, the Oakland Unified school board voted to close seven schools, merge two others and remove sixth-eighth grade levels from another two schools. The board cut down the list of affected schools from 16 to 11 — leaving Westlake Middle School o the list for closure. But it didn’t appease the two teachers.

San-Chez said a group of students asked him after the vote, “Are you eating yet? You’re not going to stop?”

Complex

FROM PAGE 1

The four buildings total a combined 231,700 square feet, according to information provided by commercial property listing services.

“Yeah, that’s a small win for sure,” San-Chez told the students. But he added, “Say that we were in slave times and we were slaves here at Westlake and then we got free, but we knew that there will still other slaves in other places. Are we just going to let them live the life because we already knew it? Is that fair to them?”

The momentum against the closures shows no signs of slowing down. Oakland Tech students staged a walkout protesting the school closures Friday. The Oakland Education Association already is taking legal action against Oakland Unified “to prevent the rushed and unnecessary closure of schools serving majority Black students” and hinted at a possible teachers strike.

“We respect their decision to use the tactic of a hunger strike to be able to keep our schools open,” said

San Jose-based Synaptics and Campbell-based South Bay Development also struck a deal whereby the tech company would be able to continue to occupy space at the just-purchased property. The Synaptics world headquarters are located at 1251 McKay.

During the 12 months

During the first 10 days of their strike, San-Chez and Omolade said they wouldn’t eat until the school board relents and saves all Oakland schools from closure.

Now they say they’ll end their strike if Gov. Gavin Newsom, Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell and the entire school board meet with them, according to a news release they sent Thursday.

Earlier in the week, Joshua Daniels, a chief governance o cer for the district, sent the teachers a letter on the district’s behalf urging them to end the strike. The teachers burned the letter, adding that it doesn’t equate to a face-to-face meeting.

John Sasaki, a spokesman for the district, said in an email that JohnsonTrammell plans to meet with the teachers “soon.” He said that the superintendent previously tried to call them by phone but did not reach them. Some school board

that ended in December 2021, Synaptics earned $142.5 million on revenue of $1.45 billion, according to the Yahoo Finance site. During the company’s 12-month fiscal year that ended in June 2021, it earned $79.6 million on revenue of $1.34 billion.

The tech company

Newsom’s o ce on Friday did not respond to a question about whether he planned to meet with the teachers.

“We have no update to share at this time,” said Alex Stack, a spokesman for the governor’s o ce.

In addition to the meeting, the teachers calling for Newsom to put an immediate stop to school closures in OUSD by putting a line item in his budget to repay the remainder of OUSD’s outstanding $100 million state loan or cancel the remainder of the loan, among many other demands.

Dr. Rupa Marya, an associate professor of medicine at UC San Francisco and faculty director of the Do No Harm Coalition, has been providing the teachers with medical services since their first day of the hunger strike.

She’s worried about their condition, she said in a video on Instagram on Friday, and urged the governor to respond to the teachers’ invi-

agreed to lease o ces in the property for 12 years, according to a document filed with the county. Synaptics intends to occupy about 115,000 square feet, the property records show. Synaptics also obtained an option to extend the term of the lease.

San Jose and Silicon Val-

“We’re on day 11 now. And André and Moses, their health condition is getting worse every day,” she said. Newsom was in Oakland on Wednesday, but he did not meet with them.

“We know you were here the other day. We know you’ve heard of us. We ask you to join us and break bread with us,” Omolade, who has 4-year-old and 6-year-old children, said in the same video. “We actually desire to eat but are putting ourselves through this because the system has consistently shown us that you all don’t care about us.”

Earlier in the week, Omolade’s medical team sent him to the hospital for one night.

When he found out had to go to the hospital, he said: “I understood the risk. I accept the death in this.”

Board Director Mike Hutchinson, who voted against the school closures, said Wednesday that he’s worried for the teachers’ health and safety.

“They decided to put their

ley overall have become hotbeds for property purchases by investors who see a big upside in the region’s tech hubs. Some of those deals led to big new development projects.

A few blocks away from the just-bought buildings, Bridge Development Partners has proposed con -

Oakland City Council Pro Tem Sheng Thao called them “heroes,” adding, “but I want them to be safe.”

Some people have questioned why the teachers think a hunger strike is the best option to fight back and ask what they expect district o cials to do about the budget deficit and financial woes if it cannot close underenrolled schools. Both teachers have said this is the way to stop the district’s threats to disinvest in schools with many Black and Brown students.

Despite the backlash and calls to stop, San-Chez and Omolade aren’t stepping down from their hunger strike. On Friday afternoon, they gathered with Omolade’s kids, families, students and community members on the school lawn who were playing, eating and painting murals to keep them company.

“The commitment is strong and there is no regret. This is for the children,” Omolade said.

struction of a vast industrial and business park totaling 719,400 square feet on sites that are along Qume Drive and Commerce Drive in San Jose.

In August 2021, Bridge paid $134 million for the north San Jose sites. It disclosed its development plans a few months later.

RAY CHAVEZ — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Tanforan Assembly Center Memorial Committee member and photojournalist Paul Kitagaki Jr., center, and other members pose for

photos during a groundbreaking ceremony for a memorial plaza outside the San Bruno BART station in San Bruno on Friday.

Bicyclist hit and killed in Thursday night crash

By Jason Green and Summer Lin

Sta writers

SAN JOSE » A bicyclist was killed in a collision with a car Thursday night in San Jose, police said.

O cers responded to a crash around 8:26 p.m. at

PALO ALTO

Almaden Expressway and Foxworthy Avenue, according to a San Jose Police Department news release. A 2013 BMW sedan traveling south on Almaden Expressway in one of the middle lanes struck a man riding a bicycle westbound across the intersection in

the crosswalk.

The bicyclist was taken to a hospital, where he died, according to authorities.

The driver of the BMW stayed at the scene and cooperated with police, they said. Video evidence and wit -

ness statements indicate the driver had a green light at the intersection, police said, and they don’t believe drugs or alcohol was a factor. The death marked the city’s 13th roadway fatality of the year. The Santa Clara County Medical Ex-

aminer-Coroner’s Office will identify the man once his identity is confirmed and his next of kin is notified.

Two pedestrians were killed last month near the same intersection when they were struck by a car on Almaden Expressway.

Suspect at large a er man shot at Stanford Shopping Center

By Jason Green and Summer Lin

Sta writers

PALO ALTO » A man was shot in the hand and foot Thursday night while trying to get into his parked car at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, according to authorities.

The shooting was reported about 9:49 p.m. by the man’s girlfriend, who said he had been shot at

CAR CRASH

the shopping center, located at 180 El Camino Real, according to a Palo Alto Police Department news release. The man and his girlfriend were already at a local hospital at the time of the call. The man’s injuries were determined to be non-life-threatening.

Police spoke with the man and his girlfriend and found a spent casing from a .40-caliber handgun at the scene. O cers said the

Driver sustains major injuries a er his car’s broadsided in Brisbane

By Jason Green jason.green@ bayareanewsgroup.com

BRISBANE » A driver suffered major injuries after being broadsided Wednesday afternoon in Brisbane, police said.

At 3:35 p.m., an o cer was monitoring tra c on the 3200 block of Bayshore Boulevard when they noticed a vehicle traveling southbound at a “high rate of speed,” the Brisbane Police Department said in a news release. The o cer pulled out of a driveway to stop the vehicle, but before he could do so, the vehicle ran a red light and broadsided a ve -

SAN JOSE

hicle making a left turn onto westbound Guadalupe Canyon Parkway, police said.

The driver of the vehicle that was broadsided was taken to a hospital with major injuries, police said.

The occupants of the other vehicle — one of whom was a minor — suffered minor injuries, police said. The driver of that vehicle was arrested and booked into San Mateo County jail on charges of reckless driving and child endangerment.

Anyone who witnessed the crash can contact Sgt. Robert Guaydacan at 415508-2174 or rguaydacan@ ci.brisbane.ca.us.

Authorities identify man killed in city’s rst homicide of the year

By Summer Lin slin@bayareanewsgroup.com

SAN JOSE » A man stabbed to death Tuesday afternoon in a Carl’s Jr. parking lot in East San Jose, marking the city’s first homicide of the year, has been identified by authorities.

The man was 31-year-old Dominic Vincent Ortega, according to the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s O ce.

The attack was reported about 3:17 p.m. in the 1600 block of Tully Road, near Highway 101 and a Carl’s Jr. restaurant, San Jose police said in a news release. A man was stabbed at least once in the Carl’s Jr. parking lot. He then pulled his car into a gas station at the intersection of Tully and King Roads, colliding with another vehicle.

O cers and paramedics performed livesaving measures until he was taken to a hospital, where he later

SAN JOSE

died, according to authorities. More information, including details on potential suspects or a motive, was not released. The incident is still under investigation.

The death ended one of the longest stretches that San Jose has gone to start the year without recording a homicide. Last year, the city’s first killing was reported Jan. 9, and San Jose recorded four homicides by Feb. 9.

In 2021, 40 homicides were recorded in San Jose: 31 were investigated by San Jose police and nine, from the VTA rail yard mass shooting, were investigated by the Santa Clara County Sheri ’s O ce.

The prevailing source of public safety deaths in San Jose this year involves the city’s roadways: 12 people have died in traffic collisions in 2022, outpacing a record 2021. Eight of the year’s tra c victims were pedestrians.

Man killed in house re on Tuesday is identi ed

By Summer Lin slin@bayareanewsgroup.com

SAN JOSE » Authorities have identified the man killed in a house fire Tuesday afternoon in San Jose.

Firefighters pulled a man, identified as 78-yearold Andrew Edward Ceseski from a single-story home, according to the San Jose Fire Department.

The fire was reported at 4:12 p.m. on the 3600 block of Debra Way, near San Tomas Expressway and Moorpark Avenue, authorities

man, his girlfriend and a man in his 20s were returning to their parked car on the shopping center’s east side when a man approached them and fired a gun, shooting the victim in his foot and hand. The suspect fled the scene. The man’s girlfriend took him to a hospital and alerted police.

Police are investigating the case. The victim isn’t cooperating with po -

lice and isn’t giving more information to investigators.

A witness at the scene said he saw the suspect get out of the back seat of a white BMW and run up to the man, authorities said.

After shooting the victim, the suspect got into the back seat of the vehicle, fleeing eastbound through the parking lot.

The suspect was described as a man in a

black hooded sweatshirt, about 5-foot-6 and with a “slim build.” The witness didn’t describe the driver of the BMW and couldn’t give more information about the vehicle.

Police reviewed surveillance footage but haven’t found video of the shooting. Authorities will release additional footage and images in identifying the suspect if they become available.

Riding it out on the BMX track

Obituary Index

Please submit your obituary notice to: mnobits@ bayareanewsgroup.com and call(408) 920-5276 for more information.

Please visit www.legacy.com to view the online obituaries and sign the online guestbook ARGUELLO, GEORGE CALI, BARBARA FENOLIO, ANGELICA FISCHER, MARJIE FREEMAN, JEANETTE KUBO, CHIZU SAKO, TOM TAYLOR, KATHLEEN

Obituaries may not appear in alphabetical order

This index may not reflect allobituaries published

Jeanette Margaret Freeman

BMX riders race during state quali ers at Santa Clara PAL

Local Bulletin

PublicizeCommunity or Promotion Events in our NEW Local Bulletin pages. ThursdayinThe Mercury News & EastBay Times in Weekender+ section. Followthese three easysteps to advertise your events, youth sports and announcements.

STEP 1

said. After getting Ceseski out of the home, firefighters performed CPR until an ambulance arrived to take him to the hospital, according to SJFD spokesperson Erica Ray.

Ceseski died at the hospital, Ray said in an update Wednesday.

O cials did not release any information on a possible cause of death.

No other injuries were reported. The fire was placed under control by 4:40 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Fire Department.

STEP 2

Compile the event you’dliketopost. Supply an event name,description, date,time and contact information intoa75wordparagraph.

Call 1-800-733-3933, Option #1, Mon. –Fri., 8a.m. –5p.m. or Email classads@bayareanewsgroup com to assistyou with your purchase.Costtorun in this special bulletin is $45 per paper/per week for75words (additional wordsare 50 cents each).

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Makesurethatyou get your listing to us by 12 p.m. the Thursdayprior to the publication date

Jeanette Margaret Freeman of SanJosepassedaway at the ageof100,onSunday, Jan 23,2022. Jeanette was born on Sept 1, 1921 to Edwardand Margaret Smithey of SanJose. She married William J. Freeman in 1946 and together they started achain of sporting goods stores which they ran for40years. She is survived by her sonDavid, grandson William and granddaughter Marguerite. Her cheerful disposition and calm demeanor will be missedby allwho knew her.Memorial services are private and with immediate family only In lieu of owers, please donate to theAmerican Cancer Society

Oak Hill Funeral Home &Memorial Park

Sept. 1, 1921 -Jan.23, 2022 Resident of SanJose (408) 297-2447 www.oakhillfuneral.com

George E. Arguello 1937 -2022 Resident of Paci ca

George Eugene Arguello, 84,bornon2/16/37 passed awayon1/30/22 from an unexpected heart attack while sleeping. Even though his failing heart took him awayfrom us, hisloving heartwillremain withus forever untilwemeetagain Geneissurvived by his sons Jason and Max Arguello, daughters Michelle Gentry &Mikaela Romero, daughters-in-law Patricia & DaisyArguello, grandsons Thomas &Anthony Arguello, sisterErmie Gonzales, brotherGilbertArguello, nephew Chuck Renteria, nieces Lila &Leilani Renteria, Kathy, Sherie &Roberta Gonzalesand Toni &JennetteArguello, all LSD #3 ECV brothers R.I.P dad we LOVEyou very much!! Services will be heldon 2/16/22, 10 am at Chapel by theSea,801 Oceana Blvd., Paci ca and aCelebration of lifeatthe The American Legion, 130South Blvd, SanMateo,CA.

Express Condolences

See the obituary section at mercurynews.com

SANTA CLARA

SHAE HAMMOND — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

BMX Track in Santa Clara on Sunday. There are 890 riders varying in age groups and skill level. Santa Clara PAL BMX Track will be staging the world quali er March 26.

Angelica Louise Fenolio

March 6, 1924- January 31, 2022

Resident of Monte Sereno

A life well lived. Angelica Louise Fenolio passed away in her sleep Monday January 31 at the age of 97. Ann was born and raised in San Jose. Graduated from San Jose High and San Jose State College. In 1947 she married Lawrence Fenolio and they established their home in Los Gatos in 1950. She spent the majority of her career as a dietician working at O’Connor & Campbell Community hospitals, retiring from Valley Medical Center in 1986.

Ann greatly enjoyed volunteering, frst at the Village House in Los Gatos then Assistance League of Los Gatos/ Saratoga. An active member of AAUW where she developed many friendships. She traveled extensively with friends and her late husband Lawrence. She loved museums and the arts, sharing these experiences with friends and family.

The proud mother of Jan (Bart), Doug and Ken (Kim), preceded in death by children Kurt & Susan. Loving grandmother of Megan, Peter, John, Justin, Briana & Bryce, great grandmother of eight.

Ann will be remembered for her vivaciousness, positive, caring and nurturing qualities. She loved preparing and dining on good food enjoyed with family and friends who will all miss her greatly.

A celebration of her life will be held when in-person gatherings are deemed safe.

Chizu Kubo

January 20, 1925 ~ January 12, 2022

Resident of San Jose, CA

Chizu Kubo passed away on Wednesday, January 12, 2022 in her home in San Jose, CA., just shy of her 97th birthday. She was a resident of Santa Clara Valley for over 75 years. As was her wish, Chizu was able to stay in her home until the end, surrounded by her family. Chizu was born in Vacaville, CA to Issei parents Tsurukichi and Tokie Matsuura. She was active in girls sports, as well as in Buddhist church and Japanese community activities. She graduated from Vacaville High School in 1942. That same year, with sisters Josephine and Helen and brother Ben, the entire family was relocated to the Gila River War Relocation Center in Arizona for the duration of WW2.

After World War 2, the family moved on to Cupertino, CA and settled in at the Pon Ranch where Ben worked as the foreman and the rest of the family worked seasonal orchard jobs—picking cherries, cutting apricots and picking prunes.

Chizu married Yone Kubo in 1948 and together they raised a family of two boys –Duane and Larry—and immersed themselves in family life. Chizu became a hair stylist and worked in beauty salons in the Santa Clara Valley for over 40 years.

Chizu had the boys active in many endeavors from Little League to school events to Buddhist Church activities and the Community Youth Service (CYS). She always made sure her boys had pressed trousers at school and clean uniforms for their games.

Chizu was a core member of the San Jose Gardener’s Association Auxilury. In her later years she was grateful for the many activities at the Yu Ai Kai Senior Center in Japantown San Jose.

After retirement, Chizu engaged in creative endeavors along with her girlfriends which included many beautifully crafted and framed Japanese Bunka (embroidery) pieces.

Chizu and Yone were well-known for their love of travel and the many motorhome trips they had taken since the 1980s. They were early RV travelers criss-crossing the country as well as adventuring all the way to Alaska with their good friends, the Itatani and Idemoto families.

May 1952 - Jan 2022 San Jose, CA.

Born to Don & Doris Cone, Marjorie Grace was the third of three children, after brothers Doug and Andy. They attended the Presbyterian Church in Palo Alto, CA, which set her up for a lifetime of serving the Lord. As a child she enjoyed time with family at Boy Scout Camp, cooking with her mom, playing games and singing.

In her mid-20s she rededicated her life to God after a service at Los Altos First Baptist Church; and through her participation in choir and small groups, met her husband, Kent. They married in 1980 and in the years following welcomed three children, moving to San Jose, CA. She continued her career of serving by running the church nursery, teaching Bible at AWANA, and singing in choir, all with Kent by her side. More recently she used her cooking skills to minister and connect with families at Bridges Church.

As her children entered high school, Marjie took a job in Special Education at Homestead High School, where she worked for 20 years before retiring in 2021. She brought joy to the offce, was known for recruiting friends to work with her, playing pranks, and bringing in tasty home-made treats. She loved to be around people and saw each day as an opportunity to spread God’s love through her humor, food, and ability to make everyone feel cherished. She is survived by her husband, Kent, son David (wife Veronica), daughter Katie Speck (husband Ryan), and daughter Suzie.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Saturday, February 19th at 10:30am at Bridges Community Church in Los Altos, CA.

In their later years, Chizu and Yone greatly enjoyed the many sports and school activities of their grandchildren. When commenting on her granddaughter Justine’s success in high school basketball, Chizu would remind us that when she played, she was one of the two girls allowed to cross midcourt to play both offense and defense. In that era, most girls were considered too weak to play fullcourt basketball. Chizu’s husband Yone passed in 2016. She is survived by her two sons, Duane (Lucien) of Soquel, CA and Larry (Karen) of Foster City, CA, grandchildren Miasa (Christopher) Wong of Reno, NV, Darren Kubo of Sacramento, Ca, Kurtis Kubo of El Dorado Hills,CA, and Justine Kubo of Boston, MA. She is also survived by her sister, Helen Mukai of Sacramento, CA., and numerous nieces and nephews. Due to covid concerns, only a private family service will be held. Special thanks and recognition to Belma Agruda and Cora Pascual, Chizu’s longtime caregivers.

Willow Glen Funeral Home

(408) 295-6446 • FD813 www.willowglenfuneralhome.com

June 7, 1936 - February 6, 2022

Resident of San Jose

Barbara Lee Cali passed away on Sunday February 6, 2022 after 85 years of a full and bountiful life. Barbara and her identical twin Beverly Gannon were born on June 7, 1936 to Leonard and Pearl Kuhn. Barbara, Bev and their brother, Richard were raised on Hanchett Avenue in San Jose. Barbara was a graduate of Lincoln High School.

After high school Barbara began her career as a legal secretary when it was interrupted by her meeting of prominent local attorney Mark Cali who soon became her husband. Mark and Barbara married on October 4, 1958 in San Jose and eventually settled in their family home on Westgate Avenue where they spent many years together raising Carlee, C.J., Mark and Leeann. Mark and Barbara loved spending time with cherished neighbors, hosting parties, organizing Fourth of July celebrations, creating festive Halloween nights, attending their children’s baseball games and being parents to all the neighborhood children.

Mark and Barbara relocated to their beloved Winchester Ranch Mobile Home Park were they resided with their new neighbors, including the return to San Jose of her twin Beverly and Bev’s husband Warren. Barbara was the social director of the Park and was well known for her beautiful garden, lavish holiday decorations and hosting many parties in the clubhouse. Barbara was happiest driving her golf cart through the Park with her dogs, Chester, and later Gucci, while visiting with her neighbors.

Barbara is survived by her children Carlee, C.J. (Kim), Mark (Nina) and Leeann (Dan), her 12 grandchildren, 4 great grandsons, 7 nephews and one niece. She is preceded in death by her husband Mark and more recently her twin Beverly. Many thanks to all of her close friends who enjoyed having a glass of wine with her on Westgate Avenue or Winchester Ranch.

There will be no formal services due to current public health circumstances. In lieu of fowers, please consider a donation to your favorite charity in Barbara’s memory.

Kathleen Taylor

July 4, 1945 - February 1, 2022

Goleta, CA

Wife. Mom. Mom-in-law. Sister.Nana. Friend. Since a near life-ending episode 24 years ago, she made a miraculous comeback and put up with numerous health setbacks, never once with an attitude or complaining. No matter her own opinions, she welcomed and talked to absolutely everyone and was inclusive of all. She ventured on long international tours and domestic road trips with her family, making priceless memories even when it was diffcult. She loved fercely - her kids, her adopted kids, her friends, her neighbors, and of course her beloved “grandies” who were the apple of her eye . Mom, you set an example for us all, put up one heck of a fght, and were truly one of a kind. Rest easy in Heaven … we love you. See you soon. Kathy was a long time resident of Palo Alto, CA and taught in Cupertino Union School District for many years before retiring to the Santa Barbara area in 2013. A private family burial will be held February 18th with a Memorial Service at Mission Santa Barbara in the coming weeks, details to come. In lieu of fowers, donations may be made to Nor Cal Aussie Rescue.

On Friday, January 7, 2022, Tom Tamotsu Sako, loving husband, father, grandfather, uncle, brother and father-inlaw passed away peacefully of natural causes in Sunnyvale, CA at the age of 99. He was predeceased by his wife of 63 years, Michi in 2013.

Tom was born on April 30, 1922, and raised in Sunnyvale, California, the youngest of three children, to Nizo and Mishi Sako. The family lived in Sunnyvale until WWII when Executive Order 9066 led to the incarceration of Japanese Americans into internment camps. The Sako family was relocated to Heart Mountain, Wyoming for the duration of the war and eventually settled in Los Altos after returning to the Bay Area.

Tom was a licensed cement contractor and small businessman until his semi-retirement in 1990. It was semiretirement as he would always be doing small jobs for people (including family members) for at least another decade. Tom was also a talented vegetable gardener with an annual yield that was enjoyed by neighbors, family, and friends for many years.

Tom married Michi Tanouye in 1951 and they soon started a family and settled down in the Barron Park section of Palo Alto and later moved to Mountain View in 1958. He was a quiet, generous, humble and kind man who participated in weekly bowling leagues and tournaments for decades and was a longtime 49ers season ticket holder dating back to the Kezar Stadium era. He was also a devoted Giants and Warriors fan and passed that devotion onto his sons.

The family wishes to thank the dedicated staff at Parkview Residential Care Home as well as Hospice of the Valley for their tireless efforts, care, and love they showed to Tom during his last year of a life well lived, while working with the continual challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tom is survived by sons Thompson (Linda) and Mitch (Mie) and his three beloved grandsons, Greg (Jillian), Nick and Taka. Per his wishes no services are planned. Donations may be sent to Hospice of the Valley in Tom’s memory.

Marjie Fischer

Barbara Lee Cali

OVERBOARD: By Chip Dunham

Family photos exclude in-law

DEAR AMY » My husband “Dave” and I have been together for almost 10 years. Dave is one of four sons. There have been a number of occasions in which I and other in-law relatives have been excluded from “family photos.”

Ask Amy Amy Dickinson

We have now been married for four years and have a child together. I am still being left out.

This occurred at my own wedding, when to my horror I learned that my mother-in-law had requested a picture from our photographer of only her parents and siblings — without their spouses.

Other times, my mother-in-law will request a “family photo” to include only her, her husband, and their four sons. I was raised in a family that embraced the ever-changing dynamic of families, where both blood and non-blood members were considered equally.

One of Dave’s brothers is now married, an-

other engaged, but his family still seems reluctant to welcome these changes.

I have expressed my hurt to Dave, and he has talked with his parents, however, the blood-only family photos have not stopped; his mother has just become more discreet about requesting them.

Am I being overly sensitive in thinking a family photo should include all members?

— Feeling Left Out

DEAR FEELING » The way I read your question, you and other in-laws are not being left out of all family photos, but you resent the fact that you are not included in all family photos. I see this di erently. I think it is cool when parents and siblings get together to re-create some of their group photos from childhood. And I treasure the one photo I have of my mother and her sisters, taken later in life — just the four of

Horoscope » By Eugenia Last

Happy Birthday: Try something new and exciting. Be open to suggestions, and look at what’s trending. Your numbers are 5, 16, 23, 27, 34, 43, 48.

Birthday Baby: You are creative, entertaining and persistent. You are intelligent and persuasive.

Aries (March 21-April 19): Take time to relax and mull over where you are and where you see yourself heading. ★★

Taurus (April 20-May 20):

Participate in events geared toward personal growth, tness and overall better health. ★★★★

Gemini (May 21-June 20):

Put more thought into how you earn and handle your

money. ★★★

Cancer (June 21-July 22): Share your feelings with someone you love. The discussion will help you get what you want. ★★★

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22):

O er suggestions, but don’t take on someone else’s obligations. ★★★

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Relax and enjoy life.

Gravitate toward the people and pastimes that make you happy. ★★★★

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

Don’t expect to sway others to help or take your side.

Walk away from drama and no-win situations. ★★

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

Unload items you no longer need, and transform your

them together (no spouses or children), as they had been in childhood.

It seems that your mother-in-law does this “family photo” thing a lot, and I assume that this symbolizes other ways in which you feel excluded.

I also think that there is sometimes a specific dynamic between mothers and their sons that can feel like an exclusive club, where daughters-inlaw are tacitly treated like interlopers.

The best way to counter this attitude is to continue to embody the inclusive values you were raised with, and to make sure your mother-in-law does not extend this exclusive attitude toward your child.

You and your husband are going to have to show his family how to let others in. The next time his mother makes a move, your husband should say with a smile, “Whoa, wait a minute. Not without my sweetheart.”

Contact Amy Dickinson via email at askamy@ amydickinson.com.

portfolio to t your nancial needs. ★★★★★

Sagittarius (Nov. 22Dec. 21): Be careful what you wish for; if you make a sudden move, don’t expect others to follow. ★★★

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): A passionate approach will bring positive results. Dig in and get your hands dirty. ★★★

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Bounce your ideas around. A social event will lead to someone you nd intriguing. ★★★

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20): Open your doors to friends and family, or share something special with someone you love. ★★★★★

PARDON MY PLANET: By Vic Lee

PEANUTS CLASSIC: By Charles M. Schulz

BLONDIE: By Dean Young & John Marshall

THE DUPLEX: By Glenn McCoy

ADAM@HOME: By Rob Harrell

PC AND PIXEL: By Tak Bui

REX MORGAN: By Terry Beatty

Saturday, February 12, 2022

Daily Bridge Club

By FRANK STEWART Tribune Content Agency

Bridge » By Frank Stewart

“Simple Saturday” columns focus on basic technique and logical thinking. Today’s South hand comprises a bunch of “quacks” (queens and jacks) that are often worth less than their high-card value indicates. When North opens the bidding, South’s hand improves a bit since North’s high honors will lend support to those quacks.

So when East overcalls one spade, South jumps to 2NT, inviting game. If South’s spades were K-J-7, he would bid 3NT; his spade honors would be well placed behind the overcaller.

WOULD FAIL

Against 3NT, West leads the king of spades. If South grabs dummy’s ace, he can succeed by forcing out the ace of diamonds next, winning the spade return (or by ducking and winning the third spade) and losing a club to the ace. He has two spades, three diamonds, three clubs and one heart. But if the positions of the minor-suit aces were reversed, South would fail. South should refuse the first spade and win the second. He makes 3NT unless East has both minor-suit aces.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold:

10

North in today’s deal held this hand. When his

partner jumped to 2NT over East’s one spade, inviting game, North accepted. Do you agree with that action?

ANSWER: In my opinion, North’s acceptance of South’s try for game was clear. North had only 14 high-card points — his hand lay in the minimum range — but all of his honors were prime, and he had three tens — useful cards especially for play at notrump.

North dealer N-S

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE: By Stephan Pastis

ZITS: By Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

DILBERT: By Scott Adams

PICKLES: By Brian Crane

FOR BETTER OR WORSE: By Lynn Johnston

DOONESBURY CLASSICS: By G.B. Trudeau

MALLARD FILLMORE: By Bruce Tinsley

BABY BLUES: By Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott

SALLY FORTH: By Francesco Marciuliano & Jim Keefe

RHYMES WITH ORANGE: By Hilary Price

WuMo: By Mikael Wul and Anders Morgenthaler

JUMP START: By Robb Armstrong

FRANK & ERNEST: By Bob Thaves

LUANN: By Greg Evans

ROSE IS ROSE: By Pat Brady & Don Wimmer

MUTTS: By Patrick McDonnell

GARFIELD: By Jim Davis

SHERMAN’S LAGOON: By Jim Toomey

FAMILY CIRCUS: By Bil Keane BIZARRO: By Wayno and Piraro

WALLACE THE BRAVE: By Will Henry

More comics

The biggest and best comics collection on the Web: www.mercurynews.com/comics

For Sudoku, Jumble and more, see the puzzle page in Sports

Warriors being bullied, it can’t be ignored any longer

Two-city back-to-backs are tough.

They’re even tougher when you play two teams that are bigger, stronger, and tougher than you.

The Warriors are being bullied.

Wednesday night in Utah, it was the Jazz — namely Hassan Whiteside — dishing out the beatdown.

Thursday it was the New York Knicks coming into Chase Center and pushing the Warriors around.

Golden State is a good enough team that Thursday’s game was close — Klay Thompson missed a clean look at a game-tying jumper as the final buzzer sounded — but the preceding 47 minutes and 54 seconds of the contest was de-

fined by the Knicks playing old-school, beat-’em-up basketball against the decidedly new-school Warriors and controlling the contest.

The Knicks had 11 more o ensive rebounds than the Warriors and 22 more rebounds total in the game.

“They had a huge size advantage on the frontline; we were getting crushed on the boards,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the game, a night after he commented that his team looked “small” next to the Jazz. “But our guys fought; I’m really proud of them.”

The Knicks shot 33 free throws in Thursday’s contest. The Warriors attempted half

49ERS Montana: Dumping Jimmy G a bad choice

By Kerry Crowley kcrowley@ bayareanewsgroup.com

Joe Montana never enjoyed looking over his shoulder.

So perhaps it should come as no surprise the legendary 49ers quarterback believes Jimmy Garoppolo shouldn’t have to either.

During an appearance on The Ringer’s “Slow News Day,” Montana made it clear he feels GM John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan should retain Garoppolo as the team’s starting quarterback in large part because the Hall of Famer doesn’t think Lance is ready to play.

“I think they keep Jimmy until you find somebody else,” Montana told Kevin Clark. “I don’t think Trey’s ready to play yet, as myself and after talking to some of the players. I think it’s one of those things that if you can keep Jimmy healthy, he plays well enough to get you (to the Super Bowl).”

THIS IS ‘THE END’

Iconic snowboarder White nishes fourth in his nal Olympics

By Scott Reid sreid@scng.com

They lined up at the bottom of Olympic Games halfpipe on a sundrenched freezing morning dusted with a coat of history and emotion, Swiss, Australian, Japanese, German riders, side by side, forming a sort of snowboard honor guard for the greatest to ever clip himself into a board.

Shaun White, the three-time Olympic champion, smiled and laughed as the other

riders high-fived and embraced, but his eyes revealed his true emotions and the enormity of the moment. Only moments before the other riders, one of whom, Australia’s Valentino Guseli, was only 10 months old when White won his first gold medal, stood transfixed on the top of the hill as White began his final Olympic run in fourth place, his rivals, like the rest of us, ex-

SHARKS

pecting him to take these Games on one last epic ride.

White opened big and hopeful with a 1440 and for a second, one last split-second, we were reminded of Olympics past, of Turin and Vancouver and most of all of Pyeongchang four years ago. But he fell on his second trick, and the rest of the run became a lap of honor, a curtain call, White removing his helmet, acknowledging the fans, bidding the Olympics adieu

Montana’s comments come two months after another 49ers legend, Steve Young, appeared on KNBR and expressed frustration that Shanahan had largely excluded Lance from the team’s o ensive game plans during the second half of the season.

“Why is Trey not capable of getting on the field?” Young asked in December.

Sharks pleased with performance of Boughner following team ‘reset’

By Curtis Pashelka cpashelka@bayareanewsgroup.com

There may have been two coaching changes in the NHL this week, but the Sharks’ Bob Boughner isn’t going anywhere — at least not right now. Sharks assistant general manager Joe Will said he’s been pleased with the job Boughner and his sta has done this season for reasons greater than just

the team’s improved record.

“I’m really pleased with what they’ve done this year because what they’ve instilled is a pathway to win through accountability,” Will said Thursday. “(Boughner) holds players very accountable. You can see it in the players going out on this last road trip.”

The Sharks went 1-1-2 against some of the Eastern Conference’s best teams on their past trip before the NHL All-Star break to finish the unofficial first half with a 22-20-4 record.

Boughner had a combined record of 35-48-10 as Sharks coach since Dec 11, 2019, when he replaced Pete DeBoer, to the end of last season when they finished tied for sixth in the West Division.

NHAT V. MEYER — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins, le ghts for the ball against the Knicks’ Taj Gibson on Thursday. Golden State struggled with New York’s physicality.

NHAT V. MEYER — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

San Jose head coach Bob Boughner has led the Sharks to a 22-20-4 record through the All-Star break. They sit outside a playo spot.

He says 49ers should keep Garoppolo, Lance not ready

Also: More Olympics coverage, including results and medal count. PAGES 4

JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO — STAFF

Former 49ers quarterback Joe Montana believes rookie quarterback Trey Lance, above, isn’t ready to run the o ense. Monday: Oilers at Sharks,

UNIV

7 p.m. Mexico: Club América at Santos Laguna FS2

4:30 a.m. Women: Man. United vs. Man. City (early Sun.) CNBC

TENNIS

10:30 a.m. ATP Dallas Open, ABN AMRO or Argentina TENNIS

5 p.m. ATP Dallas Open semi nal TENNIS

WINTER OLYMPICS

5 a.m. Men’s ice hockey (ROC vs. Czech Republic) CNBC

6:45 a.m. Speedskating, ski jumping, women’s skeleton USA

11:30 a.m. Speedskating, cross country, men’s biathlon NBC

4:30 p.m. Ski jumping, cross country skiing, freestyle skiing USA

5 p.m. Men’s alpine skiing, women’s skeleton NBC

5 p.m. Men’s curling (U.S. vs. Canada) CNBC

8 p.m. Men’s ice hockey (Slovakia vs. Latvia) CNBC

8:30 p.m. Men’s alpine skiing, women’s cross country NBC

8:30 p.m. Men’s curling (Norway vs. Sweden), bobsled USA

1:40 a.m. Men’s hockey (Finland vs. Sweden) USA

Theegala has 2-shot lead at PGA Phoenix Open

News service reports

Sahith Theegala made up for a messy finish Friday morning in the suspended first round of the WM Phoenix Open in a hurry — and kept on going.

Making his tournament debut on a sponsor exemption, Theegala shot a 7-under 64 to take a two-stroke lead over defending champion Brooks Koepka and Xander Schau ele at firm, fast and fan-packed TPC Scottsdale.

Koepka shot his second straight 66. He’s the last player to win the event in his first appearance, doing it in 2015 for his first PGA Tour title.

Schau ele had a bogey-free 65. He tied for second last year.

Theegala had the lead Thursday night at 7 under when darkness suspended play. The 24-year-old, ranked 318th in the world, resumed play on the par-4 eighth by missing a par putt.

GREEN TRAILS BY 2 SHOTS AT LPGA VIC

OPEN » Former Women’s PGA champion Hannah Green shot a 2-under 70 and trails surprise leader and fellow West Australian golfer Whitney Hillier by two strokes after two rounds of the Vic Open.

Hillier shot a 5-under 68 on the Creek course at 13th Beach Golf Links and has a two-round total of 10-under 135. Green played the par-72 Beach course on Friday.

MLB GIAMBI’S CAUSE OF DEATH DETERMINED

» Former major league outfielder Jeremy Giambi who was found dead on Wednesday took his own life in his parents’ home in Claremont, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s O ce said. Giambi, born in San Jose, played in

Montana

FROM PAGE 1

“I’m not saying starting. Where we started the year was we had some packages, I want to see him play, he’s a di erent dynamic, he can be really great in the red zone. Why is he shut down?”

Montana’s has been fairly critical of the 49ers’ selection of Lance as he said in November the team should have pursued Patriots rookie Mac Jones in the draft, whereas Young has repeatedly expressed optimism surrounding Lance’s potential to elevate San Francisco’s o ense.

The 49ers’ current quarterback dynamic is obviously di erent than the one Bill Walsh created when he pitted one future Hall of Famer against another more than 30 years ago, but

the majors from 1998 to 2003 with the Kansas City Royals, the Oakland A’s, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Boston Red Sox. He played the outfield, first base and designated hitter, batting .263 with 52 home runs and 209 RBI over his career. He also hit .318 in nine playo games. He is survived by his brother, Jason; his sister, Julie; and his mother, Jeanne. His father, John, died in 2019 at age 69.

MINOR LEAGUERS SUSPENDED » Pitchers Joe Flores of Colorado, Lenny Polanco and Jesus Tovar of Minnesota and Alan Ramirez of Miami were suspended for 60 games each following positive tests for the performanceenhancing substance Stanozolol under baseball’s minor league drug program. All four are assigned to the Dominican Summer League. San Francisco Giants pitcher Austin Reich was suspended for 50 games following a positive test for Amphetamine, a banned stimulant. He is assigned to High-A West Eugene.

College football

AUBURN COACH HARSIN KEEPS JOB »

Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin is keeping his job after a university inquiry into the football program.

Auburn spent at least the past week looking into the reasons behind the departure of about 20 players to the transfer portal. Five assistant coaches also left the Tigers, who finished 6-7 in Harsin’s first season with the program in 2021.

Harsin’s treatment of players and coaches was the focus of the inquiry, ESPN said.

times, it served both well as he noted: “Bill was right. He told me one time, “I’m gonna bring out the best of both of you.’”

“When I was on the sideline, I was staring down every defense,” Young said. “I wanted (Montana) to know everything that just happened. We had that relationship. As awkward as it was, it was fruitful.”

Montana’s vision for keeping Garoppolo in San Francisco doesn’t take into account the salary cap ramifications that will likely prevent the 49ers from having that option.

it’s been interesting to monitor Montana and Young’s comments since the franchise committed to selecting Garoppolo’s eventual

successor.

Last week, Young said on KNBR that while his relationship with Montana was uncomfortable at

With a cap hit of nearly $27 million next year, retaining Garoppolo would require San Francisco to trade or cut other highprofile players who are expected to play critical roles in helping Lance lead the franchise back to the playo s.

Odds

NHAT V. MEYER — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Former 49ers QB Joe Montana says that there’s no reason to get rid of Jimmy Garoppolo until Trey Lance is ready.

Harden energizes 76ers before he even arrives

Press

By The Associated

James Harden already made his first Philly highlight reel.

The 76ers gave a tease of Harden’s impending arrival with a flipbook-style video of his career that ended with a shot of The Beard superimposed in a No. 1 jersey. Sixers fans gave the clip a roaring standing ovation. The 76ers can’t wait for the real deal to get to town.

Joel Embiid had 25 points, 19 rebounds and 5 blocked shots, and the 76ers won as they wait on Harden, 100-87 over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.

“Everybody’s going to have extreme expectations,” 76ers forward Tobias Harris said. “I think this thing will really work. I think there’s something really special that we could do.” Harden, who has a hamstring injury, is expected to travel to the area this weekend and get evaluated by the team’s medical sta He won’t play today against Cleveland. The means the earliest Harden could play for the 76ers is at home Tuesday against Boston. The 76ers also play Thursday at NBA champion Milwaukee before the All-Star break.

Sixers fans rushed the team stores when doors opened to get the jump on Harden jerseys. Yup, some die-hards wore a Harden jersey before the threetime NBA scoring champ

Kurtenbach

FROM PAGE 1

of that — 17.

could in Philly. Harden was acquired from the Brooklyn Nets at Thursday’s trade deadline for 2016 No. 1 pick and three-time All-Star Ben Simmons. Simmons never played a game this season following an offseason trade demand. The Sixers got the second star they craved to pair with Embiid as they chase their first NBA championship since 1983.

CELTICS 108, NUGGETS 102» Jayson Tatum had 24 points, Marcus Smart added 22 points, 5 steals and 2 crucial free throws, and the Celtics held on in Boston for their seventh straight victory. Robert Williams added 15 points and 16 rebounds to help Boston extend its longest winning streak of the season. Derrick White had 15 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in his debut with Celtics after being acquired from San Antonio in a trade-deadline deal.

Boston spoiled another big night for Nikola Jokic, who had his 71st career triple-double with 23 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists.

Aaron Gordon finished with 17 points.

CAVALIERS 120, PACERS 113» Caris LeVert scored 22 points and had five assists in his return to Indiana, and Cleveland’s defense put together a strong fourth quarter to rally for a win. The Cavaliers stayed within striking distance of the Eastern Conference’s top seed by winning their

It’s hard for the Warriors to control the game when they can’t speed it up. Allowing o ensive rebounds and free throws guarantee the game is slow.

Now, I won’t pretend that the Warriors’ back-to-back losses mean much in the grand scheme of things. No sir. The Warriors won’t play a meaningful game against the Knicks all season. The Dubs might meet the Jazz in the playo s, but in a seven-game series, I’ll bet on Golden State’s ability to pull bigs out of the paint, forcing them to play on the perimeter, where they will be barbecued chicken. Utah is a flawed team.

But that’s not to say that these last two contests haven’t been informative.

The Warriors look like a team that needs Draymond Green back in the fold sooner rather than later. Would the Dubs be getting punked like this if Green was on the floor?

No way.

But Green might not be able to mitigate it all.

Thursday afternoon was the NBA’s trade deadline. Now that the massive moves have been made around the league, teams naturally start looking toward the playo s.

The big questions start to be asked: Who are our best players?

What are our best rotations? How do we match up against our top rivals?

Now, the Warriors are still one of the NBA’s title favorites. They might even be the favorite.

But the other teams in that class — the Suns, the Bucks, and perhaps now the Philadelphia 76ers — share a common trait:

They have an elite big man.

The Warriors were unable to handle Whiteside, Mitchell Robinson, and Julius Randle. Those are second-tier bigs at best, run-of-themill falls if we’re being honest.

What will Giannis Antetokounmpo or Joel Embiid do to this team — even with Green back in the fold?

Will the Warriors even be able to reach the NBA Finals? They’ll likely have to go through the Suns’ DeAndre Ayton first.

I understand, fully, why the Warriors didn’t make a trade before Thursday’s deadline. Their roster wasn’t built for tinkering and it’s not like the Dubs are some scrub team that needs to find another level to make something of this season.

But I’m not sure the return of Green and 7-foot sophomore James Wiseman is going to provide the kind of stoutness the Warriors appear to need to get past the league’s best big guns. There is a solution if the Warriors want it: The buyout market should provide options for depth bigs.

Nemja Beliica played his first game in two weeks Thursday and

fifth straight overall. They also ended a three-game losing streak at Indianapolis that dated to December 2018. Jarrett Allen had 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Kevin Love scored his 7,000th career point since joining Cleveland and finished with 14. The played without All-Star guard Darius Garland, who repored a sore back. He averages 19.9 points and 8.1 assists.

HORNETS 141, PISTONS 119»

LaMelo Ball had 31 points and 12 assists, Terry Rozier added a triple-double and visiting Charlotte ended a six-game losing streak. Detroit has lost seven in a row and 11 of 12. Rozier finished with 25 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Miles Bridges had 25 points for the Hornets, who haven’t won since beating the Lakers on Jan. 28.

SPURS 136, HAWKS 121» Dejounte Murray tied his career highs with 32 points and 15 assists to go with 10 rebounds for his 11th tripledouble this season, Keldon Johnson scored 26 points and San Antonio cruised in Atlanta. The Spurs shot 24% on 33 3-point attempts in Wednesday’s loss at Cleveland, but they got o to a sizzling start. The were 8 for 9 to take a 4329 lead at the end of the first quarter. San Antonio tied a season high with 18 3-pointers. BULLS 134, TIMBERWOLVES 122» DeMar DeRozan scored 35 points to lead host Chicago.

“Their willingness to block shots or willingness to come back in the zone and defend. Their willingness to play a hard (penalty kill) and protect the goaltender,” Will said.

“Those are buy-ins, and you don’t have buy-ins unless the team cares about each other and unless they respect and listen to what the coaches put out there. So I’m very pleased with what they’ve done this year.”

The Montreal Canadiens fired coach Dominique Ducharme on Wednesday after a dreadful first half of the season and named Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Martin St. Louis as interim coach. On Thursday, Edmonton fired Dave Tippett and replaced him with former Sharks assistant Jay Woodcroft, who was coaching the Oilers’ AHL team.

The Sharks entered Friday with the sixth-best points percentage (.522) in the Pacific Division, worse than Edmonton’s .557, and are seven points out of a Western Conference playo spot. Still, their 22 wins already eclipses their win total from 56 games last season.

No coach in Sharks history has been brought back for a third full season after missing the playo s in the previous two, although the team entered what it called a “reset” after it advanced to the Western Conference final in 2019, and expectations were modest.

Will said like everyone else in hockey operations, Boughner will be evaluated between now and the end of the season.

“We’re all evaluated every day on what we do,” Will said. “And a lot of that is, did we instill a competitive team this year? Are we integrating young players, are we drafting and developing young players, and everything else? Then at the end of the day, have we taken it far enough to have that level of success that we expect and that we’d like?”

WILL ON TRADE DEADLINE

» Will said the Sharks’ approach to the March 21 trade deadline will depend on how the team performs over the next few weeks.

The Sharks, with 48 points, are seven points back of both Los Angeles and Anaheim, two teams they’ll likely have to pass to make the postseason. The Kings are in third place in the Pacific Division and the Ducks occupy the second wild-card spot in Western Conference.

fornia counterparts a combined seven times and have 20 total games left against division opponents, games critical to San Jose’s slim playo chances.

“You assess as it goes along,” Will said. “Where are we sitting in two weeks, where are we sitting in three weeks. There are about five weeks until the deadline, so it gives us some time to see what we’re doing.

“If we hang around, if we’re in that playo spot or in that playo race, then we build and we adjust accordingly. If we’re not, then we adjust accordingly.”

WILL ON EKLUND, BORDELEAU » Will indicated that William Eklund will not be playing in San Jose this season but that the door may be open for Thomas Bordeleau to turn professional and join the Sharks if he so chooses. Eklund and Bordeleau, both forwards, are considered the Sharks’ top two prospects. Will said there isn’t “a big push” to get Eklund, 19, back to San Jose once his season with Djurgarden ends in late March or early April. Eklund could also be called up to the Swedish national team for the IIHF World Championship in May.

Bordeleau, 20, a sophomore at Michigan, could decide to turn pro after the Wolverines’ season ends, potentially as late as the second week of April after the completion of the Frozen Four. Michigan is ranked fourth nationally in Division I. Bordeleau, whose name has been discussed in recent Sharks operations meetings, has 24 points in 24 games this season. The Sharks could tempt Bordeleau to turn pro by o ering him a chance to play in the NHL this season, thereby burning a year of his entry-level contract.

“Quite honestly, it’s a huge discussion point and I think he would be capable of coming out and going into pro,” Will said. “It’d be a matter of whether he wants to or not.”

HRABIK’S STATUS » Barracuda forward Krystof Hrabik, suspended 30 games by the AHL on Jan. 21 for a racist gesture directed toward Boko Imama of the Tucson Roadrunners, can apply for reinstatement on March 12. But Will, also the GM of the Barracuda, indicated that Hrabik’s time in the organization might be over.

“He is suspended for a very serious o ense,” Will said. “I can’t say if he’s going to be welcomed back into this organization at the end of that.”

ing bigger — today’s game against Anthony Davis and the Lakers is a great test; next Wednesday’s game against Nicola Jokic and the Nuggets an even better one — something will have to be done.

There are too many impressive big men along the road to a championship to ignore.

And while an immediate response seems implausible and also rash, the Warriors’ unimpressive play in the paint can’t be ignored after these last two games.

I asked for 20-plus minutes of Jonathan Kumigna every night until the All-Star break and Kerr delivered — and then some — on Thursday.

Kuminga delivered as well. He played 36 minutes, had 17 points, was the Warriors’ best foul-drawer, and was a plus-8 in the contest.

The Congolese 19-year-old has looked like a reliable pro the last five games. It’s to the point where if you were to ask a casual fan how old No. 00 was, there’s no way they would guess 19.

The Sharks still have to play their Southern Cali -

AROUND THE NHL

Hrabik has served 10 games of the suspension. If he is not reinstated early, and the Barracuda’s schedule remains the same, he will be eligible to return on April 3.

NHL looks to prevent bullying, with help

By The Associated Press Sheldon Kennedy wants to make something clear. He isn’t here to save hockey. That’s not what he does with the Respect Group.

He just wants to help.

was benched for ine ectiveness. He wasn’t playing that well before a back injury put him on the bench. If things don’t pick up soon, he would be the guy to go to make room for a new Dub.

Now, I’m not yet advocating for a move. That would make mountains out of the molehills that were the last two games.

But I’m not saying the Warriors should rule out the possibility, either.

This decision is tricky. With Green sidelined until after the AllStar Game — perhaps decently into March, and the buyout deadline March 1, the Warriors might have to make a call on adding size without having seen Green back on the court.

The Warriors are a small team. There’s no getting around that. And in most cases, it’s a strength.

But if the Dubs don’t start play-

Was he worked over a bit by Randle? Of course. The Knicks power forward — perhaps the last true power forward in the NBA — had 28 points, thanks to eight made free throws. He also had 16 rebounds. No, Kuminga’s game wasn’t perfect, but it was still impressive.

So impressive that it’s hard to imagine qualifying his play with “he’s only 19 years old” anymore.

It’s truly jarring how far his game has come in such a short amount of time.

Damion Lee played with youcan’t-cut-me energy on Thursday night and it was needed for both Lee and his team.

Legitimately: Good for him. Not many teams can go to the end of the bench and grab a guy who can reasonably play 20 minutes a night and knock down a couple of 3-pointers.

And while it had been a while since Lee had done that, Thursday served as a reminder that he’s a nice piece for this team moving forward.

Kennedy’s Respect Group has partnered with the NHL for a training program designed to help prevent bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination. The training for league and club employees is slated to begin in March.

The program came together after an October report by an outside law firm found the Chicago Blackhawks badly mishandled Kyle Beach’s allegations when the former first-round draft pick said he was sexually assaulted by then-video coach Brad Aldrich during the team’s run to the 2010 Stanley Cup title.

Professional hockey also has been dealing with allegations of racism for years. Minor leaguers in the American Hockey League and the ECHL were suspended last month after they were accused of making racial gestures toward Black players.

Kennedy, 52, and Wayne McNeil started the Respect Group in 2004. According to Kennedy, the company has trained more than 1.8 million people.

The Warriors’ Klay Thompson bites his jersey in frustration a er missing a potential game-tying shot against the Knicks in Thursday’s 116-114 loss.

WINTER OLYMPICS

U.S. women’s hockey survives scare; Skater’s right to compete under review

By The Associated Press

Once the sense of relief subsided following an all-too-tense quarterfinal victory for the defending Olympic women’s hockey champions, United States coach Joel Johnson’s focus turned to just how far other countries have come.

In a tournament that appeared destined for a gold-medal showdown between the global powers of U.S. and Canada, the upstart Czech Republic nearly crashed the party. So much for the lack of parity in the sport that some have been griping about after the U.S. and Canada rolled through their first three preliminary round games outscoring opponents by a combined margin of 47-5.

“When I read some articles from people who have no clue what they should be talking about, this game is a good reminder for them,” Johnson said following the Americans’ 4-1 victory against the Czechs. “There might be some scores that look a little lopsided, but this is exactly what everybody knows, that people are making strides.”

The Americans overcame a 1-0 deficit and avoided what would have been a stunning upset by scoring three times in the third period.

Lee Stecklein scored the go-ahead goal 6:49 into the third period when her shot from the right point deflected in o the stick of Czech forward Michaela Pejzlova. Hilary Knight had a goal and assist, Savannah Harmon also scored and Kendall Coyne Schofield added an empty-netter. Alex Cavallini stopped five shots, while getting plenty of support from her shotblocking defenders.

The second-seeded Americans, who have never failed to reach the semifinal stage since women’s hockey was introduced at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, next play on Monday against an opponent that won’t be determined until the quarterfinal results between Finland and Japan, and Switzerland and the Russian team today.

Alpine skiing

Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland won the wom-

White

FROM PAGE 1

as he eased down the pipe into retirement.

“The end,” he said to Switzerland’s Jan Scherrer, the eventual bronze medalist, at the bottom of the hill. “That’s it.”

Japan’s Ayumu Hirano clinched the gold medal in the final round at Genting Snow Park H&S Stadium.

But Friday morning will be best remembered as the day White, who over the course of a record-setting five edge-of-the-envelope Olympics revolutionized the Games and his sport, finally returned to earth.

White, 35, finished fourth at 85.00 points, 2.25 behind Scherrer, in a final Olympic appearance that only weeks ago seemed unlikely.

“Sorry you’re going to get me ugly crying here, but I’m not upset about the result,” he said. “I would have loved to put it down. I made it happen for two runs and I couldn’t hold on for the last. It’s hard for me not to get hung up on that last run, I wanted it so badly.

“I’m proud of the runs I put down, I’m proud to be here for my last goodbye. Just missed the podium, I would have loved to walk out there with everyone, for one last time but you can’t always get what you want, you get what you need.”

White might be the most transformative figure in the history of the Win -

en’s super-G at the Beijing Games, capturing her first Olympic gold medal.

Two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shi rin finished ninth after failing to finish in either of her two previous races in Beijing.

Mirjam Puchner of Austria won silver and Michelle Gisin of Switzerland won bronze.

Figure skating

Russian figure skater

Kamila Valieva’s right to compete in the women’s event at the Beijing Olympics will be decided at an urgent hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Both the World AntiDoping Agency and the International Testing Agency — on behalf of the IOC — said Friday they would fight the decision by Russia’s anti-doping agency to allow the 15-year-old Valieva to skate. The Russian agency provisionally banned Valieva on Tuesday because she failed a doping test in December. After an appeal, the agency lifted the ban Wednesday.

Valieva is the heavy favorite in her event, which begins Tuesday. She set world record scores this season and landed the first quad jump by a woman at an Olympics as the Russian athletes competing as ROC,

ter Olympics, dominating the competition and sucking the oxygen out of the Games much like Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps for 16 years. The San Diego native took a sport initially dismissed by Olympic purists as a novelty made up of a generation of Je Spicolis and landed it squarely on center stage at the Games right next to figure skating, surpassing alpine skiing.

“Everyone else who was riding today grew up, looking up to him as a huge idol,” Scherrer said. “When I was 15, he was just so much better than everyone else, and I feel he was probably the most dominant snowboard character in competition ever. He looks back on 20 years of riding at the highest level, and it was a huge pleasure to have him today in this competition.”

He was a godsend for the International Olympic Committee, desperate to connect with a younger audience amid dwindling ratings. But it wasn’t just teens that White reached.

Americans got used to seeing White, his shock of red hair, wide smile, everywhere, on morning shows, on the couch of late-night talk shows, in films and at the mall. White even had his own clothing line with Target.

At the peak of his career, he was earning $8 million in endorsement fees annually, according to Forbes.

But it wasn’t just White’s charisma and his

short for Russian Olympic Committee, won the team event. The ROC said it will fight to keep that gold medal, and Valieva has passionate support from the Kremlin.

The ITA confirmed reports that Valieva tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine at the Russian national championships in St. Petersburg six weeks ago.

The positive test was flagged by a laboratory in Sweden only on Tuesday — the day after Valieva helped the Russians win the team event and just hours before the medal ceremony, which was then postponed. Whether the Russians will lose that gold medal will be decided later.

Cross-country skiing

Finland’s Iivo Niskanen maintained his classic skiing dominance, winning gold in the 15-kilometer cross country race. Niskanen crossed the line and collapsed, spread eagle, with a time of 37 minutes, 54.8 seconds. It was his third Olympic gold. He won the 50-kilometer classic race in Pyeongchang and the classic team sprint at the 2014 Sochi Games.

Alexander Bolshunov of Russia won silver 23.2 seconds back, while Johannes

SoCal cool that made the world sit up and take notice. His ability to take flight was comparable to Jordan and Beamon, Fosbury and Bubka.

White was just 19 when he won his first gold medal at the 2006 Games in Turin. He repeated four years later in Vancouver.

But his greatest triumph came four years ago in South Korea, after a fourth-place finish in Sochi in 2014.

White trailed Hirano by a point going into the final run but clinched the gold by nailing back to back-to-back 1440s.

“That was the highlight of my career,” he said. With the years, competing became increasingly di cult. An ankle injury forced him out of a qualifying event in Mammoth earlier this season, leaving his Olympic qualification in peril.

He continued to have knee issues after undergoing surgery last summer and injured his back working out.

White was in Austria when he realized it was time to retire.

“On the chairlift ride, the mountain was closing and no one was around, and I was watching the sun go down, and it just hit me,” White recalled. “I was like, ‘This is it, these are the signs.’

“It was a very sad and surreal moment, but very joyous as well. I reflected on all the things I’ve done, and looked at that sunset

Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway secured the bronze 37.5 seconds behind the Finn.

Short-track speedskating

Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands defended her title in 1,000-meter short track speedskating. She set the world and Olympic records in the quarterfinals. She wasn’t as fast in the final, finishing in 1 minute, 28.391 seconds.

Choi Minjeong of South Korea took silver. Hanne Desmet of Belgium earned bronze.

Arianna Fontana of Italy was penalized for a lane change that caused contact with American Kristen Santos. Both skaters went down and slid on their sides into the padding.

Schulting was the silver medalist behind Fontana in the 500.

Skeleton

Germany has its first Olympic skeleton champion. Christopher Grotheer was a runaway winner in the men’s skeleton event that ended Friday night, the first German to win gold in the discipline where sliders navigate the icy chute headfirst at speeds that can exceed 80 mph.

going down, and I thought, ‘Next time I’m here I won’t be stressed about learning tricks. I won’t be worried about some kind of competition. I’ll just purely be here to enjoy the resort, maybe check out other runs besides the halfpipe for once.’

“I broke down a little, got very emotional and called friends and family, manager, and told them where I was at. They all agreed, ‘Hey, beautiful run. Let’s see what’s next.’”

He came to Beijing determined to enjoy every moment of this final Olympic experience. “My bonus round,” White said. He posed for selfies at the Opening Ceremony. “A little fan-girling action over here,” said Paula Moltzan, a U.S. alpine skier. And he crashed U.S. board cross rider Nick Baumgartner’s Facetime with his son and his friends, significantly increasing Baumgartner’s street cred at home.

White was so busy trading pins afterward that he almost missed the bus back to the Olympic Village.

“The goal has been to just squeeze every bit of fun and excitement and joy out of this experience,” he said. “I’m having as much fun as I can.

Going out in a fifth Olympic final was in jeopardy in Thursday’s qualifying round. He fell on the first of two runs but rebounded to finish the day in fourth place.

FRIDAY’S MEDALISTS

ALPINE SKIING

Women’s Super-G Gold — Lara Gut-Behrami, Switzerland Silver — Mirjam Puchner, Austria Bronze — Michelle Gisin, Switzerland

BIATHLON

Women’s 7.5km sprint Gold — Marte Olsbu Roeiseland, Norway Silver — Elvira Oeberg, Sweden

Bronze — Dorothea Wierer, Italy

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING

Men’s 15km classic Gold — Iivo Niskanen, Finland Silver — Alexander Bolshunov, ROC Bronze — Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, Norway

SNOWBOARD Men’s snowboard halfpipe Gold — Ayumu Hirano, Japan Silver — Scotty James, Australia Bronze — Jan Scherrer, Switzerland

Grotheer’s four-run time over two days of competition was 4:01.01. Axel Jungk, another German, won the silver medal in 4:01.67 and Yan Wengang of China won the bronze in 4:01.77.

It was China’s first Olympic medal in a sliding sport. Speedskating

Nils van der Poel of Sweden broke his own world record and captured his second gold medal of the Beijing Olympics with a dominating victory in men’s 10,000-meter speedskating.

Van der Poel added to his victory in the 5,000, which was a much closer a air. On Friday, it was just him against the clock.

He crossed the line in 12 minutes, 30.74 seconds, easily breaking the world mark of 12:32.95 he set in February 2021, and was more than nine seconds ahead of the Olympic record set four years ago by Canada’s Ted-Jan Bloemen.

The silver medal went to Patrick Roest of the Netherlands (12:44.59), the same spot he took behind van der Poel in the 5,000.

The bronze went to Italy’s Davide Ghiotto in 12:45.98.

Defending champion Bloemen finished eighth.

His first run Friday was solid if not spectacular, putting him in fourth at 72.00. White showed signs of his old self on a second run he punctuated with a fist pump. His 85.00 score moved him briefly into second before slipping to fourth by the end of the round.

And so the sport held its breath one more time as White headed into the halfpipe. With the opening 1440 he seemed headed to the medal podium a fourth time. But he couldn’t hold the landing on his second trick.

“I wish I could have landed my last run, but I was having some diculty in my back leg for some reason, it was giving out on every run, I don’t know why,” White said. “Maybe it was the pressure, maybe it was just exhaustion.

“Really challenging, but that’s OK, that’s it, I’m done. I’m so thankful for my career, thankful to China for having us.

“It’s been a journey.”

In the days and weeks ahead, the rawness of Thursday’s emotion will fade, and White will find peace and perspective.

“I don’t know how many kids really aspire to be a cowboy and get to be a cowboy,” he said earlier this week. “At a young age, snowboarding was what I wanted more than anything, and to be walking in these shoes today is just incredible. It feels so amazing, I’m so proud.”

SKELETON Men Gold — Christopher Grotheer, Germany Silver — Axel Jungk, Germany Bronze — Wengang Yan, China

SPEED SKATING

Men’s 10,000m Gold — Nils van der Poel, Sweden Silver — Patrick Roest, Netherlands Bronze — Davide Ghiotto, Italy

SHORT TRACK SPEED SKATING

Women’s 1,000m Gold — Suzanne Schulting, Netherlands

Silver — Minjeong Choi, South Korea

Bronze — Hanne Desmet, Belgium

ALPINE SKIING

WOMEN’S SUPER-G

Lara Gut-Behrami, Switzerland,

2. Mirjam Puchner, Austria,

3. Michelle Gisin, Switzerland,

4. Tamara Tippler, Austria,

PETR DAVID JOSEK — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The United States’ Lee Stecklein, center, celebrates a goal with teammates during a women’s quarter nal hockey game against the Czech Republic at the 2022 Winter Olympics on Friday in Beijing. The U.S. won, 4-1.

Raiders’ Branch makes the grade for Hall of Fame

By The Associated Press

In contrast to a career where Cliff Branch was known for getting places in a hurry, the former Raiders wide receiver finally made it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame 37 years after his last game and more than two years after his death.

Branch was one of eight so honored that will make up the Class of 2022. As the nominee of the Hall of Fame’s senior committee, Branch needed to receive 80% of the vote on a yes or no basis

Also elected was defensive lineman Richard Seymour, who played his last four seasons with the Raiders after starring for eight seasons with the New England Patriots.

Also in the Class of 2022 from the modern era were Green Bay safety LeRoy Butler, 49ers defensive tackle Bryant Young, New Orleans linebacker Sam Mills and Jacksonville tackle Tony Boselli. Dick Vermeil was selected in a separate ballot as a coach, and former official Art McNally as a contributor.

A member of all three Raiders Super Bowl championship teams, Branch caught 501 passes for 8,685 yards, a 17.3-yard average and 67 touchdowns. He played 14 seasons, all for the Raiders. A sprinter in college at Colorado, Branch was the prototype deep threat coveted by owner Al Davis. In 22 postseason games Branch had 73 receptions for 1,289 yards and five touchdowns. He retained that speed until the end of his career, catching a 99-yard touchdown pass against Washington from Jim Plunkett at age 35 in 1983.

PACKERS’ RODGERS NAMED NFL MVP, AGAIN

» The Associated Press 2021 NFL awards had a bit of everything, starting with Aaron Rodgers becoming the fifth player to repeat as Most Valuable Player.

Despite the turmoil of training camp and the headlines created by the Green Bay quarterback when he misled the public on his COVID-19 vaccination, Rodgers’ play on the field was superb. So much so that he earned 39 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL.

Not even one of Tom Brady’s best performances — in his final season — came close in the MVP race, with the Buccaneers quarterback getting 10 votes.

ALLEN WORKING ON BID TO BUY BRONCOS

» Byron Allen says the NFL needs him to join the ownership group.

Allen is preparing a bid to purchase the Denver Broncos and become the

NFL Family ties never hurt for making NFL connections

By Teresa M. Walker

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES » Rams assistant coach Wes Phillips knows only too well just how difficult — and rare — reaching a Super Bowl can be.

His grandfather, Bum, never got to the NFL’s biggest game, losing two AFC championship games as coach of the then-Houston Oilers. His own father, Wade, coached 42 seasons and made it to three Super Bowls, winning only one.

Sunday: Rams vs. Bengals, at Inglewood, 3:30 p.m., NBC

He worked his way to assistant o ensive line coach, special teams assistant, and finally got his first position group as tight ends coach in 2013 working with Jason Witten.

JANE TYSKA — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Former Raiders receiver Cli Branch was posthumously named to the Hall of Fame Class of 2022 on Thursday.

NFL’s first Black owner. He told The Associated Press on Thursday night that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft approached him in November 2019 about buying a team.

The NFL’s ownership ranks are overwhelmingly white. Of the league’s 32 teams, the only minorities to have a controlling ownership stake are the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Shad Khan and the Buffalo Bills’ Kim Pegula, who co-owns the team with her husband, Terry.

GIANTS STAFF WILL FEATURE ITS FIRST

WOMAN » Giants coach Brian Daboll filled out a majority of his sta Friday, hiring the first woman to hold a coaching position in the team’s history along with a pair of coordinators new to New York.

Laura Young will be the team’s director of coaching operations, coordinating and organizing practices, as well as game-day operations. She has 18 years of NFL experience, the last four with Daboll in Bu alo, where she was the Bills’ player services coordinator.

Mike Kafka will be the new o ensive coordinator and Don “Wink” Martindale will run the defense.

BEARS FINALIZE STAFF » New Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus finalized his sta by hiring three more assistants.

The Bears added former NFL linebacker Carlos Polk as assistant special teams coach, assistant defensive line coach Justin Hinds and coaching assistant Kevin Koch.

Polk, a Rockford, Illinois, native, had a similar job with Jacksonville this past season. He has 11 years of NFL coaching experience and 12 overall.

“So I’m just grateful for this opportunity,” Wes Phillips said. “Fifteen years in the league, and this is my first opportunity to play in Super Bowl. Actually, it was the first year that I was on a team that went past the divisional round.”

With former Miami coach Brian Flores suing the NFL alleging racism hiring practices, this Super Bowl o ers a reminder that family ties can play a big role in creating business opportunities for men moving in and up in this league.

Consider:

• Rams coach Sean McVay. His grandfather John not only was head coach of the New York Giant for three seasons in the 1970s, he also was general manager for five Super Bowl championships with the San Francisco 49ers in the 1980s and 1990s.

• Cincinnati o ensive coordinator Brian Callahan. His father Bill is a former head coach of the Raiders and Washington. The elder Callahan was the Raiders’ head coach when they lost to Tampa Bay in the 2003 Super Bowl.

• Bengals coach Zac Taylor. He started as a graduate assistant at Texas A&M for Mike Sherman and followed his father-inlaw to the NFL when Sherman was hired as Miami Dolphins o ensive coordinator. Taylor stayed with the Dolphins after Sherman was fired. His brother, Press, is a senior o ensive assistant for the Indianapolis Colts.

Rams o ensive assistant Zak Kromer’s dad is former Rams o ensive line coach Aaron Kromer, who was recently hired by Bu alo. Linebackers coach Chris Shula is the grandson of Hall of Fame coach Don Shula and son of former Bengals head coach Dave Shula. Phillips and Kromer stayed with the Rams even after McVay essentially fired their fathers.

Phillips is the Rams’ tight ends coach and passing game coordinator. He got his NFL start in 2007 working as a quality control/o ensive assistant with his father as head coach in Dallas. Phillips stayed three more seasons in Dallas after Wade was fired.

Being the son and grandson of NFL coaches certainly helped Phillips. Imagine all the conversations at home, especially when watching a football game together. Clock management and timeouts were big topics.

“It wasn’t like I was at home drawing up things on the grease board, really, with him,” Phillips said.

Coaches’ sons do get other opportunities. Phillips went to the team facility, sitting in on some meetings. He also was a ball boy during training camp.

Darrin Simmons, the Bengals’ special teams coordinator, got the chance to help out for a couple years at Browns’ training camps. His connection? His uncle, longtime Cleveland Browns strength coach Jerry Simmons.

“All through my high school days growing up, we would go out during training camp and help him ... with stu in the weight room,” Simmons said.

Callahan also grew up around the NFL. Watching his father influenced his decision to go into coaching, especially when his own playing career peaked as a walk-on quarterback at UCLA who later earned a scholarship.

His father called to congratulate him when the Bengals beat Kansas City in overtime at the AFC championship game, earning Cincinnati’s first Super Bowl berth since the 1988 season. His father’s best piece of advice was to focus on the job he has and do his best, not worrying about what’s next.

“Certainly my dad has been a huge influence on me personally and professionally,” Callahan said. “He’s my mentor kind of in all facets. There’s probably a long list I could get you, but that’s probably one of the most important ones.”

Growing up inside the NFL also means the chance to meet other coaches. Phillips credits Dan Reeves, his father’s boss in Denver and later Atlanta, as being a big influence. Thanks to his grandfather and father, Phillips knew well that Reeves played for Dallas coaching legend Tom Landry.

“You could see the attention to detail on the practice field,” Phillips said. “He was demanding, but also a great, great person, and he had an influence on me as a young kid, just how he treated me even.”

Chase Dittrich and Jeff Chen

Super quiz

Previous solution

The goal is to ll the grid with consecutive numbers that connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Each puzzle has only one possible solution. The rst and last numbers of a puzzle will be in circle markers.

Sudoku X

No more than two X’s or two O’s can be next to each other on any line, across or down. There must be ve X’s and ve O’s in each row and column. No two rows or columns can be the same.

Previous solution

Previous solution

Follow all of the rules of a classic Sudoku game — no repeats within the same row, column or 3x3 grid — but be careful. Each axis of the X of black squares that criss-crosses the puzzle is another no-repeat zone.

Previous solution

Business

Stocks fall on fears of Ukraine invasion

Possible con ict adds to concerns over in ation and interest rates

By Damian J. Troise and Stan Choe The Associated Press

NEW YORK » Stocks tumbled again Friday, and this time bond yields joined in the swoon as worries about an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine piled onto Wall Street’s already heavy list of concerns about inflation and interest rates.

What people say they prefer: Cage-free eggs

By Scott Mcfetridge

The Associated Press

DES MOINES, IOWA » Without much fuss and even less public attention, the nation’s egg producers are in the midst of a multibillion-dollar shift to cage-free eggs that is dramatically changing the lives of millions of hens in response to new laws and demands from restaurant chains.

In a decade, the percentage of hens in cage-free housing has soared from 4% in 2010 to 28% in 2020, and that figure is expected to more than double to about 70% in the next four years.

The change marks one of the animal welfare movement’s biggest successes after years of battles with the

CALABASAS

food industry. The transition has cost billions of dollars for producers who initially resisted calls for more humane treatment of chickens but have since fully embraced the new reality. Pushed by voter initiatives in California and other states as well as pressure from fast food restaurant chains and major grocers, egg producers are freeing chickens from cages and letting them move throughout hen houses.

“What we producers failed to realize early on was that the people funding all the animal rights activist groups, they were our customers. And at the end of the day, we have to listen to our customers,” said Marcus Rust, the CEO of Indianabased Rose Acre Farms, the nation’s second-largest egg producer.

Josh Balk, vice president for farm animal protection at the Humane Society of

the United States, noted the abruptness of the about face.

This is “an entire industry that at one point fought tooth and nail not to make any changes,” he said.

To a great extent, the industry concluded it didn’t have another choice.

Beginning in about 2015, McDonald’s, Burger King and other national restaurant chains as well as dozens of grocers and food manufacturers responded to pressure from animal welfare groups by announcing their commitment to cagefree eggs. That was followed by laws requiring cage-free housing in California and similar rules in at least seven other states — Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington.

McDonald’s, which buys about 2 billion eggs annually, said it gradually shifted to cage-free after concluding it was desired by customers.

Many companies widely promoted their move to cagefree as good for their brand’s image.

Earlier, animal welfare groups, especially the Humane Society, had organized shareholder campaigns, conducted undercover investigations of chicken farms and filed federal complaints. A Gallup poll from 2015 found that nearly twothirds of Americans thought animals deserved protection from harm and exploitation.

Animal rights groups have made allowing animals room to move a priority in their campaigns but the results have been mixed. The pork industry is fighting to block the California initiative that required more space for breeding pigs and veal calves, and a state judge recently delayed implementation of new rules.

The egg industry also initially sought national stan-

Burgerim allegedly duped franchisees

Chain faces Federal Trade Commission suit

By Scott Schwebke Southern California News

Group

Calabasas fast-food chain

Burgerim and its owner allegedly pocketed tens of millions of dollars from more than 1,500 people enticed to purchase franchises with false promises that destined most of them to fail, the Federal Trade Commission has said.

The FTC alleges in a federal lawsuit that Burgerim and owner Oren Loni recruited potential franchisees for an opportunity that purportedly required little to no business experience, while downplaying the complexities of owning and operating a burger restaurant.

“Burgerim promised consumers, including veterans, the American dream, only to leave them in a

The Federal Trade Commission alleges fast-food chain Burgerim and its owner, Oren Loni, of pro ting o of false promises made to franchisees.

nightmare of debt and deceit,” Sam-

uel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement Tuesday.

The complaint asks the court to stop the defendants’ alleged actions and impose civil penalties of up to

By Christopher Rugaber

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON

» Since the pandemic erupted two years ago, Forest Ramsey and his wife, Kelly, have held the line on prices at their gourmet chocolate shop in Louisville, Kentucky. Now, they’re about to throw in the towel.

In the past year, the costs of ingredients for their business, Art

Eatables, have surged between 10% and 50%. The Ramseys are paying their employees 30% more than they did before the pandemic.

And in the face of supply shortages, their packaging costs are up.

They’ve begun using 12-piece trays in their eight-piece chocolate boxes because they can no longer get any eight-piece trays.

So having just tried to survive for the past two years, the Ramseys,

who own three retail outlets and sell custom chocolates to about 25 bourbon distilleries, have reached an unpleasant decision: They’re going to raise their customer prices 10% to 30%.

“We’ve got to adjust this — we can’t a ord to keep taking the hits anymore,” Forest Ramsey said.

The struggles of Art Eatables illustrate how inflation and tangled

The S&P 500 lost 1.9% after the White House encouraged all U.S. citizens to leave Ukraine within the next 48 hours, before possible military action by Russia. The price of oil rose more than 3%.

Stocks took a sudden turn lower in the middle of trading, with losses for the S&P 500 nearly tripling in about half an hour. Similar, knee-jerk swings swept through other markets as investors pulled money out of riskier things like stocks and moved instead toward the safety of bonds and gold.

They’re just the latest sharp veers in what’s already been a tumultuous 2022 for markets. Wall Street has been shaking as it comes to grips with a Federal Reserve forced to aggressively remove the low interest rates that investors love, in order to beat back high inflation.

The S&P 500 fell 85.44 points to 4,418.64 to lock in its first weekly loss in the last three but its fourth in the last six. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 503.53, or 1.4%, to 34,738.06, and the Nasdaq dropped 394.49, or 2.8%, to 13,791.15.

Tensions have been simmering for a while about possible military action by Russia, and U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Friday that the United States did not have definitive information that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered an invasion. But he also said that “the threat is now immediate enough that prudence demands that it is the time to leave now” for Americans in the country.

Russia is one of the world’s largest energy producers, and the warnings gave oil prices an immediate jolt. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 3.3% to settle at $94.44 barrel amid the possibility that violence could disrupt supplies. U.S. crude rose 3.6% to settle at $93.10 per barrel.

Prices were already rising before the Ukraine warnings, likely because of a statement from the International Energy Agency that supplies in the oil market are already tight, said Stewart Glickman, energy equity analyst at CFRA.

Gold also rose, gaining nearly $20 in half an

LAWSUIT

Three million seek $1.2B from Sutter

Plainti s sue health system in antitrust class-action trial

By Don Thompson

The Associated Press

SACRAMENTO » A lawsuit

over high health care bills filed on behalf of more than 3 million employers and people seeks as much as $1.2 billion from a large Northern California health system in an antitrust classaction trial getting underway Thursday.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit allege in court documents that Sutter Health abused its market power and “caused enormous adverse economic impacts” by discouraging patients from using lower-cost insurance and lower-cost hospitals.

Sutter Health said in a statement Wednesday that it looks forward to “demonstrating that in Northern California’s highly competitive market, Sutter’s integrated healthcare network provides high-quality care that creates efficiencies, drives down total cost of care and benefits the diverse communities we serve.”

The lawsuit claims Sutter used its market power for inpatient services in seven

mostly rural Northern California areas where it is the only or dominant hospital to bind insurers in four other communities where it has competition.

That allowed Sutter to overcharge for its own services, the lawsuit alleged, and caused nearly $400 million in insurance premium overcharges to the plaintiffs between 20112017. Five companies provided the health insurance: Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, Aetna, United Healthcare, and Health Net.

The law allows triple damages if the plaintiffs win against Sutter Health, meaning a potential award of $1.2 billion.

The named plainti s are four people who paid health insurance premiums and two companies that paid premiums for their employees since 2011, but the class includes any individuals or companies in the same position across much of Northern California.

The plainti s’ attorneys estimate that includes 3 million patients and employers. The system operates 24 hospitals with more than 12,000 doctors and 16,000 nurses.

It’s the second such law-

VERSOVA VIA AP

This 2017 photo shows cage-free chickens on a Versova farm in Iowa. The nation’s egg producers are in the midst of a multi-billion-dollar shi to cage-free eggs that is dramatically changing the lives of hens in response to new laws.

Poultry industry is hearing the wishes of consumers

PHOTO BY JOHN PLESSEL

Don’t panic if you’ve received scary IRS notice

By Jeanne Sahadi CNN

Imagine having filed and paid your taxes last year, then months later you get a letter in the mail from the IRS saying you didn’t.

That’s what’s happening to many taxpayers this year thanks to automated notices being sent by the IRS.

But if you got one, don’t panic. There’s a fair chance the IRS simply hasn’t seen what you already sent in. That’s because it’s dealing with a mountain of returns and correspondence that has built up over the past two years. During that time, the agency was called on to deliver several rounds of economic impact payments and other financial

Burgerim

FROM PAGE 7

$46,517 for each violation.

Burgerim officials did not respond to emails and phone calls Tuesday seeking comment. The company operates in 15 states and was projected to have 500 restaurants by 2019, according to its website.

However, many Burgerim locations have since closed, according to news reports

In many instances, peo -

Lawsuit

FROM PAGE 7

suit filed against Sutter

Health.

The health system two years ago paid different plaintiffs $575 million to settle similar claims that it used anti-competitive practices to artificially increase patients’ costs and agreed then in a separate settlement with the state to accept a court-approved monitor for 10 years to make sure it no longer works through insurance companies to increase patients’ costs.

California’s attorney gen-

Economy

Covid-19 relief, while trying to protect its own workforce from Covid.

The good news is that you’re not likely to get another notice for awhile.

The IRS announced this week that it will temporarily suspend issuing over a dozen di erent types of automated notices indicating balances due, unfiled returns and other deficiencies so that it can work through its pandemic-induced backlog.

Automatic notices typically require you to respond — for example, by filing a return, making a payment, providing requested information or explaining why the notice is inaccurate.

But the IRS is too busy at the moment torespond in a

ple allegedly paid Burgerim $50,000 to $70,000 for a single franchise location and received discounted incentives to purchase additional franchises at $40,000 each.

“Defendants sold more than 1,500 Burgerim franchises, but the overwhelming majority of Burgerim franchisees never got their businesses o the ground,” the suit says. “Hundreds sought to cancel their franchise agreements.”

Many prospective franchisees have taken out

eral alleged then that Sutter used its market power to block insurance companies from using incentives to steer patients to cheaper health care providers.

Critics said that practice made it more di cult for patients to use Sutter’s lower-priced competitors, though the Sacramentobased nonprofit denied the allegations and did not admit wrongdoing.

The 2019 settlement also prohibited Sutter from continuing what state o cials called an “all or nothing” approach that required insurance companies to include all of the health system’s hospitals in their pro -

reasonable amount of time.

Last year, the agency took an average of 199 days to process 6.2 million responses from filers to IRSproposed adjustments on their returns, according to the National Taxpayer Advocate.

Tax preparer and enrolled agent Donna Byrne herself got a notice asserting she hadn’t filed her 2019 tax return, even thoughshe did, she said. “It drives you nuts, because you know you did stu .”

And trying to reach an IRS representative by phone to address a matter can feel futile: The agency has been getting 1,500 calls per second, according to a recent IRS letter to lawmakers. This week’s announce -

loans from the Small Business Administration or commercial lenders to pay Burgerim franchise fees, according to the FTC.

The fees purportedly gave franchisees the right to establish and operate a Burgerim restaurant, the FTC said. However, they didn’t include other costs such as securing a location, construction of the restaurant, equipment, and obtaining products and supplies, all of which are estimated to total more than $600,000, the suit says.

vider networks even if it didn’t make financial sense.

And it increased pricing transparency while limiting what Sutter could charge for out-of-network procedures.

In the current case, U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler in San Francisco found in favor of the case going to trial, stating in part that “the contracts were systemwide and required health plans to include Sutter inpatient services in the (noncompetitive) markets.”

A jury will decide if that was to force higher prices that were passed on to patients through higher pre -

ment is a good first step but more still needs to be done, according to the American Institute of CPAs. The AICPAis part of a coalition of tax professional associations that has been urging the IRS to implement four short-term recommendations to provide relief for tax filers this year, of which notice suspension is one.

“We are encouraged by recent actions taken by the IRS to suspend more automated notices and pleased to know that the IRS is listening and acting. Taxpayers, practitioners and IRS will benefit from reducing unnecessary contact, such as erroneous notices or warnings of levy, and provide much-needed relief during an already stress -

“Defendants control the franchise operations by, among other things, approving sites for Burgerim restaurant locations, imposing building design specifications, and requiring franchisees to sell specific items, use certain equipment, and purchase only approved products and supplies,” the complaint states.

Burgerim, anticipating that inexperienced franchisees may be intimidated by the process, falsely represents it will assist them every step of the way, the lawsuit alleges.

miums, the judge ruled. Sutter said there is no evidence that it worked to maintain its monopoly power in the seven communities where it dominates. And systemwide volume discounting in turn lowers prices, the company said.

“The indisputable evidence shows that Sutter did not violate the antitrust laws but sought only to properly give e ect to a valid volume discount,” Sutter said in court papers. State o cials and consumer advocates largely blamed Sutter’s previous practices for Northern California residents typically paying health insur-

ful and overwhelming tax season,” the AICPA said in a statement Thursday.

The IRS did not provide an estimate of how many tax filers may have already received the automated notices in the past few months. But it did note that some notices may still be on their way to tax filers and may be received over the next few weeks.

If you already have received a notice or soon get one,”Generally, there is no need to call or respond to the notice as the IRS continues to process prior year tax returns as quickly as possible,” the agency said in a statement. That is, unless you or your tax preparer think the information in the notice is accurate. In that

“All you need is the will to succeed,” the company’s website promises. “Our international fast food franchising team paves the way for you to become a thriving business owner.”

Further downplaying the financial risks, Burgerim allegedly represented to prospective and existing franchisees that if they are unable to secure a restaurant location or obtain financing, their franchise fees would be refunded in exchange for not disparaging the company.

ance premiums that were $3,000 higher than in Southern California at the time. A typical inpatient procedure in the northern part of the state might have cost $90,000 more than in Southern California.

Sutter has argued that insurance companies were to blame for bumping up costs and noted there were no allegations that its contracts affected patient care. Despite the antitrust claims, it said there is plenty of competition. About 1,400 self-funded employers and unions settled the lawsuit two years ago. They also initially sought damages that could have exceeded $1 billion.

case, the IRS said, “act to rectify the situation for the well-being of the taxpayer.”

But Edward Karl, AICPA’s vice president of taxation, recommends you respond in either case. The lettershould indicate where to send your response.

Otherwise, he said, “you could continue to get additional notices when they turn the machine back on.

And you want to make sure you try to stop it as soon as possible.”

Here’s why, Karl said: At some point, if the assertion is you owe more in tax and penalties and IRS records show you haven’t responded at all, it could escalate to the point where the agency can garnish money from your wages or bank account.

Farm

FROM PAGE 7

dards that would allow larger cages but ultimately relented, said J. T. Dean, president of Iowabased Versova, a leading egg producer. Egg companies house about 325 million laying hens, so shifting many out of cages where they couldn’t move and into spaces where they could walk and roost was an expensive proposition, Dean said. Besides building structures with more space, companies had to figure out how to feed birds that could move about and how to collect their eggs. More workers and more feed were also needed because hens moving around would work up more of an appetite.

The key, said Dean, was getting long-term commitments for guaranteed buyers of eggs at a higher price and then finding financing that would work for his company.

“When you start talking about needing billions of dollars, you have to try every avenue you can,” Dean said.

supply chains have seeped into nearly every nook of the economy, forcing consumers and businesses to make painful decisions that many of them have never had to contemplate before. With the government reporting Thursday that consumer inflation reached 7.5% over the past year — a 40-year high — the acceleration of prices is leaving few unscathed. Some of the supply chain snarls that have magnified

Stocks

FROM PAGE 7

FROM PAGE 7 hour during the afternoon to top $1,860 per ounce, as investors searched for safety. A similar rush for stability also drove investors in Treasury bonds, which in turn lowered their yields. The 10-year Treasury yield sank to 1.91% from roughly 2.03% late Thursday.

For bond yields, it’s a sharp U-turn after they steadily marched higher on expectations that the

inflation since the pandemic recession may begin to ease in the coming months. If so, inflation would likely moderate somewhat.

Yet the key trends that have sent prices soaring — higher wages, parts shortages, rent increases, robust consumer spending — won’t likely fade anytime soon. And it’s unclear when, or how much, inflation might actually slow.

Increased pay, though good for workers, has led many other retail and restaurant chains, from Starbucks to Amazon to Chipotle, to charge customers more. When Amazon

Fed will raise rates more often and by a sharper degree this year than expected. Just a day earlier, the 10-year yield topped 2% for the first time since 2019.

Forecasts for a more aggressive Fed got a huge jolt on Thursday, when a report on inflation came in hotter than expected and showed that it was at a 40-year high. The Fed can slow the economy and inflation by raising interest rates, something it hasn’t done since 2018, but higher rates also put downward pressure on stocks and other investments.

Economists at Goldman

announced last week that it was raising the price of its annual Prime memberships, from $119 to $139, it pointed to its increased labor and shipping costs.

And an acceleration of apartments rents, many economists say, will likely help keep inflation up at least through the end of this year. Rising prices are also broadening from pandemic-battered industries like autos to wider categories of goods and services, from electricity to clothing to airfares. That suggests that high inflation will outlast COVID-19. Neil Dutta, an econo -

Sachs just increased their forecast for rate increases this year by the Fed to seven from five, for example.

Much of the market’s volatility in early 2022 has centered around expectations for what the Fed will do. Besides Thursday’s report on inflation, other flashpoints included the release of the minutes of a Fed policy meeting that said it may reverse its bond-buying program earlier than expected.

The market also shuddered earlier this month after Facebook’s parent company reported surprisingly weak results for its

mist at Renaissance Macro, noted that even if you exclude from the government’s consumer price index the costs of food, energy, housing and used cars — some of the fastest-rising categories during the pandemic — prices still rose a steep 0.7% from December to January. That’s above even the 0.6% increase for overall consumer prices, a stark illustration of how widespread price increases have become.

Many big corporations say that even after they’ve raised prices, their customers have kept right on buying. Rising wages and

latest quarter. That threatened the belief that continued profit growth can help stocks power through the downward pressures created by higher rates.

Markets will likely remain volatile as the Fed moves closer to raising rates.

“What we’re going through is likely going to continue in the short run,” said Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment o cer for Independent Advisor Alliance.

The prospect for violence in Ukraine only adds more uncertainty, though some on Wall Street said it will ultimately likely recede in

higher savings, boosted by heavy government stimulus aid last year, have likely helped keep consumer demand strong.

Over time, though, high levels of spending and wages can fuel further price hikes in a continuing spiral.

“We have not seen any meaningful impact to customer demand,” John Culver, Starbucks’ chief operating o cer, said on a conference call with investors, referring to the company’s two price hikes last year.

“To the contrary, our customer demand continues to grow.”

importance to markets.

“You can’t minimize what today’s news could mean on that part of the world and the people impacted, but from an investment point of view we need to remember that major geopolitical events historically haven’t moved stocks much,” Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist for LPL Financial wrote in a research note.

“For instance, after JFK was assassinated in November 1963 stocks went on one of their best 6 month runs ever. The truth is a solid economy can make up for a lot of sins.”

The exact cost of the switch on egg producers is hard to estimate, in part because some updating of buildings and equipment is done periodically anyway. The cost to people at grocery stores is clearer.