Daily Republic: Friday, November 11, 2022

US inflation slows more than forecast

Gives Fed downshift room

TRibune ConTenT agenCy

U.S. inflation cooled in October by more than forecast, offering hope that the fastest price increases in decades are ebbing and giving Federal Reserve officials room to slow down their steep interest-rate hikes.

The consumer price index was up 7.7% from a year earlier, the small est annual advance since the start of the year and down from 8.2% in Sep tember, according to a Labor Department report Thursday. Core prices, which exclude food and energy and are regarded as a better underlying indicator of inflation, advanced 6.3%, pulling back from a 40-year high in the prior month.

The core consumer price index increased 0.3% from the prior month, while the overall CPI advanced 0.4%. Both increases as well as the monthly rises were below the median econo mist estimates.

While the deceler

ation in core prices is welcome news, infla tion remains much too high for comfort for the Fed. Chair Jerome Powell, who said earlier this month that officials need to see a consis tent pattern of weaker monthly inflation, also indicated interest rates will likely peak higher than policy makers previ ously envisioned.

Declines in the price gauges for medical care services and used vehi cles restrained the core measure. Higher shelter costs contributed to more than half of the increase in overall CPI.

Treasury yields plunged while U.S. stock futures surged and the dollar index tumbled. Traders moved closer to pricing in a half-point Fed hike in December, rather than 75 basis points, and cut to below 5% where they see the peak rate coming next year.

The median estimates

See Inflation, Page A9

Ukraine cautious over Russia’s Kherson exit as army advances

TRibune ConTenT agenCy

Kyiv expressed caution about Rus sia’s announcement its troops are aban doning the Ukrainian city of Kherson, the first major regional center seized in its inva sion, in what would be a highly symbolic reverse for President Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine’s General Staff said Thursday it couldn’t confirm or deny a pullback after Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered troops to withdraw from the western bank of the Dnipro River and move to the other shore.

Ukrainian troops have advanced 4 miles in two directions in Kherson region over the

past 24 hours, liberat ing 12 towns and more than 260 square kilome ters of territory, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, commanderin-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces said on Telegram. “The likely pullout from Kherson is the result of our active operations,” he wrote.

Russia is moving weapons, equipment and units, but their forces still remain on the western bank of Dnipro river in Kherson, military spokeswoman Nataliya Humeniuk said on TV.

After Ukraine’s forces cut off their supply lines and pressured them at the front in the area, Russian troops and occu pation authorities had been pulling out of Kherson and across

See Ukraine, Page A9

Moy, Williams solidify election leads after vote count update

THANSEN@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

Moy is not ready to declare a victory with a 10,248 to 9,856 vote lead after Thursday’s count, numbers posted by the Solano County Registrar of Voter Office.

However, she hopes four-time incumbent Mayor Harry Price takes steps to make the transi tion easier.

“I’m going to give Harry time . . . but I would like for Harry to concede,” Moy said.

She said she believes she has the support of the community and said it is time to move forward.

“I know people know I love Fairfield and how hard I work for them,” Moy said in a phone interview.

Moy also knows she has fences to mend after saying some of her colleagues are corrupt, an accusa tion she has said she would clarify with names and details after the election.

Williams, a Suisun City coun cilwoman, could not be reached Thursday for comment, but she

extended

The

The county Elections Office will not be open Friday due to Vet erans Day and will resume the count Monday.

In other races, the election for the District 1 seat on the Fair field City Council is separated by 12 votes after Thursday’s count.

K. Patrice Williams holds that narrow advantage over Nora Dizon, 1,729 to 1,717. George Kennedy is a distant third with 1,387 votes.

The Suisun City council seats still have to be decided, too.

Officials wait to see if Halloween bump is start of winter surge

Todd R. H ansen THANSEN@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Solano County health officials believe the Halloween holiday explains the bump in coronavirus cases over the past week, but are watch ing to see if the jump in cases is also the start of the winter surge.

Dr. Bela Mayas, the county public health officer, said Thursday that two years

ago Halloween marked the beginning of the surge, but last year the surge started several weeks later.

Public Health also is looking to see what effect the new omicron-specific vaccine has on the surge – or at least the level of illness of those who are infected.

There were 149 booster shots administered since the last update Nov. 3, taking the total booster count to 182,638, the county reported.

There were 374 new coronavirus cases reported Thursday, 316 of which were from the actual sevenday period. That represents a daily average of 45.14, while the 10-day average rose from 43.7 to 51, the county reported.

The bulk of the new cases were reported in Vallejo, with 126, and Vacav ille, with 107. That sets the

Todd R. H ansen

FAIRFIELD — Catherine Moy and Wanda Williams solidified their leads in the elections for the Fairfield mayor and 3rd District supervisor races.

her advantage to 57.58% of the vote after the Day 3 count.

vote tally was 9,829 for Williams and 7,242 for Fairfield Councilman Chuck Timm, the Solano County Registrar of Voters Office reported.

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic

Junilda Sanchez scans ballots at the Government Center in Fairfield, Thursday.

Sheriff’s Office recognizes top employees, new deputies A3

Ants, rats and roaches, oh my!

Hurricane Ian’s debris stirs up pests increase in Florida

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

TAMPA, Fla. — For Richard Frank, it’s nor mally the insects that are buzzing. But in the weeks after Hurricane Ian’s landfall, the inces sant buzzing now comes from his phone.

“I’ve had five calls today alone about ants,” said Frank, owner of Do It Yourself Pest Control in St. Petersburg. “The ants are going crazy right now.”

After nearly four decades of doing busi ness in Pinellas County, Frank knows the drill after a hurricane: Strong winds knock down tree limbs and disturb the natural habitat for rodents and bugs, sending them scurrying for shelter. Rainfall turns to stagnant water, which attracts mosquitoes. And now, as debris piles await their pickup through out Tampa Bay, the pests are finding new homes. Often in yours.

“I’ve absolutely seen a change since the storm,” said Frank, a licensed entomologist. The uptick of customer calls in Ian’s aftermath have included bagworms (“10 times worse than I’ve ever seen them”), rats (“they get displaced after big storms”), millipedes (“about 50 customers calling me a week about ‘em”), roaches (“constant”) and ants (“crazy”).

It makes sense that pest encoun ters are increasing in Florida – the biggest urban pest-man agement market in America – after a devas tating Category 4 storm walloped the state, according to Michael Scharf, a professor of urban entomology at the University of Florida. There’s a ton of bugs in Florida’s subtropical climate, and they have to go somewhere when hun dreds of miles of habitat are suddenly altered.

“This is something that’s been seen many times before with storms,” Scharf said in an interview. “Now that waters have receded, and when there are debris piles everywhere, (pests) will thrive. They love woody, decaying biomass or structures that may have been damaged in the storm.”

Scharf’s job, as he describes it, is at the intersection of bugs, the public, the pest control industry and state regu latory industries. And as a recent Indiana expat, he’s quickly finding that Florida is a busy place for critters.

“Florida is like the invasion biology capitol of America,” he said. Especially after a storm: “They’re in a new habitat, and they’re having to explore it

Military brats, others share memories on Veterans Day

Fairfield’s life-blood has been Travis Air Force Base for more than 70 years along with others nearby former military bases – like Mare Island Naval Shipyard and Naval Air Station Alameda – where locals commuted to played a part in shaping the demo graphics of Solano County’s seat.

landed right beside my dad’s maintenance building.

Wade Back in the day

I’m a Navy brat who married an Army brat so the military is ingrained in me. One of my biggest disappointments was that I was unable to carry on the legacy of my father, Orvis T. Wade Sr., and my grandfather, Booker T. Wade, by joining the United States Navy. In 1982, after going through the tests and examinations to enlist, I was told that due to my history of asthma, it was not going to happen.

I was a little bitter and honestly more than a little jealous when I worked at Carl’s Jr. and some of the women there swooned over airmen who came into the establishment in uniform. I mean, the uniform I wore there had a freakin’ smiling Happy Star on it.

Despite my envy, I have always respected and honored those who serve or have served. On this Veterans Day, I am sharing some Facebook posts from locals about those who wear or who wore the uniform of the United States military.

Martha Runnels: My dad worked on the flight line at Travis from the mid-’50s to mid-’70s. I was so proud of him. He served our country from World War II through Vietnam in the Army Air Corps, Air Force National Guard and as a civilian.

June Rogers Hogan: Travis was Fairfield Suisun Army Air Field until General Travis was killed in a plane crash there. The engine

Teri Langdon Harper: My husband’s roommate fell asleep at the wheel and took out the guard shack at Travis’ main gate. Thankfully no one was injured – though the guard shack and his car were totaled.

Deborah Arsich: We moved here in 1962 because our dad was stationed at Travis. He was a pilot for the cargo planes. Our parents decided to buy their first (and only) permanent home here. We moved to Hawaii for three years, then came back when he was sent to Vietnam. He retired here and was very active in politics and the Boy Scouts. He passed away in 1996 due to complications from exposure to Agent Orange.

Mike Luikens: I worked the flight line handling baggage during the summer at Travis. It was awesome. The airmen were so nice to a 15-year-old kid. I have so many priceless memories. They were so protective and inspiring and it changed me to this day.

Jim Leong: My era at Travis was with the C-5A transport. They were 65 feet from the top of the tail to the ground and had 28 tires. When you looked up at it flying above, it looked like it was floating in the air like a huge blimp. The engine fullthrottle tests at night felt like the earth was shaking. Aaah, the sound of freedom!

Marianne Israel Jennings: I was born in Hawaii then we moved to Scotland, Germany, San Ber nardino, France and then Travis. I thought everyone traveled like that. Then we came to Fairfield and I learned some people had never been out of this area. That was so incredible to me. I went to six dif

ferent schools by the time I was in sixth grade. I wouldn’t trade the experiences I had for anything.

Andy Cooper: I was a Navy brat and I went to at least 14 schools for my 12 years. It sucked. Lifelong friends don’t exist from my child hood days. Fairfield was where I started to grow roots.

Linda Ueki Absher: One of the nice things about moving around in the military is how prepared Department of Defense schools are with students moving in and out of classes. After my dad retired, I went to a middle school in El Sobrante where I was treated as if I were the Loch Ness monster in a kimono.

Jeff Towne: When I lived on Travis as a kid in the early ’60s, the sound of the planes flying in and out all day never bothered me. In fact, I rather liked it. Now, I live in Old Town Suisun where the sounds of the trains drive me nuts.

Tamara Beck Watson: I’ve lived in Kansas for many years and who knew that the the sound of a C-5 could make me homesick for Fairfield?

Jay Edwards: You know you’re from Fairfield when you can tell a C-5 from a C-141 just based on the sound.

Khrysti Harris: Some current residents are definitely not here because of the military. I’ve seen certain folks complaining on Face book about the noise from the airplanes. Such privilege – to move here only to complain about the mil itary base. Newbies!

Fairfield freelance humor columnist and accidental local historian Tony Wade writes two weekly columns: “The Last Laugh” on Mondays and “Back in the Day” on Fridays. Wade is also the author of The History Press books “Growing Up In Fair field, California” and “Lost Restau rants of Fairfield, California.”

How to increase longevity, improve health in just two minutes a day

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

You want to be health ier and live longer, but finding the time to exer cise can be difficult for many people. A new study, however, finds you might need just two minutes a day to achieve those goals.

“We found as little as 15 minutes of vigor ous physical activity per week can lower all-cause mortality and cancer risk by 15%, and 20 minutes per week can lower heart disease risk by 40%. With additional health bene fits up to approximately 50 to 60 minutes per week,” lead author Dr. Matthew Ahmadi, a post doctoral research fellow at the University of Sydney, told Medical News Today.

For their study, pub lished recently in the European Heart Journal, the researchers selected and enrolled 71,893 adults from the UK Biobank, “a large-scale biomedi cal database and research

resource, containing indepth genetic and health information from half a million UK participants.”

All participants –who were ages 40-69 and had no evidence of cancer or cardiovascu lar disease – were given a wearable device that tracked their physical activity and classified it as either vigorous, moderate intensity or light intensity.

“This is one of the largest wearables devicebased (studies) in the world and the first to assess the health-enhanc ing benefits of vigorous physical activity,” Ahmadi said.

Although moderate physical activity was described as exercise that

raises your heart rate but doesn’t leave you out of breath, vigorous exercise includes “sprints, high intensity interval train ing, swimming or cycling at fast speeds.” This exer tion leaves a person trying to catch their breath while speaking.

According to the study, adults who participated in no vigorous physical activity had 4% risk of dying in five years. Adding about 10 minutes of VPA a week cut that risk in half, and adding 60 minutes a week cut it in half again, to a 1% risk.

“Overall, we found that much lower durations of vigorous physical activ ity were needed to lower morbidity and mortal

ity risks,” Ahmadi told Medical News Today. “Therefore, any physical activity a person is doing provides an opportunity to do vigorous physical activity, if they can do the activity at a faster pace or higher intensity for just short periods of time.”

This is good news for many people, physical therapist Mike James told Medical News Today.

“For those people who are already doing exer cise, that is great and they should keep doing it. But for people who can not make it to a gym, they can also attain the health benefits of vigorous phys ical activity by doing their daily activities at a faster pace, even if it’s just for short periods of time. For example, gardening or doing household chores at a little higher inten sity for short periods, or fast walking interspersed with comfortable walking pace when walking during the day.”

Tony

Tim Farmer Collection/Courtesy photo

A vintage Travis Air Force Base postcard.

‘We found as little as 15 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week can lower all-cause mortality and cancer risk by 15%.’

— Dr. Matthew Ahmadi, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Sydney

Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times/TNS

A view of the overflow debris management site in St. Petersburg, Florida.

See Pests, Page A5

FAIRFIELD — The Solano County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday after noon recognized five of its staff as the best at what they do – and did a little catching up because of the pandemic.

Sheri Speakman was recognized as Supervi sor of the Year and Brandi Aguilar was recognized as Deputy Sheriff of the Year – both from 2019.

Nichole Stone is the Employee of the Year, Alisha Hurley is the Supervisor of the Year and Dale Matsuoka is the Deputy Sheriff of the Year for 2021.

The ceremony was held in the Board of Supervi sors chamber.

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Regis tration is being accepted for the fourth annual Solano Youth Resiliency Summit set for Dec. 10.

The theme of the summit event is “Ignite: Art. Advocacy. Action” and focuses on youth getting involved with lead ership and to “share their important perspectives and develop resiliency.”

Promotions were awarded to Hurley, office supervisor Employee Ser vices; Tracy Holman, staff analyst; Mary Heath, Emergency Services

The free event will include expert-led work shops “focusing on mental health and wellness, pre vention of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, life after high school, healthy rela tionships and (more),” organizers stated.

“It is an engaging and impactful way for us to provide students with learning that helps develop skills necessary to build resilience and effec tively meet challenges,

coordinator II; Brandon Holtzman, custody ser geant; Rami Kassis, custody sergeant; Eduardo Borrego, sher iff’s sergeant; Asish

Chandra, sheriff’s lieu tenant; and Lisa Donahue as the new director of Administrative Services.

The latest hires in the department also were recognized: Nicholas Bin gaman, legal procedures clerk; Alena Castillo, office assistant III; John Barnes, sheriff’s secu rity officer; James Waters, correctional officer; and Jenna Rhodes, public safety dispatcher.

Other new hires include Daniel Marfil, accountant; Mark Helsel, building trades mechanic; Jennifer Novelli, Emergency Ser vices coordinator II; Jose Rubalcava-Gallo, deputy sheriff (extra help); Stefanie Gulick, deputy sheriff; and Robert Wright, deputy sheriff.

County Public Health receives state

FAIRFIELD — A $125,000 state grant has been awarded to the Solano County Public Health Division to expand its car seat safety education program.

The grant comes from Office of Traffic Safety.

“The funds provided by OTS award will help our program continue to provide the services that we currently offer, and allow us to provide Solano families new program services such as virtual car seat inspections,” Tracy Nachand, super vising Health Education specialist, said in a state ment released Tuesday.

The Solano Car Seat Connection Program offers car seat inspection services at public events throughout the year, as well as one-on-one inspections for com munity members who request the service.

“We are excited to

expand our car seat inspection services to a virtual format so that we may offer another option for families who may face barriers such as scheduling conflicts or transportation issues,” Nachand said in the statement. “Addition ally, classes will be offered in both Spanish and English.”

The grant will fund training for new instruc tors to help with the education program.

About 59% of car seats are installed incorrectly, Safe Kids Worldwide has reported. Common errors are incorrect har nessing of the child, incorrect installation for rear-facing car seats and incorrect seat belt posi tioning for children in booster seats.

The car seat program began in Solano County in 1996. For information, visit www.vibesolano. com and www.vibesolano. com/classes.

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — A Santa Rosa-based nonprofit is taking nominations for the Nation’s Finest 50 Award, an initiative “to rec ognize and celebrate individuals – alive or deceased – who have gone above and beyond to make a real impact in the lives of veterans and their fami lies over the last 50 years.”

“Nominees can be well-known leaders and supporters, both military and non-military, leaders of nonprofit organizations, or individuals who work quietly behind the scenes without recognition to assist veterans transi

tioning from military life to civilian life. People who have assisted veter ans from all branches of military service will be considered,” the organi zation said in a statement.

“Please nominate people who have helped veterans in need over the last 50 years and follow us on social media to track the program and nominees leading up to final announcements of the winners on Memo rial Day 2023.”

To nominate a person, go to https://nationsfin est50.us.launchpad6. com/2022. The honorees will be selected by a blue ribbon panel.

overcome adversities and advocate for positive changes in their commu nities,” Solano County Superintendent of Schools Lisette Estrella-Hender son said in a statement.

The summit is open to students in eighth through 8 to 12th grades who live in or attend school in Solano County. It runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sunrise Event Center located at 620 Orange Drive in Vacaville. Space

is limited to the first 100 students.

Register at www.sola nocoe.net/youthsummit.

The Youth Resiliency Summit is coordinated in partnership with Drug Safe Solano, Touro Uni versity California’s Department of Public Health, Nature of Sound, Solano Public Health, VIBE Solano, Solano County Friday Night Live, Solano Youth Coalition and the Vallejo Project.

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — The city has installed Home town Hero Banners in their new loca tions downtown.

“Getting the banners installed at the new loca tion to show thanks to Vacaville residents and loved ones who have served in the U.S. armed forces culminated just in time for the Veterans Day holiday,” Assistant City Manager GeorgeAnne Meggers-Smith said in a statement. “The City Council and proponents are pleased to see this positive outcome for the program, and most important the muchdeserved recognition and acknowledgement of our Hometown Heroes.”

The work was com pleted Wednesday.

The banners had been displayed on Peabody Road, but the wind con ditions caused issues so the city decided to move them to the downtown area.

“Over the last several months, the city has tested the durability of existing banners at this

new location, and yes terday the Public Works Department (crew) suc cessfully installed six new, high-quality, dou ble-sided banners that honor 12 Vacaville Hometown Heroes,” the city stated.

City Council members donated money from their Council District Benefit Program, funded by Measure M, making the program free to the 12 who are being recognized. For more information about the program, send an email to hometownhero@ cityofvacaville.com.

THE DAILY REPUBLIC DELIVERS. CALL 707-427-6989.

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic photos

Recognition Ceremony at the Solano County Board Chambers in Fairfield, Thursday.

Dale Matsuoka is recognized as the 2021 Deputy Sheriff of the Year during the Solano County Sheriff’s Office Employee Recognition Ceremony at the Solano County Board Chambers in Fairfield, Thursday.

Cory Booth/Courtesy photo The city installed Hometown Hero banners in downtown Vacaville, Tuesday.

School board OKs Travis district’s updated financial report

SuSan Hiland SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Travis School District is holding its own financially amid declining enrollment projections, trustees were told this week in an update on the district’s budget.

Chief Business Officer Gabe Moulaison on Tuesday presented the school board with the 2022-23 First Interim Report and budget pro jections for the current school year.

The data was from July 1 through Oct. 31 with updates due to changes that were made after the Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 185, the Education Omnibus Trailer Bill that sets statewide school spending for the year.

“We aren’t seeing a ton of changes,” Mou laison said.

School district budgets are controlled by what the state defines as the Local Control Funding Formula, which is used by the state to in large part determine how much state money each district receives.

Moulaison reports the major K-12 funding high lights in the 2022-23 state budget include:

n A Local Control Funding Formula base grant increases by 6.7%; the initial state budget increased the base grant by 6.28%, but the trailer bill (Assembly Bill 185)

established the increase at 6.7%

n The Local Control Funding Formula calcula tion was amended to allow school districts to utilize the greater of current year, prior year or the average of the most recent three prior years’ of average daily attendance.

n For eligible local edu cational agencies, the 2021-22 Local Control Funding Formula calcula tion was amended to utilize the greater of 2021-22 average daily attendance or the 2021-22 average daily attendance adjusted to reflect the local educational agency’s 2019-20 attendance rate.

n $7.9 billion to estab lish the Learning Recov ery Emergency Block Grant.

n $3.6 billion to estab lish the Arts, Music and Instructional Materials Discretionary Block Grant.

n Full funding of $4 billion for the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program with changes to the calculation of funds, offering and access requirements; $5 million of the $4 billion is for county offices of education to provide technical assis tance, evaluation and training services to support program improve ment.

n Home-to-school transportation funding

See Report, Page A5

Travis trustees hear update on finances of special tax districts

SuSan Hiland SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Travis School District trustees heard an update Tuesday on two special tax districts that between them hold nearly $10 million in tax payer money.

Chief Business Officer Gabe Moulaison gave the presentation on the Com munity Facilities Districts No. 1 and No. 2 Special Tax Annual Reports.

There are 1,775 resi dential parcels for which a building permit has been issued as of June 1 for Community Facilities Dis trict No. 1, according to the report.

The total annual special tax to be collected within Community Facil ities District No. 1 for the 2022-23 fiscal year is $1.051 million.

Certificates of partic ipation in the amount of $7.8 million were autho rized Sept. 1, 1992, by the Travis School Dis

trict Board of Trustees. Proceeds from the sale of the certificates, which were issued May 1, 1992, were used to construct school facilities needed for enrollment gener ated by new residential development within the community facilities dis trict’s boundaries.

The bonds were refi nanced in November 1997 and increased to $13.5 million, Moulai son said in the report. The term of 30 years remains with the final cer tificates of participation to be retired by Septem ber 2027. The bonds were refinanced in 2007 with $12.74 million in certif icates of participation for a 20-year term with the final payment due in August 2027.

The bonds were refi nanced in 2017 as part of a new clean renew able energy bonds and tax-exempt lease

See Tax, Page A5

Obituaries

Carole Lish Schneider

We are saddened to announce the passing of Carole Lish Schneider. She died from cancer on Oct. 1, 2022, age 64, and was surrounded by her family. A native of Fairfield, California, Carole was a devoted mother, a loving wife and a dedi cated educator.

Carole cherished her 34 years of teaching, imparting the values of lifelong learning to her students as well as her own children.

She loved to travel with her family, but was just as happy to enjoy a good book with her husband, with her cat curled up on her lap.

She is survived by her husband, Michael Bailey; children, Aeden Lish Schneider, Timothy Lish Schneider and spouse, Travis Swink; siblings, Thomas Lish II and Laurie Nipper.

She was preceded in death by her sister, Martha Peggy Erck; and parents, Thomas C. Lish and Peggy H. Lish.

No public service will be held, as the family wishes to pri vately celebrate Carole’s life.

In lieu of flowers, contributions to the local library or animal shelter in her memory would be appreciated.

E.G. Doc Waslohn

E.G. Doc Waslohn passed away peacefully on Nov. 1, 2022, sur rounded by family. He was 79 years young. Doc was born in Hilo, Hawaii, and raised in Fair field, California. He attended High School at Armijo until his father was deployed to Japan with the family. He graduated from Johnson High School near Tokyo, Japan.

Doc received scholar ships to play football at Tyler Junior College and East Texas State, where he played football and studied business. After college, he worked in the chemical business. He traveled all over the country working for DuBois Chemicals for many years, until he moved back permanently to the Bay Area.

Doc and his wife, Lynne, built LLW Properties, a suc cessful property manage ment company in Solano County and were active members of the community. Doc was a member of the Fairfield Rotary Club and a board member at Green Valley Country Club.

Doc was an avid golfer and storyteller, a singer of songs, a ukulele player and always the life of the party. Doc loved his family and was a devoted husband and wonderful brother, father and grand father. He could always be

counted on to help a friend or family member in need.

Leading up to his passing, he enjoyed the freedom and independence of driving his car, eating Burger King and smoking his cigarettes.

He is survived by his daughter, Julia Tapia of Fairfield, California; brother and wife, Ron and Theresa Waslohn of Vacaville, Cal ifornia; stepdaughter and husband, Debi and David Douglas of The Woodlands, Texas; stepson, Randy Davis of Lewisville, Texas; and his grandchildren, Ricky and Hayden Tapia of Fairfield, California, and Clark and Tyler Douglas of The Wood lands, Texas.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Lynne Waslohn; parents, John and Benedicta Waslohn; brother, John Waslohn; and his sister, Debbie Waslohn.

A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 18, 2022, at Bryan-Braker Funeral Home, 1850 W. Texas St., Fairfield.

In lieu of flowers, memo rials may be made to the Lung Cancer Research Foundation or the American Cancer Society.

Arrangements are under the direction of BryanBraker, 707-425-4697. You may sign the guestbook at www.bryanbraker.com.

Sherre Diane Blass June 24, 1932 — Oct. 23, 2022

Born Sherre Diane Martin in Covina, California, she grew up in Temple City in Southern California with her dad, David, her mom, Winifred (Winnie), and her younger brother, Jim.

Having decided at a young age that she wanted to be a teacher, she attended San Jose State after high school and worked toward her teaching credential.

She lived much of her adult life in Walnut Creek where she raised her children and was employed for 30 years as a first grade teacher by the Mount Diablo Unified School District.

Sherre bought a home in Fairfield in 2005. She enjoyed being closer to her children and grandchildren and made many new friends as she joined local clubs, volunteered at Kaiser Permanente, attended many theater productions, and played a lot of bridge.

She is survived by her brother, Jim Martin of North Car olina; three sons and their wives; as well as eight grandchil dren; and four great-grandchildren.

Sherre was preceded in death by her parents, David and Winifred Martin; and her first husband, Gaylord Bryan.

Sherre did not want a service of any kind after her death and unselfishly donated her body to a special program at UC Davis. A celebration of life will be planned for a future date.

June 2, 1933 — Oct. 25, 2022

Merritt DeWitt Griffith of Fairfield, California, died on Oct. 25, 2022, at the age of 89 years. He was born June 2, 1933, in Glen dale, California, to Meritt Orison Griffith and Mercie Laverne (Golds brough) Griffith.

His father was a furniture sales man and interior designer, and also a veteran of WWI. Before becoming a homemaker, his mother played the violin for the Los Angeles symphony and also played in the orches tra pit for the silent movies. Later, Mercie became a bookkeeper.

In 1939, Grif’s sister Suzanne was born. Grif’s father died shortly there after when Grif was seven years old. Grif, his mother and sister moved in with family in Nephi, Utah, and later moved to Seattle.

In his youth, ‘De’, as they called him back then, having studied piano since the age of nine, became a classi cal pianist playing for KING Radio Station in Seattle, Washington. In 1956, he graduated from Washing ton State University with a degree in political science, after which he joined the army and became an officer while stationed in Barstow, California.

During this time, he met and married his first wife, Peggy Van Tussenbrock, on Nov. 9, 1957. They had two daughters, Adrienne Eliz abeth and Stephanie Jane. After military service, the family moved to Santa Rosa, California, where Grif began a 30-year career as an insur ance investigator, which ulti mately brought the family to Fairfield, California. As a family they enjoyed many years of camping and water skiing with friends. Grif and Peggy divorced in 1979.

Grif met his second wife, Ilona Elvrum, at Johnson’s Bakery in downtown Fair field. They were married on Feb. 27, 1982. He became the stepfather of Kevin and Linda. Tragically, traveling through Mendocino County to celebrate their 10th anni versary, Ilona was killed in an auto accident involving an impaired driver. This was a traumatic experience for all. However, Grif remained in close contact with Kevin and Linda over the years, enjoying personal relation ships with both of them.

Grif was a longtime and active member of the Community United Meth odist Church of Fairfield, serving on several commit tees. He especially enjoyed

his time as lay liturgist. He had a great speaking voice. At one time he wanted to be a radio announcer, but due to a stutter was discour aged from pursing the profession. Later, the stutter disappeared.

Grif met his third wife, Bonnie Burroughs, through his affiliation with CUMC. They were married on Jan. 1, 2003. Grif then became the stepdad of Jon, Joel, Jenny and Jacy Burroughs. Life for Grif was never shy of family activity. Bonnie’s three older children were married that same year, and Grif was a supporter of Jacy’s high school and college endeav ors and musical talent.

Grif welcomed every one with open arms. He had many dear friends through out his life. He was warm, compassionate, kind and loved a good joke. He was a punster himself. Grif was also a wonderful writer. He loved music, being in and on the water, golfing and above all, his family.

Over the years, Grif has played grandpa to his own two grandchildren by daughter, Adrienne, David and Sarah Sax, as well as the children of Kevin and Laura Elvrum, Otto, Owen and Olivia. Grif was also the proud stepgrandfather to Emily and Ethan, the chil dren of Jon Burroughs, Michael, the son of Joel and Maria Burroughs, Jessica, Xander, and Kate, the chil dren of Andrew and Jenny Burroughs, and Ben George, the son of Matt and Jacy George. Family life was always so important to Grif, and he took pride in hearing of all their activities.

Grif is preceded in death by his daughter, Adrienne Elizabeth Griffith; sister, Suzanne Elizabeth Reiter; and his parents, Meritt and Mercie Griffith.

A memorial service to celebrate the life of Merritt “Grif” Dewitt Griffith will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022, at the Com munity United Method ist Church, 1875 Fairfield Ave., Fairfield, with a light lunch reception in the social hall following the service. Arrangements have been made through The Neptune Society of Northern Califor nia for his ashes to be scat tered at sea.

In lieu of flowers, contri butions in memory of Grif may be made to the Fund for Young People’s and Family Coordinator and/or the United Methodist Com mittee on Relief (UMCOR).

Merritt Griffith

ARMY VETERAN

Coast Guard out of Rio Vista rescues 3

RIO VISTA

U.S. Coast Guard personnel out of Station Rio Vista rescued three people from the San Joaquin River after their boat struck a submerged object and capsized.

The incident occurred about 2:50 p.m. Tuesday near Pirates Lair Marina at Isleton.

The Rio Vista boat crew arrived in a 29-foot response vessel at about 3:20 p.m., the Coast Guard reported. An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew also was sent out of San Francisco.

“The three passengers were retrieved from their capsized boat and transferred to awaiting emergency medical services in Pirates Lair Marina with reports of minor injuries,” the Coast Guard reported.

Plans for a salvage operation of the boat are ongoing.

Judge prohibits Jones from hiding assets

A judge has prohibited right-wing broadcaster Alex Jones from moving or disposing of assets as he prepares to challenge the verdict and $965 million compensatory award against him by relatives of Sandy Hook shooting victims defamed by his conspir atorial claims that the school massacre was a hoax.

“The court, having found probable cause, hereby orders, that with the exception of ordinary living expenses, the defendant Alex Jones is not to trans fer, encumber, dispose, or move his assets out of the United States, until further order of the court,” Supe rior Court Judge Barbara Bellis ordered.

Meanwhile, Bellis ordered Jones and his company Thursday to pay an extra $473 million to victims’ families and an FBI agent for calling the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting a hoax, adding to a nearly $1 billion jury verdict issued last month.

Deputy charged in death of suicidal man

LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles County sher iff’s deputy was charged Wednesday in the fatal 2021 shooting of a suicidal man.

Prosecutors filed one count of assault with a firearm and one count of assault under color of authority against Remin Pineda, 40, in the March 2021 killing of David Ordaz Jr. in East Los Angeles. Although Ordaz was armed with a kitchen knife and had talked to his sister about “suicide by cop” before the incident, the charges signal prose cutors’ belief that Ordaz did not pose an imminent threat to deputies when Pineda opened fire.

An arraignment has yet to be scheduled and it was not immediately clear if Pineda had retained an attorney. He was relieved of his law enforcement powers after the shooting, according to a statement issued by the Sheriff’s Department.

Last year, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he had “grave concerns” about the shooting. In a statement issued Thursday, he again offered his condolences to the Ordaz family.

— Staff, wire reports

districts. Districts with an unduplicated count of less than 60% are not eligible to receive con centration grants.

Shooting in Fairfield sends 1 to hospital

GOP eye narrow win in House, but Dems still hold out hope

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

Republicans were hoping Thursday to pull out a narrow win in the House of Representa tives but still have not locked up the majority, a far cry from the sweep ing midterms win some were expecting.

The GOP was projected to win about 220 House seats, according to CNN, a modest gain of a handful of seats that should be enough to forge a razorthin majority.

equal to 60% of expendi tures reported in the prior year, excluding capital outlay and nona gency expenditures, and reduced by the transpor tation add-on to the Local Control Funding Formula.

n A special education base rate increase to $820 per a special cate gory of average daily attendance.

Moulaison said he predicts the Travis dis trict will see a small increase in enrollment, then a decline over the next few years.

Local Control Funding Formula funding for the district is mainly received through a base grant, which is $51.6 million, and a supplemental grant, which is $4.097 million.

Funding also comes from what are called grade span adjustments, which for the Travis district totals $2.051 million, plus ad-ons, which come out to $783,361.

The district receives supplemental funding equal to 20% of the base grant for each undupli cated student.

Moulaison said the Travis School District does not receive the concentration grant that provides an additional 50% of base grant funding for each unduplicated student like surrounding

An unduplicated count represents the number of students who are eligible for free or reduced meal prices, foster youth and English learners.

Local Control Funding Formula revenues are calculated using the average daily attendance rate for the students who are enrolled in the district. Average daily attendance is cal culated three times per school year: December, April and June.

Moulaison reports the district’s enrollment has increased by 71 students from the 2021-22 school year, as of Oct. 5. This represents an overall decrease of 118 students from 2019-20.

Additional revenues come from federal, state and local funding, as well as grants.

The district’s 2022-23 general fund projections include a net increase of $5.8 million to a fund balance of $11 million, all of which is due to one-time money the district will spend in future years, according to the staff report. The restricted fund balance sits at $10 million.

Moulaison reports current expenditures are not outpacing revenues, and the district continues to operate with a posi tive cash flow.

year was $1.466 million while the ending fund balance June 30 was $1.418 million.

But two days after polls closed, the GOP still had not wrapped up the 218 seats needed to win a majority. Democrats still clung to slim hopes of retaining control of the House, with their chances hinging on scoring a series of upsets in red-leaning districts on the West Coast where mail-in votes were still being counted.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has announced he plans to run for speaker of the House regard less of the small size of any putative GOP major ity, and his top deputy Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., said he would run for the No. 2 role.

“I trust you know that earning the major ity is only the beginning,” McCarthy said in a letter to fellow GOP lawmakers.

McCarthy was making calls Thursday to bolster his chances of secur ing the gavel.

There was no imme diate sign of an open challenge to McCar thy from inside the GOP caucus.

CNN reported that members of the right-wing Freedom Caucus have already warned McCarthy that at least 25 GOP law makers will vote against him if they don’t win

by the South Florida area, where 29% of households reported roach sightings and 4% reported rodents, according to the same survey four years later.

unspecified concessions.

“Kevin McCarthy has not done anything to earn my vote for speaker,” Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., told Axios.

Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., kept low public profiles, although they discussed the race’s state behind closed doors.

Pelosi, whose husband is recovering from a politically motivated attack at their San Fran

impacts from Ian, there was still enough to change animals’ wild habitat, Dobrinska said.

cisco home, did not say whether she would run for another term as Demo cratic leader.

The potential for slight shifts mirrored the national political landscape, in which pre dictions for a Republican “wave” sweeping Con gress into solid GOP control failed to materi alize. Republicans were closing in on a slim House majority while Senate control will be decided by close races in Arizona, Nevada and Georgia.

and find food. So their interactions with people are going to be much more common.”

It doesn’t help that the Tampa Bay area is an overly buggy place.

In 2015, the U.S. Census Bureau in an American Housing Survey found our metropolitan area had more roaches than Miami, New York or Houston.

At the time, roughly 40% of the 1,000 house holds surveyed said they had roaches.

The unwanted title of buggiest city in Florida has since been reclaimed

It’s not just the locally owned shops that are noticing the uptick in pests post-Ian. The larger corporations are, too, according to Thomas Dobrinska, an urban ento mologist with Rentokil and an expert in residen tial pest control.

Though Tampa Bay was spared the worst

“It wasn’t like there was a tepid little storm in Tampa Bay – it was still an event,” Dobrinska said. The company also docu mented a rise in reports of dispersed mice and other rodents, and a “signifi cant increase” in ants and American cockroaches.

“When you have a catastrophic event like Hurricane Ian, it’s so sig nificant that you get this

massive displacement of this environment that’s been affected. So pests disperse into businesses and homes,” Dobrinska said. “That balance will come back eventually, but not immediately. Some times it’s a matter of months – or even years.”

financing. The lease payments for the 2021-22 fiscal year totaled $751,684.

The beginning fund balance for Community Facilities District No. 1 for the 2021-22 fiscal

Community Facilities District No. 2, as of July 1, included 1,837 parcels subdivided and non-subdi vided parcels.

No residential building permits have been issued after June 15, 2021. As a result, there has been no special tax revenue gen

erated for 2021-22 fiscal year, according to the report. The total annual special tax collected within Community Facil ities District No. 2 for the 2020-21 fiscal year was $2.6 million.

The beginning fund balance for Community Facilities District No. 2 was $7.816 million. The ending fund balance as of June 30 was $8.38 million.

One person was taken to NorthBay Medical Center after a shooting reported around 5:20 p.m. Thursday near the 7-Eleven on Tabor and Pennsylvania avenues. The severity of the person’s injuries was not immediately known.

Aaron Rosenblatt/

“Now, we will be mea sured by what we do with our majority.”

Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times/TNS House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., addresses a crowd during an election night watch party at the National Ballroom at The Westin, City Center in Washington, D.C., Wednesday.

In red California, election deniers rant about fraud, promise they won’t

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

REDDING — A cold rain poured outside as Patty Plumb stood before the Shasta County Board of Supervisors on Elec tion Day and – with a warm smile and a chipper voice – warned that the local voting system is rigged.

Plumb had conducted a “citizen’s audit” of the local voting rolls a few months ago, knocking on doors in search of fraud.

Dead people had cast ballots, she insisted, along with people who didn’t live in the county. Then there were the electronic voting machines, which Plumb claimed are all connected to the inter net and easily hacked by nefarious people.

“The machines need to be turned off, unplugged, melted down and turned into prison bars,” Plumb, 61, said in an interview.

The midterm elections came to this bitterly divided country with a storm of conspiracy theo ries, bolstered by former President Donald Trump and fanned by allies who support his lie that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

In this mostly rural Northern California county – where Trump beat President Joe Biden by 33 percentage points –local election officials and poll workers have felt threatened and under siege. The split is not so much red versus blue but traditional conservative versus far-right.

“We’re tired. Downto-the bones tired,” said Cathy Darling Allen, the Shasta County clerk and registrar of voters, who has been harassed and vil ified by election deniers.

And so, it was consid ered a relief – a victory, to some – that election night here came and went peacefully, without vio lence or intimidation.

But the conspiracy the ories about the validity of voting, and the target ing of the elections office, won’t stop any time soon, according to both Allen and local election deniers themselves.

During the June primary election, someone hung a trail camera – the kind hunters use to track wildlife – in the alley behind the county reg istrar’s office to monitor elections staff.

Private poll watchers trailed volunteers who were driving ballots from polling locations to the county registrar’s office in Redding, in some cases following them from neighboring towns.

As votes were being tallied, Allen heard people outside the elections office tracking her movements, ticking off what times she and another employee had come and gone. Some told her they slept outside all night to prevent anyone from tampering with ballots.

For the first time in her 18 years as county registrar, she grew so worried about her staff that she asked Redding police to escort them to their vehicles.

Then in September, Allen said, she learned of a group knocking on doors, pretending to be election workers and saying they were part of a “voter task force.”

They wore reflective vests. And instead of conducting door-to-door canvassing, they were driving into neighbor hoods, targeting specific homes and aggressively questioning voters about their registration, Allen said.

Worried they would create “a chilling effect on people even being reg istered to vote,” Allen sounded the alarm, putting out news releases that warned of voter intimidation. She alerted authorities.

Members of the group, including Plumb, called her a liar. They swore they were just sweet older people out to save democracy.

“We’re pretty scary, huh?” said Plumb’s cowboy hat-clad husband, Ronald, 71, outside the supervisors’ meeting, where he insisted that all elections in this country have been corrupt for probably the last 50 years.

Shasta County, home to 180,000 people, has become a lightning rod for political discourse in recent years.

Mainstream Republi cans have long held power in local government but have been roiled in recent years by a populist flank to their right, includ ing members of a local militia, secessionists who wish to carve their own State of Jefferson out of California’s conservative northern counties, and residents furious about coronavirus mandates.

On Jan. 5, 2021 – the day before the deadly

siege at the U.S. Capitol –the rage hit a tipping point when residents poured into the Board of Supervi sors’ chambers for what was supposed to be a virtual meeting.

“Flee now while you can,” Timothy Fairfield, of Shingletown, warned the supervisors. “Because the days of your tyranny are drawing to a close, and the legitimacy of this govern ment is waning.

“When the ballot box is gone, there is only the cartridge box. You have made bullets expensive. But luckily for you, ropes are reusable.”

This February, ultra conservatives stunned the state’s political estab lishment by recalling Supervisor Leonard Moty, a Republican former police chief, in large part because he enforced state-mandated coronavi rus restrictions.

Bankrolled by Reverge Anselmo, a former Hol lywood filmmaker turned vintner who abandoned the county after a bitter land use dispute, they then backed a slate of six men for the June election.

Their candidates were mostly rejected. As votes were being counted, a group that included militia members and elec tion deniers showed up at the old Montgomery Ward building in downtown Redding that houses the elections office.

Allen – a registered Democrat who was on the ballot herself – said she was peppered with the same questions about the voting machines and ballot security for hours.

“They didn’t believe that anyone that works here could be trusted with a ballot without one of them present,” Allen said of the poll watchers. “For

some of these folks, this is like a new religion.”

At public meetings, residents regularly quote MyPillow chief execu tive and pro-Trump conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell, ask to crack open and inspect the county’s Dominion voting machines, and call Allen a criminal.

This week, Allen said she was worried about her staff.

Asked if her family worries for her, Allen said her husband, “an Idaho farm boy,” recently got a concealed weapons permit.

At the county supervi sors meeting the morning of the election, speaker after speaker came to the microphone during public comments to say the vote was going to be rigged.

Susanne Baremore, 53, of Redding, made a coun terargument. She said extremism was “infil trating local politics” and that she believed Shasta County elections are “free and fair and accurate.”

As she walked back to her seat, Supervi sor Patrick Jones – who has questioned Domin ion voting machines and called for paper recounts of recent elections – mis pronounced her name.

When she corrected him, he retorted: “Most of what you say, I highly dis agree with.”

In her public com ments, Patty Plumb said she had submitted the results of her group’s cit izens’ audit to the Shasta County sheriff – proof, she said, of rampant voter fraud.

With a smile, she warned that Shasta County Sheriff Michael Johnson would be crim inally complicit in election malfeasance if he does not act.

Biden to meet China’s Xi next week

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

WASHINGTON —

U.S. President Joe Biden will seek to set a floor to prevent U.S.-China ties from deteriorating further when he meets his Chinese President Xi Jinping on Nov. 14, a senior Biden administra tion official said.

The official, who briefed reporters Thurs day, said the meeting’s

main objective was for Biden and Xi to deepen their understanding of each other’s priorities and intentions – and to set socalled rules of the road.

That’s a goal that the White House has been seeking since the leaders’ first call in 2021.

In the latest sign the White House isn’t expect ing any tangible policy breakthroughs from Biden and Xi’s first face-to-face

meeting, the official said the session during the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia was not being driven by a search for deliverables and that there would not be a joint state ment from the event.

The two leaders will discuss the war in Ukraine, recent North Korean nuclear activity, efforts to curb climate change and other areas where the nations can work together,

the official said.

Biden vowed Wednesday to make no “fundamental conces sions” to Xi, reinforcing already low expectations for any major break through in strained ties between the world’s two largest economies.

White House press sec retary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed in a statement that the meeting would take place Monday.

“This gives our sheriff the opportunity to do the right thing,” Plumb said. “And if people don’t do the right thing? Um, unfortu nately, the sheriff could be in prison ... We don’t want that to happen to Michael. We like him.”

Plumb told the Los Angeles Times that she and her husband traveled to Missouri in August to attend Lindell’s “Moment of Truth” summit, where he spread unfounded claims about voter fraud.

Lindell exhorted his followers to obtain “cast vote records” – enormous spreadsheets generated by voting machines – to hunt for fraud. That’s exactly what Plumb and the Shasta County citizen auditors did.

Despite the bluster that morning, Election Day proceeded smoothly. Some voters, both con servative and liberal, said they still believe in the system.

After casting his ballot at Redding City Hall, Charlie Tuggle laughed when asked if he believed his vote would be accu rately counted. Yes, he said, unequivocally.

“I’m a constitutionalist conservative libertarian,” said Tuggle, 41, a welder fabricator. “I don’t wear a tinfoil hat.”

He voted for Repub lican State Sen. Brian Dahle over Gov. Gavin Newsom and is tired of the state’s liberal politics and

high taxes – but the con spiracy theories aren’t helpful, he said.

After casting her ballot with her husband and 18-year-old son, who voted for the first time, Lorrie Forseth called Shasta County’s misin formation-laden politics embarrassing.

“It doesn’t represent who we really are,” said Forseth, a 56-year-old Democrat who was born and raised here. “When we feel concerned to say where we’re from because of the politics, it’s disheartening.”

At the county regis trar’s office that night, election staff prepared for a melee.

With a special permit from the city, they blocked off an alleyway behind the building where vol unteers dropped off ballots from different pre cincts – the same place where someone hung the trail camera and accosted poll workers in June.

A few sheriff’s depu ties were stationed around the building.

Five minutes before polls closed, Cheryl McKinley, the 70-year-old chair of the Democratic Women’s Club of Shasta County came bearing pizza and signs that read: “We (Heart) the Shasta County Elections Dept!”

She affixed a sign to Gryffin, her 6-yearold Tibetan spaniel and posted up outside the vote tabulating room in a sweatshirt that read: “READ!”

“In June, there was haranguing of Cathy Darling Allen, and we’re hoping to stand here and make sure that doesn’t happen again,” she said.

And – it didn’t.

When Allen yelled, “The polls are closed!” at exactly 8 p.m., volun teers cheered.

Outside, where it was 41 degrees, Richard Gal lardo, who was losing his bid to join the Shasta County Board of Edu cation, demanded to be let in the closed alley way to keep tabs on election workers.

In 2020, Gallardo announced at a county meeting that he was placing all of the supervi sors under citizen’s arrest. Sheriff’s deputies escorted him out, and no officials were jailed.

On social media this week, Gallardo implored poll watchers to take pic tures of records printed by voting machines to look for false information.

As he tried to push past the barricades in the alley, someone called the cops.

The big group of poll watchers never mate rialized. Gallardo stood in the rain with a friend, muttering.

Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times/TNS photos ABOVE: Richard Gallardo, left, a candidate for the Shasta County Board of Education, is told by members of the Redding Police Department that he is not allowed to walk into an alley to observe ballots being delivered to the Shasta County Clerk and Elections office in Redding because a temporary permit was obtained closing off the alley to members of the public.

LEFT: Cathy Darling Allen, the County Clerk and Registrar of Voters in Shasta County, is seen outside the Shasta County Clerk and Elections office in Redding, Monday. She has warned of voter intimidation and threats.

(707) 427-1386

De La Rosa confirms she’s pregnant with Cannon’s 12th child

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

DJ Abby De La Rosa slyly alluded Tuesday to the fact that Nick Cannon is the father of her third baby –and confirmed that she’s expecting one child with him, not another set of twins, as she had teased previously.

In her Instagram story, De La Rosa responded to a post from the account @ libras.society that said Tuesday, “1 night with a Libra can turn into 3-4 years . . . be careful,” dropping an “exhaling” emoji into the middle of that thought.

“damn! lol 1 night turned into 4 years and 3 kids real quick,” De La Rosa wrote. “I see no lies here smh. y’all be safe out there.”

Cannon, born on

Oct. 8, 1980, is a Libra. The host of “The Masked Singer” is also the father of Zion and Zillion, his and De La Rosa’s 16-month-old twin sons. His new baby with De La Rosa will be his 12th. De La Rosa didn’t name Cannon as the father of her child when she announced she was pregnant in June, but he hinted a few days later that he had more kids on the way. Then in early October, the DJ celebrated a babymoon vacation with Cannon by posting Instagram Story photos that included, according to People, a shot of him looking out over the ocean and a shot of both of them together. That was after he bought De La Rosa and their sons a house in Septem ber, saying, “It’s the least I could do.”

Pearls Before Swine

Stephan Pastis

Dilbert Scott Adams

Baby Blues Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott

Baldo Hector Cantú

It’s important to honor all of our veterans on Veterans Day

Dear Annie: On Vet erans Day, it is very important to honor all veterans, not just the ones that served in a war of soci ety’s approval. I am a Vietnam veteran, and the reception we got on returning to “the world” after our tour of duty was shameful, disgrace ful and disrespectful. Those of us that served did not have a political agenda or anything to do with the daily proceedings of the conflict. We just adhered to the laws of the United States, which required a male at the age of 18 to register for the draft. If drafted, one served and did so in an honorable fashion.

The Vietnam War was a war like no other. The enemy wore no uniform – could be a barber by day and a Viet Cong by night. This hap pened at one of the units I was assigned to. Harmful chemi cals were used in abundance. Many of my fellow veterans are now greatly affected by those chemicals. Both mental and

physical problems are rampant. Not all casu alties were from direct combat. Unless you were there, you cannot fathom what the life of a soldier was like. Until someone has walked a year in my jungle boots, they have no right to unfairly judge me.

I am proud to have served and only hope that those of us who have been at war throughout history are given the respect we deserve. Thanks for letting me air what I feel has been a great injustice. —

Proud Veteran

Dear Proud Veteran: No matter the war, no matter the part played, our nation is incredibly fortunate to have people like you who fight for our freedom and safety. Thank you so much for your courage, bravery and service to our country. We honor you and all other veterans today and always.

Dear Readers: Please enjoy some of my favorite quotes to honor the men and women who

Horoscopes

ARIES (March 21-April 19).

You’ve learned what you can do, and you believe that if you continue to work hard, you’ll achieve your objective. So, you don’t bother to push things along or stress about them unnecessarily. You have the patience of an immortal.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20).

It’s not hard for you to be pos itive and engaged; in fact, it’s your default. Cheerfulness is energy well spent because it not only makes your life better, it improves other people’s experience too.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21).

You’re a generous soul and yet there are things you just shouldn’t lend: your car, your books or your advice. Lend an ear instead, and that will be a huge gift to someone who needs it.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). An average teacher will show you the general way of things. A good teacher will get into the nitty-gritty. A great teacher will help you see and learn the pat terns that matter.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22).

You’re like a pen making spon taneous marks on the paper world – doodling for fun and profit, working out the intrica cies of life with your whimsy. People describe what’s hap

by Holiday Mathis

Today’s birthday

You’re a genius at prioritizing, especially when it seems like several things have priority at once. At times, this year is like an intricate puzzle in which certain things cannot interlock without other things falling into place. Your timing in such matters is perfection, so relax and have faith in your ability and your magical team. Aquarius and Gemini adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 9, 10, 2, 30 and 17.

pening in the senses with words that apply across all five.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).

The word “sharp” can apply to a note that leans up, a line that cuts through, a cheese that curls the tongue... and your mind as you pursue fun conver sation with smart people.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).

The thing inside you that wants to dance will be activated; the call of the music is irresistible.

You don’t need a partner or a venue, only a beat. Your heart is the perfect instrument.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21).

A problem that gets everyone to unify efforts and work together for a solution is a good problem

serve our country.

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” — Joseph Campbell

“A hero is someone who understands the responsi bility that comes with his freedom.” — Bob Dylan

“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” — G.K. Chesterton

“Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it ... it flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it.” — Unknown

“Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

“The brave die never, though they sleep in dust: Their courage nerves a thousand living men.” — Minot J. Savage

Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@ creators.com.

to have. You will communicate what needs to be accomplished and people will pull together.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21). You’re not envious of those who have what you would like. Instead, you feel happy for them, celebrating almost as though their success were your own. Very soon you will have similar gifts to these.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19). You see and celebrate things in a way all your own. Like a child naming a toy, you’ll personalize your world and add whimsy to your surroundings in the ways that you characterize things and what you call them.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 18). Making sure things are done properly is impor tant. Don’t start an endeavor without reading the instructions and/or map. It is likely that any shortcut you attempt will make things more difficult for you in the long run.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Mostly, you go with the flow. But you also recognize when it’s time to be disruptive. To out wardly express who you are on the inside takes daring. And to be accepted for that is a beauti ful feeling.

Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

THE RUBRIC THAT RULES OUR ROOST

Bridge is full of adages, but the trouble – and fascination – with the game is that there are so many deals that are exceptions to the rules. However, there is one play technique that works all the time – unless (sorry!) you don’t have the entries to carry it out.

This universal truth is to lead

Sudoku

by Phillip Alder

toward, not away from, honor combinations.

Against three no-trump, West leads the club king, and East signals encouragement with the nine. How should South plan the play?

North probably should have overcalled one no-trump, but his weak hearts and four-card spade suit persuaded him to double. Still, he was lucky that South did not advance with two clubs. South actually was halfway between one no-trump and two no-trump, but those good spot cards persuaded him to upgrade.

From the bidding, declarer knows that West has almost all of the missing strength, including the heart king and spade ace. Therefore, he ducks the first club trick, but when West continues with the club two to his partner’s jack, South wins with the ace. (He could duck again, planning, if East shifts to a heart, to win immediately with his ace.)

Next, declarer leads a low spade toward dummy, putting up the queen if West plays low. South returns to his hand with a diamond to the jack for the lead of a second low spade. Here, West has to play the ace on thin air, giving declarer three spade tricks. West can cash his clubs, but declarer discards heart losers and claims the balance. His nine tricks are three spades, one heart, four diamonds and one club.

by Wayne Gould

Difficulty level: SILVER

THE RUBRIC THAT RULES OUR ROOST

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

Bridge is full of adages, but the trouble – and fascination – with the game is that there are so many deals that are exceptions to the rules. However, there is one play technique that works all the time – unless

Bridge

Annie Lane Dear Annie

Crime logs

FairField

TUESDAY, NOV. 8

7:21 a.m. — Vehicle burglary, 1300 block of HOLIDAY LANE 7:28 a.m. — Shooting into a dwelling, 2100 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 10:23 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 1700 block of WEST TEXAS STREET 10:38 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 300 block of EAST TRAVIS

BOULEVARD 10:44 a.m. — Vehicle burglary, 3000 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD

1:12 p.m. — Vandalism, 2000 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 1:16 p.m. — Battery, 2200 block of PEACH TREE DRIVE 1:18 p.m. — Vehicle burglary, 500 block of PITTMAN ROAD 1:24 p.m. — Vandalism, 2100 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 1:25 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 1300 block of WEST TEXAS STREET 2:42 p.m. — Battery, 1700 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 3:12 p.m. — Grand theft, 2100 block of ELLINGTON PLACE 3:16 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 2800 block of AUTO MALL PARKWAY 3:40 p.m. — Battery, WEBSTER STREET 3:54 p.m. — Assault with a deadly weapon, 100 block of EAST TRAVIS BOULEVARD 4:01 p.m. — Reckless driver, EASTBOUND HIGHWAY 12 4:16 p.m. — Reckless driver, PIERCE STREET 6:48 p.m. — Vandalism, 300 block of DAHLIA STREET 7:07 p.m. — Forgery, 4300 block of CENTRAL PLACE 7:29 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 3000 block of AUTO MALL COURT 11:48 p.m. — Trespassing, 3500 block of NELSON ROAD

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 9 12:41 a.m. — Grand theft, 1300 block of WOOLNER AVENUE 2:02 a.m. — Drunken driver, 1700 block of SAN JOSE COURT 3:38 a.m. — Arson, 2200 block of GATEWAY COURT 4:58 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 300 block of EAST TABOR AVENUE 8 a.m. — Assault with a deadly weapon, 700 block of GEORGIA WAY 11:37 a.m. — Hit-and-run prop erty damage, 2200 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 12:37 p.m. — Battery, 1900 block of GRANDE CIRCLE 1:48 p.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, 1400 block of GATEWAY BOULEVARD 3:17 p.m. — Trespassing, 1900 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 3:39 p.m. — Forgery, EL TORO COURT

4:52 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 3000 block of AUTO MALL COURT 5:19 p.m. — Trespassing, 2500 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 7:56 p.m. — Trespassing, 1500 block of OLIVER ROAD 8:43 p.m. — Robbery, 2300 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 9:20 p.m. — Battery, EAST TABOR AVENUE 9:44 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 1300 block of GATEWAY BOULEVARD

SuiSun City

TUESDAY, NOV. 8 8:21 a.m. — Reckless driver, HIGHWAY 12 / SUNSET AVENUE 2:11 p.m. — Reckless driver, HARRIER DRIVE 8:47 p.m. — Trespassing, CHIPMAN LANE WEDNESDAY, NOV. 9 9:24 p.m. — Petty theft, 300 block WALTERS ROAD

Judge rules Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan unlawful

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

AUSTIN, Texas — A federal judge in Texas struck down the Biden administration’s sweeping student loan forgiveness plan, calling it “one of the largest exer cises of legislative power without congressional authority in the history of the United States.”

U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, an appoin tee of President Donald Trump, sided with two borrowers in Texas who argued the government violated federal admin istrative procedure in implementing the plan.

“In this country, we are not ruled by an allpowerful executive with a pen and a phone,” Pittman wrote in an order declaring the policy unlawful. “Instead, we are ruled by a Con stitution that provides for three distinct and independent branches

Ukraine

From Page One

the river for the last several weeks.

of government.”

The loan forgiveness plan is already on hold under an emergency stay from the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a sep arate lawsuit brought by six Republican-led states. The plan has drawn a litany of legal chal lenges since its inception, several of which have been dismissed for lack of standing.

The Justice Depart ment said it would appeal the decision. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration strongly disagreed with the ruling.

“The president and this administration are determined to help working and middleclass Americans get back on their feet, while our opponents – backed by extreme Republican special interests – sued to block millions of Americans from getting much-needed relief,”

Jean-Pierre said in a statement. “We will never stop fighting for hardworking Ameri cans most in need – no matter how many road blocks our opponents and special interests try to put in our way.”

Pittman’s order Thurs day was issued in a lawsuit brought by the Job Creators Network Foundation, a conser vative advocacy group, on behalf of two Texans who claim that their education debt was unfairly excluded from the program.

Maya Brown and Alex ander Taylor both hold debt that is not eligible for the full scope of for giveness under the plan and they claimed that the Biden administration made arbitrary decisions on loan forgiveness eli gibility and didn’t allow an opportunity for public comment on the proposal.

Biden’s plan, which

applies to federally administered loans, calls for $10,000 in relief per borrower, subject to income caps of $125,000 per individual and $250,000 per house hold. Recipients of Pell Grants, federal aid tar geted at low-income students, can be forgiven an additional $10,000.

Brown has $17,000 in debt from attending the University of Texas, El Paso and Southern Meth odist University, but it’s commercially held and therefore doesn’t qualify. Taylor borrowed $35,000 to attend the Uni versity of Dallas and argues that it’s unfair that he’s not eligible for the additional $10,000 in relief because he didn’t receive a Pell Grant.

The case is Brown v. U.S. Department of Edu cation, 22-cv-00908, US District Court, North ern District of Texas (Fort Worth).

From

total pandemic count for those cities at 33,836 and 27,947, respectively, the county reported.

Fairfield (30,243) added 86 cases; Suisun City (7,812) added 20; Dixon (5,303) and Benicia (4,573) each added 15; Rio Vista (1,563) added five, and the unincorporated area held at 226 cases, the county reported.

There were no new deaths reported, but the number of residents in the area hospitals with positive coronavirus tests – about half admitted because of Covid symp toms – increased from 10 to 22, with four patients in intensive care units with the disease. That is up from three.

Matyas has previously indicated Covid-19 case

counts are likely much higher with the use of in-home testing, results of which are not generally reported to government agencies and in many cases are not shared with medical providers if medical treatment is not needed. He has also said availability of vac cines and changes to personal behavior slowed the disease throughout the Bay Area.

The vaccination rates held at 72% of residents 5 or older who have been fully vaccinated and 81% who have received at least one shot. There have been 13,234 shots given to children 5 to 11 and 2,206 shots given to chil dren 6 months to 4 years, the county reported.

The number of mon keypox cases went from 41 to 42. The new case is a Solano resident who was diagnosed in a dif ferent county, so the reporting is older.

1,896 votes (19.63%), fol lowed by Katrina Garcia with 1,699 votes (17.59%).

If confirmed, a Russian retreat from the city would be the latest major setback for the President Vladimir Putin in his nine-monthold invasion. Kherson was the only regional capital to fall to Russian troops and was included in the territories Putin illegally annexed in Sep tember. He vowed at the time that they would be Russian forever.

“We have to see how the situation on the ground develops in the coming days, but what is clear is that Russia is under heavy pressure and if they leave Kherson, it would be another victory for Ukraine,” Jens Stoltenberg, secre tary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organiza tion, said in Rome.

Putin has so far made no public comment on the retreat, leaving the announcement to Shoigu.

Russian officials sought to portray the pullback as an effort to protect troops’ lives, but military bloggers who’ve covered the war closely from the front lines were dismayed.

“In the eyes of the pop ulation, it’s a defeat,” said a telegram channel known as Rybar with 1.1 million subscribers.

Ukrainian officials said the pullout was forced by their army’s continuing advances. Still, there were concerns that Russia might try to feign a retreat in hopes of drawing Ukraine into urban combat.

Residents in the city of Kherson reported that while Russian roadblocks had been abandoned, some forces remain. “People see that they are still there,” Halyna Lugova, head of the Ukraine-appointed Kherson city military administration said in a video briefing. “As of today I wouldn’t rush with concluding that this is just about to happen,” she said of the announced retreat.

Western intelligence had reported in recent days that the pullback appeared genuine and that Russia appeared to be trying to ensure it took place in an organized way, avoiding the chaotic retreats seen earlier.

“It is likely that the withdrawal will take place over several days with defensive positions and artillery fires cover ing withdrawing forces,” the UK Defence Ministry said Thursday.

“Russia is not doing well militarily and for that reason they are looking for possibilities for a pause, and this pause should not be given,” Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told a government briefing.

Western military commentators said the

Russian withdrawal appeared to be real, and likely means that Rus sia’s military will dig into defensive positions that would make it harder for Ukraine to achieve more territorial gains as winter sets in.

“This consolidation might also prolong the war,” said Mick Ryan, a military strategist and retired Australian army general. “With less ter ritory to defend and coupled with an influx of mobilized troops, Surovi kin can rebuild battered combat and support units,” Ryan said in a Twitter thread, referring to Sergei Surovikin, the Russian general recently appointed to lead the Ukraine war.

While Alma Hernan dez appears to be on her way to winning the fullterm mayor’s post with 62.84% of the vote, the two council seats have not yet been decided. Coun cilwoman Jane Day and challenger Charles Lee Jr. are jostling over the second position.

Princess Washington leads the pack of five can didates with 2,176, or 22.58% of the vote, with Day sitting in the second position with 1,939 votes (20.12%). Lee trails by 12 votes at 1,927 (19.95%), the county Elections Office reported. Jenalee Dawson is next in line with

Meanwhile challenger Jack Flynn maintained a 59-vote lead over incum bent Jonathan Richardson for the Trustee Area 5 seat on the Fairfield-Suisun School District governing board. Flynn had amassed 1,205 (51.04%) votes com pared to Richardson’s 1,146 (48.54%).

The FairfieldSuisun School District’s $249.6 million Measure S facilities bond inched closer to passage with 54.37% of the vote total as of the close of the count Thursday. School facilities bonds require 55% of the vote for passage.

There were no other significant changes to the election counts.

Inflation

From Page One

in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for a 0.6% monthly gain in the CPI and a 0.5% advance in the core.

Fed officials will have both another CPI report and jobs report in hand before the end of their two-day policy meeting in mid-December.

Meantime, ele vated inflation continues to weigh on American households and the broader economy. High prices have eaten away at wage gains and led many to either tighten their belts or rely on savings and credit cards to keep spending.

Inflation and the broader performance of the economy played a role in Tuesday’s midterm elections, though exit polls suggest social issues proved a bigger factor than pre-election polling had suggested. As of Thursday morning, the results were unclear, but it appeared that Repub licans will gain a narrow majority in the House of Representatives.

While the Fed has embarked on the most aggressive tighten ing campaign since the 1980s, the labor market and consumer demand, while cooling some, have proved to be largely resilient. The housing market, however, has rapidly deteriorated amid soaring mortgage rates.

Consumer price growth is expected to further moderate over the coming year, though some economists expect the path back to the Fed’s inflation goal to include both a recession and a rise in the unem ployment rate.

Inflation is affecting economies globally, spur ring the world’s most aggressive and synchro nized monetary policy tightening in 40 years and raising risks of a global downturn.

Shelter costs – which are the biggest ser vices’ component and make up about a third of the overall CPI index – increased 0.8% last month, the most since 1990. The acceleration was fueled by the biggest jump in costs of hotel stays in more than a year.

Though private-sec tor data points to a

stabilization – or even decline – in rents in a range of cities across the country, there’s a lag between realtime changes and when those are reflected in Labor Department data. Bloomberg Eco nomics estimates the shelter-related compo nents will crest in the next two to three months, then begin slowing.

Stripping out food, energy and shelter, the CPI dropped 0.1%, the weakest reading since May 2020.

Food costs deceler ated and used-car prices fell 2.4%. Gasoline prices

increased 4%. Meantime, health insurance costs dropped a record 4%, leading to the sharpest slide in overall medical care services since 1971. While the Fed bases its 2% target on a separate inflation measure from the Commerce Depart ment – the personal consumption expendi tures price index – the CPI is closely watched by policy makers, traders and the public. Given the volatility of food and energy prices, the core index is generally con sidered a more reliable barometer of underly ing inflation.

It blamed “political and military impotence.”

Bulent Kilic/AFP via Getty Images/TNS

Ukrainian soldiers ride on a Self-propelled artillery 2S1 Gvozdika outside Bakhmut amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Wednesday.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images/TNS file

People shop for groceries in a Manhattan store in New York City, Oct. 26. Inflation, in the form of higher prices for gas, food, and other consumer goods was one of the dominant issues on voters’ minds during the midterm elections Tuesday.

49ers’ Verrett suffers new torn left Achilles

CaM inM an BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

SANTA CLARA —

Jason Verrett’s season is over before it began. Another leg injury has put his career in peril again.

The local Rodriguez High School product tore his left Achilles in Wednesday’s practice, just when he seemed on the verge of making his season debut and coming back from last season’s Week 1 knee injury, That surely will cast a

pall over the entire team, from a defense needing Verrett’s veteran savvy skills at cornerback to an entire locker room that’s admired Verrett’s forti tude to battle through so many previous injuries.

Instead of debuting in Sunday night’s home game against his origi nal team, the Chargers, Verrett, 31, now faces another round of reha bilitation, a scene the Fairfield native painfully has repeated throughout his nine-year NFL career.

Verrett has missed 85 of his teams’ past 101 games, so it’s not as if the 49ers were abso lutely banking on him for a second-half push to the playoffs this season, even if there was hope he could at least platoon with a younger corner back, as coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledged prior to Wednesday’s illfated practice.

He joined the 49ers in 2019 and entered this season on his fourth oneyear contract. He played

13 games in, ironically, the 49ers’ injury-marred 2020 season, but he was limited to just one game in each of the 2017, ’19 and ’21 seasons, and he missed all of 2020.

Drafted No. 25 overall in 2014 by the Chargers, Verrett has only played 40 games in his career, starting 36 of them.

The most games he ever played was in his 2015 All-Pro sopho more season with the Chargers, when he had three interceptions and

12 passes defended.

In last year’s season opener, he tore his right knee’s anterior cruciate ligament in the 49ers’ win at Detroit. He was acti vated to the 53-man roster Oct. 27, but did not suit up for the 49ers’ enusing win at the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 30, prior to last weekend’s bye. Verrett opened the season on the physically-unable-to-per form list after missing training camp, and the 49ers have eased him into practices the past month,

including a prescribed limited role in Wednes day’s fateful session.

Verrett tore his right Achilles in July 2018, two years after an ACL tear initially waylaid his career. He also tore a labrum in 2017.

Without Verrett coming to the rescue, the 49ers’ cornerback corps will forge ahead with projected starters Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir. That may keep Jimmie Ward at nickel back.

Vanden girls top Oakmont, net another section crown

M att Miller MMILLER@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Vanden High School girls tennis team was able to win its second straight Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championship Wednes day by edging out Oakmont 5-4 at the Johnson Racquet Club in Roseville.

Vanden won the top two singles spots and then swept three doubles matches to clinch the champi onship. The Vikings finished 13-3 overall under head coach Stan Lewis.

Vanden, Rio Vista make playoff debuts; Vacaville back in action

M att Miller MMILLER@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The football teams at Vanden and Rio Vista high schools make their playoff debuts Friday night while Vacav ille hopes to build on its win last week for an extended run as com petition continues throughout the Sac-Joaquin Section.

Top-seed Vanden opens defense of its title in Division IV at George A. Gammon Field against No. 9 Buhach Colony of Atwater. No. 8 Vacaville continues in Divi sion II with a trip to Manteca for a matchup with the top-seeded Buffaloes. Rio Vista has a home game as the No. 8 seed against top-

All three games begin at 7 p.m.

Buhach Colony at Vanden

The Thunder come into the matchup 5-6 overall and 2-4 in the Central California Conference, fin ishing behind Patterson, Merced and Golden Valley. But Buhach Colony was able to upset No. 8 Los Banos in the playoff opener with an explosive offense and a 64-48 victory.

These teams have never met in the playoffs. Buhach Colony last made the playoffs in 2019, and made the second round in each

of its last two postseason appear ances. The Thunder last advanced to the semifinals in 2012.

Senior Jaxson Percoats does all for Buhach Colony. He rushed 22 times for 353 yards and four touchdowns in the win over Los Banos. He’s already committed to Southern Utah, having rushed for 1,942 yards and 24 touchdowns this season to go with 65 total tackles.

Junior Eric Thrasher rushed five times for 117 yards and a score last week against Los Banos. Senior Alex Sevilla-Rodriguez is the top tackler with 85 this season.

Vanden is 9-1 overall after going 4-1 in the Monticello

Top Solano athletes sign national letters-of-intent to play in college

M att Miller

MMILLER@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Four

Rodriguez High School athletes sat behind deco rated tables on the stage in the multipurpose room Wednesday afternoon and signed nationalletters-of-intent, the culmination of count less hours of hard work in the classroom and on the field.

Kaden Wilde will play baseball at Cedar ville University in Ohio, Katelyn Kilgore got a softball ride to Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo rado, state golfing finalist Nikki Chindavong will take her clubs and books

to Nevada, while Kayla Lee will play softball at the prestigious Univer sity of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Kilgore and Lee compete in athlet ics at Rodriguez but attend Early College High School.

“This is one of the best days for an ath letic director and for the athletes,” Rodriguez athletic director Tracy Lopez said before the athletes, family, coaches and friends. “You work really hard for years for this dream and you are here today and the dream has come true. All

“I was so proud of our team to over come their early jitters and fight their way to a tough win against Oakmont,” Lewis said by email. “As most of our season, this was a great team win with dif ferent players finding ways to contribute.”

Sasha Smith won her No. 1 singles match in straight sets. Delaney Ramsell notched her win in No. 2 singles in straight sets as well but needed a second set tiebreaker.

In doubles, Danali Hardwick and Kaylani Payne won in three sets at No. 1. The No. 2 doubles team of Kalyse Payne and Kaitlyn Kang, and the No. 3 doubles team of Kailey Payne and Miley Dial, each won in straight sets. Those final two doubles teams fea tured three sophomores and a freshman.

Camille Arca, Jeanelle DelaCruz, Hailey Lam and Althea Yabut have contrib uted to the success of the team all season and put up long fights in singles losses.

“Our three and four singles played the longest matches of the day, fighting through three-hour matches,” Lewis said, “and even though they fell short, they left everything they had on the court.”

The five seniors on the team finished their careers with two Mon ticello Empire League championships and two section titles. They played in three section finals in four years, with one year canceled due the Covid-19 pandemic.

Road trip for Sharks starts on sour note against Blues

By Curtis Pashelka BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

The San Jose Sharks couldn’t keep up with the St. Louis Blues on Thursday in a game between two teams looking to snap long losing streaks.

The Sharks allowed a go-ahead goal by Calle Rosen at the 8:20 mark of the third period and couldn’t recover in a 4-3 loss to the Blues at Enterprise Center, extending their losing streak to five games.

Torey Krug, Jordan Kyrou, and Brandon Saad all scored to help snap an eightgame losing streak for the Blues, who hadn’t won since Oct. 22 in Edmonton.

The Sharks once

again received produc tive nights from their top players, as Timo Meier, Tomas Hertl, and Logan Couture all scored and Erik Karls son and Kevin Labanc each had two assists.

Couture’s goal came at the 1:26 mark of the third period, as he redirected a Karlsson shot past Blues goalie Jordan Binnington to tie the game 3-3.

On the Blues’ winning goal, Thomas fed a pass through Luke Kunin back to the point, where Rosen scored with a shot that got past Kaapo Kahkonen for a 4-3 lead.

Kahkonen finished with 28 saves as his record fell to 1-4-1 this

seed Ripon Christian in Division VII because of playoff sanctions against the Knights.

PREP KICKOFF

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic file

Vanden High School quarterback Tre Dimes, left, runs from Mekhi Johnson of Rodriguez during the regular

season finale at Rodriguez, Oct. 28. The Vikings are back in action Friday at home against Buhach Colony.

Matt Miller/Daily Republic

See Kickoff,

Page B10

CALENDAR

Friday’s TV sports

Basketball

• College Women, South Carolina vs. Maryland, ESPN2, 3 p.m.

• College Men, Michigan State vs. Gonzaga, ESPN, 3:30 p.m.

• NBA, Minnesota vs. Memphis, ESPN, 6:30 p.m.

• NBA, Cleveland vs.Golden State, NBCSBA, (Fairfield and Suisun City), 7 p.m.

• NBA, Sacramento vs. L.A. Lakers, NBCSCA (Vacaville and Rio Vista), 7:30 p.m.

Football

• College, East Carolina vs. Cincinnati, ESPN2, 5 p.m.

Golf

• DP World, Nedbank Golf Challenge, GOLF, 3 a.m.

• Pelican Women’s Championship, GOLF, 7 a.m.

• PGA, Cadence Bank Houston Open, GOLF, 10 a.m.

• Champs, Charles Schwab Cup Championship, GOLF, 1 p.m.

Motor Sports

• F1, Sao Paulo Grand Prix, practice, ESPN2, 7:25 a.m.

• F1, Sao Paulo Grand Prix, practice, ESPN2, 10:55 a.m.

Saturday’s TV sports

Basketball

• G League, Santa Cruz vs. G League Ignite, NBCSBA, 7 p.m.

Football

• College, Indiana vs. Ohio State, 2, 40, 9 a.m.

• College, Missouri vs.Tennessee, 5, 13, 9 a.m.

• College, Notre Dame vs. Navy, 7, 10, 9 a.m.

• College, LSU vs. Arkansas, ESPN, 9 a.m.

• College, Purdue vs. Illinois, ESPN2, 9 a.m.

• College, Maryland vs. Penn State, 2, 40, 12:30 p.m.

• College, Alabama vs. Ole Miss, 5, 13, 12:30 p.m.

• College, Nebraska vs. Michigan, 7, 10, 12:30 p.m.

• College, Louisville vs. Clemson, ESPN, 12:30 p.m.

• College, UCF vs. Tulane, ESPN2, 12:30 p.m.

• College, Washington vs. Oregon, 2, 40, 4 p.m.

• College, Georgia vs. Mississippi State, ESPN, 4 p.m.

• College, TCU vs. Texas, 7, 10, 4:30 p.m.

• College, North Carolina vs. Wake Forest, ESPN2, 4:30 p.m.

• College, Arizona State vs. UCLA, 2, 40, 7:30 p.m.

• College, Stanford vs. Utah, ESPN, 7 p.m.

Golf

• DP World, Nedbank Golf Challenge, GOLF, 3 a.m.

• PGA, Cadence Bank Houston Open, GOLF, 10 a.m.

• Champs, Charles Schwab Cup Championship, GOLF, 1 p.m.

• DP World, Nedbank Golf Challenge, GOLF, 11:30 p.m.

Soccer

• EPL, Manchester City vs. Brentford, USA, 4:30 a.m.

• EPL, Liverpool vs. Southampton, USA, 7 a.m.

• EPL, Newcastle United vs. Chelsea, 3, 9:30 a.m.

• EPL, Wolverhampton vs. Arsenal, USA, 11:45 a.m.

Sonoma announces race times, TV networks for 2023 NASCAR weekend

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Race

start times and TV networks have been announced for Sonoma Raceway’s NASCAR national event weekend next June.

The annual Toyota/ Save Mart 350 NASCAR Cup Series race is set for 12:30 p.m. June 11. It will be televised on Fox.

The first-ever Door Dash 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race will begin at 5 p.m. June 10. It will be tele vised nationally on the FS1 cable network.

A start time for the ARCA Menard’s Series West race, as well as practice and qualify ing information, will be announced at a later date.

Season tickets for 2023 Sonoma Raceway

events are available at SonomaRaceway.com.

College Solano College women’s soccer loses 2-0

to Yuba

ROCKVILLE —

The Solano Community College women’s soccer team closed out the regular season Tuesday with a 2-0 loss at Yuba.

Eliana Sanchez scored late in the first half at the 40 minute mark on an assist from Berenice Ramirez. Yuba scored again 10 minutes into the second half when Ramirez scored on an assist from Sanchez.

The loss dropped the Falcons to 4-11-2 overall and 3-4-2 in the Bay Valley Conference.

Raiders LB Martinez retiring at age of 28

tRibune content agency

LAS VEGAS —

Raiders linebacker Blake Martinez has retired from the NFL at age 28, the team announced Thursday on social media.

Martinez joined the team in October and made 20 tackles in four games, including two starts.

He is coming off by far his most productive game with the Raiders, playing 91% of the defen sive snaps and recording 11 tackles in Sunday’s loss to the Jaguars.

“I’m announcing my retirement from the game of football!,” Martinez posted on Instagram. “I had an amazing journey “

FOOTBALL

NFL

American Conference

East W L T Pct. PF PA Buffalo 6 2 0 .750 220 118

N.Y. Jets 6 3 0 667 196 176 Miami 6 3 0 .667 213 224

New England 5 4 0 556 203 166

North W L T Pct. PF PA Baltimore 6 3 0 .667 235 196 Cincinnati 5 4 0 .556 228 185 Cleveland 3 5 0 .375 200 199 Pittsburgh 2 6 0 .250 120 197 South W L T Pct. PF PA Tennessee 5 3 0 .625 149 158 Indianapolis 3 5 1 .389 132 183 Jacksonville 3 6 0 .333 199 178 Houston 1 6 1 .188 133 183 West W L T Pct. PF PA Kansas City 6 2 0 750 243 189

L.A. Chargers 5 3 0 625 184 206 Denver 3 5 0 .375 121 132 Las Vegas 2 6 0 250 183 201 National Conference East W L T Pct. PF PA Philadelphia 8 0 0 1.000225 135 Dallas 6 2 0 .750 183 133 N.Y. Giants 6 2 0 750 163 157 Washington 4 5 0 .444 159 192 North W L T Pct. PF PA Minnesota 7 1 0 .875 193 161 Green Bay 3 6 0 333 154 188 Chicago 3 6 0 .333 187 216 Detroit 2 6 0 .250 188 234 South W L T Pct. PF PA Tamp Baya 4 5 0 444 162 164 Atlanta 4 5 0 .444 217 225 New Orleans 3 6 0 333 212 227 Carolina 2 7 0 .222 179 228 West W L T Pct. PF PA Seattle 6 3 0 .667 241 220 SAN FRAN 4 4 0 500 176

HOCKEY

NHL

Washington

Minnesota at Seattle, 7 p.m. Saturday’s Games Ottawa at Philadelphia, 10 a.m. Edmonton at Florida, 1 p.m. Arizona at New Jersey, 4 p.m. Boston at Buffalo, 4 p.m. Pittsburgh at Montreal, 4 p.m. Vancouver at Toronto, 4 p.m. Columbus at N.Y. Islanders 4:30 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Nashville, 5 p.m. Carolina at Colorado, 6 p.m. Chicago at Anaheim, 7 p.m. St. Louis at Vegas, 7 p.m. Winnipeg at Calgary, 7 p.m. Detroit at L.A. Kings, 7:30 p.m.

NBA

Orleans

Antonio

6 500

7 417

Houston 2 10 167

Wednesday’s Games SACRAMENTO 127, Cleveland 120 Orlando 94, Dallas 87 Portland 105, Charlotte 95 Denver 122, Indiana 119 Utah 125, Atlanta 119 Boston 128, Detroit 112 Brooklyn 112, N.Y. Knicks 85 Toronto 116, Houston 109 New Orleans 115, Chicago 111 Phoenix 129, Minnesota 117 Milwaukee 136, Oklahoma City 132 Memphis 124, San Antonio 122, OT L.A. Clippers 114, L.A. Lakers 101

Thursday’s Games Washington 113, Dallas 105 Atlanta 104, Philadelphia 95 Miami 117, Charlotte 112, OT Portland 106, New Orleans 95

Friday’s Games Cleveland at GOLDEN STATE, 7 p.m. SACRAMENTO at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m. Denver at Boston, 4 p.m. Phoenix at Orlando, 4 p.m. Detroit at N.Y. Knicks, 4:30 p.m. Toronto at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m. Milwaukee at San Antonio, 5 p.m. Minnesota at Memphis, 6:30 p.m. Saturday’s Games Brooklyn at L.A. Clippers, 1 p.m. Utah at Washington, 3 p.m. Boston at Detroit, 4 p.m. Toronto at Indiana, 4 p.m. Atlanta at Philadelphia, 4:30 p.m. Charlotte at Miami, 5 p.m. Portland at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. Houston at New Orleans, 5:30 p.m.

Giants could bring back Evan Longoria after declining option

by evan Webeck BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

SAN FRANCISCO — In their first significant deci sion of the offseason on Thursday, the San Fran cisco Giants reportedly opted against picking up their club option on Evan Longoria. However, that doesn’t necessarily pre clude the veteran third baseman from return ing in 2023.

Longoria told the San Francisco Chronicle of the club’s decision; the Giants have yet to make an offi cial announcement.

Longoria, 37, was one of the Giants’ top hitters last season but strug gled to stay on the field in the most injuryriddled season of an otherwise durable career. The Giants would have owed him $13 million had they picked up his option for next season; instead, they are on the hook for a $5 million buyout – and could potentially rene gotiate at a lower rate for next year.

While Longoria admitted he pondered retirement as he battled through injuries last season – four stints on the IL: recovery from offseason ligament surgery on one finger, a fractured thumb that ended his season and strains to his left oblique and right hamstring in between – he firmly

expressed his desire to play next year, if he is wanted. He has been a productive player when healthy the past five seasons in San Fran cisco, lives in the Phoenix area and has strong ties to Tampa, where he spent the first 10 seasons of his career. He has never experienced free agency.

Left with a vacuum of leadership after the departure of Buster Posey before last season, Long oria was one veteran that stepped up in the club house. He organized a spirit-rising home run derby; he said he’d shave his hair into a mohawk if they snapped a seasonlong losing streak, and he did. Despite a fractured thumb that ended his season – his fourth stint on the IL – Longoria accom panied the team on its final road trip.

Manager Gabe Kapler,

whose playing career overlapped with Long oria’s for two seasons in Tampa Bay, appre ciated his presence during the final series and said that he “lean(s) on his perspective all the time.” After the season, president of baseball oper ations Farhan Zaidi said, “there’s certainly a role for Longo on our team in 2023 with the way we manage our roster.”

Longoria has totaled 519 at-bats the past two seasons; he doesn’t profile as an everyday third baseman. But once in a while, he shows flashes of his former self — think about that August game at Coors when he singlehandedly willed them to a win — and has been pro ductive when healthy. He slashed .252/.333/.466 in those 519 at-bats the past two seasons (a 119 OPS+), and only two Giants

with as many at-bats last season had a higher OPS. The Giants traded for Longoria in December 2017, sending Denard Span, Christian Arroyo, Matt Krook and Stephen Woods to Tampa Bay. Playing 477 games across five seasons with the Giants, Longoria batted .251 with 70 home runs (a .750 OPS).

Invaluably, Longo ria has also shown a willingness to shepherd the Giants’ next third baseman — never a given in a dynamic between an outgoing veteran and the rising rookie coming for his job.

Between David Villar, 25, who impressed down the stretch in his debut last season, and the sure handed Casey Schmitt, 23, who could make his debut next season, the Giants are in an enviable posi tion when it comes to the transition of power at the hot corner.

In a part-time role, Longoria could serve as an ideal stop gap.

But it’s fair to wonder if there’s space on a 26-man roster when it already includes J.D. David and Wilmer Flores, two other right-handed hitting option at third base. Flores, who serves an equally important club house role, signed a two-year extension before the end of the season.

Knight says Irving likely done with Nike

tRibune content agency

Nike co-founder Phil Knight said Kyrie Irving’s deal with the shoe brand is likely over and doubts that the star guard will be welcomed back to the company. Knight added that he doesn’t “know for sure” about the decision in a television interview with CNBC.

“Kyrie stepped over the line. It’s kind of that simple. And so he made some statements that we just can’t abide by. And that’s where we ended the relationship,” Knight said in the interview.

The company announced last week that they suspended their rela tionship with Irving after the guard posted links to an antisemitic film on his social media accounts.

Following the posts, Irving refused to denounce the movie or apologize. The

The brand also announced last week that they will not release the Kyrie 8, Irving’s new sig nature shoe.

Knight

“Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America.”

After getting suspended by his team, Irving issued an apology on his Insta gram account.

Irving’s contract with Nike was set to expire after the 2022-23 season and ESPN reported in May that the brand was unlikely to offer an extension.

In the television inter view, Knight discussed the process Nike goes through when deciding to partner with an athlete.

“We look at who we sign and how much we pay, and we look at not only how good the athlete is, but how his or her character [is], so it’s not an exact science, but it’s a process that we go through with a lot of intensity, with a lot of people sticking their hand in it, and that’s one that goes all the way to the CEO because some of the numbers [ath letes] are paid are pretty big,” he said.

Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group/TNS file (2021)

The Giants’ Evan Longoria is welcomed back to the dugout after a home run against the Padres in September 2021.

Brooklyn Nets handed Irving a minimum fivegame suspension for his actions, stating that he was “unfit to be associ ated” with organization.

said the star guard was “dug in” as he decided to not immediately apologize or condemn the movie

Elsa/Getty Images/TNS

Kyrie Irving (11) of the Brooklyn Nets reacts in the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Barclays Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, Oct. 29.

What does Gavin Newsom do now?

As “The Candidate,” the quintessen tial political movie, closes, a young Bill McKay (Robert Redford) has just won one of California’s U.S. Senate seats and rather stunned, he takes his cam paign manager (Peter Boyle) aside and asks him a question: “What do we do now?”

The same question could be posed to Gavin Newsom, who has handily won his second – and last – term as California’s governor. What does he do now?

Would he simply serve out his second term, expanding his crusade for a carbon-free economy and implementing his experimental approaches to California’s social ills? They include “com munity schools” to make neighborhood school centers for health and welfare services, “Care Court” to compel the seri ously mentally ill to accept treatment, and “CalAIM” to transform the state’s medical care system for the poor into a “whole person” program.

Newsom has pledged to complete his second term, insisting he has “subzero interest” in running for the presidency, even if Joe Biden doesn’t seek another term in 2024. However, Newsom has also devoted much of his time and some of his hefty campaign treasury in recent months to building a national image, saying he wants to set an example for his party of aggressive opposition to Republicans.

Despite Newsom’s frequent denials of presidential ambitions, the national polit ical media and many Democratic Party figures assume he’s laying the ground work for a White House campaign, either in 2024 or 2028, two years after his gover norship ends.

Indeed, it’s difficult to imagine that having spent nearly half his life patiently climbing the political ladder – from San Francisco city commission appointee in 1996 to a seat on the city’s Board of Super visors, then seven years as mayor, eight years in obscurity as lieutenant governor and finally the governorship in 2018 –Newsom would simply resume managing his wine and restaurant business.

It’s also difficult to imagine he would settle for some lesser political role, such as a congressman or cabinet appointee. He has a massive ego and a penchant for pur suing “big hairy audacious goals” such as the aforementioned experimental over hauls of education, mental health and medical care services – albeit with a spotty record of success to date. And that attitude requires high office.

Retiring from politics after finishing his term or seeking the presidency are two options, but there’s also a potential third –running for the U.S. Senate in 2024 should Dianne Feinstein retire after holding her seat for 32 years, or segeuing into the seat if Feinstein gives it up earlier.

Two of the options – running for pres ident or the Senate in 2024 – obviously depend on whether Biden, who turns 80 this month, and/or an 89-year-old Feinstein are ready to retire, and their decisions may hinge on how this year’s congressional and senatorial elections turn out once all of the votes are counted.

If Republicans take either the House or the Senate, or both, their retirements would become more likely. Democratic activists could blame Biden’s low popular ity for the losses and insist he step aside for a younger and more commanding figure, and Feinstein, already under fire from pro gressives, would not want to be relegated to the Senate minority after so many years in the majority.

The question that a cinematic politician posed 50 years ago – what do we do now? –would become a hard reality for Newsom should Biden and/or Feinstein opt out.

In politics, as in high-level sports, timing is everything. Jerry Brown, New som’s quasi-uncle and predecessor as governor, blew his chances of becoming president with three badly timed White House campaigns.

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how Cal ifornia’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more columns by Dan Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary.

THIS YOUTH GENERATION

Violent music affects today’s youth

Ihad a recent debate on the subject of violent music with my teenage son. The conversation started when I heard some disturbingly foul lyrics from the music he was playing from his room.

Trying to avoid the aggres sive old-school “do what I say because I said so” parenting style, I made an effort to help him arrive at his own understanding of the potential effects of ill-spirited and violent entertainment – and specifically music. I explained how music is more influential than any other type of enter tainment. I ended the conversation with this quote from Malcolm X: “We act violent because we think violent. We think violent because we believe in violence. We believe in violence because we are taught violence.”

Although these words were deliv ered more than 50 years ago, it seems more relevant today than ever before. Over the past decade or so, it seems as though we have developed an even more bloodthirsty dependency on violent entertainment.

Of course, there has been violence in our entertainment since the inven tion of television, from the old Western shootouts between the Lone Ranger and the outlaws to Looney Tunes where Elmer Fudd blows Daffy Duck’s beak off with a double-barreled shotgun.

However, there is something very unsettling about the violence that is being delivered through music and more specifically rap music, which

COMMENTARY

is the most popular genre of music among youth. Over the past 30 years, we have scene hip-hop music take a very dark turn that is now beginning to manifest the messages of sex and violence into reality. The many recent violent deaths among rap artists has made headlines. The most recent incident that led to the shoot ing death of rap star “Take -Off” of the popular group The Migos is a reflection of what is happening in communities all over the nation.

It is becoming apparent there is a high dose of violence that youth are being exposed to currently. A steady diet of violent content could make them desensitized to violence, which could make them more receptive to it.

Although I am not too far removed from the early days of hip-hop with NWA and the so-called gangsta rap era in the early 1990s, it never penetrated my spirit or affected by character or behavior. I’m not so sure that is the case with today’s vulnerable youth, including my own son. What I heard from his choice of music is what I am noticing in the attitude, demeanor and language of the youth culture. Although he is on his best behavior in my presence, I’m learning he is pre senting some concerning behavior in school or in other environments.

This is probably true for most parents these days.

The reality is the parenting envi ronment through generations has

changed dramatically since over the past 40 years. We are no longer the primary influence on our children. If not the parents, then what or who is the primary influence on youth today? Studies show that as they become teens, music and peers are now the main influence on your child today. Now you can probably see why things are appearing to be going from bad to worse. The ill-spirited messages in today’s music are having a direct impact on our youth.

Unfortunately, much of today’s entertainment programming is violent. According the Journal of the Ameri can Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, hundreds of studies of the effects of TV violence on children and teenagers have found children may become “immune” or numb to the horror of violence; gradually accept violence as a way to solve problems; imitate the violence they observe on television; and identify with certain characters, victims and/or victimizers.

Is this the only way to entertain ourselves? Are we now a society that thrives on violence? More importantly, how is this unprecedented exposure to violence affecting the human spirit? Is our entertainment simply a reflection of reality? Or is our reality a byproduct of what we have created?

Deon D. Price is an author and youth life skills coach who lives in Fairfield. He can be reached at this youthgeneration@gmail.com or www. deondprice.com.

1 last ritual works its power in a VA hospital hallway

Final Salutes don’t come with much notice, maybe five minutes. But even those of us in chroni cally understaffed depart ments can attend.

I join a river of co-work ers flowing toward Ward 1B: nurses in turquoise scrubs, doctors in white coats, execu tives in business suits, police in uniform and me in a hairnet and black polyester polo – “VA Food Service” embroidered over the heart – but without my usual stainlesssteel tray cart.

Most of us working in Veterans Affairs hospitals are not veterans. But the nurse standing across from me, in a hall lined with people, must be a veteran: She knows exactly how to stand with respect for a memorial service. I try to copy her posture, feet shoulders-width apart, hands joined behind my back.

No one speaks. Then the quiet is broken by a single resonant tone. Five seconds of silence. Then another tone. A nurse carrying a brass singing bowl and wooden mallet appears from the hospice unit. She strikes the bowl again. Behind her, another nurse escorts a morgue cart draped in an American flag.

I think of a hospice patient I’ve been bringing meals to for weeks. He was born in the late 1940s. Every day, his thin form lies at the same angle under a faded Green Bay Packers blanket.

Until a hot day in July, we had never spoken – I suspected he couldn’t –but he always nodded and made eye contact when I set down his dinner

tray. On this day, I pointed to a cup of chocolate ice cream he had ordered. “It’s a good day for ice cream.”

He surprised me by reply ing, “Every day is a good day for ice cream.”

The gurney comes into full view, and I now see a black baseball cap with a yellow, red and green Vietnam veterans badge resting on the flag. When the procession stops, people remove their hats. Veterans salute, and hold it, while the rest of us raise our hands to our hearts. The first notes of a taps recording fill the hallway, and we are locked in stillness.

I think of a cold sunny March morning in Wausau, Wisconsin, when we buried my Grandpa Clem, a World War II Navy veteran. My vision blurs as the song continues, and I wonder how many other funerals are being remembered in this hallway. I hear soft, deep sighs and a few sniffles.

The procession resumes, and I see an elderly man trailing the gurney. A relative or friend; his shoulder sags under the weight of a bag the hospital uses for patients’ belongings.

As the flag-draped gurney passes on its way to the morgue, I realize it isn’t every day that I’m this close to the sharply defined red, white and blue. Working with veterans reminds me of what millions have invested for the idea of that flag. But it also reminds me of what that flag has asked, has taken. There’s a profound promise in those colors, yet the Vietnam veterans hat speaks of all there is to question.

In a series of conversations with Bill Moyers for the 1988 PBS series “The Power of Myth,” the writer Joseph Campbell said, “Affirmation is difficult. We always affirm with conditions.” But “affirming it the way it is – that’s the hard thing, and that is what rituals are about.”

To affirm unconditionally. To affirm the way it is. Ritual asks us to suspend our noise and our opinions and our egos. For a few moments of sacred silence, we affirm, creating the space where ritual works its power: weaving the personal to the anonymous, the individual to the universal, the known to the unknown.

During a Final Salute, the deceased veteran’s identity is not disclosed.

I learn later that VA ceremonies for veterans who have died vary from place to place. And they don’t happen at every hospital. There’s a saying: “If you’ve been to one VA, you’ve been to one VA.” This is just the ritual at our facility, one of about 140 VA hospitals, among more than 1,300 VA care sites.

The Final Salute on this day has gathered strangers in honor of a stranger. I don’t know whose loved one walks behind the gurney. I don’t know who lies under the Vietnam veterans hat, the American flag. But I did know a veteran who liked the Packers and chocolate ice cream.

I never saw him again.

Lauren Koshere is a writer who works in food service at William S. Middle ton Memorial Veterans Hospital in Madison , Wisconsin, and volunteers for Veterans Affairs’ “My Life, My Story” program.

Dan Walters

Deon D. Price

Lauren Koshere

Memorial for rapper Takeoff to feature performances by Keys, Bieber

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

The funeral service for slain Migos rapper Takeoff report edly will feature performances by a couple of Grammy winners.

Alicia Keys and Justin Bieber will honor Takeoff during the rap per’s memorial on Friday at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, TMZ reports.

Representatives for the event did not confirm any performance details when contacted by the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday.

The two singers are the latest music indus try names set to attend Friday’s ceremony. They join Drake, who announced Monday that he will “pay respect to our dear friend this weekend.”

Takeoff, whose real name was Kirsnick Khari Ball, will be laid to rest in his home town more than a week after he was killed in a shooting at a Houston bowling alley.

The Celebra tion of Life will begin at noon ET.

Free tickets became available to Georgia res idents on Tuesday but were quickly claimed, an arena employee said Wednesday. Despite the demand, Takeoff’s memorial will not be livestreamed, the L.A. Times confirmed.

Fans who weren’t able to secure tickets are “strongly encouraged not to come to downtown” to pay tribute to Takeoff.

“No gifts or items will be permitted to be left at or near the venue,” State Farm Arena said on the memorial’s page.

Instead, the rapper’s family said, fans can donate to the Rocket Foundation in Takeoff’s honor. The organiza tion supports programs

against gun violence. Takeoff – who made up the Atlanta rap trio Migos with Quavo, his uncle, and Offset, his cousin – died Nov. 1 in a shooting that broke out after a private party at 810 Billiards & Bowling. He was 28.

According to the Houston Police Depart ment, officers responded to the shooting shortly after 2:30 a.m. and found one man dead. Two other people were hospitalized with nonfatal injuries.

TMZ reported that Takeoff and Quavo were playing dice at the party when an altercation broke out and someone opened fire.

Police have not identified suspects or announced any arrests. Houston police Chief Troy Finner said in a press briefing last week that he believes two firearms were used at the shooting.

Finner also said he and his team had no reason to believe that Takeoff was “involved in anything criminal at the time” of the shooting.

The Harris County medical examiner labeled the rapper’s death a homicide in a preliminary report pub lished last week. He died of “penetrating gunshot wounds of head and torso into arm,” the report said.

Keys was one of many musicians who acknowl edged the “Stir Fry” rapper when news of his death broke last week.

“This is too much. . . . It’s like every day,” she tweeted. “RIP Takeoff. Sending light to your family and loved ones We are losing too many too soon!!”

Also sharing their tributes on social media were Kid Cudi, Chloe Bailey and Halle Bailey, and Teyana Taylor.

Zits Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Pearls Before Swine Stephan Pastis

Dilbert Scott Adams

Baby Blues Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott

Baldo Hector Cantú and Carlos Castellanos

Rich Fury/Getty Images for Global Citizen/TNS

Rapper Takeoff will be laid to rest Friday in Atlanta, where free tickets to his memorial were quickly snapped up.

Why the Oscars are primed to go Mach 10 with ‘Top Gun: Maverick’

LOS ANGELES — Uber-pro ducer Jerry Bruckheimer has a long resume – box office bil lions from franchises like the “Pirates of Caribbean” and “Bad Boys” movies, several hundred (and counting) “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” epi sodes and enough cinematic explosions to have inflicted hearing damage on generations of audiences.

The one item missing from the 79-year-old Bruckheimer’s CV: an Oscar nomination.

Now, maybe you feel that omission is not glaring but earned. Like, what, Bruck heimer should have been nominated for “Pearl Harbor”? Or “National Treasure”? He has always been a populist, con cerned with putting people in the seats, not the whims of Oscar voters. The academy can have its “prestige.” He’ll take the Happy Meal tie-ins.

But . . . Bruckheimer has also made scores of movies that people still watch today (unlike, oh, a good third of the films nominated for best picture) and, on occasion, he has pro duced films that could well have been nominated for the Oscars’ highest honor. I’ll never watch the bloated 1995 best picture winner “Braveheart” again, but if I stumble across Tony Scott’s daring submarine thriller “Crimson Tide,” also released that year, I’ll gladly settle in and watch Denzel Washing ton and Gene Hackman go at it for two hours.

“Black Hawk Down” could have been a contender too, earning director Ridley Scott an Oscar nomination . . . but without the corresponding best picture nod.

So, yes, the man and his movies have been good and bad and (Coyote) ugly. And he’s still out there swinging.

And, sure, it’s early, but let’s just get this out of the way right now: Jerry Bruck heimer is going to collect his Oscar nomination at the 95th Academy Awards.

Maybe you remember a little movie titled “Top Gun: Maver ick.” Came out in May, made around $1.5 billion at the box office, worked the tear ducts of men – and women – when it opened. Sequel to a swagger ing action flick made 36 years ago (!), the second chapter is so obsessed with its name sake predecessor that it might as well be that film and, in many ways, is that film, just better – better stunts, better visuals, better craftsmanship. Not a better song. Let’s not get carried away. Due respect to Gaga, but those opening bass synth notes in “Take My Breath Away” will still have listen

ers turning and returning to some secret place inside for years to come.

Did you know that “Take My Breath Away” won the Oscar for original song? Do you remember that “Top Gun” was nominated for three other Oscars – film editing, sound mixing and sound editing? Do you recall the five movies nomi nated for best picture that year? (Doubtful.) What if there had been 10 movies, the current number nominated for best picture, and not just five? Would “Top Gun” have made the cut?

Probably not, though, for better and for worse, if I wanted to show someone what the ’80s –and ’80s filmmaking – felt like, I’d cue up “Wall Street,” a John Hughes movie and “Top Gun.”

But that was then and this is now, when we do indeed have 10 slots for the best picture Oscar, a category that was expanded in 2009 because academy voters had not nom inated Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” the previ ous year. Academy President Sid Ganis, announcing the deci sion then, made that clear when talking about the reasoning: “I would not be telling you the truth if I said the words ‘Dark Knight’ did not come up.”

The idea was to open the best picture category to popular movies. Movies like “Top Gun: Maverick.”

For the most part, that hasn’t happened. Voters just doubled down on the indie dramas, so much so that a few years ago, the academy tried to add a “popular film Oscar.” That idea, like most other moves made during the 11 years Dawn Hudson ran the organization, divided members and was ulti mately scrapped.

So with all that, why the opti mism now for Tom Cruise’s flyboy movie? Two things: “Top Gun: Maverick” and, to a lesser extent Baz Luhrmann’s electri fying “Elvis” and the dazzling indie hit “Everything Every where All at Once,” helped

revive moribund movie the aters this year through sheer force of spectacle. The makers of “Top Gun: Maverick,” in fact, were so committed to the the atrical experience that they held out for years – the movie was finished in 2019 – in order to optimally satisfy audiences’ need for speed. (And also, obvi ously, to make a mountain of money.) Maverick going Mach 10 served as a potent reminder as to why people leave their homes and go to the movies.

But that alone might not be enough because too many Oscar voters still have the notion that the only movies worth honoring are those that elevate Art and have the sheen of being about something Important or, at the very least, feature a slapstick, imaginary Hitler to remind us that fascism is bad.

However, this year, a number of these movies – Ale jandro G. Iñárritu’s indulgent “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths,” Sam Mendes’ unfocused “Empire of Light,” the Marilyn Monroe biopic that hates Marilyn Monroe “Blonde,” the messy adaptation of Don DeLillo’s novel “White Noise” and David O. Russell’s flat screwball comedy “Amsterdam” (again, fascism = bad) – have landed with a thud.

There are still outstanding indies – “Tár,” “The Ban shees of Inisherin,” “Women Talking” – along with Steven Spielberg’s masterful movie memory piece, “The Fabel mans.” But that’s just four, leaving plenty of room for “Top Gun: Maverick” and a handful of other worthy popcorn contenders, includ ing upcoming movies like Rian Johnson’s delightful “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” and maybe James Camer on’s long-awaited “Avatar” sequel. (Damien Chazelle’s still-unscreened Golden Age of Hollywood extrava ganza “Babylon” merits its own category.)

Bridge

THE VANISHING TRUMP TRICK

There is something magical about a bridge deal in which an apparently certain trump trick is made to disappear.

Today’s deal was reported by Guy Dupont in the French newspaper Le Figaro. It was played brilliantly by Roger Benabou.

North, after his partner overcalled three spades, spent some time trying to get to seven but eventually gave up the

Sudoku

Bridge

THE VANISHING TRUMP TRICK

There is something magical about a bridge deal in which an apparently certain trump trick is made to disappear.

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

Today’s deal was reported by Guy Dupont in the French newspaper Le Figaro. It was played brilliantly by Roger Benabou.

by Phillip Alder

fight. (Usually, it pays to be cautious following a preemptive bid because it presages bad breaks.) West led the heart six. Benabou won with dummy’s ace and made the farsighted play of ruffing the heart five in his hand. He unblocked the club ace before leading a spade to dummy. When East discarded, it looked as though declarer had two unavoidable losers: one spade and one diamond. However, Benabou found the way home.

Declarer cashed dummy’s club king-queen, discarding diamonds from hand. He ruffed the club 10, cashed the diamond ace-king and played a spade to dummy.

Finally, Benabou led dummy’s heart jack. After East covered with the queen, South discarded his last diamond, as did West. Dummy remained with the spade ace and diamond eight. East had two hearts. South held the spade 10-nine, and West the spade jack-seven.

When East led a heart, South ruffed with the spade nine. What could West do? If he overruffed with the jack, dummy would overruff with the ace and South’s spade 10 would win the last trick. If West underruffed, dummy’s diamond loser would be discarded.

This is known as a Smother Coup. It is a very rare bird in the bridge aviary.

UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

2022,

COPYRIGHT:

by Wayne Gould

Scott Garfield/Paramount Pictures/TNS

From left, Christopher McQuarrie, Tom Cruise, Joseph Kosinski and Jerry Bruckheimer on the set of “Top Gun: Maverick.”

Resilient Kings show Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell a hunger

By Jason a nderson THE SACRAMENTO BEE

SACRAMENTO —

Donovan Mitchell put on a show Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center in Sac ramento, but it was the Kings who showed Mitch ell something in their most impressive perfor mance of the season.

Veteran forward Har rison Barnes looked more like himself. Rookie forward Keegan Murray looked like he was happy to be home. Domantas Sabonis did a little bit of everything.

De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk, Trey Lyles and Davion Mitchell all did their part, and the Kings emerged victorious, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 127-120.

“I want to say, they just look hungry,” Mitch ell said after matching his season high with 38 points in a losing effort. “Not to say that they didn’t before, but they look like they have a hunger about them collectively.

“They got the pieces. Fox has been doing this since our rookie year. You add Sabonis. You have a veteran that does it all in Harrison Barnes.

Keegan Murray, who is finding his way; Kevin Huerter, who can shoot; Davion, obviously we know what he does; Malik. If you look down the line, you got guys that are playing for each other, and that’s great to see out of them. Unfor tunately, it was our loss tonight, but after seeing them for so many times, I would say this is one of the first times where I see this group and you know where they want to go.”

Sabonis led seven players in double figures for the Kings (4-6), who bounced back in a major way after suffering con troversial losses to the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors during their recent road trip.

Sabonis finished with 21 points, five rebounds, six assists and three steals. He made five of his eight field-goal attempts and went 11 of 12 at the free-throw line.

Barnes matched

his season high with 20 points on 6-of-8 shoot ing, going 2 of 4 from 3-point range. He also had nine rebounds, three assists and two steals, silencing some of the criticism he faced after struggling to start the season.

Barnes noted that the Kings have shown resil iency after Last 2 Minute Reports confirmed offi cials blew crucial calls in their losses to Miami and Golden State. An ornery Sacramento crowd booed the referees when they were introduced prior to Wednesday’s game and later showered them with chants of “Ref you suck.”

Lyles came off the bench to score 16 points with four 3-pointers. Kevin Huerter had 14 points, two steals and one blocked shot. He threw up three fingers to the crowd after burying a big 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.

Monk continued to emerge as an essential piece of the Kings’ rota tion, giving Sacramento 14 points, five assists and an emphatic blocked shot on Jarrett Allen during an electric sequence that led to a 3-pointer from Monk at the other end.

“I think it was good to get a win,” Barnes said. “I think last game, we felt like we should have won, like we put ourselves in position to win, and to not get that one was tough, but to battle back tonight was big.

“I think the story of our team so far this season is that we’re a

resilient group. We have a lot of depth and differ ent guys will step up on different nights, but col lectively, as long as we have that buy in, we’ll be alright.”

Caris LeVert had 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Cavaliers (8-3), who have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. They are third in the NBA in defensive rating and seventh in scoring defense, allowing just 107.4 points per game.

Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he has been impressed by Sacra mento’s play under coach Mike Brown.

“They’re a feisty team,” Bickerstaff said. “ I’ve watched them play a bunch. Mike Brown and I are really close. I spend a lot of time watching and I see their games. They are in games at the end of the game. They’ve had some unfortunate cir cumstances that haven’t gone their way in games, but they’ve got indi vidual talent. They’re a team that appears to be bought in to one another. After the way that Golden State game ended, after the Miami game ended, it’s easy to fracture when bad things happen. You can tell that this team has gelled together, and they want to go out and compete to be good together.”

Sacramento jumped out to an early lead after holding Cleveland to 25% shooting over the first six minutes. The Kings started the game with a

10-3 run and led by as many as 12 before the Cavaliers cut the deficit to five at the end of the first quarter.

Barnes, who has been the subject of increasing scrutiny after shooting 16.7% from 3-point range over the first nine games, looked like a man on a mission. He scored with efficiency while aggres sively chasing rebounds, posting five points, six boards, three assists and one steal in his first nine minutes.

The Kings kept cooking in the second quarter, going up by as many as 14 points before carrying a 69-58 lead into the locker room at the break. They turned in, perhaps, their finest half of the season, shoot ing 57.5% from the field and 47.6% from 3-point range with 17 assists and three turnovers.

The Kings also got a resurgent performance from Murray, who aver aged 7.0 points on 31.4% shooting while fretting over a family matter during the team’s fourgame road trip. Playing in front of an adoring Sacramento crowd for the first time in 11 days, Murray shot the ball with confidence, knock ing down four of his first six shots, including three 3-pointers.

Murray finished 5 of 10 from the field and 2 of 4 from 3-point range with 14 points, three rebounds and two steals.

“It feels like home,” he said. “Any time I come here, it feels like home.”

Warriors trying to find their way with new roster

By M adeline K enney BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

SAN FRANCISCO — Coach Steve Kerr knew the challenge facing the Warriors this season.

Kerr and his staff are tasked with developing future foundational talent alongside a dynastic trio of champions who reminded the league this summer they’re not done winning.

While some praised the Warriors for winning a title with three guys unable to legally purchase a beer at the beginning of the season, this season is the first time the dueling timelines are actually con verging. With key players, like Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr., depart ing in free agency, the Warriors turned to upand-coming youngsters like Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody to fill those holes. They were also excited for the return of James Wiseman, the team’s highest draft pick in 25 years who missed all of last season with a knee injury and still remains a 7-foot question mark as to what the Warriors have in him.

It’s been a rough start for the defending champs. They’re 4-7, 12th in the Western Confer ence standings.

Golden State is dealing with an identity crisis it didn’t seem to expect. Scoring hasn’t been an issue. But after being among the best defen sive units in the league last season, the Warriors are among the worst this season, allowing a leagueleading 120.6 points per game. Even more con cerning, Golden State has already surrendered 125plus points after giving up that many just twice a season ago.

There are a few reasons for the War riors’ defensive woes, but the bench’s inexperi ence has been at the top of that list. Golden State is winning the minutes superstar Stephen Curry is on the court but losing the ones he’s off.

As a result, the War riors’ rotation remains fluid, and the team’s

youngest players are dealing with uncertainty night in and night out. Kuminga has ridden the bench in three games. He earned a spot in the rotation after impress ing last weekend against New Orleans when the majority of the starters sat out. But the 20-yearold was reminded how valuable those opportuni ties are Monday when he didn’t see the court in the second half of the War riors’ win over the Kings after tallying five points and finishing minus-17 in nine minutes during the opening quarters.

Meanwhile, Wiseman, who had been one of the first players off the bench in previous games but has struggled with timing and finding his rhythm, didn’t play at all Monday. Moody, the most dependable of the team’s 21-and-under club early on this season, played only nine minutes, his shortest stint since opening night.

The margin of error is slim on a championship team. And after the War riors stumbled through an 0-5 road trip, Kerr is seeking some stabil ity as he tries to improve the team’s course. Young players are more likely to make mistakes and foul on defense. And with some of the team’s established players, like Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson, struggling with inconsis tencies, the youngsters are walking on a tight rope even more.

Kerr has turned to two-way players, Ty Jerome and Anthony Lamb, in the last two games. Some questioned why the Warriors would play their two-way guys over the team’s develop mental projects.

Jerome, 25, played three seasons at Vir ginia, and was a starter for the 2019 NCAA cham pionship-winning squad before being drafted No. 24 overall. He’s played in 120 NBA games, includ ing eight this season. Lamb, 24, played four seasons at the University of Vermont and a com bined 72 games between the NBA and G League.

Paul Kitagaki Jr./Sacramento Bee/TNS

Kings guard Kevin Huerter (9) celebrates after another 3-pointer against the Cavaliers in the fourth quarter during a game at the Golden 1 Center in sacramento, Wednesday.

Fox plans to focus on soccer in Qatar

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

NEW YORK — Qatar’s hosting of this year’s men’s World Cup has been dogged by controversy ever since the day 12 years ago when FIFA awarded its showcase to a Middle Eastern nation for the first time.

Indeed, the clamor started even before then, with allegations –including from the U.S. Department of Justice – that Qatar bribed FIFA officials to win the hosting rights.

Then came years of claims that migrant workers were mistreated while building palatial hotels and stadiums, and the transportation infrastructure to link them. A report by England’s Guardian newspaper in February 2021 claimed that over 6,500 migrant workers had died since the hosting was awarded. Last month, Denmark’s national team and its uniform supplier created blank jerseys for the tournament as a protest.

Now, with millions of fans

Kickoff

From Page B1

Empire League, the only loss coming to Vacav ille, 28-13. The last time the Vikings were on the field was a tough MEL finale where they came away with just a 7-6 win over Rodriguez.

Vanden is in the second round for the fifth straight season. The Vikings, winners of four Section championships, went on to win a state title last year.

Quarterback Tre Dimes is 73 of 154 passing for 1,332 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. The leading rusher is Elijah Fisherman with 86 carries for 622 yards and seven touchdowns.

Braydon Chavez has caught 29 passes from Dimes for 518 yards and four touchdowns.

Kyren Jackson-Davis is the top tackler with 67. Devin Martin, the MEL’s Back of the Year, has made 65 tackles. Abraham Sanders has 62 tackles.

Buhach Colony does have the fourth longest playoff trip this week in the section. The Thunder will travel 117 miles.

Vacaville at Manteca

Top-seed Manteca enters the play

set to descend on a country the size of Connecticut, there are new questions.

Will women have free reign in a nation where some hotels ban women from booking their own rooms? Will LGBTQ+ fans be allowed to be themselves in a nation where homosexuality is illegal? How will a Western standard of rowdy fan behavior be treated in a nation where alcohol is strictly limited?

You might not hear much about any of that during Fox Sports’ cov erage of the tournament, which runs from Nov. 20-Dec. 18.

At a Fox event in Manhattan on Thursday, the controversies didn’t come up during the network’s formal presentation. The closest anyone came was lead game analyst Stu Holden, who said that having “all the fans from all the dif ferent countries in one singular place – it might create some won derful moments, it might also create some chaos.”

offs 8-1 overall and 4-1 in the Valley Oak League, second to Central Catholic of Modesto. The Buffaloes are a force to be reckoned with and have a star in Blake Nichelson, a four-star athlete no less, who has already commit ted to Florida State.

Nichelson has had 111 carries for 1,128 yards and 20 touchdowns to go with 19 recep tions for 502 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also has 44 tackles and 4.5 sacks as one of the Central Valley’s top talents at linebacker.

These teams have never met in the postseason.

Manteca is in Division II for the first time and is in the second round of the postseason for the ninth straight season. The Buf faloes are looking for their fifth trip to the semifinals in the past six years. In every one of those years, they won a Section cham pionship. They’ve won eight titles, including last year’s Division III crown.

Quarterback Hudson Wyatt is 52 of 79 for 938 yards and 14 touch downs. Bryson Davis has 783 yards rushing with 12 touchdowns. Isaiah White has a team-high 59 tackles. The last time Manteca was on the field they beat rival Oakdale 55-0.

But there was plenty of time around the presentation to ask questions of broadcasters and exec utives, and they were ready to talk.

“Our approach is clear, and it’s identical to what it was four years ago in Russia,” executive producer David Neal told The Inquirer. “We believe that viewers come to Fox Sports during the World Cup to see the greatest sports event in the world. They don’t come to us expect ing us to be [HBO’s] 'Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel,' or [ESPN’s] 'E:60.' That’s not who we pretend to be, and I don’t think that’s what the viewer expectation is.”

However many viewers may dis agree with that, Neal is not new to this. Qatar will be his fourth World Cup with Fox and before then he spent over 30 years at NBC – includ ing producing nine Olympics.

So he knows about the balance between on- and off-thefield matters at an international sports event.

Vacaville is 8-3 overall and won the Monticello Empire League with a 5-0 record. The Bulldogs opened the playoffs with a 35-20 win over Lodi as running back Cris tian Diosdado rushed for 163 yards and a touch down. Jemeir Buckner helped seal a tough victory with a late interception for a touchdown.

Quarterback Alex Barkley is 84 for 145 for 989 yards and nine touch downs. Brady Mott has caught 29 passes for 578 yards and five touch downs. Eric Gladney has 95 tackles, followed by Liam Flaherty (89) and Mott (73). Gladney was one of the co-Players of the Year in the MEL.

Vacaville is in the second round for the first time since 2017. Last week’s win over Lodi snapped a four-game postseason losing streak. The Bulldogs are looking for their first semifinal appearance since 2014.

Ripon Christian at Rio Vista

The Knights went 8-2 overall and 6-1 in the Southern League. Ripon Christian had a bye in the first week of the play offs and ended its regular season Oct. 28 with a 41-7 win over Delhi. These teams have met

in the playoffs once before in the 2017 Division VII championship game. Rio Vista beat Ripon Christian 56-28. Ripon Christian is in the playoffs for the first time since 2019, and it is the Knights’ fourth time here in the past five years.

Quarterback Trey Fasani is 94 of 146 for for 1,291 yards and 22 touch downs. Grant Sonke has rushed for 771 yards and 10 touchdowns. Griffin DeAbreu has made 28 catches for 519 yards and three touchdowns. Linebacker Dustin Hoeks tra is the top tackler with a hand in 80 stops.

Rio Vista is 6-4 overall and 4-1 in the Sierra Delta League, finishing in second place to Esparto. The last time the Rams were on the field they beat San Juan 42-0.

Rio Vista is in the playoffs for the second straight year.

Quarterback Matthew Bodle has thrown for 755 yards and nine touchdowns. Tony Bel lante is the top rusher with 755 yards and nine touchdowns to go with 80 tackles on defense. Isaiah Turner has rushed for 521 yards and four touchdowns and also caught 16 passes for 341 yards and eight touch downs. Michael Lorton has the second-most tackles with 67.

From Page B1

four of them are great kids and I am very, very proud of them.”

Vacaville High had a noon ceremony in its school gym and honored four athletes. Karylynne Manuel will play softball at Dominican University of California, Mackayla Freshour will play soft ball at San Jose State and Mackenzie Godden will play volleyball at Central Washington. Nia Macay accepted an offer to play tennis at William Jessup University in Rocklin but could not attend because she and the Bulldogs had a playoff match.

Vanden’s Alyssa Jackson will also sign with San Diego State to play basketball. Her head coach Allison Johnson said they would celebrate her achieve ment Sunday. Vanden was hosting “Daniel Day” festivities Wednes day night in honor of the late Daniel Hughes that offers a first look at the boys and girls bas ketball teams.

Jackson is the return ing Monticello Empire League player of the year. As a junior guard she averaged 19.7 points per game, 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 steals and 2.5 assists for the Vikings.

At Rodriguez, Chin davong said Nevada felt

like the right fit. Her prep season hasn’t ended yet, however. She will play Monday morning in the CIF State Golf Cham pionships in San Gabriel.

“I got to visit the campus and I got to meet the team and they are super friendly,” Chin davong said of Nevada.

“I love the weather, the campus. It is really a great fit for me. It feels like a small school in the middle of a big city.”

Kilgore, a catcher and outfielder on the Rodri guez softball team, said the Fort Lewis soft ball program is “up and coming.”

“It’s beautiful there and the campus is super awesome,” Kilgore said. “They even have a Chick-fil-A on campus.”

Wilde said Cedar ville “checked all the boxes.” It’s a private Baptist university just east of Dayton.

“I liked the environ ment, I liked the coaches and I loved the baseball team,” Wilde said. “I felt right at home.”

Lee has played tennis and golf at Rodriguez and travel softball. The opportunity to play for the Tar Heels was one she didn’t want to pass up.

“Who wouldn’t want to play at North Caro lina?” Lee said. “I wanted the big school experience in a great conference. Academics, sports, it felt like a good balance.”

From Page B1

season. James Reimer is slated to start Friday when the Sharks con tinue their road trip against the Dallas Stars.

The Sharks allowed the first goal as Krug scored his second of the season at the 2:30 mark of the first period, finding an open spot from a sharp angle to beat Kahkonen.

The Blues threatened to take a two-goal lead after Mario Ferraro was called for slashing at

Sharksthe 7:02 mark. But the Sharks killed off the penalty, thanks in part to two saves from Kah konen, and gathered a bit of momentum going forward.

On the Sharks’ first goal, Karlsson fired a puck on net from inside the blue line that went off Labanc’s stick and off Meier, who deflected the puck to the left side of the crease, where it went off Justin Faulk’s glove and into the Blues net.

The last time Meier scored in four con secutive regular season games was March 1-9, 2019.