Daily Republic: Sunday, April 9, 2023

Kids, adults bounce in for Bunnies and Bonnets

SuSan Hiland SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — Children of all ages hopped on down Saturday to Andrews Park for the annual Bunnies and Bonnets Family Fun Day.

The city of Vacaville throws one of the biggest Easter Day events around, and for Julia Nichols and family it has become a family tradition.

“We go to the Bunny Breakfast first then come over here and enjoy the Easter festivities,” she said. “You can’t go wrong because it is a free event and the kids love it.”

The question of the day was where to start the fun? Should it be with a potato-sack run or obstacle course? Maybe some arts and crafts would be the best place to start?

“We hadn’t gone because of Covid last year,” she said.

After they enjoyed the activities they planned on eating downtown for lunch before heading out for a few haircuts for Easter Sunday.

Kristin Milliken, special events and cultural arts coordinator for the city of Vacaville, noted that this year was special because they were able to get a wagon pulled by two horses for visitors to ride in, along with about 10 vendors.

“The event brings the community together to celebrate the arrival

of spring with plenty of fun outdoor activities,” she said.

She noted the egg hunt was just one of the fun activities for people to do; the event also featured a petting zoo, along with arts and crafts.

Bliss Urban Arts Center performed at the outdoor stage with about 24 students.

Fatena “Fae” Salfiti, owner of the Bliss Urban Arts Center proudly announced that for many of the students this was their first performance.

She owns Bliss Urban Arts Center in Vacaville where they help students learn how to dance and express themselves through artists movement.

See Bunnies, Page A12

SuSan Hiland SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Volunteers at the Edge Church tossed out 17,000 plastic eggs for Saturday’s annual Easter Egg Hunt. As the numbers go, they probably would be considered the winners of the award for most eggs in an Easter egg hunt in Solano County.

The 13th annual event drew hundreds of people for a family friendly afternoon. Children dressed in their best Sunday clothes, as well as just plain old jeans, for about a minute of rushing to get the most eggs they could into their baskets.

Maria Moreno of Fairfield came with her sister and family to the greens next to old City Hall with a blanket for the grass. “This is the first time we have

been here,” she said.

They saw the event online and her sister thought it would be great to come out.

Snacking on some popcorn, they waited for egg hunt to begin.

“My favorite part of the day is watching them get the eggs,” Moreno said.

The Rev. Michael Wurz, senior pastor for the Edge Church, was happy to see a great turnout and enjoy a day without rain.

“Each year this is getting bigger,” he said. “We started with 2,500 eggs and ended up with 17,000 this year.”

Over the years they have moved from different venues, each time trying to incorporate more people for the event. During Covid they didn’t have the egg hunt for two years.

“Last year it rained, too, so it was smaller,” he said.

The event gives the community time to be neighborly, with free hot dogs and icy cones, along with popcorn and a couple of bounce houses.

Each year they reevaluate the weekend and come up with new and better ways to make it run as smoothly as possible. For the last four Sundays, volunteers were stuffing eggs with candy and taping them shut for the big day.

Since 2010, the church has hosted an Easter Egg hunt for the kids, bringing out upwards of 1,000 people.

“The goal is to make sure we can serve the community in the best way possible,” Wurz said. “This is about having a good time.”

Tribune ConTenT agenCy

LOS ANGELES — Four months ago, the outlook for the Colorado River was so dire that federal projections showed imminent risks of reservoirs dropping to dangerously low levels.

But after this winter’s major storms, the river’s depleted reservoirs are set to rise substantially with runoff from the largest snowpack in the watershed since 1997.

The heavy snow blanketing the Rocky Mountains offers some limited relief as water managers representing seven states and the

federal government continue to weigh options for cutting water use.

Despite the reprieve, officials are still grappling with how to address the river’s chronic water deficit, which has deepened during 23 years of drought intensified by climate change. “It’s a great snowpack,” said Bill Hasencamp, manager of Colorado River resources for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. “It gives us breathing room. It gives us a little bit of space to negotiate.”

The complicated politics surrounding the river grew especially conten-

tious in January, when officials from California and six other states presented two conflicting proposals for water reductions.

The tensions now appear to have eased somewhat with the snowy winter. Managers of water agencies throughout the

region have pledged to continue negotiating in an effort to reach a sevenstate consensus, and the wetter conditions will likely give them greater leeway in the talks.

The plentiful snow could also alleviate some of the pressure for making large cuts right away as the Biden administration considers alternatives for See River, Page A12

A Solano dream being fulfilled elsewhere by a flying car

Is a promise of our childhood about to arrive? Is it possible that a few decades after we thought the first flying cars would be produced in Solano County (Seriously. In Dixon. More on that in a few paragraphs), we’re about to see it really happen?

Local governments in Virginia are beginning to plan regulations for flying cars. That’s not an outrageous planning move, it’s prudent: After all, the first Jetson One – a flying car whose inventor says it can take off and land in a driveway – is expected to be delivered to a Virginia resident this year. This year! A flying car! Yes, Virginia, there is a flying car!

The Jetson One is a one-per-

son flying machine. The manufacturers of the $92,000 vehicle require all people who buy it to attend a class before taking off, but according to some reviews, it’s intuitive and easy to fly. It also only has a 20-minute flying radius with a maximum speed of 63 mph – meaning you could fly about 21 miles before presumably charging it up for the flight home. Not bad if you live in Fairfield and work in Vallejo or Vacaville.

A flying car! And it’s (allegedly) coming to Virginia this year and probably to other places in the United States. The Jetson One people say they’ve presold 500 vehicles around the world, so it’s hard to believe there won’t be multiple sales in the United States.

As mentioned earlier, this almost happened in Dixon. Moller International was a company founded by Paul Moller, who spent 50 years trying to create a flying car, first in Davis (where he taught at UC Davis), then in Dixon. In the 1980s, one prototype repeatedly hovered at 50 feet during a demonstration for investors. Early in the 21st century, another of Moller’s vehicles achieved “tethered hovering capabilities,” which sounds more like a helium balloon and less like a flying car. Moller spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the M400, a four-passenger vehicle that achieved the aforementioned hovering.

The company was the focus of various Daily Republic articles from the 1980s through the 2000s. I read them all.

In 2019, a fire destroyed

the first two prototypes Moller built in the 1960s. By then, his company had been dormant for years (its website looks like it hasn’t been updated since 2017) and reportedly reached an agreement with a Chinese company to continue production. It’s unclear if the Moeller M400 – or any prototypes – are still being pursued, although in an interview last summer, Moller insisted he was still pursuing a flying car and his company was private.

We’ll see what happens. Never doubt a dreamer. (Also, never fall in love with a dreamer, as Kim Carnes and Kenny Rodgers sang.)

But ... but ... but ... the Jetson One people created the Jetson One (arguably the greatest name for a vehicle since Volkswagen created “The Thing” for a couple of years in the

1970s, a fact I know because my dad bought one that I wrecked twice in two weeks during my senior year of high school). The Jetson One is in production and someone in Virginia bought one for delivery this year and because of that, the government agencies in that state are making plans.

I’m not sure how they’ll govern it. Will you have to pass on the left? Who has the right of way? Is it illegal to buzz your former workplace? Can you use it to drop water balloons on unsuspecting tennis players from hundreds of feet above?

It’s all up in the air (pun intended). But here’s what we know: A dream that was pursued in Solano County for four decades might be fulfilled this year.

Reach Brad Stanhope at brad stanhope@outlook.com.

You’ll be able to ski this summer in California after historic snow

The WashingTon PosT

Summer tourists normally pack swimsuits and sunscreen to visit California’s sandy beaches, but many may be loading ski coats and snow boots this year.

Ski resorts across Central and Northern California are now extending their season late into the summer months in the wake of historic winter snowfall.

Many locations in the Sierra Nevada range have now accumulated over 700 inches of snow this season – cementing this year as one of the top two snowiest winters on record.

Mammoth Mountain, a resort in the eastern Sierra Nevada, has been continuously blanketed by heaps of heavy snow. Some homes near the mountain are completely buried –only the tops of basketball hoops visible. The resort had its snowiest season on record, beating the previous record set in 2010, after receiving 704 inches this season. And the snow is still piling up.

When Lauren Burke looks out of her thirdstory office window, the Mammoth Mountain communications director can just see over the mound of snow.

“This means that we’re going to have the best spring skiing that we’ve ever seen,” Burke said.

The ski resort, which is open until at least the end of May each year, plans to keep its slopes open until the end of July. It has been six years since the slopes stayed open at least that late. In 2017, Mammoth stayed open until early August after a seasonal total of 617 inches.

“It is the Mammoth way to stay open as long as conditions allow,” Burke said. “If we can be skiing in the

summer every year, that’s what we’re going to do.”

Some years, mild temperature in January and February bring sun that eats away at the snowpack. But this year has been “the exact opposite,” Burke said.

Last winter, a much milder season, produced only 260 inches at Mammoth, which then closed in early June. The resort’s average seasonal snowfall is about 400 inches.

At Palisades Tahoe ski area, about 130 miles to the northwest of Mammoth, slopes will stay open through Independence Day, its longest season in four years.

The resort, which calls itself “the spring skiing capital,” has received 698 inches, or about 58 feet – its second-most snowfall on record. Palisades Tahoe public relations manager Patrick Lacey believes this year is on track to surpass the record of 707 inches.

“We’re buried out here but at the same time, we’re loving it,” Lacey said.

Last year, Palisades Tahoe saw below-average snowfall, which forced it to close doors on Memorial Day. The year before that, the mountain got only 281 inches – a little more than half of its average.

“It’s insane how much snowfall we’ve gotten this year,” Lacey said.

The snow has kept coming as spring has overtaken winter - and it started on the early side, too.

Across Lake Tahoe, Heavenly Mountain Resort and Northstar California – all a part of Vail resorts – opened weeks early. Kirkwood Mountain Resort, on the south side of the lake, opened nearly a month ahead of schedule.

Now, Heavenly and Northstar are both close

to surpassing their alltime snowfall records; Heavenly is just 2 inches away from its record of 564 inches.

Heavenly has already doubled its season average, and added three extra weeks to its calendar, while Northstar - with 649 inches - is close. Northstar extended its season by two weekends. After more snow this week, Kirkwood’s seasonal total is now 704 inches. Kirkwood was scheduled to close at the end of April, but the resort extended its season until mid-May.

While the wild winter has delighted skiers and stretched the season, it comes with a cost.

On many days, crews at Mammoth have been outside rescuing chairlifts buried by snow.

“The amount of shoveling that’s been required almost every day here is monumental,” said Burke, who has worked at Mammoth for 12 years.

“To say that we’ve gotten a lot of snow this season is an understatement. It’s definitely been a really challenging season.”

In some instances, the snow has just been too much. Palisades Tahoe had to close three times this year because of excessive amounts.

“We have just been getting dumped on storm after storm so it has just been a lot of work for our team,” Lacey said.

Staff members at Palisades Tahoe have been forced to come to work early or stay late to remove snow. At times, two staff members have needed to run the chairlifts at night to prevent them from freezing. The snow has piled so high that crews have also been forced to dig out some of the chairlifts, up to 40 feet off the ground.

But the upshot of the

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closures and added labor is that the season is now extended 10 extra days, Lacey said.

Other winter weather can add additional obstacles for crews at ski resorts.

Heavy snow is often accompanied by wind gusts

forms when supercooled water droplets freeze on impact with an object – and power outages, said Cole Zimmerman, communications manager at Heavenly Mountain Resorts. Teams

ually chop off lumps of ice from equipment.

“Our teams have been true heroes in a season that has felt relentless at times,” Zimmerman said.

Brad Stanhope

Like I was sayin’

Kate Abraham/Palisades Tahoe courtesy file photo A snowboarder drops off the “Fingers” in Palisades Tahoe in late February.

Kiwanis celebrate 56th Easter Egg Hunt

SuSan HilanD SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The littlest kids came with baskets nearly as big as themselves for the annual Kiwanis Club of Fairfield Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday.

Children and their parents were lined up along a long rope, which separated them from the prized Easter candy on the green grass at Lee Bell Park.

The 56th annual Easter Egg Hunt hosted about 100 people for the annual event, with donations for the candy, baskets and prizes coming from local businesses.

Students from Armijo High School’s Key Club came to help spread the candy on the grass.

“I have only been doing this for two years,” said president Jim Grogan. “It was off because of Covid the last couple of years, so this is my second one.”

He noted the goal of the day was to have a fun day for kids with no pressure.

They could not have done it without the sponsorship of Costco in Fairfield, Walmart in Suisun, Jelly Belly and all the others who helped make the day possible.

In the past the event has drawn more than 200 people but since Covid those numbers have shrunk.

“But generations of people are returning,” he said. “We are looking to see what we can do next year to expand it.”

His favorite part is watching the

Fairfield police website offers information on local hate crimes

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield Police Department has made hate-crime data readily available to the public with the launch of its Hate Crimes Dashboard.

Susan Hiland/Daily Republic

Damita nicholes, 5, gives the Easter Bunny a high five at the 56th annual Kiwanis Easter Egg Hunt at lee Bell Park on saturday.

joy on the littlest kids faces as they find the candy in the grass.

“My grandkids come out and it’s just a joy to watch them having such a good time,” he said.

Damita Nicholes, 5, of Suisun City came with her sister Danaya Nicholes, 2.

“This is my favorite because I like the bunny,” she said. “I want to hug a bunny!”

Grandmother Fay Smith was looking forward to the annual event with some fun over at the Kroc Center on Sunday.

“We have plans for another Easter egg hunt,” she said.

Parents Lee and Christine Hunt

of Fairfield came out with bunny ears and glitter glasses with their three kids. She asked the kids if they wanted to wear bunny ears and they declined, so she decided to wear them herself.

It is the second year for them to enjoy the Easter fun.

“This puts smiles on to the kids’ faces and that is great,” she said. “This is turning into a family tradition.”

They planned later for an Easter dinner with friends and another Easter egg hunt, one that will include a real bunny and chicks on Sunday.

“They are so excited about it,” she said.

SCWA directors expected to hire new general manager

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Solano County Water Agency directors on Thursday are expected to remove the interim tag from Chris Lee’s title and make him the full-time general manager.

Rio Vista Mayor Ron Kott, who sits as the chairman of the SCWA board, said Lee has the experience and familiarity with pro-

grams – noting particularly his work with groundwater sustainability. He said the board considered throwing a recruitment net outside the agency, but realized there were prime candidates internally.

“Why bring in someone from outside when you have perfectly good candidates inside the agency?” Kott said.

Three people inter-

viewed for the post. The board unanimously landed on Lee.

Lee replaces Roland Stanford, who retired at the end of 2022. Prior to being named interim general manager in January, Lee served three years as assistant general manager. He marks his 19th year with the agency in May.

The commission meets at 6:30 p.m. in the Berryessa Room of the SCWA

office, 810 Vaca Valley Parkway, Suite 203, in Vacaville.

Also on the agenda, the board will consider a national lobbying services contract, and will receive its regular reports on the Delta and Water Policy issues, the Delta Counties Coalition, Delta Protection Commission and Delta Conservancy, and a report on the North Bay Watershed Association.

The initiative follows state law enacted with the passage of Assembly Bill 485. It can be viewed under the Transparency Portal section, www.fair field.ca.gov/government/ city-departments/police/ transparency-portal-sb978/ ab-485-hate-crimereporting#!.

The dashboard is viewed best from a desktop computer, and may not display correctly on mobile devices.

The assembly bill requires local law enforcement agencies to post hate crime data on their respective internet

sites every month. A “hate crime” is defined by existing law as a criminal act committed, in whole or in part, because of actual or perceived characteristics of the victim, including, among other things, race, religion, disability and sexual orientation. The dashboard depicts information reported to the department as it relates to hate crimes occurring within the city limits. Viewers of the dashboard can learn where and when hate crimes occur in Fairfield, which demographic groups are involved or targeted, and the types of crimes being committed against persons or property. Categories are designated by the Department of Justice and the data provided ranges from January 2011 to the most recent calendar month.

• Divorce/Custody/Visitation

• Wills/Trust & Estate Disputes/Probate

• Business Workouts

• Real Estate Law

Students to assess health of local creeks through SRCD program

Daily Republic Staff

The winter storms will make this year’s field work much different experiences than during the recent drought years.

“The value of the field-trip experi ence in helping students understand the role of creek monitoring cannot be overstated,” said Shea Kinser, education program manager for the Solano Resource Conservation Dis trict. “These hands-on experiences collecting data out in the field help illustrate the concepts we teach in the classroom and hopefully instill in students a desire to be stewards of our local waterways.

“Whether it’s putting on a pair of waders and holding a D-net in the creek or collecting a water sample and testing it for phosphates and nitrates, students gain valuable scientific field experience they can put on their resumes,” Kinser added.

This is the 15th year for the Biomonitoring Program, but it is only one of several water-education programs the district offers.

Education director Marianne Butler recently made a presentation to the Solano County Board of Supervisors outlining those programs.

In addition to Biomonitoring, the K-12 programs include the Watershed Explorers, as well as the Suisun Marsh Watershed, School Watershed Education and the Benicia Water Education programs.

More than 1,500 third-graders participate in Watershed Explorers; just as many sixth-graders are part of the Suisun Marsh curriculum; 600 students are in the Benicia program; and 4,000 students countywide are enrolled in the School Watershed program, Butler said.

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic file lee ascencio, Education Program Manager for solano Resource Conservation District, second from left, shows third graders a salamander during a Watershed Explorers program field trip to lagoon Valley Park in Vacaville, Feb. 13.

In all, 8,000 students from 260 classes take part in the 85 field trips.

The Boater Outreach Program, the Solano Water Institute for Teachers and the county cleanup events are targeted toward adult and family education, Butler told the board.

One of the more popular programs is the Solano Water Institute for Teachers, which educates the educators about water issues in the county – including a field trip to Lake Berryessa – with lessons to bring back to their classrooms. It is in August.

In addition to the Biomonitoring field trips – 15 planned for this spring – students participate in two classroom lessons that include hands-on activities to introduce them to the terminology and techniques involved in the assessments they perform. A third classroom lesson, after the field study, teaches students how to analyze the data

they’ve collected and engages them in important conversations about how to improve the health of creeks in their area, the conservation district noted in a statement.

Students also learn about related career opportunities.

The Biomonitoring Program is free to participating schools. It is funded through the Solano County Water Agency, county Department of Resource Management, the Vallejo Flood and Wastewater District, the Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District; and Benicia.

Oran DeRemer

Oran DeRemer passed away peacefully in his sleep on March 26, 2023, with his family by his side. He was born in Williamsport, PA to Oran and Mamie DeRemer on July 4, 1935. He met the love of his life, Naomi in Williamsport. They were married April 25, 1959. He served three years in the United States Marine Corps, before joining the Air Force. He was assigned to Michigan, England, Charleston, and Travis Air Force Base in California. He was sent to Vietnam for a year before returning to Travis Air Force Base until he retired in 1975. He enjoyed bowling and playing darts at Hickeys and Harrys Sportsman with his friends.

Oran is preceded in death by his parents Oran and Mamie DeRemer, father and mother-in-law, Oscar and Glady Manny, ters, Emily, Helen, Esther, Marget, Betty, brothers, Charles, ward, John, daughters, Linda and Bonnie. Oran is survived by his loving wife Naomi; two sons, Ray xanne), and Jack; granddaughters Diane Soucy (Steven), Kimberly (Shawn), Elexis, Emily Denney, grandson, Jeremy; eat grandchildren, Matthew, Katelyn, Chelsea Soucy, Jasarae, Winter Marcel, Mateo DeRemer, Dominic, Raleigh, McCartney, Jordyn DeRemer, Carleton Smith, Darven Dickenson; sister-inlaw, Nancy DeRemer; brother-in-law, Richard, Manny (Christine); son-in-law, Delbert Bush; and several nieces and nephews.

A visitation will be held on Monday April 17, 2023, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Bryan-Braker Funeral Home in Fairfield, CA. A graveside service will be Tuesday April 18, 2023, at 12:00pm at the Suisun Fairfield District Cemetery, 1707 Union Ave., Fairfield, CA. Arrangements entrusted to Bryan-Braker Funeral Home, Fairfield. You may sign the guestbook at www.bryanbraker.com.

Catherine (Sally) Graham

Catherine Louise Graham (Sally), 92, died on February 26, 2023 at her home in Decatur, TX. She was born on April 28, 1930 in Glendale, CA to William and Car oline Norman. Sally was married to Jim for 63 years. She is now reunited in heaven with her daughters, Kathy Graham and Erin Iwakeri.

Sally was known for her ability to make ever yone feel special. Her stubborn “I will figure this out” attitude served her well in life. She made every moment count from attaining her pilot’s license, trekking through the Himalayas in her 60’s, restoring vintage church stained glass windows, church missions to Africa, taking college courses in her nineties, and becoming an early adopter of cryptocurrency. Even though she was legally blind, she made sure she didn’t miss a thing.

A faithful follower of Christ, she was always encouraging family and friends. To meet Sally was to meet a new friend. Sally had a special gift of remembering specific details of people’s lives. She was others focused and people always left having a conversation with her as a better person. She would often get phone calls asking her how she was, only to have her turn the conversation around and find out what was going on in your life.

Art Scavenger Hunt planned in Benicia

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

BENICIA — A scavenger hunt in the Benicia downtown galleries is a perfect opportunity to discover great local art.

The Art Scavenger Hunt will be from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 22.

“The Scavenger Hunt will list a number of clues to answer as participants

walk through participating galleries and look at art,” organizers at Benicia Main Street said in a statement.

Participating galleries include Benicia Main Street (90 First St.), The Little Art Shop (129-E First St.), Estey Gallery (216 First St.), Benicia Plein Air Gallery (307 First St., Benicia Art Glass Gallery (309 First St.), HQ

Gallery (333-D First St.), Gallery 621 (920 First St., Suite 203), and Happy Life Pottery (632 First St.).

ies and beniciamainstreet. org on the day of the event. For information, go to beniciamainstreet.org or call 707-745-9791.

SCOE to celebrate those who influence children’s education

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Solano County Office of Education, in collaboration with the Solano Child Care Planning Council and other community organizations, will host the first Solano Early Childhood Educator of the Year program.

“This event will honor Early Childhood Educators who demonstrate excellence in the care and education of Solano’s young children through their passion, integrity, and commitment,” the county education office said in a statement.

“SCOE encourages parents, educators, administrators, business owners, community members and any adults who live or work in Solano County to nominate early childhood

educators who have made a difference in their community,” the statement said.

“Any Solano County early learning and care provider including teachers, assistants, paraeducators, food service, transportation, school site administrators and family childcare owner/directors, serving children between the ages of infant to preschool, may be nominated for this honorable recognition.”

Research reveals that experiences during the first five years of a person’s life impacts brain development and will influence long-term health, learning and other personal capabilities.

“Early Childhood Educators are critical to the growth and development of children and also vital to Solano County’s

workforce and economic stability – quote from early learning director,” the statement said.

The deadline to nominate someone is 5 p.m. May 1. Nomination forms can be found at www. solanocoe.net/edsvear lylearning or by contacting the Solano County Office of Education at 707-399-4400.

The honorees will be announced in early June, and will be recognized June 22 at the Solano Child Care Planning Council meeting.

For information, contact Lisa Eckhoff, senior director of Early Learning, at leckhoff@solanocoe.net.

She was “Nannie” to 7 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. Before moving to Texas to be closer to family, Sally and Jim lived on Twin Sisters in Fairfield and had spent 18 years at Paradise Valley Estates in Fairfield.

Sally is survived by her husband Jim; her son and his wife, David and Chona Graham of the Philippines, and their children, Jeminah, Jared, and Danella. She is also survived by grandchildren Lia and Cody Carta of Decatur, TX and their children, Lincoln, Kennedy, and Reagan; Nathan and Meredith Miller of Vacaville, CA and their children, Ashton and Grace; Lindsey Figueira of Weatherford, TX, and Jeremy and Dusty Figueira of Lawrenceville, GA and their children Everly and Archer.

Ray Charles Thompson

At age 94, surrounded by family and friends, Ray Charles Thompson peacefully passed away on March 29, 2023 in El Macero, CA. Ray was born in Reno, Nevada on October 23, 1928 to Abner and Edith Thompson. Shortly after Ray’s birth the family moved to San Leandro, CA where his parents lived in the same house for the next 68 years.

R ay was always on the go and during high school he made and sold bronzed ba by shoes, delivered newspapers, w orked for a ba ke ry and even sold fruit he picked from the neighbors trees. After high school, Ra y decided to do what he did best — w ork. With a new wife and ba by, Ray began his career in real estate, selling homes in the greater San Leandro/Oakland area. During the post WWII boom, R ay was able to w ork with many vete rans helping them to purchase their ve ry fir st home. Never one to let a day end early, Ra y also became a bar o wner and often w orked as the bartender at the Little Club in San Leand ro, where David Brubeck w ould often play R ay was an excellent salesman and business -

Hugh Orrick

man and never saw anything as a problem, he only saw challenges needing to be solved. After a fe w years of real estate sales in the bay area, R ay was asked to m ove to Davis and run the Stanley M. Davis Company. So in 1959, at the age of 31, he m oved to Davis, CA, where, for the next forty plus years, he w orked as the managing partner developing land and building homes throughout Davis, Woodland, Va caville and Fairfield.

Ray had an unm atched zest for life and was the epitome of work hard play hard. He was a member of the El Macero Country Club fo r 50 years, and belonged to two duck clubs. His other passions included fly fishing and tending to his vast ga rden. Ray was able to pass down many of these joys to his sons, grandchildren and even great grandchildren. Ra y is survived by his four sons, Dan Thompson of Sacramento, Steve Thompson of Davis, Bob Thompson (Cheryl) of Va caville, and Ian Thompson of Davis. In addition, Ray is survived by his sister Joanne Frasier of Castro Valle y, one nephe w, seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

A service and Celebration of Life will be held at the El Macero Country Club on April 12, 2023, beginning at 2:00 p.m. If possible, the favor of an RSVP is welcomed. Email CelebrateRayThompson@gmail.com.

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Hugh E. Orrick (Bus), died peacefully at home surrounded by his family at the age of 91 on Friday, April 1, 2023. Bus was born to Hugh E. and Pearl E. Orrick on November 11, 1931 in Woodland, CA. Bus is survived by his loving wife of 69 years Betty; his three daughters Pamela Orrick, Cheryl Kelsey (Mitch) and Patty Gonzalez; granddaughters Crystal (Tyler), Anna (Anthony), Corrine, Elizabeth, Jessica and JamieLee; and sister, Shirley Chastain (Joe).

Navy in January of 1951 and served our country proudly for the next seven years between active duty and Navy Reserves, with an honorable discharge in November 1958 Bus and his father Hugh, opened, owned and operated Orrick Electric in Dixon, where he continued to ser ve the farm communities of Solano and Yolo counties until his retirement in 2004.

Bus w as an invested member of his co mmunity, and a public ser vant at heart. He ser v ed in the Dixon Volunteer Fire Department, including starting the Tri-City Unde r Water R escue Team and as an investigato r.

NAVY

Bus also enjoyed spending time with his nine great-grandchildren and all his nieces and nephews. Bus was preceded in death by his father Hugh and mother Pearl.

Bus attended and graduated from Dixon High School in 1950, where he was the Senior Class President and shared many passions for horseback riding, hunting, target practice, cars, sports, football and track with his fellow classmates and friends. Dixon High is where he met the love of his life, Betty, and they were married October 11, 1953.

Bus joined active duty in the United States

He w as also a member and ser v ed proudly with the Lions Club, B oat Club, Royal Arch Masons and many more in the Dixon ar ea Bus w as a mentor to many family, friends, and community members. He has always shared the passion of teaching his e xperiences “hands on,” and his le ga cy of public service will live on in his family of a Nurse Practitioner, Public Safety Dis patcher, Firefighter, and other helping professions. Bus will be gr eatly missed by many

There will be a Celebration of life at the McCune Garden Chapel in Vacaville on Saturday, April 15, 2023 at 2:30 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested any donations be made to the Dixon Professional Fire Fighters Association.

THE DAILY REPUBLIC DELIVERS. CALL 427-6989 TO SUBSCRIBE.

VETERAN

& AIR FORCE VETERAN

Peña Adobe easement, final map for new development on council agenda

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — City council members will be asked to vote on a res olution at Tuesday’s meeting, granting ease ment to PG&E of parcels at Peña Adobe.

PG&E has begun pre liminary work on its project, known as the Vacaville 1104 System Hardening Project, to enhance the safety and reliability of the utility’s electrical grid by under grounding the existing overhead power lines and providing electrical service to facilities needed to serve the Lower Lagoon Valley Policy Plan Implementation Project.

Those facilities include a sanitary sewer lift station, domestic water-booster pump station and domestic water-storage reservoir. The underground electrical facilities are proposed to be installed through city right-of-way and cityowned parcels in Peña

Adobe Park.

The developer has stated its desire to begin the construction of homes in late spring of this year. Electrical service is a critical requirement to meet this schedule.

PG&E will pay all fees and costs associated with the easement, necessary quitclaims, encroachment permit, all construction

costs associated with the installation of the utilities, future maintenance of the facilities, restoration of the land upon installation and/or maintenance of the facilities, and any damage or loss to the city incurred by the project.

Upon completion of the project, PG&E shall restore the easement area as nearly as practicable

Fairfield District 3

to its condition as prior to the project.

The item is on the consent calendar, which can be passed in one motion.

Council members will also be asked to approve the final map associated with the Roberts’ Ranch Village E development.

If the council votes to approve the map and the infrastructure improvements are substantially complete, building permits can be issued to construct homes.

The tentative map and development agreement were approved by City Council on March 28, 2017.

The project is at the northeast corner of Leisure Town Road and Fry Road.

It is also on the consent calendar. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at city council chambers, 650 Merchant St. The complete agenda can be found at https:// www.ci.vacaville. ca.us/government/ agendas-and-minutes.

Probation Department: ‘Positive Change’ makes difference for adult offenders

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Solano County supervisors on Tuesday will receive a Probation Department presentation on adult recidivism.

“The department has partnered with Beyond the Arc Inc. since 2017 to analyze recidivism rates for adult clients. The current study looked at recidivism rates of adult clients that successfully completed the Center for Positive Change,” the staff report to the board states.

“An independent review of criminal justice records by BTA found that clients that successfully complete the CPC have a lower recidivism rate than those who did not complete the program. The department attributes this success to the innovative programing (cognitive behavioral therapy, substance abuse

treatment, mental health treatment, job readiness, and vocational training), the supervision services that are provided which seek to reduce reoffending, and the staff who work with clients in an effort to help them be successful,” the report states.

“Providing barrier removal services to include housing continues to be a need for many clients. The Department has made a concerted effort to apply for and utilize grants to assist clients with temporary and permanent housing. To date, over 150 clients have received assistance,” the report adds.

“Lastly, the department’s approach of balancing treatment, and providing services with accountability is critical in ensuring community safety. The department’s participation in the Office of Traffic Safety grant

Deadline for kindness video contest is May 1

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Solano County District

Attorney’s Office is still accepting entries for the Kindness Campaign Video Contest.

It is open to all sevenththrough 12th-grade students in Solano County.

“Submit a video between 30 seconds to 2 minutes in length that expresses what the power of kindness can accomplish in your community. Hatred and bullying can pop up anywhere. How can the power of kindness be used in our schools, homes and communities to make a positive difference? If you had the power of kindness, what would you do with it?” the DA’s Office said.

The videos must “focus on how kindness can make a positive difference against bullying and negative behavior.” Entries must also include creator’s names, school affiliation

Fairfield Planning Commission meeting canceled; next one is April 26

FAIRFIELD — Wednesday’s Fairfield

Listening Tour on tap for April 22

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The City Council Listening Tour for District 3 will continue from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 22 – the second in the series of seven.

Mayor Catherine “Cat” Moy and the Fairfield City Council will visit each district as part of a “Listening Tour.”

The gatherings give residents the chance to

interact with elected officials more closely, meet department heads and staff, learn about city projects, ask questions and provide input.

The meeting will take place at the Neighbourhood Park Center at 2800 Owens St. For more information and upcoming meeting dates and times, visit www.fairfield. ca.gov/listen.

In brief

provides an opportunity to partner with local law enforcement agencies to conduct DUI Checkpoints and allows the Probation officers to identify treatment needs and

refer clients to services as needed.” The board meets at 9 a.m. in the first-floor chamber of the government center, 675 Texas St., in Fairfield.

Airport Commission to review Rio Vista housing element

FAIRFIELD — The Solano County Airport Land Use Airport Commission on Thursday will review the Rio Vista

Housing Element Update to determine compatibility with the local airport and Travis Air Force Base uses. The commissioners meet at 7 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors chamber on the first floor of the government center, 675 Texas St., in Fairfield.

and name of teacher or staff adviser.

“Also include a short explanation of your video, either in the body of your email submission or attached as a word document. For example, tell us about the inspiration for your project and provide the backstory if you feel it will aid the judging panel,” the DA’s Office said.

Submit videos by a shared link (Google drive, Dropbox, etc.) to sc dakindness@solano county.com and the signed Media Photo Release Form, which is available at www.solanocounty. com/civicax/filebank/blob dload.aspx?blobid=40568.

If you are having trouble submitting the video through a shared link, send an email to the address above.

The deadline to submit videos is May 1. Finalists will be announced May 15.

For more information, send an email to scdakind ness@solanocounty.com.

Planning Commission meeting has been canceled. The next scheduled meeting is April 26. The commission last met Feb. 8.

No reason was given for the cancellation. For more information, visit www.fairfield.ca.gov.

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic Visitors check out Pena adobe during the Pena adobe Historical Park open House in Vacaville.

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic file (2022)

Catherine “Cat” Moy, center, takes the oath of office, Dec. 20, 2022.

Why California Republicans still use Sacramento mass shooting in push to undo prison reforms

tRibune content agency

SACRAMENTO — One year later, Sacramento’s deadliest mass shooting continues to shape discussions in the California Capitol. They revolve around one question: would lives have been saved if one of the suspects had served out his full prison sentence?

California voters in 2016 created the opportunity for inmates to reduce their time behind bars. They passed Proposition 57, a ballot measure intended to draw down the state’s prison population. It allowed inmates convicted of violent and nonviolent crimes to more quickly earn credits through rehabilitative programs and leave custody sooner.

The program received fresh attention in 2022.

That’s because Smiley

Martin – one of the suspects facing charges in the April 2022 shooting that killed six people at 10th and K streets – was able to combine these credits to cut his 10-year domestic violence sentence to about five years.

Now, lawmakers want more transparency around sentence-trimming programs. There are calls to make creditearning records public and to gather data on outcomes for inmates who get out early after participating in rehabilitative programs. GOP Assemblyman Joe Patterson is pushing to reclassify some crimes as violent, making it harder for those inmates to earn early-exit credits.

He echoed the argument Republicans have been making for the past year – that the shooting could have been prevented if the suspect was still in prison.

“I don’t know what the individual in the Sacramento shooting would have done once he got out if he served his actual full term,” Patterson told The Sacramento Bee. “All I know is that, for sure, he would not have killed those six people, those particular six people, on that night.”

During the bill’s hearing in March, Democratic Assemblyman Isaac Bryan called Patterson’s argument “absolutely ludicrous.”

Free monarch friendly garden workshop set for April 16

DIXON — Solano Resource Conservation District experts will offer a free workshop on Monarch Friendly Gardens from 1 to 3 p.m. April 16 in Dixon.

The workshop will include information on monarch butterflies and other pollinators and suggest appropriate native plants that will attract these butterflies, as well as a demonstration on planting.

Registration is required to get the location. Send an email to Katherine Holmes at katherine.holmes@ solanorcd.org.

For information, contact Holmes by email or call 707-678-1655, Ext. 107.

LAFCO takes up budget, work plan at Monday meeting

FAIRFIELD — The Local Agency Formation Commission will review the proposed 2023-24 budget and work plan when it meets Monday.

It also will take up the new contract for Solano Irrigation District Municipal Service Review and Sphere of Influence Study.

Paul Kitagaki Jr./The Sacramento Bee/TNS file (2022) Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, left, and Sacramento Police Department Chief Katherine Lester announce at the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office on May 3, 2022, that murder charges have been filed against Smiley Martin, Dandrae Martin and Mtula Payton for the April 3 gang shooting in downtown Sacramento.

“So, what’s appropriate?” Bryan asked. “You get charged (with) domestic violence, you get sentenced to 10 years. You serve five. You come home. If 10, there would have been no shooting? Fifteen, no shooting? Twenty, no shooting?” The credit-earning system that accelerated Martin’s release stems from efforts to reduce overcrowding in California prisons.

The state’s prison population increased dramatically during the 1980s and 1990s, a result of the war on drugs and new sentencing policies that kept people incarcerated longer. This included the Three Strikes Law, which requires sentences of 25 years to life in prison for those previously convicted of two serious crimes.

Another factor was the introduction of determinate sentences – meaning those that end on a date certain – which former Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law in the 1970s.

Before the changes initiated by Brown, more inmates received indeterminate sentences, which set an earliest-possible release date but an open-ended maximum. Sentences like 25 yearsto-life gave more power to parole boards to decide when prisoners were ready for release.

Subsequent legislation added more prison time for factors like firearm use or gang affiliation. It meant prisoners spent even longer locked up, contributing to crowded facilities. Eventually, severe over-

crowding led to dangerous conditions, prompting lawsuits against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

By 2011, the system’s population was at about 180% of design capacity. That was the year the U.S. Supreme Court upheld an order by a panel of federal judges in California to lower the number of inmates to 137.5% of capacity. It meant cutting the population by more than 30,000 prisoners, according a Legislative Analyst’s Office report.

As part of the state’s response, California voters approved Proposition 57. The measure, in combination with other legislation and early releases because of the Covid-19 pandemic, drew the inmate population down to 110.9% of capacity, or 90,934 people as of March 8, according to the Department of Corrections.

Proposition 57 allows inmates convicted of certain nonviolent crimes to appear before the parole board more quickly. The board is not required to let them out – members could still force prisoners to remain behind bars.

The measure also gives the Department of Corrections the ability to change the rate at which inmates convicted of violent and nonviolent crimes can earn credits for participating in prison programming, such as drug rehabilitation, work training or educational classes.

As California has changed the way it incarcerates people, Republicans have contin-

5.87-acre parcel, 7717 W. Ranch Lane, into the Rural North Vacaville Water District for drinking water service. The commission also will consider adopting a new project type and associated fee regarding requests for fire protection services contracts.

ually pushed back, citing concerns about upticks in crime and suggesting Proposition 57 needs to be amended.

The calls for change only increased after the Sacramento shooting. Sacramento Bee reporting showed Martin, one of the three suspects in the incident, received credits that allowed him to leave prison in February 2022 after serving five years for attacking his girlfriend.

Martin received some of his credits before sentencing, but he also earned “a variety of additional post-sentencing credits,” according to the Department of Corrections.

His case captured a major concern about Proposition 57: that it results in violent criminals being released from prison too quickly.

The Department of Corrections allows those convicted of nonviolent crimes to earn credits more quickly than those convicted of violent crimes. But domestic violence, Martin’s previous conviction, is not on California’s list of violent felonies. That means he was able to earn credits at a quicker rate.

The shooting also occurred as the Department of Corrections was in the midst of updating its credit system to allow both nonviolent and violent inmates to earn them faster.

Prisoners convicted of violent crimes can now reduce their sentences by one-third through credit-earning. Those convicted of nonviolent crimes can cut their sentences by half.

A yea r later, See Reforms, Page A10

Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

“California Duck Days is a family-oriented, community-based outdoor festival with activities for people of all ages. On-site activities for families include interactive exhibits, wetland themed arts and crafts, and much more,” Visit California stated.

The event, touted as Northern California’s wetlands and wildlife festival, runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 29 at the Yolo Bypass Wild-

life Area headquarters, 45211 County Road 32B, in rural Davis. The wildlife area encompasses 17,770 acres, and offers an abundance of bird habitats and wildlife viewing opportunities. In the same newsletter, Berryessa Brewing of Winters, was noted as one of the 141 “amazing beers” in California. There are more than 1,100 breweries that operate in the state. The California Visitor’s Guide, which is free to the public, features a photo of 141 of the craft beers. Berryessa Brewing’s beer is found in the 10th row. The newsletter offers a link to the brewery’s website.

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Silicon Valley Bank’s problems were visible without a stress test

The recent bank issues continue to create angst but there are some simple conclusions which should help frame your opinion of the discussion.

Some critics assert there is a link between the failures of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank of New York with bipartisan legislation passed in 2018 that rolled back some, but not all, of the onerous rules enacted as part of the DoddFrank Act for regional banks with equity between $50 billion and $250 billion. This action left full regulation in place only for large banks, often dubbed the “systemically important financial institutions.”

The most prominent of these rules was the requirement for annual “stress tests” conducted by the Federal Reserve Board. The current criticism claims that these stress tests could have revealed the problems at SVB. This assertion is too simplistic and not really correct.

The fundamental problems at SVB were readily visible and should have been uncovered by even a cursory bank examination or offsite supervisory analysis. The most prominent problem was management of interest-rate risk in SVB’s securities portfolio.

Incredibly, SVB released its director of risk management in April 2022 and did not replace the position. This was known to the regulators. Simple question: Who has responsibility for this task?

Banks must publicly document their equity position in a quarterly “Call Report,” which is a publicly available regulatory report filed quarterly with the U.S. FFIEC (Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council – a formal U.S. government interagency body composed of five banking regulators).

SVB showed the full final value at maturity of the U.S. Treasury bonds it owned, not the current value, which was lower. The lower value was what it would receive if it sold the bonds immediately. SVB did not deal with these lower values by “booking” them in the report at the lower value. It showed a higher value that was misleading.

Anyone could have downloaded these reports and seen the growing multi-billion losses in SVB’s securi-

ties portfolio. By Q4 of 2022, these losses exceeded the bank’s equity capital, but losses evident as far back as 2022 Q1 indicated that the bank would have been undercapitalized if it had been required to recognize these unbooked losses. No detailed Fed stress test was required to reveal this basic failure of asset-liability management. Compounding the problem of unbooked losses on securities was SVB’s incredible reliance upon “uninsured deposits,” which are deposits above the $250,000 limit per account on FDIC deposit insurance. This point is fundamental because uninsured deposits are more likely to experience sudden withdrawal when rumors, or facts, circulate about a bank’s financial viability. No “stress tests” were required to uncover SVB’s reliance upon uninsured deposits. Like the unbooked securities losses, uninsured deposits also are reported on the Call Report by every bank with more than $1 billion in assets for this very reason.

At the end of 2021, SVB reported uninsured deposits of $166 billion (87%) out of total deposits of $191 billion.

Further compounding these two problems was the lack of diversification in SVB’s loan and deposit portfolios. SVB had built its franchise during the past decade by catering to the venture-capital community, VCs and the companies they fund.

Large depositors became worried and withdrew huge amounts to protect the uninsured amount of their deposit. SVB was forced to sell the bonds at lower prices to fulfill the withdrawals. They ran out of money.

In combination, these three problems spun out of control and the bank failed. No stress test was required to foresee this possibility. Where were the board of directors?

Where were the regulators? Do we really need more regulation or just a push to ensure that the regulators enforce the existing rules and regulations?

Mark Sievers, president of Epsilon Financial Group, is a certified financial planner with a master’s in business administration from the University of California, Berkeley. Contact him by email at mark@wealth matters.com.

Former Google CEO rejects AI research pause over China fears

Putting a temporary pause on artificial intelligence development would only hand an advantage to competitors in China, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt said, after more than 1,000 researchers signed a letter warning of the consequences of moving too quickly on AI research.

Speaking to the Australian Financial Review in an interview published Friday, Schmidt said there were legitimate concerns about the speed of research into AI but they should be mitigated by tech companies working together to set standards.

In the past week, more than 1,000 researchers and executives, including Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk, signed an open letter published by the Future of Life Institute, which called for an AI research pause of “at least six months,” warning of “potentially catastrophic effects” on society if appropriate governance wasn’t put in place.

Labor market adds 236,000 jobs in March, powering economy on

The WashingTon PosT

Employers churned out 236,000 jobs in March, shoring up the economy through a period of increasing financial instability and inflation, as a resilient labor market continues to prop up the economy against all odds.

The unemployment rate ticked down to 3.5 percent last month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, hovering near 50-year record lows, in part because more workers joined the workforce and some employers have held onto workers in a tight labor market.

The March jobs report marked the 27th straight month of solid job growth. While the pace of job creation has slowed, the strength of the labor market three years into the coronavirus pandemic continues to befuddle experts.

American workers, and their spending prowess, have driven the U.S. economy through incredible obstacles: a banking crisis that took down three institutions and threatened broader financial instability; higher interest rates that have chilled the housing market and parts of the financial industry; sweeping tech industry layoffs, with major employers cutting more than 160,000 jobs in three months; and persistent inflation that’s made groceries and rent much more expensive, particularly for the nation’s most vulnerable.

“The labor market remains the pillar of strength in the economy,” said Daniel Zhao, lead economist at Glassdoor. “Americans are employed, they’re getting paychecks, which of course keeps consumer spending healthy and keeps the rest of the economy running.”

Some sectors are fueling the labor market’s growth, as others have slowed. The largest job gains in March were in leisure and hospitality, health care, and government, sectors that have boomed in the pandemic recovery economy as consumers have shifted their spending away from goods toward services and experiences.

Leisure and hospitality added 72,000 jobs in March, with most of the growth in food services and bars. Employment in the industry remains below its pre-pandemic level by roughly 368,000 jobs.

G overnment added 47,000 jobs, but the sector is still working on recovering pandemicera losses. Health care added 34,000 jobs with the most growth in home health care services and hospitals. Professional and business services added 39,000 jobs, with the largest gains in professional, scientific, and technical services.

Employment in other major sectors, including manufacturing, transportation, warehousing and retail changed little between February and March.

Despite the economic head winds, employers – many of whom have struggled to fill openings –are continuing to hire or at least keep the workers they do have, even as business slows.

At Climax Packaging Machinery near Cincinnati, orders for drink-packaging machines and other industrial equipment are down about 40 percent from a year ago. But owner Daryll Rardon said it has become so difficult

to find workers – especially welders, machine operators and electromechanical assemblers - that he’s holding on to his 26 employees and actively recruiting new ones.

“Am I hoarding workers? You could say I’m guilty of that,” he said. “If the right person walked in the door today, we’d hire them even though we don’t necessarily need them. That is not something I’ve ever done before.”

Employers’ propensity to hold on to workers even as the economy slows is “playing a very strong role” in supporting extra spending throughout the economy, according to Diane Swonk, chief economist at KPMG. The big question, she said, is just how long employers can justify keeping extra workers on their payrolls if there is a sustained drop in business.

“How long this ‘labor hoarding’ continues will test the resilience of the labor market,” Swonk said. “We just don’t know how much these patterns will shift: When will we go from hoarding to holding to cutting? How much are businesses willing to hold on to people even as demand wanes?”

The picture is being further complicated by the Federal Reserve’s aggressive efforts to tackle fast-rising prices. The central bank has raised interest rates eight times in the last year – most recently in March – in hopes that higher borrowing costs will slow the economy enough to bring down inflation. Policymakers continue to point to the strong but slowing job market as proof that their efforts are working without causing irreparable harm to the economy.

And while some of the country’s largest employers, including Walmart, McDonald’s, Microsoft

and Amazon, are laying off thousands, the broader economy continues to add hundreds of thousands of jobs a month. Small businesses are making the bulk of those hires: 8 in 10 new hires in February were at companies with fewer than 250 employees, Labor Department data show.

Those small businesses, which struggled to compete with higher pay and better perks offered by large corporations for much of the pandemic, are reluctant to let workers go. But economists say that might not be sustainable long-term, especially as higher interest rates work their way through the economy.

“We’re seeing labor hoarding today, but I worry that these small businesses are also going to feel the biggest tightening of credit conditions,” Swonk said. “If these companies – especially younger firms – are blowing through cash and not getting access to credit lines they could’ve gotten a year ago, that could start to change the equation. How long can they afford to hold on to extra workers?”

Rardon, the business owner in Ohio, said new orders slowed precipitously early this year. Clients are still asking for quotes, but they are waiting weeks, sometimes months, to make a decision.

“People are getting

nervous,” he said. “They’re worried what interest rates are going to do, what the economy is going to do. They are being really, really careful about how they spend their money.”

Although he would’ve ordinarily reacted by paring down staff – or at least pausing hiring –Rardon said that’s out of the question now. Instead, he’s boosting pay, offering $500 referral bonuses and providing free pizza, pasta and fried chicken on Fridays to keep his workers happy. (His biggest fear, he said, is losing them to General Electric, which has a manufacturing plant nearby. “They’re the 800-pound gorilla in our labor market,” he said.

“They can pay whatever

See Labor, Page A9

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Madeleine Hordinski/The Washington Post photos

Electronic engineer John Trammel, right, and electrical designer Dana Watters work on a conveyor belt at Climax Packing Machinery.

Daryll Rardon, owner of Climax Packing Machinery, says demand for the machines has plummeted, down nearly 40 % from a year ago.

they want to pay if they need people.”)

“It’s never been easy to get really good people, but it’s never been this hard,” he said. “People who, 10 years ago, I would’ve let go, are getting second and third chances now. It’s like, ‘Can you please shape up? We can’t lose you.’”

Indeed, by many measures, the labor market remains tighter than usual. The number of job openings and the rate of workers quitting their jobs was elevated well above pre-pandemic levels in February. The number of layoffs decreased slightly, despite downsizing at major companies. A backlog of consumer demand and a higher percentage of adults staying out of the workforce coming out of pandemic

lockdowns has kept the labor market tighter than the Federal Reserve would like to ease inflation.

But in positive news for the Fed, the number of adults in the workforce rose by 480,000 workers in March. The unemployment rate drop in March reflects the increase of workers getting and looking for jobs. Coaxing Americans back to work after the pandemic has been a goal of policymakers looking to soften the labor market without triggering widespread layoffs.

In another bright spot, the Black unemployment rate fell to 5 percent in March, a record low. Black unemployment has long outpaced White unemployment in the United States.

There are also plenty of signs that the job market has softened substantially since last spring. Average hourly wages rose more slowly in March, by 0.3 percent, or to $33.18 an

hour, lagging behind the pace of rising wages for much of 2022. Job growth, although historically high, continues to decline. There were 9.9 million job openings in February, down from 10.6 million in

January. Meanwhile, the share of job postings that advertise benefits such as health insurance, paid time off and retirement plans has begun to level off, according to data from the jobs site Indeed.

Many workers in industries facing labor shortages say understaffing has deteriorated working conditions and pushed people to quit.

Mayra Castaneda, 43, an ultrasound technologist

at a hospital in Lynwood, Calif., said she’s seen many of her younger colleagues leave their jobs, cut back on hours, or switch industries because of difficult working conditions and the plentiful opportunities to earn higher starting wages in less stressful fast food and retail jobs.

“We’re severely understaffed. And if you don’t have enough staff to do the job, then patient care takes a hit,” Castaneda said. “Burnout and stress is the reality. You have to miss meals. You no longer have a relationship with your family.”

After 24 years in her job, Castaneda makes $60 an hour - much more than most of her colleagues. But she has still considered leaving her job because of the increasing burden and guilt that comes with caring for patients without adequate staff. “I’m hoping there’s some light at the end of the tunnel,” she said.

Host Adam Richman looks at Thanksgiving dinner staples on “The Food That Built America.”

Judge names 17 Bay Area cops who allegedly sent racist messages, memes

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

SAN JOSE — In a move that deepened the scandals engulfing the Antioch Police Department, a Contra Costa County judge on Friday released the names of 17 city police officers accused of using racist slurs, jokes and memes in text messages over a period of more than two years.

The names include the president of Antioch’s police union, as well as five officers already under investigation by the FBI for alleged crimes. The judge also named 11 other Antioch officers – at least eight of whom have been put on leave over the group texts, which reportedly included frequent use of racial slurs as well as racist memes.

In releasing the names, Judge Clare Maier urged caution, saying the content of the messages was so offensive it could “incite further hate or racial animus.”

But, she said, information about the texts – and the identities of the officers involved – “doesn’t deserve protection” under the California evidence code. She did not disclose what each officer is accused of actually sending but generally categorized the content as “deeply disturbing” and targeting “members of the Black and Hispanic community.”

Among the officers Maier named was Rick Hoffman, the president of the Antioch Police Association, who has been a frequent critic of Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe, a police-reform advocate. Hoffman was among the officers placed on leave over the texts, according to multiple Antioch law enforcement officials.

“We’ll go through some challenges because of staffing. Absolutely,” said Thorpe. “But if that’s what they’re doing (making racist and

homophobic texts), I don’t want them here.”

Police Chief Steven Ford did not respond to a request for comment.

“I haven’t seen any text messages. I don’t know what the content is. Until I know more, I think it’s irresponsible for me to say anything,” said attorney Michael Rains, who represents Antioch police officers.

The existence of the text messages became known last month as a result of an ongoing federal probe into Antioch and Pittsburg police officers, but Friday’s developments made clear just how many officers are involved in both scandals plaguing APD.

The FBI – which is investigating alleged fraud, bribery, drug distribution and civil rights violations related to the use of force – found the messages after agents served search warrants on a number of officers’ homes and showed up at the police department to seize phones and other personal items.

The first offensive messages date to September 2019, and they continued until January 2022 when the phones were seized, Maier said.

Of the officers Maier named, five – Devon Wenger, Eric Rombough, Andrea Rodriguez, Calvin Prieto and Morteza Amiri – already have been placed on leave amid the FBI investigation. A sixth,

Tim Manly, has resigned from the department.

In addition to Rombough and Manly, six other officers – Joshua Evans, Jonathan Adams, Scott Duggar, Robert Gerber, Thomas Smith and Brock Marcotte – are accused of specifically referencing in the texts alleged members of the Oaklandbased ENT gang during an investigation that resulted in 48 arrests. Those texts were sent during a 10-day period in March 2021 when Antioch police were wiretapping phones of the people under investigation.

Maier ordered those text messages be released to defense attorneys, whose four defendants are part of the ENT case and are mentioned in the officers’ texts. The messages may undermine the prosecution of their clients as attorneys use the material to attack the motives and character of police investigators and witnesses.

The defense attorneys in the ENT case now are expected to file motions to dismiss charges under the Racial Justice Act, arguing that their clients, all Black men, were investigated by racist cops who were out to get them.

The material can be expected to surface again in other criminal cases involving those same police officers, as well as the others Maier named. That list also includes Aaron Hughes, Brayton Milner, John Ramirez and Kyle Smith.

Contra Costa District

Attorney Diana Becton released a statement Friday acknowledging Maier’s ruling but limited her comments, citing the ongoing criminal investigation. It will be up to the courts to decide whether the officers’ texts justify dismissing charges against the people they were investigating.

That includes people officers referred to directly in the texts, as well as any other Black and Latino person who was investigated or arrested by the officers, and could argue they were targeted due to their race.

Already, as a result of the FBI probe, dozens of federal and state cases – some involving Rombough, Marcotte and Amiri – have been dismissed.

For the Delta-adjacent city of roughly 100,000, racial tension has bubbled barely below the surface for years as gentrification in the western Bay Area uprooted people from San Francisco, Oakland and Richmond and into the deep East Bay.

In 2000, Antioch was 65% white. Now, 39% of Antioch’s residents are white, while Latino or Hispanics make up 34.5% of the city, and the Black population has increased from 10 to 20% over two decades, according to census data.

Attitudes toward police have changed drastically, too. In the early 2010s, residents regularly pressured the City Council and police chief to hire more officers, faster, out of concern for growing crime rates. A decade later, in 2020, a younger generation of city residents staged protests and even a hunger strike to speak out against police brutality.

“I’ve had my eye on Antioch for a long time. This is proof-positive what people who have been watching Antioch already knew – that it is full of officers who do not deserve to wear the badge,” civil rights attorney Adante Pointer said Friday.

“It’s no wonder why the public has lost faith in law enforcement and why we see Black and Brown people over-represented in the criminal justice system when the people administering it are racist,” Pointer said.

Republicans face an uphill battle for changes that would blunt the effect of Proposition 57

Patterson’s bill would have reclassified domestic violence, rape of an unconscious person and human trafficking of a sexual nature as violent crimes. This would make it more challenging for inmates like Martin to earn credits and win early release.

It would also expand the list of offenses eligible for the state’s Three Strikes Law.

“I think a lot more crimes – human trafficking, sexual assault – are worthy of lengthier prison sentences,” Patterson said. “But that’s obviously not the will of the Legislature. So I’m trying to be reasonable and trying to find ones that are so obvious a threat to public safety, and make sure those are considered what they truly are: violent crimes.”

But Democrats are hesitant to make the state’s criminal justice system even more punitive, especially as the state closes prisons and moves to limit incarceration. Patterson’s bill ultimately failed to make it out of the Assembly Public Safety Committee.

“What you’re kind of proposing is a ‘back to the future’ kind of thing, where we did three strikes,” said Democratic Chair Reggie Jones-Sawyer during the March hearing. “That’s how we got to overcrowding in the prisons. That’s how we filled it with Black and brown folk.”

A bill from GOP Assemblywoman Diane Dixon would have made Department of Corrections prisoner credits and release dates public records. Her measure also died in committee, as members expressed concerns about prisoner privacy and whether public disclosure of their records would discourage them from participating in credit-earning programs.

The committee allowed Dixon reconsideration for her bill, meaning she can try again at a subsequent hearing. She intends to rework it with committee suggestions.

“Anytime there’s no transparency, one looks to why?” Dixon said. “What are they trying to hide? What do they not want to disclose? And if an inmate is participating in all the necessary rehabilitative programs, great. Let’s know, so when these people enter our communities, we know that they are rehabilitated according to CDCR.”

Ray Chavez/The Mercury News/TNS file (2020)

An Antioch Police officer monitors demonstrators in Antioch, June 24, 2020.

This girl is saving the planet, 1 tube of mascara at a time

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

If you wrote the story of Paige DeAngelo’s life so far, it would be in mascara.

Start with dance. Ever since she was a toddler watching her older sisters in dance class in Haddon Township, New Jersey, she loved it. By age 8, she was competing and putting on her own makeup. Lots of mascara there.

Then there’s the weather. Clouds, the stars, it was all magical. In elementary school, her mother took her to meet her idol, the glam orously camera-ready Fox29 weather anchor Sue Serio. Even more mascara.

By the time she entered Drexel University, this Jersey girl knew she wanted to combine her loves – weather, performing, and makeup – for a career as a television meteorologist. She landed a co-op reporting on weather and sustainability for Drexel TV.

But then she started thinking more about what she was reporting.

“I’m preaching to be sustainable, but I realized how much I was wasting,” DeAngelo said. “I thought maybe I could apply this to myself and find reusable makeup. At least mascara, because I use mascara everyday.”

But she couldn’t find a product that fit the bill for quality or safety.

So DeAngelo made her own.

And now that mascara – and her mascara story – just might be taking her around the world.

In early May, the Drexel senior will be one of 18 young people worldwide to compete in the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) virtual semifinals. If she makes it through, DeAngelo and her Aer Cosmetics will represent the United States as one of only six contestants in the final international competition in South Africa. Earlier this month, she placed first in the North American competition, after winning the Phila-

Is Long Covid preventable by vaccination?

Arecent “systemic review and meta-analysis,” a deep dive into previous studies, was published on what the authors call “Post-Covid19 Condition,” or “PCC,” (Tsampasian, Vasiliki and co-authors, Journal of the American Medical Association, online publication March 23, 2023).

You may recall that infections with Covid-19, scientifically also called SARS-CoV-2, have been associated with a symptom complex that some refer to as “Long Covid.” Symptoms, as described in this study, include shortness of breath, fatigue, “autonomic dysfunction,” with dizziness and faintness, and other concerns.

In the recent JAMA article, researchers from medical centers in the United Kingdom undertook a metaanalysis of existing literature, seeking to derive insights from 41 previous studies, encompassing data on 860,783 individuals. They accessed the studies through MEDLINE and Embase databases, and performed a “quantitative synthesis” using computer-assisted statistical tools.

UK researchers describe a number of results that reached a level of statistical significance. Female sex is described as conferring an odd ratio of 1.56 for developing PCC, i.e. they are 56% more likely to have this problem.

delphia regional. Overall, 1,250 students across the globe have competed.

Her invention – wastefree mascara – is solid tablets of mascara in a reusable case. The mascara is activated by fluid and applied with a wand. The user never has to buy a new case, just tablet refills.

“Paige really exemplifies what we’re looking for, not only as a student entrepreneur, but as a person, as well,” said Vinit Dhruva, board member of the Philadelphia chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, the international association that sponsors the GSEA.

“It’s about the journey,” said Dhruva, the president of DFW Motel Supplies & Textiles. “As entrepreneurs, we all have journeys.”

For DeAngelo, 22, that journey started with $20 and a trip to CVS.

After her sustainability epiphany, she bought various ingredients, wrecked some kitchen tools, but – voila! – ended up with a prototype mascara.

“I wasn’t just thinking, ‘Oh, I’ll use this for myself,’ because I knew it was a problem,” she said.

“I wanted other people to have it. So I looked into Drexel’s resources.”

She learned the Close School of Entrepreneurship had a co-op program – prestigious and hard to get in – that would provide a $15,000 scholarship, office space, other start-up support, and several months to turn her product into a business. Forget that she was still a journalism major and had only a couple of weeks to put her pitch together. She decided to give it a shot.

She got the co-op.

Despite some nerves, DeAngelo had a secret weapon: her “Popou” – her grandfather Luigino DeAngelo and his absolute faith in her.

“My other family members were probably a little scared because they knew I didn’t have any experience,” she said. “He was the one that was like, ‘You’re gonna do this! You’re gonna see it through. Just keep that peace with you.’”

That was her grandfather’s big thing – trying to bring peace to the world, she said. A World War II veteran and an inventor himself, he helped her come up with her company’s symbol – an olive branch for peace.

“He wanted me to do it more than anyone else,” she said.

For the aspiring entrepreneur, there were hits and misses.

She teamed with a cosmetic chemist company to come up with an improved formula that was vegan, organic and cruelty-free. A good move.

At first, she intended to market her mascara as water soluble. Not so good.

DeAngelo’s siblings, along with her sorority sisters and fellow members of her Drexel dance team, had been supportive product testers. So when her sister Nicole was invited to a wedding, Paige offered to do her makeup,

using her Aer Cosmetics mascara. The results were lovely, until Nicole teared up at the ceremony.

“It was a nightmare. She called me. She was like, ‘Paige, there’s paint all over me!’ I was like, ‘Oh, sorry. Thanks for that research.’”

After that, she found a fluid solution that makes the mascara waterproof –as well as customizable. A small amount of solution gives a more natural look. More creates dramatic lash effects.

Charles Sacco, associate dean of Drexel’s Close School, said Paige is part of a growing business breed: social entrepreneurs.

“It’s not always about making money,” Sacco said. “It’s about having an impact, and we’re seeing a lot more of that within this generation of kids. They see they’ve got to figure out how to make the world a better place through novel solutions to difficult problems.”

On Veterans Day 2022, her beloved Popou died. He was 95. DeAngelo’s friends gave her a little crystal angel. When she went to San Diego for the GSEA North American final in early March, she brought the angel and a photograph of her grandfather.

“Every time before I go to bed or before I compete, I talk to him,” she said. “He’s always in my head, especially when it gets hard.”

She’ll be taking his memory with her as she faces the international portion of the GSEA competition. The winner takes home $50,000.

Paige said she plans to keep working on the project after she graduates. Up until her grandfather’s last moments, she said, he was telling her “just go for it and figure it out. Everything is figure-out-able.”

developing PCC sequelae.” A so-called “meta-analysis” comes with limitations, including “considerable statistical heterogeneity” emerging from various studies, according to the researchers. Pooling of data from other studies is not a research gold standard. The UK study raises additional questions.

In the case of female gender, the authors postulate that “hormones may play a role in perpetuating the hyperinflammatory status of the acute phase of Covid-19 even after recovery.” With respect to age, this may be an indicator of “multiple underlying comorbidities.” Obesity may cause heightened levels of inflammation. Smoking is a risk factor for lung disease.

With respect to the co-morbid conditions linked to PCC, each condition may need specific further study. For example, could Long Covid symptoms in persons with anxiety or depression be related to those disorders, considered separately?

Patient age was found to be associated with a higher risk of symptoms for those aged 40-69 or over 70, compared with younger people aged 18-40 (odds ratio 1.21).

Body Mass Index in the Obese range conferred an odds ratio for PCC of 1.15, also statistically significant. Current smokers suffered an odds ratio of 1.10, which means a 10% higher risk.

“Comorbidities,” meaning other health issues, also emerged as risk factors for Long Covid. Examples included anxiety, depression, asthma, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, immunosuppression or ischemic heart disease.

Individuals who were hospitalized were more prone to PCC. Persons who were vaccinated with two doses in “all included studies” were 40% less likely to develop PCC, however. The authors concluded that demographic history and co-morbidities were “significantly associated” with development of PCC. Most importantly, Covid-19 vaccination appeared to offer a “protective role against

We cannot change our health history, gender or prior smoking decisions, The real point lesson the UK study, however, is that a 40% decrease in PCC was noted in those reporting prior vaccinations. Most of us, without contraindications, can pursue Covid-19 vaccination. Although 1.1 million American deaths were attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic, at least 102 million people suffered infection. Measles, preventable by the Measles-MumpsRubella (MMR) vaccine, offers historical comparison. Measles still infects 20 million people a year worldwide. Measles deaths were 2.6 million worldwide in 1980, declining to 73,000 by 2014. Then death rates subsequently edged upward. Measles outbreaks occurred in America, due to anti-vaccination beliefs, tending to leave some children unprotected. Measles may cause sensorineural hearing loss. Rubella may cause congenital deafness. Covid-19, after the infection clears, is associated with decreased sense of smell, and so-called Long Covid symptoms, in some patients. The adage that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” still makes sense today.

Scott T. Anderson, M.D. (standerson@ucdavis. edu), is a clinical professor at the University of California, Davis Medical School. This column is informational and does not constitute medical advice.

Scott Anderson Ask Dr. Scott

Jose F. Moreno/TNS file

Drexel University student Paige DeAngelo shows her own waste-free mascara at Drexel University, March 22.

Drexel University student Paige DeAngelo works making her own waste-free mascara at Drexel University. DeAngelo, a senior at Drexel in the entrepreneurship program, has created her own waste-free mascara. It came out of desire to respect the planet.

Drexel University student Paige DeAngelo applies wastefree mascara to Erin Nipps at Drexel University. DeAngelo, a senior in Drexel’s entrepreneurship program, has created her own waste-free mascara.

Crime logs

FairField

THURSDAY, APRIL 6

5:27 a.m. — Assault with a deadly weapon, WEST TEXAS STREET

8:21 a.m. — Grand theft, 400 block of GREGORY STREET

9 a.m. — Forgery, 1700 block of ELM STREET

9:06 a.m. — Vandalism, 5100 block of

STREET

11:52 a.m. — Commercial

burglary, 1300 block of WEST TEXAS STREET

12:09 p.m. — Sexual assault, 100 block of DEL NORTE COURT

12:28 p.m. — Forgery, 1100

block of TABOR AVENUE

4:44 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 1300

block of GATEWAY BOULEVARD

5:09 p.m. — Trespassing, 1900

block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

5:51 p.m. — Grand theft, 2100

block of WEST TEXAS STREET

6:20 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 400 block of EDISON COURT 6:34 p.m. — Reckless driver, EASTBOUND AIR BASE PARKWAY

7:30 p.m. — Grand theft, 3300

of NORTH TEXAS STREET

7:32 p.m. — Trespassing, 100 block of TABOR AVENUE

7:55 p.m. — Shots fired, 600 block of RENAISSANCE AVENUE

8:29 p.m. — Battery, 1400 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD

10:34 p.m. — Reckless driver, 2000 block of CADENASSO DRIVE FRIDAY, APRIL 7

1:15 a.m. — Trespassing, 2100 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

1:22 a.m. — Forgery, 1000 block of FIRST STREET

2:19 a.m. — Reckless driver, WESTBOUND AIR BASE PARKWAY

7:45 a.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, WESTBOUND HIGHWAY

12 9:44 a.m. — Battery, 3500 block

SuiSun City

Bunnies

Each year the event draws thousands of people. The city of Vacaville works hard to change up the festivities each year – back in 2017 it included a doggie Easter egg hunt along with

the kids’ Easter egg hunt. The biggest change this year was the wagon ride.

The city has more plans next month for the first Vaca Tri, an introduction to triathlon for kids 7 to 14 years old at the Three Oaks Community Center/Walter V. Graham Aquatic Center. Registration is available at www. ci.vacaville.ca.us.

managing reservoir levels over the next three years.

“This snowpack means we don’t need nearly the level of cuts as we thought we might have just four months ago,” Hasencamp said during a tour of water infrastructure and farming areas along the river.

The tour began at Hoover Dam near Las Vegas, where Lake Mead has recently declined to its lowest levels since it was filled.

The reservoir, which in 2000 had been nearly full, now stands at just 28% of full capacity. On its rocky shores, a whitish coating of minerals marks the highwater line about 180 feet above the water’s surface.

Upstream in the Rocky Mountains, the snowpack in the Upper Colorado River Basin measures 150% of the average since 1986, making it one of the largest snowpacks since 1980.

The runoff this spring and summer will boost the level of Lake Powell on the Utah-Arizona border, and the water will make its way to Lake Mead, which stores supplies for Southern California, Arizona, southern Nevada and northern Mexico.

Hasencamp said the runoff should eventually raise Lake Mead’s level by 20 to 30 feet, which might return it toward an “equilibrium level,” though both major reservoirs are still expected to remain well below half-full.

“This bump provides us a little bit of time, knowing that, at least for the next two to three years, we’re not going to have to make huge cuts,” Hasencamp said. The unusually wet winter, he said, “will give us a little bit of time to develop a longer-term solution.”

The historic snow and rain in California this winter has also allowed the district to “back off on the Colorado River supplies,” which will in turn help boost water levels at Lake Mead, Hasencamp said. He said various existing plans to voluntarily reduce the use of Colorado River water should be sufficient for the time being, but that it’s still crucial to develop plans for adapting as climate change continues to shrink the river’s average flow.

“The current use of Colorado River water is not sustainable,” he said. “We have to come to grips with the fact that we have to permanently reduce our use by about 25% or more of Colorado River water. So we’re going to need more innovative ways to stretch our water supply.”

Since June, federal officials have been urging representatives of the seven states to agree on plans for major water cutbacks. The federal Interior Department and Bureau of Reclamation have been studying options for preventing reservoirs from reaching

critically low levels, and soon plan to release a preliminary draft review of alternatives.

Managers of water agencies say they also will hold more talks to try to reach a consensus. In addition to settling on an approach for the next three years, they still need to negotiate new rules for dealing with shortages after 2026, when the current rules expire.

California has the largest water entitlement of any state on the Colorado River, supplying farmlands in the Imperial and Coachella valleys and cities from Palm Springs to San Diego.

At Lake Mead, the water courses through Hoover Dam’s intakes and rushes through 30-foot-wide pipes called penstocks. The water spins turbines, generating enough electricity for about 350,000 homes, and continues downriver to Lake Mohave.

At Lake Havasu, on the California-Arizona border, the Metropolitan Water District operates the W.P. Whitsett Pumping Plant, which since 1941 has been taking in water and pumping it uphill to start its journey across the desert in the 242-mile Colorado River Aqueduct.

“We keep Southern California hydrated,” said Derek Lee, the MWD team manager at the pumping plant, explaining that five pumping plants lift the water more than 1,600 feet along the aqueduct.

He showed a group of reporters the plant’s nine 6-foot-wide pipes, which slant up a rocky hillside and converge in larger 10-foot pipes.

During the past three years, as the district’s other imported supplies from Northern California were cut during the drought, the intake plant operated near full capacity, typically running seven or eight pumps, Hasencamp said.

But this year, the district has sharply reduced pumping from the Colorado River, lately running just three or four pumps.

The tour continued by plane, flying over farmlands around Blythe where the MWD has a program that pays growers who agree to leave some of their fields dry. While the district’s managers touted their efforts to reduce reliance on the Colorado River, federal officials held events elsewhere along the river this week to announce new funding for conservation programs and water infrastructure.

Visiting Imperial Dam, Deputy Interior Secretary Tommy Beaudreau and others from the Biden administration announced about $585 million for repairing and improving water systems across the West, part of $8.3 billion for water infrastructure projects included in the Bipartisan Infra-

structure Law. Beaudreau said the infrastructure money, along with $4.6 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act that will be used to address drought, “represent some of the largest investments in drought resilience in America’s history.”

In Arizona, federal officials announced that the Gila River Indian Community will receive $150 million over the next three years to pay for reducing water use and leaving a portion of their water in Lake Mead. The tribal government will also receive $83 million to expand water reuse with a reclaimed water pipeline project. Beaudreau said these efforts will significantly benefit the region, and the Interior Department will announce more funding in the coming months to conserve water and “provide for long-term sustainability.”

Because the largest share of the river’s water is used for agriculture, a portion of the federal money is expected to go toward paying growers who temporarily forgo some of their water and leave fields dry.

While this year’s rain and snow will help, “we are definitely not out of the woods,” Beaudreau said. “It took us 23 years to get into this deficit, and it’s going to take a lot more than one year of snowfall to get us out.”

Continuing their Colorado River tour, the

MWD officials visited with farmers in the Bard Water District who are participating in a seasonal land-fallowing program. During the summer, the growers agree not to plant crops like wheat or cotton on some fields, and receive compensation while continuing to grow more lucrative vegetable crops in other seasons.

They also met with leaders of the Quechan Tribe of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation, who have a voluntary program in which the MWD pays farmers not to grow crops on some of their lands from April through July, supporting an effort to boost the levels of Lake Mead.

The Quechan Tribe is one of 30 federally recognized tribes in the Colorado River Basin, and Native leaders have been calling for their inclusion in talks on river management where they previously were largely excluded.

Last month, Quechan Tribe President Jordan Joaquin was appointed as a member of California’s Colorado River Board by Gov. Gavin Newsom, becoming the first tribal representative to serve in the role. Joaquin called it an important step toward more tribal representation in decision-making.

“How do we solve our water problems? Well, you solve it by having everybody at the table, and that

includes tribes,” Joaquin said. “Tribal leaders need to be there.”

He and other representatives of the tribe said they are optimistic about finding solutions, and that the river is central to their way of life.

“We definitely have to have a living river,” said Frank Venegas, a water technician for the tribe. He stood beside a wetland park where a restoration project has brought back flourishing vegetation and birds.

“This is life for the Quechan people,” Venegas said.

As for the unresolved water shortage, he said, “we all have to sit together and we’ve got to develop an answer together.”

Hasencamp shared similar optimism as the tour ended at the F.E. Weymouth Water Treatment Plant in La Verne.

“Three years from this summer, we need to have this next set of generational agreements approved and in place, so we have three years to figure out the future of the Colorado River, how to make the river sustainable,” Hasencamp said. “It’s going to be hard work. We’re going to have to give and take. But I think people recognize that’s by far the best approach, as opposed to approaches that more likely lead to litigation.”

The MWD delivers water that its member agencies supply to 19 million people across Southern California. On average, about one-fourth of the region’s water supply comes from the Colorado River.

Adel Hagekhalil, the district’s general manager, said it’s important that the region work together to invest in solutions, such as recycling more wastewater, capturing more stormwater and cleaning up contaminated groundwater. He pointed out that Arizona and Nevada water agencies are helping fund initial work on a large water recycling project in Southern California.

He suggested the Colorado River Basin should one day consider creating a single water authority to govern water management across the seven states, something like the Tennessee Valley Authority. He said such a body could help guide the region in making “watershed investments that save the entire river as a whole.”

“We have to think holistically as one,” Hagekhalil said. “We’re stronger together, more effective together than if we’re fighting.”

He said the plentiful rain and snow shouldn’t diminish the urgency of finding long-term solutions for the Colorado River.

“Nature gave us a lifeline. Let’s not waste it,” Hagekhalil said. “Let’s figure out how we can now prepare.”

“This is the new climate,” he said. “And we need to adapt to it.”

Be sure to visit for future events

This week Bay Area Stage Theatre wants you to laugh at your tax liability

THINGS TO DO

I Fairfield

6 p.m. Sunday

‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’

The Downtown Theatre, 1035 Texas St. Fairfield. www. downtowntheatre.com.

7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday

‘Priscilla Queen of the Desert: The Musical’ Solano College Theatre, 4000 Suisun Valley Road. https://app.arts-people.com/ index.php?ticketing=sct01.

I Suisun City

Noon Sunday Jazzy Champagne Brunch Marina Lounge, 700 Main St., Suite 106. www.marinalounge suisun.com.

7 p.m. Wednesday

Cultural Exchange

Wednesdayz Marina Lounge, 700 Main St., Suite 106. www.marinalounge suisun.com.

7 p.m. Thursday Karaoke Marina Lounge, 700 Main St., Suite 106. www.marinalounge suisun.com.

8 p.m. Friday

Soulful Friday’s featuring Lionel Burns Tribute to Frankie Beverly Marina Lounge, 700 Main St., Suite 106. www.marinalounge suisun.com.

8 p.m. Saturday

Def Comedy Jam All Stars Marina Lounge, 700 Main St., Suite 106. www.marinalounge suisun.com.

I Vacaville

7 p.m. Saturday Collington, Greg Cronin, Paaske & Becky Bjorkman Journey Downtown Theatre, 300 Main St. https://events. journeydowntownvenue.com.

5 p.m. Thursday Town Square Thursdays: The Beer Brothers Family Band

11 Town Square Place. vacavilleoperahouse.com.

4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday Circus on Ice Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre, 1010 Ulatis Drive. https://vpat.net.

I Benicia

7 p.m. Tuesday Open Mic Night The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therelliktavern.com.

7 p.m. Wednesday Karaoke The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therelliktavern.com.

5:30 p.m. Thursday

Soul’d Out The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therelliktavern.com.

9 p.m. Thursday

DJ John Laxa The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therelliktavern.com.

4:30 p.m. Friday Thirsty The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therelliktavern.com.

8:30 p.m. Friday The Business

The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therelliktavern.com.

4:30 p.m. Saturday

Ticket to the Limit The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therelliktavern.com.

8:30 p.m. Saturday

Wake the Neighbors

The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therelliktavern.com.

I Vallejo

6:30 p.m. Wednesday

Frankie G and the Conviction Empress Theatre, 330 Virginia St. www.empresstheatre.org.

6:30 p.m. Saturday Bob Hakins Photography

Exhibition Empress Theatre, 330 Virginia St. www.empresstheatre.org.

1 p.m. Saturday

Papa Joe and the New Deal Vino Godfather Winery, 1005 Walnut Ave. www. vinogodfather.com.

MST’s

a my m aginniS-Honey AMAGINNIS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VALLEJO — For some, Tax Day, April 15, is no laughing matter. Bay Area Stage Theatre wants to change that with two offerings of “Laugh Your Taxes Off,” featuring comic Steve Mittleman. Audience members will

recognize the comic for his role as the funny firefighter Ralston in “Roxanne,” the 1987 flick with Daryl Hannah and Steve Martin. The late Fred Willard played Mayor Deebs. “That was a blast,” Mittleman said in a phone interview. “It was probably the highlight of my career, very short acting career.”

He stayed in touch with both male stars and went on to work with Martin again in 1999’s “The Out-of-Towners.” Mittleman recently caught up with Martin and Martin Short after their show in Veagas and hung out backstage.

“It was a lot of fun,” he said.

When “Roxanne” was being

See Laugh, Page B3

‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ IS, WELL, DREAMY

In Sunday School back in the ’70s, a major innovation in the retelling of Bible stories was the use of the flannelgraph. Instead of just reading the text, teachers used a board with flannel characters and backgrounds to help make the tales come to life.

While Sunday School didn’t involve math problems, the following equation is definitely true: Missouri Street Theatre’s production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” > flannelgraphs.

MST first staged the famed Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with lyrics by Tim Rice back in 2010. Their youth theater

Review

Missouri Street Theatre presents ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’

6 p.m. Sunday Downtown Theatre, 1035 Texas St., Fairfield www.downtowntheatre.com

HHHH (OUT OF FOUR)

the Narrator with her bestie Casey Ellis. Now I am kind of jumping ahead in the review, but when Joseph, who is unjustly imprisoned, sings the song “Close Every Door” – which has lyrics like “Just give

coat” is adapted from the Biblical account of Joseph, recorded in the book of Genesis. Joseph was an interpreter of dreams and was the favorite son of his father, Jacob, who adorned him with a gift of a coat of many colors.

Joseph’s 11 brothers were jealous and concocted a scheme whereby they pretended he was killed by a wild animal and then sold him into slavery. Joseph’s life after that went from rags to riches to rags and back to riches again.

“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” has a long history going back to 1968, and its 1982 Broadway production was nominated for several Tony Awards. Probably the most notable person to play the title role on stage was former pop star Donny Osmond, who also starred in a direct-to-video adaptation released in 1999.

So let me rewind: The story of “Joseph

Alex Alvarez played Joseph in Missouri Street Theatre’s version. Alvarez now is a close second in the award for Most Jarring Back-to-Back Roles in MST History. He was last seen on stage as the sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania, Frank N. Furter in “The Rocky Horror Show.” The top spot is still owned by Michael Scott Wells, who in 2014 played Jesus Christ in “Godspell” and in MST’s next production, “Peter Pan,” played Nana the dog.

Like in his previous roles, Alvarez was totally invested in the character of the title dreamer and expressed the wonder, mystery, kind of haughty jerkiness (to his brothers) and compassion it demanded. And he, of course, brought the vocal goods on tunes like the aforementioned “Close Every Door,” “Any Dream Will Do,” “Joseph’s Dreams” and others.

Joseph’s 11 brothers were played splendidly by Crystal Kearns (Reuben), Kaleb Soto (Simeon), Philip Graves (Levi), Taiyo Douglas (Naphtali), Eduard

Courtesy photo

Some cast members of MST’s production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”

Dixon fair entry forms due Friday

DIXON — If you took up a new hobby, craft or practiced your baking this year, it will be fun to participate in the annual competition at the Dixon May Fair from May 11 to 14. The fair is looking for your knitting, bread-baking, photos and flower arrangements, along with all the traditional quilts, preserves, art and more. Details for hundreds of entry classes are outlined in the 2023 Exhibitor Guidebook for all the ways the community can enter their projects.

Anyone who lives in the state of California can enter their home-grown and homemade exhibits in most categories of the May Fair’s competition, which might earn a prized blue ribbon or a little cash. (Market animals are restricted to

Courtesy photo

The Dixon May Fair is looking for hobby, craft, and cooking entries for their annual competition.

Solano County.) Entering the fair is easy and can be done online at www.dixonmayfair.com. Entry forms can also be downloaded. The guidebook can be picked up at the fair office or be viewed online. While entry forms are due Friday, the actual exhibits are

not due until closer to the fair as outlined in the guidebook.

The year’s theme is “Spring Has Sprung.”

For information on how to participate, visit dixonmayfair.com and follow their Facebook page for up-to-date information.

See Joseph, Page B3

Lucky Penny announces urgent-need fundraising effort

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

NAPA — Lucky Penny Productions seeks the cure to a “Covid hangover” by launching a new urgent-need fundraising project with a goal of $25,000.

“While we returned to producing shows successfully in September of 2021, the effects of the pandemic have lingered, and costs have gone up across the board,” said managing director Barry Martin in a press release. “We have had to draw on our reserves to cover expenses and that’s only a short-term solution.”

“I’m proud of how we have bounced back with high-quality shows since we reopened, which is reflected in the 10 nominations we recently received from the

See Penny, Page B3

Courtesy photo Steve Mittleman will perform Friday and Saturday at the Bay Area Stage Theatre in Vallejo.

tony WaDe DAILY REPUBLIC CORRESPONDENT

Laugh

From Page B1

filmed, Hannah was a rising star in Hollywood. As both were exiting the studio, she offered to give him a ride to his car.

“The only downside (of the film) was six or seven of my scenes were cut. It’s heartbreaking,” Mittleman said.

Mittleman grew up surrounded by comedy. His parents would listen to Johnny Carson and his ilk.

Once he discovered getting laughs was fun, Mittleman blossomed from an extrovert into an introvert. He did not date until he was out of college.

“I was pretty shy,” he said. “I had to change, so I changed.”

In high school, he did the homeroom announcements over the public address system. Those talents were employed when he worked in a grocery story and was tasked with doing the closing announcements, sounding like a horse racing announcer.

Reflecting, he said he can’t believe the grocery story let him do it “over and over again” a few days a week.

Neurotic guys make Mittleman laugh. Larry David, Richard Lewis and Dana Gould are on that list.

One venue on the comic’s bucket list?

“Carnegie Hall,” he said. “That would be great.”

Mittleman has been to

Penny

From Page B1

San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle,” said artistic director Taylor Bartolucci in the same press release.

“Everyone has been working hard but with rising costs we need some help to make our way toward the new season in September.”

The company is lining up a robust summer of music and comedy shows to be capped by a fundraiser on Aug. 5 titled, “The Lucky Penny AllStars in Concert.” The 2023-24 season begins in September with “The Addams Family Musical.”

Donations can be made online at www.luckypennynapa.com. Checks can be made out to Lucky Penny Productions and mailed to 1357 Foster Road, Napa, CA 94558.

For questions, contact Lucky Penny at 707266-6305 or email info@ luckypennynapa.com.

An informational video for this fundraising effort is online at https://youtu. be/YyeaZHBuRQs.

COMEDY Preview

‘Laugh Your Taxes Off’

8 p.m. Friday, Saturday (doors open at 7:30 p.m.) Bay Area Stage Theatre, 515 Broadway St., Vallejo https://www.facebook. com/groups/bayareastage

every state multiple times, working casinos.

“I don’t like the gambling aspect of it,” he said.

He appears Friday and Saturday in Vallejo, then flies to Chicago only to return to the Bay Area to serve as an auctioneer for a school fundraiser.

Billed as a clean comic, Mittleman avoids controver sial topics.

“I want people to have a great time and have fun,” he said. “I want it to be a happy experience. I want them to be elevated.”

Stories, not one liners, are his preferred method.

“I’ve had a rich life,” Mittleman said. “Hopefully I can bring some of those experiences on stage.”

He does have one thing to add to the old adage that says the only thing certain in life is death and taxes.

“Breathing,” he said.

The shows are at the Bay Area Stage Theatre. Mittleman appreciates the intimacy of such a venue.

“You feel connected,” he said. “There’s an intimacy with the audience.”

He promises to stay after the shows and meet the audience.

Golden State residents go for ‘The Bachelor’; others opt for ‘Survivor’

searches. The fairly new game show follows Gen Z tropes in which participants “catfish,” befriend and flirt their way to the

“Big Brother” has 1,300 yearly searches, which follows strangers who are forced to coexist in a house while completely cut off from the Applicants have a 0.005% and 0.012% chance, respectively, of ultimately appearing on

In fourth place was “The Bachelor,” which sees several women go on dates with a bachelor and week-by-week the bachelor gets closer to choosing a woman to win the show and continue a relationship with.

From Page B1

Arakelyan (Issachar), Melody Payne (Asher), Charlotte Borlek (Dan), Macey Cook (Zebulon), Raquel Fortney (Gad), Kaylani Martinez (Benjamin) and Aniani Ruiz (Judah). They shone on tunes like the country/western number “One More Angel in Heaven,” “Benjamin Calypso” and the up-tempo “Go, Go, Go Joseph.” I was blown away by their vocals and their energetic choreographed dancing that included flips and splits and more.

By the way, the program had an oopsie in it as it didn’t list the choreographer, but I didn’t need anyone to tell me that it was Kevin Gruwell. The movements throughout were crisp, clean, expressive and fun, and had Gruwell’s fingerprints all over them.

Martin Lehman was a new face and was doubly delightful as Potiphar and Pharaoh. In the latter role, he crushed the Elvis-esque tune “Song

then used search engine optimisation Ahrefs to determine search volumes for questions relating to the desire to sign up for each.

The game shows Californians are most interested in appearing in:

n “The Bachelor,” 81%

n “Love Island,” 76%

n “Alone,” 65%

n “Big Brother,” 55%

n “Too Hot To Handle,” 47%.

Outside California, Americans chose “Survi-

of the King.” During that tune there was a great example of why I love MST – their attention to detail. Alvarez and an Egyptian (Macey Cook) were sitting in the box on the side of the stage watching Lehman sing. Now they could have just been sitting there and it would have been fine, but instead they were also munching on movie theater-size buckets of popcorn.

The rest of the cast all added sparkle to the show, including Victor Barajas (Jacob), Judith Boreham (Jacob’s wife) and Vanessa Kearns, Airalyn Martinez, Savannah Rivers, and Molly Skinner, all in the ensemble.

Having seen the show four times now I should have the colors that are recited in one of my favorite songs “Joseph’s Coat” down by now, but I do not. The lyrics read like the contents of those big Crayola boxes with the sharpener in the back.

“Red and yellow and green and brown and scarlet and black and ochre and peach and ruby and olive and violet and fawn and

vor,” “The Circle,” “Big Brother” and “The Bachelor,” in that order.

Americancasinoguide. com found “Survivor” is the game show that Americans most want to appear on. Contestants are placed in a remote location with no resources except the clothes on their back. The ‘survivor’ at the end wins a cash prize of $2 million.

lilac and gold and chocolate and mauve and cream and crimson and silver and rose and azure and lemon and russet and grey and purple and white and pink and orange and blue!”

I don’t like to make reviews all about myself, but I must mention that I brought a friend, Rick Prusso, who, like many

Search volumes for ‘Survivor application’ reached 5,100 yearly searches in America, the most of all the game shows in the research. As just 18 participants are ultimately picked to take part on the show, they have a 0.004% chance of receiving a call to appear on “Survivor.”

“The Circle” had 2,500 total yearly

Fairfielders, didn’t know about the theater and the magic that MST creates when the lights go down and the curtains go up. Afterward, he kept saying “I can’t believe I’m in Fairfield!”

Fairfield freelance humor columnist and accidental local historian Tony Wade writes two

“The Bachelor” application process reached 1,240 searches. The show just completed its 27th season, with casting already open for the next series.

Applicants have a 0.020% chance of landing a place on a season of “The Bachelor.” Rounding up the top five is “Love Island” with 1,000 yearly searches for an application and a 0.0034% chance of getting on the show.

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.”

Nino Muñoz/ABC/TNS

Zach Shallcross was the leading man on ABC’s “The Bachelor” on its 27th season.

Truancy has reached crisis levels in California schools

Gadflies – people obsessed with righting some perceived wrong and pester politicians and journalists to take up their causes –are a constant feature of politics.

One of the state’s more persistent gadflies these days is Thomas Carter, an accountant in Sherman Oaks who sends out almost daily barrages of emails about truancy in public schools, demanding that authorities recognize and address what he regards as a crisis.

“From what school will come the next ignored student to commit crimes, including a mass gun shooting, or be an ignored child abused at a school or in a home, or to become homeless, if a dropout?” is a typical heading on one of Carter’s lengthy emails.

Carter, in an interview, said he became concerned about the issue more than 30 years ago when, as a single parent, he discovered that his son had been missing school and he was not informed of the absences.

“Since then, I’ve been asking the questions,” Carter said. His complaints include sections of the education code that permit, but do not require, chronic truancy to be reported to law enforcement authorities, who could intervene but rarely do.

Carter may be a gadfly whose emails are automatically diverted into the junk file of many recipients, but he has a point about truancy. Surprisingly large numbers of the state’s almost 6 million public school students often don’t show up in class.

Two new reports from the Public Policy Institute of California frame the issue.

“Thirty percent of California public school students were chronically absent from school in 2021-22 – a near tripling of the percentage in 2018-19,” PPIC policy director Laura Hill and research associate Emmanuel Prunty wrote in the first report. “Although we do not know if this stark increase in chronic absenteeism, defined as missing at least 10% of the school year or at least 18 days, will continue, the data from last year raises concerns about the pace of students’ learning recovery after the educational setbacks of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The PPIC added that “this measure of chronic absenteeism – which includes both excused and unexcused absences – actually underestimates the true scope of missed school because it does not include students who missed fewer than 18 days and does not capture exactly how much instruction students missed (some students may have missed many more than 18 days).”

The second report, merging data about truancy with academic test results, declares, “We find that schools with greater increases in chronic absenteeism saw steeper drops in proficiency rates on the Smarter Balanced (SBAC) English and math tests, when comparing pre-pandemic levels (2018-19) to 2021-22.”

Some of the truancy surge can be attributed to the aftereffects of schools being shuttered during the pandemic – but not all, because the problem isn’t a new one. A 2013 report by the state Department of Justice tabbed chronic truancy at about 20% and declared, “California is facing an attendance crisis, with dire consequences for our economy, our safety, and our children.”

So, one might wonder, why is this evident crisis not given as much attention as it warrants?

State school finance is based largely on attendance and when students are chronically absent, it should have negative financial consequences. However, during the pandemic, the state loosened up on the attendance-based formulas, including allowing reimbursable attendance to be calculated over several years rather than year-by-year, so the immediate financial impacts are muted.

Moreover, there’s been a push by school officials, particularly those with declining numbers of students, to change financial aid from using attendance to enrollment, which would allow them to get money even for enrolled students who are chronically absent.

Such a change would indirectly encourage authorities to ignore chronic truancy. CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to Commentary.

Solano is home to over 150 species of birds. It is up to us to save them

Each year, at least a billion birds migrate along the Pacific Flyway, a small fraction compared to those that used it within this century. Although the combination of habitat loss and climate change have been major contributors to the loss of birds along the Pacific Highway, we have a new threat on the horizon. The creation of wind farms – turbines that convert the kinetic energy of wind into electric energy – have had a significant impact on the increase of deaths to our Aves community.

While turbines may have the lowest relative greenhouse gas emissions compared to other energy sources, they pose a constant threat to our bird population. Relative to humans, birds have a narrow binocular frontal field of view and cannot view the blades while they are in motion. Studies show that passive visual cues may enhance the visibility of these blades, which will enable the birds to take the necessary action to prevent direct impact.

Very few deterrents or mitigation efforts have been developed, but it has been proven that painting one of the three blades black minimizes the motion smear. With the simple action of painting one blade black, you can reduce the annual fatality rate of our Aves community by 70%. Solano County is in the Pacific Flyway, so there are already thousands of migratory birds that make their way through the area each year, with a large population of resident birds as well. We strongly recommend and urge that you take action on this very important matter. You have the choice to choose life for our Aves community!

Princess Washington, co-chair Sierra Club of Solano County Suisun City

School board circus strikes again

CALMATTERS COMMENTARY LETTERS TO THE EDITOR COMMENTARY

What did the FSUSD superintendent say that was so bad that the school board had to censure an 18-year-old over a recording he made before he was elected? What was so bad that an entire group of grown ups HAD to gang up on one of their own who is just trying to do better for his community? What are y’all trying to cover up?

What could she have said that is worse than when she said, “I have a disappointment for a son and can’t keep a gold fish alive?” What could she have said that is worse than her speak-

ing at Armijo High School’s graduation and being less articulate than the kids who spoke before her?

Honestly, they censured Jack Flynn for recording her and I want to know what we pay her $300,000 a year to say behind closed doors. What was she saying that was so bad that the board had to vote to silence a kid? Also, how do you hear from six people who all do not want you to vote to censure someone and still do it? You realize that if we wanted to we could just vote you out?

One more thing, why are there two representatives for District 5, and if that’s the case, who isn’t being represented?

Last time I posted here, I got harassed in the comments by members of the board. Super classy of you all. One more time, you work for us and she works for you. Next time you want to come for me send Bethany Smith since I’m one of hers. Not that we ever see her in this community.

Last thing, I think the local chapter of the ACLU or someone needs to take a look at this board. It feels like illegal things are happening here!

Sandy Phan Suisun City

The causes of debt for students

One parable that’s somewhat hard to embrace is that of the prodigal son. No consequences for him, just kiss off his debts and start over while poo pooing the remonstrations of the sensible sibling who played the game.

Having gleaned these tender feelings of forgiveness and amnesty from a recent bible study group, the current

administration is seeking to erase the easy earned debt of thousands of potential voters prior to fall of ‘24.

Alas, this is not addressing the core of a recurring problem. Why is there all this runaway debt you ask? Many factors contribute.

Factor No. 1: Dropping the bar for admission applications allows more unprepared kids to run up a year or two of debt and then bail out prior to graduation. No degree, no job, but debt.

Factor No. 2: Pandering to special interest groups by offering degrees in esoteric fields with few hirable qualities. Now our graduate, with a degree in “whatever studies,” finds it a tough sell at HR. No job, but debt.

Factor No. 3: Continuing to pack a top-heavy administration with additional deans such as an “Office of Diversity and Inclusion” and “Office of Multicultural Engagement” runs up a tab. These “academics” and their staff, if they do any actual work, do not work for free, thus tuition soars along with debt.

Factor No. 4: College, once upon a time, was a period of growth in maturity, self reliance and independency. Now the campus is flooded with concerned adults offering the same cozy nurturing nets and “safety” feel-good options that were supposed to have been left behind with mom and her sofa. These extraneous campus-baggers could be eliminated or else there is more debt.

In short, as long as the college environment and atmosphere persists in deviating from its original purpose, which was to teach and not coddle, costs will remain above the practical and the prodigal will proliferate.

Bill Ferguson Vacaville

Biden’s Chinese spy balloon credibility goes pfffffft

The overwhelming majority of the news world might be obsessed with what was going on in a New York City courthouse this week, but that circus overshadowed significant news the Biden administration might be glad was little-noticed.

NBC News reported that the Chinese spy balloon – which similarly dominated news cycles as it drifted across the United States before finally being shot down off the South Carolina coast on Feb. 4 – “was able to gather intelligence from several sensitive American military sites, despite the Biden administration’s efforts.”

Two current senior U.S. officials and one former senior administration official told NBC News that China had enough control over the balloon to steer it to make multiple passes over some sites, at times flying figure-eight formations, and the balloon transmitted the information back to Beijing in real time.

The intelligence gathered by equipment the balloon carried was characterized as “mostly from electronic signals” picked up from weapons systems and base personnel, rather than images.

The first casualty of NBC News’s scoop is the contention by the Biden administration and its defenders during the drawn-out affair that, well, China has spy satellites so this balloon is no big deal. But that was hardly the only blow to the White House’s credibility in this matter. While the spy balloon was traversing the country, administration officials and President Biden kept assuring the public that the targeted sites were sufficiently safeguarded from prying sensors hovering

overhead. Perhaps we can forgive Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for not being up to speed on all of the national security implications of the balloon when he said on Feb. 5 on CNN, after the shootdown, “steps were taken to prevent any problems in terms of intelligence collection.”

But the following day, national security adviser Jake Sullivan boasted, “we were also able to ensure the protection of any sensitive information that the balloon would not be able to collect against us.” The same day, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “we protected against Chinese intelligence collection because we knew exactly where the balloon was going ... We protected civilians, and we gained more intel while protecting our own sensitive information.” Finally, on Feb. 16, Biden said, “we were able to protect sensitive sites against collection.”

Eh, never mind. The Biden’s administration’s inflated claims keep exploding when pricked by the facts. Consider the White House’s spread-the-blame contention, as criticism of its performance mounted, that the Trump administration had been aware of intrusions by Chinese balloons and had done nothing about them.

Also bogus. Officials soon clarified that the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, had not been able to identify balloons as Chinese spy probes during the Trump administration. “Our awareness and understanding of this capability has increased over the last couple of years,” said the Pentagon’s press secretary, Brig. Gen.

Pat Ryder, on Feb. 8. He noted that in some cases, “subsequent analysis, subsequent intelligence analysis did enable us to indicate that these were Chinese balloons.”

Perhaps this week the Biden team was exhaling a sigh of relief, knowing that few Americans will pay much attention to the NBC News article. But the development fits a continuing pattern at the Biden White House. Everything is always going great, there’s never anything to worry about and the public should go back to watching “American Idol.” The staggering influx of migrants at the border is just part of a seasonal pattern that happens “every single solitary year,” inflation is merely “transitory” and the economy is “strong as hell.”

And who can forget this 2021 summer classic: The Afghan military is “better trained, better equipped, and more competent in terms of conducting war” and “There’s going to be no circumstance where you see people being lifted off the roof of an embassy in the – of the United States from Afghanistan.”

Yes, every administration spins, omits unpleasant facts and shades the truth. But Biden asked the country to judge him by the toughest standard, pledging in his inaugural address, “Before God and all of you, I give you my word, I will always level with you.” That same day, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden’s “objective and his commitment is to bring transparency and truth back to government.”

Do the administration’s statements about the spy balloon seem transparent and true to you?

Jim Geraghty is National Review’s

senior political correspondent.

Dan Walters

Jim Geraghty

Stepdad needs help dealing with stepson’s drug abuse

Editor’s note: The following column was previously published in 2020.

Dear Annie: I have been married to my wife for 25 years, and I love her so very much. When we first met, she had two young boys, ages 2 and 7, and for the most part I helped raise them with her. In the late ’90s and early 2000s, we traveled around the country with our business. The boys went back to their father’s for a few years. When we sold the business, they came back to live with us. We found them to have changed. They were into drugs and gangster lifestyles. They are now 30 and 35 years old. The older son, “Tim,” has carved out

Annie Lane

Dear Annie

a wonderful life. But the 30-year-old, “Robby,” has continued doing drugs. A few years ago, we agreed to take him in to see if we could help. He’s still here. He has not worked or even looked for a job in five-plus years. He stays in his bedroom and watches TV, stays up until 4 or 5 a.m. every night and gets up at 1 or 2 p.m. I don’t think he is doing drugs anymore, but I’m not sure.

I’ve tried to talk to my wife about setting boundaries: telling him it’s time he gets a job and that he can’t just keep living with us and not even looking for one. But it always ends up in a disagreement.

I offered Robby a list of

Horoscopes

by Holiday Mathis

Today’s birthday

Welcome to your year of play. Oddly enough, you’ll be quite serious about it, investing in your leisure, dedicating yourself to the sport you care about and choosing your playmates very carefully. It all pays off with fun and stories you’ll be telling for years. More highlights include an exciting study, a strong bond with someone you’ll do lucrative business with while having a fantastic time, and a new and revitalizing approach to your health. Cancer and Sagittarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 6, 4, 44, 18 and 13.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You will bounce from Plan A to Plan B and ultimately land somewhere around G. Good thing you’re amazing at making plans. Prolific and creative, you’ll think of several ways to solve the same problem.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Maybe choices got you where you are. Then again, so much of this was a path you were set on before you even knew how to walk. It matters little whether you’re the leader or are the one being led. Either way, you’ll navigate the current maze like a pro.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). A lively debate is in store. You appreciate the most those whose opinions you can disagree with even as you agree wholly with their being. Diverse ideas and talents make strong relationships.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). The one who finds the gold doesn’t have to start the rush. You’ll discover a version of treasure and be judicious about who to share it with. Keep in mind that everyone you tell will tell at least three other people.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). When you’re doing a new thing, a new day or a new relationship, the most important moments will be the first ones. Your brain will store away the impressions as nuggets of memory, inspiration and solace for years to come.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’ll get curious about your own motives and be conscious of what you want out of interactions. This makes dealings simultaneously more and less complicated. Though there are many layers to this, there’s still just one right action.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Envy is a teacher. Who are you thinking about, and what can you learn from that person? The conversations you have with yourself are the most illuminating today. Keep your own secrets.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Serious pursuits will inevitably lead to novelty, so why not just pursue novelty? It will be lucky for you to do so today. You’ll chase frivolous fun and have the conversation starters to show for it.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You’ll get where you need to be by instinct. Then, break it down in your head to figure out the particular moves that were most effective. You want to repeat these choices to get to the next place.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). If and when you choose to forgive the past, it won’t be because you want to let the other person slide; it will be because you want to stop harboring the grudge. Grudges take up too much energy, and you’ll need all the energy you can get.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Following a lost person will only get you both lost –but it could also be a lot of fun. As long as you’re in good company, are you ever really lost? You find yourself in the smiles and warmth of others.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You admire people who do not speak ill of others, and you regret the times you’ve said too much. As you don’t say everything that pops to mind today, you’ll feel empowered to focus exclusively on the information that helps.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Elle Fanning will play actress Ali MacGraw in “Francis and the Godfather,” a drama about the production of the most iconic gangster movie of all time. Fanning is the only actor on the film with the distinction of actually having worked with Francis Ford Coppola. Fanning is a highenergy Aries born when the sun, Mercury, Mars and Saturn were all in the realm of the warrior, and Venus and Jupiter were in artistic Pisces.

Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

10 ideas of jobs he might like and bought him a book to read called “Your Best Self.” He has never even picked it up.

I don’t know what to do anymore; I have almost left my wife over him. We are in our 60s, and it is getting harder. She defends everything he does, so it’s impossible to have a productive conversation about any of this. Tim has become frustrated as well. I don’t see any end in the future. — Desperate Stepdad

Dear Desperate Stepdad: Addiction is a family disease. Living with your stepson’s drug abuse has warped your wife’s way of thinking. This is true even if he’s not using anymore. This situation has become too much for you to bear alone. I encourage you to attend a Nar-Anon meeting

FOR YOUR HEALTH

and ask your wife (and other stepson) to go as well. If your wife says no, go on your own, and try at least a few different meetings before deciding whether or not it’s for you. They’re free and confidential, and they just might offer that light at the end of the tunnel that you so need. Visit the Nar-Anon website for more information.

Dear Annie: In reading your recent columns about alcoholism and help/support for those stuck in that vortex, I would like to point you to another source of help for both alcoholics and their families. It is Celebrate Recovery. CR is a Christian 12-step program. While it won’t appeal to everyone due to its Christian undergirding, it has been a very effective program for many

afflicted with the ravages of drugs/alcohol/addictive behavior. I pastored a CR program for many years, and we saw countless people helped through group support. CR is national and has programs in many cities. More information may be found on the CR website.

God bless you as you offer help to others. — Retired Pastor

Dear Retired Pastor: I had not previously heard of Celebrate Recovery, and it sounds like a great resource for Christians looking for fellowship and support in their recovery. Thank you for bringing another recovery resource to my attention. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com.

Sexually Transmitted Infection Awareness Week is celebrated annually. It focuses on the global impacts of STIs and the collective movement to reduce the fear, discrimination and STIrelated stigma.

Solano Public Health joins the California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in recognizing April 9-15 as STI Awareness Week with the theme “Talk. Test. Treat,” encouraging all Solano County individuals and health care providers to take simple actions. As the country and state continue to see an increase in STI rates, “Talk. Test. Treat.” is a collective call to provide wellrounded and inclusive sexual health education – including testing, treatment and increased access – so all individuals are protected and have a healthy and safe lifestyle.

In 2021, the CDC reported a national estimate of millions of cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis in the U.S. In Solano County, 3,653 cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were reported during 2021, an 11% increase from 2020. Among these STIs reported during 2021, about 36% occurred among individuals between 15 and 29 years of age. These data support the idea that education and conversations are still needed to address, control and prevent high STI rates. STIs often do not have symptoms. Due to this, most people do not

an STI, regardless of one’s relation ship status or sexual orientation. STIs can be transmitted through oral, anal or vaginal intercourse and genital touching. They are preventable and treatable, and most are curable. STIs disproportionately affect communities of color and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/ questioning, intersex, asexual and more (LGBTIQIA+) population. Racial/ethnic and gender disparities must be recognized to create effective interventions and find solutions to achieve health equity. Numerous factors contribute to the overall increase in STIs, including unprotected sex, drugs and alcohol use, and violence.

Systemic issues continue to create barriers for individuals to access services and exacerbate disparities such as transportation, unstable housing, poverty, lack of access to medical care, and STI screening and treatment services. Also, people with multiple partners are at a higher risk of contracting an STI. It is essential to get tested regularly if you are sexually active. One of the crucial parts of sexual health is open communication with your sexual partner(s) and your health care provider, which demonstrates responsibility for you and your sexual partner’s health.

As part of the campaign to “Talk. Test. Treat.,” Solano Public Health will push out messages through social media posts, collaborative community events and workshops

Public Health’s Emergency Ser vices, Preparedness, Immunization and Communicable Disease (EPIC) Bureau, in partnership with CDPH, will launch a free, at-home confidential STI testing initiative.

Through this initiative, Solano residents between 15-24 years of age can order a free vaginal swab test kit and test for chlamydia and gonorrhea in the comfort of their own home/ space and submit their samples to receive results within three to five days. The EPIC bureau has also partnered with Solano County Behavioral Health and Solano County Family Health Services to provide routine STI testing, free insertive or external condoms, lubricant, dental dams and linkage to care for low-cost medication and treatment. To learn more or find a testing location, visit www.solanocounty.com/std or call 707-784-8001.

The theme of “Talk. Test. Treat.” aims for inclusive and comprehensive sexual health education to reduce health disparities among marginalized communities with the collective effort from communities, the public health workforce, and health care providers to address the rising STI rates and normalize sexual health.

Sofia Cruz is a public health fellow from Solano Public Health, Emergency Services, Preparedness, Immunization & Communicable

Disease (EPIC) Bureau.

Miley Moore/Unsplash

In Solano County, 3,653 cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were reported during 2021, an 11% increase from 2020.

Avila wins Cache Creek bout with TKO

M att MilleR MMILLER@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Manuel

“Tino” Avila’s professional boxing return was a success again Friday night as he earned a technical knockout of Sacramento’s Alberto Torres in the seventh of eight scheduled rounds in their featherweight bout at the Cache Creek Casino Resort in Brooks.

The Fairfield fighter upped his record to

25-2-1 with nine knockouts. Avila retired from boxing in 2019 but is now 2-0 in 2023. He defeated Antonio Tostado Garcia of Jamay, Jalisco, Mexico, in Tijuana on Feb. 17 with a unanimous decision in eight rounds.

“I still have some ring rust on me, but I did feel better than I did in February,” Avila said by telephone Saturday afternoon. “I have a few scratches but that’s about it. People thought I was a

little hesitant to stop him because I know him, but I was looking for the knockout. Maybe if it had been someone else I would have gone for the kill faster.”

Torres had been a training partner of Avila in the past and the two have known each other throughout their professional careers. They’ve even shared ideas and techniques.

“I tried to stay outside and box him but he is a left-hander,” Avila said.

“My game plan went out the window and I improvised as much as I could.”

Avila put Torres on the canvas in the first and second rounds, he said, and was going hard at him in the third. Avila said that by the fifth and sixth rounds Torres wasn’t throwing many punches back. Doctors stopped the fight in the seventh because Torres at that point had been taking too much punishment.

Sampson Boxing and

Armijo baseball outduels Vanden as both starters go the distance

FAIRFIELD — Justice Grimmett delivered an RBI single in the top of the seventh inning as the Armijo High School baseball team came away with a 1-0 victory Friday at Vanden to end what had been a brilliant error-free pitching duel between two dominant starters.

Brayan Orrantia finished with a one-hit complete game for the Royals with just two walks and 10 strikeouts. He got stronger as the game went on and struck out the last two Vanden batters for his fourth win the Monticello Empire League this season. Armijo is now 6-7 overall and 5-4 in league.

“I couldn’t have done it without our team,” Orrantia said through an interpreter. “I just focused on every pitch, found the right spots and had confidence in my defense. I’m very patient on every pitch. It helps me concentrate and do the job.”

Armijo won two of the three games in the series this week. The Royals took Wednesday’s game

7-0 behind Luis Urias’ excellent pitching and held the Vikings scoreless in 14 innings. Vanden won the opener on Monday 10-2.

Vanden’s Brayden Bruno was equally good on Friday. Bruno also pitched a complete game, scattered seven hits, walked no one and struck out five. Vanden fell to 9-4 overall and 6-3 in the MEL.

“It was a pitching duel from the onset and runs were at a premium,” Vanden head coach Ryan Adams said. “We had our chances. We didn’t do enough offensively. We had a runner on third with no out. We have to do better.”

Calogero Regalado had a single to open the game for Armijo but was left stranded. Orrantia and Ben Parks got on base in the fourth but Vanden shortstop Aidan Robles scooped up a ground ball, touched second and threw to first for a double play. Parks and Damian Romo singled to get on base in the seventh inning and Grimmitt delivered the RBI single to right. Parks raced around third and was able to slide under the tag at home for the game-winner.

“I’ve told the guys all year that we need to win the good baseball games,” Armijo head coach Casey Towner said.

Vanden had opportunities of its own. The Vikings got runners on second and third in the fifth inning when a ground ball hit the foot of one of the baserunners for an out. A runner on third base in the sixth inning was left stranded after a fly ball to right field wasn’t deep enough for a sacrifice and two hard hit balls were handled on the mound by Orrantia.

Parity has played a big role in the start to this MEL season. The league race is paused next week for Spring Break before two weeks of action closes out the season. Armijo will finish up the league season against Rodriguez and Fairfield. Vanden will get Vacaville and Rodriguez.

“The league is deep this year and there are no off days,” Adams said.

“We knew there would be parity this season,” Towner said. “The situation is we are 5-4. I think anything can happen. I do see us getting better and better.”

Koepka in control as rain suspends play again Saturday at The Masters

thoM aS StinSon

ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION

AUGUSTA — Like any major championship worth its sterling, Augusta National annually demands execution of each of the game’s skills. On Saturday, the Masters might have added a new criteria: the Australian Crawl.

With the greens turned to ponds by hours of steady rain, The Masters was forced to suspend play midway through the third round, even as leader Brooks Koepka profited by swinging in the rain. His four-shot lead with 12 holes to complete the third leaves him in strong position to secure one of the two major champi-

onships he lacks, though Sunday’s 30-hole finale promises for a unique finish on a spongy track and gusty conditions.

“I’m not too concerned about playing 29 holes or however many holes we’ve

got left,” said Koepka, who was treading water on the seventh green when play was halted. “It’s part of the deal. I’m pretty sure I’ll be up for it, considering it is the Masters.” Sunday’s forecast calls

Paco Presents Boxing brought the full televised card to Cache Creek as part of the “ShoBox: The Next Generation” series. Avila said it was a good venue and a strong turnout for the fight, with many of his family and friends in attendance.

He expects to get back in the ring again by May or June and continue what has been a successful return thus far.

Avila won his first 22 professional fights and

fought in venues throughout California, including bouts in both Fairfield and Vacaville. But the fights just didn’t come at a regular clip when he joined the famed Golden Boy Promotions team.

Avila had been in the stable of fighters for Oscar De La Hoya’s company, but it wasn’t paying off. That’s when he decided to step away.He has since moved on and now trains out of Martinez while he makes his home in Sacramento.

Rodriguez tied atop the MEL after decisive win over Wood

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — The Rodriguez High School baseball team made quick work of Will C. Wood on Friday in Vacaville, and also moved into a firstplace tie in the Monticello Empire League.

The Mustangs scored eight runs in the fifth inning en route to a 13-1 win over the Wildcats in five innings. Rodriguez improved with 9-6 overall and, coupled with a Vanden loss and a Vacaville win, the three teams are tied atop the MEL at 6-3.

Nathan Schikore pitched four scoreless innings for Rodriguez. He didn’t allow an earned run or a walk and struck out five batters. Evan Broschard pitched an inning in relief with one strikeout.

Schikore and Kaden Wilde each had two hits and drove in three runs apiece. Jaheem Mosley-Wallace and Landon Troutt contributed doubles. Wood fell to 3-8 overall and 3-6 in the Monticello Empire League. No individual statistics

were made available for the Wildcats.

On Thursday. Rodriguez lost a non-league game 5-4 Thursday after visiting Benicia rallied for the game-winning run in the top of the sixth inning.

Benicia had scored four runs in the second inning before getting the game-winner in the sixth. Rodriguez scored once in the second and added three runs in the fifth. The Mustangs fell to 8-6 overall.

Troutt doubled and went 2-for-2 for Rodriguez. Denzel Dilley and Michael Boals each had doubles. Landon Stadelhofer pitched two innings, while Sidon Johnson and Carson Thompson worked one apiece without allowing an earned run.

Blurton delivers as Vaca tops Fairfield

FAIRFIELD — Eli Blurton pitched a two-hitter with eight strikeouts as the Vacaville High School baseball team held off host Fairfield 2-1 Friday. Blurton allowed just one earned run and two

Giants’ bullpen meltdown spoils

Manaea’s outing

JaSon M aStRoDonato

BAY AREA NEWS GROUP SAN FRANCISCO —

It was almost a big day for the Giants’ offseason acquisitions on Saturday.

Sean Manaea was masterful in six innings of one-run ball. Joc Pederson and Michael Conforto played important roles in the revamped offense.

was the history he made with catcher Blake Sabol as the two formed Major League Baseball’s firstever Samoan battery.

for clearing skies with a 63-degree high and winds hitting 25 mph. It could all make for a decent Navy SEALs training video. Third-round play resumes at 8:30 a.m. EDT while the final round is slotted for 12:30 p.m. with the field going off both No. 1 and No. 10 tees.

The rest of the field will need to refind its footing.

Behind the leaders, Patrick Cantlay, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland all stood eight shots back. A group of six, including majors champions Justin Rose, Phil Mickelson and Jason Day, were all 4 under, nine shots behind

But Ross Stripling, who signed a two-year, $25-million deal with the Giants in December, let it all fall apart while allowing four runs in the late innings as the Royals overcame a four-run deficit to topple the Giants, 6-5, at Oracle Park.

The Giants move to 3-5 on the year with one more game against the Royals on Sunday before the Dodgers come to town on Monday.

Stripling’s meltdown blew an otherwise historic day for Manaea.

There was the 97 mph heater Manaea threw in the second inning that marked the hardest pitch he’s ever thrown in a game he’s started.

There were eight strikeouts and six innings of one-run ball. And there

The outing will be remembered by many as Manaea’s most impressive since he tossed seven no-hit innings against the Diamondbacks to open his 2022 season, an otherwise disappointing year in which he finished with a 4.96 ERA.

The Giants offered him a two-year, $25million deal to return to the Bay Area. Saturday, the 6-foot-5 lefty showed off while touching 97 mph and hovering in the mid-90s with his sinker. A year ago, he averaged 91 mph on his sinker, the pitch he’s thrown more than any other during his eightyear big league career.

Paired with an evaporating changeup, Manaea was powerful and masterful all at once. He got some help from his defense – yes, the Giants defense that entered Saturday with negative-6 defensive runs saved, tied for the

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic

Armijo’ HIgh Schools Brayan Orrantia pitches during the baseball game at Vanden in Fairfield, Friday. Orrantia fired a complete game with 10 strikeouts as the Royals beat the Vikings 1-0, winning two of three in the series.

Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com/Daily TNS

Brooks Koepka tees off on fourth hole during third round of the 2023 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Ga., Saturday.

Rays sting A’s, roll to 8-0 start

Sunday’s TV sports

Baseball

MLB

• Oakland at Tampa Bay, NBCSCA, 10:10 a.m.

• Kansas City at San Francisco, NBCSBA, 1:05 p.m.

• San Diego at Atlanta, ESPN, 4:08 p.m.

Basketball

NBA

• Atlanta at Boston, ESPN, 10 a.m.

• Utah at L.A. Lakers, ESPN, 12:30 p.m.

• Denver at Sacramento, NBCSCA, 12:30 p.m.

• Portland at

Local scores

K risTie ACK erT TAMPA BAY TIMES

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Even when they “struggle,” the Rays find a way to keep their eightgame win streak rolling.

Jeffrey Springs wasn’t sharp early Saturday, but the defense helped him post another seven scoreless innings, and Tampa Bay’s bats came to life as the Rays routed the A’s 11-0 at Tropicana Field.

The Rays remain the only undefeated team in Major League Baseball, improving to 8-0. The are the first team in MLB to open the season with eight straight wins since the 2003 Royals. And it is the first time the team has won eight straight since winning 11 in a row in May 2021.

Springs is on a pretty good run himself. He scattered three hits and three walks Saturday, striking out seven. He issued two of those walks in the second inning, when Luke Raley threw out Jesus Aguilarat the plate to keep Springs’ streak of scoreless innings alive. Springs has now gone 13 innings without giving up a run.

“Overall I felt all right, not great, but it helps a lot when the offense is doing what they’re doing,” Springs said. “I mean, that’s definitely impres-

Rays starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs turns in seven strong innings in Saturday’s win over the A’s at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

sive to watch – just the professional ABs. They kept grinding it out. Their guy was pretty good early – different velocities, a lot of different pitches, it seemed like. Once they started swinging the bat, it was a lot of stress off of me, so I was out there just trying to get quick outs and go as deep as possible.”

The Rays put up three more home runs on Saturday, including Brandon Lowe’s first of the season, a gigantic 431 shot to right-centerfield. Manuel Margot and Randy Arozarena also hit homers to give Tampa Bay a majorleague leading 21 on the season. The Rays, who finished 25th in homers last season, did not hit their 21st homer of 2022 until their 24th game on May 3.

“We’ll take them. I mean, hopefully we’ll con-

tinue talking about home runs,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “We’re having good at-bats. That’s what’s encouraging. We saw their starter has good stuff. First time through the lineup, kind of quiet. Felt like we made some adjustments, put ourselves in hitters’ counts, took some walks. A lot of our early runs came because we had guys on base from walks, so a lot of good things there, and then obviously we separated and got some home runs.”

After going hitless against A’s right-hander Shintaro Fujinami for the first three innings, the Rays had to walk before they started running away with it.

Francisco Mejia drew the first of six walks Tampa Bay took as Fujinami started to lose

the strike zone. Wander Franco singled in the fourth for the Rays’ first hit with Brandon Lowe on base to set up Isaac Paredes, whose grand slam on Friday headlined the offense. The infielder came through on Saturday in the fourth inning with a two-run single to get the offense going.

Fujinami lost command quickly. He hit Margot and walked Franco to lead off the fifth. With one out he loaded the bases by walking Lowe, before giving up a two-run single to Arozarena. That ended Fujinami’s strange day in which he allowed five earned runs on three hits. He walked four and struck out one.

The Rays lead the majors with 64 runs scored, despite the fact that they didn’t go out and sign a big-name, left-handed bat in the offseason.

“We find ourselves in a really good position. We may not have signed any big names. Whatever decision the front office wanted to do, that’s on them. I never really liked to think that money plays the game,” Arozarena said. “We have a really good team. We’re a very united team. And as long as we play together, I think that’s going to show out on the field.”

Warriors think playoff matchup with Kings would be ‘special’

Chris biderm An

THE SACRAMENTO BEE

SACRAMENTO — Weeks ago, it looked like Friday’s game between the Kings and Golden State Warriors could have been a high-intensity regular-season bout with real playoff stakes. Instead, with the third seed in the Western Conference all but wrapped up, Sacramento decided to rest All-Stars De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis along with key rotation players Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk.

The result was a 119-97 win for the Warriors over a Kings team that played lineups which haven’t been used all year, with players accustomed to garbage time, zapping the luster of a Northern California showdown that could have been.

But it did help set the stage for a possible meeting in the first round of the upcoming playoffs. Because, with the win, the Warriors took a step toward earning the No. 6 seed, which would mean the first Interstate 80 postseason series in history. The two teams have never made the playoffs in the same season. The Kings played their first season in Sacramento in 1985-86.

“That’d be special for Northern California,” Warriors guard Klay Thompson said. “Kings got great fans. We got great fans. Mike B’s (Brown) got them boys playing together and hard. That would be really cool just for Northern California, which is a basketball hotbed at the moment. And it would be nice for the travel. That’d be very nice.”

Golden State needs to win Sunday against the tanking Portland Trailblazers while the Los Angeles Clippers need to beat the same Blazers and then the Phoenix Suns– who will presumably continue sitting key rotation players after locking up the No. 4 seed – to clinch the No. 5 seed.

There are a couple caveats that could get in the way of a Kings-Warriors series, of course. The Clippers could decide they would rather play the Kings in Round 1 than the Suns, who have won all five of their games with Kevin Durant in the lineup after adding him at the trade deadline. Los Angeles could rest key players and split one of their final two games if they’d prefer the sixth seed.

a birdie on hole 13. Doris Sundly got closest to the pin on hole 10 at 10’8”. Broke 100: Thea Rock, 91; Pam Fashing, 97; Denise SargentNatour, 99. Ace of the Month: Thea Rock with a net of 72.

Flight 1: 8 players

First place: Denise Sargent Natour, 30 putts

Second place: Pam Fashing, 32 putts

Third place tie: Sandy Smith and Mitch Ybarra, 33 putts

Flight 2: 8 players

First place: Marsha Berry, 32 putts

Second place Lynn Traver, 34 putts

Third place tie: Jan Benner and Jackie Evans, 35 putts

Flight 3: 7 players

First place: Darl McCarthy, 35 putts

Second place: Jill Smith, 38 putts

Third place: Donna Nunes, 39 putts

Oilers took slick for Sharks in home finale

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks wanted to finish off its home schedule on a positive note Saturday and see Erik Karlssonscore two points to etch his name alongside some of the NHL’s all-time greatest offensive defensemen.

Neither happened, as the Sharks fell behind by three on goals by Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, and Derek Ryan and never recovered in a 6-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday in San Jose’s final game of the season at

SAP Center. McDavid’s goal was his NHL-best 63rd of the season and also gave him a league-leading 150 points, as he became the first player to reach that mark since Mario Lemieux had 161 for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1995-96.

The goals by McDavid and Ryan came off Sharks turnovers, something that has plagued them all season, particularly at home.

Tomas Hertl scored and James Reimer finished with 30 saves .

Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times/TNS

Local

From Page B6 walks during his solid complete game. Vacaville improved to 8-7 overall and is now in a three-way tie atop the Monticello Empire League with Vanden and Rodriguez at 6-3.

Drew Lammon, Nathan Schnell and Brenden Murphy all had two hits apiece for the Bulldogs. Lammon had a triple.

Drew Carrington and Luke Johnson drove in the runs.

Amari Bryant had a solid outing on the mound for Fairfield. Bryant worked five innings, scattered seven hits, allowed one earned run and two walks, and struck out five. Christian Rambeau pitched two innings in relief with two strikeouts.

Fairfield fell to 7-10 overall and 1-8 in the MEL.

Bryant and Zack O’Reilly and the hits for the Falcons. Pat O’Reilly drove in Fairfield’s only run.

Softball

Denina, Rodriguez defeat Fairfield

FAIRFIELD — Brooklyn Denina pitched a

complete game, scatting six hits and striking out 11 batters, as the Rodriguez High School softball team earned a 6-1 win over Fairfield on Thursday.

Denina allowed one unearned run and walked four batters in the win. The Lady Mustangs improved to 4-2 overall and 3-0 in the Monticello Empire League.

Jaedyn White went 4-for-4 with a double and an RBI for the Rodriguez offense. Denina was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Jade Babas also had two hits. Katelyn Kilgore and Za’raya Garcia drove in runs.

Fairfield fell to 4-9 overall and 0-6 in the MEL. Individual statistics for the Falcons were not made available. Fairfield was coming off a 21-8 win over Winters on Wednesday.

Vacaville scores tiebreaker in 8th

VACAVILLE — A very competitive softball showdown between Vanden and Vacaville high schools ended when the Bulldogs scored a run in the bottom of the eighth inning for a 9-8 win Thursday over the visiting Vikings.

The game went back and forth throughout and featured four home runs. Vacaville improved to 8-1 overall and 5-0 in the Monticello Empire League. Vanden fell to 3-4 overall and 3-2 in the MEL.

Ashlyn Wilson belted two home runs for Vacaville and drove in three runs. Makayla Freshour was 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Aubrie Gibson and Laila Dean also had two hits apiece with Gibson adding an RBI.

Maalia Cherry went 3-for-4 for Vanden with a home run and three RBIs. Daniela Ontiveros hit two doubles and drove in two runs. Kiah Silva singled and doubled. Isabella Cueva also had two hits.

Will C. Wood secures

11-1 win over Armijo

VACAVILLE — Grace Barajas went 3-for-4 at the plate and drove in five runs Thursday in leading the Will C. Wood High School softball team to an 11-1 win over visiting Armijo in five innings.

Aubrey Redline and Karley Sampson had two hits apiece and each drove in a run. Danica Walker had a double. Wood

Masters

improved to 1-3 overall and 1-2 in the Monticello Empire League. Sampson and Maddie Farnham combined on a four-hitter with four strikeouts.

Armijo fell to 1-3 in the MEL. No individual statistics were made available for the Royals.

Boys Tennis Rodriguez rolls to 9-0 win over Vanden

FAIRFIELD —

The Rodriguez High School boys tennis team won its 12th consecutive match Thursday, beating Vanden 9-0.

Evan Wadsworth, Danton Hsueh, Josh Williams, Theo Keyser, Brandon Wei and Justin Wei all earned singles victories. The Mustangs gave up only seven games in the singles matches, which were all decided in straight sets.

The Rodriguez doubles teams of Paul Lee-Ian Huey, Patrick ReillyAndre Perriard and Drake Bennett-Conner McKimmie rolled and allowed only four games in their straight-set victories.

Rodriguez is now

From Page B6 with defending champion Scottie Scheffler trailing by 10.

It had already been a long day when the horns blew at 3:15 p.m. Earlier that morning, 39 players had to finish their second rounds in a chilly drizzle, after which Koepka maintained a two-stroke lead on Jon Rahm and a four-shot edge on amateur Sam Bennett, who

Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group Giants pitcher Sean Manaea pats catcher Blake Sabol on the chest protector after retiring the Royals in the second inning, at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Saturday.

Giants

From Page B6

second-worst in baseball.

Brandon Crawford and Thairo Estrada turned a smooth double play, and Lamont Wade Jr. made a difficult play at first base to help Manaea escape the fourth inning.

The only damage came off a hanging changeup that Bobby Witt Jr. smoked over the left-field fence for a solo shot in the sixth inning.

Manaea walked off the mound in the sixth inning with a 4-1 lead before Stripling entered.

Stripling immediately allowed a solo shot to Franmil Reyes, then served up three more runs in the eighth on a three-run shot by Salvador Perez.

The Royals plated their eventual winning run on a wild pitch by Camilo Doval in the ninth.

Also….

n Along with Sabol, the two battery mates had been looking forward to the opportunity to link up since spring training, when Sabol’s mother visited and cooked Samoan food for some of her son’s teammates. While both players were born in the United States, Sabol’s mother was born Western Samoa while Manaea’s father was born in the eastern islands of American Samoa, as detailed by a story in The Athletic from March.

n Sabol, too, made his mark on the game when he stumbled in foul territory before making a diving catch for the second out in the eighth inning.

Janric Classic Sudoku

BACK ISSUES By Gary

12-0 in the Monticello Empire League and Vanden is 6-6.

Boys Golf Strachen, Vacaville drive past Vanden

FAIRFIELD — Quinn Strachen led the Vacaville High School boys golf team with a 3-over-par 39 in a 229-240 win over Vanden Thursday at Paradise Valley.

Ben Wilhite followed Strachen with a 40 and Isaac John shot a 43, among the Bulldogs’ top scores.

Rohan Kamath led the Vikings with a 42 and was followed by Aiden Co (43) and Nolin McClaskey (49) among the Vikings’ best nine-hole rounds.

Will C. Wood picks up win over Fairfield

FAIRFIELD — Heath Bradford shot a round of 42 at Rancho Solano and the Will C. Wood High School boys golf team posted a team score of 245 in a win over Fairfield on Thursday.

Myles Bradford shot a 45 for the Wildcats and Dustin Austin had a

has resurrected memories of Ken Venturi 67 years ago, when he contended deep into the weekend as an amateur.

Never before had two players opened a Masters third round under par by double-digits – Koepka at -12, Rahm at -10 – but it was clear as the rain picked up that no one was going to scale the leaderboard this day. Only four players in the top 14 picked up strokes to par in the afternoon and that Koepka had one birdie all day – an up-anddown from four feet on No. 2 – and

47 among the top scores. Fairfield didn’t field enough players to post a team score.

College

Solano wins series, beats Napa Valley

ROCKVILLE — Kevin Parker went 3-for-4 at the plate with two doubles and three RBIs as the Solano Community College baseball team earned a 12-1 win over Napa Valley Friday.

Dylan Trammell pitched six strong innings for the win. He allowed just two hits, one earned run and two walks to go with five strikeouts. Jacob Reguera threw three innings for the save. Solano won two out of three in the series and improved to 13-16 overall and 7-5 in the Bay Valley Conference.

Miles Meadows, Alex Gaela and Ryan Mitchell all hit doubles. Jaxson Bates drove in three runs, while Caleb Morant, Meadows, Gaela, Conner Ross and Victor Vega each had one RBI apiece.

Solano will be back in action Tuesday with a 2:30 p.m. home game against Los Medanos.

still increased his lead by two shots should be no surprise. Rahm sloshed into a pair of bogeys – an errant sand shot on No. 4 and a three-putt from 88 feet on No. 5 – and later implied it might have been worse. Koepka answered with two pars and doubled his lead. He might get a stroke back, perhaps two, right away Sunday. Koepka’s first shot will be an 11-foot putt for a sand save on No. 7 while Rahm will have a nine footer for birdie. If Rahm was happy, Koepka sounded relieved.

Larson & Amy Ensz

4/9/23

Difficulty level: GOLD Fill in the blank cells using numbers 1 to 9. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and 3x3 block. Use logic and process of elimination to solve the puzzle. The difficulty level ranges from Bronze (easiest) to Silver to Gold (hardest).

Solution to 4/9/23:

Jewish soldiers held a makeshift Seder in the middle of Civil War

For Pvt. Joseph A. Joel and his brethren, the parallels must have been obvious. Here they were, soldiers in an unfamiliar land with enemies all around, fighting in part to free enslaved people, when they stopped to observe a religious holiday dedicated to remembering their enslaved ancestors and their own escape to freedom.

Joel was one of about 20 Jewish Union soldiers in the 23rd Ohio Infantry to celebrate a makeshift Passover Seder near what is now Fayetteville, W.Va., on April 3, 1862. More than 160 years later, the approximate site of their celebration has been located and a sign unveiled to honor it, with the support of the nonprofit Civil War Trails and local stakeholders.

“In the grand scheme of history, this event is a footnote,” said Joseph Golden of the Temple Beth El congregation in nearby Beckley, W.Va. “But it also gives us a glimpse into the personal involvement of Jewish soldiers fighting for the Union cause.”

About 150,000 Jews lived in the United States at the time of the Civil War. Some were Southern enslavers, like Judah P. Benjamin, a U.S. senator from Louisiana who joined the Confederacy. But most lived in the North, and approximately 7,000 Jews served in the Union Army –including these young men from Ohio.

Much of what we know about this

Seder comes from Joel, who was between 17 and 19 years old at the time. Four years after their improvised observance, in 1866, he recounted it in a letter to the Jewish Messenger newspaper.

The regiment made its winter camp in backwoods of what was then Virginia – West Virginia had not yet become a state – just outside a village called Fayette, now Fayetteville. The group of Jewish soldiers asked their commanding officer, future president Rutherford B. Hayes, for time off to celebrate Passover, “which he readily acceded to,” Joel wrote.

Though in this instance Hayes allowed the men to practice their religion unimpeded, other Jews in the Union army faced unaccommodating and even antisemitic commanders. Another future president, Ulysses S. Grant, issued a

general order expelling Jews from the Department of Tennessee; when President Abraham Lincoln found out, he ordered Grant to rescind it.

The 20 young soldiers split up to prepare for the Seder. Some worked on building a log hut, while others searched for the items they would need for a traditional Passover celebration. The matzoh, or unleavened bread, had already been sent to them by a family member in Ohio. For the bitter herbs, which symbolized the bitterness of slavery, they took to the forest and picked some pungent greens that may have been ramps. They got eggs from locals in the village and a lamb from the regiment’s sutler, who may also have been Jewish.

While cooking the lamb, they couldn’t figure out which was the shank bone, but “Yankee ingenuity prevailed,” Joel wrote, and “it was decided to cook the whole and put it on the table, then we could dine off it, and be sure we got the right part.”

They couldn’t find the needed quantity of wine – four cups each – so they substituted an alcohol they had access to: hard cider.

Another problem arose while looking for ingredients for haroset, a sweet relish often made from apples, nuts and cinnamon. They couldn’t find any edible substitutes, but because haroset was supposed to represent the mortar between the stones the enslaved Jews used to build the pyramids in Egypt, they figured a

brick would suffice as a reminder.

“I love this story from a Jewish perspective especially because this is a bunch of teenage boys,” said Victoria Tolson of Civil War Trails. “They’re away from their community, they’ve never done a Seder before, and they totally mess it up.”

The haroset has a practical use in addition to its symbolic meaning, Tolson explained. Because it’s eaten after the bitter herbs, the sweetness clears the palate of the herbs’ strong taste. When these young men ate the herbs they’d gathered and realized they couldn’t rinse their mouths with a brick, they panicked.

“The herb was very bitter and very fiery like Cayenne pepper, and excited our thirst to such a degree that we forgot the law authorizing us to drink only four cups, and . . . we drank up all the cider,” Joel wrote with some humor.

Soon, the Passover Seder devolved into something closer to a Purim celebration -– meaning they got very drunk. And rather than reading the story of the Jews escaping Egypt, some of them began to act it out.

“Those that drank more freely became excited and one thought he was Moses, another Aaron, and one had the audacity to call himself a Pharaoh. The consequence was a skirmish, with nobody hurt, only Moses, Aaron and Pharaoh had to be carried to the camp, and there left in the arms of Morpheus,” Joel wrote.

If

Evening Bible Study.....7:00 PM www.vacavillecofc.com

Chris Jackson Photography/Civil War Trails The unveiling of a new Civil War Trails sign honoring Jewish Union soldiers in Fayetteville, W.Va., April 3.

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