Daily Republic: Monday, Feb. 6, 2023

Flyway Festival returns this weekend A3

Musharraf, former ruler of Pakistan, dies at 79 B5

Solano Land Trust schedules activities throughout

D DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

Trust offer several opportunities this month to enjoy the beauti ful outdoors.

place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Satur day at Lynch Canyon Open Space.

Larry Broderick will give the tour throughout the 2022-2023 winter migration season. Land trust offi cials urge area residents to take a discover, observe and learn about eagles, hawks and other raptors.

the Bay Flyway Festival and will offer raptor identification tips and views of resident and overwintering birds of prey.

All ages are welcome, but participants must be prepared for a moderately paced hike covering about 4 miles, possibly off-trail in places, up and down rugged, steep

BloomBerg News

WASHINGTON — Democrats are unfazed, even giddy about a possible 2024 rematch between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump. But the prospect of facing upstart Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is prompting whispers of angst within Democratic circles.

While Biden advisers and allies haven’t yet settled on a strategy to thwart DeSantis, the White House hasn’t missed an opportunity to knock him in an effort to weaken

ipants are asked to bring their own water and to wear hiking shoes.

The hike fee is $10 and there is a separate parking fee of $6 at Lynch Canyon, 3100 Lynch Road in rural Fairfield.

A nature hike will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at

Participants will have a chance to explore the hills between Suisun Valley and Green Valley and see sweeping views of Solano County and beyond. Scenic blue and live oaks, native wildflowers and fascinating geology make this a truly special hike, according to the land trust. The hike is designated as moderately strenuous, covering 4 to 6 miles. Rain or extreme weather will cancel the hike.

Those who register for the hike will meet at the red Ice House building at the corner of Suisun

Rush Ranch hosts overlapping

The Backyard Bird Count for Kids is hosted by International Bird Rescue and Solano Land Trust. Children ages 8 and older – and their adult chaperones – are invited to Rush Ranch for this special birding event.

BloomBerg News

WASHINGTON — The U.S. government launched a mission to salvage what officials say is spy equipment from the Chinese balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday, as pressure mounted on President Joe Biden to hit back at Beijing over the incident with new export controls on sensitive technology.

The government anticipates finding equipment capable of taking detailed photographs, along with other sensors, one person familiar with the matter said. U.S. lawmakers are already demanding to know if the balloon’s payload contains technology from the U.S. or its allies, another person said. Both asked not to be identified because the administration doesn’t want to reveal exactly what it suspects the balloon was carrying.

The balloon, said to be the size of at least two school buses, and its sensors are lying in

50 feet of water and scattered over a seven-mile area off Myrtle Beach. Divers and cranes operating from the surface were expected to haul it up in the coming days, potentially giving intelligence analysts crucial insight into Chinese spying capabilities.

China says it was nothing more than a weather-monitoring balloon that strayed off course, while the U.S. insists it was much more, and part of a broader spying plan by the Chinese government. With that in mind, people familiar with the matter said the Biden administration was calibrating how severely and swiftly to retaliate.

In a sign of the new tensions likely to come, China’s Foreign Ministry sharpened its tone on Sunday and said it now reserves the right to respond after a U.S. F-22 fighter jet popped the balloon with a Side-

Biden aide says negotiation on debt ceiling is ‘nonstarter’

BloomBerg News

WASHINGTON — A White House economic adviser said negotiations over raising the U.S. debt ceiling are an “absolute nonstarter” for President Joe Biden, though he’s ready to discuss spending with congressional Republicans.

him before he can announce a presidential bid, according to con versations with Biden advisers and Democratic strategists.

Democrats worry that DeSantis, who presides over a large, diverse and former swing state, could appeal to possible Biden voters, those who would otherwise lean Republican, but were repelled by Trump’s baggage, the advisers and strategists said.

Biden allies privately worry that DeSantis’s record could appeal to

“There is a separate set of discussions and negotiations over fiscal policy,” Jared Bernstein, a member of Biden’s Council of Economic Advisers, said on “Fox News Sunday.” “We have our budget, we want to see what Republicans have.”

“That’s the discussion that the president is anxious to have with Republicans,” he said. “But the problem is, they really need to bring a plan to the table.”

Bernstein’s comments are the latest positioning in a looming showdown over the debt limit after Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met on Feb. 1 for what the White

House called a “frank and straightforward dialogue” that will continue.

Congressional Republicans have said they want federal spending cuts in exchange for raising the limit. If Congress doesn’t increase the ceiling by sometime in June, the U.S. risks defaulting on its debts.

“The negotiation over the debt ceiling, over default, is an absolute nonstarter for this president,” Bernstein said. By law, the federal government’s debt cannot exceed $31.4 trillion, a cap that was reached on Jan. 19. The Treasury has said it can hold out at least through early June by using special accounting maneuvers.

Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers said Biden should stand firm against hard-line Republicans who are linking a debt ceiling increased to spending cuts.

See China, Page A8 A8

Patwino Worrtla Kodoi Dihi Open

I am suffering from NFL withdrawal

It’s almost never a good idea to use the internet to try to diagnose physical symptoms you are experiencing, but I did it anyway.

The twitching, nervousness, sense of despair and general malaise I had pointed to a serious condition: NFL Football Withdrawal.

I love football but what I hate about the NFL playoffs is that with Wild Card Weekend they have a ton of games. Then as the players of some teams are dispatched to their favorite off-season fishing holes, there are fewer games the following weekend during the divisional rounds.

By the Conference Championship games, it’s just two games on one day. Then suddenly – poof – there’s no football for two weeks until the Super Bowl.

There’s no counseling available that I have been able to find, much less a patch you can buy at CVS that will take the edge off and give you a little bit of the weekly adrenaline rush I have grown accustomed to since September.

Now, I know the Pro Bowl is in between the Conference Championships and the Super Bowl, but I’m talking about actual NFL football. I’m writing this on Friday so the game will have been played yesterday by the time this is published. I didn’t watch it. The Pro Bowl is to real NFL football what a Tigger doll is to an actual tiger.

They marketed the fact that this year it was a flag football game as if that was something new. It is has been a flag football game – and unwatchable in my view – for years. I would rather play with those old handheld Mattel electronic football games or the ones where they jiggled around a field than subject myself to that starfilled fraud.

The frustrating thing with my NFL withdrawal is I know it is coming every year and

CORRECTION POLICY

yet it always seems to catch me unawares. Now the obvious joke is that for Raiders fans our season ended weeks ago so I should be used to it. That misses a basic premise. You see, I wrote a couple of weeks ago about how I am a Football Smackologist. Some have gotten that really twisted. They seem to think I hate certain teams so I don’t watch them.

Before going any further, when using the word “hate,” I don’t mean it in the way that it is used in, say, someone com mitting hate crimes. I just mean it like you have a team you root for and that team usually has natural opponents or enemies, if you will. Sometimes in their own division and/or close by geographically.

But here’s the thing: It really ain’t about the players on the teams or the teams themselves. There are plenty of teams – 31 in fact – that I am not a fan of, but I will watch them because I love football.

It is truly about the annoying fanbase of other teams. Yes, a Raiders fan just said that.

If you respect the game, you have to acknowledge many players from a ton of different teams are incredible athletes.

Patrick Mahomes plays for the Chiefs, which is almost like a cuss word to me, but the guy can ball. Likewise with Justin Herbert of the North Mexico Chargers.

Now, a couple of weeks ago

I tried to do a pubic service for the Santa Clara 49ers fans. I tried to soften the blow for them by letting them know that, despite how loaded their team was, they would not be winning the Super Bowl this season. This now-proven prediction was based on my theory that teams that have players who experience some Off The Field Funkiness (OTFF) will not win it all. By the way, the Eagles just had some OTFF, which I won’t go into, but it is common knowledge now.

It is the Daily Republic’s policy to correct errors in reporting. If you notice an error, please call the Daily Republic at 425-4646 during business hours weekdays and ask to speak to the editor in charge of the section where the error occurred. Corrections will be printed here.

DAILY REPUBLIC

Therefore, as much as it pains me to say it, the Chiefs will once again be hoisting the Lombardi trophy this year.

Back to Santa Clara fans: I laid the smack on pretty thick when the vaunted No. 1 defense of the 49ers got steamrolled in the Championship game. I never cheer any player being injured. Injured is different from hurt. Most NFL players at this point in the season are hurting in some way. But an injury means they either can’t play at all or their abilities are seriously diminished. Brock Purdy’s first quarter injury spelled doom for them. However, some fans were not being honest about what happened. It wasn’t like he had a freak fall or something. The 49ers O-line failed to protect him and he got injured.

Now, I never tag anyone on Facebook or post anything on other people’s timelines, just mine. But nonetheless, the same Niners fans who came out of the woodwork when they started winning with their thirdstring quarterback seemed triggered for some reason and

came at me.

The only thing was they did not come correct. I respect strong, original and usually funny counter-smack. But I was able to bat their feeble attempts away with ease. Frankly, I was a little insulted. Comin’ at me with that level of weakness was akin to sending those molded plastic little green toy soldiers to war instead of real ones.

Here’s a hard truth: There is just one winner in the NFL and once they are the last team standing, it means everyone else has failed. Thus, the Raiders and the Niners are now equal. There is no We Did Better Than The Raiders Trophy or At Least We Made It This Far Award.

Look, it’s just entertainment. It ain’t that serious. If the Niners had managed to buck the trend and overcome the off the field funkiness and win the Super Bowl, it ain’t like the fans were gonna get a ring.

So Niners fans, don’t blame me for the Shanahanization of your team.

I will be the first one to admit the 49ers had a whole Cinder-

ella story going this year that was pretty amazing to watch. Jimmy G all but shown the door but he stays, Trey Lance starting then getting hurt. Jimmy G riding in on a white horse to be the hero. Christian McCaffrey coming west to add his considerable skills. Jimmy G getting injured. Brock Purdy coming out of freakin’ nowhere to lead them to seven straight wins and a berth in the Championship game. I mean that is like the Kurt Warner or Tom Brady mythos. With one big difference. They screwed up the ending. Welcome to the “We’ll Get ’Em Next Year” Club.

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 Fairfield, California” and “Lost Restaurants of Fairfield, California.”

The WashingTon P

Walk, eat, play, sleep. Repeat.

That’s how Bobi, recently deemed the world’s oldest living dog by Guinness World Records, spent much of his 30 years on his family’s farm in the village of Con queiros, Portugal.

Unlike the owner of the Rafeiro do Alentejo, the rest of the world hasn’t had the chance to watch their furry friend age three decades with them.

“That really is an unusual thing,” Erik Olstad, an assistant professor at the Uni versity of California at Davis School of Veterinary Med icine, told The Washington Post. “Owners will always ask me, ‘How can I make my dog live the longest life that they can?’ That’s a loaded ques tion because there are so many variants that go into life expectancy.”

A lot of it is genetics. Life expectancy and predisposition for diseases vary by breed, Olstad said. But there are still things dog owners can do to give their pets the opportunity to live a long and happy life, vets told The Post.

“Dogs are very much like people,” said Natasha Olby, a veterinary professor at North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “They need healthy diets, exercise, community, engagement and regular health care.”

Maintaining a healthy weight is crucial, experts told The Post. Dog owners should strive to give them quality dog food and avoid overfeeding because, as they age, the extra weight will make it much harder to treat mobility conditions such as arthritis or ruptured ligaments.

“If I see dogs entering senior years overweight, I can always bet money that we are going to have some serious mobility conversations

moving on,” Olstad said. Preventive care is a must. Keep their vaccinations up to date, take them to the dentist and visit the vet once or twice a year for a regular checkup.

If you’ve been fortunate enough to raise a senior dog, you should not conclude that certain behaviors or conditions are just ailments that come with age, said Nicole Ehrhart, director of the Columbine Health Systems Center for Healthy Aging at Colorado State University.

“One thing that we should not assume as a pet slows down is, ‘Well, it’s just getting old,’” Ehrhart said. If you are seeing your dog slowing down, that should be a warning flag for you to seek veterinary

assessment.”

Physical and mental exercise are also key. Take your dog on regular walks and runs that stretch out as long as your dog’s breed and age allow.

The five-mile run that works well for your 1-yearold border collie will not be the same workout that your bulldog with arthritis will require. In that case, experts said, you are better off with giving your dog 15-minute walks four times a day, for example. For mental stimulation, hide food and treats inside their toys.

As much as one wants their dog to live a long life like Bobi – who Guinness says is the oldest ever recorded –experts highlighted that the

focus should be on giving pets the most quality of life possible. Life expectancy is not a contract, Olstad told The Post. “My job as a vet is not to get your dog to live as long as possible if it compromises their quality of life,” Olstad said. “Their happiness is much more important to me than the longevity.”

“Try to not focus on that life expectancy, and look at your dog as an individual. I have some [clients] that say, ‘Hey, I heard that someone’s Great Dane lived to 15!’” (Great Danes live an average of eight to 10 years.) “That can be a really tough thing if your expectations aren’t managed.”

Tony Wade

The last laugh

Flyway Festival returns this weekend to Solano

VALLEJO — The 28th annual Flyway Festival this weekend celebrates the return of millions of migrating birds to the San Francisco Bay Area.

“Both birds and people will be flocking to Valle jo’s Mare Island, and regional wetlands to cele brate what has become a special annual ritual each winter: the San Francisco Bay Area Flyway Festival. The three-day event cele brates the return of over 1 million shorebirds and hundreds of thousands of ducks, geese, hawks, song birds and even monarch butterflies, which migrate through or winter in the San Francisco Bay Area,” organizers said in a statement.

The Friday opening reception will kick off the Festival Art Show, “Bay Area Wetlands to Ridgetops,” from 5 to 7 p.m. The next day, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., is the Flyway Festival Wildlife Expo. There will be guided nature walks, including birdwatching outings, and others that focus on the history and nature of the island.

The event is expected to draw 3,000 or more people.

Most festival activities are free. Some require pre-registration. For more information and directions, call Myrna Hayes at 707-249-9633 or visit San Francisco Bay Flyway Festival at https://www. facebook.com/sanfran ciscobayflywayfestival and 2023 Hybrid/Virtual Flyway Festival Group at https://www.facebook. com/groups/virtualsanfra nciscobayflywayfestival/? mibextid=6nocdw.

Car dealership hosts community

blood drive

FAIRFIELD — Fairfield

Chevrolet and Subaru will turn its showroom floor into a donation station in celebration of Valentine’s Day, teaming up with the American Red Cross for its first ever blood drive.

“We are always someone’s type, blood type that is. We have been planning to do this for a long time and since Covid regulations have been less strict we couldn’t think of a more perfect time. Donating blood is a great way to show appreciation to our needed community,” Fairfield Chevrolet and Subaru Marketing Director Gabriela Vidales said in a statement.

The blood drive will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday at the Fairfield Subaru dealership at 2525 Martin Road in Fairfield.

Schedule an appointment at www.red crossblood.org/give.html/ find-drive; this will not be a walk-in blood drive.

Virtual Youth Job Fair targets teens, young adults

FAIRFIELD — A Virtual Youth Job Fair will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday via Zoom.

The 2023 Virtual Youth Job Fair will provide par ticipants ages 15 to 24 the opportunity to learn about paid seasonal and yearround jobs available in the East Bay Regional Park District.

The district is a system of public parks and trails in Alameda and Contra Costa counties west of Solano County, established in 1934. The system com prises 125,000 acres in 73 parks including more than 1,250 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding and nature learning, according to a press release.

Participants will gain first-hand knowledge from staff who would supervise or work alongside them in many of these positions.

Registration is required. Participants may save a spot at https://ebparks. zoom.us/meeting/register/ tZUqcuqvpj8qGdaBw6qHvqYaqqaZLLYaUQXx.

Presentations and discussions will include topics such as an overview and tips on the application and interview process; a typical day in a position –job duties, scenarios and the skills needed; park locations, facilities or offices for positions; the career pathways from those positions; and what an ideal candidate looks like for a position.

Positions available include interpretive student aides, public safety student aides, recreation leaders, lifeguards, gate attendants and student laborers.

Participants are encour-

aged to have their cameras on and dress appropriately, as if they were attending a job fair in person.

Meeting set to talk about closing Matt Garcia academy

FAIRFIELD — Supporters of the Matt Garcia Ca reer and College Academy will meet with district officials along with parents and students next week to discuss the possible closure of the school.

The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. Friday in the Multipurpose Room at 1100 Civic Center Drive.

The school was dedicated to slain City Councilman Matt Garcia in October 2010. It has seen many changes since then. School district trustees heard an update on the state of the school at the Jan. 20 governing board

meeting. The challenges that were presented made some board members pose the question of whether the campus should be shuttered for good.

“It doesn’t matter whose name is on the school, I’m not for closing any school,” said Teresa Taylor Courtemanche, the mother of Matt Garcia. “The students, teachers and staff have been through so much due to Covid. Can we stay put for a while and not cause any more unnecessary disruption? Let’s work together as a community to find solutions that will help and not harm our students.”

The board instructed staff to collect more information before making a decision because some of their questions could not be answered without more research. The results will be presented at the next Fairfield school board meeting at 6 p.m. Feb. 16 at

Thunderstorms could hit Northern California, with heavy snow also falling on the Sierra

tRibune content agency

A storm system sweeping across Northern California on Sunday will bring showers and potential thunderstorms to the Sacramento region through the night, as well as more heavy snow in the Sierra.

But come Monday, the storm clouds are expected to part, leading to clear skies and sunshine that will continue for most of the coming week.

“After those storms dissipate this evening, we are expecting dry weather through the week,” said

Hannah Chandler-Cooley, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Sacramento. “There could be some patchy fog in the morning hours (on Monday) but otherwise, mostly clear skies.”

Scattered showers arrived over the Valley early Sunday, with reports of small hail falling around Elk Grove and Calaveras County to the south.

Up to 10 inches of snow was dumped on the northern Sierra overnight, with another foot of powder expected before the end of the day. The National Weather

Service issued a winter storm warning for the northern Sierra Nevada through 10 p.m. Sunday. The Sierra Avalanche Center in Truckee issued

Government meetings populate week’s calendar

FAIRFIELD — Numerous government meetings that are open to the public will take place this week in the Fairfield-Suisun CityVacaville area. Some will be both online and in-person; others will only occur in-person. Check each agency’s websites for more information.

The scheduled meetings include:

n Suisun-Solano Water Authority Board Executive Committee, 9 a.m.

Monday, Suisun City Hall, council chamber, 701 Civic Center Blvd. Info: http:// ca-sid.civicplus.com/ agendacenter.

n Solano County Board of Supervisors, 9 a.m.

Tuesday, County Government Center, 675 Texas St., Fairfield. Info: www.

solanocounty.com/depts/ bos/meetings/videos.asp.

n Travis School District Governing Board, 5 p.m. Tuesday closed session, 5:30 p.m. open session, Travis Education Center, 2775 De Ronde Drive, Fairfield. Info: https://simbli. eboardsolutions.com/ sb_meetings/sb_meeting listing.aspx?S=36030187.

n Fairfield City Council, 6 p.m. Tuesday, City Council chamber, 1000 Webster St. Info: www.fairfield.ca.gov/gov ernment/city-council/ city-council-meetings.

n Rio Vista City Council, 6 p.m. Tuesday, City Council chamber, City Hall, 1 Main St. Info: www.riovistacity.com/ citycouncil.

n Suisun City Council, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, City Council chamber, 701 Civic Center Blvd. Info: www. suisun.com/government/ city-council.

Solano County Board of Education, 6 p.m. Wednesday, Solano County Office of Education, 5100 Business Center Drive, Fairfield. Info: www.solanocoe.net.

Solano Transportation Authority Board, 6 p.m. Wednesday, STA boardroom chamber, 423 Main St., Suisun City. Info: www.sta.ca.gov.

Solano County Civil Service Commission, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, County Government Center, 675 Texas St., Fairfield. Info: www. solanocounty.com/depts/ bos/meetings/videos.asp.

So lano County Airport Land Use Commission, 7 p.m. Thursday, 675 Texas St., Fairfield. Info: wsolanocounty.com/depts/ rm/boardscommissions/ solano_county_airport_ land_use_commission/ agendas.asp.

Kyber Con 3 returns to Fairfield

FAIRFIELD — Kyber Con 3 returns from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday in the multipurpose room at Fairview Elementary School, 830 First St. This year’s celebrity panel will include John D. Michaels from Netflix’s “Squid Games,” actor Erik Voss, actor Tommy Bechtold, performer Joshua Pilla and actor Alan Fernandes, who played a Tusken raider in “Star Wars: New Hope.”

Come dressed as your favorite character to compete in the costume contest with hourly giveaways. Also included will be vendors and demonstrations.

For more information on ticket prices and updates, go to www.kybercave.com/kyber-con-3.

a backcountry avalanche warning for the central Sierra Nevada range, including the greater Lake Tahoe Area, until 7 a.m. Monday. Chain controls were in place Sunday afternoon for all major routes to Tahoe, including Interstate 80, U.S. Route 50 and California State Route 88.

“We’re encouraging folks to avoid traveling over the Sierra today,” Chandler-Cooley said.

“The conditions are still looking pretty hazardous and they’re not likely to change anytime soon.”

2490 Hilborn Road.

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic file (2020)

Wally Neville of the Napa-Solano Audubon Society and a Mare Island Preserve Field Guide leads a “Beginning Birding for All Ages” walk during the San Francisco Bay Flyway Festival at Mare Island in Vallejo, Feb. 8, 2020.

Daily Republic file

Matt Garcia is congratulated by his grandmother, left, and other supporters after wining a seat on the Fairfield City Council, Nov. 7, 2007. Garcia, 21 at the time, was the youngest person ever elected to the city council.

Paul Kitagaki Jr./TNS file A Sacramento resident uses an umbrella to keep dry in the rain while walking their two dogs in Land Park in Sacramento, Jan. 5.

Columns&Games

Boyfriend’s sexist comments are becoming a dealbreaker

Dear Annie: I have been living with my boyfriend, 34, and his brother, 35, for a few months now while I am searching for an apartment. So far, it has not been going well. It seems as if my boyfriend and I get into an argument every day about small stuff. He will raise his voice and then tell me he isn’t raising his voice at me.

My biggest issue right now is the way he and his brother talk about women. They literally wake up and talk about how much they hate the “modern” woman. They cite a laundry list of the things women need to do to better themselves. After I told them that I disliked those comments, I was scolded and told that I could leave if I don’t like the way they speak.

My boyfriend’s behavior and views have made me rethink our relationship. I am in a weird place because I am

ARIES (March 21-April 19).

Nothing is a chore to you today, especially the sort of work that might normally be classified as such. Sweeping, cleaning, dusting is all an exercise in appreciation for all the bounty you have the privilege to maintain.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20).

You have goals. Who is interested? It may be a source of stress. Many would like to be on Team You, though you have to make a bigger effort to connect with them. Make it your mission to find your supporters.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21).

You get the feeling you’re drifting off track. This happens when the current is stronger than your intention. Either remind yourself of where you want to go and why, or ride the force. You can still change tracts if you want to.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). The problem, believe it or not, will work itself out. Sit tight. Have faith. You’ve made your play, now be watchful and still. Do nothing to interrupt the show about to unfold before you.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22).

Make things. You are the sun. Your involvement elevates projects, relationships, endeavors. This golden day holds shimmering potential, particularly in the morning.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).

If the fit isn’t happening, you’re better off making a quick change. Don’t finagle to try to figure it out. Save your time

Daily

technically homeless. What should I do? —

Feeling Offended

Dear Feeling Offended: His sexist views of women are offputting and outdated, to say the least. It is understandable that you are offended by these comments; in fact, it would be surprising if you weren’t. Keep asserting yourself and expressing your dislike for his comments. Stand up for what you know is right.

If he continues to scold you, it might be wise to put more urgency into your search for a new apartment.

I am sorry that you are homeless. It does put you in an uncomfortable and vulnerable situation, but that doesn’t mean that you have to put up with his abuse.

Dear Annie: This in in response to the writer who said she was only invited to the shower but not the wedding. This happened to me once. I

Today’s birthday

Welcome to your year of spontaneity! You’ll have bright ideas and you’ll follow through fearlessly, or push through your trepidation to create experiences that elevate you and delight others. More highlights: a raise, an unexpected declaration of love and commitment and the sort of parties people will talk about a decade from now. Libra and Gemini adore you.

and everyone else’s by moving on to a more natural melding of interests.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). What separates the amateurs from the pros? Follow-through. Neither is better than the other. It’s wonderful to be unserious in a pursuit. It’s the purest enjoyment. But seriousness depends on follow-through.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21).

Maybe you are the type of person who will do anything to facilitate a loved one’s enjoyment. You’ll consider yourself lucky today to see the opportunity and act on it.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21). It will be tempting to spend the bulk of your time on a problem, but that’s not advised. While you spend the best of your time with the people who feed your

figured that the invitation had gotten lost in the mail. I did not want to ask directly if this was the case, so instead I asked about the upcoming wedding, including where it was to be held and whether they had chosen a time for the event. It worked. My friend was startled. She said that she didn’t know –hadn’t I received the invitation?

When I said no, she immediately mailed another one to me! — A Happy Guest Dear Happy Guest: I love your letter because it shows the importance of communication. We as humans make so many assumptions about what is going on in the other person’s mind, and if we were just to ask them, a great deal would be cleared up.

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

soul, problems will work themselves out.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19). Pay attention. Keep your head on a swivel. The stall in the action is your lucky break. This is the pause you need to shift into a higher gear and take off like a rocket.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 18). With most of the work, you do it in a timely manner and get your results at the end. But when it’s great, like now, you get results all through and all at once to the point where the whole thing seems like one big reward.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You’ve had your heart stolen thief-style and you’ve had the experience of giving it with great consideration. The latter style is favored now. Choose carefully who to love and how. Where your love goes, your time follows.

CELEBRITY PROFILES:

Reggae pioneer and groove superstar Bob Marley came into the world on this day in 1945, and at age 36, the “Ambassador of Third World” left the planet a musical legacy of eternal good vibes. Before he was a cultural movement, Marley was said to enjoy spooking people with visions of their future. With water sign energy conspicuously missing from his natal chart, perhaps he relied on the rich social intuition of the sun and Mercury in Aquarius, the sign of tomorrow.

Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

Word Sleuth

Bridge

by Phillip Alder

On today’s deal, you reach three no-trump following a simple but revealing Stayman auction. After West leads the diamond six, how would you plan the play?

A NAVIGATOR OF THE BRIDGE WORLD

Name a famous explorer from the Age of Discovery. No doubt you thought of several. There are certain bridge deals that make you wish you were a navigator, because you have to steer a careful course through the icebergs of distributional destruction. One false tack, and you sink to defeat.

First, count your top tricks. Here, there are six: two spades, one heart, two diamonds and one club. If either the club or heart finesse wins, immediately you have the extra three tricks that you need. So there is a natural reaction to win the first trick and try a finesse. But which one do you take? You must consider the opening lead. Is the six West’s fourth-highest diamond? Very unlikely. If he had, say, Q-10-9-6 of diamonds, probably he would have led the 10, not the six. So it looks as though he has attacked from a short suit, perhaps because he has length in both majors. If this is true, East is the danger hand. So you must drive out his potential entry first. You should duck the first trick. It cannot cost, and when East puts in the nine, it confirms your reading of the suit. You win the second diamond with dummy’s king, play a spade to the king and run the club queen. East may win with the king and return a diamond, but you cross to dummy with a club and take the heart finesse. Although it also loses, your contract is safe.

COPYRIGHT: 2023, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

Sudoku by Wayne Gould

Difficulty level: BRONZE

Solution to 2/4/23:

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

Horoscopes by Holiday Mathis

Annie Lane Dear Annie

trucks from a pick up truck to a Class 8 Big Rig. Our team of Technician’s have over 150 years combined repair and diagnostic experience. We treat your vehicle like it is ours. There is no job too big or small, we invite them all.

Give us a call to schedule an appointment or just stop by we always have coffee brewed and popcorn popped. We look forward to meeting you and providing you with excellent customer service.

Hamlin spotted at ‘The Masked Singer’ taping

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

LOS ANGELES —

About a month after Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field and went into cardiac arrest, the NFL player was photographed at a taping of the Fox TV series “The Masked Singer.”

But the only thing he wore on his face was a beaming smile. The Buffalo Bills safety was a guest at a taping of the Emmywinning reality singing competition in L.A. on Tuesday, according to photos obtained by TMZ. Hamlin appeared onstage holding a football and standing next to host Nick Cannon with Hamlin’s name projected on the screen behind them.

In one photo, Hamlin,

24, looked offstage, smiling with his hand placed over his chest. Hamlin wore a hoodie and sweatpants from his Chasing Millions clothing line, the proceeds of which benefit his family’s Chasing M’s Foundation Charitable Fund. Sales of the line’s “Did we win?” merchandise will go to first responders and the University of Cincinnati Trauma Center, where Hamlin was treated after the in-game incident. With Hamlin’s appearance on “The Masked Singer,” he joins other NFL players to grace the show’s stage. Fox has not released any information about Hamlin’s appearance, but Season 9 of “The Masked Singer” will air Feb. 15.

Pickles Brian Crane

Zits Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Pearls Before Swine Stephan Pastis

Dilbert Scott Adams

Baby Blues Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott

Baldo Hector Cantú

Opinion

Newsom shuns blame for state’s unseemly issues

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s obvious efforts to raise his national profile have taken two forms – touting California as a societal model and criticizing red states such as Florida and Texas for their supposed shortcomings.

Increasingly, Newsom employs a third tactic – shifting blame for California’s less seemly aspects.

That tendency is particularly evident in something that Californians rate as one of their top concerns – its worstin-the-nation incidence of homelessness, manifested in thousands of squalid encampments in the state’s cities.

While running for governor in 2018, Newsom promised to appoint a cabinet-level official to concentrate on homelessness but later, when reporters pressed him, responded, “You want to know who’s the homeless czar?” Newsom asked. “I’m the homeless czar in the state of California.”

Despite that self-appointed role, as homelessness continued to grow, officially approaching 200,000 people but probably much higher, Newsom began shunning responsibility.

Last year, he blamed local officials for a lack of effective action, at one point suspending state funds. He later restored the money but continued to castigate them.

“If we can’t clean up the encampments and address what’s happening chronically on our streets, I’m going to be hard-pressed to make a case to the Legislature to provide them one dollar more,” Newsom said as he introduced a new state budget in January.

Another example of Newsom’s fingerpointing occurred last week as a congressional committee dominated by Republicans delved into why states – particularly California – handed out billions of dollars in unemployment insurance benefits to fraudsters.

The state auditor had issued a report citing the Employment Development Department’s “poor planning and ineffective management” for shortcomings in handling unemployment insurance claims. But the current EDD director, Nancy Farias, sent the committee a four-page letter blaming Donald Trump’s administration for as much as $30 billion in fraudulent payments.

“Unfortunately, the Trump administration expressed no interest in establishing (a) coordinated national response when these (emergency pandemic unemployment) programs were initiated in 2020, leaving states to fend for themselves against a clear pattern of sophisticated, international criminal syndicates at work,” Farias’ letter, which no doubt was approved by the governor’s office, said.

A third example of blameshifting also popped up last week when Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp cited Newsom’s support for lenient prison policies that allowed the alleged killer of Selma policeman Gonzalo Carrasco to be released after serving just six months of a 64-month sentence for violent crime.

“Today, Gov. Gavin Newsom, and every legislator in the state of California who supports this over-reaching phenomenon they try to disguise as legitimate criminal justice reform, has the blood of this officer on their hands,” Smittcamp said.

“The governor and his political allies who continue the quest to close state prisons are increasing the incidents of violence to everyone who lives in, or visits, the state of California,” Smittcamp continued. “No city or county is safe from the wrath of this misguided thinking, and this mismanaged prison system.”

Newsom quickly fired back. “She should blame herself. I’ve been listening to this for years from her. She has the prosecutorial discretion. Ask her what she did in terms of prosecuting that case.”

Smittcamp persisted, saying, “Governor Newsom continues to demonstrate his ignorance and lack of understanding of how the criminal justice system works. His arrogant and defensive response is proof positive that he is attempting to deflect responsibility for his failed policies.”

She has a point. It is outrageous that the alleged killer, a self-proclaimed gang member with an extensive criminal record, was released after just six months. And in fact it does exemplify the uber-lenient penal policies California has adopted in recent years.

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more columns by Dan Walters, go to Commentary.

After seven slave states seceded from the Union on Feb. 2, 1861 (followed later by four more), they commenced seizing federal properties. Secessionistminded states fired on federal forces of Fort Sumter, South Carolina and captured it on April 14, the official beginning of the Civil War.

The Democratic Party supported the secessionist states.

President Abraham Lincoln’s and abolitionists’ objectives were to restore the Union and terminate slavery. The Democratic Party’s 1864 election platform denied that the secession of states was insurrection, argued for restoration of the secessionist states without freeing slaves, condemned use of military force to combat secessionist military force and argued the war was calculated to prevent a restoration of the Union and prevent the perpetuation of a government deriving its just powers from the consent of the governed.

President Lincoln, with his primary concern being Union restoration, introduced his plan for the post-war era in 1863. His “Ten-Percent Plan” specified that a southern state could be readmitted into the Union once 10% of its voters swore an oath of allegiance to the Union. Voters could then elect delegates to draft revised state constitutions and establish new state governments; Southerners would retain their private property, though not their slaves; and all Southerners except for high-ranking Confederate officers and officials would be granted a full pardon. Specified officials would be

banned from serving in any government that was established, at least during the Reconstruction period.

The plan was intended to reintegrate Southern states of the Confederacy and 4 million newly freed people into the United States. Lincoln’s order of “40 acres and a mule” to freed slaves was rescinded after his assassination.

After surrendering, the former Confederacy attempted to appease many of the requirements of the “Ten-Percent Plan” approved by Congress to become states again. However, they were not willing to grant all equal rights to former slaves. President Andrew Johnson was not a strong enforcer: Johnson rescinded President Lincoln’s order of “40 acres and a mule” to freed slaves. The Republican Congress responded with the Reconstruction Act of 1867 which placed the Confederacy states into five military districts under a Union general commander. Federal troops occupied the military districts to ensure citizen rights were respected. Only federally registered and approved individuals were allowed to vote.

Black citizens were for the first time being elected to state legislatures and Congress as Republicans. Of course, the Southerners were not happy with the occupying federal troops nor the Northern opportunists seeking financial gain (called carpetbaggers). The 1876 election developed a challenge to presidential election between Rutherford B. Hayes (a Republican) and Samuel J. Tilden (a Democrat). Congress created an

Electoral Commission on Jan. 29, 1877, to resolve the dispute that included five members each from the House and Senate and five Supreme Court justices (eight Republicans and seven Democrats). The Compromise of 1877 was that Southern Democrats would acknowledge Hayes as president and the Republicans would meet five demands. The first two were accomplished, the next two were never developed and the last was the Great Deception.

n Removal of all military forces from former Confederate states.

n Appointment of at least one Southern Democrat to Hayes’ cabinet.

n Construction of another transcontinental railroad through the South and Texas.

n Legislation to help industrialize the South and restore its economy after Reconstruction.

n Right to deal with African American citizens in Southern states without Northern interference. The arrival of the first slaves into America in 1608 was not noteworthy as slavery was practiced in many parts of the worls. The United Kingdom led the world in abolishing slavery in 1833. That action initiated a widespread trend and certainly enhanced the abolition movement in the United States. Only the American Civil War ended slavery for America at a cost of 620,000 to 750,000 deaths. Next week will define the battle to provide complete freedom for the Black race.

Jim McCully is a former chairman of the Solano County Republican Central Committee and former regional vice chairman of the California Republican Party.

Political master deception: Part 1 Let’s do something about homelessness

Fairfield had an election three months ago and it seemed that Issue A was homelessness.

People are tired of people sleeping in the doorways of businesses. Businesses are tired of thefts and deposits of natural processes. And there’s a big littering problem. There’s sympathy for the homeless, too, especially in rainy, cold or hot weather. Homeless people need help.

I admire what City Church on East Tabor Avenue is doing. In my opinion, the Rev. Scott Mulvey is a homelessness entrepreneur. He doesn’t just have compassion, he acts. He sees a problem and tries to fix it. He doesn’t focus first on city codes and regulations. His focus is helping people in need.

Don’t get the wrong picture from his entrepreneurial drive. Mulvey is soft-spoken and always calm in manner. I’ve never heard an angry word from him. Remember, he is a Christian pastor.

Mulvey was previously a successful businessman. But then he decided to devote the rest of his life to helping those in desperate need. He and his wife Debbie left their Bay Area home and live at City Church five days a week. Few people have that kind of dedication and make that kind of personal sacrifice.

His program is impressive. People seeking help to overcome addictions can come to City Church. Up to 25 applicants live at the church for a

year or more in a clean environment where they engage in a mentor-led program until ready to graduate.

He also welcomes up to 15 unaddicted people who would like to get out of the homeless lifestyle. They participate in a navigation program that gives them an address, showers, haircuts, clothing and a bed. They engage in job searches and must be employed within two weeks. They stay until they have saved enough money to move into housing.

Still another program reaches out to those who live in a car. They can stay overnight in the church parking lot, have dinner, a shower and leave by 8 a.m. the next day.

Mulvey serves the bottom of the human barrel. Many of his clients have terrible health problems due to years of neglect. Two retired doctors and several retired nurses volunteer to help at a free on-site clinic.

All these services are free. Three hot meals a day, showers, haircuts and clothing are free. The programs are free, often led by staff who previously have been homeless.

Every week he expels people who don’t honor their promises to stay away from drugs and alcohol, refrain from objectionable language and temper their emotions.

Surprise! Some of his clients aren’t model citizens.

Mulvey sees problems and acts.

But last week the city of Fairfield held a hearing about the code

violations City Church has accumulated and it looks to me that the city wants to close him down. We may see 40 more people living on our streets.

Mulvey says he’s totally on board with issues of health and safety. He’d been inspected only once in 14 years so he went by his own standards, not the more exacting building, health and safety standards of city, county and state. Last spring he was finally inspected and violations were found. He’s corrected most of them and is working on the rest. The cost of these corrections and upgrades is high. He’s asking for time to get the money together.

There are also zoning code violations. Not surprisingly, he fits into no present zoning category since no one else does what he’s doing. Not even in Solano County.

The city did pass a new zone description two years ago, but without Mulvey’s input, it wasn’t helpful.

There’s nothing immoral or improper going on at City Church. It’s simply that Mulvey’s programs don’t fit into old zoning molds. I’m asking the city for a new zoning category that fits him. It is not a difficult ask. Such a change is very possible to do.

Maybe others will use that zoning change to also help address Fairfield’s homeless problem.

Jack Batson is a former member of the Fairfield City Council. Reach him by email at jsbatson@prodigy.net.

Dan Walters

Jim McCully

Jack Batson

Barnes & Noble saved itself by putting books first IMAGINE THAT

It wasn’t long ago that Barnes & Noble seemed to be on the glide path to extinction.

At the end of 2018, the giant booksell ing chain reported its seventh quarterly loss in a row, red ink of $27.3 million on sales of $117.2 million. Its management was in turmoil: That summer, Barnes & Noble fired its fourth chief executive in four years. Over the previous decade, it had closed 98 stores, shrinking its retail footprint to 630 locations from 728.

The company, now 106 years old, was facing what seemed to be inexorable competition from the e-commerce behemoth Amazon.com and a shift among readers to e-books from physical books. But its ventures to compete head-on with Amazon by bringing out a Kindle-like e-book reader called Nook and selling books online from its website have never amounted to much.

In the summer of 2019, Barnes & Noble was bought by the hedge fund Elliott Management for $683 million, almost half again what stock market investors thought it was worth.

Upon taking over, Elliott installed James Daunt as Barnes & Noble CEO. The Cambridge-educated Daunt had started his own chain of independent bookstores in Britain, then taken over as CEO of Waterstones, a floundering British bookstore chain that Elliott had acquired in June 2018.

Daunt, 59, turned the chain around to the point that he became known as “the man who saved Waterstones.” To some in the book industry, Elliott’s acquisition of Barnes & Noble looks like an effort to double down on Daunt’s management skills. (Daunt is serving as CEO of both companies.)

“Barnes & Noble was suffering a remorseless erosion of book sales as they put more and more things that weren’t books into their stores, which weren’t selling,” Daunt told me by phone from Cary, North Carolina, a stop on an inspection tour of Barnes & Noble stores on the Eastern Seaboard. “Since then, we’ve changed the balance of product within our stores and focused dramatically more on books.”

The result, he says, has been a “nice and healthy increase in overall sales, driven by a significant increase in book sales.” Daunt evicted “a ton

of completely irrelevant products” that occupied the stores’ shelves – batteries, electronic chargers, water – “a ton of products you’d find in a CVS or Target where they perfectly sensibly sell you everything you need for everyday life, but which made absolutely no sense in a bookstore.”

What’s left are books, of course, plus some music CDs and movie DVDs, educational toys, puzzles, board games and paper goods such as journals, notebooks and greeting cards.

“We concentrated on things that support the core book offer and which a book-buyer would intuitively think should be in a bookstore, including anything to do with writing.”

How well Barnes & Noble is doing today is a bit of a mystery because as a private company it doesn’t release profit-andloss figures, but its publicly announced expansion plans provide a good indication. The chain is expecting to open about 30 stores this year, adding to the 22 it has opened in its last fiscal year.

If the openings proceed as planned, the chain will have slightly more stores than the 627 it operated in January 2019, before its acquisition. Many of the new locations, however, will be smaller than the megastores that were typical of the Barnes & Noble footprint of yore.

One result of the change in management is that the book industry no longer fears that Barnes & Noble will follow Borders, which went out of business in 2011, into the void – an event that would have removed miles of retail bookshelves from the market and put a serious dent in book sales.

Even some independent booksellers – a community that once saw Barnes & Noble as an evil empire – are almost relieved at its likely survival, largely because there is a greater villain in the field: Amazon.

“Our view of Barnes & Noble as a threat is different from what it was,” says Darryl Holter, co-owner of Chevalier’s Books in the Larchmont Village neighborhood of Los Angeles, “because I see them in some sense as a counterweight to Amazon – a counterweight that we can’t be because we don’t have that sort of volume.”

The apparent turnaround at Barnes & Noble isn’t entirely the product of Daunt’s strat-

egy. In part it reflects a record surge in book sales since the start of the pandemic. The 825.7 million print books sold in 2021 were the highest total ever recorded by the sales-tracking service NPD BookScan since its launch in 2004 and a 9% increase over 2020.

Book publishing revenues rose 12.3% to a record $29.33 billion in the same period, according to the Assn. of American Publishers. As Covid restrictions ebbed in 2021, sales in bricks-and-mortar stores rose 23.9% industrywide, to $6.22 billion. Sales of trade books – that is, consumer fiction and nonfiction – rose more than 40%.

The sales surge faded somewhat in 2022 but still ran ahead of 2020.

“Normally, the business is happy when sales are flat,” says Jane Friedman, a veteran consultant and commentator on publishing and writing. “Everyone in the industry agrees that James Daunt is doing the right thing. But if the publishing industry were doing poorly, Barnes & Noble would not be having a comeback.”

Indeed, Daunt acknowledged in a 2021 interview with Publishers Weekly that industry trends had been working in the company’s favor: Book sales were holding firm, rents were down and pandemic closures gave Barnes & Noble the opportunity to redesign and refurbish its stores while customers were stuck at home.

(That process was slower in California than elsewhere in the country, Daunt says, because seismic codes requiring bookshelves and display cases to be bolted to the floor made them harder to remove and reposition.)

It’s also true that Daunt’s key strategic move of giving store managers the latitude to make inventory decisions themselves rather than binding them to central ordering out of New York parallels the approach of independent bookstores nationwide.

Independents have survived “only by reaching out more effectively to their core readers in their geographic community,” Holter says.

“BN survived with new management and new policies that, ironically, mimicked tactics used by indies to survive,” Holter told me: “Reaching out to the local community, tailoring book selections to their audience, doing events, many of them virtually and then

in reality.”

Still, it’s by no means easy to turn around a retail chain sticking to the hidebound practices that are sending it down the drain. On his first day at Waterstones and again at Barnes & Noble, Daunt stopped accepting the promotional payments that publishers made to dictate how their books were displayed in stores.

Daunt views promotional payments as a scourge of the bookselling trade: “Every positioning had a dollar price attached to it,” he says. The front tables, shelf arrangements, front window displays – “you pay X for this, Y for that. That worked very nicely for publishers because it gave them complete certainty and consistency across the country.”

But that ignores the basic truth that what most engages the core customers entering Barnes & Noble’s store in the Grove in Los Angeles may be rather different from the interests of customers in Cary, North Carolina, outside Raleigh – “different age groups, different demographics, different ethnicity.”

The old system homogenized Barnes & Noble stores coast to coast so their inventories were identical – a buyer might as well be standing at the book tables at Walmart.

“The new Michelle Obama, the new John Grisham, the new whatever-it-is is put in this position at this price,” Daunt says. “And whatever you don’t sell, you send back. For new books at Barnes & Noble, half to 70% of what came into the store would go back to the publisher. We stopped that immediately.”

He encouraged store staff to organize their inventories not only to appeal to local interests, but also to facilitate the one quality of bricks-and-mortar stores that online merchants have never been able to replicate – the ease of browsing and discovering new things by walking around.

“The old Barnes & Noble was serried ranks of bookshelves, most sections arranged A to Z by author,” Daunt says. That works for customers who come through the door knowing what they want to buy and wanting to find it promptly. That structure, however, contributed to making the company’s bookstores “crucifyingly boring,” as Daunt put it at a book conference soon after taking over. Instead, “our job is to create bookstores which are

attractive for browsing, where people want to spend time and discover books.”

Instead of arranging the history section by authors’ names, for instance, they should be organized chronologically. Horror sections arranged by author mix literary horror writers such as Edgar Allan Poe and Shirley Jackson in with schlock – “covers with fangs and blood – I don’t have anything against schlock, but why not split your horror section into literary horror and schlocky horror, and that for a browser that becomes much more harmonious and much more interesting.”

The apparent recovery of Barnes & Noble is getting attention because it hints at how bricks-and-mortar retailing can be sustained in a world of online commerce. In brief, put management in the hands of people who understand their community and who understand their products.

“The key element” in Barnes & Noble’s turnaround, former venture investor (and Stanford music historian) Ted Gioia wrote recently on his blog, “is putting books and readers first, and everything else second. . . . Creative fields like music and writing live and die based on creativity, not financial statements and branding deals.”

And Daunt loves books. He says he always has a serious nonfiction book with him on his travels (“It’s how I try to keep educating myself”) and keeps abreast of new fiction – he’s just finished “a completely marvelous and astonishing novel”; it’s “This Other Eden” by Paul Harding, who won the Pulitzer Prize for his first novel, “Tinkers,” in 2010.

Daunt describes his remaking of Barnes & Noble as a work in progress. Whether the pandemic sales surge will be sustained is unclear; Amazon still dominates the online sales market, which still accounts for nearly 45% of trade book sales; new forms of entertainment, newly accessible with the end of pandemic restrictions, will always threaten to cut into the book business.

But Daunt is confident that the creation of spaces where people can discover new books and new interests will help Barnes & Noble survive. “Keep coming into my bookstores, because if you do, I’ve got you. It’s all about engaging people with books.”

Michael Hiltzik is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times.

Michael Hiltzik

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/TNS file (2021)

Customers shop for books at a Barnes and Noble store in Corte Madera, Nov. 2, 2021.

Crime logs

FairField

FRIDAY, FEB. 3

2:11 a.m. — Drunken driver, 800 block of TEXAS STREET

8:47 a.m. — Fight with a weapon, 1300 block of CROWLEY LANE

9:06 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 1300 block of WEST TEXAS STREET

9:28 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 4900 block of RIDGECREST COURT

9:39 a.m. — Forgery, 1500 block of KENTUCKY STREET

11:36 a.m. — Forgery, 1600 block of ENTERPRISE DRIVE

11:48 a.m. — Forgery, 1600 block of MINNESOTA STREET

11:50 a.m. — Brandishing a weapon, 2700 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

1:38 p.m. — Battery, 400 block of BELL AVENUE

2:25 p.m. — Trespassing, 400 block of BELL AVENUE

2:40 p.m. — Forgery, 1900 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

2:58 p.m. — Battery, 700 block of OAKBROOK DRIVE

3:08 p.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, SECOND STREET

3:14 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 1300 block of WEST TEXAS STREET

3:37 p.m. — Reckless driver, KENSINGTON DRIVE

“Fifteen people can’t stop the debt limit, unless 210 other Republicans are committed to vote with them,” Summers said on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS” on Sunday. “It only takes a few responsible Republicans for the Democrats and some Republicans to raise the debt limit.”

Biden has said Congress has a non-negotiable constitutional duty to avoid a U.S. default.

“I think he should be

Volunteers from International Bird Rescue will educate participants on the basics of birding and the work done at the organization’s Cordelia location, which provides critical care for seabirds and oiled wildlife. After the training at 9 a.m., half the group will do a bird count on the property and the other half will drive to the Cordelia Slough. Birders will regroup in the Rush Ranch picnic area and the event will conclude around 1 p.m.

Registration is required. For more information and to register, send an email to education@birdrescue.org.

Get the Rush returns from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Rush Ranch. This is a recurring series of free activities designed for the whole family, offered from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every third Saturday at Rush Ranch.

Visitors can visit the blacksmith shop kit house, pop-up shops and exhibit tables while admiring the beautiful horses and foals of Access Adventure. All ages and mobility levels are welcome. Registration is required for the Marsh Walk scheduled at 10:30 a.m.

Rush Ranch, located at 3521 Grizzly Canyon Road, about 2 miles outside Suisun City, covers 2,071 acres and is open from sunrise to sunset.

The Patwino Worrtla Kodoi Dihi Open Space

3:51 p.m. — Reckless driver, EASTBOUND INTERSTATE 80

3:54 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 1100 block of CORMORANT PLACE

4:43 p.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, 1300 block of PHOENIX DRIVE 5:07 p.m. — Forgery, 1900 block of GRANDE CIRCLE 8:03 p.m. — Battery, 1200 block of B. GALE WILSON BOULEVARD 8:52 p.m. — Shooting into a dwelling, 2900 block of SHORELINE CIRCLE 9:56 p.m.

SuiSun City

staying very strong,” Summers said. “Will there be any cosmetic things looking at future spending – maybe there will be. But fundamentally this is not something where there should be bargaining.”

Gary Cohn, a former economic adviser to President Donald Trump and the current IBM vice chairman, said Biden and McCarthy are aware of the stakes.

“I feel they both understand there is no choice at the end of the day we have to raise the debt ceiling,” he said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

Park offers another nature hike from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 20.

Volunteers will work from 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 25 to create trails for the Patwino Worrtla Kodoi Dihi Open Space Park. It’s a chance to get a sneak peek of the park before it opens to the public, meet people who care about land in Solano County and be part of the legacy of this new park.

Those who register for the hike will meet at the red Ice House building at the corner of Suisun and Rockville roads.

A nature hike is scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Feb. 25 at the Lynch Canyon Open Space, 3100 Lynch Road in rural Fairfield.

This hike will take visitors westward along Middle Valley Trail leading to Prairie Ridge. Participants should expect a 5-mile hike at a moderate but even pace over uneven ground.

Muddy spots will have cattle prints. There are steep climbs over several hills with the longest at Prairie Ridge – but land trust officials promise the views are worth it. Rain or extreme weather. will cancel the hike.

All the events – with the exception of Get the Rush, require registration. To register for any of the events organized by the Solano Land Trust, go to solanolandtrust.org/ events/ and search for the specific activity.

winder missile and sent its payload crashing into the ocean. Beijing said the U.S. violated international practices after an accidental incursion by the balloon. “China will resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the company concerned, and reserves the right to make further responses if necessary,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The international backand-forth was a reminder that while the balloon may have come crashing down, the bizarre spying saga that surrounded it is far from over. Biden will almost certainly make reference to the episode in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, another person familiar with the matter said.

Blinken’s trip

One option is to send Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China with a much tougher message than the one he had planned to bring this week, before he postponed the trip when the balloon’s presence over the U.S. was disclosed.

People familiar with the matter said he didn’t want to risk the public relations disaster of landing in Beijing while the balloon was still in the air over U.S. territory. But now the administration believes Blinken should return soon. They argue for a much tougher approach both on the balloon and evidence the U.S. has that officials say shows Chinese companies have been quietly supporting Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.

The episode is already ratcheting up pressure on the administration to push even harder with its existing strategy of trying to hobble China’s ability to access an array of hightech semiconductors used

in sophisticated military applications, as well as the valuable equipment used to manufacture such chips.

And even if it doesn’t spur specific new mea sures, the embarrassingly public act of alleged espi onage has made it more difficult for the U.S. and China to stabilize diplo matic ties over thorny issues such as Taiwan, particularly with the Biden administration facing growing pressure from critics and a Repub lican-controlled Congress.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said senators will get a full classified briefing on Feb. 15, which will give the administration time to collect and sort through the evidence to back up its claim.

“The bottom line here is that shooting down the balloon over water wasn’t just the safest option, but it was the one that maximized our intel gain,” Schumer said in a statement.

Balloons like the one blown apart Saturday are not uncommon, but this time the Chinese made a mistake by flying it low enough to be spotted by commercial pilots and people on the ground, according to one person familiar with the matter.

Typically balloons like the one shot down fly above 80,000 feet and as high as 100,000 feet.

The administration has already faced fierce GOP criticism in recent days for being weak on China and not shooting down the balloon sooner. U.S. officials argued that it simply wasn’t safe to bring the floating orb down over land when it was carrying a large and heavy payload.

The administration may not feel the need to level any other immediate consequences on Beijing for the episode given that U.S. officials are comfortable with their broader position in terms of competition with China. The

person familiar with the administration’s thinking on the matter cited work already underway on further export controls and tightened investment restrictions on strategic sectors in China.

Starting in October, the Biden administration rolled out tough export controls against China that have curtailed Beijing’s ability to access high-end semiconductors, and the U.S. has only closed the vice more tightly since – including signing up nations to the effort such as the Netherlands and Japan, whose firms manufacture some of those chips.

the same set of independent, female or suburban voters who Biden needs to court to win. Although many also argue DeSantis is not tested nationally and could fumble in the GOP primary, with voters or on the debate stage against other Republicans.

At 44, DeSantis offers a more energetic and youthful alternative to Trump, 76, and Biden, 80.

“Right off the bat, you’ve got such a contrast on age. It’s one thing for Biden to stand side by side with Trump, because Trump’s not actually that young. The age difference between Biden and DeSantis is very noticeable,” said Brad Coker, managing director of Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy, a consulting business based in Jacksonville, Florida.

DeSantis is a near daily fixture in Democratic National Committee attack emails, slamming his positions and policy moves.

Biden advisers and allies are seeking to call into question the governor’s leadership, putting the two camps on a collision course over hot-button issues like abortion, taxes and education.

Recently, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in an especially fiery statement, called the DeSantis administration’s rejection of a high school honors course in African American studies “incomprehensible.”

DeSantis is preparing to make the upcoming session of the Florida legislature, with its proposals on guns, abortion and education, a springboard for a potential presidential bid, along with the tour

for a book that is coming out in late February. He is likely to announce once the Florida session ends in May — though he’s in no rush and could wait until the summer.

Longtime GOP operative and former executive director the Republican Governors Association, Phil Cox, is expected to help run the DeSantis campaign. Neither Cox nor DeSantis’s press secretary responded to a request for comment.

Other Republican governors, like Scott Walker or Jeb Bush, also were darlings of the GOP in the early stages of a presidential cycle only to fail to win the nomination.

Yet a huge part of Biden’s message for 2024 is his ability to govern successfully and normally, without the chaos and drama of Trump. DeSantis can argue he too can govern, drama-free. While Democrats view him as right wing and extreme politically, voters have not tagged him that way so far, pollsters say.

DeSantis has wielded his move to keep Florida mostly open during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic as a political cudgel against Trump and Democrats.

“The governor is not a fan at all of President Biden’s handling of the economy, which restricted businesses during Covid,” said Dane Eagle, former Secretary of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity under DeSantis. “We have pushed against that, and our economy speaks for itself with its 2.5% unemployment rate. It’s not just that we have different results, but we have different results from different actions.”

Part of the DeSantis strategy is to win over as

many GOP donors as possible and dominate the race before he formally announces. He’s likely to center a presidential run around his gubernatorial response to the Covid-19 shutdowns, his handling of the Florida economy including its low unemployment rate, more stringent immigration laws and extolling the virtues of limited government. His wife, Casey, a former television reporter, remains his closest adviser.

Democrats are watching the governor closely. The DNC recently hired a Tallahassee-based staffer to respond to DeSantis in real time. That aide will start before the Florida legislature session begins in March.

They have reason to worry. Recent polling from Suffolk University/ USA Today shows DeSantis beating Biden, 47% to 43% in a hypothetical match-up, whereas the same poll showed Biden handily beating Trump, 47% to 40%. A majority of voters in the same poll said they wanted neither Biden nor Trump to run again in 2024.

The Biden administration has also trolled him on abortion, sending Vice President Kamala Harris to Tallahassee to deliver a speech there on the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

Biden is likely to announce his presidential bid following the State of the Union address on Feb. 7, with much of his political strategy coming from top White House advisers including Anita Dunn, Jen O’Malley Dillon and Mike Donilon. The DNC will run most of the organizing in states.

Democrats found abortion to be one of their most salient issues in the 2022 midterms and intend

to lean on it again heavily in the upcoming presidential race. The Biden White House also plans to play up the president’s legislative and economic achievements in passing bills to boost investments in clean energy, CHIPS manufacturing and infrastructure, while continuing to paint Republicans broadly as extremists and the party as still defined by Trump. Democratic advisers caution DeSantis will face much more scrutiny in Iowa, New Hampshire or Nevada than he has in Florida, and they like to say the same pundits who predicted a Republican wave before the midterms may be wrong again about voters’ appetite for GOP policies.

Trump has already announced his presidential campaign, while former South Carolina governor and ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley will announce her candidacy on Feb. 15. Other Republicans like former vice president Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are also expected to run. DeSantis allies, meanwhile, say he the governor is disciplined and energetic. He has taken jabs at the Biden team for its handling of inflation and for Democrats’ handling of curricula in schools on diversity and gender.

“These are opportunities to make a little news – stir the pot – without really getting into it with Trump. And Republican voters love it, and it helps him in his quest to win the nomination,” said Coker, the managing director of Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy. “But I don’t think they’re message testing something to run in the general election against Joe Biden. This is a short term strategy. It’s not long game.”

49ers’ next defensive coordinator will be taking on dream job

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

SANTA CLARA —

Chances are the phone conversation between 49ers coach George Seifert and Mike Shanahan wasn’t a long one.

“Hello Mike, George Seifert here. Our offensive coordinator Mike Holmgren left to become head coach of the Packers and I was wondering if . . .

Mike Shanahan interrupts: “You had me at hello.”

That was 32 years ago, and I suspect some-

Kings' Mike Brown makes fans believe they will find elusive playoff oasis

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

SACRAMENTO —

For most of the final minute, even with their team threatening to squander a 10-point lead and head coach Mike Brown looking suitably concerned, Sacramento Kings fans loudly voiced their newfound optimism.

"Light the beam!"

they chanted with rising vigor. "Light the beam!"

Soon thereafter, once the Kings had secured a 118-113 victory over Oklahoma City last month, center Domantas Sabonis complied. He planted one of his giant hands on the button near the scorer's table, sending four purple streams of light soaring into the sky outside Golden 1 Center – the bright, unmistakable sign of another Kings win.

Maybe these really aren't the same old Kings. This edition features a turbocharged offense led by Sabonis and dynamic De'Aaron Fox, a savvy veteran in Harrison Barnes and potent 3-point shooting from Kevin Hu erter, Keegan Murray and Malik Monk.

But the main reason longtime Kings observers suspect the team's playoff drought will end at 16 seasons, the NBA's longest active dry spell, is the uberdetailed, 52-year-old coach with abundant

credibility. Brown brings head-coaching experience from his stints with the Cavaliers and Lakers, plus fresh cachet after six years (and three championships) as Steve Kerr's top assistant with the Golden State Warriors.

Brown's diligent leadership helps explain how the Kings (29-22) lead the Pacific Division and occupy third place in the Western Conference standings on the first weekend of February. Remember, this team cycled through 11 head coaches between Rick Adelman's departure in 2006 – he guided the Kings to eight consecutive playoff berths, a staggering feat with this franchise – and Brown's arrival last spring.

So it makes sense to hear Gary Gerould, the team's radio broadcaster since it moved from Kansas City to Sacramento in 1985, extol Brown's impact. How he challenged players on defense, demanded accountability, preached unity ... and how the players actually listened.

That's why Gerould insisted this season feels different than any other since the Kings last tasted the playoffs.

"You get your hopes up, think you're building a foundation and yet you're still wandering in the desert, looking for

thing similar is going on with Kyle Shanahan and any one of a number of candidates to replace DeMeco Ryans, who left to become the head coach of the Houston Texans.

Kyle was 12 years old when his father, then the offensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos, had a split with coach Dan Reeves over the best way to get the most out of quarterback John Elway.

Talk about good fortune. Mike Shanahan walked into 4949 Centennial

Ave. for the 1992 season with an embarrassment of riches at his disposal.

Quarterback Steve Young would win the Most Valuable Player that season while Joe Montana was letting his elbow heal in his final season with the 49ers. Ricky Watters and Tom Rathman were in the backfield, Jerry Rice and John Taylor at wide receiver, and Brent Jones was the tight end.

You want blocking? How about a core of tackle Harris Barton,

center Jesse Sapolu and guard Guy McIntyre?

Scheming, film work and creative X’s and O’s are a big deal, but are dwarfed in importance by talent. Mike Shanahan parlayed both into three successful seasons, culminating in the 49ers’ last Super Bowl win following the 1994 season, before returning to Denver as the head coach.

Ryans ran the defense ranked No. 1 in the 2022 regular season in

Curry is injured (again), and I don’t trust Warriors to survive his absence

DieTer KurTenbACh

BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

It keeps getting worse, doesn’t it?

The Warriors were set to go on a long-awaited run of wins –Saturday night was supposed to be the start of it.

Instead, the win over the Mavericks might be the end of the Dubs’ title defense. The loss of Steph Curry in that contest was infinitely more significant than one win.

The injury, suffered in the third quarter when Curry’s left knee bumped into the right knee of Dallas’ McKinley Wright, is expected to keep Curry out for multiple weeks, per Stadium’s Shams Charania.

With the NBA’s All-Star break coming, that could limit the number of games Curry will be sidelined. But it still puts the War-

riors in a terrible spot heading into the home stretch of the season.

The injury is expected to be to Curry’s MCL. He sprained the same ligament in March 2018 and missed five weeks. That amounted to 16 games – including six playoff games.

That Warriors team was fine without Curry.

But that Warriors team had Kevin Durant, a preinjury Klay Thompson, and prime Draymond Green.

This season’s Warriors couldn’t be further away from “ruining the league.” No, they’re a persistently .500 team that’s dependent on Curry’s greatness like it’s the Mark Jackson era.

The Warriors’ title chances depend, entirely, on how long Curry is sidelined. He will unques-

tionably miss the team’s five remaining games before the AllStar break. If he misses five weeks again, it will likely be 15 games missed.

That would only leave the Warriors 14 games remaining in the regular season.

How deep will the Warriors be buried when Curry returns?

Here’s some good news: the Western Conference is so tight – there’s only a two-game spread between the No. 10 seed (the last spot in the play-in tournament) and the No. 4 seed (a home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs) – that if the Warriors can tread water for the coming weeks, sans-Curry, they stand a good chance of remaining in a position to strike for good seeding upon his return.

Nets trade Irving to Mavericks for package headlined by Dinwiddie Super Bowl LVII: Start time, teams, betting odds and halftime show

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

The Brooklyn Nets have traded star guard Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 first-round pick and future second-round picks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

IRVING

The deal comes days after Irving requested a trade from Brooklyn after he and the Nets failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension ahead of the Feb. 9 NBA trade deadline.

The deal also vaults the Mavericks into

legitimate championship contention pairing Irving, an All-Star starter, with Dallas’ Luka Doncic, a candidate for NBA Most Valuable Player of the Year. It effectively ends, however, the championship window in Brooklyn, with the focus now shifting to Nets star forward Kevin Durant, who rival teams are keeping tabs on in case he asks for a trade with Irving now out of town. Irving averaged 27 points, five rebounds and five assists per game for the Nets this season.

Los A ngeLes Times

The conference championship games are over and the countdown to Super Bowl LVII begins.

Super Bowl LVII will be played at 3:30 p.m. PST on Sunday, Feb. 12.

It will take place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., the home of the Arizona Cardinals.

H ere's everything you need to know about the game.

Who will be playing in the Super Bowl?

n The Philadelphia Eagles will play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. The Eagles are playing

in the Super Bowl for the second time in six seasons following their 31-7 victory over the San Francisco 49ers for the NFC championship title. The Eagles are looking to win their second Super Bowl title following their victory over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII in 2018.

The Chiefs reached the Super Bowl with a thrilling 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC championship game.

Harrison Butker's 45-yard field goal in the closing seconds sealed the win for the Chiefs on Jan. 29.

It marks the second Super Bowl appearance in three years for the Chiefs fol-

lowing their loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV in February 2021.

Chiefs vs. Eagles matchup analysis

Sam Farmer breaks down what the Super Bowl teams will need to address in the big game:

n Chiefs concerns: Patrick Mahomes is running in ski boots, and two weeks is not a lot of time to nurse that ankle back to some semblance of health. His receivers are banged up too. Meanwhile, Kansas City's facing a juggernaut in the Eagles. This isn't the underdog Philadelphia team that stunned

the NFL by winning it all five years ago. This is a machine, with the best offensive line in football, and a devastating defensive front that set a franchise record with 70 sacks. The back end of that Philadelphia defense is smothering. The Eagles push open huge holes for that ground game, and Jalen Hurts can sit back and pick apart defenses. n Eagles concerns: Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones is a wrecking ball who can line up inside or outside. Even for that Philadelphia offensive line, he'll create problems. Mahomes is Mahomes, even when he's

Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group

Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry shoots around before the Orlando Magic game at Chase Center, Jan. 6.

See 49ers, Page B8

See Kings, Page B8

See Curry, Page B8

Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group file San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan looks for answers in the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game, Jan. 29.

Broth vs. stock

What’s the difference and does it matter?

A Aron HutcHerson

THE WASHINGTON POST

The line between broth and stock has become so blurred, it might seem the two terms are synonyms. Just head to the grocery store and you’ll find shelves upon shelves of boxes and cans of products marked as one or the other displayed side-by-side, with the average consumer none the wiser as to what sets them apart. Even in recipes from culinary professionals – ourselves included – the terms are often used interchangeably.

But what exactly is the difference between broth and stock, if there even is one? If so, does it make a difference which you use when making soups, stews and other dishes? Here’s what you need to know.

While both broth and stock are made by simmering animal parts (unless the liquid is plant-based), vegetables and sometimes herbs and spices in water, technically they are different things:

n Stock is primarily made from bones that have been simmered for a long time and is unseasoned. The long cook time allows the collagen in bones to convert to gelatin, giving well-made stocks their viscous body and causing them to gel when cooled. Stocks are best used in braises, sauces and stews.

n Broth is primarily made from meat that has been simmered for a shorter amount of time, typically two hours or less, and has been seasoned with salt. It has a thinner consistency and is best used for soups, cooking grains or other dishes where its seasoning is welcome.

“Traditionally, broth was made with meat and, sometimes, bones; stock was made with bones, but not necessarily meat,” according to the “Joy of Cooking.” “Perhaps it is best to think of stock as an ingredient and broth as more of a destination: a simple clear soup made from meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, or vegetables that is often eat (or sipped) as is.” Following this modern distinction, yes, “vegetable stock” is a thing that you can use to braise vegetables, and it also explains “bone broth,” which is a liquid made from simmering bones for a significantly long time (up to two days) that is seasoned and meant to be sipped on its own.

Yet neither taxonomy quite accounts for the stuff you buy at the grocery store. While manufacturers seem to adhere to the rule that stocks should contain less salt than broths, that doesn’t mean that packages bearing the “stock” label are sodium-free. For example, the regular sodium versions of College Inn brand chicken stock and broth have sodium levels of 480 milligrams and 850 milligrams per serving, respectively. So if choosing between regular sodium broth and stock, I recommend defaulting to stock so you can have more control over the amount of salt in the finished dish.

Overall, however, the best option for most home cooks is unsalted or no-salt-added stock or broth, which is typically what I call for in recipes because you’re most likely going to be adding salt and seasoning to taste, regardless.

(Low – or reduced-sodium options are a good second choice, though you will need check the nutrition label to see which product has the least amount.)

But don’t fret too much: When you’re just trying to get dinner on the table, whatever you have on hand will do. As a cook, salt is paramount, so you need to be aware that the people who made the product you bought and/or the person who wrote the recipe that you’re following might not have considered the nuance of stock vs. broth and the impact they can have. (Full disclosure: even we have been a little loosey-goosey with the terms in our broth and stock recipe names.) So check the broth or stock’s sodium levels before adding to your recipe, be judicious about seasoning (particularly when the liquid will be reduced), and taste your food.

If you find yourself with an oversalted sauce, soup or stew, there are ways to fix it, such as by adding sweetness or extra starch.

Chocolate-covered

pretzels

Do you like peanut butter pretzels? Do you like chocolate-covered pretzels? Then you’ll love chocolate-covered peanut butter pretzels. Especially if you make them. And even more so if you’re looking for an easy Valentine’s Day treat for someone you care about: a child, a friend, your partner, yourself.

Considering that these pretzels come together in about 5 minutes – the hardest part is to wait a few hours (ideally, overnight) for the chocolate to set.

Depending on the chocolate you use – milk or dark – these can be a two – or four-ingredient treat, including the optional flaky salt.

Why not just buy this treat?

I have found the store-bought varieties tend to be pricey, with sub-par chocolate and often are too sweet. And what if you, like me, like your chocolate with an assertive hit of salt? Don’t you deserve a custom confection that’s easy to achieve?

The multiple test batches that came out of my kitchen –eagerly eaten by family and friends – revealed a few things about making these pretzels that I hope you’ll find helpful.

First, since there are so few ingredients, quality matters: The better your

chocolate, the tastier the end result. Try using chocolate you’d enjoy eating on its own. In testing, I found that dark chocolate, given its robust flavor profile, benefited from a modest sprinkling of the flaky salt, whereas the milk chocolate didn’t seem to need that finishing touch.

Second, consider the pretzel: While all brands are relatively similar in shape and crunch, they can differ in saltiness. So before you enrobe your pretzels in chocolate, taste one, and if you find a dominant note of saltiness, you may not need additional salt for the topping.

Also, if you don’t like, or can’t eat, peanut butter, you can seek out pretzels filled with almond butter, or a nutfree alternative, such as sunflower seed butter.

Third, the giftability: For those searching for a fun, easy Valentine’s Day cooking project to do with kids, look no further. The quickly dwindling attention of children will last for the handful of minutes you’ll need to melt the chocolate, dump the pretzels in, stir them around to coat, and upend the whole mess on a lined baking sheet. If your kid wants extra credit – and, like mine, salts his chocolate with abandon – give them a few pinches of flaky salt and let them go at it.

Once the seemingly interminable wait for the chocolate

to set is over, you can portion these treats into gift bags or boxes, and pass them out as Valentines or party favors.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED

PEANUT BUTTER PRETZELS

Active time: 10 minutes | Total time: 10 minutes, plus cooling time 36 servings 36 (makes about 180 pretzels)

Depending on the type of chocolate – milk or dark – and brand of pretzels you use, these can be 2 – to 4-ingredient treats, ideal for a low-lift edible gift or a fun and quick cooking project with kids.

Make Ahead: The coated pretzels need at least 3 hours, and ideally overnight, to set at room temperature before serving. Alternatively, you can refrigerate the pretzels for 2 hours before serving.

Storage Notes: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or refrigerate for up to 4 weeks. If your kitchen is warm, opt to refrigerate the pretzels.

NOTE: The saltiness of pretzel brands varies widely. Taste a pretzel before coating. If it’s assertively salty, you probably won’t need flaky salt.

7 ounces (200 grams) dark chocolate (see VARIATION)

1 ½ teaspoons coconut oil

1 pound (454 grams)

peanut-butter-filled pretzels (can substitute any nut – or seedbutter-filled pretzels)

Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional; see NOTE)

Set a large, heatproof bowl over a pot of about 1 inch of simmering water; do not let the

bottom of the bowl touch the water. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with wax paper and keep it near your workspace.

Add the chocolate to the bowl and let it melt, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Stir in the oil until it is completely incorporated and the mixture is glossy. Remove from the heat.

Add the pretzels and stir to coat evenly. Upend the bowl of pretzels onto the prepared baking sheet and, using a flexible spatula, spread in a single layer, doing your best to separate as many of them as possible. If some of the corners or sides of the pretzels look naked, use the spatula to smear the offending parts with the extra chocolate on the wax paper. Sprinkle with the flaky salt, if using, and let set completely, at least 3 hours and preferably overnight, before serving. (You can also speed up this process by refrigerating the pretzels for at least 2 hours.)

VARIATION: To make the pretzels with milk chocolate, melt the chocolate as directed above without coconut oil. We preferred the milk chocolate pretzels without the flaky salt.

Nutrition information per serving (5 pretzels) | Calories: 80; Total Fat: 5 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 61 mg; Carbohydrates: 10 g; Dietary Fiber: 1 g; Sugar: 1 g; Protein: 2 g This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.

From assistant recipes editor Olga Massov.

How fake meats stacks up to veggie burgers

Fake meat was supposed to save the world, but it has some real problems: skeptical consumers walking away from companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods and sinking sales. Traditional veggie patties aren’t faring much better.

In the year leading up to Dec. 4, supermarket sales of refrigerated plant-based meat slumped 14% by volume, according to retail data company IRI. When strictly looking at frozen veggie patty sales the trend is even worse: those sales dropped 16% by volume in the year ended Jan. 1, according to SPINS, another retail data provider.

In 2020, roughly half of U.S. consumers believed fake alternatives were healthy. Now, that’s down to just over a third of Americans, accord-

ing to a report from Citi Global Insights. For all the hype of alternative meat, fake burgers and sausages are at risk of becoming a passing fad. Long before faux meat, there was the humble veggie burger. The patties – amalgamations of quinoa, black bean, carrots and more – may not look or taste like meat, but for the veggiecurious, they’re a time-tested alternative. Here’s how the biggest brands stack up to faux-meat.

Morningstar

Kellogg Co.’s plant patty packs in the vegetables –carrots, onions, mushrooms and bell peppers – alongside oats and rice. One Garden Veggie Patty comes with about 10 grams of protein. Even so, that falls short of the 19 grams in an Impossible patty, which in 2019, dethroned Morningstar as the veggie go-to served

at Burger King.

Gardein

Conagra Brands offers Gardein varieties of veggie and black bean patties. Conagra bought Pinnacle Foods in 2018, giving it rights to Gardein’s patties alongside its meatless chicken, fish and sausages. In 2020, the company got into the faux meat market as well with the Ultimate Plant-Based Burger designed “to mimic the taste of real beef, with no soy ingredients and no GMOs.”

BOCA

Kraft Heinz’s BOCA All American Veggie Burgers carries soy protein, garlic, onion and cheddar cheese and is advertised as a “hearty addition” to any vegetarian diet. A 71 gram patty includes 14 grams of protein and is pushing itself to become an

alternative favorite for BBQ enthusiasts across the country.

Lightlife

Lightlife, which is owned by Greenleaf Foods, offers plantbased burgers that are free of soy and gluten, and carry 20 grams of protein. Lightlife has been a fixture in the market for old-school veggie patties with products sold in at least 12,000 retail stores across North America.

Field Roast

As another part of Greenleaf’s portfolio of plant-based products, Field Roast’s Chef’s Signature Plant-Based burgers, formerly known as FieldBurger, are advertised as “handcrafted” with roasted garlic, carrots and mushroom. One “artisanal” 92 gram patty packs roughly 21 grams of protein.

peanut butter

are best made at home

Scott Suchman/The Washington Post

Chocolate-covered peanut butter pretzels.

cArly WAnnA, K evin siMAucHi BLOOMBERG

anniversary

FAIRFIELD — It has been 25 years since the epic film “Titanic” has graced the silver screen. It will return to local theaters this week for an anniversary showing.

Opening nationwide are:

“Titanic-25 Year Anniversary,” in which two lovers find each other against the backdrop of the the ill-fated maiden voyage of the “unsinkable” Titanic. Theirs is a timeless love story. The film is rated PG-13.

“Magic Mike’s Last Dance,” in which “Magic” Mike Lane (Channing Tatum) takes to the stage again after a lengthy hiatus, following a business deal that went bust, leaving him broke and taking bartender gigs in Florida. For what he hopes will be one last hurrah, Mike heads to London with a wealthy socialite (Salma Hayek Pinault) who lures him with an offer he can’t refuse. The film is rated R.

Opening in limited release are:

“Consecration,” in which Grace travels to the remote Scottish convent where her priest brother fell to his death, which was ruled a suicide. Distrusting the church’s account, she uncovers murder, sacrilege and a disturbing truth about herself. The film is rated R.

“Daughter,” in which a young woman is kidnapped and inducted into a bizarre family as their new surrogate daughter. As she navigates through this twisted dynamic, awful secrets about the

past are revealed, leading to even darker implications about the future. The film is not rated.

“Among the Beasts,” in which a gangster’s daughter reluctantly teams with a former Marine to find her kidnapped cousin. The combat veteran must overcome his own demons in order to rescue the child. The film is not rated.

“Seriously Red,” in which Red (Krew Boylan) lost her job as a real estate agent, but there’s something no one can take away from her: her dream of becoming the world’s greatest Dolly Parton impersonator. After her act attracts the attentions of an amorous Elvis impersonator (Rose Byrne) and a powerful booking agent (Bobby Cannavale), Red is catapulted into the top tier of copycat acts, becoming the onstage and romantic partner of the top Kenny Rogers impersonator. But when Red’s life as an imitator starts to feel false, she discovers true happiness comes when you’re being the best version of yourself. The film is rated R.

For information on Edwards Cinemas in Fairfield, visit www.reg movies.com/theatres/ regal-edwards-fairfieldimax. For Vacaville showtimes, visit www. brendentheatres.com. For Vallejo showtimes, check www.cinemark. com/theatres/ca-vallejo. More information about upcoming films is available at www.movie insider.com.

‘Titanic’ returns to big screen for 25th

Zits Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Pearls Before Swine Stephan Pastis

Dilbert Scott Adams

Baby

Baldo Hector Cantú and Carlos Castellanos

Fonda, Moreno, Field, Tomlin give their all for ‘80 for Brady’

Michael PhilliPs CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Tom Brady says he’s retiring from football for real this time. But along with his Super Bowl rings, and that nagging string of resume asterisks on the topic of suspicious football air pressure levels, he’ll always have “80 for Brady.”

Some movies are sports merchandising tie-ins, plain and simple; this one’s plainer and simpler than most. The man in the title, who also appears in a key supporting role as himself, produced this project. How’d it come about?

In brief: Hollywood agent Max Gross, currently with the agency William Morris Endeavor, has a New England Patriots-fan grandmother, Betty Pensavalle, now 94. She and her friends formed an “Over 80 for Brady” fan club, and Gross had special jerseys made up for them. He thought they’d make a cute movie. So did Brady’s production company. And here we are.

There wouldn’t be much “here” here if it weren’t for Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno and Sally Field playing wholly invented versions of the real ladies. Far from biopic-land, screenwriters Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins take the kernel of the premise – friends of a certain age, bound by Brady love – and pop up a bucket of fictionalized popcorn, to occasionally funny and determinedly heartwarming results.

For years, the movie’s four Massachusetts ladies have gathered on Super Bowl Sunday with special attention paid to games involving their

cherished Patriots. Over those years, ringleader Lou (Tomlin) has survived cancer, buoyed by her friends’ love and support. Fonda plays romance novelist Trish, whose NFL fan fiction includes the discreetly erotic potboiler “Between a Gronk and a Hard Place.”

Moreno’s Maura, a widow since the previous year, has attracted a friend and suitor, Mickey (Glynn Turman). Practical, buttoned-up Betty (Field) is married to a sweet, semi-hapless professor (Bob Balaban). The ladies contrive a way to secure tickets to the Super Bowl in Houston. The movie is set in 2017, the year the Patriots played the Atlanta Falcons in a memorably ridiculous comeback saga. What happens next? Betty loses track of the golden tickets during a superhot chicken wing-eating contest hosted by superstar chef Guy Fieri.(Guy Fieri plays Guy Fieri; at one point, after ingesting hallucinogenic gummies, one of the ladies imagines she has transformed into Guy Fieri.) In Houston, Trish meets a dashing former NFL star, played by Harry Hamlin. He’s their ticket to skybox heaven. Meantime Lou’s daughter keeps calling her with lines such as “Mom, did you call the hospital?” indicating the cancer may have returned. First-time

feature director Kyle Marvin pushes it along, one triumph or setback at a time, from wingeating to high-stakes poker to quarterback challenges at the NFL Experience, to Billy Porter hiring the 80-for-Bradys as his backup dancers.

It’s ungallant to single out MVPs in this ensemble. Nonetheless: If it weren’t for Moreno’s wizardly comic wiles and Field’s unerring, unforced timing, “80 for Brady” would not be here, there or much of anywhere. There is one tiny miracle of screenwriting, arriving just in time: “80 for Brady” imagines the shocking truth of what happened with the 2017 Super Bowl’s third-quarter, 28-3 state of things, Falcons over Patriots, to spark a reversal of fortune.

Watching “80 for Brady,” I thought about the obscure 1962 “Safe at Home!”, which was a fictional story about a kid who, through some routine plotting, gets to meet his baseball heroes, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. Every generation generates its own paragons of sport, and its own less-thanparagonical sports movies. “80 for Brady” is about four women who get to meet their football hero, here framed, semi-comically, as a god among men. You can be sure no one ever, ever makes a joke about Brady’s alleged involvement in the Deflategate saga in this producer’s project.

The onscreen leading women? They’re pros playing a semi-pro game, sincerely. They hit ’em high. They hit ’em low. And they get the job done.

Word Sleuth Daily Cryptoquotes

Crossword by Phillip Alder

Bridge

THERE MAY BE VARIETY IN SIMILARITY

Some 400 years ago, Richard Barnfield, who was an English poet, described the main reason why bridge has retained its popularity: “Nothing more certain than uncertainties; Fortune is full of fresh variety; Constant in nothing but inconstancy.”

You are defending against three

no-trump. Your partner leads his fourth-highest heart, dummy tables two low and you are looking at A-J-x. How would you plan the defense? Right – normally you win with the ace and return the jack, hoping partner’s suit is long and strong enough that you can take the first five tricks. But in the fresh variety of bridge, uncertainties creep in. Sometimes that isn’t the correct play – as in today’s deal. If East wins the first trick with the heart ace and returns the jack, South just ducks. He wins the third heart with the king, takes the diamond finesse and soon claims an overtrick. However, East quickly counted the points. He knew declarer had 15-17, there were 15 in the dummy and he had 8 in his own hand. This left at most 2 for West. He couldn’t have the heart king – but maybe he had the queen. So East played the heart jack at trick one. If psychic, South would have ducked. But he was afraid that West had led from ace-queen-fifth of hearts. Then, if South ducked, he would lose the first five tricks. So South won with the king and took the diamond finesse. However, it lost, and East continued with the heart ace and another heart. Despite having a combined 30 points, South went down one.

COPYRIGHT: 2023, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

Sudoku by Wayne Gould

Bridge

2/7/23

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 grid contains the digits

THERE MAY BE VARIETY

IN SIMILARITY

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

Some 400 years ago, Richard Barnfield, who was an English poet, described the main reason why bridge has retained its popularity: “Nothing more certain than uncertainties;

by

Difficulty level: SILVER

Yesterday’s solution:

Scott Garfield/Paramount Pictures/TNS

Lily Tomlin, left, and Tom Brady in “80 for Brady.”

Pervez Musharraf, former military ruler of Pakistan, dies at 79

BloomBerg News

Pervez Musharraf, the former four-star Paki stani army general who governed the South Asian nation for nearly a decade after coming to power in a 1999 bloodless coup, has died. He was 79.

He died after a long ailment in Dubai, said Raza Bokhari, a former spokesman and close aide.

Musharraf, who was Pakistan’s fourth military leader, was a polarizing and divisive figure. He ruled through the turbulent period after Sept. 11, 2001 and attempted to appease American demands during the war on terrorism. Yet in interviews after stepping down, he confirmed that Pakistan supported proxy forces, including the Taliban in Afghanistan, to counter fears of being circumscribed by a hostile India.

“India has a strategy of strangulating Pakistan economically, isolating it internationally and weakening its army – we have to counter that,” he said in a 2018 interview in his penthouse apartment in Dubai, where he lived in self-exile for most of his life after being forced to resign the presidency in 2008.

Some in Pakistan praised the former army chief and president for ushering in a level of economic stability, helped by American debt waivers and aid in return for military support. Many, however, saw him as a puppet of the U.S. Musharraf also drew criticism for constitutional and human rights violations and was blamed for failing to tackle widespread violence in the later years of his rule.

Born on Aug. 11, 1943, in Delhi, Musharraf emigrated to Pakistan with his family to the port city of Karachi after the British partition of the subcontinent in 1947. From 1949 to 1956, he lived in Turkey,

where his father was a diplomat. After joining Pakistan’s army at age 18, he was commissioned in the artillery regiment in 1964 and later became a commando. Decorated for actions during two wars with India, and despite his rambunctious and hot-headed style – which led to multiple disciplinary actions – he became a general in 1991.

In 1998, then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif surprised the top brass by elevating Musharraf to chief of army staff after forcing General Jehangir Karamat to step down over a disagreement about security policy. Sharif believed Musharraf –who wasn’t from Punjab province, the traditional recruiting ground for officers – would be a pliant army chief.

It was not to be. In 1999, Pakistani troops infiltrated Kargil, an Indian-controlled district in the disputed region of Kashmir – provoking fighting and nearly a full-scale war before Sharif ordered a climbdown in the face of U.S. pressure. Sharif maintained that the operation was ordered without his knowledge. Musharraf disputed that, and the conflict led to an irreparable strain between the pair.

In October that same year, Sharif sacked Musharraf as he was returning from a visit to Sri Lanka. The military leadership defied Sharif’s orders and led a coup that toppled his government.

Musharraf claimed Sharif didn’t allow his plane to land in Pakistan. The general refused to let the pilot fly to nearby India, and the aircraft touched down in Karachi with barely seven minutes of fuel left. Musharraf declared himself the country’s leader, and Sharif was later sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, which was commuted when he was exiled to Saudi Arabia.

In contrast to Pakistan’s previous military dictator, General Zia ul-Haq – who elevated strict conservative Islamic laws in the country – Musharraf was a relatively secular figure, fond of whiskey and cigars in a nation where alcohol is banned for the country’s Muslim majority.

Economically, the military-led government sought to reduce overseas debt. In the last Asian default before Sri Lanka’s delinquency in 2022, it froze repayments, forcing a downgrade of Pakistan’s credit rating to D. Musharraf also used his newfound U.S. support to

Canada deploys military aircraft over Haiti to assist police force with gangs

get loans and grants from Western countries and international lenders.

Under intense pressure from Washington, Musharraf’s regime arrested d killed numerous alQaida operatives following the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, and it cracked down on some other militant groups that operated on Pakistani soil. That made Musharraf a target of extremists, and he survived multiple assassination attempts. At the same time, during his tenure the U.S. accused Pakistan’s military of harboring and supporting insurgents that launched cross-border attacks in Afghanistan and India –complaints that continued after Musharraf left office. He repeatedly reneged on his pledges to restore legitimate democracy. Musharraf was sworn in as the 11th president of Pakistan in November 2002, following a controversial referendum in April that year in which he got 98% of the vote. Sharif and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto of the Pakistan Peoples Party were barred from contesting the poll. As head of the military, Musharraf arguably was the Pakistani leader who got closest to settling the country’s long-running disputes with India. He traveled there for a series of talks with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in a bid to reach a reconciliation between the nuclear-armed neighbors. According to Musharraf, Vajpayee had in principle agreed to a four-point solution to settle claims to the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, which was split during partition. Musharraf later blamed the Indian cabinet for failing to ratify it after the agreement broke down hours before a planned signing ceremony.

TriBuNe CoNTeNT AgeNCy

The Canadian government is escalating efforts to help Haiti’s national police, deploying a longrange military aircraft to provide intelligence on the country’s menacing gangs.

The Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft, a CP-140 Aurora, was observed patrolling Haiti’s airspace on Saturday much to the surprise and curiosity of many Haitians.

Canada’s Minister of National Defense Anita Anand and the Minister of Foreign Affair Mélanie Joly confirmed the presence of the long-range patrol aircraft in a statement on Sunday. Its deployment, they said, is part of Canada’s efforts to support the Haiti National Police and to “disrupt the activities of gangs in Haiti and demonstrate Canada’s commitment to the Haitian people.”

“This Canadian patrol aircraft will provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capability to bolster efforts to establish and maintain peace and security for the people of Haiti,” the statement said. “The CP-140 aircraft has already deployed to the region and is currently operating over Haiti. It will remain in the region for a number of days.”

Last October, Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry made a formal appeal for the deployment of a specialized international force to assist the overstretched Haiti National Police confront increasingly powerful gangs that now control most of the capital. The request was supported by the United Nations secretary-general and the United States, which doesn’t want to lead such a force but would like for Canada to do so.

Following the request, the Ottawa government sent a high-level delegation with military

and police experts to Portau-Prince to assess the security situation and see how Canada can contribute to the international response. That short visit was followed by another fact-finding mission, this time led by Canada’s United Nations ambassador, Bob Rae, in December. Despite the visits and engagement by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the matter – he’s spoken to Henry, Caribbean leaders, including Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness who last week said his nation would be willing to participate in a multinational deployment, and most recently President Joe Biden during a North American Leaders Summit in Mexico – there appears to be little enthusiasm by Ottawa to deploy its troops. Instead, the country has focused on issuing financial sanctions against Haitians they believe are enabling gangs – 15 so far, while the Biden administration has issued four – and reinforcing the ill-equipped police force to fight criminal gangs,

During an appearance before a U.N. Security Council meeting last month, in which foreign diplomats continued to appeal to Haiti’s political class to find a consensus on the country’s governance absence an elected leader or any lawmakers, Rae spoke of continued efforts by Canada to help the police. His comments came a day before seven police officers were killed in three separate gang ambushes in Haiti’s Artibonite Valley, just north of the capital. The killings, which would spark rioting and a strike that same week, were the latest police killings to haunt the country.

Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images/ TNS file (2013)

In this file photo taken on April 20, 2013, Pakistan’s former president Pervez Musharraf is escorted by soldiers as he salutes on his arrival at an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad.

Toallheirs,beneficiaries,creditors,contingentcreditors,andpersonswhomay otherwisebeinterestedinthewillorestate,orboth,of: Joy J. Guinto aka Joy Jiz de Ortega Guinto APetitionforProbatehasbeenfiledby: Frances M. Tirona intheSuperiorCourtofCalifornia,County of:Solano ThePetitionforProbaterequeststhat: Fra nces M. Tirona beappointedaspersonalrepresentative toadministertheestateofthedecedent. Thepetitionrequeststhedecedent'swill andcodicils,ifany,beadmittedtoprobate.Thewillandanycodicilsareavailableforexaminationinthefilekeptbythe court. ThepetitionrequestsauthoritytoadministertheestateundertheIndependentAdministrationofEstatesAct.(Thisauthority willallowthepersonalrepresentativeto takemanyactionswithout obtainingcourt approval.Beforetakingcertainveryimportantactions,however,thepersonal representativewillberequiredtogivenoticetointerestedpersonsunlessthey havewaivednoticeorconsentedtothe proposedaction.)Theindependentadministrationauthoritywillbegrantedunless aninterestedpersonfilesanobjectionto thepetitionandshowsgoodcausewhy thecourtshouldnotgranttheauthority.

A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows:

DATE: FEB 22, 2023 TIME: 9:00; DEPT. 22

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, County of Solano Old Solano Courthouse 580 Texas Street Fairfield, CA 94533

If you object tothegrantingofthepetition,youshouldappearatthehearingand stateyourobjectionsorfilewrittenobjectionswiththecourtbeforethehearing. Yourappearancemaybeinpersonorby yourattorney. If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent, youmustfileyourclaimwiththecourtand mailacopytothepersonalrepresentative appointedbythecourtwithinthe later of either(1)four months fromthedateof firstissuanceofletterstoageneralpersonalrepresentative,asdefinedinsection58(b)oftheCaliforniaProbateCode, or(2) 60 days fromthedateofmailingor personaldeliverytoyouofanoticeunder section9052oftheCaliforniaProbate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may wantto consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court.Ifyouareapersoninterestedinthe estate,youmayfilewiththecourtaRequestforSpecialNotice(formDE-154)of thefilingofaninventoryandappraisalof estateassetsorofanypetitionoraccount asprovidedinProbateCodesection 1250.ARequestforSpecialNoticeformis availablefromthecourtclerk. AttorneyforPetitioner: StevenP.Small 2509SantaClaraAvenue Alameda,CA94501

510-865-2038 DR#00061135

NOTICEOFHEARING-PETITIONTODETERMINECLAIMTOPROPERTY

CaseNumber:FPR-050770

SuperiorCourtofCalifornia,CountyofSOLANO

IntheMatterof:RAYANDESTHERGOLDBERGFAMILYTRUST,TRUST Apetitionhasbeenfiledaskingthecourttodetermineaclaimtothepropertyidentifiedin 3,andahearingonthepetitionhasbeenset.Pleaserefertothepetitionformoreinformation.

Ifyouhaveaclaimtothepropertydescribedin3,youmayattendthehearingandobject orrespondtothepetition.Ifyoudonotwanttoattendthehearing,yo umayalsofilea writtenresponsebeforethehearing.

Ifyoudonotrespondtothepetitionorattendthehearing,thecourtmaymakeordersaffectingownershipofthepropertywithoutyourinput.

1.NOTICEisgiventhat:BENJAMINMARKGOLDBERGAKAMARKGOLBERGhas filed: FIRSTAMENDEDVERIFIEDPETITIOSNFOR:1.DISINHERITANCEUNDERCALIFORNIAPROBATECODESECTION259;2.RECOVERYOFPROPERTYTAKEN FROMTRUSTPURSUANTTOPROBATECODESECTION850;3.WRONGFULTAKINGOFP ROPERTYPURSUANTTOPROBATECODESECTION859;4.ELDERFINANCIALABUSE;5.MISUSEOFPOWEROFATTORNEYUNDERPROBATECODE SECTION4231.5;6.BREACHOFFIDUCIARYDUTY;7.NEGLIGENCE/NEGLIGENCEPERSE;8.FRAUDULENTCONVEYANCE;9.REMOVALOFTRUSTEEAND COUNSEL;10.ACCOUNTINGANDSURCHARGE-underProbateCodeSection850 askingforacourtorderdeterminingaclaimorclaimstothepropertydescribedin3.

2.AHEARINGonthematterwillbeheldasfollows:

Date:APRIL19, 2023Time:9:00A.M.Dept.:22Room:COURTROOM3 Addressofcourt:600UNIONAVE.,FAIRFIELD,CA94533

3.Thepropertythatisthesubjectofthepetitionis(describeeachitemorrealorpersonalproperty;forrealproperty-i.e.landorbuildings-givethestreetaddressor,ifnone describetheproperty'slocationandgivetheassessor'sparcelnumber):CASHAND OTHERPERSONALTANGIBLEANDINTANGIBLEPROPERTYBELONGINGTODECEDENTSAND/ORTHETRUST.

4.Inadditiontoseekingtorecoverthepropertydescribedin3,thepetitionalsoalleges andseeksreliefforbadfaithconduct,undueinfluenceinbadfaith,orelderordependent adultfinancialabuse.Thepetitiondescribestheseallegationsindetail.Basedontheallegations,thepetitionseekstorecovertwicethevalueofthepropertydescribedin3and requeststhatthecourtawardattorney'sfeesandcoststothepetitioner.(Prob.CodeSection859) Assistivelisteningsystems,computer-assistedreal-timecaptioning,orsignlanguageinterpreterservicesareavailableuponrequestifatleast5daysnoticeisprovided.Contact theclerk'sofficeforRequestforAccommodationsbyPersonsWithDisabilitiesandOrder (formMC-410).(CivilCodesection54.8.)

Attorneyorpartywithoutattorney:

BRIANJ.TROWBRIDGE,TROWBRIDGELAWOFFICE,1300CLAYSTREET,SUITE 600,OAKLAND,CA94612 2/5,2/6,2/8/23 CNS-3666403# THEDAILYREPUBLIC DR#00061142 Published:February5,6,8,2023

NOTICEOFPUBLICHEARING (ZoningAdministrator)

NOTICEISGIVENthattheSolanoCountyZoningAdministratorwillholdaPUBLIC HEARINGtoconsiderLotLineAdjustmentApplicationNo.LLA-17-07ofRalphPerkinsto reconfigurethecommonpropertylinebetweena23.04-acreparcel(APN0105-200-460) anda0.41-acreparcel(APN0105-200-180)tocreatetwobuildableparcelsof16.03and 7.42acreslocatedat7044SteigerHillRoad,0.7mileswestoftheCityofVacavilleinthe RuralResidential(RR-5&RR-2.5)zoningdistricts.ThislotlineadjustmentisaministerialactionandthereforeexemptfromtheprovisionsoftheCaliforniaEnvironmentalQualityAct(CEQA)pursuanttoCEQAGuidelinesSection21080(b)(1).(PlannerTravis Kroger,707-784-6765).

ThehearingwillbeheldonThursday,February16,2023at10:00a.m.intheDepartmentofResourceManagementConferenceRoom,5thFloor,CountyAdministrationCenter,675TexasStreet,Fairfield,California.

TheCountyofSolanodoesnotdiscriminateagainstpersonswithdisabilitiesandisanaccessiblefacility.Ifyouwishtoattendthismeetingandyouwillrequireassistancetoparticipate,pleasecalltheDepartmentofResourceManagementat707-784-6765atleast24 hoursinadvanceoftheeventtomakereasonablearrangementstoensureaccessibility tothismeeting.

PUBLICCOMMENTS:

In-Person:Youmayattendthepublichearingatthetimeandlocationlistedaboveand providecommentsduringthepublicspeakingperiod.Phone:Youmayprovidecommentsverballyfromyourphonebydialing1-323-457-3408andenteringConferenceID number293118721#.Onceenteredinthemeeting,youwillbeabletohearthemeeting andwillbecalledupontospeakduringthepublicspeakingperiod.Email/Mail:Written commentscanbeemailedtoPlanning@SolanoCounty.comormailedtoResourceManagement,ZoningAdministrator,675TexasStreet,Suite5500,Fairfield,CA94533and mustbereceivedby8:00a.m.thedayofthemeeting.CopiesofwrittencommentsreceivedwillbeprovidedtotheZoningAdministratorandwillbecomeapartoftheofficial recordbutwillnotbereadaloudatthemeeting.

Staffreportsandassociatedmaterialswillbeavailabletothepublicapproximatelyone weekpriortothemeetingatwww.solanocounty.comunderDepartments;ResourceManagement;Boards,Commissions&Speci alDistricts;SolanoCountyZoningAdministrator Ifyouchallengetheproposedconsiderationincourt,youmaybelimitedtoraisingonly

NOTICETOBIDDERS/INVITATIONTOBID

1.Noticeisherebygiventhatthegoverningboard(“Board”)oftheFAIRFIELD-SUISUN UNIFIEDSCHOOLDISTRICT(“District”)willreceivesealedbidstoconstructthefollowingproject: BID23F-131MARYBIRDNEWCLASSROOMWINGANDKITCHEN

2.TobidonthisProject,theBidderisrequiredtohavebeenprequalifiedbytheDistrict Inaddition,ifcomponentsoftheProjectwillbeperformedbyelectrical,mechanical,or plumbingsubcontractorsperformingunderthefollowinglicenseclassification(s),then eachofthosesubcontractorsthatintendtobidasafirst-tiersubcontractortoageneral contractor(primecontractor)arerequiredtohavebeenprequalifiedbytheDistrict:C-4 C-7,C-10,C-16,C-20,C-34,C-36,C-38,C-42,C-43,and/orC-46.Allprequalification questionnaireswillbereceiveduntil5:00p.m.,February14,2023,attheDistrictOffice website:https://www.fsusd.org/Page/16414

3.Contractorsmustsubmitsealedbidsonorbefore2:00p.m.,February28,2023atthe officeoftheFacilities&ConstructionDepartment,locatedat2490HilbornRoad,Fairfield CaliforniaatorafterwhichtimetheDistrictwillopenthebidsandpubliclyreadthem aloud,inconferenceroom#102at2490HilbornRoad,Fairfield,CA94533.Anyclaimby aBidderoferrorinitsbidmustbemadeincompliancewithPublicContractCode§5100 etseq.Anybidthatissubmittedafterthistimeshallbenon-responsiveandreturnedto theBidder.TheDistrictisnotresponsibleforBidsthatarereceivedafterthedeadline notedabove.

4.TheProjectconsistsof: New+/-7,500sfclassroombuildingandkitchenwiththefollowingfeatures:wood-framed building;fourpre-schoolclassroomswithin-roomrestroomsandcasework,kitchenwith storage,andstaffrestrooms;associatedsiteworkandutilities;removalo fone24x40existingportable;removalofequipmentatexistingwarmingkitcheninBuilding‘A’andconversionofspaceintoconferenceroomswithassociatedlighting,power,dataandFAadjustments;replacementofelectrical120/208volt3phase1,000amperesmainswitchgear andcoordinationofnewservice.

5.AllbidsshallbeontheformprovidedbytheDistrict.EachbidmustconformandberesponsivetoallpertinentContractDocuments,including,butnotlimitedto,theInstructionstoBidders.

6.TobidonthisProject,theBidderisrequiredtopossessoneormoreofthefollowing StateofCaliforniaContractorLicenses:

A(GeneralEngineering)orB(GeneralBuilding)

TheBidder'slicense(s)mustbeactiveandingoodstandingatthetimeofthebidopeningandmustremainsothroughoutthetermoftheContract.

7.AssecurityforitsBid,eachBiddershallprovidewithitsBidform •abidbondissuedbyanadmittedsuretyinsurer ontheformprovidedbytheDistrict, •cash,or •acashier'scheckoracertifiedcheck,drawntotheorderoftheFAIRFIELD-SUISUN UNIFIEDSCHOOLDISTRICT, intheamountoftenpercent(10%)ofthetotalbidprice.ThisbidsecurityshallbeaguaranteethattheBiddershall,withinseven(7)calendardaysafterthedateoftheNoticeof Award,enterintoacontractwiththeDistrictfortheperformanceoftheservicesasstipulatedinthebid.

8.ThesuccessfulBiddershallbe requiredtofurnisha100%PerformanceBondanda 100%PaymentBondifitisawardedthecontractfortheProject.

9.ThesuccessfulBiddermaysubstitutesecuritiesforanymonieswithheldbytheDistrict toensureperformanceundertheContract,inaccordancewiththeprovisionsofPublic ContractCode§22300.

10.ThesuccessfulBidderanditssubcontractorsshallpayallworkersontheProjectnot lessthanthegeneralprevailingrateofperdiemwagesandthegeneralprevailingratefor holidayandovertimeworkasdeterminedbytheDirectoroftheDepartmentofIndustrial Relations,StateofCalifornia,forthetypeofworkperformedandthelocalityinwhichthe workistobeperformedwithintheboundariesoftheDistrict,pursuanttoLaborCode§ 1770etseq.PrevailingwageratesareonfilewiththeDistrictandareavailabletoanyinterestedpartyonrequestoratwww.dir.ca.gov/oprl/statistics_and_databases.html.Biddersand Bidders’subcontractorsshallcomplywiththeregistrationandqualificationrequirementspursuanttoLaborCode§§1725.5&1771.1

11.Avoluntarypre-bidconferenceandsitevisitwillbeheldonFebruary7,2023at10:00 a.m.atMaryBirdEarlyChildhoodEducationCenter,420EastTaborRd.,Fairfield,California,forthepurposeofacquaintingbidderswiththebiddocumentsandtheworksite Pleasemeetinfrontoftheschooloffice.

12.ContractDocumentscanbedownloadedfromtheFairfield-SuisunUnifiedSchoolDistrictWebsiteathttps://www.fsusd.org/Page/16402

13.TheDistrict’sBoardreservestherighttorejectanyandallbidsand/orwaiveanyirregularityinanybidreceived.IftheDistrictawardstheContract,thesecurityofunsuccessfulBidder(s)shallbereturnedwithinsixty(60)daysfromthetimetheawardismade Unlessotherwiserequiredbylaw,noBiddermaywithdrawitsbidforninety(90)days afterthedateofthebidopening. 14.TheDistrictshallawardtheContract,ifitawardsitatall,tothelowestresponsiveresponsibleBidderbasedon:Thebasebidamountonly.

DR#00060945 Published:January30,February6,2023

NOTICETOBIDDERS/INVITATIONTOBID

1.Noticeisherebygiventhatthegoverningboard(“Board”)oftheFAIRFIELD-SUISUN UNIFIEDSCHOOLDISTRICT(“District”)willreceivesealedbidstoconstructthefollowingproject: BID23F-136MARQUEEINSTALLATIONATVARIOUSSITES

2.Contractorsmustsubmitsealedbidsonorbefore2:00p.m.,March1,2023attheofficeoftheFacilities&ConstructionDepartment,locatedat2490HilbornRoad,Fairfield CaliforniaatorafterwhichtimetheDistrictwillopenthebidsandpubliclyreadthem aloud,inconferenceroom#102at2490HilbornRoad,Fairfield,CA94533.Anyclaimby aBidderoferrorinitsbidmustbemadeincompliancewithPublicContractCode§5100 etseq.Anybidthatissubmittedafterthistimeshallbenon-responsiveandreturnedto theBidder.TheDistrictisnotresponsibleforBidsthatarereceivedafterthedeadline notedabove.

3.TheprojectconsistsofthedemolitionofselectexistingMarqueesigns,basesandassociateditems;theconstructionofnewconcretepedestalbases;installationofOwnerfurnishedmarqueesigns;andassociatedelectricalinfrastructure.

4.AllbidsshallbeontheformprovidedbytheDistrict.EachbidmustconformandberesponsivetoallpertinentContractDocuments,including,butnotlimitedto,theInstructionstoBidders.

5.TobidonthisProject,theBidderisrequiredtopossessoneormoreofthefollowing StateofCaliforniaContractorLicenses:

A(GeneralEngineering)orB(GeneralBuilding)

TheBidder'slicense(s)mustbeactiveandingoodstandingatthetimeofthebidopeningandmustremainsothroughoutthetermoftheContract.

6.AssecurityforitsBid,eachBiddershallprovidewithitsBidform •abidbondissuedbyanadmittedsuretyinsurerontheformprovidedbytheDistrict, •cash,or •acashier'scheckoracertifiedcheck,drawntotheorderoftheFAIRFIELD-SUISUN UNIFIEDSCHOOLDISTRICT, intheamountoftenpercent(10%)ofthetotalbidprice.ThisbidsecurityshallbeaguaranteethattheBiddershall,withinseven(7)calendardaysafterthedateoftheNoticeof Award,enterinto acontractwiththeDistrictfortheperformanceoftheservicesasstipulatedinthebid.

7.ThesuccessfulBiddershallberequiredtofurnisha100%PerformanceBondanda 100%PaymentBondifitisawardedthecontractfortheProject.

8.ThesuccessfulBiddermaysubstitutesecuritiesforanymonieswithheldbytheDistrict toensureperformanceundertheContract,inaccordancewiththeprovisionsofPublic ContractCode§22300.

9.ThesuccessfulBidderanditssubcontractorsshallpayallworkersontheProjectnot lessthanthegeneralprevailingrateofperdiemwagesandthegeneralprevailingratefor holidayandovertimeworkasdeterminedbytheDirectoroftheDepartmentofIndustrial Relations,StateofCalifornia,forthetypeofworkperformedandthelocalityinwhichthe workistobeperformedwithintheboundariesoftheDistrict,pursuanttoLaborCode§ 1770etseq.PrevailingwageratesareonfilewiththeDistrictandareavailabletoanyinterestedpartyonrequestoratwww.dir.ca.gov/oprl/statistics_and_databases.html.BiddersandBidders’subcontractorsshallcomplywiththeregistrationandqualificationrequirementspursuanttoLaborCode§§1725.5&1771.1

10.Avoluntarypre-bidconferenceandsitevisitwillbeheldonFebruary14,2023at 10:00a.m.atRollingHillsElementary,2025FieldcrestAve.,Fairfield,California,forthe purposeofacquaintingbidderswith thebiddocumentsandtheworksite.Pleasemeetin frontoftheschooloffice.

11.ContractDocumentscanbedownloadedfromtheFairfield-SuisunUnifiedSchoolDistrictWebsiteathttps://www.fsusd.org/Page/16402

12.TheDistrict’sBoardreservestherighttorejectanyandallbidsand/orwaiveanyirregularityinanybidreceived.IftheDistrictawardstheContract,thesecurityofunsuccessfulBidder(s)shallbereturnedwithinsixty(60)daysfromthetimetheawardismade Unlessotherwiserequiredbylaw,noBiddermaywithdrawitsbidforninety(90)days afterthedateofthebidopening. 13.TheDistrictshallawardtheContract,ifitawardsitatall,tothelowestresponsiveresponsibleBidderbasedon:Thebasebidamountonly. DR#00061156 Published:February6,13,2023

PUBLIC NOTICES

NoticeofSelfStorageSale

PleasetakenoticeCentralSelfStorage-EastTravis837ETravisBlvdFairfieldCA 94533intendstoholdanauctionofthegoodsstoredinaself-servicestorageunitbythe followingpersons.Thesalewilloccurasanonlineauctionviawww.storagetreasures.com on2/15/2023at12:00PM.Unlessstatedotherwisethedescriptionofthecontentsare householdgoodsandfurnishings: CharlotteVPugh MyrindaRGant

GregoryTaft

JoseSanchez

AthenaMenil

AvaMarieAlmand

Oscar Fuentes/BayBusinessService

MitchellWinton MariaWashington(2units)

Allpropertyisbeingstoredattheaboveself-storagefacility.Thissalemaybewithdrawn atanytimewithoutnotice.Certaintermsandconditionsapply.Seemanagerfordetails.

1/30,2/6/23

CNS-3662206# THEDAILYREPUBLIC DR#00060835

Published:January30,February6,2023

ANNOUNCEMENTOFPRE-QUALIFICATIONPROCEDURESANDOPENDATESFOR

ANNUALPRE-QUALIFICATION

NoticeisgiventhattheSuisunResourceConservationDistrict(SRCD)hasdetermined thatallbiddersonpublicworkstobeundertakenbySRCDmustbepre-qualifiedpriorto submittingbids.ItismandatoryforallLicensedContractorswhointendtosubmitbids fullycompletethepre-qualificationquestionnaire,provideallrequestedmaterials,andbe approvedbySRCDtobeonthefinalBidderslist.NobidwillbeacceptedfromaContractort hathasfailedtocomplywiththeserequirements.

I.Pre-qualificationQuestionnairescanbeobtainedbycontactingSRCDat2544Grizzly IslandRd.,Suisun,CA94585ordownloadedathttp://www.suisunrcd.org/

II.Paperordigitalfilledquestionnaireswillbeaccepteduntil5:00PMPacificStandard TimeonWednesday,15February2023,atSuisunResourceConservationDistrict,2544 GrizzlyIslandRd.,Suisun,CA94585

III.SRCDreservestherighttowaiveminorirregularitiesandomissionsintheinformation containedinthepre-qualificationapplicationsubmitted,tomakeallfinaldeterminations, andtodetermineatanytimethatthepre-qualificationprocedureswillnotbeappliedtoa futurepublicworksproject.

Foradditionalinformationorquestions,pleasecontactJohnTakekawaat jtakekawa@suisunrcd.orgor707-425-9302x2.

DR#00060859

Published:January25,27,29,30,February1,3,5,6,8,10,2023

NoticeisherebygivenpursuanttoSections21700through21716oftheCaliforniaBusinessandProfessionsCode,Section2328oftheUCC,Section535ofthePenalCode, theundersignedwillsellatpublicsalebycompetitivebiddingonTuesday,February14th, 2023commencing11:00AM@ALMONDTREESTORAGE,725RAILROADAVE, SUISUNCITY,CA94585thefollowingdelinquenttenant’sitemsdescribedas;miscellaneousfurniture,tools,householditems,appliances,electronicequipment,toys,clothing,luggage,boxes&bags-contentsunknown:

•SPACENAME

•B038Taushae/TayCrenshaw

•C060RalphBayardo

Purchasesmustbepaidforatthetimeofsaleincashonly.Allpurchasedgoodsaresold “asis,whereis”andmustberemovedatthetimeofthesale.Saleissubjecttocancellationintheeventofsettlementbetweenownerandtenant.AlmondTreeStoragereserves therighttodismissanyunitfromtheauction.

Auctioneer:StorageAuctionExperts,Bond#5860870

SiteManager:LaraSmith(707)425-4520

DR#00060950

Published:January30February6,2023

NOTICEOFPUBLICLIENSALE:

ThisnoticeisgiveninaccordancewiththeprovisionsofSection21700etseqoftheBusiness&ProfessionsCodeoftheStateofCalifornia.StorageStarwillsellthefollowing unitsatpubliconlinesalebycompetitivebidding,pursuanttostatelaw.

Auctiontobeheldaton9amFebruary17th2023

170BellaVistaRdVacavilleCA95687

TheItemsarestoredatStorageStarVacaville:

170BellaVistaRdVacavilleCA95687

Itemsincludebutarenotlimitedto:

FernandoGalvan-Bags,boxes,books,chairs,clothing,coffeetable,diningtable,lamp, pictures/paintings,speakers,tables,suitcasestoys,bedset

CynthiaArcher-Boxes,dishes,bedding,books,chairs,coffeetable,desk,diningtable, dresser,hutch,mattress,nightstand,sofa,bedframe

DavidAndrade-Boxes,chairs,collectibles,dresser,mattress,nightstand,pictures/paintings,shelves,totes,bedframe

NancyCarlson-Chairs,tables,militarytrunks,headboards

DeborahPinon-Bags,boxes,mattress,dishes

ElyssaBilleci-Bags,boxes,books,clothing,computer/monitor,pictures/paintings

AntoinetteTremayne-Bags,clothing,bedframe

RickSchanke-Boxes,clothing,refrigerator,shelves,sofa,tables,totes,bar,dolly,pool sticks PattyorHowardRobinson-Bags,boxes,chairs,entertainmentcenter,musicalinstruments,pictures/paintings,refrigerator,shelves,sportsequipment,TV,totes,ladders JanellBrannen-Bags,boxes,computer/monitor,exerciseequipment,filecabinet,totes JustinPrivatte-Bags,tools,totes

DR#00061022

Published:February6,12,2023

NOTICETOBIDDERS/INVITATIONTOBID

1.Noticeisherebygiventhatthegoverningboard(“Board”)oftheFAIRFIELD-SUISUN

UNIFIEDSCHOOLDISTRICT(“District”)willreceivesealedbidstoconstructthefollowingproject:

BID23F-139FIREALARMREPLACEMENTATRODRIGUEZHIGHSCHOOL

2.Contractorsmustsubmitsealedbidsonorbefore2:00p.m.,February21,2023atthe officeoftheFacilities&ConstructionDepartment,locatedat2490HilbornRoad,Fairfield CaliforniaatorafterwhichtimetheDistrictwillopenthebidsandpubliclyreadthem aloud,inconferenceroom#102at2490HilbornRoad,Fairfield,CA94533.Anyclaimby aBidderoferrorinitsbidmustbemadeincompliancewithPublicContractCode§5100 etseq.Anybidthatissubmittedafterthistimeshallbenon-responsiveandreturnedto theBidder.TheDistrictisnotresponsibleforBidsthatarereceivedafterthedeadline notedabove.

3.TheProjectconsistsof:Replacementoftheexistingfirealarmequipmentwithnew automaticsystem,includingnewfirealarmpanel,newfirealarmdevices,andvoicecommunicationsystemthroughoutthecampus.Uponinstallationofthenewfirealarmsystem,theexistingfirea larmsystemwillbedecommissionedandremoved.

4.AllbidsshallbeontheformprovidedbytheDistrict.EachbidmustconformandberesponsivetoallpertinentContractDocuments,including,butnotlimitedto,theInstructionstoBidders.

5.TobidonthisProject,theBidderisrequiredtopossessoneormoreofthefollowing StateofCaliforniaContractorLicenses:

A(GeneralEngineering)orB(GeneralBuilding)orC-10(Electrical) TheBidder'slicense(s)mustbe activeandingoodstandingatthetimeofthebidopeningandmustremainsothroughoutthetermoftheContract.

6.AssecurityforitsBid,eachBiddershallprovidewithitsBidform •abidbondissuedbyanadmittedsuretyinsurerontheformprovidedbytheDistrict, •cash,or •acashier'scheckoracertifiedcheck,drawntotheorderoftheFAIRFIELD-SUISUN

UNIFIEDSCHOOLDISTRICT, intheamountoftenpercent(10%)ofthetotalbidprice.ThisbidsecurityshallbeaguaranteethattheBiddershall,withinseven(7)calendardaysafterthedateoftheNoticeof Award,enterintoacontractwiththeDistrictfortheperformanceoftheservicesasstipulatedinthebid.

7.ThesuccessfulBiddershallberequiredtofurnisha100%PerformanceBondanda 100%PaymentBondifitisawardedthecontractfortheProject.

8.ThesuccessfulBiddermaysubstitutesecuritiesforanymonieswithheldbytheDistrict toensureperformanceundertheContract,inaccordancewiththeprovisionsofPublic ContractCode§22300.

9.ThesuccessfulBidderanditssubcontractorsshallpayallworkersontheProjectnot lessthanthegeneralprevailingrateofperdiemwagesandthegeneralprevailingratefor holidayandovertimeworkasdeterminedbytheDirectoroftheDepartmentofIndustrial Relations,StateofCalifornia,forthetypeofworkperformedandthelocalityinwhichthe workistobeperformedwithintheboundariesoftheDistrict,pursuanttoLaborCode§ 1770etseq.PrevailingwageratesareonfilewiththeDistrictandareavailabletoanyinterestedpartyonrequestoratwww.dir.ca.gov/oprl/statistics_and_databases.html.BiddersandBidders’subcontractorsshallcomplywiththeregistrationandqualificationrequirementspursuanttoLaborCode§§1725.5&1771.1

10.Avoluntarypre-bidconferenceandsitevisitwillbeheldonFebruary7,2023at12:00 p.m.atRodriguezHigh School,5000RedTopRd.,Fairfield,California,forthepurposeof acquaintingbidderswiththebiddocumentsandtheworksite.Pleasemeetinfrontofthe schooloffice.

11.ContractDocumentscanbedownloadedfromtheFairfield-SuisunUnifiedSchoolDistrictWebsiteathttps://www.fsusd.org/Page/16402

12.TheDistrict’sBoardreservestherighttorejectanyandallbidsand/orwaiveanyirregularityinanybidreceived.IftheDistrictawardstheContract,thesecurityofunsuccessfulBidder(s)shallbereturnedwithinsixty(60)daysfromthetimetheawardismade Unlessotherwiserequiredbylaw,noBiddermaywithdrawitsbidforninety(90)days afterthedateofthebidopening.

13.TheDistrictshallawardtheContract,ifitawardsitatall,tothelowestresponsiveresponsibleBidderbasedon:Thebasebidamountonly. DR#00060946 Published:January30,February6,2023

MARY NADINE CRICHTON

CASE NUMBER: P051898

Toallheirs,beneficiaries,creditors,contingentcreditors,andpersonswhomay otherwisebeinterestedinthewillorestate,orboth,of: Mary Nadine Crichton APetitionforProbatehasbeenfiledby: Ariana Palafox intheSuperiorCourtofCalifornia,County of:Solano

ThePetitionforProbaterequeststhat: Ariana Palafox beappointedaspersonalrepresentativ e toadministertheestateofthedecedent. Thepetitionrequeststhedecedent'swill andcodicils,ifany,beadmittedtoprobate.Thewillandanycodicilsareavailableforexaminationinthefilekeptbythe court.

ThepetitionrequestsauthoritytoadministertheestateundertheIndependentAdministrationofEstatesAct.(Thisauthority willallowthepersonalrepresentativeto takemanyactionswithoutobtainingcourt approval.Beforetakingcertainveryimportantactions,however,thepersonal representativewillberequiredtogivenoticetointerestedpersonsunlessthey havewaivednoticeorconsentedtothe proposedaction.)Theindependentadministrationauthoritywillbegrantedunless aninterestedpersonfilesanobjectionto thepetitionandshowsgoodcausewhy thecourtshouldnotgranttheauthority.

A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows:

DATE: MARCH 8, 2023 TIME: 9:00; DEPT. 22

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, County of Solano Old Solano Courthouse 580 Texas Street Fairfield, CA 94533

If you object tothegrantingofthepetition,youshouldappearatthehearingand stateyourobjectionsorfilewrittenobjectionswiththecourtbeforethehearing. Yourappearancemaybeinpersonorby yourattorney. If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent, youmustfileyourclaimwiththecourtand mailacopytothepersonalrepresentative appointedbythecourtwithinthe later of either(1)four months fromthedateof firstissuanceofletterstoageneralpersonalrepresentative,asdefinedinsection58(b)oftheCaliforniaProbateCode, or(2) 60 days fromthedateofmailingor personaldeliverytoyouofanoticeunder section9052oftheCaliforniaProbate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may wantto consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court.Ifyouareapersoninterestedinthe estate,youmayfilewiththecourtaRequestforSpecialNotice(formDE-154)of thefilingofaninventoryandappraisalof estateassetsorofanypetitionoraccount asprovidedinProbateCodesection 1250.ARequestforSpecialNoticeformis availablefromthecourtclerk.

AttorneyforPetitioner: ArianaPalafox JenniferBrown,Inc. 2130ProfessionalDrive,Suite230 Roseville,CA95661 (916)467-4500 DR#00061089 Published:February3,6,10,2023

Toallheirs,beneficiaries,creditors,contingentcreditors,andpersonswhomay otherwisebeinterestedinthewillorestate,orboth,of: Sandra Stelter (aka Sandy Stelter) A Petition for Probate hasbeenfiledby: Donna J. Harris intheSuperiorCourtofCalifornia,County of: SOLANO ThePetitionforProbaterequeststhat: Donna J. Harris be appointedaspersonalrepresentative toadministertheestateofthedecedent. Thepetitionrequeststhedecedent'swill andcodicils,ifany,beadmittedtoprobate.Thewillandcodicilsareavailablefor examinationinthefilekeptbythecourt. ThepetitionrequestsauthoritytoadministertheestateundertheIndependentAdministrationofEstatesAct.(Thisauthority willallowthepersonalrepresentativeto takemanyactionswithoutobtainingcourt approv al.Beforetakingcertainveryimportantactions,however,thepersonal representativewillberequiredtogivenoticetointerestedpersonsunlessthey havewaivednoticeorconsentedtothe proposedaction.)Theindependentadministrationauthoritywillbegrantedunless aninterestedpersonfilesanobjectionto thepetitionandshowsgoodcausewhy thecourtshouldnotgranttheauthority.

A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows:

DATE: MARCH 21, 2023;

TIME: 9:00 am; DEPT.: 22 SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SOLANO Old Solano Courthouse 580 Texas Street Fairfield, CA 94533

If you object tothegrantingofthepetition,youshouldappearatthehearingand stateyourobjectionsorfilewrittenobjectionswiththecourtbeforethehearing. Yourappearancemaybeinpersonorby yourattorney. If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent youmustfileyourclaimwiththecourtand mailacopytothepersonalrepresentative ap-pointedbythecourtwithinthe laterof either(1) four months fromthedateof firstissuanceofletterstoageneralpersonalrepresentative,asdefinedinsection58(b)oftheCaliforniaProbateCode, or(2) 60 days fromthedateofmailingor personaldeliverytoyouofanoticeunder section9052oftheCaliforniaProbate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court.Ifyouareapersoninterestedinthe estate,youmayfilewiththecourtaRequestforSpecialNotice(formDE-154)of thefilingofaninventoryandappraisalof estateassetsorofanypetitionoraccount asprovidedinProbateCodesection 1250.ARequestforSpecialNoticeformis

Toallheirs,beneficiaries,creditors,contingentcreditors,andpersonswhomay otherwisebeinterestedinthewillorestate,orboth,of: Baljit K. Mangat, Baljit Kaur APetitionforProbatehasbeenfiledby: Jay Singh, Lali Singh Toor, and Jaqmeet B. Mangat intheSuperiorCourtofCalifornia,County of: Solano ThePetitionforProbaterequeststhat: Jay Singh beappointedaspersonalrepresentative toadministertheestateofthedecedent. ThepetitionrequestsauthoritytoadministertheestateundertheIndependentAdministrationofEstatesAct.(Thisauthority willallowthepersonalrepresentativeto takemanyactionswithoutobtainingcourt approval.Beforetakingcertainveryimportantactions,however,thepersonal representativewillberequiredtogivenoticetointerestedpersonsunlessthey havewaiv ednoticeorconsentedtothe proposedaction.)Theindependentadministrationauthoritywillbegrantedunless aninterestedpersonfilesanobjectionto thepetitionandshowsgoodcausewhy thecourtshouldnotgranttheauthority.

A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows:

DATE: FEB. 22, 2023 TIME: 9:00 am

DEPT.: 22

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, County of Solano Old Solano Courthouse 580 Texas Street, Fairfield, CA 94533

If you object tothegrantingofthepetition,youshouldappearatthehearingand stateyourobjectionsorfilewrittenobjectionswiththecourtbeforethehearing. Yourappearancemaybeinpersonorby yourattorney. If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent, youmustfileyourclaimwiththecourtand mailacopytothepersonalrepresentative appointedbythecourtwithinthe later of either(1)four months fromthedateof firstissuanceofletterstoageneralpersonalrepresentative,asdefinedinsection58(b)oftheCaliforniaProbateCode, or(2) 60 days fromthedateofmailingor personaldeliverytoyouofanoticeunder section9052oftheCaliforniaProbate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may wantto consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court.Ifyouareapersoninterestedinthe estate,youmayfilewiththecourtaRequestforSpecialNotice(formDE-154)of thefilingofaninventoryandappraisalof estateassetsorofanypetitionoraccount asprovidedinProbateCodesection 1250.ARequestforSpecialNoticeformis availablefromthecourtclerk.

AttorneyforPetitioner: PamelaC.Vavra PerspectivesLawGroup 3150DeLaCruzBlvd.,Ste.206 SantaClara,CA95054 (408)512-1907 DR#00061078 Published:Feb.3,6,10,2023

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: GUS LEWIS, JR. CASE NUMBER: P051806

Toallheirs,beneficiaries,creditors,contingentcreditors,andpersonswhomay otherwisebeinterestedinthewillorestate,orboth,of: Gus Lewis, Jr. APetitionforProbatehasbeenfiledby:

Stonecrest Acquisitions, LLC, Jon Freeman, Member in the Superior Court of California, County of Solano intheSuperiorCourtofCalifornia,County of:Solano ThePeti tionforProbaterequeststhat: Stonecrest Acquisitions, LLC, Jon Freeman, Member beappointedaspersonalrepresentative toadministertheestateofthedecedent.

A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows:

DATE: MARCH 20, 2023 TIME: 8:30; DEPT. 4 SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, County of Solano 600 Union Avenue Fairfield, CA 94533 Probate

If you object tothegrantingofthepetition,youshouldappearatthehearingand stateyourobjectionsorfilewrittenobjectionswiththecourtbeforethehearing. Yourappearancemaybeinpersonorby yourattorney. If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent, youmustfileyourclaimwiththecourtand mailacopytothepersonalrepresentative appointedbythecourtwithinthe later of either(1)four months fromthedateof firstissuanceofletterstoageneralpersonalrepresentative,asdefinedinsection58(b)oftheCaliforniaProbateCode, or(2) 60 days fromthedateofmailingor personaldeliverytoyouofanoticeunder section9052oftheCaliforniaProbate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may wantto consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court.Ifyouareapersoninterestedinthe estate,youmayfilewiththecourtaRequestforSpecialNotice(formDE-154)of thefilingofaninventoryandappraisalof estateassetsorofanypetitionoraccount asprovidedinProbateCodesection 1250.ARequestforSpecialNoticeformis availablefromthecourtclerk.

AttorneyforPetitioner: HeatherLedgerwood,Esq. 1677EurekaRdSuite203, Roseville,CA95661 800-835-2634 DR#00061136 Published:February3,6,10,2023

Cueto beappointedaspersonalrepresentative toadministertheestateofthedecedent. ThepetitionrequestsauthoritytoadministertheestateundertheIndependentAdministrationofEstatesAct.(Thisauthority willallowthepersonalrepresentativeto takemanyactionswithoutobtainingcourt approval.Beforetakingcertainveryimportantactions,however,thepersonal representativewillberequiredtogivenoticetointerestedpersonsunlessthey h avewaivednoticeorconsentedtothe proposedaction.)Theindependentadministrationauthoritywillbegrantedunless aninterestedpersonfilesanobjectionto thepetitionandshowsgoodcausewhy thecourtshouldnotgranttheauthority.

A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows:

DATE: MARCH 10, 2023;

TIME: 8:30 am; DEPT.: 4 SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SOLANO 600 Union Avenue PO Caller 5000 Fairfield, CA 94533 Hall of Justice / Probate Div.

If you object tothegrantingofthepetition,youshouldappearatthehearingand stateyourobjectionsorfilewrittenobjectionswiththecourtbeforethehearing. Yourappearancemaybeinpersonorby yourattorney. If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent youmustfileyourclaimwiththecourtand mailacopytothepersonalrepresentative ap-pointedbythecourtwithinthe laterof either (1) four months fromthedateof firstissuanceofletterstoageneralpersonalrepresentative,asdefinedinsection58(b)oftheCaliforniaProbateCode, or(2) 60 days fromthedateofmailingor personaldeliverytoyouofanoticeunder section9052oftheCaliforniaProbate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. Yo u may examine the file kept by the court.Ifyouareapersoninterestedinthe estate,youmayfilewiththecourtaRequestforSpecialNotice(formDE-154)of thefilingofaninventoryandappraisalof estateassetsorofanypetitionoraccount asprovidedinProbateCodesection 1250.ARequestforSpecialNoticeformis availablefromthecourtclerk.

AttorneyforPetitioner: DavidW.Knight,Esq. LawOfficeofDavidW.Knight 2300BoyntonAvenue,Suite104 Fairfield,CA94533 707-422-5411 DR#00061140 Published:February3,6,10,2023

The bad news: There’s no margin for error in the Western Conference. It became even tougher Sunday, when Kyrie Irving was traded to the Mavericks. Anything less than .500 basketball could disqualify Golden State from playing in the postseason altogether.

The Warriors must finish in the top six of the Western Conference standings to be considered a title contender again in 2023. No champion is coming out of the play-in tournament.

They’ll enter this sansCurry stretch holding the No. 7 seed.

So can the Warriors tread water without Curry?

The Warriors went 6-5 without Curry (shoulder injury) in December and early January. That stretch featured a huge win over the Grizzlies on Christmas, but also a weak stretch of the schedule and a sevengame homestand.

The Warriors’ remaining strength of schedule isn’t difficult, but it’s not easy, either. There’s certainly no cupcake lane

on the horizon, especially when you consider that there are likely to be three back-to-backs during Curry’s absence, meaning that Thompson and perhaps Green will be sidelined. If the Warriors are going to survive without Curry, Thompson and Green will have to play their best basketball of the season. Andrew Wiggins will need to tap into the version of himself we saw last postseason.

And Jordan Poole must become the team’s offensive engine. That means he must put his on-ball brilliance to work while avoiding being an isolation-calling turnover

full years (or close to full) as a head coach, and his winning seasons include 66 and 61 victories with the Cavs, plus a separate trip to the NBA Finals.

the oasis," he said. "Now I think I see some palm trees and sparkly water. Maybe it's actually happening."

nnn

The Kings' mostly dubious history in Northern California falls neatly into three segments.

They labored through 13 consecutive losing seasons from 1985 through '97 (even if they twice sneaked into the playoffs).

Then, under Adelman, they posted those eight straight winning seasons, including one in which they pushed the KobeShaq Lakers to overtime in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals. And now the 16 playoff-less seasons in a row.

Brown might stop this skid, but general manager Monte McNair deserves to share the credit. He acquired Sabonis from Indiana in February 2022 – a risky trade because he relinquished promising Tyrese Haliburton and sharp-shooting Buddy Hield – then drafted Murray, signed Monk as a free agent and obtained Huerter from Atlanta.

Even so, as any Kings fan knows, talent does not always translate to wins. Brown is making the equation work, encouraging his team to play fast on offense and spread the court with shooters, the modern-day recipe for hoops success.

It's easy to forget, given the long gap in his headcoaching resume, but Brown's record is extraordinary. He's had only one losing season in seven

LeBron James' presence helped, absolutely, but the numbers still speak loudly: Among head coaches with 500 or more games, Brown ranks ninth on the all-time list with a.612 winning percentage (376-238) entering Sunday's game against New Orleans.

That doesn't count his stint with the Warriors.

Kerr credited Brown's defensive wisdom and organizational skills – see his color-coded charts for substitution patterns – as key factors in Golden State's three most recent titles.

Kerr's people skills, in turn, gave Brown a new twist for his long-awaited return to head coaching.

"Having a chance to be around Steve gave me an ability to feel the room better," Brown said in a Chronicle interview.

"What got me a head job at an early age was my work ethic. I was extremely detailed and felt like I knew what I wanted from our team and got the most out of them.

"But there are times you put a practice plan together and it wasn't necessarily for them. It was more for me to not skip any steps along the way."

This doesn't exactly mean Kings players are lounging between games.

Monk joked that they practice 40 hours a week, and he good-naturedly disputed any suggestion Brown learned the value of rest from Kerr.

"We're definitely not resting much," Monk said,

Man – and his impact on the game cannot be replicated by several players. But with key players taking on larger roles, the team’s end-of-bench, outof-the-rotation players will have to pick up some minutes.

To win without Curry is a massive ask from a team that has underwhelmed all season – even with the superstar.

So I’ll repeat it: this is why you don’t mess around in the NBA. The Warriors’ talent is such that they should have been building up wins for its rainy-day fund.

both yardage (300.6) and points per game (16.3). The 49ers were also very good in 2021, his Ryans’ first year as a defensive coordinator after being a quality control coach and then a linebackers coach.

Players gave Ryans high marks as a non-stop motivator and tactician who put them in position to be at their best.

return. Maybe Shanahan wasn’t too keen on whatever changes Fangio had in store for the defensive structure. Either way, I’m not sure it matters much. Whether it’s Steve Wilks, Chris Harris or someone currently on staff, the defense will be run to Shanahan’s specifications, and the coordinator will arrive in what amounts to a dream job considering what’s already on hand.

machine. He’ll need to embrace the Warriors’ system – they can’t win with him doing his own thing.

All of this is possible. But is it probable? Fifty games into the season, there’s not much reason to believe it is.

Oh, the Warriors will also need to expand their rotation with Curry sidelined.

As counter-productive as it might seem, the Warriors cannot afford to sit Moses Moody and James Wiseman (should either be on the roster after Thursday’s trade deadline). The Warriors are down a man – The

chuckling. "Mike wants everything almost perfect in a world that's not perfect. He knows that, too. He tells us we're not going to be perfect, but he wants us to be damn near close."

The Kings might not be perfect, but their offense has at times been otherworldly. They scored 130 or more points six times last month, including a 133-100 beatdown of Memphis (without Ja Morant) on Jan. 23.

Sacramento's offensive rating of 116.9 (measuring points per 100 possessions) ranked second in the NBA, behind Denver, through Friday's games. The Kings were 24th in offensive rating last season, before Sabonis, Huerter, Murray and Monk showed up.

But they're only 20th this season in defensive rating at 114.1, despite Brown's incessant harping. That stat counts as a barometer of success: The Celtics and Warriors ranked 1-2 last season, when they met in the Finals, and the Cavaliers and Bucks lead the pack this season.

"We're one of the best offenses in the league and we never talk about offense," Huerter said. "All we do is talk about defense, and then we talk about defense more."

Brown vowed the Kings will climb in the defensive rankings by season's end. He understands that's the only way they will make noise in the playoffs.

"If we can improve on that end," he said, "we've got a chance to be really, really good."

If the Kings become really good for more than a half-season, they will absolutely own Sacramento.

The rain is here, again, and the Warriors have no cushion.

The Warriors’ championship pedigree is unquestioned. This organization prides itself on fighting through adversity and being better for it.

Here’s another dose of serious adversity. You can’t say success is impossible – especially when success is merely playing .500 basketball. Hey, perhaps this is the jolt that finally wakes up this team.

But amid a season where the Warriors can’t seem to get things right, do you expect the Dubs’ best basketball to show up now that Curry is out?

I don’t.

The Warriors compete with the Giants, 49ers, A's and Sharks for attention and fans in the Bay Area sports market, but the Kings are the only bigleague show in town.

That led to rampant frustration in the 1980s and '90s, a burst of rollicking civic pride when Chris Webber, Mike Bibby, Peja Stojakovic and Vlade Divac led the Kings on the early 2000s playoff runs . . . and now 16 years of familiar futility.

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg knows the history all too well, so he senses a refreshing connection between this team and its eager fans.

"This year you feel the spirit of community – it's just a little bit lighter, a little bit happier," Steinberg said. "When you've gone this long, it makes the breakthrough even sweeter. This city deserves a winner and we have one."

The Kings touted Fox and Sabonis as All-Star candidates in scoreboard promotions during recent games. Sabonis was named a Western Conference reserve Thursday, making him the first Kings player to earn an All-Star selection since DeMarcus Cousins in 2017, the last of his three straight appearances.

In a distinctly Kings-ian move, the team reached a deal to trade Cousins to New Orleans on the day of the All-Star Game.

Huerter acknowledged he can feel the fans' hunger to win when he eats at a restaurant or visits the barber shop. If he wandered out on a football Sunday, he'd see more people in Kings gear than wearing 49ers garb.

Which is what pretty much everyone thought about Robert Saleh, Ryans’ predecessor who became head coach of the New York Jets in 2021.

The point is, whoever Shanahan selects to run the defense in 2023 has a considerable talent base. A defensive line with Arik Armstead in the middle and Nick Bosa coming from the outside. The NFL’s best linebacker tandem in Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw. A standout cornerback in Charvarius Ward. A Pro Bowl safety at Talanoa Hufanga.

Shanahan and general manager John Lynch made it clear Wednesday that continuity would be big in selecting Ryans’ replacement, and the above players represent toplevel producers at all three levels.

One prospective candidate, Vic Fangio, went to Miami and joined former 49ers assistant Mike McDaniel rather than return to the defense he once ran for Jim Harbaugh. Maybe Fangio didn’t want to

We don’t know who will be on the defensive line along with Armstead and Bosa, assuming the latter gets his extension done as expected. Or if Azeez Al-Shaair will return as a third linebacker with Warner and Greenlaw.

The corner opposite Charvarius Ward is an open question, as is the nickel position and free safety, where Tashaun Gipson is scheduled for free agency.

“It will look different,” Warner said on getaway day Tuesday. “We’re likely losing our defensive coordinator, the guy I came in with and owe a lot to. A lot of players will be moving on to different teams. The more you’re in it, you see it’s never the same, but we’ll be back and we’ll be better.”

The 49ers’ defensive core has self-starters and those who are selfmotivated. They’ll take coaching, of course, but mostly you just point them in the right direction and let them go. And the pieces that are added to fill in among them will be expected to play with the same high standards.

the following connected TV, iOS and Android applications:

n NFL+

n Fox Sports app

n Hulu + Live TV

hurt. He's a magician. Give Andy Reid time and he's the best in the business at drawing up a plan, yet he's 1-2 in Super Bowls with a couple of losses to Tom Brady, so ... The Chiefs are in the Super Bowl for the third time in four years and experience counts for something. Travis Kelce has had another tremendous season and he'll put stress on a defense. But if the Eagles play the way they can play, they will be extremely tough to beat.

What channel is the Super Bowl on?

The game will be broadcast by Fox and Fox Desportes (Español).

How can I listen to the Super Bowl?

Listen to the Super Bowl LVII on the following providers:

n Fox Sports Radio

n Westwood One Radio

n SiriusXM NFL Radio

Where can I stream the Super Bowl?

Super Bowl LVII can be livestreamed through

n YouTube TV

n fuboTV

n Sling TV

Who will perform in the Super Bowl halftime show?

Rihanna will headline the Super Bowl halftime show in what will be her first public performance in five years.

It remains to be seen if any other notable names will be joining Rihanna on stage – the Super Bowl halftime show has a reputation for featuring multiple artists. Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Kendrick Lamar performed during last year's Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

It's been six years since the release of Rihanna's last studio album and her return to the public stage has sparked speculation about a potential album release later this year.

Latest Super Bowl odds

The Eagles are 1.5point favorites to win the Super Bowl over the Chiefs.