Daily Republic: Monday, Feb. 20, 2023

glen FAison GFAISON@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Police and fire as well as associated emergency response agencies are preparing to launch an online tool for residents that is designed to help them quickly know whether they need to flee in the event of an emergency.

The new evacuation is called Zonehaven. It is scheduled to launch March 1 and is part of a social media campaign called #KnowYourZone.

Zonehaven is a system designed to allow communities and first responders to more effectively plan, communicate and execute evacua-

57th Gem & Mineral Show comes to Fairgrounds A3

Logan Webb has one of MLB’s best changeups B1

Jimmy Carter’s hometown prepares

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

In a small San Joaquin Valley neighborhood surrounded by miles of nut and citrus groves, six electric vehicle charging stations sit abandoned. Their parking spots are empty, their screens shattered.

Over five short months and with nearly $2 million, the state powered a fleet of Teslas and Chevy Bolts that lent residents of this isolated community a transportation lifeline. Then one day at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the

tions, the Solano County Office of Emergency Services reports.

The Zonehaven tool will be used countywide, to include the county and all cities. Zonehaven Aware is a web-based platform for members of the community to find their evacuation zone and to view emergency information.

The tool allows residents to look up their address using the search bar.

Effective advance planning is a key component to a successful emergency response, the county reports.

One of the shortcomings identified after the LNU Lightning

cars vanished.

“Overnight, our means of transportation disappeared,” said Rosario Rodríguez, a resident of Cantua Creek. “We felt a lot of emotions all at once, because it left us defenseless. If we get sick or have a medical appointment, then what? What are we going to do?”

Nearly three years later, the electric cars are in Los Angeles and Rodríguez is back to relying on favors from friends to make the 30-minute commute to her nearest supermarket and hourlong drive to doctor’s

Complex Fire was the ability of local officials to effectively notify people of the need to leave their homes. The launch of Zonehaven is designed to help address that identified need.

The LNU Lightning Complex Fire started early Aug. 17, 2020, in Napa County and ultimately surrounded Lake Berryessa. The Hennessey Fire, the largest fire of the LNU complex that ultimately scorched portions of six counties, is the fire that burned into Solano County late Aug. 18 and early Aug. 19, 2020. Six people died as a result

About everyone in this town of hardly 500 people has a story about Carter, who was born and raised in this southwest Georgia community, and is preparing to spend his final days in hospice at the humble home he has shared here with wife Rosalynn since 1961.

“To me, he’s a friend. To a lot of us here, he’s just a churchgoer that sits on the same pews,” said Zac Steele, one of the lay leaders of Maranatha Baptist Church, the congregation where Carter long taught Sunday school lessons until his health declined.

For the last half-cen-

tury, the people here love to tell visitors they have a pair of famous exports: peanuts and a peanut farmer-turned-president. The local airport is named in his honor, and his boyhood farm and his colorful brother’s gas station have been

See Carter, Page A7

Ukraine’s allies are working through the consequences of the long war ahead

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

Ukraine’s main allies are starting to come to terms with what will be required to support the government in Kyiv through what they now expect will be a long war.

That realization was fundamental to almost every discussion at the annual Munich Security Conference where senior officials from the trans-Atlantic defense community grappled with how to meet the vastly increased demand for ammunition and weapons that such a war implies.

They also wrestled with how to enforce economic sanctions against Moscow, how to persuade the global south to embrace Ukraine’s cause, and what role China will decide to play in the war.

appointments.

The vehicle chargers, once seen as an innovative solution to a woefully inadequate transportation

system, are monuments to a bungled state program and the indignity endured

Russian officials were absent from the Munich event for the first time in decades in a sign of how

much has changed since last year’s event, held just days before President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion.

Back then, Volodymyr Zelenskyy had harangued his country’s allies for their “appeasement” of Russia. “Now all this is being corrected,” the Ukrainian president said by video link at the start of the conference on Friday.

Among the more than 45 heads of state and government attending, some expressed astonishment at how the year had confounded expectations since the last meeting, just days before the invasion.

Ukraine was not overrun in a week and the NATO alliance did not split over whether to send weapons to Kyiv, or sanction Moscow. Nor did Putin escalate to non-conventional warfare after his supposed red lines

See A7

Big celebrations can be for smaller stuff, too

Idid my duty as an American citizen Feb. 12 and watched the Super Bowl. As soon as Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts threw up a last-second Hail Mary pass that fell short, giving the Chiefs the victory, I switched the channel.

I didn’t have a dog in that fight as I only root for one team, the Raiders, and against 31 others. But I sure as heck didn’t want to watch Kansas City celebrating. If I had, I might have seen the ketchupand mustard-colored confetti rain down on the stadium, and maybe a Chiefs player or two make “snow angels” in them.

I will never personally experience the unfettered jubilation and affirmation of a dream fulfilled by being a part of an NFL team and winning a championship, but that doesn’t mean I can’t celebrate other things with just as much gusto.

And celebrate them I shall.

So today I am celebrating the following:

No backhands at Brenden Theaters

I rarely go to the movie theater anymore because I get so annoyed with other theatergoers. It usually isn’t the cellphone-ringing-thing these days, but other stuff that gets on my last nerve. It’s someone chewing popcorn like a goat, someone else moving their soda straw up and down so it goes Squeak! Squoink! Squank! or some fool tearing open a Snickers bar right when there is a quiet and climactic scene. Beth and I went to see “Avatar: The Way of Water” and enjoyed it thoroughly, and no one there deserved nor received a backhand. An extra celebration is in order as I did not have to get up to go pee during the entire

three-hour-plus movie despite all the water in it messin’ with my subconscious and my bladder.

Local legends

I was interviewed in 2019 by a bright young fellow named Frank Jefferson for a Channel 26 show called “Local Legends.” I was talking about local notable folks, not me. Well, Frank took off for greener pastures and is now crushin’ it working for Fox 5 San Diego. The powers that be, city of Fairfield communication wizards Whitney Skillman and Bill Way, asked me to host and I interviewed former Suisun City boy/Huey Lewis and the News member Johnny Colla in 2021.

Well, we shot a few more recently, including interviews with Armijo grad and New York Giants Super Bowl Champion George Martin, Fairfield High hoops star/Armijo High hoops coach Jay Dahl and longtime Fairfield Mayor Gary Falati. Stay tuned!

Motorcycle restraint

At a stoplight on Travis Boulevard a rather scruffy-looking dude on a Harley-Davidson pulled up right next to me. Now, one of my pet peeves is really loud motorcycles. I don’t get why that is perceived as cool. Another pet peeve on top of a pet peeve is loud motorcycles with even louder stereos. I don’t even care if they are playing my all-time favorite song, it still drives me nuts. I rolled down my window, called the guy an inconsiderate moron and told him to turn his music down. Even though I was forceful and a little rude, there was no violence. The guy just rode off when the light turned green . . . because he couldn’t hear me. Thankfully.

Technology

I never get jaded or complacent or take the incredible technology we have at our fingertips these days for granted. Someone in a Zoom meeting whom I have never met in person recommended the Netflix documentary “Stutz” about Jonah Hill’s therapist, Phil Stutz, and the remarkable approach he has to treating people that is very different and evidently more effective than conventional methods. I watched it at my leisure, then searched for one of Stutz’s books at the library. I have started reading it and applying the principles into my life. So new school tech Zoom, Netflix and the library’s website led me to the old-school tech of a book. Awesome.

Scholarships

Assist-a-Grad, which has been facilitating scholarships for local high school seniors for decades, was gonna call it

quits because the same folks had been doing it forever and were burned out. Fortunately, others stepped in to help so they are going to happen now. The Armijo Alumni Association is awarding the second highest monetary amount of scholarships ($8,700 total) and the deadline to apply is March 9. Seniors can apply at https://bit. ly/aags2023.

Coming full circle

I wanted to publicize the scholarships so I contacted Armijo journalism instructor and longtime school newspaper adviser Lynne Herring. She had a wonderful young woman named Kayla Smith write a story about me in addition to the scholarship one, which I had not expected. It was a full circle moment for me as I was on the school newspaper from 1979 to 1982 when it was called The Joint Union and then The Arrow. Back in those prehistoric

days, we used to have to write the articles longhand, putting each letter of every word in a separate box on graph paper and adding spaces in between words so the borders lined up for the typists. While making the paper back then, we also discovered the wheel, fire and Keith Richards.

Fist bumps to Kayla Smith and to Lynne Herring! I’m making snow angels in purple and gold confetti!

The article in The Armijo Signal: https://bit.ly/ TWArmijoSignal.

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” and hosts the Channel 26 government access TV show “Local Legends.”

BRIGHT spot

CORRECTION POLICY

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.

Tony Wade

The last laugh

57th Gem & Mineral Show comes to Solano Fairgrounds

VALLEJO — The 57th

Annual Gem & Mineral Show returns to Vallejo this weekend.

The event will occur from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday at the Solano County Fairgrounds, McCormack Hall, 900 Fairgrounds Drive.

More than 40 vendors will be selling jewelry, fossils, specimens and much more. They will be holding drawings, silent auctions, a kid’s corner, the popular wheel of fortune and more.

For more information, go to http://vjgems.com.

Rowland Freedom Center plans program on Civil War history

VACAVILLE — The Rowland Freedom Center will host a talk on the Civil War in the second speaker series event in “Faces of Freedom: Deed of Valor in Vacaville.”

Experience an encampment from the era (weather permitting) and witness the dedication of the Rowland Freedom Center’s Medal of Honor display to an ancestor of Civil War 1st Lt. Orson W. Bennett.

The event will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Rowland Freedom Center at the Nut Tree Airport, 300 County Airport Road, Suite C4.

For more information, visit rowlandfreedomcenter.org.

Government meetings dot week’s calendar

FAIRFIELD — Several government meetings will take place this week. They are all open to the public and include:

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

n Vacaville Planning Commission, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Vacaville City Hall, council chamber, 650 Merchant St. Info: www.ci.vacaville.ca.us.

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

n Solano Irrigation District, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Lake Berryessa Room, 810 Vaca Valley Parkway, Vacaville. Info: sidwater.org/ agendacenter.

n Suisun City Council, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, City Council chamber, 701 Civic Center Blvd. Info: www.

suisun.com/government/ city-council.

Solano Land Trust offers hike at Lynch Canyon

FAIRFIELD — The Solano Land Trust will host a nature hike from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday 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. Advance registration is required. To register, go to solanolandtrust.org/events and search for the Lynch Canyon hike.

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

A new drug – a sedative normally used for animals – is increasingly making its way into the illicit drug trade in California, and local officials are concerned its arrival could worsen an already alarming overdose crisis.

Traces of xylazine, commonly known as “tranq,” have been found to have contributed to a small number of overdose deaths in San Francisco and Los Angeles, indicating the drug commonly used by veterinarians to tranquilize animals has already started to make its way into illegal street drugs here.

In San Francisco, four people who died between December and January were found to have low levels of xylazine in their systems, prompting the city’s Department of Public Health to issue a warning on Thursday about the drug, noting that it could be mixed with other drugs like fentanyl and heroin, unbeknownst to the user.

Dr. Gary Tsai, director of substance abuse prevention and control for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, said traces of the drug were found in the system of one fatal overdose victim in the county in 2021.

Although no other cases have been detected locally, Tsai said the lack of awareness and testing for xylazine could mean its real impact has been underreported.

“Because it’s not that common, it’s not routinely tested for,” he said. “It’s possible that it’s more out there.”

Still, Tsai points out that tranq is increasingly showing up across the country, usually mixed with opioids to increase their effects.

yet, but similar to fentanyl, it was more prevalent in the East Coast and it’s moving west,” Tsai said. “This is something that’s concerning.”

In an October 2022 report, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration warned that xylazine was increasingly being detected in illicit drugs.

Although the drug is sometimes used on its own, the DEA reported it is most often found combined with other substances, including fentanyl, cocaine and heroin.

Xylazine is primarily used in veterinary practice as an animal muscle relaxant; it has not been approved for human use.

“It may also attract customers looking for a longer high since xylazine is described as having many of the same effects for users as opioids, but with a longer-lasting effect than fentanyl alone,” according to the DEA report.

The drug is difficult to detect because, as a sedative, it creates the same kind of effects as the opioids that it’s often mixed with, such as sleepiness, reduced breathing and lower blood pressure, Tsai said.

But people who inject xylazine have been found to also experience tissue damage such as ulcers or sores, and in some cases the damage can result in amputation.

And unlike opioids, xylazine is not affected by naloxone, the medicine used to reverse opioid overdoses, Tsai said.

“The main concern is we’re already amid the worst overdose crisis in history, nationally and locally,” he said. “This would increase deaths from overdoses.”

The risk is so high that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent health care officials a notice in November warning that the presence of Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

Heeva Ghane has been a surgical nurse with Planned Parenthood for a year, but since the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion in June, she has taken on a new role: helping people from other states get an abortion in California.

She is a “patient navigator.”

It is through the eyes of the 32-year-old Ghane that we can see an early snapshot of the chaos and emotional heartbreak the Supreme Court triggered by unleashing a patchwork of conflicting abortion laws across the country.

Ghane’s official title is director of case management at Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino counties. Her new patient navigator responsibilities have become a common – and necessary – job at clinics across the state. There are now two dozen staffers doing some form of patient navigation across California’s seven Planned Parenthood affiliates.

The need is there. Since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision overturned Roe v. Wade last June, the procedure is now virtually banned in 14 states. Four other states won’t allow it after anywhere from six to 18 weeks of pregnancy and three more states have seen their bans blocked by the courts, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

But the need to end unwanted pregnancies never ended. It has just forced pregnant people

to go to extraordinary and emotionally exhaustive lengths to obtain a common,safe medical procedure that typically lasts less than 10 minutes.

Many are coming to California, which – led by Gov. Gavin Newsom –has cast itself as a national haven for abortion. A place where patients and doctors don’t have to look over their shoulder for someone who wants to prosecute them for terminating an unwanted pregnancy.

But someone has to help pregnant people get to that haven. That requires paying for transportation, lodging, food and other related costs involved in traveling across the country, typically on short notice. It usually costs about $1,000 to help a patient traveling from Texas, which is where many of the people Ghane has helped are from – although people are traveling from as far away as South Carolina and Florida, and several other states, too.

The role of the navigator is part travel agent, part hand-holder, and in the case of Ghane, includes being a skilled clinician in the room during the procedure.

Juggling those roles can be a challenge. Many of the people Ghane helps are scared, haven’t traveled far from home or even taken an Uber ride before. Many are poor and live in rural areas and small towns. Many are afraid to even get an ultrasound in their home states.

“They’re scared to go get an ultrasound because if somehow in their medical history it shows

up that they had an ultrasound and they’re pregnant and now they’re not pregnant and they don’t have a child, they get scared,” Ghane said. “They want to know: ‘Will someone track them?’ “

Some fear just searching for information about abortion.

“One patient wanted to know how she can clear her internet browser because she was worried that by Googling ‘abortion in California,’ like it would flag her IP address,” Ghane said. The staff showed her how to scrub her search history.

Many of the people who Ghane has helped have stories similar to the first patient she assisted.

The woman was in her early 20s and already had an 18-month-old child. Her boyfriend, the father, was now out of the picture and wanted nothing to do with her.

“And she had never been on a plane before. She had never traveled anywhere outside of Texas before,” Ghane said. “So not only did she have the anxiety of being able to have this service, she had the anxiety of having to travel across state lines to go to a state she had never been to before. It’s just so heartbreaking.”

Then there was the woman from Utah who didn’t feel comfortable telling her family, friends or the father that she was pregnant. Complicating her journey: She also had never flown before, Ghane said.

“She’s scared of flying. So she said she was going to drive. But her only companion and her emotional

support was her dog,” Ghane said. “So she asked, ‘Is the hotel by any chance dog- friendly?’ “ Navigators helped the woman secure the hotel. They also provided her with gas money for her eighthour drive to Planned Parenthood’s San Bernardino clinic. The woman arrived at the clinic early in the morning, after having made the trek overnight. She got her procedure, stayed overnight in a hotel with her dog, then drove back the next day. She had to, Ghane said. She couldn’t afford to miss a shift of her waitressing job.

The woman’s challenges getting to California echoed so many of the 300 out-of-state patients who have visited the Orange and San Bernardino clinics since Roe fell. ( Planned Parenthood said it has not compiled the number of out-of-state patients who have traveled to California.) Even though her clinic can often offer services as soon as the next day, Ghane said sometimes patients tell her, “I can’t make an appointment for another two weeks, because I need to coordinate (my) life.”

“The stories are so similar,” Ghane said, “Many have never traveled. They don’t have support. They can’t tell anyone. They’re scared. They’re scared to even talk to us.”

U.S. law enforcement officials first noticed tranq’s use as a street drug in Puerto Rico, but then found it began to make its way to states in the Northeast.

“It’s not that common

Courtenay Harris Bond/Kaiser Health News/TNS

Stephanie Klipp, a wound care nurse, treats people’s xylazine ulcers in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood, where maintaining hygiene is an issue for those living on the streets. Traces of xylazine, commonly known as “tranq,” have been found to have contributed to a small number of overdose deaths in San Francisco and Los Angeles, indicating the drug commonly used to tranquilize animals has already started to make its way into street drugs here.

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic file (2020)

Yan Lai talks to a customer during the Vallejo Gem, Mineral and Jewelry Show at the Solano County Fairgrounds, Feb. 22, 2020.

Solano Land Trust/Courtesy photo

A Kids Hike: Nature Detectives event takes place at Lynch Canyon, Sept. 2, 2019.

New street drug is surfacing, threatening to make California’s overdose crisis worse

Abortion navigators get patients to California from out of state, including some who’ve never left home

CALMATTERS COMMENTARY

State’s budget deficit may be even larger than predicted

Eight months ago, energized by projections of a nearly a $100 billion surplus, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature wrote a $307 billion budget that lavished money on new and expanded services and rebated billions of dollars back to taxpayers. Newsom crowed that “no other state in American history has ever experienced a surplus as large as this.”

Last month, Newsom had to eat those words because the immense – on paper – surplus had suddenly morphed into what he said was a $22.5 billion deficit due to sharp declines in tax revenues. He proposed a $297 billion budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year that clawed back some of the money that had not yet been spent.

Predictably, advocates for programs and services that wouldn’t receive the extra spending the previous budget had promised began complaining and demanding restoration. Environmentalists and leaders of the state’s financially perilous transit systems were among the loudest.

Political fallout from the sudden reversal of fortunes promises to make this year’s version of the annual budget process much more contentious than last year’s euphoria. Legislative allies of the aggrieved stakeholders are being squeezed between their demands and fiscal reality.

As difficult as this year’s budget process may be, the situation is likely worse than what Newsom projects in his proposed budget.

Last week, the Legislature’s budget analyst, Gabe Patek, declared that revenues will probably be markedly lower than what Newsom assumed, and the governor’s budget is “likely unaffordable in future years.”

“In particular, using recent revenue collections and economic data, we estimate there is a two-in-three chance that state revenues will be lower than the governor’s budget estimates for 2022-23 and 2023-24,” Patek wrote in a new analysis. “Our best estimate is that revenues for these two years will be roughly $10 billion lower – implying a larger budget problem by about $7 billion.”

Basically, Patek was saying, as tough as the spending cuts Newsom proposes may be, he and the Legislature need to tighten more to cover an even larger deficit.

There is another option that would ease the political pressure on lawmakers: Dipping into the state’s “rainy day” reserves.

Newsom’s proposal doesn’t tap the reserves, agreeing with Patek that it would be imprudent because no one knows whether the state will experience a serious recession in the near future.

The Federal Reserve System has been hiking interest rates in hopes of cooling off the economy and damping inflation without triggering a recession, but economists differ on whether it will succeed.

The shortfalls projected by Newsom and Patek assume the state will avoid recession, but if it strikes, the budget deficit could increase by many billions of dollars and the reserves would be needed to maintain basic services.

“Although state revenues are moderating from a historic peak, they are not yet consistent with recessionary levels,” Patek told the Legislature. “Using reserves now to maintain the recent spending peak would mean the state would have less reserves available to pay for its core services if revenues declined further or in the event of a recession.”

The annual budget exercise is still in its early phases. Affected interest groups are making their pitches, privately and publicly, for exemption from the reductions that would be needed to balance the budget. Over the next few months, the budget committees of both legislative houses will be reviewing what the governor wants and what Patek is advising.

The crunch will hit in May when Newsom releases a revised budget, one that likely to be starkly different from last May’s version which projected the much-vaunted but illusory $97.5 billion surplus.

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.

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ON THE LEFT

Why are we in the culture wars?

John McCain’s last official words came after his last Senate vote when he voted to uphold Obamacare. “We have to return to regular order.”

What’s “regular order”?

When a bill is proposed, it goes to a bipartisan committee for discussion and “improvement.” Then it is sent for a bipartisan chamber’s approval after which is goes into bipartisan conference between the House and Senate, and finally it’s passed by the bipartisan Congress. It still must avoid a presidential veto and a Supreme Court look-see.

This is a complex, delicate system but it worked reasonably well for more than 200 years. It’s obvious to everyone the system requires some cordiality between the parties. The members need to joke and smooze together somehow if you want our rattletrap system to work.

Can you sense where I’m going?

Let’s consider the recent State of the Union address. We saw a reasonably effective president ask repeatedly for bipartisanship to address our nation’s many problems. He received cat calls and adolescent expletives from too many GOP members.

How did this disaster (and it is a disaster) happen?

Easy: Newt Gingrich. Consider his famous war cry made in 1978: “The reason why the GOP hasn’t been successful recently is that we’re not nasty enough.” Let’s ask the old anarchist, “Nasty enough for you now, Newt?”

And, ultimately it’s all about nothing. A big nothing. The GOP

THE RIGHT STUFF

agenda is an empty box. Let me explain. They say they’re hot to cut spending and lower the national debt.

No, they’re not. If that’s true, why did Presidents Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and Donald Trump each run huge deficits? There was not a peep from a Republican when Trump added almost 33% to the entire national debt.

Congress raised the debt limit three times for Trump. Not a Republican peep. Part of the empty box is outrage. Holler only when Democrats do it.

Want to cut our deficits, really?

You can cut spending or raise taxes, period.

No Republican (or Democratic) president has ever cut spending. Why? Because there’s nothing cuttable that’s significant enough to make a difference. The big pools of “waste, fraud and corruption” all have huge constituencies who think their program is essential.

The nation’s wealthy folks hate the three safety-net programs. They don’t need Social Security and they can buy their own health care. Their parents don’t need financial help in their declining years. But they see tax increases on the horizon directed into those huge programs. Horrors!

So they tell their Republicans in Congress to fight against those three using such popular adages as, “Americans show character when they buy their own support services, not rely on socialistic government handouts.”

Then rowdies like me whisper, “Easy for you to say, billionaire.”

I wonder if billionaire Sen. Rick Scott regrets advocating “sunsetting” the social safety net.

Or, House Republicans can cut the defense budget. They’re interested in cutting support to Ukraine. Support international thuggery: vote Republican. Sound like a popular plan?

There are no responsible cuts to be made. Empty box.

Or we can raise taxes. Before you begin hissing and booing, remember that the proposal is to increase taxes only on those who make taxable income above $400,000 per year.

So that person probably made, say, $700,000 and found deductions to reach $400,000. They can easily afford a small tax increase, with larger increases for those wealthier.

Remember, President Bill Clinton raised income taxes and we ran three years of surpluses. The money’s there. But the GOP won’t do it. It’s all sound and fury signifying nothing.

Next program in the GOP basket: ban abortion. It’s unpopular and will ultimately fail.

After that, immigration. But the GOP won’t sit down with Democrats to work out a reform. Better to flog the Dems than fix the problem.

After that: a list of conspiracies. Betrayals everywhere, just like conservatives saw in the McCarthy era but again without substance. In fact, without a return to bipartisanship, the GOP has nothing of substance to offer other than the “culture wars.”

They have nothing else.

Thanks, Newt.

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

Political master deception: Part III

Racial issues were low profile entering the 20th century. World War I and Prohibition issues received most attention for 20 years. Segregation in the Southern states and news of lynchings were known but produced little activity to correct.

Recognition of America’s failure to terminate discrimination of the Black citizens finally arrived 90 years after the Civil War ended. The Supreme Court ruling of May 17, 1954, that segregated schools are “inherently unequal” inspired nationwide interest in racial issues.

Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus ordered his National Guard to keep nine Black students from entering the Little Rock High School; President Dwight D. Eisenhower countered by ordering the 101st Airborne to safeguard the students. The champion leader of the integrationists, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., was intense but would not tolerate violence.

The Great Depression focused political activity in the 1930s. From 1929 to 1933, manufacturing output decreased by one third. Unemployment in the United States increased from 4% to 25%. One-third of all employed people were downgraded to working part-time.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s response led to the introduction of the New Deal. That is included in this column, not because it recognized discriminatory racial laws, but to illustrate that federal programs only treated economic and unemployment issues.

The Industrial Revolution had introduced an unanticipated world phenomenon – massive unemploy-

ment as industrial factories

confronted declining markets. Economic insurance had never been deemed appropriate, but the states recognized the new situation and while Roosevelt was conceiving Social Security, two-thirds of the states had responded and developed welfare programs by 1935.

New Deal projects provided $8.5 billion to 15 million people to build public roads, buildings and parks, subsidize farmers, establish banking regulations, etc. Temporary relief was achieved; however, Roosevelt’s objective of achieving permanent solutions failed. Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau Jr. reported New Deal progress to Congress on May 19, 1939: “We are spending more than we have ever spent before and it does not work . . . we have never made good on our promises . . . we have just as much unemployment as when we started. . . . And an enormous debt to boot.” (Unemployment in 1931 was 16.3%; it was 17.2% in 1939).

Only the wartime expenditures of World War II restored the America’s economy.

President Lyndon B. Johnson, in his 1964 State of the Union address, asked Congress to declare an “unconditional war on poverty.” Congress produced the 1964 Economic Opportunity Act with rhetoric of fighting poverty and racial discrimination.

Martha Bailey, a professor of economics at UCLA and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, published a lengthy study comparing the Economic Opportunity Act with Roosevelt’s New Deal of 1933-1939.

Fighting poverty and building political coalition were competing objectives determining the Johnson administration’s funding choices. One hypothesis is that Johnson used the War on Poverty to forge a new electoral consensus; perhaps he identified his intentions as he signed the Act: “This will keep those n----- voting Democrat for 200 years.” He may have learned from Roosevelt’s alleged claim to “tax and tax and spend and spend and elect and elect.”

America’s poverty has remained at 11% plus/minus 2% since 1965 despite spending more than $30 trillion. Every evaluation of Project Head Start, part of the War on Poverty for low-income kindergarten families, documented that children entering elementary classes have a small advantage for first grade and none by the third grade. The current annual budget is $10 billion, or $10,000 per child. The most serious social failure is another program providing financial aid to single mothers that unintentionally increased the Black illegitimacy birth rate from 25% to 80% within 25 years.

Unlike New Deal officials, no War on Poverty official has admitted total failure, though no other title defines its results. Poverty remains unimproved while crime and racial conflict have increased.

The concluding column will review the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s concept for racial solutions.

Earl Heal is a retired Air Force officer, Vacaville resident and member of The Right Stuff committee formerly of the Solano County Republican Central Committee. Reach him at healearl niki2@gmail.com.

Dan Walters

Earl Heal

Jack Batson

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Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

Dame Judi Dench made an appearance Friday on the “The Graham Norton Show” and revealed that her degenerative eye condition is making it increasingly difficult to act.

The 88-year-old Oscarwinning actress, who has spoken about her macular degeneration before, says now it’s making it “impossible” to continue acting.

“It’s become impossible and because I have a photographic memory, I need to find a machine that not only teaches me my lines but also tells me where they appear

on the page,” she said, according to People. “I used to find it very easy to learn lines and remember them. I could do the whole of ‘Twelfth Night’ right now.”

Dench, who was first diagnosed with AMD (age-related macular degeneration) in 2012, had said as recently as 2021 that she still thinks of herself as a young woman.

“In my mind’s eye I’m 6 feet and willowy and about 39,” she told the Guardian in an interview that year.

Even though her eyesight has worsened, Dench is finding other ways to stay active.

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

Judi Dench says degenerative eye condition is making it ‘impossible’ to act

Columns&Games

Is my online romance going anywhere?

Dear Annie: I am in contact with this guy who is 52-years-old, and I am 58. I have never actually met him; he said he was planning to visit me, but when he arrived at the airport to fly to see me, he realized he needed more money for his flight. I told him to go home and said we can meet another time.

Then he told me he had to go to France for work, and we talked when he was there. After he returned to the states, it seemed that things had changed, that he was more serious about me.

I told him I was coming to visit him, and I spent Christmas in the town where he lives, but he ended up getting Covid and was not allowed to have visitors because he was in quarantine. So I came home. And now we talk, but not a lot.

However, after he saw how much I cared for him, he said he would visit me for two weeks with his “teammates,” and I’m not sure what that means. I really want to

ARIES (March 21-April 19).

Joy will be your spontaneous companion, sneaking up on you when you least expect it, erupting in your heart and smile and possibly in your dance. Why shouldn’t you let it take over the whole body? Joy wants to spread.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20).

There’s no benefit to trying to make yourself or your work absolutely perfect. Perfectionism can be a form of procrastination. Set the deadline and then send it when the alarm goes off. It will be good enough.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21).

You’re not extraordinarily materialistic. Possessions are not inherently precious to you; it’s their meaning that matters. You may not see eye-to-eye with everyone about what has value today, though you’ll work it out like a pro.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You enjoy people who are easy to talk to, though it will be those self-entertaining types who will come up with a lot of interesting work and/or fun when you ask, “What do you want to do now?”

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22).

You have a gift for entering into the spirit of what’s going on around you while remaining true to yourself. This talent will broaden you and others simultaneously on this day of authentic interactions.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).

The best talkers don’t always have the best ideas. It will be necessary to separate the cha-

Daily Cryptoquotes

believe him but don’t know anymore. I’ve tried to quit talking to him, and it’s not working. He says he loves me so much.

But I don’t know what to believe. — Relationship Question

Dear Relationship:

How can he love you so much if he has never met you? If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, then it probably is a duck. In other words, it sounds like this relationship is not going anywhere.

Dear Annie: Over the years, I have seen letters in your column dealing with the question of what gifts to buy for people who have it all, and I wanted to share my thoughts in case any of your readers find them helpful.

Like many seniors, I don’t need much. At 73, I don’t have as much energy as I used to, but I still enjoy a plate of homemade cookies, banana or pumpkin bread, fudge or pies, all kinds of pies. My favorites are packed in small sizes so I can eat some now and

Today’s birthday

Experience will teach you what reading, thinking, imagining, researching, fearing and talking could not. This is your year to dive in and do it. Your boldness will be met with admiration. There’s a chance for something marvelous and lucrative. You’ll grab at it, which may work, and if not, your strategy will earn you success and the envy of all. Libra and Gemini adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 4, 30, 11, 28 and 1.

risma of a person from what they are expressing or proposing so that you can follow through with the best plan.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).

The demands on you require you to be at top energy. It will be easier to stay on track when your environment supports your efficiency. Make sure you have the space, supplies and distraction-free time you need to get the job done.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Social skills are important, but not more important than the ability to work quietly and privately, chasing your own muses and tuning into your own heart. You’re not being antisocial; you’re being pro-you.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21). You don’t have to prove yourself to the others, but you may have to reassure yourself of your own loyalty. You’ll

freeze some for another week. Even a small casserole or two of comfort food like lasagna, meatloaf, or tuna and noodles goes a long way to help out.

There are so many things I enjoy but don’t take the time to make for myself anymore.

It might be a cliche, but some tasty smoked cheese, salami and crackers or bagel chips to munch on – those would be great gifts, so yummy when sitting home on a chilly winter night. They are things I don’t buy for myself. Mini bottles of wine, perhaps, so I don’t have to open and spoil a large bottle, are always appreciated. — Homemade is Best Dear Homemade: Thank you for sharing your gift giving suggestions. I have no doubt they will come in handy for many readers who want to do something special for friends or loved ones. Your gifts sound delicious.

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

do what it takes to perform as you know you can, meet your own standard, protect and root for yourself.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19). Relationships are like places, each with their own weather patterns. Some are mild and sunny, and others put you on tornado watch. Are you in a storm-chasing mood or will you migrate until the stormy season is over?

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 18). Taking things too seriously usually makes them worse, but there’s hardly a situation that can’t improve with a lighter mood. Levity is like a spice that brightens the whole dish with just a pinch.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). People connect in the soft and vulnerable parts of their heart. This is why connection takes courage. On some level, we cannot bond without leaving ourselves open to pain. In this regard, you’re a warrior.

CELEBRITY PROFILES:

It’s been a second since Rihanna (2/20/1988) dropped music on the world, and the anticipation builds toward pop culture dreams. The soulful Pisces became the bestselling digital artist of all time and an eight-time Grammy Award winner. These days, her beauty and clothing lines share the center stage. Aries moon indicates a passionate and headstrong nature. Natal Mars in Sagittarius signals universal appeal.

Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

Word Sleuth

Crossword by Phillip Alder

Bridge

LET THE OPPONENTS DO YOUR DIRTY WORK

There are some suit combinations that you would prefer not to have to play yourself. In these cases, try to force an opponent to lead the suit for you. West opens with a low diamond against your four-spade contract. How would you try to get them to help you find the heart queen?

East began with a textbook preemptive opening. South wanted to take a stronger action than a simple jump to four spades, but as North was a passed hand, South decided to hope that there wasn’t a slam in their cards. West understandably let the adverse vulnerability dissuade him from sacrificing, though five diamonds doubled would have cost only 200 points. Against this declarer, West was right to pass over four spades. South ruffed the diamond lead, drew trumps, cashed the heart ace and ran the heart jack. The finesse lost to the queen, and East promptly switched to the club jack, collecting three tricks in that suit to defeat the contract. Declarer played badly. True, West was more likely than East to have the heart queen, but South didn’t need to guess. After ruffing the first diamond lead, declarer should have played a spade to the dummy, ruffed a diamond, returned to dummy with another spade and ruffed the diamond jack. Then South could have cast adrift with a club. The defenders take three tricks in the suit, but what then? If West leads a heart, the guess evaporates. If he leads a minor-suit card, declarer ruffs in the dummy and sluffs his heart loser. In both cases, South is furnished with his 10th trick.

COPYRIGHT: 2023, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

Sudoku by Wayne Gould

2/20/23

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

Difficulty level: BRONZE

Solution to 2/18/20:

Horoscopes by Holiday Mathis

Annie Lane

Dear Annie

of the fire, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reports. Five people were injured, including one first responder.

A total of 309 single-family homes were destroyed by the fire in rural Solano County. A total of 1,491 structures were destroyed across the larger fire complex.

Hennessey, eight fires that sparked in Napa County and quickly merged into one megafire, burned into Solano County and also across portions of Yolo, Lake and Colusa counties, charring nearly 477.58 square miles (305,651acres)–65.625square miles (42,000 acres) in Solano County. The larger fire complex includes two smaller fires in Sonoma County and charred more than 567.53 square miles (363,220 acres).

The overarching complex fire burned until Oct. 2, 2020.

Evacuation zones that are established in advance help first responders and emergency service agencies prepare before an emergency strikes and help to streamline the evacuation process, reducing confusion and allowing residents to leave quickly, the county reports. It also ensures that first responders and community members are on the same page with the same information.

All Solano County residents are encouraged to visit aware.zonehaven.com on or after March 1 and type their address in the search bar. They are then asked to write the zone name down, memorize it and post it in a high traffic location, like on the refrigerator.

The first three letters represent the name of the city in which a resident lives, or if you are in an unincorporated area, the county. The numbers are the unique code that distinguishes each resident’s zone from the others in their area. This system is consistent across Solano County and helps first responders to plan and execute evacuations. Each zone has a globally unique name so there is not confusion about which zone is being referred to.

The rollout of Zonehaven locally is the result of a collaborative process.

Solano County law enforcement agencies, fire agencies and Office of Emergency Services worked together to identify emergency evacuation zones for the entire

county. Solano County and its cities worked directly with Zonehaven to add and approve all information for the zones. Emergency response personnel update the statuses and information during emergencies.

Zonehaven is not meant to replace Solano County’s Alert Solano program that sends emergency notifications to those who register. Rather, it is another tool to help keep people safe in the event of an emergency. Solano County resident should be signed up to receive emergency notifications via Alert Solano, the county reports. Zone names will be used in Alert Solano notifications, which makes it important for residents to know their zone.

People may sign up at any time to receive emergency notifications at alertsolano.com. For more about the Zonehaven program, visit https:// www.solanocounty.com/ depts/oes/evacuation.asp.

First-responders remind residents about what basic terminology related to evacuations represents. The terminology used in Solano County is consistent with California statewide standards.

Evacuation and Road Closure Terminology n Evacuation Order: There is an immediate threat to life. It is a lawful order to leave now and the area is lawfully closed to public access. It is important to note that not all evacuation orders begin with an evacuation warning.

n Evacuation Warning: There is a potential threat to life and/or property. Those who require additional time to evacuate, and those with pets and/or livestock, are encouraged to leave immediately.

n Shelter in Place: Go indoors. Shut and lock your doors and windows and be prepared to self-sustain until further notice and/ or you are contacted by emergency personnel for additional direction.

n Evacuation Orders

Lifted: This is the formal announcement lifting evacuations in an area currently under evacuation.

n Hard Closure: Closed to all traffic except fire and law enforcement personnel.

n Soft Closure: Closed to all traffic except fire and law enforcement personnel as well as critical incident resources such as utility, Caltrans, city or county road crews, or those needed to repair or restore infrastructure.

n Resident Only Closure: Soft closure with the additional allowance of residents and local government agencies assisting with response and recovery.

by Rodríguez’s community when it briefly enjoyed, and then abruptly lost, a basic resource.

Lifting up disadvantaged populations is a relatively new and growing part of California’s spending to avert the worst consequences of climate change. Yet Cantua Creek has become a cautionary tale for shortsighted projects that can leave the state’s neediest further behind.

Van y Vienen, come and go

Rodríguez, 47, lives in Tres Piedras, or Three Rocks, a community of a few dozen families whose members work in the fields several miles down the road from Cantua Creek.

The neighborhoods are 20 miles away from the nearest big box store and over 30 from the closest hospital. A majority of residents live below the poverty line, with a median household income of $36,000. Both communities are 100% Latino, according to census data.

P ublic transit is sparse and, like many of her neighbors, Rodríguez doesn’t drive. But she often needs to travel to Fresno and Clovis for doctor visits. Typically she relies on lifts, planned a week in advance from friends who drive cars, or rides from others who charge as much as $60.

“If we want to get groceries or other things, or do something else, we can’t go,” she said. “There are people in the community who help us, who do us favors, but they don’t always have the time to drive everyone.”

A nearly $2 million program called the Valley ZEV Mobility Project promised to solve that problem with zeroemission car sharing in low-income communities across Fresno, Merced and Kern counties.

In a November 2019 launch, the San Joaquin Valley Air District officials heralded the arrival of four shared vehicles in Cantua Creek –two Tesla Model X’s and two Chevy Bolts. Through the program, community members could volunteer to drive through an app set up by a private ride-sharing company called Green Commuter. Rides cost passengers between $5 and $10, depending on distance.

goal was to improve transportation access and electric vehicle use in rural areas, plus offer a way for those driving community members to make some extra income.

And it actually worked.

Rodríguez and several neighbors said they got to their jobs, classes and doctors appointments smoothly. They relied less on family members who would have to skip a day of work and precious income. Beyond commuter trips, the cars were available to rent for longer drives at around $20 a day.

“The drivers would be ready the next day, take you to the doctor and wait for you until your appointment ended to bring you back,” said Celia Nazarit de Franco, a senior Cantua Creek resident. “You could take care of your business and not worry about the return trip home. It was comfortable.”

Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, a social justice organization that applied for the grant, said the car sharing venture was a success for the time it ran. The organization called it ‘Van y Vienen,’ a play on words meaning ‘come and go’ in Spanish.

“If you put decisionmaking and design of transportation services in the hands of communities to formalize practices they already have, there’s buy-in and people use it,” said Veronica Garibay, the organization’s director. “Then it stopped because of Covid-19, and it just never came back.”

CARB designed the program as a pilot, intended to run until early 2022. Agency staff said they planned to secure more local, state or even federal funding after demonstrating its success.

driver. Her house is down the street from the empty EV charging stations, which sit next to a now derelict former fire station turned preschool. Despite the ridesharing program’s brief success, no one is responsible for maintaining the charging infrastructure. Mendoza now uses her own van to take neighbors to important health care visits, but the time and gas money add up.

“Elderly community members came to my house asking for rides,” Mendoza said. “Sometimes I’d wake up at 5 a.m. to take (them) to their eye surgeries so they could see. This last year I drove two women who had no means of transportation, neither their parents or their partners drive, and they were pregnant.”

Lessons learned CARB, the agency tasked with setting the state’s ambitious climate agenda, has seen its budget soar in recent years, with money for clean transportation nearly tripling from hundreds of millions in 2018 to $2.61 billion this year.

The agency said 70% of that money is for underserved communities and those disproportionately burdened by environmental pollution, calling it “the state’s largest investment in equity.” In this undertaking, Cantua Creek is a sign of growing pains.

Sam Gregor, who manages mobility programs at CARB, said the ZEV Mobility Project taught the agency a major lesson. State grants for people with few alternatives need to come with long term plans, he said, because even policy experiments with the best intentions have human consequences.

low-income and senior housing sites, may also end before its scheduled 2025 shutdown. CARB staff said the Sac Metro Air District is running out of funds after pandemic needs sucked up much of its total $5.8 million allocation.

Rey León, mayor of Huron, has sustained an electric vehicle rideshare program in the San Joaquin Valley called Green Raiteros for four years now. He said Cantua Creek would have been far better served by a grassroots nonprofit than a private company based in Los Angeles. “Green Raiteros was something born from us and for us, not a parachuting program that will dissolve when there’s no more money,” León said.

“I’ve seen my mother’s struggle, my father was a bracero farm worker for 57 years. It’s unfortunate that they set up this program the way they did, because it’s a terrible way of serving the people.”

Cantua Creek also illustrated shortcomings in California’s traditional model for infrastructure development, said Alvaro Sanchez, vice president of policy at Greenlining Institute, an Oakland policy research and advocacy organization. Typically the state provides capital investment up front and local jurisdictions are left to figure out ongoing operations.

“The kinds of innovation that many communities need don’t fit nicely into that paradigm,” Sanchez said, because of limited resources on the local level. “So the question becomes ‘How do you structure these programs so that they have a viable financial plan for sustainability?’”

This program isn’t a complete failure even if it ended with a series of mistakes, said Ethan Elkind, climate program director at the University of California, Berkeley Center for Law, Energy & the Environment. The cars may be elsewhere and the chargers sit unused, but at least they exist.

were crossed multiple times, while Russia itself has been exposed as a less powerful military force than had been feared.

Ukraine’s future membership of the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization were both considered distant prospects at best before the war. Now they are taken as givens.

“There can be no more gray areas,” said Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, arguing that her country would have faced the same fate as Ukraine by now if it hadn’t joined NATO.

Ukraine’s situation remains grim, with Russia pouring newly mobilized troops into the eastern Donbas region as it tries to take back offensive momentum it lost in the fall. So far Russian progress has been slow and has come at a high cost in terms of casualties for both sides.

Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials in Munich urged more speed in the delivery of weapons and ammunition, but there was little public tension in Munich. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, once derided for responding to Putin’s invasion with the offer of helmets, even urged others to be quicker in delivering tanks to Ukraine.

At a total $1.9 million, the project was funded with $749,800 from California Air Resources Board (CARB) using revenue from the state’s cap-and-trade program, which sells carbon pollution permits to industrial greenhouse gas emitters. Green Commuter contributed $1.1 million, and the Valley Air District chipped in the rest.

Throughout the region, nine electric vehicles and 30 charging stations were placed in Cantua Creek, Delhi and Atwater. The

But Van y Vienen ended in April 2020, just four months after it began, as a precaution against the spread of Covid-19. To the disappointment of people in Cantua Creek, Green Commuter absorbed the vehicles into its Los Angeles fleet per terms of the grant.

Nearly three years later, none of the players involved take full responsibility for the project’s demise. CARB said the Air District couldn’t supplement state funds to sustain it, and the Air District points to Green Commuter’s business model as the core problem.

“It was so sad when the cars were taken,” said Julia Mendoza, a Cantua Creek resident who often volunteered as an EV

“I’ve talked to those folks. I’ve heard stories about trips they made that they couldn’t have made, and I feel terrible that these projects have ended,” Gregor said. “What I can say is if we get more money allocated we’ll do our best to try and relaunch services but it’s going to take the support of many different teams.”

Similar EV ride-sharing programs projects continue to operate in low-resourced communities around the state, from Los Angeles to the Bay Area and Sacramento. All of them, however, are threatened by proposed budget cuts.

The Sacramento project, which deployed 18 EVs at nine

“That’ll make it easier to reactivate (the chargers) as we move to all electric vehicles going forward,” Elkind said, also pointing to lessons learned by the agency as California hopes to model a smooth transition away from fossil fuels to clean energy.

But Rosario Rodríguez and her neighbors want solutions now. They have plenty of ideas – small buses that shuttle to and from Mendota, Kerman and Fresno for one. It’s unclear to her whether anyone is listening.

“People from Sacramento already came to our town and we spoke with them,” Rodríguez said. “I don’t know what they do or how much help they can provide, but they leave. I don’t know if they forget about us or what, because we are not seeing any results.”

arrowheads.

turned into bona fide tourist attractions. The high school that Carter and Rosalynn attended is a national historic site. A red-white-and-blue sign reminds tourists they’ve entered the home of “Our 39th President.”

Locals see him as one of their own because, well, he is. He presided for years over the town’s annual Peanut Parade from the balcony of the Plains Historic Inn, cheerfully handing out awards to the proud farmers showing off their antique tractors. He rarely missed a board meeting of the

Plains Better Hometown Program or milestone shows at the elegant Rylander Theatre in Americus. His regular Sunday school lessons at Maranatha brought visitors from across the planet – some who camped out for nights in the church parking lot to assure themselves a place in the pews. Afterward, he delighted in snapping pictures with his visitors.

“My doctor tells me I have to sit during photographs,” he told one of the last groups to partake in his lesson. “Please don’t take my sitting to mean that I think I’m better than you.”

Longtime residents recounted stories of Carter dropping by the local ice cream parlor

for dessert or swinging by a coffee shop to chat up patrons.

A former lifeguard told the story of how he once blew the whistle at a group horse-playing in the town’s public pool – only to realize all the splashing came from Carter as he tried to dunk a Secret Service agent.

“He’s part of the fabric of the community. And he immerses himself here. He and Rosalynn are omnipresent in this town,” said Evan Kutzler, a history professor who met the Carters shortly after moving to Plains in 2015.

They soon shared a meal of hot dogs and wine together, engaging in a discussion not about weighty global problems but of their shared childhood joy of searching for

Still, Kutzler said, despite their friendship he could never call Carter “Mr. Jimmy.”

That honorific, he said, “belongs to those who actually grew up here.”

After Carter publicly disclosed his battle with melanoma cancer in 2015, he and Rosalynn scaled back a busy regimen of international trips observing elections and meeting with heads of state to return to his hometown for his final campaign.

And the people of Plains rallied around their ailing native son, showering him with support – “Jimmy Carter: Cancer Survivor” signs sprouted up on lawns across town – and some much-needed tough love.

Craig Kohlruss/The Fresno Bee/TNS Cantua Creek resident Blanca Gomez stands by a pair of vandalized EV charging stations located at an old fire station in the center of town, Wednesday. The charging stations are not working and have been abandoned since the pandemic.

stuck at the airport in Los Angeles, struggling to catch an Uber ride to the clinic. She had never taken an app-based ride before. She didn’t have a credit card, so Ghane and fellow navigators had to walk her through every step of her journey. When she finally arrived at the clinic, Ghane was waiting for her. She was not just her navigator, but her nurse, too. But an ultrasound – the first that the patient had received – revealed her pregnancy had progressed past the legal limit to

perform an abortion in California. (Abortions can be performed up until about 24 weeks of a pregnancy or unless the patient’s health or life is at risk.)

It was too late.

“When the ultrasound technician came and told me, I was so filled with emotions,” Ghane said. She sat at the nurses’ station, struggling to compose herself. She had to, she said. She had three other patients to treat. A colleague gave her a supportive hug and asked whether she wanted to take the rest of the day off. She didn’t. She finished her shift.

That case haunts Ghane “because of the fact that she came to us for help. And I couldn’t help her.

respond to naloxone.”

She didn’t want to continue a pregnancy. And because of how far along she was, we couldn’t help her. I couldn’t help her.”

Ghane wonders what the woman is doing now.

“Was she able to get prenatal care? Does she have the support that she needs to have? Have her and her boyfriend figured out their financial needs for them to support each other to support this baby? Those are the questions that run through my mind. And I don’t know the answers to those.”

Nevertheless, Ghane remains optimistic, in a sense, after the first seven months, post-Roe: “It has just reaffirmed to me how resilient women are.”

xylazine could even hamper the effect of naloxone in fentanyl and heroin overdoses. There is no known medicine to reverse the effects of xylazine.

The FDA recommended officials continue to use naloxone for suspected opioid overdoses, and “provide appropriate supportive measures to patients who do not

Catholic bishop shot to death near Los Angeles, officials say

A high-ranking Catholic clergyman in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles who was known for having “a heart for the poor,” was shot to death Saturday, according to law enforcement officials and the archdiocese.

Despite naloxone having no effect on xylazine, Tsai agreed that it still makes sense to use naloxone in the case of an overdose in an effort to reverse the effects caused by opioids and increase the chance of survival.

Like most parts of the country, Los Angeles County has seen a dramatic and alarming increase in the number of overdose deaths in recent years, largely fueled by fentanyl’s rapid spread and its use in illegal drugs.

Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, 69, was killed about 1 p.m. local time in a residential area of Hacienda Heights, about 15 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

Sheriff’s deputies said they responded to a medical emergency call and found O’Connell suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pro-

In 2019, the county recorded 1,652 accidental overdose deaths, including 462 linked to fentanyl, according to the county’s Department of Public Health. By 2021, the number of accidental overdose deaths in the county had risen to 2,741, with 1,504 caused by fentanyl.

L.A. County health officials have reached out to local law enforcement agencies and the county coroner to inquire about and increase awareness of xylazine.

nounced dead at the scene. Deputy Lizette Falcon declined to specify whether O’Connell was at a home when he was killed.

“We can only imagine how the community is suffering because of this senseless murder,” the Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. “Bishop O’Connell was a guiding light for so many, and his legacy will continue to live on through the community that he helped build.”

–The Washington Post

Stenhouse Jr. edges Logano to win Daytona 500 in overtime

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. did the improbable.

The 47 car was the one in front when the caution after the white flag had already come out. He ended up edging Joey Logano for the win.

This is his third career NASCAR Cup Series win, and his first Daytona 500.

It ultimately came down to the third overtime restart – where the JTG Daugherty driver started in the lead and held off the rest of the field.

Daytona International Speed-

way was also the site of his last win: the summer race back in 2017.

There was a ton of drama in the final stage and overtime. But the first two stages displayed clean, competitive racing. Among the memorable moments: There was the Stage 1 instance where Riley Herbst spun out heading into pit road. There was the incident a few laps later, when a Martin Truex Jr. draft-bump lightly nudged Bubba Wallace into the fence.

In Stage 2, there was the Tyler Reddick spin, which saw the 45 car get loose before slamming into the wall and making contact with a bunch of other

cars. That run ended the days for Reddick, Erik Jones and Chase Elliott – and it also inflicted substantial damage on Ryan Blaney’s 12 car. (The hit didn’t immediately end Blaney’s day, but it effectively knocked him out of the chase for a Daytona 500 win that has so long eluded him.)

And then in Stage 3, with about 15 laps to go, there was a Michael McDowell spin-out that knocked out Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece and badly damaged the cars commanded by Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. But then came the end of Stage 3, where Stenhouse made it happen.

Bulldog wins Section Masters title; 14 other area wrestlers qualify for state

M ATT Miller MMILLER@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD —

Thomas Sandoval earned a championship at 182 pounds and the Vacaville High School boys wrestling team finished second overall Saturday at the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters tournament in Stockton.

Webb has one of MLB’s best changeups Now he’s spreading it around the Giants’ clubhouse

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. Sam Long pulled out his iPhone and opened one of his recent pictures.

It was a scatterplot from his most recent bullpen, with three distinct groupings of plots. There was a cluster in one color at the very top, and another at the very bottom. The third group, sitting barely adjacent to the top one, was what concerned Long this morning, though.

Each cluster of data points represented one of the offerings in Long’s arsenal, and each dot represented the movement on each of his pitches

from the session. Up top, his fastball, with no vertical drop. Down low, his curve, with a lot. And way, way too close to his fastball was his changeup. It had too much helium.

“They sat me down and showed me some numbers,” Long said, “if I could get a little more depth on (the changeup) it would be even more effective.”

Enter: Logan Webb.

The owner of one of the game’s best changeups, Webb, you might think, would be hesitant about sharing trade secrets.

Not so.

“It just wasn’t moving how I wanted it to. I didn’t know why. I was throw-

ing the grip they wanted me to and it just wasn’t moving as much,” Long recalled. “And (Webb) just showed me what worked for him. It wasn’t anything crazy, just a little short quick tip.”

And Long isn’t the only one.

“There’s a bunch of guys messing with it,” Webb said.

Taking after the veterans the came before him – Kevin Gausman, Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto, in particular –Webb has embraced the sharing of knowledge and collaboration among the starting staff. It was that group before Webb that initiated the process

of other starters watching each others’ throwing sessions between starts. That practice continues, and this spring, Webb has spread the good word to a number of inquisitive teammates. L ong. Jakob Junis. Sean Hjelle.

Even veteran reliever Scott Alexander has picked the 26-year-old Webb’s mind in this first week of camp.

“We get the pitch reports when we throw our bullpens. They’ll show the movement on the pitch, and the movement on his changeup was big,” Alexander said. “So

And that’s OK.

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

Another potential partner for general manager Mike Grier and the San Jose Sharks as it relates to a Timo Meier trade was eliminated last week.

The Toronto Maple Leafs filled what they felt was a void in their forward group, acquiring forwards Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari from St. Louis in a threeteam trade that saw the Leafs send their 2023 first-round draft pick.

The Leafs were reportedly wary of the asking price for Meier – thought to be at a minimum a 2023 first-rounder, plus a top prospect, plus whatever else gets a deal across the finish line if multiple bidders are involved. Instead, Toronto GM Kyle Dubas parted with four draft picks, including his 2023 third-round pick, a 2024 second-rounder, and two players presently in the AHL – one with upside. The New York Rangers also had

an interest in Meier and reportedly also thought the price tag was too steep. The Rangers went ahead and acquired forward Vladimir Tarasenko from the Blues for a conditional first-round pick this year, a conditional fourth-rounder next year, and two players, including winger Sammy Blais.

Just because two potential buyers on Meier found other ways to address their needs, doesn’t mean Grier should start to think about lowering his ask for Meier, who has an upper-body injury and is considered questionable to play Monday when the Sharks host the Seattle Kraken. Sharks David Quinn told reporters Meier, who did not practice Sunday, is day-to-day.

The March 3 trade deadline is now less than two weeks away and assuming Meier is feeling better soon, finding the right return for the power forward is too critical to the future success of the Sharks, especially since they only have so many trump cards left to play.

Looking back to the Brent Burns trade last July, the Sharks probably didn’t get enough in return from the Carolina Hurricanes.

Steven Lorentz remains a reliable fourth-line center and penalty

A total of 15 boys and girls wrestlers from northern Solano County qualified for next week’s CIF State Wrestling Championships in Bakersfield by virtue of their two-day efforts during the competition at Stockton Arena. Each wrestler had to finish at least in the top six in their weight class to qualify for state.

Sandoval beat Scott Beadles of Calaveras with a 12-4 major decisions in the final. He went 5-0 in his weight class and pinned three opponents. Sandoval was one of eight Bulldogs who advanced. Elijah Almarinez (106 pounds, fourth place), Wyatt Sandoval (113, fifth), Landon Borchers (120, sixth), Casey Roberts (126, third), Qusai Marini (138, fifth), Arjun Nagra

(152, second) and Caleb Borchers (170, sixth) moved on. Vacaville scored 216.5 team points and finished second to only Oakdale’s 273.5 points.

Armijo’s Kendrick Salcido (285) collected a fourth-place finish and qualified to compete in Bakersfield. Vaea Salt (195) was fifth for Will C. Wood and also advanced.

Vacaville’s Aydan Ducharme (145) and Brady Wight (195) finished seventh in their weight classes. Fairfield’s Jimmy Green (220) was eighth.

In the girls competition, Eliza Goodwin (131) finished fourth in her weight class and advanced for Rodriguez. Armijo has two wrestlers moving on in Karissa McDaniel (101, fifth) and Grace Mercado (189, sixth). Wood also has two wrestlers advancing in Sophia Villoria (101, sixth) and Levi Crabtree (116, fourth).

Madison Devalle (121) and Josie Mays (131) both finished eighth for Will C. Wood. All told, there were 27 boys and 10 girls who qualified for the Section Masters.

The Warriors might not be anything more than a .500 team; time’s running out to prove differently

DieTer KurTenbACh

BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

Klay Thompson is a true believer in the Warriors.

He might be the last one left.

After the Warriors lost their final game before the All-Star break, Thompson was asked if he believed his 29-29 team – the defending NBA champions – were still title contenders.

He’d been asked the same question earlier this season. He provided effectively the same answer as then:

“We know what it takes . . . I’m never going to lose confidence in this team,” Thompson said.

Yes, the Warriors’ core players know what it takes to win titles.

Part of that formula is winning games in the

regular season.

The Dubs simply are not doing that at a high enough rate this season. And with 24 games remaining following this break, it’s more than fair to wonder if Golden State’s problem in 2022-23 isn’t procrastination but the actualization of titleworthy basketball.

The Warriors’ reputation as a title contender has been surviving all season on flashes of greatness.

Now that the playoffs are approaching – my bet is you have already put something on the calendar for midApril already – flashes aren’t enough. It might sound sacrilege, but these

Maple Leafs, Rangers didn’t want to pay premium for Meier; here’s why Sharks shouldn’t lower price

Darryl Webb for Bay Area News Group

Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb warms up on the first day as pitchers and catchers report at Scottsdale Stadium, in Scottsdale, Ariz, Thursday.

V. Meyer/ Bay Area News Group file (2022)

Jose Sharks’ Timo Meier (28) skates on the ice during warmups before their against the Vegas Golden Knights at the SAP Center in San Jose, Oct. 25, 2022.

Chris Graythen/Getty Images/TNS

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series 65th Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, Sunday.

Best macaroni and cheese recipe is a choose-your-own adventure

Bethany Jean Clement

THE SEATTLE TIMES

I’m here as a macaroni-andcheese lover, not a macaroni-and-cheese fighter.

The title of the following recipe – “The Actual Best Macaroni and Cheese” – clearly indulges in hyperbole, for the actual best macaroni and cheese is, of course, made the way you like it most. In this celebration of gluten and dairy, everybody should be a winner (except those unable to partake, and sorry!).

Personally, I like most every kind of mac and cheese: Give it to me (please), and I will eat it, and I will be happy. I will eat it at a fancy restaurant (probably with lobster in it, which is absurd, but I will absolutely eat it), I will eat it at pretty much any restaurant that puts it on the menu (and please do), I will eat it from a grocerystore deli counter (would 100% right now, actually), I will eat it frozen from Trader Joe’s (surprisingly decent, and made with cheddar, havarti, Gouda and Swiss), I will eat it from a box, etc. The only style of macaroni and cheese that I have trouble getting behind is the pasta-in-a-slick-and-shinyVelveeta-type-sauce variety; I find the gluey factor a little off-

this experience forever and always). Macaroni and cheese from a hospital cafeteria might be the best food possible if you’re coming to after terrifying surgery and you’re more hungry than you’ve ever been and also quite high on pain meds and you order it plus a chocolate shake and then while eating it you feel more intensely than you ever knew possible the urgent amorphous beauty of just being alive (ditto).

The love of macaroni and cheese has led me to experiment with different kinds of recipes, from the easy threeingredient type incorporating evaporated milk, to those with the inclusion of eggs for a more custardy situation, to the likes of Balthazar’s macaroni gratin (which, unexpectedly, convinced me that macaroni and cheese doesn’t need bacon).

Noodle consideration has occupied more of my time than it should; classic large elbow is classic for a reason and quite wholly pleasing, but penne has those external ridges for minute additional cheese-adhering pleasure and also a bit more chew (I switch back and forth).

The method here, involving a roux, is not the easiest, with a long stretch of hot and boring stirring while all the cheeses are added, but ultra-gooey, cas-

for this macaroni, the leftovers make the world’s best grilled cheese. So the very best macaroni and cheese can be the one you make yourself – or, of course and even better, the one that someone who understands you makes for you. I got the idea here for putting a monogram cut out of a piece of bread on top from a friend who made me a letter-B mac and cheese, years ago now; he got his really good recipe from now dearly departed vegetarian

a nutty one (along the Swiss-Gruyère-Comté axis), a sharp cheddar, maybe something extra melty-rich like fontina or the zippiness of Gorgonzola. Gouda is never a bad idea, in this application or in life in general. Consider Camembert for additional velvety texture and an intensification of flavor. Delicate fresh mozzarella arguably gets lost here, but a whole-milk mozz can be cut into 1/2-inch cubes and stirred into your pasta-and-cheese mix before baking for little hits of extra gooeyness. Organic cheeses (and milk) also can boost the wonder here. There’s not really a wrong way to go, though,

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

About 2 ounces Parmesan, finely grated

Breadcrumbs

Paprika (smoked or regular – you choose)

A couple/few slices of white bread

Melted butter

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Cook your pasta according to the directions on the package for al dente. Drain and rinse with cool water.

3. Butter the inside of a 9-by13-inch rectangular baking dish.

4. Get yourself a cold beverage –this next part is a bit boring and hot.

5. Melt the butter in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, continuing to whisk, for 1 minute.

6. Slowly whisk in the milk a little at a time, then cook while continuing to whisk until thickened to the consistency of light cream.

7. Drop in your trove of cheese a few pieces at a time, whisking constantly, allowing them to melt some before adding more. When it’s all incorporated (it will get gooey), stir in the Dijon, then add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and lots of grindings of pepper. Stir, taste and add more Dijon/salt/pepper as you see fit, a little at a time whilst tasting again.

8. In a large bowl, combine the cheese sauce and pasta, stirring to get the sauce all up in the noodles, then transfer the mixture to your buttered baking dish. Sprinkle with grated Parm, breadcrumbs and a

9. Cut selected initial(s), numeral(s) or symbol(s) out of slice(s) of white bread with a sharp knife; alternately, you could use a cookie-cutter. (Note: The bread scraps are ideal for sponging the left-behind cheese sauce from your pan and bowl into your mouth.)aroni, then brush with meltedbling and the bread-design/top is

weddings showers

birthdays memorials

Choosing your own cheeses is what can make this the perfect macaroni for you – here, we have sharp cheddar, nutty Comté, melty-rich Fontina and Camembert for additional velvety texture and intense flavor.

Bethany Jean Clement/The Seattle Times/TNS

Bethany Jean Clement worked on this absurdly cheesy, surpassingly rich, deeply comforting recipe until she got it right – and it’s customizable, too.

FAIRFIELD — Local movie theaters this weekend will feature a tale of a crazy, coked-up bear raging through a forest in Georgia.

Also showing will be a film about a different type of religious revolution.

Opening nationwide are:

"Cocaine Bear," in which an odd group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converge in a Georgia forest where a 500-pound bear has ingested a staggering amount of cocaine and gone on a coke-fueled rampage for more. The film is rated R.

"Jesus Revolution," a film set in the 1970s about young Greg Laurie (Joel Courtney), who searches for all the right things in all the wrong places: until he meets Lonnie Frisbee (Jonathan Roumie), a charismatic hippiestreet-preacher. Together with Pastor Chuck Smith (Kelsey Grammer) they open the doors of Smith's languishing church to an unexpected revival of radical and newfound love, leading to what Time magazine dubbed a Jesus Revolution. The film not rated PG-13.

Opening in limited release are:

"Bunker," in which soldiers are trapped in a bunker during World War I. But they are not alone. Something inhuman slowly turns them against each other. As paranoia and fear grow between them, the men experience the true hell of war. The film is rated R.

"Give Me Pity," in which the star of a new television show goes slowly insane on live television. The film is not rated.

"Linoleum," in which Cameron Edwin (Jim Gaffigan), the host of a failing children's science

had aspirations of being an astronaut. After a mysterious space-race era satellite coincidentally falls from space and lands in his backyard, his midlife crisis manifests in a plan to rebuild the machine into his dream rocket. His life slowly gets stranger and stranger until he realizes there is more going on than he ever could have imagined. The film is not rated.

"The Year of the Dog," in which Matt, a loner alcoholic at rock bottom, struggles to maintain sobriety for 30 days so he can honor his mother's dying wish to visit her in hospice, sober. His book-thumping AA sponsor, Fred, offers him refuge at his farm, where Matt finds Yup'ik, a stray Husky with a unique talent. The man and dog relationship is precarious at first, but with the help of a close-knit Montana community, the two strays find a connection and discover what it takes to pull through to the finish line. The film is rated PG-13.

"Who Are You People," in which a young woman flees back home after an attempt to seduce her teacher goes very wrong. The 16-year-old Alex turns her attention to finding the father she never knew and confronting the truth of her life. The film is not rated.

For information on Edwards Cinemas in Fairfield, visit www.regmovies.com/theatres/ re gal-edwards-fairfield-imax. 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

‘Hello Tomorrow!’ wants to dream but makes you snore

LiLi Loofbourow THE WASHINGTON POST

Cross “Mad Men” with “The Jetsons,” remove the former’s depth and the latter’s world-building, and you end up with Amit Bhalla and Lucas Jansen’s new Apple TV Plus series, “Hello Tomorrow!”

The 10-episode series (pre miering Friday) is a gorgeous atomic-age confection set in a “retrofuturistic” version of the early 1960s – a Mayberry with jetpacks and hovering cars. Robots contoured like old Frigidaires walk the dogs and work the bars while Billy Crudup’s Jack Billings, a traveling salesman, spends his days talking the residents of this automated America into buying property on the moon.

It’s an exciting approach to an era that’s been pretty well picked over – or could be, if the thought experiment got developed. The 30-minute episodes (critics received all 10) have a comic slant, but the tone is confused, careening from antic – with bodily mutilation played for laughs - to meditative and even mournful. Jack should be a pleasingly absurd protagonist. The series, alas, takes him rather seriously.

And although Crudup is extremely charming, a character billed as a talented closer should, among other things, have a more compelling sales pitch.

“No one here is not a dreamer. Am I right?” Jack says to a group of prospective buyers. “Not in a world like this, where you can have it all. And that’s what I want for you and your families. You wake up to the earthrise out your bedroom window, your wife out in her lunar garden, your boy shagging flies in the zero-G diamond. That’s the dream you all deserve!”

If Don Draper articulated an anxiety or nostalgia specific to his exact moment and presented a product as a balm, Jack’s pitches are general, bordering on redundant. He draws no contrast between the hovercar world where robots take out the trash and the marvels of life on the moon. If anything, Jack equates them: You can have it all here, but you can also live the suburban dream up there. Then there’s some boilerplate about dreams and hope.

Salesmanship aside, this was the show’s opportunity to teach us how the universe of “Hello Tomorrow!” differs from (or parallels!) our own, and how jetpacks and the like modify both the characters’ lived reality and the consumer fantasies a salesman would need to understand. What has all that automation done to Americans in the decade that

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most fervidly fetishized the nuclear family and glorified the suburbs? Would robots everywhere deprive men returned from war of a sense of purpose? Create mass unemployment? Make marriages better? Accentuate the class divide? Change race relations?

“Hello Tomorrow!” addresses none of this. And although the cinematography foregrounds the fun technology, the plot never investigates its consequences. A company coyly named Amazing Personal Products (or APP) delivers stuff in trucks “manned” by cartoon storks, but a sinister malfunction in the pilot critics were asked not to describe –which seems to herald a deeper exploration of what all those gadgets might be doing to people – goes nowhere.

Basic stuff is puzzling, too: Does the businessman commuting to work via jetpack occupy a different social status (or follow a different traffic system) than the one driving a hover car? And what of the loving housewife seeing him off? The real “atomic age” featured major social retrenchment: Women, having joined the labor force in wartime, were shoved back inside the home and mollified with “labor-saving devices.” What happens if you populate that uneasy moment with even more technological so-called convenience?

An angry housewife named Myrtle Mayburn (Alison Pill) –a character ideally suited to show which specific hopes have been raised, then dashed by a world where even the cooking is automated – conforms so precisely and sometimes comically to type that her grievances, when she airs them, are neither more nor less than what a woman in the regular old robotfree ‘60s might say.

In fact, far from describing

a “retrofuture” whose specific anomies a gifted salesman could exploit (and that contemporary viewers, plagued and blessed as we are by our own APPs, might find familiar), this alternate reality seems pretty similar. Jack’s pitch feels like typical timeshare patter, because it is: People want exactly the same things in this timeline. New parents want fun. Old people want golf and no taxes.

There are some differences: No one seems particularly racist in the hover-car ‘60s, for instance. Or sexist. These would be fascinating revisions if they didn’t seem random and undertheorized. Is the idea that the civil rights movement wouldn’t have happened if robots were around? Did APP eliminate redlining? The aesthetics of one historical moment are supercharged here, but they’re entirely stripped of the struggles that produced them.

Then there’s Jack, a winsome salesman, deadbeat dad and calculating liar who might also be a damaged dreamer.

That Jack is deceptive is clear from the pilot. The question, and it’s not a compelling one, is how deep his fraudulence (or idealism) goes. This might be textbook antihero stuff if a redemption story weren’t supplied to make him sympathetic: Jack is also suddenly trying to help the son he abandoned years earlier by hiring and mentoring him.

If Jack sounds baffling, he should; the series builds suspense by withholding his motivations, desires and real beliefs, and piecing these together feels like enervating moral algebra that neither Jack nor his son, Joey Shorter (Nicholas Podany), are interesting enough to make worthwhile. The effect – not helped by the flatness of most of these characters – isn’t nuance or complexity or even Coen-esque quirk. Haneefah Wood elevates her material, and both Hank Azaria and Jacki Weaver offer comic relief, but this series feels like satire in search of a target.

Word Sleuth

Crossword by Phillip Alder

Bridge

After South’s one-heart overcall, North might have bid three no-trump –an easy contract here – or taken things more slowly by starting with a two-diamond cue-bid. West led his lowest diamond. East won the first three tricks before shifting to a low club. Declarer finessed, drew trumps and cashed the club ace, but the king didn’t drop. Now South had to avoid losing a spade trick. How would you normally play that spade combination?

IN ESSENCE, A BACKWARD TECHNIQUE

“It’s a poor sort of memory that only works backwards,” the White Queen said to Alice. If backward memory came from knowing the future, it would be helpful. Picking lottery and horse-race winners would prove lucrative. At the bridge table, usually one needs to think forward, but occasionally backward is the order of a deal – as in today’s.

Right – you would cash the king, just in case East had a singleton queen, and then finesse dummy’s jack. However, here that doesn’t work – and you should know it won’t. You are missing only 13 high-card points, but East opened the bidding. So should you cash the ace and king, hoping to drop the queen? It is better, but not best. As East is known to have started with two hearts and four diamonds, he is most unlikely to have begun with 2=2=4=5 distribution. He probably has three or four spades. You should take a backward finesse. Enter dummy with a trump and lead the spade jack, forcing East to cover with the queen. Then finesse dummy’s nine on the way back. A backward finesse, which requires two cards to be well placed, is usually worse than a simple finesse – but not always.

COPYRIGHT: 2023, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

Sudoku by Wayne Gould

Bridge

2/21/23

Difficulty level: SILVER

Yesterday’s solution:

IN ESSENCE, A BACKWARD TECHNIQUE

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 grid contains the digits 1 through 9, with no repeats. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box. Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com

“It’s a poor sort of memory that only works backwards,” the White Queen said to Alice. If backward memory came from knowing the future, it would be helpful. Picking lottery and horse-race winners would prove lucrative. At the bridge

EV charging is a mess

THIS 4-POUND BOX COULD HELP FIX IT

BloomBerg

For all its progressive poli-

tics, New York City is largely an EV charging desert. Home to about 2 million registered vehicles, the city has just 1,000 Level 2 public charging plugs – the slower stations that generally work overnight – scattered across 343 stations, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Fast-charging sites are even harder to find.

Parking isn’t really the problem – the city is full of garages and streetside spots – but electricity is. Every car charger requires a dedicated amount of available juice; put in enough chargers, and the power needed (the so-called demand load) climbs quickly. It’s enough of a logistical headache that the city’s developers have shied away from EV infrastructure, at least on a large enough scale to meaningfully drive adoption.

In Queens, the city’s largest borough, Vrindavanam Murali has been trying to make that charging math work.

Murali is president of building consultancy ESD Global, which is tasked with accommodating the energy needs of some 12 apartment projects in the neighborhood of Jamaica – including supplying each of 1,000 parking spaces with an EV charging cord. His initial calculations suggested the endeavor would take millions of dollars, plus months of wrangling a local utility into digging trenches, laying thicker cables and upgrading transformers. “We immediately saw there was a huge disconnect between the grid availability and the speed at which they wanted to implement the charging,” Murali says.

Then he discovered Atom Power.

North Carolina-based Atom has spent nine years developing what it calls a better, smarter circuit breaker – a digital one driven by computer chips and cloud software, rather than the analog version that flips on or off based on physics and mechanics. An Atom breaker is white, about the size of a toddler’s shoe box and tagged with red, yellow and green stickers. Where conventional circuit breakers have springs, levers and magnetics, the most critical part of a 4-pound Atom box are semiconductors not unlike those found in a smartphone.

The company pieces its breakers together at its headquarters just north of Charlotte, along an assembly line of six workstations that look like basement crafting benches. Each

breaker powers one charging port, and up to 12 breakers go into one box, or panel. In the next few weeks, almost 100 of Atom’s panels will make their way to Queens.

Because it’s digital, Atom’s breaker isn’t binary; it doesn’t just turn the power on and off. Rather, it can fluctuate the amount of electricity going to each cord like a dimmer switch.

If a driver indicates via an app that she’ll be out of town for days, the Atom box can dial the juice down to a trickle and amp up electricity to a higher-priority vehicle. If a landlord wants to avoid a time-based spike in electricity prices, the Atom infrastructure can virtually shut off the electron tap, ramping it back up at night when costs are lower. At the buildings in Queens, for example, power prices can swing by a magnitude of five in a single day.

“We brought a lot of order to some of the chaos,” says Ryan Kennedy, Atom’s cofounder and chief executive officer. “We’ve created a model that basically says: ‘Well, don’t worry about energy costs.’ ”

Last year, Atom had orders for 1,000 breakers; this year it expects to ship 9,000, including the hundreds headed to Queens. All told, the company says it can set up a bank of chargers that use one third as much electricity as what is traditionally required, and cost half as much as systems that also require a grid upgrade. Atom also promises that its chargers are more reliable; because of the smart circuit breaker, they have to meet critical electrical safety standards, while

chargers traditionally have to meet a lower regulatory threshold for appliances.

Kennedy, 47, says EVs are just the lowest-hanging fruit in a much larger sales strategy.

“When we think of the grid, we tend to think of big stuff: wind turbines, solar farms, substations, that kind of stuff,” he says. “But there’s a circuit breaker ahead of every single thing on the planet that consumes energy.”

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Less than a decade ago, the Atom box was just an idea – one both difficult to execute and boring to pitch. After all, the technology behind a circuit breaker had remained pretty much unchanged since Thomas Edison sketched it out in 1879.

“It was probably one of the dumbest things that a venture capitalist could hear . . . and that’s a long list,” says Kennedy, a journeyman electrician turned engineer. “But the outcome given the risk was extraordinary.”

By 2014, however, silicon semiconductors had become tiny and far more powerful. By 2017, Kennedy had mastered the trickiest part, packaging the computer chips and syncing them with software. He’d created his magic box, an achievement he likens to cobbling together an iPhone from a scrap heap. By August of that year, he had $100 million in financing from SK, Korea’s second-largest conglomerate.

Since then, Atom’s mission has taken on new urgency: Some 6% of the new vehicle market is

now electric, and charging infrastructure has replaced range anxiety as a stumbling block to wider EV adoption. In the third quarter of 2022, one in five U.S. charging attempts failed, according to a recent study by J.D. Power, a rate that has been steadily climbing. Those using Level 2 chargers gave a satisfaction rating of 633 out of 1,000.

“The pain points are quite evident,” Kennedy explains. “Once you get past, you know, 10 chargers, the scalability becomes very, very difficult very quickly.”

And while the U.S. has its share of electron deserts, the biggest charging hurdles are arguably local and urban: Only 5% of car trips span more than 30 miles and three out of four are less than 10 miles. Roughly one-third of American households are multifamily, and one-third is also the share of U.S. households that don’t have a private garage, as well as the share of people who rent, rather than own, their home. None of these overlapping groups are likely to have a dedicated plug to juice up a 5,000-pound appliance, which means electric cars won’t fully crack the mass market until people can charge them where they work, shop and live versus en route to other destinations. Across the U.S., one-third of drivers equates to some 81 million people.

The potential to bring those masses into the EV ecosystem is one of the reasons SK is so bullish on Atom: The company is all-in on electrification. In a joint venture with Ford, SK is spending $11.4 billion to build

battery factories and an EV assembly plant in Kentucky and Tennessee. It also has a $1 billion stake in Key Capture Energy, a maker of massive batteries for surplus grid storage and an undisclosed stake in Sunrun, a residential solar giant. SK sees Atom as a way to boost the rest of its portfolio. “It’s absolutely going to be the killer solution,” says Ian Huh, an SK senior vice president.

Eventually, Huh reckons EV charging will be akin to WiFi: ubiquitous and in many cases free. “It just becomes one of the benefits for the customer,” he says. “Selling electricity is not the way to make money.”

If that thesis proves correct, the market shift could spin up a whirlwind of EV adoption; more free chargers would trigger more EVs, which would cultivate another crop of chargers. But even with its janky infrastructure and arcane pricing, the market is already exploding. Demand for on-site, level 2 charging has tripled in the past year, according to ABM Industries, a facilities giant that manages parking structures. Residential landlords increasingly see it as an imperative amenity and retail developers consider it a novel way to boost foot traffic, says Mark Hawkinson, president of the company’s technical solutions group.

“It’s like getting air conditioning in the ’50s,” he explains, “there was this race to do it, but nobody knew quite how to do it.”

For a glimpse of that future, one might look at the 12 chargers outside of Atom’s headquarters: They’re free to the public, and only go idle when the building is approaching its predetermined power threshold. Last month, they charged 257 vehicles, including that of a local who plugs in and works from his Tesla.

The Atom Power headquarters in Huntersville.

Rachel Jessen/Bloomberg file photos

Digital circuit breakers are stacked on shelves at the Atom Power headquarters in Huntersville, North Carolina, Jan. 27.

Ryan Kennedy, co-founder and chief executive officer of Atom Power.

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StateWaterResourcesControlBoard NOTICEOFTEMPORARYURGENCYCHANGEPETITIONFILEDBYTHECALIFORNIADEPARTMENTOFWATERRESOURCESANDTHEUNITEDSTATESBUREAU OFRECLAMATIONREGARDINGPERMITSANDALICENSE1OFTHESTATEWATERPROJECTANDTHECENTRALVALLEYPROJECT

OnFebruary13,2023,theDepartmentofWaterResources(DWR)andtheUnitedStates BureauofReclamation(Reclamation)(collectivelyPetitioners)jointlyfiledaTemporary UrgencyChangePetition(TUCP)withtheStateWaterResourcesControlBoard(State WaterBoard)pursuanttoCaliforniaWaterCodesection1435etseq.TheTUCPrequeststhattheStateWaterBoardtemporarilymodifyconditionsincludedinthewater rightpermitsandlicensefortheStateWaterProject(SWP)andCentralValleyProject (CVP)(collectivelyProjects)thatwereimposedpursuanttoRevisedWaterRightDecision1641(D-1641)andthatrequiretheProjectstomeetflowandwaterqualityobjectivesestablishedintheWaterQualityControlPlanfortheSanFranciscoBay-Sacramento/SanJoaquinDeltaWatershed(Bay-DeltaPlan).Specifically,duringFebruaryand March,2023,DWRandReclamationrequesttowaivetheDeltaoutflowrequirementslistedforPortChicagoinTable4ofD-1641,whichrequireachievingaspecifiednumberof daysofcompliancewithamaximumdailyaverageor14-dayrunningaverageelectrical conductivityof2.64mmhos/cmatPortChicago(StationC14),ora3-dayrunningaverageNetDeltaOutflowIndexof29,200cubic-feetpersecond.Therequirednumberof daysofcomplianceisdeterminedbythepriormonth’sEightRiverIndex.AllotherelectricalconductivityrequirementsinTable4,includingChippsIslanddays,wouldcontinue toapply.TheTUCPispostedat:https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drought/tucp/.

PursuanttoCaliforniaWaterCodesection1438,subdivision(d),anyinterestedpersonor entitymayfilea nobjectiontoaTUCP.WaterCodesection1438describestheproceduresforaddressinganobjection.Anyobjectionsfiledinresponsetothisnoticeshouldbe submittedtotheStateWaterBoardwithcopyprovidedtothePetitionersnolaterthan12 noononFebruary23,2023.TheStateWaterBoardmayactontheTUCPpriortoreceipt ofanyobjections.TheBoardwillgivepromptconsiderationtoanyobjectionsreceived andmaymodifyanyorderapprovingtheTUCPasappropriate.Objectionsshouldbefiled usingthepetitionprotestform,whichcanbedownloadedat : http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/publications_forms/forms/docs/pet_protest.p df.

PleasesendobjectionsandcorrespondenceviaemailtotheStateWaterBoardatBayDelta@waterboards.ca.gov,withcopiestoJamesMizellwiththeDepartmentofWater ResourcesatJames.Mizell@water.ca.gov;andAmyAufdembergewiththeU.S.Bureau ofReclamationRegionalSolicitor’sOfficeatAmy.Aufdemberge@sol.doi.gov.

InformationrelatedtothisTUCPmaybeviewedat:http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/drought/tucp.shtml.

QuestionsconcerningthisnoticemaybedirectedtoBay-Delta@waterboards.ca.govor CraigWilliamsatCraig.Williams@waterboards.ca.gov.

ToreceiveadditionalinformationrelatedtothisandfutureTUCPs,interestedpersonsor entitiesshouldsubscribetotheStateWaterBoard’sDroughtUpdatesandBay-Delta emailsubscriptionlists(appearsint he“WaterRights”section)at:http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/resources/email_subscriptions/swrcb_subscribe.shtml#dwr.

DATEOFNOTICE:FEBRUARY13,2023

1ThepetitionwasfiledforPermits16478,16479,16481,16482and16483(Applications 5630,14443,14445A,17512and17514A,respectively)oftheDepartmentofWaterResources’StateWaterProjectandLicense1986(Application23)andPermits11315 11316,11885,11886,11887,11967,11968, 11969,11970,11971,11972,11973,12364,12721,12722,12723,12725,12726 12727,12860,15735, 16597,16600,and20245(Applications13370,13371,234,1465,5638,5628,15374 15375,15376, 16767,16768,17374,17376,5626,9363,9364,9366,9367,9368,15764,22316 14858A,19304,and 14858B,respectively)oftheUnitedStatesBureauofReclamation’sCentralValley

NOTICEOFTRUSTEE'SSALETSNo.CA-22-940867-ABOrderNo.:EOR202207115428835YOUAREINDEFAULTUNDERADEEDOFTRUSTDATED6/28/2007.UNLESSYOUTAKEACTIONTOPROTECTYOURPROPERTY,ITMAYBESOLDATA PUBLICSALE.IFYOUNEEDANEXPLANATIONOFTHENATUREOFTHEPROCEEDINGAGAINSTYOU,YOUSHOULDCONTACTALAWYER.Apublicauctionsale tothehighestbidderforcash,cashier'scheckdrawnonastateornationalbank,check drawnbystateorfederalcreditunion,oracheckdrawnbyastateorfederalsavingsand loanassociation,orsavingsassociation,orsavingsbankspecifiedinSection5102tothe FinancialCodeandauthorizedtodobusinessinthisstate,willbeheldbydulyappointed trustee.Thesalewillbemade,butwithoutcovenantorwarranty,expressedorimplied , regardingtitle,possession,orencumbrances,topaytheremainingprincipalsumofthe note(s)securedbytheDeedofTrust,withinterestandlatechargesthereon,asprovided inthenote(s),advances,underthetermsoftheDeedofTrust,interestthereon,fees chargesandexpensesoftheTrusteeforthetotalamount(atthetimeoftheinitialpublicationoftheNoticeofSale)reasonablyestimatedtobesetforthbelow.Theamountmay begreateronthedayofsale.BENEFICIARYMAYELECTTOBIDLESSTHANTHE TOTALAMOUNTDUE.Trustor(s):JOYCEA.DAVIS,ANUNMARRIEDWOMANRecorded:7/6/2007asInstrumentNo.200700074979ofOfficialRecordsintheofficeofthe RecorderofSOLANOCounty,California;DateofSale:3/6/2023at9:30AMPlaceof Sale:AttheSantaClaraStreetentrancetotheCityHallat555SantaClaraStreet Vallejo,CA94590Amountofunpaidbalanceandothercharges:$183,266.01Thepurportedpropertyaddressis:1420STARRCOURT,FAIRFIELD,CA94533Assessor's ParcelNo.:0170-171-150NOTICETOPOTENTIALBIDDERS:Ifyouareconsidering biddingonthispropertylien,youshouldunderstandthattherearerisksinvolvedinbiddingatatrusteeauction.Youwillbebiddingonalien,notonthepropertyitself.Placing thehighestbidatatrusteeauctiondoesnotautomaticallyentitleyoutofreeandclear ownershipoftheproperty.Youshouldalsobeawarethatthelienbeingauctionedoffmay beajuniorlien.Ifyouarethehighestbidderattheauction,youareormayberesponsibleforpayingoffallliensseniortothelienbeingauctionedoff,beforeyoucanreceive cleartitletotheproperty.Youareencouragedtoinvestigatetheexistence,priority,and sizeofoutstandingliensthatmayexistonthispropertybycontactingthecounty rec order'sofficeoratitleinsurancecompany,eitherofwhichmaychargeyouafeefor thisinformation.Ifyouconsulteitheroftheseresources,youshouldbeawarethatthe samelendermayholdmorethanonemortgageordeedoftrustontheproperty.NOTICE TOPROPERTYOWNER:Thesaledateshownonthisnoticeofsalemaybepostponed oneormoretimesbythemortgagee,beneficiary,trustee,oracourt,pursuanttoSection 2924goftheCaliforniaCivilCode.Thelawrequiresthat informationabouttrusteesale postponementsbemadeavailabletoyouandtothepublic,asacourtesytothosenot presentatthesale.Ifyouwishtolearnwhetheryoursaledatehasbeenpostponed,and ifapplicable,therescheduledtimeanddateforthesaleofthisproperty,youmaycall855 238-5118forinformationregardingthetrustee'ssaleorvisitthisinternetwebsite http://www.qualityloan.com,usingthefilenumberassignedtothisforeclosurebythe Trustee:CA-22-940867-AB.Informationaboutpostponementsthatareveryshortindurationorthatoccurcloseintimetothescheduledsalemaynotimmediatelybereflectedin thetelephoneinformationoro ntheinternetwebsite.Thebestwaytoverifypostponementinformationistoattendthescheduledsale.NOTICETOTENANT:Youmayhavea righttopurchasethispropertyafterthetrusteeauctionpursuanttoSection2924mofthe CaliforniaCivilCode.Ifyouarean"eligibletenantbuyer,"youcanpurchasetheproperty ifyoumatchthelastandhighestbidplacedatthetrusteeauction.Ifyouarean"eligible bidder,"youmaybeabletopurchasethepropertyifyouexceedthelastandhighestbid placedatthetrusteeauction.Therearethreestepstoexercisingthisrightofpurchase First,48hoursafterthedateofthetrusteesale,youcancall855238-5118,orvisitthis internetwebsitehttp://www.qualityloan.com,usingthefilenumberassignedtothisforeclosurebytheTrustee:CA-22-940867-ABtofindthedateonwhichthetrustee'ssalewas held,theamountofthelastandhighestbid,andtheaddressofthetrustee.Second,you mustsendawrittennoticeofintenttoplaceabidsothatthetrusteereceivesitnomore than15daysafterthetrustee'ssale.Third,youmustsubmitabidsothatthetrusteereceivesitnomorethan45daysafterthetrustee'ssale.Ifyouthinkyoumayqualifyasan "eligibletenantbuyer"or"eligiblebidder,"youshouldconsidercontactinganattorneyor appropriaterealestateprofessionalimmediatelyforadviceregardingthispotentialrightto purchase.NOTICETOPROSPECTIVEOWNER-OCCUPANT:AnyprospectiveowneroccupantasdefinedinSection2924moftheCaliforniaCivilCode whoisthelastand highestbidderatthetrustee'ssaleshallprovidetherequiredaffidavitordeclarationofeligibilitytotheauctioneeratthetrustee'ssaleorshallhaveitdeliveredtoQUALITYLOAN SERVICECORPORATIONby5p.m.onthenextbusinessdayfollowingthetrustee's saleattheaddresssetforthinthebelowsignatureblock.TheundersignedTrusteedisclaimsanyliabilityforanyincorrectnessofthepropertyaddressorothercommondesignation,ifan y,shownherein.Ifnostreetaddressorothercommondesignationisshown directionstothelocationofthepropertymaybeobtainedbysendingawrittenrequestto thebeneficiarywithin10daysofthedateoffirstpublicationofthisNoticeofSale.Ifthe saleissetasideforanyreason,includingiftheTrusteeisunabletoconveytitle,thePurchaseratthesaleshallbeentitledonlytoareturnofthemoniespaidtotheTrustee.This shallbethePurchaser'ssoleandexclusiveremedy.Thepurchasershallhavenofurther recourseagainsttheTrustor,theTrustee,theBeneficiary,theBeneficiary'sAgent,orthe Beneficiary'sAttorney.Ifyouhavepreviouslybeendischargedthroughbankruptcy,you mayhavebeenreleasedofpersonalliabilityforthisloaninwhichcasethisletterisintendedtoexercisethenoteholdersright'sagainsttherealpropertyonly.Date:QUALITY LOANSERVICECORPORATION2763CaminoDelRioSSanDiego,CA92108619-

takeuptofive(5)businessdaystoprocessyourDigitalIDanditishighlyrecommended thataDigitalIDbeactive48hoursinadvanceofsubmittinganelectronicbid.CostsassociatedwithobtainingsaidDigitalIDandsubmittingabidusingBidExpressshallbethe soleresponsibilityofthebidder.ContractDocumentswillbeavailablefromwww.bidexpress.com.Anyaddendaissuedforthisprojectwillalsobeavailableatthiswebsite.Bid formsforthisworkwillbefoundandcompletedatwww.bidexpress.com.TheAuthority willholdanon-mandatorypre-bidmeetingattheprojectsite(526SchoolStreet,Suisun City,CA94585)onThursday,February16,2023at11:00a.m(PST).Bidswillbeopened electronicallyinapublicforumandreadaloudonThursday,March9,2023at2:00p.m (PST),attheofficeoftheSolanoTransportationAuthoritylocatedat423MainStreet SuisunCity,CA94585.Bidsreceivedafterthistimewillnotbeaccepted.Bidsarevalid forninety(90)calendardaysafterthebidopeningdate.

TheProjectconsistsofparkinglotimprovementsfrontingSuisunStreetnearCommonSt inSuisunCity,CA.Proposedimprovementsincludebutnotlimitedtocurbandgutter verticalcurb,retainingwalls,subdrainpipe,drainageswale,bioretentioncurbs,sidewalk driveway,asphaltpavementplugs,asphaltdigouts,stormdrainagepipe,curbinlets domeinlets,bioretentionarea,adjustinginlets,coordinationwithutilitycompaniesforbox adjustments,asphaltpavingandclass2aggregatebaseinparkinglot,pavementmarkings,lighting,securitysystem,landscaping,planting,irrigation,undergroundelectrical foundationsforelectricalequipment,removalofexistingfencesandinstallationofnew neighborhoodwoodenfenceandornamentalfenceandslidinggateandpedestriangate withknockboxforaccess,keypadaccess,accesscards,detectorloops,installationof newEVchargingstationandallotherassociatedelectricalwork.Additionalworkincludesmiscellaneoussidewalkdemoandreplacementworktoinstallnewfencesand gatesatthebackofnewAuthorityoffic ebuilding.

TheEngineer’scostestimateisapproximately$2,050,060.Workshallbecompletedwithin260workingdays.AClassAContractor’slicenseisrequiredandthesuccessfulbidder mustpayprevailingwages.

NicholasBurton, DeputyExecutiveDirector/DirectorofProjects SolanoTransportationAuthority DR#00061252 Published:February15,20,27,2023

to the following businesses for supporting literacy in Solano County by being a sponsor in the Daily Republic’s “Newspapers In Education” program. NIE provides sponsored newspapers for teachers in Solano County to use as an educational resource in the classroom.

Anderson & Associates, CPA’s

Caliber Home Loans - Wendi Lucas

Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano

Downtown Theater Foundation for the Arts

Jim Stever Realty - Stever & Associates

Law Office of Elizabeth Anderson

Medic Ambulance Service

Meyer Corporation

Michael J. McMurry CPA

Napa Solano Medical Society

NorthBay Healthcare

Operating Engineers Local Union No. 3

Pam Watson, REALTOR®

Salvation Army - Suisun City, KROC Center

Vogelpohl Real Estate Consulting & Sales

Yin McDonald’s CARSTAR Body

Eagle Eye Engraving Townhouse Apartments

Brittney Griner gets one-year deal from Phoenix Mercury to return to WNBA

The WashingTon PosT

Brittney Griner had intended to play for the Phoenix Mercury this season, and it became official Friday.

Per the WNBA’s transactions wire, the Phoenix Mercury signed the seven-time all-star, who had spent about 10 months held in Russia after being arrested at an airport in February. The State Department considered her “wrongfully detained,” and she was sentenced to 91/2 years in prison after pleading guilty to bringing vape cartridges with cannabis oil into the country. Griner was released in December and returned to the United States in a prisoner exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout.

While pleading guilty, Griner said she made an “honest mistake” and didn’t realize the vape cartridges were in her bag. She has played for Russian squad UMMC Ekaterinburg during WNBA offseasons.

The Mercury signed Griner, 32, to a one-year contract worth $165,100, per HerHoopsStats.com, though the deal had not been announced as of Saturday night. She missed the 2022 season but had averaged 20.5 points and a career-high 9.5 rebounds in 2021 while helping

the Mercury to the WNBA Finals, where it lost to the Chicago Sky in four games. She has spent her entire WNBA career with the Mercury, which made her the No. 1 draft pick in 2013 and claimed the WNBA title a year later.

The signing further bolsters the Mercury roster - and guard Diana Taurasi signed Saturday to spend a 19th season with Phoenix. The 40-year-old is the league’s all-time leading scorer, but the end of her career is near. Still, the Mercury brings back a core of Taurasi, Griner, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Sophie Cunningham.

Griner’s return put the WNBA’s travel methods back in the spotlight; after her detainment in Russia, she is expected to need to take private flights for security reasons. WNBA rules do not allow teams to charter private flights, a point of contention for the players union. President Biden also came under fire for releasing Bout, who was arrested in 2008 and sentenced to 25 years in 2012 for supporting terrorism and conspiring to kill Americans.

“It’s through hardship that character is revealed, and over the last nine months, we have seen the best

W’s

From Page B1

have waited for so long to engage in the actual fight, they’ll need to pack a wallop once – if – they start throwing.

of so many,” Griner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, said in a statement after her release. “At the top of that list are BG and President Biden. Throughout this ordeal, BG has carried herself with courage, grace and grit; and President Biden made us a promise, and then kept his word and did what was necessary to bring her home. We are forever grateful for his follow-through on that commitment.”

Griner became a household name during her detainment. WNBA players did what they could to keep her in the news, urging Biden to bring her home and counting the days she was detained. The basketball community celebrated her release two months ago, and now she’s in line to be back on the court this spring.

“I have been fortunate enough to be around BG in both basketball and social settings and have loved being around her,” Washington Mystics General Manager Mike Thibault said after she was released. “Her energy and zest for life has always stood out, and it’s so wonderful to know that she is free from this nightmare and will be reunited with her wife, family and friends.”

A’s lefty Waldichuk aims to throw harder with his slider

Tribune ConTenT agenCy

MESA, Ariz. — Adding velocity isn’t a rare aspiration for a pitcher. Oakland Athletics left-hander

Ken Waldichuk specified the goal for his offseason – boost the zip on his breaking pitches.

Waldichuk, the St. Mary’s College product acquired in last summer’s Frankie Montas trade, said the idea was data-driven. He was online and saw research of the effectiveness of breaking balls by velocity, which showed a threshold of about 85 mph where “stuff plays up a lot more.”

At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, Waldichuk can generate some power.

Webb

From Page B1

I was just asking him what he did to get the depth on his pitch.”

Turns out, Alexander was already throwing his change in a similar way as Webb.

The others have made bigger adjustments.

But what, exactly, makes Webb’s change so effective? Batters hit a paltry .206 against the pitch last season, and it was worth minus-12 run value, according to Baseball Savant, making it the sixth-most effective change in the game.

“Just the way he holds it and the way his arm action works, he gets this spin where you can just see the top of the ball rotating and it has that depth to it,” Junis said. “That’s what we’re all trying to do. We’re all trying to emulate that.”

For the lucky few sitting

He made seven starts as a rookie in 2022 and averaged 94.1 mph on his fastball, per Statcast, in the 60th percentile of MLB fastball velocity. His sweeping slider, his most-used off-speed pitch, averaged 81 mph in those starts.

It was also, however, very effective. Waldichuk threw 38 sliders that ended a plate appearance. Hitters were 4-for-33 with 13 strikeouts against that pitch. They swung-andmissed at it 33.9% of the time, the highest rate induced by any of his offerings.

So why change anything?

“I feel like I got some good results from my offspeed, but I was pretty

behind home plate, and the unfortunate batter in the box, that depth is apparent. For the reader at home, the numbers behind it: Webb’s change in 2022 averaged 42 inches of vertical drop, or 18% more than league average, once again ranking among the top 10 in MLB. What makes it even more unique is that the movement is almost straight down: the bottom falls out.

The key? Allow Long to explain.

“Just with the grip, usually every other pitch you’re throwing is coming off of your fingertips. The changeup, you’re trying to kill the speed, so you put it a little more toward the palm,” Long said. “It just takes a little bit more feel. So for him, he says spreading out his fingers has always helped kill the spin on the ball and kill speed.”

How Webb achieves this effect can be traced back to Gausman, and then even further to a since retired former minor

fastball-heavy,” Waldichuk said. “So I thought if I could get my off-speed a little better, I could lean on that more. And then, maybe I do end up having worse numbers on my off-speed, because I’m throwing it more, but maybe it gets them off my fastball so that my fastball plays better.”

Hitters saw Waldichuk’s fastball 56.5% of the time in his seven A’s starts. And they fared well against it, batting .311 and slugging .608. Waldichuk also threw a changeup 14.5% of the time and a curveball 8%, both almost solely against right-handed hitters. But he acknowledged neither pitch was a high priority while he was

league teammate.

The grip Webb uses today he picked up from Mac Marshall, a fourth-round draft pick in 2015 with whom Webb spent parts of three seasons at three different levels. Marshall, who remains good friends with Webb, retired in 2021 after making it as far as DoubleA, but a piece of him lives on every fifth day.

Of course it was Gausman, who doesn’t throw a changeup but is a master of the splitter, who suggested to Webb splitting his fingers.

“That’s all I was telling Sam. When you throw it, just split your fingers a little bit more,” Webb said. “That might add a little bit of that friction that you want to make it go down.

.

ascending the Yankees’ minor-league system.

“I felt like fastballslider were good enough,” said Waldichuk, a fifthround pick in 2019. “My changeup was a little spotty with command, my curveball was just kind of a get-me-over. And then once I got up (to the majors), I realized I kind of needed all four of those.”

In his brief debut, Waldichuk threw his slider with excellent movement. It featured an average of 17.8 inches of horizontal break, fifth-highest among MLB lefties who threw at least 100 sliders in 2022, and above-average vertical break. Waldichuk’s funkyish delivery helps enhance the pitch’s deception.

out Junis, who threw his more often than any other starter in the majors last year.

Which makes it all the easier for someone like Hjelle, who is fighting for a roster spot and said he has fought to find a changeup that felt good since being drafted. After consulting Webb during one of his stints with San Francisco last season, Hjelle found the grip that stuck.

Warriors – this iteration – might just be a .500 basketball team.

Our issue as observers is that we will not find out if that’s the case or not until the season ends.

Yes, the benefit of the doubt will be provided to this team until the very end. They have earned that level of respect.

But at some point, if the Dubs are going to be something more than .500, they need to start respecting the regular season. They need to start playing some real defense. They need to stop messing around with leads. They need to start winning twice as often as they lose.

They can do these things. That doesn’t mean they will.

If reading this column feels like deja vu, it’s fitting. The Warriors can’t shake off that .500 feeling, no matter what they do. The .500 energy goes deeper than a record. The Warriors score 118 points per game. They allow 118 points per game. They’re 22-7 at home and 7-22 on the road. They’re 5-5 in their last 10 games,

It’s good enough to keep the Warriors within punching distance, but at some point, they need to punch.

And because they

Sharks

From Page B1

killer, and Eetu Makiniemi might evolve into a full-time NHL goalie. Maybe. Perhaps the 2023 conditional thirdround pick the Sharks acquired can be used on a player that might contribute down the road, or be used as capital to move up at the draft or acquire another player.

But Burns, who turns 38 on March 9, has fit in well with the Hurricanes.

The Warriors enter the All-Star break as the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference. That’s only good for a spot in the play-in tournament, which, technically, isn’t the playoffs. No one is making the NBA Finals from there.

They’re within 3.5 games of the No. 3 seed. That’s good.

The issue is that they would need to hop six teams to reach that spot. Yes, if the Warriors play well, they can move up the standings, but they would need the teams above them to lose, too.

Some will, but not all.

I don’t expect the Suns or Clippers to fade. The Mavericks and Timberwolves might have made the necessary upgrades at the deadline, too. There are no easy pickins.

The Warriors are also only a game above the No. 11 seed, which wouldn’t even make the play-in tournament.

We will see what happens.

Truly, everything remains on the table for the Warriors. But at some point, the evidence of this season is more prescient than the team’s illustrious recent history (which does feature a losing and mediocre season).

That point is fast approaching. It might be here before Curry’s return to the lineup.

He leads all Carolina skaters in time on ice, remains a top penalty killer, and is on pace for about a 60-point season. All for $5.28 million this season and the next two, with the Sharks retaining 34 percent of the average annual value of the Burns deal.

That trade – from the Sharks’ perspective –would look a little better if another Hurricanes prospect was involved.

But what’s done is done, and Meier stands as the Sharks’ most valuable, tradable asset.

. . That’s all I’m really trying to do: see how far it can go down.”

The answer: a lot.

And the relationship isn’t one-sided.

When Webb was searching for his slider last season, he sought

“That shows you how long I’ve been trying to figure something out,” Hjelle said. “It’s just the environment of this clubhouse, guys just helping each other out. Especially for me and where I’m at, my role is somewhat uncertain. I’m on the fence. It could go either way, right? I’m technically at that point gunning for somebody’s job. But to have guys around here who are still willing to give advice and help you out, it’s what’s going to make us good this year.”

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