Drones hit Kyiv as Russia aims to destroy power grid before winter
THe WasHingTon PosT
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia redoubled its bombing of Ukrainian critical infrastructure Monday morning in a push to leave millions of people across the country without heat or power ahead of the winter, as a swarm of kamikaze drones attacked central Kyiv and missiles struck other cities.
In the capital, where residents awoke to the ominous sound of buzzing in the skies, a four-story residential building and an office building belonging to Ukraine’s electricity grid operator, Ukrenergo, next to the ST-1 thermal power station were hit.
It was not immedi
ately clear if the station itself – which serves four districts in central Kyiv – was hit. Any damage to it would leave thousands of people without power. Officials in the capital had already started rationing power, and urging residents to consume less, after a barrage of airstrikes a week ago hit energy targets, raising fears that Russia had opened a new chapter in the war.
The new strikes con firmed those fears and injected additional urgency into the pledges by Ukraine’s NATO sup porters to strengthen air defenses, including with state-of-the-art systems. Intentionally directing
Russian analyst in Trump dossier case acquitted of lying to FBI
TRibune ConTenT agenCyA Russian business analyst who was the primary source of a largely unverified 2016 dossier on thenpresidential-candidate Donald Trump’s alleged ties to Russia was acquit ted of charges he lied to the FBI.
Igor Danchenko, 44, was found not guilty Tuesday by a federal jury of lying about the suspected identity of a Russian source he said called him anon ymously to report a “well-developed conspir acy” between Trump’s campaign and the Kremlin. The tip was never borne out.
The Alexandria, Vir ginia, jury reached its verdict after more than eight hours of deliberation.
The probe of the FBI investigation is being led by special counsel John
Durham, who was tapped for the role under the Trump administration. Durham’s first TrumpRussia trial – against a former lawyer for Hillary Clinton’s campaign who was also accused of lying to the FBI while pro viding a tip – ended in acquittal as well.
Price lets experience, wide-net connections stand for themselves
Todd R. H ansen THANSEN@DAILYREPUBLIC.NETFAIRFIELD — Harry Price has been described as a “ceremo nial” mayor.
The unflattering designation was crafted by Councilwoman Cathe rine Moy when she announced she was going to run for the mayor’s seat, saying she would provide real leadership.
At the time, Price had not decided whether he intended to seek a fifth term, but declined to comment on Moy’s statement. Not long after, Price announced he did want four more years – Chauncey Banks, 56, also is running – and in an interview Monday, he answered Moy’s criticism.
“I wonder if she knows what leadership is,” Price said.
“I spend a lot of time at City Hall. My wife passed away four years ago, so basically I’ve been a full-time mayor,” Price said.
He defines a leader as “someone who can inspire someone to do what they might not oth erwise do.” He said using experience to coach those individ uals is a critical skill. “And I’ve done a lot of coaching.”
Price points to his two terms as a councilman, 16 years as mayor, seats on the Planning Com mission and other city panels before all of that, and marks himself as one of the most knowl edgeable and closely linked representatives in the county to Travis Air Force Base.
That is important to Price because he lists the viability of the base as one of his highest pri orities, and recently has involved himself in Suisun City business over his concerns of a warehouse project he said he thinks is a poten tial risk to Travis. His role on the
Local Agency For mation Commission, he adds, also helps protect the base, and other growth-sen sitive areas.
Price served eight years in the Army, which he said provides many opportunities to develop leader ship, and described himself as “a very good listener,” another skill he considers critical to the job.
He also points to his politi cal connections in Sacramento and Washington as proven assets for the city.
Price’s other priorities: afford able housing, “that’s a big one,” and homelessness.
But don’t look for Price to lead the charge on either topic. He said he thinks the job of the mayor is to put the right council members in the right committee spots,
Moy asks Fairfield city official to investigate leaked documents
Todd R. H ansen THANSEN@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET
FAIRFIELD — City councilwoman and mayoral candidate Cath erine Moy has prompted Interim City Manager David Gassaway to look into how documents involving an investiga tion into an employee complaint against her ended up with the Daily Republic.
Gassaway, on Tuesday, called the Daily Republic and said his only interest was to tighten up the han dling of such documents
to provide any informa tion to Gassaway.
Attempts to reach
“Moy told or intimated to (then-City Manager Stefan) Chatwin and
(former city manag ers) David White and Sean Quinn, that (the employee) was having an affair with a married man or referenced the existence of rumors to that effect.”
The employee, con tacted by the Daily Republic, denied ever having an affair with a married man. Moy denied ever spreading any kind of rumor about a city employee.
The same letter cleared Moy of alle gations that she had
The Danchenko
Support staff essential for effective schools
The vast majority of books, articles and research studies in the deep reservoir of literature about effective schools examine the behaviors and decisions of teachers, principals and other administra tors. However, there is a group of educational professionals who are vital to school effectiveness, but often overlooked – non-creden tialed employees. Specifically, I’m referring to para-profes sionals and support staff like secretaries, clerks, instructional aides, maintenance workers, custodians and groundskeepers.
Stephen Davis Eye on educationspirit and wisdom nec essary to harness the energies and purpose ful activities of all school stakeholders.
On the other hand, support staff are like “plumbers” who make sure the technolo gies and systems of the school are well main tained and operational.
According to Stanford pro fessor James March, comparing the array of professionals who perform the multiple tasks and responsibilities necessary to ensure the effective operation of a school is much like com paring poets and plumbers. Like “poets,” school principals provide vision and inspiration. They are also the “learning leaders” of the school who are endowed with the competence,
Plumbers rarely take center stage. Rather, they frequently work behind the scenes, mostly without recognition or fanfare. Also, they are often the “first responders” to various school crises who provide comfort, guidance and security to stu dents, teachers and parents.
Among the many invaluable support staff members, none eclipses the importance of the principal’s secretary.
There’s an old saying among school administrators that if someone really wants to know what is going on in a school, ask the principal’s secretary. Like a trusted sidekick, the prin cipal’s secretary clears the proverbial playing field by man
aging distractions, thereby allowing principals to focus on their primary responsi bility – supporting powerful teaching and learning for all children. Without the secre tary, most principals would be hopelessly entangled in front office spot fires and flareups that can divert their attention from the instructional program. Imagine Sherlock Holmes without Dr. Watson or Hamlet without Horatio.
I fondly recall the first day of my new job as principal of a large suburban high school. When I walked through the main office doors, I was greeted by a tall, well-dressed woman in her late 50s who introduced herself as Lorraine. With a warm smile and a firm hand shake, Lorraine explained that she was the principal’s sec retary and was eager to learn more about me, my experi ences, management style and my expectations (I figured that she also wanted to know if her new boss was a jerk).
Fortunately, we hit it off right away.
Lorraine had an air of authority combined with great dignity. Moreover, she was incredibly kind. I can’t count the times Lorraine ran “interfer ence” for me with upset parents and teachers who would come to the front office unannounced and demand to see the prin cipal. Lorraine would defuse nine out of 10 such encoun ters by listening quietly and attentively, asking thoughtful questions that allowed people to fully express their concern(s), providing clear and accurate explanations (where she could), and suggesting possible solu tions or resources that might help. “Common sense” was Lor raine’s middle name. She just knew what to do.
Every day Lorraine “juggled beanbags.” Almost simulta neously she could keep me on schedule, manage front office communications, support other school staff, manage two teen agers sent to the office for fighting, lend a sympathetic ear to a girl whose boyfriend just broke up with her and oversee the various technologies that
BRIGHT spot
P eople tell me all sorts of stuff. I’m not sure why. My kids used to swear I wore a sign on my back that said, “Confess.”
If I did, it never seemed to work for them. But it sometimes worked for their friends.
Most of us have a story to tell, if we can find someone to listen.
I’ve been writing this column for more than 30 years. It’s not an advice column. Or an opinion column. Actually, I’m not sure what kind of column it is.
Basically, I tell stories from my life. And in return, readers often write to tell me stories from their lives, too, on several pages, front and back, in longhand.
They tell me where they were born, what their childhood was like, how they grew up to be a teacher or a doctor or a funeral director and if they’re happily married or happier divorced. They describe their families, their children, grandchil dren and all the people they love, even the ones they don’t like.
Most of all, they write about their joys and sorrows, loved ones they’ve lost, heartaches they’ve endured and their hopes and dreams for the future.
I love getting mail from readers. I won’t live long
enough to answer it all, but I read and appreciate every word.
Stories help us understand our selves and each other. They tell us that we are dif ferent in some ways – where we live, how we vote, which team we pull for – but we tend to be very much alike in matters of the heart.
Our differences may make us interesting, but sometimes drive us apart. Our feelings make us human and pull us closer. When someone tells us what’s on their heart, we need to listen. It’s a gift both to the teller and the told.
There was a time not so long ago when I could walk into a waiting room or stand in line at a grocery store or take a seat on an airplane and strike up a conversation with a stranger. These days, it’s not quite that easy. Instead of making eye contact, people are often staring at cell phones. And wearing masks. But it can still be done.
I begin by offering a few pleasantries to make a connection, then grad ually work around to the magic question: “Where are you from?”
That can be the opening of a really good story, where it all begins. I try to sense whether someone wants to talk or to be left alone. I never press. Except with family
or friends.
If a story wants to be told, it’s hard to shut it up. You just open the door and get out of the way.
Once on an airport escalator, I asked an elderly man behind me what brought him to town. He looked at me for a bit, as if weighing his answer.
“I came to say goodbye to an old friend,” he said. “She’s dying with cancer.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said. He nodded and took a deep breath. “She was the love of my life,” he said. “I should’ve married her 50 years ago.”
At the top of the esca lator, I hugged him. He smiled and we went our separate ways. I don’t know if he needed to tell me that story. But I needed to hear it.
Looking back on that day, I often wonder, what if everyone we meet on an escalator or anywhere in the world has a story they need to tell?
Loneliness is not just having no one to talk to. We can be surrounded by people, talking nonstop. But if we never get to share what’s on our hearts and tell the stories we long to tell, we can feel com pletely alone.
Would you like to make the world a little better place? Here are five easy ways to start:
n Put down your cellphone.
n Smile into someone’s eyes.
n Ask simple ques tions.
n Listen to the
answers.
n Be willing to tell your story.
Despite what my kids claim, I never wear a sign on my back. You don’t need to wear one, either. Unless you want to.
If you did, what would it say?
Sharon Randall is the author of “The World and Then Some.” She can be reached at P.O. Box 922, Carmel Valley, CA 93924 or www.sharon randall.com.
kept the office humming (plus much more).
One of Lorraine’s most impressive attributes was her deep knowledge of the school’s history, mission, vision, oper ating systems and protocols. For all intents and purposes, she was the executive officer of the school while I was the CEO.
Somewhat like the venerable character Radar on the 1970s TV series “M*A*S*H,” Lorraine simply got things done. She was respected by students, teach ers and parents as someone who could be trusted and someone they could talk to.
Too often, school employ ees like Lorraine and other support staff are woefully underappreciated – yet they are indispensable. Schools simply couldn’t run without them.
Stephen Davis is a career edu cator who writes a column that publishes every other Wednes day in the Daily Republic. Reach him by email at stephen davis71@gmail.com.
State targets Feb. 28 as end of Covid-19 emergency
Todd R. H ansen THANSEN@DAILYREPUBLIC.NETFAIRFIELD — The Covid-19 emergency in California could be lifted early into 2023.
Officials
Biden to expand Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument
Todd R. H ansen THANSEN@DAILYREPUBLIC.NETFAIRFIELD — Tribal and community leaders on Monday joined area con gressional leadership in sending a letter to Presi dent Joe Biden urging the expansion of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument to include what is now referred to as Molok Luyuk.
“Molok Luyuk is a special and sacred place for area tribes and for many local residents who enjoy recreation activ ities like hiking and mountain biking,” Lake County Supervisor E.J. Crandell, a member of the Robinson Rancheria Tribe, said in a statement.
“The natural beauty of our home also drives tourism, which is key to the eco nomic vitality of the region. Protecting these beautiful lands would be a gift to future generations.”
Molok Luyuk, in the Patwin language, means Condor Ridge, which is also known as the Walker Ridge area along the border of Lake and Colusa counties.
The area is 3,925 acres of public land adminis tered by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
The group, which includes Reps. John Garamendi and Mike
Thompson, and Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla, has called on Biden to use the Antiqui ties Act to add the ridge area to the 330,780 acres of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monu ment, which is comprised mostly of California coastal and inner coastal ranges in seven coun ties, including Solano. It is also in Napa, Yolo, Lake, Colusa, Glenn and Mendocino counties, and includes the Cache Creek Wilderness Area.
Berryessa Snow Mountain National Mon ument was created in 2015 by then-President Barack Obama.
“Many of the plant and animal species within Molok Luyuk are tradi tionally important to the lifeways of the Patwin people, and we consider their protection and stew ardship to be part of our sacred responsibil ity to the land,” the Tribal Council of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation said in the statement.
“Molok Luyuk . . . was home to California condors as well as bald eagles, golden eagles, and Peregrine falcons, and provides wildlife corri dors and vital habitat for other culturally impor tant species. The recent
reintroduction of the Cal ifornia condor to the north of Molok Luyuk gives hope that condors will once again soar over the ridge.” the tribal council added.
The formal request comes about a month after the veterans advocacy group, Vet Voice Foun dation, released a report, “Veterans and Public Lands,” which asserts the expansion would benefit veterans who live in the area, and specifically cites those at Travis Air Force Base, which is only about an hour from Ber ryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.
The House version recently passed as an amendment and the Senate version was voted out of committee with bipartisan support.
The legislation would require engaging with area tribes to improve the heritage of the area, including historic pres ervation, archaeological sites and forest health. That is language nego tiated for by the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, which works closely with the county and other agencies on a number of Solano County projects and programs.
Proponents hope to have the legislation pass
sometime after the elec tion, either as standalone bills or as a noncontro versial amendment to the National Defense Autho rization Act.
“Molok Luyuk is a ‘must protect’ area in the midst of a chang ing climate,” said Mary Creasman, chief execu tive officer of California Environmental Voters. “These public lands serve as a critical wildlife cor ridor for species such as tule elk, mountain lions and bears. It’s also home to imperiled wildlife such as bald and golden eagles and many rare plants. Protecting this habitat would help pre serve critically important biodiversity.”
“Early (Monday), the state announced that the (Covid-19) emer gency would end at the end of February,” Dr. Bela Matyas, the Solano County Public Health officer, said in a phone interview.
The announce ment out of the Governor’s Office comes on the heels of the federal plan to lift its emergency on Jan. 11.
“I think in both cases, it is meant to capture the winter surge,” Matyas said about why those dates were selected.
Matyas said both end dates can be extended if the disease, and a serious health threat, were to take a sudden spike in the country.
There have been 110,289 reported cases in Solano County since the pandemic officially began in March 2019. It has resulted in 440 Covidrelated deaths locally.
Vallejo has had the most cases with 33,345 as of Oct. 13, while Fairfield has had 29,959 and Vacaville is at 27,611, the county has reported. Suisun City’s case count is at 7,733, followed by Dixon at 5,266, Benicia at 4,514 and Rio Vista at 1,539. There have been 222 reported cases in the unin corporated area of Solano County.
The county experi enced a slight uptick in the weekly case count from Oct. 6 to Oct. 13, after several weeks of decline.
Matyas said those numbers alone do not indicate the county was at the start of another surge. The next report is scheduled for Thursday.
Matyas has previously indicated Covid-19 case counts are likely much higher with the use of in-home testing, results of which are not gen erally reported to government agencies and in many cases are not shared with medical providers if medical treatment is not needed.
Todd R. H ansen THANSEN@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET
FAIRFIELD — Solano County has received a first-year payment of about $455,981 from a $26 billion national opioid settlement with a manufacturer and three distributors.
The first payment was received last week.
Dr. Bela Matyas, Solano County public health officer, said the funds will be used for three purposes:
n Hiring a coordinator for the Medicine Assis tance Therapy programs in the Behavioral Health and Family Health divi sions.
n The purchase of Nal oxone for use by the Sher iff’s Office and police departments.
n Substance abuse pre vention program in the schools – likely at the
junior high and high school levels.
The county’s share includes $16,972 turned over by Benicia, $11,776 turned over by Suisun City and $8,746 turned over by Dixon. Those cities opted not to get direct payments.
Fairfield ($59,978), Vacaville ($65,271) and Vallejo ($91,818) opted to take direct payments. There are restrictions on what the funds can be used for, though policing does qualify.
Each entity will be paid similar amounts over 18 years, officials said. So the county’s share will be
about $8.21 million. It had been reported that Fair field would get $1 million annually. However, the actual amount is about $1.08 million over 18 years.
“Solano was never one of the litigating coun ties, but (the settlement) affected everyone in the overriding class action,” County Counsel Berna dette Curry said. Those involved in the litigation will get a larger share.
The companies involved are Amerisource Bergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson, along with opioid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson.
Obituaries
Elwood ‘Woody’ Graham Sr. June 20, 1928 — Oct. 19, 2021
Elwood ‘Woody’ Graham Sr. was born June 20, 1928, in Mountain View, Cali fornia, and passed away in his home in Vacaville, California, surrounded by his loving family Oct. 19, 2021. He spent his early years living on a ranch with his grandparents in Modesto, California.
Shortly after graduating high school, Woody enlisted in the U.S. Army to serve in World War II. Woody’s active duty service included one tour in WWII, one tour in the Korean War, and a final tour in Vietnam. After his service in Vietnam, Woody spent eight years working in Per sonnel at the Oakland Army Base, and retired as a Staff Sergeant after 21 years of service. Woody served his country in military uniform and showed his true grit, courage and zest for upholding the Amer ican values he cherished.
After completing a proud military career, Woody worked for 24 years with Kaiser Sand and Gravel, where he was promoted quickly from Dispatcher to Manager of Transportation.
In August 1950, while stationed at Fort DeRussy, Hawaii, Woody met his wife, Rozalind Mock Chew, at a NCO dance at Fort Shaftler. Weeks later, Woody received his orders to deploy to the Korean front. Unwilling to let her get away, Woody and Roz were married Sept. 15, 1950. Woody and Roz enjoyed 65 and a half years of marriage, dancing to the music of the 1940s and ’50s through their years in Hawaii, Germany, Japan and many U.S. states. They raised two chil dren before settling in Vacaville.
Woody and Roz volunteered with the Vacaville Police Department, serving the seniors in their community. They were members of the Golden Hills Mustang Club for more than 25 years. Woody also volunteered as a docent at the Western Railway Museum in Solano County. Woody enjoyed traveling, seeing old friends, making new friends, and spending time with his family. For those who had the pleasure of being on Woody’s email list, the lightness and elegance of his correspondence will be missed.
Devoted husband, father and grandfather, steadfast friend and neighbor, Woody will be fondly remembered for his quick wit, readiness to help and easy conversation.
He is survived by his loving daughter, Ramona N. Bartley (Don); two granddaughters; and three great-grandchildren.
He is preceded in death by his wife, Rozalind; and brother, LeRoy.
Laurie Avist-Wolf Sept. 17, 1961 — Sept. 20, 2022
Laurie Avist Wolf passed away Sept. 20, 2022. She graduated from Armijo High School. She loved dogs of all kinds, but loved being around her grandchildren most of all.
She was loved and cherished by all and will be missed.
Laurie is survived by husband, Aaron Wolf; mother, Mary Avis; two sons, David Meyers and Bruce Lambert; two daughters, Stephanie Mccoy and Jennifer Morgan; seven grandchildren; brothers, Ken Johnson and Scott Avist; and sister, Gail Avist.
She is proceeded in death by father, William Avist; and grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Southard and Mr. and Mrs. Dwight Grier.
A celebration of life will be held at noon Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022, at the Dixon Historic Mason’s Hall, 159 N. 1st St., Dixon, California.
Board to consider strategic planning for 2023
VALLEJO — Solano County Fair Association direc tors will be updated on the 2023 strategic and transition planning when they meet Wednesday.
The virtual meeting begins at 6 p.m.
The public may access the meeting by going to https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83408149124?pwd=NmZlU2 5IZXN3RThsbjNlb3VJS1RTdz09. The Meeting ID is 834 0814 9124. The passcode is 667692. Access is also available by calling 669-900-9128.
Directors also will review the 2023 California Department Food and Agriculture operational and training allocation to the fair, and be updated on the recent Finance Committee meeting.
After the regular meeting, the board will meet in a closed session during which it will be updated on property negotiations involving the fairgrounds at
Howl-O-Ween event set Oct. 29 at Andrews Park
Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET
VACAVILLE — The seventh annual HowlO-Ween Pet Parade and Costume Contest has been scheduled Oct. 29 at Andrews Park.
The event, sponsored by the city Parks and Recreation Department, will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The park is located at 614 E. Monte Vista Ave.
“Attendees and par
ticipants are encouraged to dress up themselves and their dogs in cos tumes for the fun-filled event. Entry to the event is free and costume contest participation is $5 per contest entry,” the city announced.
Contest categories are Most Creative (dog only), Funniest Furball (dog only) and Dynamic Duo (human/dog combo). Other activities include face-painting, bingo, a pupkin’ patch, photo
opportunities and a drawing for prizes.
Those who take part in the event will enjoy a dog demonstration from Solano County Sheriff’s Office and dog adoptions from Underdog Animal Rescue, the city said.
For more informa tion, go to cityofvacaville. gov/events.
All dogs brought to the park must be friendly, licensed, vaccinated and leashed.
NAMI turns to Amazon program for Christmas gifting campaign
Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET
FAIRFIELD — The National Alliance on Mental Illness Solano County distributes hun dreds of holiday gift bags in December through Solano County agencies that work with adults living with mental illness.
For many recipi ents, they are the only gifts they receive during
the holidays.
NAMI this year is asking for gift dona tions through Amazon Holiday Outreach Gift Registry at www. amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ ls/6BO4VWT34XG6?ref_ =wl_share.
Any donations are 100% tax deductible. NAMI Solano County is a 501(c)3 organization, Tax ID No. 94-3024777.
Be sure to check the
900 Fairgrounds Drive in Vallejo.
Rancho Solano Holiday Boutique returns
FAIRFIELD — The Rancho Solano Holiday Bou tique will return in November for its 22nd year.
The boutique will have 75 local and Bay Area artists selling a variety of handmade items that include pottery, woodcraft, fabric and glass art, soaps, candles and more, according to a press release for the event.
Doors open at 10 a.m. and close at 4 p.m. Nov. 20 at the Clubhouse at Rancho Solano, 3250 Rancho Solano Parkway. Organizers ask those who attend to bring a canned food donation and unwrapped toys for a donation bin.
For more information, call 707-646-9006.
box that says this is a gift and fill out a gift note with the name of the donor and his or her address. Check the box for a gift receipt to be sent to the recipient. This ensures NAMI rep resentatives can track the gifts as they come in. For more information, send an email to info@ namisolanocounty.org.
Genealogy talk to focus on cemetery records
Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET
VALLEJO — The Genealogy Society of Vallejo-Benicia’s will host a Zoom meeting in November on researching with cemetery records.
Glenda Gardner Lloyd is the scheduled speaker.
Lloyd is a fourth-gen eration Californian. She grew up on a cattle ranch in northeastern Cal ifornia and attended a one-room country school. She received her bach elor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and her master’s degree from CSU Sacramento. She taught elementary school and worked as a reading spe cialist for 38 years.
Lloyd helped orga nize and served as the first president of Root Cellar, Sacramento Genealogical Society. She has taught genealogy classes through San Juan Adult Educa tion for the past 25 years. She participates in local seminars for the Califor nia State Archives, the Regional Family History Center and the Sac ramento City Library, and does workshops for many local societies. She has lectured for the Salt Lake Institute.
This Zoom presenta tion will occur remotely at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 3. All active members will receive a Zoom link. If you would like to attend as a nonmember guest, send an email to GSVBzoom@ gmail.com no later than 4 p.m. Nov. 2 to request a Zoom invitation.
More information on the event can be found on the Genealogy Society of Vallejo-Benicia’s website at www.gsvb.org.
In brief Kaiser announces tentative agreement to end strike
Benicia bridge inspection will close 1 lane Monday
BENICIA — Caltrans crews will be inspect ing the Benicia bridge on southbound Interstate 680 on Monday, forcing the closure of the far-left lane from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This is a biennial maintenance inspection, the state Department of Transportation reported.
The other three lanes will remain open.
For 24/7 traffic updates, visit 511.org or https:// twitter.com/511sfbay. For real-time infor mation, visit Caltrans QuickMap at http://quick map.dot.ca.gov.
Police, DA ‘shining light’ on domestic violence awareness
FAIRFIELD — The Police Department’s Special Victims Unit will “shine the light on Domestic Violence Awareness” on Thursday at Willow Hall.
The event is at 5:30 p.m., and is held in partnership with Solano Advocates for Victims of Violence. The hall is located at 1000 Kentucky St.
The Solano County Dis trict Attorney’s Office, in conjunction with Fair field and Vacaville police, will meet the next day for a second Domestic Vio lence Awareness event on the courthouse steps at 530 Union Ave. in down town Fairfield.
District Attorney Krishna Abrams, Fair field Police Chief Deanna Cantrell and Vacav ille Police Chief Ian Schmutzler are sched uled speakers.
The event is set to begin at noon.
VACAVILLE — Kaiser Permanente and the National Union of Health care Workers jointly announced Tuesday that a tentative agreement for a new contract had been reached overnight, bring ing the 10-week strike by mental health therapists in Northern California to a conclusion.
The tentatives agree ment was announced in a press release from the company.
Workers represented by the union must ratify the four-year agreement, which the company said in the press release will benefit Kaiser Per manente patients and
drive collaborative efforts aimed at improving access to mental health care, while at the same time recognizing and better supporting mental health therapists in their important work.
Nearly 2,000 Kaiser Permanente therapists, represented by NUHW, are taking part in a two-day ratification vote starting Tuesday evening, after which more details about the agreement will be available.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg medi ated the negotiations.
Kaiser Perman ente operates hospitals in Vacaville and Vallejo and has medical offices in Fairfield.
Dive boat captain faces new charge in state’s worst modern maritime disaster
Tribune ConTenT AgenCy
More than three years after 34 people were killed in California’s worst maritime disas ter in modern history, the captain of the Concep tion dive boat faces a new federal indictment as a legal battle over his cul pability rages on.
Jerry Nehl Boylan, 68, of Santa Barbara was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury on a charge of misconduct or neglect of a ship officer, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for the Central District of Cali fornia. He is accused of “a series of failures and the abandoning of his ship, which constituted ‘misconduct, gross neg ligence, and inattention to his duties,’” prose cutors said.
The new court filing reinstates the charge
against Boylan a month after a federal judge dismissed a previ ous indictment because prosecutors used “neg ligence” instead of “gross negligence” in their presentation to the grand jury.
Boylan was the captain of the Conception, which caught fire and sank near Santa Cruz Island on Sept. 2, 2019, killing 33 passengers and one crew member who were trapped below deck.
The captain, who prosecutors said was responsible for the safety of the boat and those aboard it, failed to have a night watch or roving patrol, conduct suffi cient fire drills and crew training and provide firefighting instructions or directions to crew members after the blaze started, according to the indictment. Pros
ecutors said he didn’t use firefighting equip ment, including an ax and fire extinguisher that were next to him in the wheelhouse, or try to rescue passengers.
Boylan failed “to perform any lifesaving or fire fighting activities whatsoever at at the time of the fire, even though he was uninjured,” and didn’t use the boat’s address system to warn passen gers and crew members about the fire, court docu ments stated.
ordered crew members to follow him “instead of instructing them to fight the fire or engage in other lifesaving activities,”
reckless disregard for the safety or lives of others, and it must be wanton and willful.
Boylan was the captain of the Conception, which caught fire and sank near Santa Cruz Island on Sept. 2, 2019, killing 33 passengers and one crew member who were trapped below deck.
court documents said.
The captain was the first crew member to abandon ship, while the passengers and a crew member were alive and trapped below deck in the boat’s bunkroom, accord ing to the indictment. After abandoning ship, he
Last month, U.S. Dis trict Judge George Wu’s decision to dismiss the previous indictment without prejudice meant federal prosecutors could refile the case but needed to show gross negligence, a much higher standard, to convict Boylan.
Negligence amounts to careless mistakes or breaches of duty. In con trast, gross negligence requires a deliberate and
Though the latter stan dard is used for common-law man slaughter cases, legal experts said seaman’s man slaughter – as the “misconduct of a ship officer” statute is often known – requires prosecutors to show only simple neg ligence, or an omission in violation of a stan dard of care.
During the September hearing, Assistant U.S. Atty. Mark Williams, the lead prosecutor, told the judge that “it would be unprecedented in the 200year history of the statute if anything other than ordinary negligence stan dard was applied.”
See Captain, Page A8
Flores found guilty of murdering
Cal Poly student Kristin Smart
Tribune ConTenT AgenCySALINAS — A jury has found Paul Flores guilty of murdering Cal Poly student Kristin Smart in 1996.
After months of court proceedings, 12 jurors in a Salinas courtroom unan imously agreed Tuesday to convict Flores of firstdegree murder, capping a San Luis Obispo mystery that has been unsolved for more than 26 years.
The jury found the 45-year-old San Pedro man guilty of willful, pre meditated murder after deliberating for a total of four days.
“I wish to express to you appreciation and that of the parties for your service in this case,” Monterey County Supe rior Court Judge Jennifer O’Keefe said to the jury after Flores’ verdict was read. “It is a great per sonal sacrifice to serve as a juror. . . . You have been very attentive and conscientious throughout this case.”
Flores flinched as his verdict was read.
A separate jury acquit ted Paul Flores’ father, 81-year-old Arroyo Grande resident Ruben Flores, of being an acces sory to murder after the fact. He was accused of helping his son hide Smart’s body.
“You are fulfilling an extremely important role in our judicial system,” O’Keefe told Ruben Flores’ jurors. “Please accept our thanks for your time and our effort.”
Jurors are now allowed to discuss or not discuss their deliberations or verdict with anyone, the judge also told Paul Flores’ jury.
“If you chose to discuss the case with anyone, I encourage you to be thoughtful with your remarks,” O’Keefe said.
As the jury’s verdict was read Tuesday after noon, the mood in the courtroom went from intense and heavy to a pal pable sense of relief.
When the verdict was read, Kristin Smart’s father, Stan Smart, had a smile on his face.
He put his arm around her mother, Denise Smart, who was in tears after the verdict was read.
San Luis Obispo County District Attor ney’s Office and San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office officials turned around to the Smart family and shared nods after the verdict was read.
Supporters of Smart’s family planned to gather at her memorial Tuesday evening at Dinosaur Caves in Shell Beach for a music jam session cele brating the guilty verdict against Paul Flores.
Peuvrelle asked O’Keefe after Paul Flores’ verdict was read whether she intended to lift the gag order preventing parties to the trial from speaking about the case.
After Rubens Flores’ verdict was read, the court announced that legal counsel and representa tives of their offices are released from the gag order only to discuss facts and evidence of the case.
Paul Flores will be sen tenced Dec. 9.
Following the verdicts being read, Paul Flores’ defense attorney, Robert Sanger, told The Tribune that “the case is still pending” and declined to comment further.
During a news con ference following his acquittal, Ruben Flores said he felt relieved by his verdict, but said he was disheartened by the con viction of his son.
“They had so much stuff they made up,” he said of the prosecution. “It was about feelings. It wasn’t about facts.”
Ruben Flores has been released from electronic monitoring and was dis charged after the reading of the verdict.
During the con ference, Ruben Flores’ attorney, Harold Mesick, said the case has been the one he is “most invested in on a personal level.” Mesick described Ruben Flores as “not just not guilty; he is abso lutely innocent.”
“He never should have been charged, and I’m very pleased with the outcome,” Mesick said. “Love our system of justice.”
Mesick added: “There is just so much animos ity towards this man and his family. There’s so
much hate, and I really have never understood it. I understand that people are upset that Kristin is missing, I understand they want a person to be responsible for that. But just the ‘let’s lynch ‘em, let’s burn ‘em, let’s hang ‘em, let’s kill ‘em,’ – I don’t know where that came from in this country. And I wish the community who still feels that way would disabuse themselves of those feelings.”
Mesick said Ruben Flores now has to go home “and rebuild the deck that was destroyed.”
Additionally, Mesick said he feels there is “rea sonable inference” Smart is still alive and that he thought Paul Flores’ attor ney will likely file for a new trial since “there are plenty of grounds.”
“They did not prove her death,” he said.
Flores, 45, was on trial for the murder of Smart, who went missing after an off-campus party during Memorial Day weekend in 1996. Flores was the last person seen with the Stockton freshman as she walked back to her res idence hall.
Paul Flores has long been the “prime suspect” in Smart’s disappearance. Over the years, the case has garnered a devoted following as it dragged out with seemingly few con crete answers as to what had happened to Smart.
Then, in April 2021, Flores and his father were arrested and charged in her murder.
Throughout the trial, the prosecution alleged Flores killed Smart in the course of an attempted rape.
“Paul Flores is guilty as sin,” Peuvrelle told the jury during his closing
arguments. “Justice delayed does not have to be justice denied. You now know the truth of what happened.”
Meanwhile, Paul Flores’ defense asserted that Flores was the victim of “conspiracy theories” and that there was “no evidence” his client had murdered Smart.
“Mr. Peuvrelle is trying to bootstrap a murder where there’s no evidence of a murder,” attorney Robert Sanger told the jury during closing arguments.
The jury deciding on the charges against Ruben Flores reached a verdict on Monday, while Paul Flores’ jury reached its verdict on Tuesday.
First bird flu cases in wild birds reported in LA County this year
Tribune ConTenT AgenCy
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County health officials announced that seven geese and a heron have tested positive for avian flu, marking the first time the disease has been detected in the county this year.
Officials caution that while the risk to the general public is low, human transmission is possible.
Roughly 47 million birds have died this year amid a nationwide out break of avian influenza, according to the U.S. Department of Agricul ture, with an estimated 42 states impacted. Wild birds can carry and trans mit the bird flu to birds that people keep as pets or livestock. Transmis sion is likely to spread with migrating birds.
The cases reported in L.A. County are part of the highly patho genic avian influenza, or H5N1, outbreak. Three Canada geese and a black-crowned night heron tested positive in Long Beach, three more Canada geese tested pos itive in the city of Los Angeles, and one Canada goose tested pos itive in Cerritos, the Los Angeles County Depart ment of Parks and Recreation said.
The disease is spread among birds through direct contact or indi rectly through clothing, shoes, vehicles, rodents, insects, food, water, feath ers and other means.
Birds shed the virus through mucus, droppings
and saliva, according to county officials.
Infection among humans is rare, but not impossible.
Humans can inhale the virus in droplets or dust, or catch it through exposure to the mouth, eyes or nose. That can include coming into contact with an infected bird or contaminated surface, health officials said. Human-to-human transmission is very rare, but health officials caution that avian influ enza viruses can change and learn to spread between people. It’s important to be mindful of human infection and person-to-person spread.
n Park officials caution people to not feed wild birds, including geese, ducks and swans.
n Avoid touching birds, even if they look healthy. Birds can be infected with avian flu and not show any sign, according to health offi cials.
n Do not touch sur faces with bird droppings or touch feathers.
n Do not pick up sick, dying or dead wild birds.
n Keep pets away from wild birds.
n For households with poultry, health officials advise keeping a clean environment and disin fecting shoes before and after handling birds.
Typically, bird flu is spread among ducks, geese or other water birds, but the current H5N1 outbreak has spread to a wider variety of birds.
Prosecutor ChristopherSpecial master: Lawyers lack detail in their claims about some records
Tribune ConTenT AgenCyThe special master reviewing documents seized from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate warned the former president’s lawyers that their initial efforts to claim certain records were personal and not presidential might be lacking enough detail.
“Where’s the beef? I need some beef,” U.S. District Senior Judge Raymond Dearie told the attorneys during a telephone status hearing Tuesday.
Dearie also suggested there was a “certain incongruity” to Trump’s lawyers claiming so far that at least one docu ment was both personal to Trump and covered by executive privilege, a protection that applies to government information.
Dearie chastised lawyers for Trump and the Justice Depart ment for a dispute over a document Trump says is shielded by a privilege for legal mate rials. It’s an unsigned June 2017 letter from Trump’s personal law firm at the time to former special counsel Robert Mueller during his investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election, accord ing to a mistakenly unsealed list of materials previously reported by Bloomberg News.
Both sides sparred over who was respon sible for confirming whether Trump’s attor neys actually sent the letter to the government. A Justice Department lawyer said it was the Trump team’s fault for not providing more fulsome information.
One of Trump’s lawyers said the government would know if they had the document in their possession, suggesting there was “gamesman ship” afoot.
“I have no patience for either one of you on this point,” the judge warned, directing them to sort out what he con sidered to be a factual issue of whether it was sent or not.
“I don’t want to be dealing with nonsense objections,” Dearie said.
Dearie is reviewing an early list of disputes over a small subset of documents flagged as potentially privileged by a special government filter team. He said that neither side provided him with enough facts to make recommendations about Trump’s claims that certain documents are protected attorneyclient communications or other legal work.
From Trump’s team, Dearie said he needed names of the former president’s per
sonal lawyers and when they worked for him, details about any possi ble litigation related to a particular document, and whether evidence that a third party was involved with a document meant it couldn’t be privileged.
Dearie indicated he was skeptical of Trump’s claim that another set of documents flagged by the filter team was privi leged, saying they didn’t appear to be drafted by his lawyers or feature legal advice. Dearie didn’t specify what those documents were about, but the page numbers he listed matched entries in the filter team log for documents related to Trump’s possible grants of executive clemency while he was president.
Trump has argued in court that at least some government records should be off-limits in the federal criminal probe because they should be considered “personal” under the Presidential Records Act or covered by executive privilege. Dearie indicated he would need more infor mation from Trump’s lawyers to support such claims, saying the entries in the log he had received so far were “perplexing,” prompting his “beef” quip.
A complete log is due to Dearie by Nov. 12 of any records from more than 21,700 pages seized from Mar-a-Lago that Trump and the gov ernment disagree about shielding from investigators.
Biden aims to keep abortion top of mind for voters as midterms near
Tribune ConTenT AgenCy
WASHINGTON — As renewed concerns about the economy appear to be boosting Republi cans’ chances in next month’s midterm elec tions, President Joe Biden spoke pointedly about abortion Tuesday in an effort to remind voters what’s at stake for women and families.
With exactly three weeks until Election Day, Biden went further than he has in other recent remarks on the subject of reproductive rights. In a short speech at the his toric Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C., the president promised voters that codifying the abor tion protections enshrined for 49 years in Roe v. Wade will be his first priority when the new Congress gets underway in January – so long as Democrats can hold the House and increase their Senate majority from 50 to 52.
“You gotta get out the vote; we can do this if we vote,” Biden said to an audience of younger Americans, describing the upcoming election as “the most consequential in our history.”
He added: “The choice and the stakes are crystal clear – especially when it comes to the right to choose.”
Democrats now control the evenly divided Senate because of Vice President Kamala Harris’ ability to break a tie vote. But they need 60 votes to avoid a fil ibuster, and two members of their caucus oppose a rule change that would allow them to codify Roe with a simple majority
vote. With two more Dem ocratic senators, Biden has argued, he’d be able to push ahead. Roughly half of U.S. states have imposed total or partial abortion bans that would be nullified by Biden’s proposed federal law.
Biden’s remarks, deliv ered at a Democratic National Committee event at the theater a few miles from the White House, marked something of a departure from his recent approach to the midterms.
Although he typically mentions abortion in his stump speeches, it has not been his main focus at recent events, which have centered instead on the benefits of the infra structure, drug prices and manufacturing leg islation Democrats have already passed.
In Tuesday’s speech, though, Biden framed the election as a choice between the two parties with diametrically opposed positions on abortion.
“Republicans are dou bling down on their extreme positions,” Biden said, standing in front of rows of women onlookers and beneath a
large banner that read: “RESTORE ROE.”
The Supreme Court’s June ruling overturning Roe upended five decades of precedent and outraged supporters of abortion rights across the country. In August, Kansas voters overwhelmingly rejected an initiative that would have removed abortion protections in the state, giving Democrats new optimism that the issue could galvanize voters in November and help them buck the historic trend of the incumbent president’s party losing seats in their first midterm election.
Biden said he wanted to “remind” voters of “the anger, the worry, the dis belief” they felt when the ruling came down this summer. “Remember how you felt that day,” Biden said, detailing the fallout from the court ruling that enabled states to impose restrictions on abortion.
“In just four months, abortion bans have gone into effect in 14 states,” Biden said. “If Repub licans get their way with a national ban, it won’t matter where you live in America,” he
added, noting that the court could go on to take away other constitutional rights, including samesex marriage.
Last month, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said that his party would advance federal legis lation banning abortion after 15 weeks of gestation if it gains control of Con gress in the midterms.
Although only some Republicans have backed that proposal, other GOP candidates have tried to turn the question around and put Democrats on the defensive for supporting abortion rights with no exceptions.
In the closely contested Arizona race for U.S. Senate that may deter mine which party controls the chamber, Republican challenger Blake Masters has softened his own antiabortion rights stance; and he’s gone after Sen. Mark Kelly for backing legislation allowing abor tions in the third trimester of pregnancy. Kelly, in response, has noted that such late-term abortions are exceedingly rare and usually due to serious health problems.
“Doubling down on an extreme agenda of abor tion on demand until birth won’t stop Democrats from losing Congress,” said Marjorie Dannen felser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. “Clear majorities of Americans – including women, independents and rank-and-file Democratic voters – support common sense limits on abortion, including a minimum federal standard to stop brutal late-term abor tions when unborn babies feel pain.”
Metal detectors added at one Mall of America entrance after gunfire
Tribune ConTenT AgenCyMINNEAPOLIS —
The Mall of America now is using metal detectors at one of its entrances on a trial basis, a move taken after two incidents of gunfire within the past year, and nearly eight weeks after a man with a rifle allegedly robbed two retailers and forced a lockdown of the massive shopping and entertain ment complex.
Bloomington police were notified of the mall’s security enhancement about a week ago, Deputy Police Chief Michael Utecht said Tuesday.
In response to a Star Tribune inquiry about the installation of the metal detectors along with patrons having their bags searched before entry, mall spokeswoman Laura Utecht also clarified in response to a question from the Star Tribune that the metal detec tors are only in use at one entrance.
She said in a statement, “At Mall of America, the safety and security of our guests, tenants and team
members is our top prior ity. We are always looking for innovative ways to enhance security using the latest technology.
“With Mall of America being such a unique property, it is important to thoroughly evaluate this technology onsite to ensure its accuracy, effec tiveness and efficiency. We are currently in the process of testing a variety of options that may allow us to further enhance our advanced security systems at Mall of America.”
The spokeswoman said the trial “is taking place over the next month at the north doors, but the loca tion might change as we go through the testing. . . . Anyone entering the north doors will need to go through the detector.
Laura Utecht declined to reveal what patrons should avoid trying to carry through the metal detectors or what enforce ment actions, if any, would be taken based on what the detectors flag. She also did not say why the north doors were chosen
as the only location for the detectors.
The mall has long had a policy saying it bans guns and fireworks at the Bloomington mall, which has been hosting millions of visitors annually since it opened 30 years ago, but has never had metal detectors or been search ing bags in all that time.
She also declined to say how long the trial period for the detectors would last or whether people who work at the mall are required to go through the detectors.
On Aug. 26, Cartier T. Alexander, 29, of Wood bury, allegedly robbed two Mall of America stores of various items shortly after pulling off the same crime at a Minneapolis pawn shop. Alexander stands charged with first-degree aggravated robbery in connection with target ing a Lids sports apparel shop and a kiosk retailer as well as Twin Cities Pawn on E. Lake Street in Minneapolis.
Mall security appre hended Alexander and seized a loaded rifle
from him, according to the charges and other court documents.
About three weeks earlier, gunfire erupted inside the crowded mall. Shamar Alon Lark, 21, of Minneapolis, and Rashad Jamal May, 23, of Burns ville, are charged with second-degree assault and felony discharge of a dangerous weapon. They remained jailed Friday in Cook County, Ill.
The two were shown in mall surveillance video fleeing a fight among four other individuals that led to Lark allegedly firing several shots. No one was injured in the incident that sent shoppers scur rying and led the mall into lockdown.
On Dec. 31, two people were shot and wounded following a dispute on the mall’s third floor. Kahlil M. Wiley, 19, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in connection with that shooting and received a 3¾-year sentence, with the first two-thirds being served in prison and the balance on super vised release.
Queens barber pleads guilty to killing, dismembering WWI veteran in 1976
Tribune ConTenT ANEW YORK — A Queens man who hacked up an 81-year-old veteran in front of a little girl more than four decades ago has pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Martin Motta, 75, is facing 20 years in prison for the 1976 slaying of George Seitz.
“For the gruesome murder of a World War I veteran, the defendant eluded arrest for more than 46 years,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “Now he is headed to prison thanks to the collaboration between the NYPD and our Cold Case Unit.”
Motta was arrested in November, two years after an anonymous caller directed police to the backyard of a home on 115th Street in Richmond Hill, Queens, where Motta buried Seitz’s body parts.
Martin Motta appears in Queens Supreme Court in Queens, New York, Nov. 5, 2021. Motta, 74, is accused of killing and dismembering WWII vet George Seitz in 1976.
An 11-year-old girl whose mother was dating Motta in 1976 saw the barber cut up the octo genarian’s body and take black garbage bags to his home where the remains were found.
on the vessel died due to their misconduct, neg ligence or inattention to duties. The penalty is up to 10 years in prison.
After hearing the tip in 2019, detectives broke up a concrete slab and discov ered Seitz’s severed pelvis and parts of his torso. He was dismembered at the neck, shoulder and hips,
Detectives believe Motta targeted the war veteran because the victim was known to carry large sums of cash while strolling through the
On Dec. 10, 1976, Motta robbed Seitz of about $8,000 after the victim walked into his shop, named Haircut ters. During the crime, Motta fatally stabbed Seitz in the head.
Prosecutors charged Motta with murder after DNA from the remains led investigators to Seitz’s rel atives, and finally to the elderly man’s killer.
This was the first time a city prosecutor used forensic genetic gene alogy in a homicide
handed down Tuesday.
case, Katz said.
“No matter how much time has passed, we will use every tool at our disposal to achieve justice,” she said.
A call to Motta’s attor ney for comment was not immediately returned.
Floyd’s family sues West for $250 million
Tribune CAfter weeks of spewing antisemitic and controversial remarks, Kanye West has found himself at the center of a $250 million lawsuit filed by the family of police brutality victim George Floyd.
According to a news release obtained by The Times on Tuesday, Roxie Washington, the mother of Floyd’s daugh ter, will sue Kanye West (legal name Ye) for “harassment, misappropriation, defa mation” and “infliction of emotional distress.” Click 2 Houston first reported the news.
The lawsuit comes just days after the “Donda” rapper made disparaging comments about the death of Floyd in 2020 when Minneap olis police officer Derek Chauvin pinned him to the ground for nearly 9 ½ minutes. Floyd’s murder sparked the Black Lives Matter movement and global cries against police brutality.
Chauvin, who is white, kneeled on Floyd’s neck as Floyd repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe. In April 2021, Chauvin was convicted of murder ing Floyd. Over the weekend, West ques tioned the cause of Floyd’s death.
“I watched the George Floyd documentary that Candace Owens put out,” West said during the weekend episode, which “Drink Champs” has since removed from its platforms. “They hit him with fentanyl. If you look, the guy’s knee wasn’t even on his neck like that.”
Ye’s comments came after he attended the pre miere of Owens’ Daily Wire documentary, “The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM.”
“Kanye West stated malicious falsehoods about George Floyd to profit from Mr. Floyd’s horrendous death and his family’s trauma,” the news release alleged.
Additionally, the attorneys for Floyd’s loved ones claimed that “Floyd’s daughter is being retraumatized by Kanye West’s comments and he’s creating an unsafe and unhealthy environment for her.”
“Kanye’s comments are a repugnant attempt
to discount George Floyd’s life and to profit from his inhumane death. We will hold Mr. West accountable for his flagrant remarks against Mr. Floyd’s legacy,” said attorney Pat D. Dixon in the statement. The With erspoon Law Group and Dixon & Dixon Attorneys at Law will represent Floyd’s family members.
Just days before the lawsuit was filed Tuesday, attorney Lee Merritt, who pre viously represented Floyd’s family, tweeted on Sunday that a legal response to West’s com ments was imminent.
“While one cannot defame the dead, the family of #George Floyd is considering suit for Kanye’s false statements about the manner of his death,” Merritt said. “Claiming Floyd died from fentanyl not the brutality estab lished criminally and civilly undermines & diminishes the Floyd family’s fight.”
West has experienced pushback for his recent barrage of damaging claims. Instagram and Twitter have pulled the plug on his accounts. His upcoming appearances on HBO’s “The Shop” have been scrapped and his relationship with clothing brand Adidas remains on the rocks.
West also has come under controversy for wearing his “White Lives Matter” shirt at Paris Fashion week and for antisemitic conspir acy theories shared in leaked footage from his two-night conversation with Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Seaman’s manslaugh ter was enshrined after steamboat disasters killed hundreds of people in fires and boiler explosions. In 1838, Congress approved legislation that captains and crew could be crim inally liable if anyone
Wu sided with Boylan’s team of federal public defenders, who could not be reached for comment on the new indictment.
The dismissal had out raged the families of the disaster’s victims, who expressed relief after the new indictment was
“We are truly grate ful to the grand jury for indicting Boylan again,” the families said in a joint statement. “He com pletely disregarded his captain’s ‘duty of care’ with his negligence and inaction.”
Boylan will be directed to appear in court for arraignment in the coming weeks.
Crime logs
FairField
SUNDAY, OCT. 16
12:39 a.m. — Drunken driver, EASTBOUND HIGHWAY 12 3:20 a.m. — Sexual assault, 1200 block of TABOR AVENUE 6:47 a.m. — Shots fired, 3100 block of POTRERO WAY 8:46 a.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, TABOR AVENUE 9:27 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 1000 block of SECOND STREET 9:48 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 2400 block of PEACH TREE DRIVE 10:03 a.m. — Reckless driver, 2300 block of HUNTINGTON DRIVE 12:10 p.m. — Battery, 1000 block of WEBSTER STREET 1:39 p.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, 1300 block of GATEWAY BOULEVARD 2:16 p.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, 300 block of TABOR AVENUE 2:21 p.m. — Grand theft, 1800 block of DOVER AVENUE 3:52 p.m. — Fight with a weapon, 3900 block of BUSINESS CENTER DRIVE 4:35 p.m. — Residential burglary, 100 block of TABOR AVENUE 4:35 p.m. — Reckless driver, 3000 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD 5:30 p.m. — Trespassing, LOPES ROAD 6:37 p.m. — Battery, 1500 block of MONROE STREET 7:27 p.m. — Grand theft, 2100 block of WEST TEXAS STREET 8:21 p.m. — Vandalism, 500 block of ALASKA AVENUE 9:05 p.m. — Battery, 3300 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 10:33 p.m. — Indecent exposure, 1300 block of HOLIDAY LANE 11:01 p.m. — Robbery, 1700 block of WEST TEXAS STREET MONDAY, OCT. 17 7:24 a.m. — Commercial burglary, 1600 block of FAIRFIELD AVENUE 7:47 a.m. — Grand theft, 1100 block of WILKIE STREET 8:46 a.m. — Residential burglary, 1600 block of GLENMORE DRIVE 9 a.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, 2300 block of FAIRFIELD AVENUE 10:10 a.m. — Vandalism, WATERMAN BOULEVARD 10:18 a.m. — Hit-and-run prop erty damage, 1600 block of TRAVION COURT 10:42 a.m. — Indecent exposure, 1600 block of PARK LANE 11:10 a.m. — Battery, 2200 block of FAIRFIELD AVENUE
12:10 p.m.
— Vehicle burglary, 1000 block of OLIVER ROAD 12:39 p.m. — Trespassing, 4700 block of BUSINESS CENTER DRIVE 2:39 p.m. — Commercial burglary, 5100 block of BUSINESS CENTER DRIVE 3:09 p.m. — Trespassing, 2500 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 3:47 p.m. — Indecent exposure, 2000 block of CADENASSO DRIVE 4:07 p.m. — Battery, EMPIRE STREET 4:18 p.m. — Vehicle burglary, 3100 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD 4:22 p.m. — Vehicle burglary, 300 block of PITTMAN ROAD 5:44 p.m. — Reckless driver, EASTBOUND INTERSTATE 80 8:13 p.m.
Battery, 1000 block of PIERCE STREET 10:46 p.m.
Reckless driver, 2500 block of WOOLNER AVENUE
10:51 p.m.
Shots fired, 300 block of MADISON STREET 11:08 p.m.
Vandalism, 1000 block of PIERCE STREET
SuiSun City
SUNDAY, OCT. 16 12:41 a.m.
Reckless driver, HIGHWAY 12 / GRIZZLY ISLAND ROAD 1:09 a.m.
Shots fired, LOTZ WAY / PORT STREET 6:35 a.m. — Assault with a deadly weapon, 300 block of SACRAMENTO STREET 11:32 a.m. — Vandalism, 1400 block of HUMPHREY DRIVE 12:58 p.m. — Reckless driver, WALTERS ROAD / PINTAIL DRIVE 5:24 p.m. — Reckless driver, WALTERS ROAD / PETERSEN ROAD 8:21 p.m. — Hit-and-run no injury, MARINA BOULEVARD 10:28 p.m. — Reckless driver, BLUEJAY DRIVE / BELLA VISTA DRIVE 11:38 p.m. — Reckless driver, CHARLESTON STREET / MCCLELLAN DRIVE
MONDAY, OCT. 17 12:54 a.m. — Vehicle burglary, MARINA BOULEVARD / LOTZ WAY 4 p.m. — Hit-and-run no injury, RAILROAD AVENUE 5:11 p.m. — Hit-and-run no injury, RAILROAD AVENUE 10:09 p.m. — Shots fired, LIBERTY DRIVE / VICTORY WAY 10:18 p.m. — Assault, 600 block of CANVASBACK DRIVE
five counts after finding that prosecutors hadn’t presented a minimum amount of evidence to justify letting the jury decide.
Kyiv
attacks on civilian infra structure with no military purpose is a war crime.
Half of the residen tial building in Kyiv was destroyed, and emergency workers remained at the scene hours after the strikes. At least four people died in the blast, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Two of the dead, he said, were a young couple that included a pregnant woman.
Klitschko, speak ing to reporters at the scene, relayed a message to Russian Pres ident Vladimir Putin: “We Ukrainians will keep fighting for our freedom and for our independence. Every thing that Putin is doing is genocide.”
Infrastructure facili ties in other Ukrainian cities, including Odessa and Mykolaiv on the Black Sea, were also hit in the morning’s wave of attacks.
Russian Defense Min istry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said at a news briefing that Russian forces on Monday “continued strikes with long-range precision-guided air and sea-based weapons against Ukrainian mili tary and energy system facilities.”
“All designated facilities have been hit,” he said.
Ukrenergo said that Monday’s strikes damaged energy infra structure in central and northern Ukraine and that it was working to repair the damage. The operator did not rule out having to impose emergency power shutdowns and urged people to consume as little electricity as possible.
Russia’s strikes against Ukrainian infra structure have stoked fears that people could be left without heat or power this winter.
Ukrainian Prime Min ister Denys Shmyhal said on Telegram that “hun dreds of settlements” lost power Monday because of the attacks, which also
hit the central Dniprope trovsk and northeastern Sumy regions. Emer gency services agencies were working to restore electricity.
“All night and all morning, the enemy terrorizes the civilian population,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday in a Telegram post. “Kamikaze drones and missiles are attacking all of Ukraine. A residential building was hit in Kyiv. The enemy can attack our cities, but it won’t be able to break us.”
Kyiv was hit Oct. 10 by a barrage of Russian attacks, after months without any strikes in the capital. Missiles landed near a downtown park, at a playground and at an office building near the same thermal station that was targeted again this Monday.
Last week’s strikes prompted calls from Ukrainian officials for allies to supply more air defense systems.
After the heart of the capital was hit again Monday, Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Zelensky, called for Russia’s expul sion from “all platforms” of international diplo macy as a result of its attacks against “critical infrastructure to freeze civilians.”
The first explosions in Kyiv on Monday started at 6:45 a.m. People could hear the loud buzzing sound of the Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones –dubbed “flying mopeds” by Ukrainians for their loud engines – that Russia has been using.
As a second wave of drones swooped in about two hours later, law enforcement offi cers opened fire on them with small arms. The sound of gunfire could be heard throughout the city center. Person nel managed to shoot one down, according to Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s Inte rior Ministry.
In a video posted to his Telegram channel, he encouraged Ukrai nian hunters and others
who carry firearms to try shooting the drones if they spotted them.
Interior Minister Denis Monastyrsky later asked gun owners to refrain from doing so.
Shahed-136 drones are capable of carrying pre cision-guided missiles and have a payload of about 110 pounds. Pen tagon officials have publicly confirmed the use of Iranian drones in Russian airstrikes, as well as Ukraine’s success in shooting some of them down. Iran has repeat edly denied providing the drones to Russia.
A State Department spokesman, Vedant Patel, told reporters Monday that Moscow’s turn to Tehran underscores how badly Russian forces are “suffering from major supply shortages in Ukraine.” He noted a U.S. intelligence assessment, publicized last week, indi cating that Russia has lost more than 6,000 pieces of military equipment since the war began in February.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba addressed European leaders from inside a bomb shelter Monday morning as an air-raid siren sounded throughout the country. He said on Twitter that he “called on EU to impose sanctions on Iran for providing Russia with drones. 9th EU sanctions package on Russia must be strong.”
Yuriy Ignat, a spokes man for Ukraine’s Air Force Command, said Ukrainian forces destroyed 26 Shahed drones from Sunday evening to Monday morning – including 15 between 3:30 and 7 a.m. local time Monday, according to the Ukrai nian Pravda news outlet, which quoted Ignat’s comments to state television.
Russia has used kami kaze drones to attack military and infrastruc ture targets largely in southern Ukraine, and Monday marked the first time they were able to reach central Kyiv. The drones are typically less destructive than preci sion missiles – civilians can see and hear them
coming, so they have more time to seek shelter before any explosion. And unlike with large mis siles, the blast radius is smaller.
But they can also slip past Ukraine’s air defenses or force the mil itary to use its limited air defense resources. As one Ukrainian captain in the Kyiv region who works with an S-300 surface-toair missile system put it, taking out a drone with one of those missiles is “like firing a tank on one infantryman.”
“The effect is beauti ful, but expensive,” Capt. Volodymyr Klymin said in a phone interview over the weekend. “Sometimes you don’t want to use one of these S-300 rockets on these little drones. But we understand that these little drones can cause a lot of damage, so unfortunately, without other forces, we have to use some of our stron gest systems to fight these Shaheds.”
“We don’t have smaller, more-mobile air defense systems that would be more appropri ate for them,” he added.
With thick smoke covering much of the cap ital’s downtown, people emerged from shelters early Monday after an air-raid alert that lasted some three hours. Some still headed to work. A coffee stand near the strike site continued to operate.
Mykyta Kryvko, 30, and his girlfriend, Oksana Zinkovska, 31, had slept on a mattress pad “in case of emergency” in a corridor of their apart ment. They live on the 22nd floor of a building directly across from the thermal station. After the first explosion, they grabbed their two cats and sheltered in the building’s underground parking garage.
Their windows, with tape already across them to protect from shatter ing glass, were still intact when they returned to the apartment. They faced the glass office build ing across the street that was damaged by a missile strike last week and was still without many windows.
verdict could fuel Dem ocratic criticism that the probe of the FBI’s Russia inquiry is a politically motivated remnant of the Trump administra tion. It may also deprive the former president of a valuable talking point as he weighs another White House run in 2024.
Danchenko’s lawyer, Stuart A. Sears, has called the prosecution “a case of extraordinary govern ment overreach.” He has accused the United States of charging his client over “ambiguous” statements to FBI agents in a series of 2017 interviews that didn’t have any material impact on the direction of Dur ham’s probe.
Danchenko said the tip came from an unknown caller in early July 2016. He told FBI agents he believed the caller was the former president of the Rus sian-American Chamber of Commerce, Sergei Millian. The government claimed Danchenko fabri cated the call.
The government’s case took a hit four days into the trial when U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga threw out one of
The count related to prosecutors’ claim that Danchenko lied when he said he hadn’t talked about his Trump-Russia research with a Demo cratic political operative named Charles Dolan, who had worked on every recent Democratic presidential campaign. The U.S. said Dolan provided information to Danchenko that wound up in the dossier.
Danchenko argued he had answered the ques tion truthfully because he had emailed with Dolan rather than spoken directly with him. The judge agreed.
The release of the “Steele dossier,” named for the former British spy who wrote it, caused an uproar ahead of the elec tion, which Trump won. Some of the dossier’s elements did pan out, including its finding that Russia was systematically interfering in the elec tion and wanted Trump to beat Clinton.
The case is USA v. Danchenko, 21-cr-00245, US District Court, Eastern District of Virginia (Alexandria).
Price
From
monitor their work and to build consensus on issues, which he admits is not always easy. The ability to work with those members is paramount.
Price said he believes he has done well in all those areas, and notes he is supported by all the council members, except for Moy.
The incumbent is not thrilled that Moy is making his age, 85, and his health campaign issues, but he under stands. He even admitted that as a voter he, too, would be interested in those issues.
Moy said council members have to help keep Price on task during meetings, a statement Price wholly dismisses, while questioning Moy’s veracity.
Price, who left teach ing after 38 years because of a triple heart bypass surgery, put off announc ing his re-election bid
Moy
From
retaliated against the employee, and interfered with the employee par ticipating in community activities.
Moy called the investi gation part of a campaign to discredit her by a group she refers to in general as “the cabal.” She said the complaint against her was in retalia tion to her own complaint
because of an aneurysm.
But he points out he is not running just to run. He wants the job, he “really believes in public service,” and said once he was cleared by his doctor, he announced. He said if there was any questions about that, he would have never pulled his candi date papers.
about the employee on a performance basis.
The councilwoman has come under a great deal of criticism of late for what her detractors say is her willingness to say anything for her own gain. Mayor Harry Price in a recent inter view called into question Moy’s veracity.
Moy recently called members of the City Council “corrupt,” but has provided no names or details. A cannabis company in town, Show case LLC, has filed a
And he points out that Moy, 60, is not in perfect health, either, having had cancer and is a Type-1 diabetic.
“What bothers me is that she uses cancer (as a reason) for missing so many meetings,” Price said.
Moy does not always attend meetings in
defamation claim against the city and Moy. She has called what she said pro tected speech.
John Eckstrom, the chief executive officer of Shelter Solano, also called out Moy for using what he said was “innuendo” and “alternative facts” about the shelter operation.
“I’m tired of the innu endo that you keep tossing around, not only in the council room, but on social media,” Eckstrom said.
Moy did not attend that meeting in-person,
person, but in the vast majority of cases, does call in to the meetings.
Moy was appointed to the council in 2008 and elected to a full term in 2009. Banks has never served on a public board. The elec tion is Nov. 8.
but did call in to partici pate. She did not respond directly to Eckstrom’s comments, but supports conducting a forensic audit of the organization. The council voted not to pay for such an audit.
Councilwoman Pam Bertani also objected to Moy’s characterization that council members were “attacking” the Solano County civil grand jury when they questioned the panel’s conclusions related to Shelter Solano and Shelter Inc. issues.
Think food inflation is bad now?
Kroger, Albertsons merge
Michael hiltzik LOS ANGELES TIMESThe gargantuan proposed $24.6-billion merger of supermar ket behemoths Kroger and Albertsons is being touted by the merger partners as a boon to consumers.
“We will take the learn ings from each company to bring greater value and a better experi ence to more customers, more associates and more communities,” Kroger Chief Executive Rodney McMullen told analysts and investors in a confer ence call Friday after the deal was announced.
McMullen didn’t explicitly say that would mean lower prices, but it would be a rare shopper who didn’t think that “greater value and a better experience” meant anything other than paying less at the check out counter.
Some analysts said the merger of the largest and second-largest supermar ket chains would allow them to compete better with the biggest grocery retailer of all, Walmart, and the rapidly upwardscuttling Amazon, the owner of Whole Foods.
But haven’t we heard all this before?
Cable, media and telecommunications companies always prom ised that their mergers would bring lower prices and more choices for the audience.
When AT&T com pleted its acquisition of Time Warner in 2018, AT&T CEO Randall Ste phenson pledged that the deal would allow the companies to “offer cus tomers a differentiated, high-quality, mobile-first entertainment experience. . . . We’re going to bring a fresh approach to how the media and entertain ment industry works for consumers, content cre ators, distributors and advertisers.”
Comcast promised that its 2011 merger with NBCUniversal would open the doors to a paradise of free choice at popular prices. The company also promised that it would do nothing like favoring its own content on its own internet networks.
Did any of that happen? Do you feel you’re spend ing less for video and internet and getting more? Me neither.
The same goes for healthcare mergers, which also are always pitched as routes to better technology and lower fees. As I’ve observed in the past, hospital and health insurance mergers almost always lead to higher costs, lower efficiencies and less innovation. The reason is simple: Mergers reduce competition – and it’s competition that drives down prices and encour ages more efficiency and
Back in 2004, the merger of Woodland Hills-based WellPoint into Indianapolis-based Anthem was to produce immense savings from combining the health insurance compa nies’ computer systems and allowing custom ers’ medical data to be exploited for their benefit across the new company’s vast reach.
Never mind that Well Point Chairman and Chief Executive Leonard Schaeffer was in line to pocket $37 million from the deal plus a lump-sum payout of $45 million in accrued pension rights. We’re still waiting for the technological benefits of the WellPoint-Anthem deal to appear after 18 years. But that didn’t stop CVS and Aetna from making the same claim when they announced their merger in 2017.
A 2016 study by USC found that the domination of California’s hospital market by two big systems that grew by acquisition, Sutter Health and Dignity Health, not only drove up prices everywhere their institutions were located but also allowed even nonaffiliated hospitals to charge more.
All these deals have been more or less waved through by the Federal Trade Commission. It’s encouraging that the current FTC and its chair, Lina Khan, are talking and acting much tougher than previous iterations of the agency. But the Albert sons-Kroger deal will be a major challenge.
Kroger is the owner of Food4Less and Ralphs in California, as well as 26 other store brands. Alb ertsons owns Safeway, Vons, Pavilions and 12 other brands. That’s a big marketing land scape to come under a single owner.
“There is no reason to allow two of the biggest supermarket chains in the country to merge – espe cially with food prices
“With 60% of grocery sales concentrated among just five national chains, a Kroger-Albertsons deal would squeeze consum ers already struggling to afford food, crush workers fighting for fair wages, and destroy indepen dent, community stores,” Miller says. “This merger is a cut-and-dry case of monopoly power, and enforcers should block it.”
The possibility exists that the supermarket merger will create yet another oligopoly to go with the monopolistic inputs that have helped push food prices higher, says former Labor Sec retary Robert Reich, who now teaches at UC Berkeley.
“At a time when grocery prices are soaring, in part because of monopolies in the food chain, this merger makes no sense,” Reich told me by email. “The current food inflation has two sources: (1) Grain prices have been increasing around the world because of grain shortages brought on by the war in Ukraine and climate change. (2) Domestic monopo lies in seeds, fertilizer, and food processing have used the cover of infla tion to raise their prices higher than their increas ing costs – including the costs of agricultural commodities, labor and transportation.”
As Reich points out, corporate profit-seeking is a seldom-cited contribu tor to consumer inflation. Wages have crept higher over the last year, but the increases have trailed inflation, which is why so many workers and their families are feeling the
Corporate profit margins, however, have rocketed into the stratosphere, out pacing the inflation rate and pulling it higher.
“Firms in the U.S. increased their markups and profits in 2021 at the fastest annual pace since 1955,” economists Mike Konczal and Niko Lusiani of the Roosevelt Institute reported in June.
It’s only fair to observe that supermarket compa nies traditionally earn a much lower profit margin than those in most other industries – Kroger’s operating margin last year was 3.5% on sales of $137.9 billion; at Albert sons the figure was 3.4% on sales of $71.9 billion.
McMullen told ana lysts he would use the estimated $500 million to $1 billion in annual savings created by the proposed merger to lower shelf prices, remodel stores and improve worker wages and benefits.
But the companies said they would also pay a $4-billion special dividend to Albertsons share holders when the deal closes, so it would seem that shareholders will be getting most of the gains.
It’s widely assumed that the companies will have to sell some stores in regions where their merger would other wise shrink competition. For anyone curious about how that may work out, notwithstanding the promises of the execu tives who are flogging it via press releases, there’s a precedent. It’s about as sickening as finding a nest of spiders in your banana bunch. It involves (wait for it...) Albertsons, which in 2014 cut a deal to acquire Safeway for $9.4 billion.
The FTC ordered
168 of the 2,400 stores the merged company would own, mostly in the West. More than 140 were acquired by Haggen Hold ings, an 18-store chain in the Pacific Northwest that was owned by a Florida private equity firm.
As it turned out, Haggen was utterly illequipped to grow nearly 10-fold overnight. Within months it was laying off workers, and before the year was out it had filed for bankruptcy. Haggen put 100 of the stores back on the block, and 33 of them were bought back by Albertsons – for about one-fifth, on average, of what it had sold them for. The company’s winning bid for some stores was $1 each.
When the smoke cleared, a divestiture that the FTC had ordered to preserve competition ended up eliminating all competition in some com munities. One place that got a lot of media atten tion was Baker City, in western Oregon. Baker City had started out with a Safeway and a Haggen, which competed with each other. After the various ownership flips, it still had two stores, but both owned by the same company.
Baker City looks like the future for commu nities with Kroger and Albertsons stores. They should be prepared for fewer and smaller com petitive price cuts, less choice on the shelves, fewer clerks on the floor, a worse experience for shoppers any way you cut it. That’s not to say that McMullen’s prom ises might not come to pass, only that experience teaches us that it’s not the way to bet.
Netflix gains subscribers in third quarter
tribune content agencyAfter two con secutive quarters of subscriber decline, Netflix said its pros pects look brighter for the second half of the year as it prepares to launch a cheaper streaming plan with ads.
The Los Gatosbased streamer added 2.4 million subscrib ers in the third quarter, beating projections by the company and Wall Street. Netflix said it expects to add an additional 4.5 million customers in the fourth quarter.
“After a chal lenging first half, we believe we’re on a path to re-accelerate growth,” Netflix said in a letter to shareholders on Tuesday.
The company posted revenue of $7.9 million in the third quarter, up 6% from a year ago. Net income was nearly $1.4 billion, about flat compared with the third quarter of last year. Still, the results slightly beat analysts’ expectations.
While the pace of subscriber growth is slower than the early days of the pandemic, analysts are hopeful the new cheaper ad-sup ported plan will attract more customers to the streaming service.
In a radical departure from its long standing practice of eschewing commer cials, Netflix will offer a $6.99 monthly sub scription next month that includes 15-second to 30-second ads before and during programs. The program will launch in 12 countries outside the U.S., includ ing nine where Netflix has a less than 50% pen etration of broadband households, according to a Guggenheim Secu rities report.
“In combination with the continued devel opment and release of local-market content, we believe the lowerpriced ad-supported tier offers an outsized potential for member ship growth in these countries,” wrote Michael Morris, a Gug genheim equity analyst in the report who has a buy recommendation on the stock.
Sarah Miller, exec utive director of the American Economic Lib erties Project.Death toll at 15 after Russian fighter jet crash in residential area
Tribune ConTenT AgenCy
MOSCOW — The death toll rose to 15 on Tuesday, a day after the crash of a Russian fighter jet in a residen tial area of Yeysk in southern Russia.
Six people were reported dead after the crash of a Su-34 fighter jet, a common aircraft used in the war against Ukraine. Earlier on Tuesday, the number initially rose to 13 dead and 25 injured. Later on Tuesday, another body was found in the rubble of a house, and another victim died in hospital.
Among the dead were three children, Russian authorities announced on Tuesday.
The fighter-bomber fell shortly after take-off, crashing directly next to an eight-storey apart ment building, which was partially set on fire.
Residents of the house that caught fire died attempting to jump from the upper floors to escape the flames, according
to Deputy Governor Anna Minkova.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is in deep mourning with the bereaved families in the wake of the disaster, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
According to the Defense Ministry, the plane crashed due to a technical defect, with an engine being said to have caught fire.
The jet had report edly been on a training flight and had no ammu nition on board. The pilots managed to save themselves.
A total of 72 homes were destroyed, with more than 500 people having to be brought to safety, authorities say.
The injured, who were being treated in hospitals in Krasno dar and Yeysk, received not only medical but also psychological help, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko, who was present in the town during the inci dent, announced.
In office but not in charge: How is Truss still prime minister?
On the face of it, Liz Truss’s days as U.K. prime minister look numbered and her demise imminent. She’s been forced to throw out her entire economic policy program, fire her friend and finance minis ter Kwasi Kwarteng, and has seen her poll numbers plummet to record depths.
Lawmakers in her Conservative Party are plotting to oust her, and on Tuesday, she appeared to lose the backing of two key Tory-leaning newspapers.
Why – and how – is Truss still in 10 Downing Street?
The primary reason is that as of now, Tory MPs are utterly divided over who should take over. As one MP put it, there is no credible succession plan. It’s a similar dynamic to her predecessor, Boris Johnson, who lasted long past the point where there appeared to be a majority consensus he should go.
When Johnson finally resigned in July, there was still no agreement and the party is now desper ate to avoid another bitter, protracted leadership contest like the one that followed his resignation. Some MPs are prepared to move against Truss if there is a coronation of an unopposed successor.
But the likeliest can didates face major obstacles. Take former Chancellor of the Exche quer Rishi Sunak, whose dire warnings about Truss’s economic plans have been largely borne out. That gives him credi bility with markets.
Yet he has large numbers of enemies in the Tory party. There
are about 100 MPs on the ideological right of the party – including ardent Brexiteers and support ers of Johnson – who are determined to prevent a Sunak premiership.
They see Sunak as the face of the type of Trea sury orthodoxy they had backed Truss to reject, and also blame him for triggering Johnson’s downfall. One minister warned that opting for Sunak would lead to even more Tory infighting.
There had been sug gestions that Sunak could team up with another hopeful, Penny Mordaunt, on a joint unity ticket. But a person familiar with the matter said Sunak rejected an approach from a senior MP who claimed to be acting on Mordaunt’s behalf.
Some Tory MPs believe Mordaunt wants the top job for herself and would not agree to a coronation for another candidate. This poses another problem: both Sunak and Mordaunt would derive most of their support from centrist MPs – the so-called One Nation Group – leaving that caucus fractured.
It is possible that, if it came to a choice between them, Mordaunt could command more support from the right of the party than Sunak.
An MP on the right of the party said they are backing “ABSOM” – Anyone But Sunak Or Mordaunt.
Could another can didate emerge from the party center?
Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has won respect for his handling of the Russia-Ukraine war. But he has suggested he is not interested in the job.
Hunt is seen as a con tender, given he is now de facto in charge of the gov ernment. But he told Sky News late Monday he had ruled out ever becoming prime minister for family reasons. He is also deeply unpopular with right-wing Tory MPs who loathed his pro-lockdown stance during the pandemic.
Grant Shapps, the former transport sec retary who keeps a spreadsheet of where Tory MPs stand on the leadership question, is well-connected and a for midable operator. Yet so far he has remained rela tively out of the spotlight, and there is little clamor for him to take over.
It is also unlikely that the Brexiteer right will go down without a fight.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman is described by colleagues as eyeing Truss’s job, but she is hardly a unity choice.
There is little indication that a Johnson return is on the cards, despite lobbying from his chief supporter, Nadine Dorries.
Even if the party can agree on who should succeed Truss, there is also no obvious mechanism for how it can happen.
According to a person familiar with the matter, it would take about two thirds of Tory MPs to demand a change of leader for the influential 1922 Committee –which sets rules on such matters – to void the 12-month protection from challenge Truss in theory enjoys after taking office.
If that threshold is met – or even a lower but significant number of Tory MPs make the call –emergency rules could be drawn up to allow a rapid vote by MPs on replacing Truss. There is no appetite in the parliamentary party for grassroots members, who backed Truss in the summer, to get the final say this time.
Things can move quickly, though the signs are the party is still some way from this happening. One minister said it’s more likely the pressure on Truss becomes unbearable as the scale of opposition becomes clear, and she resigns of her own volition.
Allies of Truss, however, insist she will not.
Stuck in something of a holding pattern, Tory MPs are waiting for a future trigger – perhaps more market turmoil, a scandal, a potential softening of the government’s position on Brexit, or Cabinet resigna tions – to force a change.
But a veteran Tory warned the prospects of a neat outcome were remote. This party is simply ungov ernable, they said.
Scramble for air defense now key says Ukraine amid Russian attacks
Tribune ConTenT AgenCy
KIEV/MOSCOW —
Demands for better air defense systems grew louder across Ukraine as authorities in numer ous regions – including Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Mykolaiv – reported missiles still getting on Tuesday through despite systems being active.
According to infor mation from Kiev, more than 70 people have been killed by drone and rocket attacks in the past week and a half. More than 240 have been injured, a spokesperson for the civil protection agency said.
A total of more than 380 buildings were also damaged, including around 240 resi dential buildings.
Air raid warnings have sounded across Ukraine amid fresh missile and drone attacks from Russia.
The series of Russian attacks starting early last
week has “destroyed” 30% of Ukraine’s power stations, resulting in “massive blackouts across the country,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
tweeted on Tuesday.
Zelenskyy added that there was “no space left for negotiations with Putin’s regime.”
Fresh impacts on Tuesday knocked out power and water supplies to eastern parts of Kiev.
Russian attacks killed three workers at criti cal infrastructure site in Kiev, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
He did not specify what had been hit, but called on all residents to save elec tricity and stock up on drinking water.
In the city of Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov also reported rocket fire. “There were two series of explosions in the city within five minutes,” he said. According to initial information, an industrial
plant was hit. The metro stopped train services and resumed operations as a shelter.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, explosions were reported in Krivy Ry and in the regional capital Dnipro. In Zhytomyr, missiles hit energy infra structure, the authorities said. The Russian military had declared that it was targeting energy facilities.
Russian military blog gers close to the Kremlin also reported shelling in numerous regions – and published a large number of photos and videos on social networks showing clouds of smoke over cities, supposedly docu menting the new attacks.
The authenticity of these images, which were also broadcast on Ukrai
nian channels, could not be immediately verified.
In light of the situa tion, Ukraine wants to ask Israel for a sophisticated air defense system.
“Today Ukraine will send an official message to the government of Israel with a request to urgently equip Ukraine with air defense systems,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said, according to Ukrainian media.
Israel is largely holding back in Rus sia’s nearly eight-month war of aggression against Ukraine so as not to jeopardize its relations with Moscow.
But the government also made clear it is asking all of its allies for help with air defense.
Curry shares views on fifth title chance, future, Green and more
By Shayna ruBin THE MERCURY NEWSSAN FRANCISCO — The halls inside Chase Center are bus tling with TNT broadcast crew and arena workers hurriedly setting up for the Warriors’ season opener against the Lakers on Tuesday night.
They are stunned to see Steph Curry, the star of the show, sitting on a folding chair for this conver sation amid the hallway madness on opening night’s eve. Curry gives a little head nod, a “what’s up” to those passing by and waving. Even in the thick of his quest to achieve unprecedented heights, Curry
remains down to earth.
After a chaotic train ing camp – filled with long flights and fist fights –Curry will suit up for his 14th season with the War riors on a mission shared by few in the history of the game. Curry, Klay Thomp son, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala could do something this season that only one other four some in NBA history has done in the last 50 years.
Now 34, the man once dubbed the baby-faced assassin is defying age and logic to lead the charge for the Warriors. How does Curry feel about their odds to repeat, the
drama of the past couple weeks, and his future in the game he has revolutionized? He addressed those questions and quite a few more during an exclusive inter view Monday.
Do you ever think about what winning a fifth title will mean, and winning a fourth title has meant, in terms of this team’s place in NBA history?
It’s not something I wake up and think about. Other than the context of what we went through the last three years, getting back to that mountaintop, has that sunk in yet? For me, it hasn’t yet. We’re still in
Keegan Murray cements Kings as Iowa’s new favorite NBA team
By Cameron Salerno THE SACRAMENTO BEE
SACRAMENTO —
The Sacramento Kings have cemented their status as the favorite NBA team of the state of Iowa.
First, it was Iowa native Harrison Barnes joining the Kings at the trade deadline in 2019. Then came popular Iowa State player Tyrese Halliburton, drafted by the Kings in the first round of the 2020 draft. After the Kings traded Haliburton in Febru ary, they re-upped their support in Iowa by draft ing Keegan Murray, the highest pick in the history of the storied Iowa Hawk
eyes program.
Iowa fans wear Sacra mento Kings gear. Some
have Murray jerseys or purple and black attire. A handful already made
the investment of buying NBA League Pass, which allows fans to watch all out-of-market games, so they can keep an eye on Murray.
“It’s been cool,” Murray said of the support. “I have been back to Iowa once since I’ve been drafted and I’ve seen people with Sacra mento Kings stuff on and that’s never happened in the state of Iowa. It’s been cool to see the people out there who have helped me. . . . (Sacramento) has been good to me so far.”
While Murray lived in Sacramento to prepare for the start of the
Sharks can’t slow Islanders, lose fifth straight game
Verrett’s return to 49ers’ lineup won’t be soon
eriC BranCh SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLESAN FRANCISCO —
Javon Kinlaw had knee surgery 12 months ago, but the San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle is on injured reserve with issues in his surgically repaired knee.
Jason Verrett had knee surgery 13 months ago, but the 49ers cornerback was side lined last week with issues in his surgically repaired knee.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan pro vided updates on both players Sunday after a 28-14 loss to the Falcons, and neither was brim ming with optimism.
The 49ers placed Kinlaw on injured reserve Saturday, which will sideline him for a minimum of four games. Kinlaw, who had already missed two games before being placed on IR, recently revealed he was dealing with a buildup of fluid in his knee.
Kinlaw had said he anticipates enduring a “long year” because of his knee.
Meanwhile, Verrett, who tore his ACL in the 2021 season opener, participated in his first practice Oct. 5. However, he didn’t prac tice Thursday or Friday when the 49ers were at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia because of knee soreness. Sha nahan said last week that the plan is for Verrett to return to practice Wednesday.
On Sunday, Sha nahan said Verrett’s discomfort isn’t due to a problem with his surgery.
“There are things with his knee,” Shana han said. “It’s tough when you come back from that stuff.”
The 49ers have until next week to move Verrett from the physi cally unable to perform list to the active roster. He will be placed on season-ending injured reserve if not activated.
Vacaville hosts Armijo in MEL football Thursday
Daily r epuBliC Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NETFAIRFIELD — The football teams at Armijo and Vacaville high schools will have a Thursday night kickoff this week at Tom Zunino Stadium in Vacaville due to the continued shortage of officials throughout the Sac-Joaquin Section.
For Vacaville, it’s the second straight week to play on a Thurs day night. The Bulldogs piled up 337 yards of offense and scored five touchdowns at Schaefer Stadium in a 38-0 win over Fairfield last week.
Vacaville leads the Mon ticello Empire League with a 3-0 record and improved to 5-3 overall.
Armijo is coming off an 18-0 loss to Rodriguez. The Royals’ offense has struggled of late, scoring only two touchdowns in their three MEL games. Armijo is 0-3 in league action and 3-5 overall.
Alex Barkley threw for 112 yards for the Bulldogs in the win over Fairfield. Eric Gladney had two short touch down runs. Elijah Reich rushed for 49 yards and a score, while Cristian Diosdado ran for 42 yards and a touchdown.
Michael Martinez had an interception for the Bulldogs’ defense.
Angel Lopez blocked a Fairfield punt that Noa Siaosi was able to pick up for a touchdown.
While Armijo’s offense struggled, the defense has stood strong. Jayson Hubbard led the Royals with eight tackles and Jacob Winzer had seven in the loss to Rodriguez. Jericho Johnson also deflected a pass.
Friday night’s area lineup features Fair field at Vanden, Will C. Wood at Rodriguez and Rio Vista at Highlands. Vacaville Christian has a Saturday night game at Esparto.
Yi wins wrestling golds at Veterans World event in Bulgaria
m att miller MMILLER@DAILYREPUBLIC.NETFAIRFIELD — Former Fair field High School standout wrestler David Yi continues to accomplish great things on the mat, recently earning a pair of gold medals at the 2022 Vet erans World Championship in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Yi won Greco-Roman and Men’s Freestyle titles in the 62 kg Division C 46-50 year old division. He went 9-0 during the competition with four wins in Freestyle and five in
Greco-Roman. His achievement earned him the honor of being named USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week.
Yi won gold in Greco-Roman and bronze in Freestyle in 2021.
Here is a look at other recent accomplishments from former local athletes:
Professional Baseball
Tony Gonsolin (Vacaville) started Game 3 of the National League Division Series for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He pitched 1.1 innings, allowed four
hits, one earned run and one walk to go with one strikeout.
Gonsolin continued his come back from a strained forearm and the Dodgers limited his pitch count, eventually losing the game 2-1 to the San Diego Padres en route to playoff elim ination. The former Bulldog finished with a 16-1 record and a 2.14 ERA in 130.1 innings with 119 total strikeouts.
College Football Senior linebacker Armon Bailey (Vanden) continues to
be a big part of Sacramento State’s football renaissance.
The Hornets defeated Eastern Washington 52-28 and improved to 6-0. Bailey had a hand in nine tackles, two for losses, and a pass breakup. The Hornets have a nationally televised game at 8 p.m. Saturday against Montana on ESPN2.
Jake Levengood (Vacav ille) is a junior center at Oregon State. The Beavers had 344 yards of total offense and scored three touchdowns in a 24-10 win over Washington State. Oregon State is 5-2 and
will be back home Saturday in Corvallis to take on Colorado.
Junior wide receiver Asa Wondeh (Will C. Wood) had a big game with six catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns as Eastern New Mexico earned a 42-14 win over Simon Fraser. The Greyhounds (2-5) head to Western Oregon.
Sophomore linebacker Zion Booker (St. Patrick-St. Vincent) had a hand in six tackles and two pass breakups for Pacific in a 42-21 loss to Linfield. The
CALENDAR
Wednesday’s TV sports Baseball
• MLB, NLCS, Philadelphia at San Diego, Fox/FS1, 1:35 p.m.
• MLB, ALCS, New York at Houston, TBS, 4:37 p.m. Basketball
• NBA, N.Y. Knicks at Memphis, ESPN, 4:45 p.m.
• NBA, Portland vs. Sacramento, NBCSCA, 7 p.m.
(Available in Rio Vista and Vacaville)
• NBA, Dallas at Phoenix, ESPN, 7:05 p.m. Football
• College, Georgia State vs. Appalachian State, ESPN2, 4:30 p.m. Golf
• BMW Ladies Championship, GOLF, 8 p.m. Hockey
• NHL, Philadelphia at Florida, TNT, 4:30 p.m.
• NHL, St. Louis vs. Seattle, TNT, 7 p.m. Soccer
• German Soccer, Hannover 96 vs Borussia Dortmund, ESPN2, 8:55 a.m.
• EPL, Brentford vs. Chelsea, USA, 11:30 a.m.
Thursday’s TV sports Baseball
• MLB, ALCS, New York vs. Houston, TBS, 4:37 p.m. Basketball
• NBA, Milwaukee vs. Philadelphia, TNT, 4:30 p.m.
• NBA, L.A. Clippers vs. L.A. Lakers, TNT, 7 p.m.
Football
• NFL, New Orleans vs. Arizona, Amazon Prime (Live Streaming), 5:15 p.m.
• High School, Allen (Texas) vs. Denton Guyer (Texas), ESPN2, 4 p.m.
• College, Virginia Tech vs. Georgia Tech, ESPN, 4:30 p.m.
Golf
• DP World, Mallorca Open, GOLF, 4:30 a.m.
• PGA, The CJ Cup, GOLF, Noon.
• BMW Ladies Championship, GOLF, 8 p.m. Hockey
• NHL, San Jose vs. N.Y. Islanders, NBCSCA, 4 p.m.
Soccer
• EPL, Aston Villa vs. Fulham, USA, 11:30 a.m.
BASEBALL
MLB Playoffs
N.Y.
BASKETBALL
Yankees close out Game 5 of division series
Tribune ConTenT AgenCy NEW YORK —Nestor Cortes, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge are not done yet.
Cortes gave a stellar start on short rest and the Yankees sluggers hammered homers as the Bombers kept their season alive Tuesday.
Stanton’s three-run homer in the first got the Yankees rolling to a 5-1 win over the Guard ians in the decisive Game 5 of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium.
The Bombers won the best-of-five series 3-2 and advanced to the AL Champion ship Series to face the Astros. The Yankees have little time to cel ebrate this, their sixth ALDS Game 5 win in franchise history. After Monday night’s weather debacle, which pushed the deciding game back to Tuesday evening, the Bombers had to fly straight to Houston Tuesday night and face their postseason nemesis Astros in Game 1 of the ALCS less than 24 hours later. It is the Yankees’ 18th trip to the Champi onship Series, the most all-time. It will be their third time in the last six
years, and they have lost to the Astros each time.
Jameson Taillon will start Game 1 for the Yankees at MinuteMaid Park, where the Astros had a casual workout Tuesday and slept in their own beds. The Yankees will have to make roster decisions.
NLCS Phillies 2, Padres 0 SAN DIEGO — It was history simply by taking place.
Padres batters were witnesses to it. And that’s about all they were.
Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler held the Padres to one hit in seven innings, and two relievers closed out a 2-0 victory on Tuesday night in the first National League Championship Series game played at Petco Park.
A walk and an error gave the Padres their first real life in the ninth inning, but the runners at first and second with one out were there at game’s end when Manny Machado flied out and Josh Bell struck out against Jose Alvarado.
The Phillies didn’t do all that much against Padres starter Yu Darvish except hit two home runs.
HOCKEY
Columbus 4, Vancouver 3, OT Philadelphia 3, Tampa Bay 2 Buffalo at Edmonton, (N) Vegas at Calgary, (N) L.A. Kings at Nashville, (N) Wednesday’s Games Philadelphia at Florida, 4:30 p.m. Winnipeg at Colorado, 5 p.m. St. Louis at Seattle, 7 p.m.
Thursday’s Games SAN JOSE at N.Y. Rangers, 4 p.m. Anaheim at Boston, 4 p.m. Arizona at Montreal, 4 p.m. Dallas at Toronto, 4 p.m. L.A. Kings at Penguins, 4 p.m. Nashville at Columbus, 4 p.m. Washington at Ottawa, 4 p.m. New Jersey at N.Y. Islanders, 4:30 p.m. Vancouver at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Carolina at Edmonton, 6 p.m. Buffalo at Calgary, 6:30 p.m. Winnipeg at Vegas, 7 p.m.
FOOTBALL NFL
Chargers, 1:25 p.m. Pittsburgh at Miami, 5:20 p.m. Monday’s Game Chicago at New England, 5:15 p.m.
Sharks are floundering to start season, get routed by Islanders
by CurTis PAshelk A BAY AREA NEWS GROUPThe time zones change, as do the venues and the opponents.
Still, the San Jose Sharks can’t buy a third goal or get out of their own way in the second period.
The Sharks allowed three goals in just over nine minutes in another troublesome middle period Tuesday as they lost 5-2 to the New York Islanders at UBS Arena, establishing a new fran chise record for futility to begin a season.
The Sharks carried a 1-0 lead into the second period on a goal by Nico Sturm, the fourth straight game they’ve scored the first goal. But the Island ers got goals from Anders Lee and Zach Parise 4:45 apart in the second period to take a 2-1 lead.
After Evgeny Svech nikov tied the game for the Sharks at the 17:10 mark of the second, Tomas Hertl lost a draw in San Jose’s zone to Brock Nelson. Oliver Wahl strom then took the pass from Nelson and without anyone around him, beat goalie James Reimer for a 3-2 Islanders lead.
Lee’s goal at the 10:03 mark of the second also came after the Sharks lost a faceoff in their zone. Adam Pelech’s shot from inside the blue line was tipped by Lee at a sharp angle past Reimer for his first of the season.
The Sharks once again couldn’t manage a goal in the third period and fell to 0-5-0, their worst record after five games in 31 years of hockey.
The Sharks also lost two games to Nashville in Prague on Oct. 6 and 7 and were defeated by Caro lina and Chicago at SAP Center on Friday and Sat urday, respectively.
Reimer finished with
40 saves. The Sharks’ next game is Thurs day at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers.
The Sharks also started 0-4-0 in 1993 and 2019 but had never before lost five straight games to begin a season.
The 1993-1994 team earned a tie in its fifth game and in 2019-2020, the Sharks won their fifth game, with Patrick Marleau scoring twice in a 5-4 victory over Chicago in his return to the organi zation after he started the season as a free agent.
This year’s Sharks’ team, though, has now scored just eight times
in five games. They were outscored 3-1 in the second period Tuesday and have now been outscored 12-2 in the middle frame.
Four of San Jose’s eight goals have been scored by either Sturm or Gadjov ich, as top-nine forwards Timo Meier, Nick Bonino, and Kevin Labanc remain without a goal. Logan Couture, Hertl, Luke Kunin, and Erik Karlsson have just one goal each.
San Jose has not scored more than two goals in any game.
Before Tuesday’s game, the first of four for the Sharks on this road trip, forward Alexander Barabanov was activated off of injured reserve.
Barabanov was a full participant in Mon day’s practice on Long Island and began Tues day’s game on a line with Hertl and Steven Lorentz. Barabanov was also on the Sharks’ second power-play unit with for wards Lorentz, Bonino, Labanc, and defenseman Mario Ferraro.
Barabanov suffered an upper-body injury early in training camp last month and was placed on IR.
Vacaville girls tennis overpowers Fairfield, remains unbeaten in MEL
DAily r ePubliC sTAff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NETFAIRFIELD — The Vacaville High School girls tennis team cruised to a 9-0 win Tuesday at Fairfield.
Gabriella Perry, Vic toria Silva, Paulina Sweeney, Ayanna Gentry, Reese Hsiao and Paige Witte all won matches in straight sets for Vacaville.
The doubles teams of Ella Aguirre-Lola Lafon, Lucie Addiego-Ruby Brazelton and Avalon Ramos-Kylie Cress also won in straight sets for the Bulldogs. Maddy Plom teaux and Maria Abueg of Fairfield did push Agu irre-Lafon to 7-5 in the first set before losing 6-1 in the second.
Vacaville upped its record 12-0 in the Monti cello Empire League and
16-0 overall.
Vanden girls wins big against Armijo
FAIRFIELD — The Vanden High School girls tennis team closed out the regular season with a 9-0 win Tuesday over Armijo.
Sasha Smith, Delaney Ramsell, Camille Arca, Jeanelle DelaCruz, Danali Hardwick and Althea Yabut all won singles matches in straight sets.
Kaylani Payne-Kailey Payne, Kaitlyn KangMiley Dial and Paula Nguyen-Yuna Grossen won doubles matches in straight sets. The Paynes beat Alayna Adkins and Dulce Bernal Ortiz 6-1 in the first set but the Armijo duo battled to a second set tiebreaker before losing 7-6(3).
Vanden finished 9-3 in Monticello Empire League matches, good enough for second place, and 10-3 overall. The Vikings will now prepare for the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs, which begin Oct. 31..
College
Solano women’s volleyball loses
ROCKVILLE —
The Solano Commu nity College women’s volleyball team lost a nonconference match Monday to Shasta College, 27-25, 25-18, 25-19.
Hannah Del Rio led the Falcons’ offense with 11 kills and four blocks. Crystal Carroll led the defense with 16 digs, serving 11-for-12 with an
ace. Dani Rydjord served 18-for-18 with four aces, four kills and 23 assists.
Kelsey Wall chipped in seven kills and nine digs in the loss for Solano. Haley Woodworth served 6-for-7 and Eryka Ferrer added six digs and served 8-for-9. Codi LePak-Mur phy added four kills and three digs.
“We did not have all of our players but put our best foot forward,” Solano head coach Darla Wil liams said in an email. “We will get back on track to play in our next conference match on Wednesday at Contra Costa. We did defeat Shasta at our last meeting in mid-September.”
Solano recently moved up to ninth in the Northern California Community College vol leyball rankings.
Gambling measures not good bets
Are you ready to bet on some foot ball? My friend Jerry, who is from Suisun City but now lives in Arizona, loves to bet on football on his phone. I live vicariously through him since online betting is illegal to Californians. When I heard there are two proposi tions on the November ballot that will enable Californians to join 30 other states in online sports betting, I was excited. Now I could be losing money just like my friend Jerry! (Sorry, Jerry.) But perhaps we can do better than that.
Proposition 26 would legalize in-person sports betting at race tracks and tribal casinos. It would also legalize dice games like craps and roulette tables. A compet ing measure, Proposition 27, would legalize online sports betting so bettors could bet on their phones and computers. The measure also sets up a fund to combat homelessness.
Both would bring in millions in revenue for the state with 27 potentially bringing in much more. Companies like DraftKings and FanDuel are backing 27 while more than 60 American Indian tribes oppose the measure because it would hurt their business. Why go to a casino when you can bet on your phone on you sofa?
If most California voters want to bet on sports, they’ll support one of these measures, although both are currently failing in the polls. If they both pass, the one with the most votes would go into effect.
I’ve got no moral objection to gam bling. That’s why the No on 27 crowd’s ads opining how 27 would open up gambling to children is so nauseating. Any time someone invokes “what about the children” to limit what adults can do, it’s a red herring. Sure, underage gam bling is a real problem in states that allow sports betting on computers and phones but is that really what’s driving the No on 27 people? Or is protecting their monop oly on gaming their true motivation?
Proposition 26 isn’t about American Indian sovereignty. It’s about expanding casino gambling and walling it off from the competition.
It also says something that both the California Democratic Party and Republi can Party opposes 27. So on this one issue bipartisanship is not dead. The California Republican Party also opposes Proposi tion 26 while the Democrats are neutral on it.
When you look at the fact that nearly half a billion dollars has been spent supporting and opposing these measures, it quickly tells you this isn’t about homelessness, mental health and money for gambling addiction. Those are just afterthought sweeteners. This is about putting millions of dollars in the pockets of national gaming companies and/or American Indian gaming casinos. That’s it.
So which proposition should you vote for? How about neither? Yes, you can vote no on both. Of course, if you’re against the expansion of gambling then you definitely will vote no. But even if you support sports betting in California, we don’t have to choose one of these measures to get there. Instead of ballot measures that give some tribes advantages over others, benefit huge national wagering corpora tions, penalize competitors and include tear-jerking incentives like eradicating homelessness, why doesn’t the Legisla ture put together a bill that would benefit California? Why not a bill that speaks to California’s interests first? Perhaps we can do more than use the money for the homeless.
I’m all for adults doing what they want to do. And if they want to bet on sports, Californians should have the opportunity to do it just like most Americans. But I bet (see what I did there?) we can do better than these bills. Peace.
Kelvin Wade, a writer and former Fair field resident, lives in Sacramento. Reach him at kelvinjwade@outlook.com.
Letters to the Editor
Letters must be 325 words or less and are subject to editing for length and clarity. All letters must include the author’s name, address and phone number.
Send letters to Letters to the Editor, the Daily Republic, P.O. Box 47, Fairfield, CA 94533, email to gfaison@dailyrepublic.net or drop them off at our office, 1250 Texas St. in downtown Fairfield.
LETTERS TO THE EDITORJack’s a nice kid, but there’s a more qualified candidate
Really, Suisun? You’d elect a teen ager to the school board?
He’s a nice guy, Jack Flynn. Over the past year, he was my server at two dif ferent restaurants, and he did a good job. Some consider him a serious candi date for school board, maybe when he’s finished his education, when he’s living independently, and when he has devel oped more of a stake in the community.
On the other hand, his opponent for the Area 5 seat, covering much of Suisun City, is Jonathan Richardson, who’s been volunteering and mentoring in local schools for as long as Jack has been alive, including serving as school board president when we were going through Covid disruptions.
To me, if you’re serious, it’s a no-brainer: Jonathan Richardson is well-qualified, with a long list of achievements, contributions and certi fications. Jack, at this stage of his life, is just a nice young guy who wants to get involved.
If Jonathan Richardson loses and the teenager wins, there will be chuck les and snickers across the state, but the joke would be on us.
Craig Wilson FairfieldWanda Williams for Solano supervisor
Politics can be downright dirty, and the Solano County supervisor’s race is rapidly gathering dirt. Literally.
Among the many accomplishments Wanda Williams achieved upon being elected to the Suisun City Council in 2018, was to create the “adopt a neigh borhood” program where she brings the community together to pick up trash on weekends. She has been on the City Council for six years.
Williams’ opponent, Chuck Timm, has served on the Fairfield City Council since 2008, with the exception of a short time, and what has he done for our envi ronment? Nada. Nothing. Zilch. Because of a grassroots effort, each week, volun teers like myself gather in little groups to do our share to keep Fairfield clean by adopting and maintaining individ ual streets. Council member Timm had nothing to do with this project. We have asked the City Council numerous times to help us hold businesses accountable for maintaining their properties, but to no avail. So, for Council member Timm to place an ad on social media attacking Williams for trash in Suisun City is rich.
If he’s going to talk “trash,” he should show us what he’s done to help clean up trash in Fairfield. Ledgewood Creek is a dump and the City Council, which includes Chuck Timm, has yet to help solve the problem. Heck, he has never shown up or lent a hand. A dozen years of watching trash accumulate in Fairfield and Chuck Timm wants a pro motion? Vote for Wanda Williams.
Ana Petero FairfieldMulvey best choice for Fairfield District 5
If you are looking for results, not just talk, research Scott Mulvey. Scott is the “real deal.”
Scott Mulvey has a program in effect now that is productive at getting the homeless off the streets. No other candidate has anything except goodsounding words.
I urge Fairfield voters to support Scott in District 5. This is a chance to actually get results.
Roderick Ferroggiaro FairfieldElect Moy as Fairfield mayor
Fairfield voters have received our ballots in the mail. There are many choices on this November’s ballot. But there is only one clear choice for mayor of Fairfield: Catherine Moy.
The current mayor is a nice guy, but
does not have direct experience with the houseless who continue to live in public places. She was the director of Heather House, before lack of federal funds closed it down. She worked and continues to work with those without homes, to get them back on their feet.
A few years back, by court order, our city was divided into districts. Not long after my council person was elected for my district, someone had “tagged” (put graffiti on my fence facing San Pedro Street). The police took a report on it. My neighbor told me he’d seen similar tagging elsewhere in the neighborhood.
I contacted my new council member by email to let her know this activ ity was going on in her district. I’ve yet to hear back. I called her and left a message, but have yet to hear back from her. I did the only thing I knew to do: I contacted Catherine Moy. Although she’s no longer my council member because I live in a different district as her, she notified my council member of the issue.
Catherine Moy responds and takes action, instead of just sitting on the dais every two weeks for the free health care.
The mayor of the city sets the agenda. Why is this important? Because if it’s not in the agenda, the council members cannot vote on it. The severe problem with those who refuse housing, those who refuse mental health ser vices and those who refuse to live under a civil society’s rules, cannot be dealt with unless it is on the agenda. That’s how powerful setting the agenda is. The person who sets it, the mayor, sets the course of our city.
Come Nov. 8, make a stand with me and elect Fairfield’s very own, Catherine Moy.
Lynda Rose McMahan FairfieldPrinciples and politics
“Some principles must be beyond politics.” Those were the words of Rep. Liz Cheney at the most recent Jan. 6 Committee hearing. We elect our leaders, expecting them to abide by the rule of law. Dictators don’t live by that principle, and they are not held accountable.
The clash between the followers of a wannabe dictator and a handful of leaders clinging to the rule of law nearly led to the demise of our repub lic on Jan. 6, 2021. It was primarily Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who did not panic and managed to resume confirmation of the election results.
Principle won over politics.
If it hasn’t become clear to voters by now that Trump represents the antithesis of a democracy, and if the extremist faction of the Republican Party gains control in the November election, our democratic principles will likely be challenged by another political crisis in 2024.
Bob Panzer Fairfield
Moy best choice for Fairfield mayor
In the 1970s, Fairfield was an idyllic community distinguished as the county seat and home to Travis Air Force Base. The rivalry between Fairfield and Armijo high schools and cruising Texas Street were highlights of growing up in that era. The memorable friend ships forged during those times is what compels me to share thoughts about mayoral candidate Catherine Moy.
I have known Catherine for 43 years and shared the seasons of life with her. While a lifelong friendship may cloud the ability to be impartial, as a retired member of the law enforcement com munity, I appreciate the importance of carefully vetting any candidate for public office because of the implications to public safety and to the overall health of a community.
Catherine has my full support to serve as the next mayor of Fairfield. She acts with integrity and tenacity, always putting the people of Fairfield first. Her courage to confront issues that are detrimental to the city or to its residents and business owners is commendable. While some individu als may cower when confronted with adversity, Catherine understands and
embraces her duty as an elected official to address wrongdoing and any issues that potentially harm public trust. She courageously tackles these challenges because she values fidelity to public trust and the perspective of commu nity over self.
As mayor, Catherine will continue to put our community above self by ensur ing needed resources are provided to build upon the exceptional public safety services offered in Fairfield, network ing and consensus-building to identify innovative strategies to address the unique challenges confronting Fair field as county seat, and by an edict of fiscal responsibility and transparency to taxpayers.
Catherine’s dedication to Fairfield is demonstrated through her commit ment to public service and consistently placing the needs of our community above other special interests. She is uncompromised as a councilwoman and will continue to serve unsullied.
Lisa Murphy FairfieldStated purpose of Proposition 1 is a lie
Reading pro and con arguments on the ballot is mind-numbing. How, one wonders, can so many words say so little about what a measure will actually do?
Proposition 1 is a perfect example. Both sides say that nothing changes – that abortion remains legal in California – and the Voter Information Guide just repeats that. But the state is not telling us the whole truth.
What the government’s guide doesn’t tell you is that Proposition 1 will change the law. The California code currently says, “. . . the Reproductive Privacy Act . . . prohibits the state from denying or interfering with a person’s right to choose or obtain an abortion before viability of the fetus. . . .” Proposition 1 removes the qualification, “before via bility of the fetus.”
Proposition 1 makes abortion legal throughout pregnancy to actual birth! I don’t believe most Californians want that. Think seriously about it.
Vote no on Proposition 1.
John Takeuchi FairfieldArgument against Measure S school bond
When the Fairfield-Suisun School District Governing Board voted to place another bond on the ballot in Novem ber, the superintendent brazenly stated that “. . . the bond will not increase taxes for the community – it will extend the terms of Measure C and J bonds.”
In other words, much like a revolv ing credit card account, the district is asking the taxpayers to add $249 million to its credit card debt.
Think of Measure S as an additional credit spending limit, borrowing back funds that have been paid against the existing Measure C and J bonds by extending the payoff terms of those bonds. The ballot language on Measure S states there will be four (4) series of bonds sold. That means, four differ ent fund amounts with different start dates, possibly four different interest rates, each extending the payoff term of the bond cap. No matter how many iterations of “the bond will not increase taxes,” the fact is property tax rates will be levied at such rates and for so long as may be required to meet the debt service needs of the bonds.
Consider these questions before marking your ballot.
Why couldn’t the $249 million Measure J bond complete the project list provided in its ballot language?
The district admits the list of Measure J projects was revised several times due to shifts in philosophy and priori ties. Why were bond funds diverted to some expensive pet projects rather than spent on students’ needs and necessi ties? Will the same project shortfalls happen with Measure S money?
The one positive aspect of this bond is that the district will never have to ask for a future new bond measure because this bond is open-ended without a sunset date for payoff.
Barbara Pisching Suisun CityI’m happily married but have no female relationships
Dear Annie: I have a wonderful husband, and I love my marriage, but when it comes to female relationships, I feel so left out and lonely.
I’m 37 and have decided not to have kids. I have identified with my therapist the strug gles I’ve had from a non-nurturing mother and older sister, and I feel those relationships have set me up to fail with building relationships with other women.
Annie Lane Dear AnnieI just don’t understand. I have friends whom I text mul tiple times each month on everything from light to serious issues. I try to make sure I’m supportive to what they’re going through and strive to be what I want in a friend. But it seems my relationships don’t go past that.
One friend I’ve had for 25 years told me she doesn’t want visits because she’s afraid her kids will catch Covid, but her social media is afire with pictures of them unmasked in
everything from college basketball crowds to Little League. Another friend I’ve known for 17 years had a birth day party, and I wasn’t invited. Granted, it was a surprise party, but why wouldn’t her husband (whom I’ve known even longer) make sure I was invited?
I had a cousin whom I was also close with (but have since drifted apart) explain that she only spends time with parents who have kids so that the kids can play together.
The list goes on. I recently went backpacking with a travel group, but nothing clicked. I’ve joined meetups for hobbies but feel so discour aged that it’s possible nothing will come from that either, so I haven’t attended.
The level of rejection I feel is heartbreaking. I feel like such a weird misfit, and I really don’t know what to do anymore. Any advice? — Left Out and Lonely
Dear Left Out and Lonely:
Horoscopes
ARIES (March 21-April 19).
You’ll manage what many are incapable of: seeing things as others do. Like a film director, you’ll toy with the framing of things. You don’t have to agree with a perspective to explore its place in the narrative.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20).
If your efforts don’t meet with the support you seek, take heart: Jealousy causes people to judge others unfairly, espe cially those who are trying to better themselves. This can come off as threatening to the insecure.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21).
Of all the signs in the zodiac, you are best at predicting trends. Focus your mind’s eye on the near future. A Japanese proverb suggests, “He who can see three days ahead will be rich for three thousand years.”
CANCER (June 22-July 22). You used to spend time with a different set of people. You had different interests. Many changes have occurred since then. Remember them now to deepen your understand ing and appreciation of who you’ve become.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). In power games, who wins and who loses is often more impor tant than what’s right or true. It’s a fine reason to avoid power games. It’s better to do good in the world than to assert domi nance over others.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You want a deep relationship and so you shall build it. You’re brave enough to be vulnerable with a trusted someone. You’ll
by Holiday MathisToday’s birthday
You’re a pragmatic genius, weaving your practical skills with creative forces.
Colleagues, teachers and investors join you to bring to life realities that none imagined was possible. You’ll inspire awe. More highlights: luxuries gifted to you or gotten for a bargain and a new treat that becomes a regular part of life. Gemini and Leo adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 2, 12, 14, 30 and 5.
be receptive to their strengths and vulnerabilities. You’ll share and bonds will be formed.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Many will be too obsessed with getting what they want to take a moment to see things as they are. Pay attention to your sur roundings before you make a move. You’ll avoid awkward ness at least, and at best you’ll come off as cool.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Conversations will reveal much. You bring out an unguarded side of people, and even they will be surprised at what they tell you. Note that sharing a sense of humor is indicative of a dozen other intersections of compatibility.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21). It’s good to push the edges of your comfort zone, but you don’t have to live in those uncomfortable outskirts. Stay
It is not unusual for old friends to drift apart when some have children and others do not. I know it hurts that these women in your life are not being nice, but in the long run, you are better off not wasting your time with people who lie or don’t really think about you.
You are wise to recognize that the pain of having a cold mother and sister will be some thing you carry for a lifetime.
There are women out there who will want to be your friend. You just have to keep an open mind and heart. You have to remember to tell your self that not all females are like your mom. The more you work in therapy through your mom issues, the more you will be able to find female relationships.
Congratulations on your beautiful marriage. It sounds like you both have a mutual appreciation for each other. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@ creators.com.
in your strengths today and take home the win. If your con fidence threatens them, they’re not on your side.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19). You’re on the journey. It’s yours to navigate. Don’t ask other people to greenlight your project. Green lights don’t really work that way. Typi cally, they are on timers. Often, when you hit one, you’ll start to hit them all.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 18). There’s much you could add to your life. You’ll be as lucky as you are discern ing. When in doubt, it’s better to have a blank space waiting for something wonderful than a dumb placeholder taking up all the room.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Your vision is something unique in your mind’s eye. If you want others to see it too, keep describing it. Eventu ally they’ll see what you see. Until then, hold on to hope and believe in your imagination.
CELEBRITY PROFILES: Ty Pennington transforms lives as he makes over homes to the extreme. Millions of viewers are inspired to make improvements of their own and prove Pennington’s claim that “Good design can change your life.” Pennington is an aes thetic, artistic, Libran “people person.” Moon in Leo prom ises that Pennington enjoys the spotlight and sharing it with the well-deserving.
Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.
BridgeIS IT HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY?
How do you view chance? We hear stories about people being incredibly lucky; for example, someone who wins a multimillion-dollar lottery. No one talks about the person who loses 20 straight bets at the racetrack.
In bridge, you will sometimes feel that your contract has no chance of making. Still, you shouldn’t just toss in
by Phillip Alderyour cards. Hunt assiduously for a lie that lets you sneak home, turning apparent bad luck into veritable good fortune.
In today’s deal, South is in four spades. West leads the heart queen: three, seven, two. He continues with the heart four: eight, king, nine. East now plays the heart five. How should South get lucky?
Things look grim. All the evidence – East’s overcall and West’s lead with the heart jack in the dummy – points to West’s having started with a doubleton heart. If West also has the spade queen, he will overruff declarer at this trick. Later, someone, presumably East, will take the spade ace to defeat declarer. South must start by assuming that East has the spade queen, but how does that help? The defenders are still likely to collect two spade tricks.
There is one faint chance. Declarer should ruff the third heart with the spade jack. Let’s assume West defends well by discarding. Now South leads a low spade and calls for dummy’s king.
If it is declarer’s lucky day, East will drop the queen. If so, South returns to his hand in a minor and plays a spade toward dummy’s 10.
Don’t overlook any chance, however remote, to make your contract.
COPYRIGHT: 2022, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE Sudoku by Wayne GouldBridge10/19/22
IS IT HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY?
Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 grid contains the digits 1 through 9, with no repeats. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box. Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com
How do you view chance? We hear stories about people being incredibly lucky; for example, someone who wins a multimillion-dollar lottery. No one talks about the person who loses 20 straight bets at the racetrack.
Difficulty level: GOLD
solution:
K-Pop stars of BTS plan to do military service, dashing fans’ hopes of exemption
BloomBerg
Members of South Korean boy band BTS plan to do their man datory military service starting this year and will only get back together around 2025, their man agement company said Monday.
The band’s oldest member Kim Seok-jin, known as Jin, will start his enlistment process as soon as end-October, Hybe said in regulatory filings and on Twitter, adding that other members will follow based on their individual plans and that the timing was not definite. The group shocked their fans in June when they said they will take an indefi nite hiatus to pursue solo projects, but fans hoped
the government would exempt the superstar group from service.
“Both the company and the members of BTS are looking forward to reconven ing as a group again around 2025 following their service commit ment,” it said in its latest statement, which came after the group gave what’s likely to be their last concert for years on Saturday.
BTS’ success has helped to bolster South Korea’s position as a cul tural force and tourist destination, and polls show a majority of citi zens think its members should be exempted from mandatory duty, which typically lasts about two years.
Benicia Theatre Group opens Friday with murder mystery
First production after 2-year Covid hiatus
Todd R. H ansen THANSEN@DAILYREPUBLIC.NETBENICIA — Beate Bruhl helps bring historic build ings back to life, and is doing the same for the Benicia Theatre Group, which this week will present its first play in two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Laura,” a murder-mystery, begins its four-weekend run Friday in the downtown theater on West J Street.
This is the 23rd production on which Bruhl has painted the sets, but she felt a bit uncertain about this one.
“I was quite nervous because I’ve never used such a muted palette, but I rather like it,” said Bruhl, who grew up inspired by the great cathedral in her hometown of Cologne, West Germany, as well as the theater sets and costumes of the shows she attended during her school years.
Bruhl admits she had dreams of being an artist, but found she was more interested in the craft than the fine art itself, so she gravitated toward decorative painting and archi tectural restoration.
She did, for example, the gold leaf work on the restora tion at San Francisco City Hall, and worked on the San Fran cisco Opera House. But her favorite projects during her 30 years in the business is her first after coming to the United States in the late-1980s, and that was the Michigan state Capitol.
The Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Red Bluff also is a project she remembers fondly, and her current work on a small theater in Oroville is something she is enjoying because she has a general affinity for theaters, particularly those from the Cal
ifornia Art Deco period.
“It is different than Euro pean Art Deco or French Art Deco. It is more colorful,” Bruhl said.
Her love of live theater brought her to the Benicia play house, formerly the Portuguese Hall, which was completed in 1915. The theater group started in 1964. Bruhl said she went to a show and was impressed with the elaborate sets and cos tumes, less so the paint work.
“But I said I can’t complain
unless I do something about it,” Bruhl said.
So she volunteered, and she is still volunteering for the theater group. Bruhl said she loves the artistic freedom the work allows her, knowing the finished product must allow for audience members sitting farther back in the theater, while much of her other work efforts are examined rather closely.
Like the rest of the group – officially the Benicia Old Town Theatre Group, but since 2018 has marketed itself as the Benicia Theatre Group – Bruhl was beginning to work on the production of “Laura” for spring 2020. Then the pandemic hit.
Cindy Smith, a member of the theater group’s board of
BridgeTHE OPTIMIST AND THE REALIST
The optimist looks at a ring doughnut and sees only the doughnut. The pessimist looks at the same doughnut and sees only the hole. The realist knows that whatever the shape, the doughnut still tastes good. How does each of those players approach bridge?
In today’s deal, how should South
by Phillip Alderplan the play in six clubs?
The contract is against the odds, but neither player did anything dreadful in the auction. Having the spade jack or 10 would improve the slam’s chances, but who can make bids based on the possession or absence of a key jack or 10?
There are different ways to play the contract, but the best line is to start with the club ace-king before turning to spades. If the clubs are 3-2 and the spades 3-3, dummy’s heart loser will disappear on the 13th spade. Declarer is also home if the club queen drops doubleton and the defender with three trumps has at least three spades.
However, when South leads a trump off the dummy at trick two, East plays the queen. The optimist thinks this might be from queen-doubleton. The realist knows this is highly unlikely because no one defends like that. The pessimist, thinking the 4-1 trump break is fatal, throws in the towel.
The realist plays on. Knowing that he cannot afford another round of trumps, he wins with the club ace and immediately cashes his spades, banking on a 3-3 split. West ruffs the last spade as dummy’s low heart goes away. Back comes a trump, but South wins, ruffs his heart loser in the dummy, returns to hand with a diamond, draws the last trump and claims – really!
COPYRIGHT: 2022, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE Sudoku by Wayne GouldBridge
THE OPTIMIST AND THE REALIST
Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 grid contains the digits 1 through 9, with no repeats. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box. Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com
The optimist looks at a ring doughnut and sees only the doughnut. The pessimist looks at the same doughnut and sees only the hole. The realist knows that whatever the shape, the doughnut still tastes good. How
Difficulty level: BRONZE
solution:
Here’s how to work it:
Theatre
directors who helps coor dinate a host of activities, said when word came back that the theater could open again, the decision was made to stick with “Laura.”
Gene Tierney played the leading role in the film noir version, but Smith isn’t saying who will be the lead in this production. It is all part of the mystery. The play is written by Vera Caspary and George Sklar and is based on Caspary’s book by the same title. It made its first appearance on Broadway in 1947.
Chloe Bronzan was still available as the director, and the cast of eight was reassem bled. Then the work of building the sets began, amassing the costumes and then the call went out to Bruhl.
Smith said 1,700 post cards were sent out to let locals know the theater was back in business. Posters were put up around town as well.
Bruhl’s first step is to go talk to the director, and look at the costumes. She read the play and even watched a couple of other noir films to get a feel for what the stage environment should be – thus the darker, muted colors.
The theater has a capacity of 99 patrons, who are seated at tables.
productions.
“We have a play selec tion committee made up mostly of the board members, but there are others,” said Smith, who said plays are read and discussed before a final decision is made.
That committee, at times, has broadened its reach from the tradi tional theater fare.
In 2015, the year the hall was celebrating its 100th anniversary, the theater group presented “Two Trains Running,” an August Wilson play set in 1968 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and featured an all Afri can-American cast. Five years earlier, another all African-American cast put on “Fences,” another August Wilson play.
“We do attract people from all over the Bay Area and even Southern California,” Smith said about the audience and actors as well.
The spring produc tion for 2023 has been selected. It is the comedy farce, “Boeing Boeing,” by French playwright Marc Camoletti.
The Friday and Satur day shows are at 8 p.m. The Sunday shows are at 2 p.m. “Laura” closes Nov. 12 with no Sunday show that weekend. Hearing-assistance devices are available.
The cost is $26 general admission. The senior and student ticket price is $24. For every fifth ticket purchased in a group, there is a $3 dis count. So if 10 tickets are bought, there would be
Anderson & Associates, CPA’s Caliber Home Loans - Wendi Lucas
Dependable Heating and Air Conditioning Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano Downtown Theater Foundation for the Arts
Jim Stever Realty - Stever & Associates Law Office of Elizabeth Anderson
Medic Ambulance Service
Meyer Corporation
Michael J. McMurry CPA
Napa Solano Medical Society
NorthBay Healthcare
Operating Engineers Local Union No. 3
Pam Watson, REALTOR®
Salvation Army - Suisun City, KROC Center
Vogelpohl Real Estate Consulting & Sales
Yin McDonald’s
AFC Solano
CARSTAR Body Best Collision Eagle Eye Engraving Townhouse Apartments
Texas Street, Fair
Boxers (3-2 overall) host George Fox this week. Booker is from Fairfield.
Sophomore defen sive end Emmitt Espino (Armijo) had one solo tackle for Minot State in a 38-10 loss to Northern State. The Beavers (0-7) next play at Upper Iowa.
Graduate student and defensive lineman Muhindo Kapapa (Armijo) is at San Diego, along with Fairfield residents Amir Wallace (De La Salle) and Zamir Wallace (De La Salle). No individual statistics were available from the game, but the Toreros beat Presbyte rian 28-3 and improved to 3-3. San Diego plays Sat urday at St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Junior defensive back Luis Vicino Jr. (Vanden) had a hand in six tackles for Western Oregon in a 27-13 win over West Texas A&M. The Wolves (3-4) next play Wondeh and Eastern New Mexico for homecoming.
Senior defensive lineman Mondo Calde ron (Fairfield) had an assisted tackle for Minne sota-Morris in a 27-0 win over Crown College. The Cougars (4-3) next host Martin Luther.
Junior defensive back Jackson Troutt (Rodri guez) saw action for the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in a 17-0 win at MIT. The Mariners (4-3) are at Catholic Uni versity in Washington, D.C., Saturday.
Senior defensive back Zach McLellan (Will C. Wood) saw action for Adams State in a 29-27 loss to Chadron State. The Grizzlies (1-6)
Murray
host Colorado Mesa Uni versity on Saturday.
Men’s Tennis
Sophomore Zach Lim (Rodriguez) competed at the ITA Northeast Region als in Philadelphia for Penn. He defeated Charlie Penman of Monmouth in the Round of 64, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 before losing to Axel Vila Antona of St. John’s 1-6, 6-4, 7-5 in the Round of 32.
Women’s Golf
Riley Birch (Vacav ille) had rounds of 76 and 80 to finished 10th overall for UC Santa Cruz in the American South west Conference Preview Tournament in Grand bury, Texas. The Banana Slugs finished third overall as a team.
Senior Alissa Salazar (Will C. Wood) had rounds of 86 and 87 to finish 79th at the Western Washington Invitational in Bellingham. The Pen guins tied for first in the tournament.
Women’s Volleyball
Junior setter Camille Rivers (Vacaville) played in three matches for Holy Names and all came in Hawaii. Rivers had four service points, one kill, 27 assists and 12 digs in a 3-1 loss to HawaiiHilo. She had four service points, one kill, 25 assists and 17 digs in a 3-1 win over Hawaii Pacific. And she had three service points, one kill, 10 assists and six digs in a 3-0 loss to Chaminade. The Hawks are now 10-12.
Mylei Moli (Bethel, Solano) played in three matches for the Univer sity of Maine, Fort Kent. Moli had four service points, three kills and
cheer for.”
six digs in a 3-1 win over La Roche. She had three service points, 11 kills and one dig in a 3-0 win over Pittsburgh-Brad ford and four service points, four kills and six digs in a 3-1 win over Pittsburgh-Greenberg.
Junior setter Kayla Somonton (Vacaville, Solano) picked up three service points, 15 assists and four digs for Simpson in a 3-0 win over Ante lope Valley. She had three service points, two kills, 24 assists and 13 digs in a 3-0 loss to La Sierra. The Red Hawks are 5-15.
Senior defensive spe cialist Angel Gamboa (Will C. Wood) had three service points for Sonoma State in a 3-0 loss to Cal State Los Angeles. The Seawolves are 14-6 overall.
Junior middle blocker Coco Ikpe (Vanden) knocked down one service point in a 3-0 loss to Cal State San Bernardino. The Highlanders are now 4-13.
Senior middle blocker Lindsey McLaughlin (Rodriguez, Solano) had three service points, eight kills and three digs for Cal Poly Humboldt in a 3-0 loss to Cal State Los Angeles. McLaughlin had five service points, 12 kills, one assist, two blocks and six digs in a 3-2 loss to Cal State Dominguez Hills. The Lumberjacks fell to 2-13.
Junior middle blocker Megan Stanek (Vacav ille Christian) delivered three service points, three kills and two blocks in a 3-0 loss to Linfield. She also had five service points, three kills and a block in a 3-2 win over Lewis & Clark.
Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Whyte (Vanden) had three service points, five kills
and 13 digs for Chico State in a 3-0 loss to Cal State San Bernardino and three service points, two kills and four digs in a 3-0 loss to Cal Poly Pomona. The Wildcats are 3-16.
Freshman middle hitter Lauren Whyte (Vanden) had a service point and a kill for CSU Dominguez Hills in a 3-2 win over Sonoma State. The Toros are 4-15.
Women’s Soccer
Senior defender Abby Wolf (Armijo) played 90 minutes for the Uni versity of the Pacific in a 2-2 draw with Gonzaga. The Tigers are 5-1-9 overall.
Sophomore forward Sumer Baron (DaVinci Academy) and Kylie Rolling (Will C. Wood) saw action last week for Chico State. Baron had a shot on goal and played 42 minutes while Rolling was in for seven minutes in a 1-0 loss to Cal State San Marcos. Baron played 14 minutes in a 1-0 win over Cal State San Bernardino. The Wild cats are 7-3-4.
Senior forward Karla Cardinal (Vacav ille, Solano) and senior defender Brooke Molina (Will C. Wood, Solano) played in two matches for Bushnell. Cardi nal had one shot and played 87 minutes for the Beacons, while Molina saw action in 63 minutes in a 3-2 loss to Provi dence. Cardinal played 72 minutes and Molina 40 minutes in a 5-0 loss to Rocky Mountain College. The Beacons are 0-14.
Senior defender Avery Cambria (Rodri guez) played 26 minutes for Northwest Oklahoma State in a 0-0 draw with East Central. The Rangers are 6-4-4.
the fight to be competi tive and win more.
The thing that res onated was that Klay (Thompson) and Andre (Iguodala) and Dray mond (Green) and I are the first teammates since Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Cooper and Kurt Rambis – the only other foursome – to win at least four titles together (in the last 50 years: 1982, ’85, ’87 and ’88 with the Los Angeles Lakers).
That’s a special accomplishment, but it’s still too early to let any other thoughts creep in while we’re chasing stuff.
You’ve said you want to be a Warrior for the rest of your career. What does this place mean to you and is that true?
Definitely true. It obviously helps because we’ve grown and this is what we built. What we’ve built here is unique. And how we’ve maintained it, adding young guys who figure it out. It goes against everything the league has shown over the years. This is really hard to do.
To play for one team my whole career will be special considering that we’ve won along the way.
How confident are you that this team can be repeat NBA champions?
I don’t need to say it. We’re very confi dent. But we can’t get too ahead of ourselves. The team has different challenges that we have to conquer and differ ent competition that will be out there.
helped you learn how to win?
For sure. It sounds cliche, but it’s the honest truth.
In the aftermath of the Draymond Green situation, people are dubbing this the Last Dance because Green’s future with the team is contractually not set in stone. What do you say to people who think that?
Whenever someone has success, the imagina tion wanders to when the end is and what is going to be the reason that it unfolds.
I heard it back in 2019. I heard during the pandemic. We hear it a little louder now because we won again. We would have heard it louder had we not won. Nobody has any idea what’s going to happen.
Nobody last year could have guessed that JP (Jordan Poole) and Wiggs (Andrew Wiggins) would be in the situation they are in now. Poten tially being coveted free agents that we locked into extensions. Not a lot of people put money on that.
The conversations are part of what we do. For Draymond, Klay, me, we’ve been through it and we’re used to it. We hope that the end is when we don’t win. That should be the end, when there’s a sense that we’re not a championship con tending team. We know it’s not guaranteed to win a championship. When we know we’re a team that can legitimately win championships then you make certain deci sions. We haven’t been in that situation.
How confident are you in Draymond’s ability to succeed after the Poole incident?
season, his family was back home in Cedar Rapids. Kenyon Murray, Keegan’s father, has seen the support firsthand.
“The biggest buzz has been people looking forward to the NBA season,” Kenyon said. “We have had so many people whether it’s been through Twitter, Facebook or even at games. . . . People are just excited about the season because now they have somebody to really follow and
He added, “It’s different having someone to root for from the area and the state. This is a Hawkeye state. The University of Iowa is the fans’ pro sports. There’s been a number of guys from Iowa that have made the NBA, they just didn’t have that tie to the University of Iowa. It’s why we’re starting to see such a swarm of people say they can’t wait to watch the NBA.”
If Keegan Murray gets homesick, he can turn to Barnes to talk about the Iowa State Fair or discuss the windchill back home. Barnes grew up in Ames and attended Ames High School. Kenyon said having
someone like Barnes on the same team can help his son get through the grind of a long NBA season.
“I’m always happy to see another guy from Iowa carry the torch,” Barnes said. “Not a whole lot of us coming from there. He’s got a super-bright future not only for this team but in this league. I’ll be a fan of his for many years.”
A.J. Speck, a longtime Iowa sports fan, grew up watching the glory-day Kings teams 20 years ago. Drafting Murray brought him right back to his fandom.
“I stopped watching the NBA altogether a couple of years ago,” Speck said.
That’s the goal. We have a lot of guys that can do it, we have young guys that have now expe rienced that stage and know what to expect. Some guys that don’t. Excited to watch them figure it out.
You guys made winning champion ships look easy. Can you describe the process of building what’s become a historic team?
It’s hard to summa rize 11 years into one soundbite, but people don’t realize what those first four years were like missing the playoffs.
Losing to San Antonio (in 2013), losing to the Los Angeles Clippers (in 2014), getting over the hump the next year.
Those are four long years learning how to lose. Learning how to lose together and still come back the next year stronger. That’s been a big part of winning, because losing is hard and exposes a lot of things about how you’re made and how resilient you are. Those lessons show up at the biggest moments for us. That was the part that was hardest to build.
Learning to lose
Very. He’ll figure it out. We will have his back for the entire process. He doesn’t need anyone to hold his hand. He responds well to adversity and critics.
One of your mantras after the title was “What are they going to say now?” in response to talking heads who doubted the Warriors could climb the moun taintop. Do you guys have anyone left to prove wrong?
We use that as sound bites because it’s real and we hear the noise and proving people wrong is fun. The real motivation comes from what’s already built inside you. It’s great to have outside influence on that. It makes the long days of the season more meaningful because you can light a fire.
Ownership is spend ing a lot to keep this contention window open. How involved are you in the front office decisions?
It’s a collaboration for sure. That’s how good organizations are run. But I’m not the GM, coach or Joe (Lacob) and Peter (Guber).
