Daily Republic: Sunday, June 11, 2023

Art on the Vine back for 25th edition A5

NFL alum offers skills and life advice B6

Fairfield grads ready to make waves

FAIRFIELD — A pair of Fairfield High teachers eagerly waited to hear the names of their teaching assistants called Friday at the school’s Class of 2023 graduation.

They did not have to wait long.

But Elizabeth Thompson, a seven-year special education teacher at Fairfield High and 10 years in all, said it was not only Glensy Cauich she was excited to see get a diploma, but all the graduates who started their high school days under the Covid-19 restrictions.

“I think it is so amazing to see our students get to the next step in life,” said Thompson, who

graduated from Vacaville High School in 2000.

The next step for graduate Ram Flores is the military.

He spent three years in the Air Force Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps, but he has his eyes set on the U.S. Army. Ironically, he still has his sights set on a career as a pilot after leaving the military.

Flores credits the dedication of the teachers at Fairfield High for getting him this far.

James Macariola, the faculty speaker at the commencement ceremony, said that each of the students had created a ripple that will effect change in their lives and the lives of others.

“One ripple can cause a wave, and a wave can cause change,” said

Sun shines on Rodriguez, Early College graduates

daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Kayla

Lee had mixed feelings as she arrived Friday morning for the Angelo Rodriguez High School Class of 2023 graduation.

Macariola, whose daughter was among the graduates.

Raegan Leong, who has been teaching six years at Fairfield High, like her colleague, was especially eager to see her class assistant, Jorge Pineda, get his diploma.

“I’ve only known him for a year, but he was the most ... polite person I’ve ever met ... and he really wanted to help, and I look forward to seeing what he is going to do,” Leong said.

The ceremony was relatively quiet as graduations go, with the stands only partially filled for the 362 graduates. But the ripples could be felt just the same.

“I made it,” one graduate yelled up into the stands.

She is very excited about going off to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, to study pre-medicine and play Division 1 softball for the Tar Heels.

Lee created a head start for herself as a graduate of the Early College High School program, earning an associate’s degree in biochemistry.

But the 86 students who completed the early college coursework – earning an average of 45 credits, or a year-and-a-half of college credits – spent more time away from their 427 graduating Rodriguez High classmates, too.

“It was challenging,” Lee said. “It was really hard not to go to Rod and graduate Rod, but in the end of the day, I’m ahead.”

She came to the event with Emily Campi, who will be attending California State University,

See Shines, Page A12

Bulldogs say hello to new beginning

SuSan Hiland SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — The senior class of Vacaville High School took to the Tom Zunino Stadium on Saturday morning not for a football game but for a graduation and their first steps into adulthood.

Gracelynn Caulfield, 18 stood with her aunt, Danielle Wing waiting to enter the stadium. She is excited to be attending Solano Community College next year.

“I will be taking classes for pre-nursing then transfer to a four year school when I am finished,” Caulfield said.

SuSan Hiland

SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — The Will C Wood Wildcats bid farewell to high school on Friday evening with a ceremony full of music and cheers.

After the Star Spangled

Banner was played Principal Charleston Brown welcomed parents, family and friends to the Class of 2023 graduation.

“This is a reflection of your hard work and dedication over the last four years,” he said. “You have experienced

the joy of new changes and the sadness of saying goodbye to friends.”

He told them that the days will seem to fly by, and years will pass in the snap of a finger but remember to follower your heart and gut.

Senior Class Presi-

dent Ella Draper spoke of the aching to be older and wiser, starting in kindergarten, and always wanting to be in the next class with the big kids, until eventually they grew up and became the

Her favorite memory was winning the Varsity Girls Soccer tournament and she hopes

in the future to come back to playing soccer at sometime.

“I have been playing since I was three years old,” she said.

The 128th graduation ceremony was the culmination of four years of hard work and dedication for 413 graduates according to principal Adam Wright.

“The last few years have been challenging,” he said. “We have tried to prepare you for the unknown challenges ahead.”

He spoke of celebrating the ending of their high school years and the beginning of a new chapter in their lives.

Class Historian,

See Bulldogs, Page A12

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic

Kyia Jackson holds up her diploma during the Fairfield High School Graduation Ceremony on Friday.

Susan Hiland/Daily Republic

Ashley Morales, 18 helps pin the mortar cap on her friend’s head at the Will C Wood Graduation Ceremony.

Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic Graduates celebrate at the Rodriguez High School and Early College High School graduation ceremony, Friday, June 9, 2023.

Science answers life’s mystery – can you split Oreo cream evenly between the wafers?

What you’ve always thought is true: It’s virtually impossible to twist apart an Oreo cookie and have evenly distributed cream.

How do I know?

Science! The kind of science we need, done by the smartest people in the country: researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Sportswriters used to call boxing “the sweet science,” for reasons unknown to anyone. (Irony? Did they not know what “sweet” and “science” meant?) But this? This is sweet science. While other researchers were trying to create vaccines for deadly viruses or gain a deeper understanding of DNA or discover how life began,

some folks at MIT were doing populist science: Creating what they called an “Oreometer” that used rubber bands and weighted coins to create enough force to twist apart cookies. Specifically, of course, Oreo cookies. Rubber bands! Weighted coins! Science!

As a member of the pancreas-challenged community

(I’m a Type 1 diabetic), Oreos are an element of my past, not my present or future. But being human for decades has taught me that Oreos are the greatest store-bought cookie (edging out either those Mother’s circus animals or Chips Ahoy, depending on your preference) and what makes them special is the

thing that the scientists tried to measure: The cream filling, which is almost universally consumed after the two cookies are split apart.

If we ate hamburgers like Oreos, we’d pull apart the buns and then lick the hamburger until it dissolved. Which would be gross, but remains a good definition. It’s rumored that only sociopaths eat an Oreo without splitting it first (and only sociopaths eat hamburgers that way).

Anyway, the folks at MIT used the Oreometer to pull apart cookie after cookie. After, of course, writing a bunch of scientific gobbledygook to describe the plan and reason:

“Scientifically, sandwich cookies present a paradigmatic model of parallel plate rheometry in which a fluid sample, the

crème, is held between two parallel plates, the wafers. When the wafers are counter-rotated, the crème deforms, flows, and ultimately fractures, leading to the separation of the cookie into two pieces.”

Translation: You twist the cookie to get to the filling.

Their study found that regardless of how the cookies were twisted, the creamy filling tended to stay primarily on one wafer. And in those rare occurrences when the cream was split 50-50, it tended to chunk up on each wafer, not be spread around in an equitable manner: A glob on the bottom a glob on the top. But since they are scientists, the MIT folks didn’t settle with the idea that it’s impossible to separate Oreos and get a 50-50 split on cream, which is

where most of us would finish.

They hypothesized why: The researchers say that the manufacturing of Oreos involves machines dropping the cream on the bottom wafer, then adding the top wafer. That few moments of adherence to the first wafer is likely enough that it stays there for good.

In other words, the cream imprints on the first wafer. Like a baby bird.

So next time you split an Oreo to eat it (presuming you’re not a sociopath), realize most of the cream stays with the wafer on which it imprinted.

Then scrape it off – but with your top teeth or bottom?

I guess the folks at MIT have more studies to perform. Reach Brad Stanhope at bradstanhope@outlook.com.

How life for animals changed when humans stayed home during the pandemic

The WashingTon PosT

Bears roaming the streets of Italy. Pumas prowling cities in California. Goats taking over towns in Wales.

As people hunkered at home to stop the spread of the coronavirus in early 2020, they swapped stories online of wildlife reclaiming urban spaces outside their windows.

Now a massive study of GPS tracking data on bears, deer, elephants, giraffes and some 40 other terrestrial mammals around the world confirms many animals roamed further and appeared to act more at ease without humans around.

“It’s obvious that we’re having an impact on animal behavior,” said Marlee Tucker, an ecologist at Radboud University in the Netherlands who led the study published in the journal Science on Thursday. What is more surprising, she added, is that even “small changes in our behavior could actually be quite beneficial” for wildlife.

The unprecedented and accidental experiment that was the coronavirus pandemic allowed the ecologists to show how perceptive other creatures are to the presence of humans –and how quickly they can alter their behavior when we aren’t bothering them.

The work, which involved 175 wildlife researchers, suggests new ways to protect wildlife now that the pandemic is over – without, that is, having to urge everyone to stay at home again.

“The most striking thing was that the responses were occurring

CORRECTION POLICY

over a very short period of time,” said Colleen Cassady St. Clair, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Alberta who was not involved in writing the paper. “And it suggests that several species are very reactive to human activity.”

A growing body of research into the slowdown in human activity during the pandemic – a brief period scientists call the “anthropause” – shows the complex ways ecosystems responded when they were suddenly devoid of people.

Sometimes, the absence of humans was a beneficial reprieve for wildlife. At other times, the anthropause came at animals’ detriment.

nnn

Like a lot of the best science, it began by accident.

In the years leading up to 2020, dozens of scientists around the world put tracking collars on elephants, giraffes, bears, deer, lions and other animals for their own separate research projects. At the time, none of them suspected their data would help us understand the effects of a global health crisis.

But once covid began sweeping the globe, Tucker started making calls and sending emails to researchers tracking wildlife. Having spent much of her career studying wildlife movements around humans, she and her colleagues knew the pandemic was “quite a unique opportunity.”

In total, the GPS coordinates the team gathered from 2,300 terrestrial mammals showed a wide variety of responses, but a

few trends emerged. Many animals became more adventurous during the beginning of the pandemic, traveling distances up to 73 percent longer compared to the year prior in areas with the strictest covid orders.

Among the biggest daredevils were brown bears in the Italian Alps. Around the city of Trento, the normally skittish carnivores raided chicken coops, pillaged garbage cans and wandered straight into the village centers during lockdowns.

“All these are very rare events,” said Andrea Corradini, an ecologist at the Edmund Mach Foundation in Italy, “yet several instances were reported over the course of two months during the lockdown.”

Pumas in California are, too, are normally leery of populated areas. But during closures in the San Francisco Bay Area, the cats inched closer to urban areas, sometimes patrolling right through them.

But just as quickly, the pumas retreated. “As soon as society opened back up again and people were back out driving and walking on the streets, they reverted right back to how they had been before,” said Chris Wilmers, a professor of wildlife conservation at the University of California at Santa Cruz.

Although the tracked animals roamed longer distances, they moved less during short, onehour timespans because fewer people were around to spook them. And with fewer cars on the roads, many animals also inched closer to normally bustling thoroughfares in search of

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

food and other resources.

“That kind of blew my mind – that kind of insidious effect of traffic,” said Amanda Bates, a biology professor at the University of Victoria who helped coin the term anthropause.

nnn

For many species, the hiatus from humans was clearly a boon. Sea turtles in Florida, for instance, appeared to thrive after beachgoers packed up their umbrellas, other researchers have shown. The same was true for turtles on the Greek island of Zakynthos. But ecosystems are complicated, with humans

wittingly (or unwittingly) playing a role.

For instance, researchers working to protect seabirds by ridding Gough Island in the Atlantic of invasive mice had to postpone the project during the pandemic.

And the absence of tourists on the Swedish island of Stora Karlso caused a sevenfold increase in white-tailed eagles compared to the previous year. That’s good for the raptors – but bad for a type of seabird called the common murre that the eagles liked to disturb. Humans, whether they knew it or not, were

helping guard the murres from bigger birds.

For St. Clair, the ill effects road traffic has on wildlife underscores the need for physical barriers –for the protection of both animals and the people that can crash into them.

“A good solution for coexistence with wildlife, especially wildlife that can inflict injuries on people, is to have quite clear segregation,” she said.

Another lesson of the covid closures: Sometimes it’s good just to give wildlife more space to be wild.

Brad Stanhope Like I was sayin’

Cops find car, track down Fairfield hit-and-run suspect

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — A

32-year-old Fairfield man was arrested Thursday in connection to a hit-andrun incident that left a motorcyclist in critical condition, the city Police Department reported.

Lester Hogan Atkinson was arrested and booked into Solano County jail on suspicion of felony hit-and-run.

The incident occurred about 10:50 p.m. on May 31. The motorcyclist was traveling westbound in Highway 12, approaching Pennsylvania Avenue, when he was struck by a vehicle traveling south on Pennsylvania, approaching the highway, the police reported.

Witnesses told police that the southbound vehicle ran the red light

Gunman gets life sentence for 2020 shooting of Fairfield man

while turning west onto Highway 12, hitting the motorcycle, and then fled the scene, the police reported.

The vehicle was identified as a 2018 black Dodge Challenger. It was recovered Wednesday in Vallejo.

A search warrant was executed at a Fairfield residence, and the owner of the Dodge, identified later as Atkinson, was arrested. Police also reported that they recovered a firearm from the residence.

The victim, as of Thursday, remained in critical condition, the police said.

Anyone with information pertaining to the incident is asked to contact the Fairfield Police Dispatch Center at (707)428-7300.

STA directors to review 2023-24 work plan on Wednesday

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

SUISUN CITY — The Solano Transportation Authority directors on Wednesday will review the 2023-24 Overall Work Plan, which identifies and updates priority plans, projects, and programs.

The fiscal year 2023-24 Solano Express Intercity Operating Budget and Cost Sharing Plan is also on the agenda, as is possible changes to the Solano Express Blue Line Sacramento Service, and discussion on the Solano Comprehensive Transportation Plan.

The board meets at 6 p.m. in the office board room, 423 Main St., in Suisun City.

The regular meeting follows a 5:30 closed session during which the directors will conduct a performance evaluation for the executive director.

The directors, as part of the consent calendar, will consider approving more than $121 million in agreements for a host of Regional Measure 3 projects – including two contract-ready agreements totaling $70.424 million for the Interstate 80 express lanes.

The board also will consider $25.7 million for the I-80 Westbound Truck Scales Project and $15 million for the Highway 37 / FairgroundsDriveImprovements Project.

LAFCO updates Monday meeting agenda

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — An amended agenda for Monday's LAFCO meeting includes a presentation on the fiscal year 2023-24 Final Budget and Workplan. The Local Agency Formation Commission meets at 10 a.m. in the Solano County Board of Supervisor chamber on the first floor of the government center, 675 Texas St., in Fairfield.

Also on the revised agenda is consideration of detaching fro the Solano Irrigation District

FAIRFIELD — Christopher “Roly” Young on Friday was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the shooting death of Nathan Gabriel Garza, of Fairfield, the Napa County District Attorney’s Office reported.

Garza was 18 years old when he was shot and killed on Aug. 16, 2020, in American Canyon.

“Young’s sentencing is the culmination of a thorough investigation and lengthy trial in which Napa County Deputy Attorneys Taryn Hunter and Diane Knoles proved beyond a reasonable doubt that (Young) was solely responsible for the Aug.16, 2020, murder,” the Napa County DA’s Office said in a statement.

“Thankfully the jury saw through Young’s contrived defense and convicted him on all charges and allegations,” Knoles said. “The defendant has not demonstrated a shred of remorse for Nathan or for his devastated family. We are grateful that this

sentence provides justice by ensuring that he will never again be a threat to anyone and that he will be punished to the fullest extent possible,” Knoles said in a statement.

Several of Garza’s friends and family members were present in court (Friday), including his mother, Tracy Garza, who read a witness impact statement to the court.

“My world, my family, my very being was shattered when Nathan was taken from us,” she said. “It has taken almost three years for the justice system, the honorable men and women in law enforcement and the Napa County District Attorney’s Office, and a panel of brave and dedicated jurors to find Christopher Young guilty of all charges, describing and depicting the ruthless murder of my son Nathan Gabriel Garza,” the vic-

tim’s mother said, as cited in the DA’s statement.

“No parent or loved one should have to see or hear what we have endured during this process. We live with this knowledge and horrifying images every moment, of every day, of our lives,” Mrs. Young said.

Young, 26, of Martinez, on May 11, was convicted by a Napa County Superior Court juro of first-degree murder. He was found guilty of shooting Garza in the back in the parking lot of the American Canyon Safeway store where he worked.

Young sped away from the parking lot and abandoned his vehicle nearby on Cattail Drive, the District Attorney’s Office reported.

“Napa County sheriff’s deputies apprehended Young shortly after receiving several reports of the defendant hopping fences and entering back yards of neighborhood homes,” the DA Office reported.

The jury also convicted Young of shooting from a motor vehicle, being a felon

in possession of a firearm, being a felon in possession of ammunition, and giving false information to a police officer. The jury also found true the special circumstances of Young personally and intentionally discharging a firearm, firing a weapon from a vehicle with the intent to inflict death, and of lying in wait.

Napa County Judge Elia Ortiz sentenced Young to two consecutive terms: one term of life without the possibility of parole and the other of 28 years to life. Ortiz also ordered restitution to be paid to Garza’s loved ones and to the California Victim Compensation Board.

Garza was a recent graduate of Rodriguez High School, which held its 2023 graduation on Friday. Garza had planned to continue his education at Diablo Valley Community College.

Vacaville Council talks lighting districts

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — It's Vacaville's turn to discuss Landscape and Lighting Maintenance Assessment. The topic is on the consent calendar at Tuesday's meeting.

Pursuant to the Landscape and Lighting Act of 1972, the city levies special assessments in order to maintain the improvements within the city’s Landscape and Lighting Maintenance Assessment Districts consisting of neighborhood parks, setback landscaping, drainage, and detention basins, open space, and street lighting.

In Vacaville, there are 134 districts with individual corresponding operating budgets.

On Feb. 14, the council took the first step approving a resolution directing the preparation of the annual report.

The second step, on Tuesday, is

granting preliminary approval of an Engineer’s Report for 2023-24, which details the proposed budgets and assessments for each district.

The last step is a public hearing, after which the engineer’s report may be approved or modified by the City Council. It is slated on June 27.

The maximum allowable assessment rates are subject to an annual adjustment not to exceed 3 percent.

Of the 134 districts, the actual assessment levy will be increased to the maximum level or less than the maximum level. for 48 districts, 9 levies will remain unchanged, and 61 levies will be decreased because of surplus in those particular accounts.

Sixteen districts will not be assessed since it is anticipated that the public improvements will not be installed or accepted by the end of fiscal year 2023-24, or there is enough surplus revenue in the account from previous assessments.

The total amount to be assessed

is $4,147,153.

All neighborhood parks within the districts receive a minimum of a 10 percent General Fund subsidy, totaling $404,224.

The General Fund subsidizes certain districts at a rate more than 10 percent to fill the shortfall gap between the assessment cap and the true cost to operate and maintain the park or lighting amenities totaling $1,299,323.

For the fiscal year 2023-24, the total General Fund subsidy will be $1,703,547. Last week, Fairfield residents turned down seven of nine proposed new landscape and lighting maintenance districts.

Following the meeting, the council will host a closed session about existing litigation.

The meeting gets underway at 6 p.m. at 650 Merchant St. The complete agenda can be found at https:// www.ci.vacaville.ca.us/government/ agendas-and-minutes.

Suisun City seeks input for new strategic plan

0.36 acres of property within Fairfield designated for Habitat for Humanity development. The parcels are located at the southwest corner of Woolner Avenue and Columbus Drive, north of Alonzo Creek.

Additionally, the commissioners will consider a new sphere of influence for the Rural North Vacaville Water District.

The board also will meet in closed session for a performance evaluation for the executive officer and to be updated on labor negotiations.

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

SUISUN CITY – Suisun City is embarking on an important phase in the development of its new strategic plan.

The city is actively seeking input from the community to shape its future.

The strategic plan, which will serve as a roadmap for the next

three to five years, aims to address the city's key priorities and ensure that Suisun City continues to thrive.

"The input we receive from our community is invaluable in guiding our decision-making and setting priorities, said Mayor Alma Hernandez, said in a press release.

"We want to hear from our residents, businesses, and stakeholders to ensure

that the strategic plan reflects their needs and aspirations. This collaborative effort will shape the future of Suisun City, and we encourage everyone to participate."

"Since we completed the first strategic plan in the city’s history four years ago, the entire makeup of our City Council

has changed, said City Manager Greg Folsom, in the press release. "Our goal is to create a new plan that is truly representative of the community's vision." Suisun City has launched an online survey accessible at https://www. surveymonkey.com/r/ suisuncitycommunity, open until June 23.

YOUNG GARZA

Two men killed in plane crash ID’d

FAIRFIELD – The two victims of the plane crash near the Rio Vista Municipal Airport on Thursday have been identified as Concord and Martinez residents.

Benjamin Shreve, 41, of Concord, and Jesse Buckner, 33, of Martinez, were onboard the Steen Skybolt experimental aircraft when it crashed into a private field just north

of the Asta Construction Co. quarry and east of the airport.

The Solano County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office made the identifications.

The incident occurred about 11:45 a.m., the Rio Vista Fire Department reported.

Fire Chief Jeff Armstrong said the two people were pinned in the aircraft and died at the scene.

The aircraft is a homebuilt aerobatic biplane.

Armstrong said emer-

gency crews were guided to the crash by another airplane, which alerted ground crews by waving its wings, then took them to the site. The fire chief called the pilot a “hero.”

That pilot’s name has yet to be determined, the Fire Department reported Friday morning.

The National Transportation Safety Board is the lead investigation agency.

“The investigator arrived on site (Friday) for the on-scene portion of the

Rancher busted for thousands of pot plants

investigation. The investigator will document the accident site, airplane, and gather witness statements and any surveillance video that may have captured any part of the accident flight. The investigator will also collect any flight track or radar data,” the NTSB said in a response to the Daily Republic inquiry.

“A preliminary report, which will detail the facts and circumstances of the accident, is expected in two to three weeks.”

Padilla urges Superfund status for Exide cleanup

tRibune content agency

LOS ANGELES — With a torrent of criticism swirling around California’s largest environmental cleanup, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla Friday visited Boyle Heights and renewed his call for the federal Environmental Protection Agency to aid state efforts in removing lead contamination from neighborhoods surrounding a shuttered battery recycling plant in Southeast Los Angeles County.

Padilla, D-Calif., along with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., sent a letter to EPA administrator Michael Regan in February asking him to expedite California’s request to designate areas near the former Exide plant as a Superfund site, a classification typically reserved for some of the nation’s most contaminated places. The designation, Padilla said, would bring in federal funds and likely expedite the pace of lead remediation efforts in the community.

Before closing in 2015, the Vernon plant had operated for nearly a century, melting down millions of lead-acid car batteries to repurpose the metal. After several bankruptcy filings, Exide, the most recent operator, left California taxpayers to foot the bill for the cleanup.

As many as 10,000 homes surrounding the plant may have been contaminated by its lead and arsenic emissions, according to state officials.

In the past seven years, state-hired contractors have removed lead-contaminated soil from more than 4,600 properties nearby. Soil testing led by the University of Southern California, however, found many homes that had been cleaned by state contractors still contained elevated levels of lead.

At a news conference held outside of Resurrection Catholic Church, Padilla unveiled a map illustrating two broad areas that the state is petitioning the EPA for Superfund status. The proposed area includes parts of Boyle Heights, Bell, Commerce, Huntington Park and Maywood.

“We’re calling for the EPA to step up — and to hurry up — because these families have waited more than long enough,” said Padilla, who was flanked by other lawmakers and community members.

Padilla’s visit injected a sense of urgency into a massive $750 million cleanup, which some residents and environmental advocates have derided as slow-footed and insufficient by the state.

Padilla’s remarks offered the first glimpse into which areas the EPA might assume authority and provide assistance if the state’s bid for the Superfund designation is granted.

But some community members felt blindsided.

Mark Lopez, co-chair of the state’s Exide advisory committee, said Friday was the first time he had seen the map. Given the proposed Superfund sites are already located within the state’s cleanup zone, he

fears any work performed by federal regulators won’t be additive.

“It doesn’t change the area that’s being cleaned up,” said Lopez, who is also a community organizer with East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice. “I’m just like, did they do any analysis beyond the existing cleanup area to justify not going further? It really just feels like they’re repackaging the exact cleanup that’s already problematic.”

Lopez said he had hoped federal assistance might go toward cleaning homes beyond the state’s 1.7-mile cleanup zone. USC-led testing found dozens of homes with high lead concentrations outside of the state’s cleanup boundaries. There was also an opportunity for the funds to be used to clean the railyard adjacent to the Exide site, which residents fear is heavily contaminated and may be a source of lead pollution on windy days, Lopez said.

The state toxics department has drawn the scrutiny of residents, activists and public officials for several aspects of the Exide cleanup.

At hundreds of properties, work crews failed to meet state cleanup standards, which outlined how much soil needs to be removed from properties, according to a Los Angeles Times investigation.

Some residents complained that state-hired work crews didn’t excavate any soil from certain parts of their properties. The California Department of Toxic Substances Control also lacked any plans to clean neighborhood parkways, the strips of public land that sit directly in front of most properties, despite having soil testing that showed they were heavily contaminated.

“There’s no doubt

that every level of government has failed here for generations,” said Assemblymember Miguel Santiago, D-Los Angeles. “That’s the bottom line. There’s no excuse around it. For the county, city, the state, the feds — for 40, 50 years — did not address the worst environmental disaster on the West Coast that we now know is Exide, and our community has suffered greatly for it.”

“And I’m not going to sugarcoat it,” Santiago continued. “There has been problems with DTSC [California Department of Toxic Substances Control].”

However, DTSC has recently overhauled parts of the cleanup. Following the Los Angeles Times investigation, the state has dedicated $67.3 million to clean neighborhood parkways and it has begun publishing reports that detail cleanup activities.

Padilla also tried to ease community concerns about federal intervention, given the EPA limit for lead in residential soil is five times higher than California’s health standard. Padilla said his office was advocating for the EPA to provide funds that would clean up properties to California’s more stringent threshold.

Earlier, Padilla stopped by a Boyle Heights home where a team of workers for SF&S Construction, one of the companies involved in the cleanup, were removing soil from the front yard of a home in the 1100 block of Esperanza Street. The yard had lead levels four times higher than the state limit.

As an excavator piled loads of polluted soil into a large metal container on the street, Padilla spoke with workers and Fr. John Moretta, the pastor of Resurrection Catholic Church who has fought against pollution for decades.

tRibune content agency

BYRON — In what authorities hope allows them to seize large amounts of cash and property, an Alameda man has been charged with three misdemeanors for allegedly cultivating more than 450,000 cannabis plants.

The defendant, a 50-year-old Alameda man, was charged with allowing a place for preparing a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, and cultivating marijuana, all misdemeanors.

The Alameda County Sheriff’s office started investigating him in 2022, based on a tip that he was illegally growing marijuana under the guise of running a hemp business, authorities say.

In a June 2022 raid of his property on 13600 Christensen Road, police reportedly found 419,102 plants being grown in 311 green-

houses, many of which the defendant allegedly rented to people for $1,500 a month. Officers also seized $230,000.

Police allege that the Alameda man was seeking to acquire hemp permits, but acknowledged to county officials that he ran illegal grow houses.

Subsequent raids of one of his Alameda County property’s turned up three firearms — including an assault rifle found in his Alameda home — 33,949 more marijuana plants, $64,962 in cash, and 3,626 pounds marijuana.

Finally, last February, police returned to the Byron property and seized another 5,302 plants, authorities say.

Prosecutors have already signaled their intention to seize unspecified “assets and property” under state asset forfeiture laws.

Barbara Greggans

Barbara Ann McCauley Ramirez Greggans, 89, passed peacefully surrounded by her beloved daughters, on May 23, 2023 in Fairfield.

A native San Franciscan, Barbara was a Mission High School graduate, class of 1952. Loving spouse of William Greggans, predeceased in 2018, and a loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Barbara resided in San Francisco, Santa Rosa, Scotts Valley, and Fairfield.

At the news conference, he said the community reminded him of the one he grew up in.

“It’s hard to not feel outraged when you walk through the neighborhood and you see a true vibrant community — a community just like Pacoima … where I grew up in in the San Fernando Valley,” Padilla said. “You think of kids playing in the yards, you think of barbecues and cookouts on holiday weekends. And we think of too many people who are growing sick because of the contamination. Because, for decades, Exide dumped lead and other toxic contaminants into the community without consequence.”

Terry Gonzalez-Cano, whose family has lived in Boyle Heights for generations, said the toxic legacy left by Exide and the plant’s previous owners continues to haunt her because she used to encourage her two children to play outdoors when they were young, rather than watch TV or play video games. At the time, she and many neighborhood parents were unaware that dangerous levels of pollution were pervasive in their community.

“There were so many parents that — we just didn’t know,” GonzalezCano said. “We took our kids to the park to play baseball and we had no idea they’re sliding into contaminated soil.”

“I know it’s not my fault. But, as a mom, you take everything as your fault. That tears me up that I feel, in some way, that I was responsible for my kids getting sick.”

Barbara will be remembered for her always positive and happy approach to life, her joy in her family and friends, and the thoughtfulness, encouragement, and love she gave to all.

The family wishes to thank The Village of Rancho Solano for the kindness of the staff, many who became dear friends o f Bar bara, and where she resided happily overlooking nature.

Barbara believed in and championed equal rights for all, and for people to have the life choices and freedoms to be and live as who they are. Memorial donations may be made to the ACLU

John Albert Gr ay

John passed away on May 8, 2023 after a brief illness. Born in Rockford, IL to John and Lillian Gray, he is survived by wife of 62 years Meg; children Heather, John, Michael and Kristen; grandchildren Emily, Holly, Hannah, John, Corie, Cierra, JonCarlos, Vincent, and Angelina; and great-grandchildren Mabel, Henr y, Amelia and Michael.

ARMY VETERAN

As valedictorian of Kirkland High School in 1955, and graduate of University of Illinois Urbana with a BS in Civil Engineering, and an MPA from Golden Gate University, John served in the US Army then met and married Meg in 1961.

John served as Public Works Director and later Transportation Director of Solano County.

John and Meg retired to Camino in 2001 as active members of Federated Church in Placerville where John held numerous leadership roles.

John’s life will be celebrated on June 24 at 11:00 a.m at Federated Church 1031 Thompson Way, Placerville, CA 95667. Lunch to follow. Memorial gifts may be sent to the church in his honor.

Riddick D. Houston

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Riddick, known to family and friends as Doug. He died peacefully at home on May 10, 2023 after a long illness with Parkinson at the age of 86.

Doug retired from the Air Force after 23 years of service and as a Solano County correctional officer.

Doug loved his country and his church. He was a member of Fairfield Assembly of God for 38 years.

He leaves behind his wife Mauricette (Moe) after 64 years of a very happy marriage. He also leaves his son Christian, his wife Rosa, granddaughter Angelica and five great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and close friends longtime fishing partner Donald Frey and James Wood.

AIR FORCE VETERAN

A military ceremony will be held with family and friends in Dixon at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery on June 14, 2023 at 2:30 p.m., 5810 Midway Road, Dixon, CA 95620.

Richard Emigh

Richard “Dick” Emigh, age 93 of Rio Vista passed away peacefully in his home on Tuesday, May 30, 2023 with family by his side. He was recently predeceased by his wife of 70 years, Faye, and his brother Harold (Martha) Emigh, and his sister Dorothy DeTar. He is survived by two children: Christine (Dan) Mahoney of Rio Vista, and Martin Emigh of Dixon; six grandchildren: Kelly (Chris) Theroux, Ryan (Kelli) Mahoney, Sean Mahoney, Eric Emigh, Catherine (Kevin) Simonis, and Sarah (Jeff) Naake; and eight great-grandchildren: Lorenzo, Bella, McKayla, Emily, Connor, Fiona, Rosie and Joanna.

ARMY VETERAN

Dick was an iconic figure in agriculture his entire life raising sheep, cattle, and crops and being part of organizations to ensure the success of the industry for generations to come. He was a longtime member of many organizations related to the farming industry at county, state and national levels. Dick served his country in the Army. He was loved by his family and community and was blessed by many visitors over the last year of his life. We will always remember him for his work ethic, generosity, commitment to agriculture, service to his country and community, and love for his family. We are comforted to know

Dick and Faye have been reunited again in eternal life. Services will begin at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 13 at the First Congregational Church, followed by a family burial at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery, and a luncheon at the St. Joseph Church Hall.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the First Congregational Church (230 Sacramento Street , Rio Vista CA 94571) or St. Joseph’s Catholic Church (130 South 4th Street , Rio Vista, CA 94571).

Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Sen. Alex Padilla, D- Calif., left, and Assemblymember Miguel Santiago visit a house in Los Angeles’ Boyle Heights neighborhood on Friday that is being cleaned of lead contamination from the shuttered Exide plant.

Migrants say contractors pushed to get them to board planes

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

EL PASO, Texas —

María had traveled over 2,800 miles from Venezuela to reach the United States in early May. Once crossing the border, however, she’d only made it four blocks, to a shelter at Sacred Heart Church, in downtown El Paso.

Like many asylum seekers released on parole by Customs and Border Protection, she had no money to pay for a plane or bus ticket, she said. She slept in the church shelter, and then in the alley outside, for three weeks, until a woman approached and said she would fly María on a private jet to California.

“She said I should go, that there were people there to receive us who would give us lodging, that they would help us… get our [immigration] papers in order,” said María, who asked to be identified only by her first name, out of fear of potential repercussions from the woman who approached her.

What María didn’t know was that the woman was a contractor hired by the administration of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The contractor, along with another woman and two men, spent the afternoon walking around the church trying to recruit migrants like María to board a charter flight to Sacramento. María and other migrants said the contractors did not identify themselves beyond saying they were there to “help the migrants.”

Over that weekend, the contractors managed to recruit two planefuls of migrants — 16 on a Friday flight, 20 on Monday — whom they drove two hours west to a small airport in New Mexico for the trips to Sacramento.

The scheme was a gambit by DeSantis, and brought attention to his recently launched presidential bid focused on denouncing what he calls “wokeness” and attacking states like California over “sanctuary city” policies.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom condemned the flights.

“My Administration is working with the California Department of Justice to investigate…. whether the individuals orchestrating this trip misled anyone with false promises or have violated any criminal laws, including kidnapping,” he wrote in a statement the next day.

DeSantis and his spokespeople have defended the flights, arguing migrants’ decisions to board were entirely voluntary. DeSantis organized a similar protest flight in 2022, recruiting migrants in Del Río, Texas, to fly to Martha’s Vineyard. Despite widespread condemnation and an ongoing criminal investigation over whether those migrants were misled, the Florida Legislature this year allocated $12 million that can be used for such flights. DeSantis’ office did not respond to a request for comment.

In Arizona near the

border with Mexico on Wednesday, he decried what he called “open border” policies and said, “I think the sanctuary jurisdictions should be the ones that have to bear that.”

In El Paso, three migrants who were approached by the contractors, but who decided not to go with them, said the contractors’ offers were vague and suspicious. Though the contractors maintained a friendly composition, they pushed aggressively for migrants to board flights, those approached said, and they insisted on seeing the documents border agents had given them.

When one Venezuelan woman told the contractors she didn’t want to go to California but was trying to get to New York, a contractor told her that “people in California” would book her flights to New York once she landed there, she said.

The woman asked that her name not be used because she was still unsure of the contractors’ identities and feared repercussions if they returned. Other migrants who turned the contractors down expressed similar fears.

María said the contractor who talked to her was insistent, and that she kept telling her that she should board the plane. When María said no, she wanted to stay in El Paso to make her court date, the contractor told María she would “change her date” for her.

The whole affair made María nervous. She worried the mysterious contractors were drug traffickers — why else would they have a private plane? The contractor seemed to sense her nervousness.

“She told us not to be afraid — that she didn’t want to steal our hearts or our organs or anything,” María said.

Despite the woman continuing to push her to get on the plane, María ended up turning her down. But she watched in anxiety as one of her friends went with them.

Imelda Maynard, an attorney with the Catholic Charities of Southern New Mexico’s legal aid

clinic, met with a family who chose to go with the contractors that Thursday. She says the family — now clients of her organization — were offered help finding housing and jobs.

The husband, wife and four young children were driven by the contractors in a rented van about two hours east into New Mexico, where the contractors booked them rooms in a Super 8 motel and promptly disappeared.

According to Maynard, while the contractors reappeared the next morning to take some of the migrants to a private plane, the con-

tractors seemed unsure whether the family could travel with children, and they told the father that they had to delay. Maynard says her clients waited in the motel until Sunday, when one of the contractors suggested the father could board a flight alone the next day, and his family could join him at some other point. The family asked instead to go back to El Paso. They were allowed to leave.

Maynard said that the father told her his family had been well-treated by the contractors; they had been fed well and comfort-

ably housed. Nonetheless, he was nervous about them coming to look for his family, and he stayed on the lookout. Like other migrants, he was concerned that the contractors might have been drug traffickers.

According to Maynard, the father later got a call from a woman who had landed in California.

Maynard says that the woman told the father that the planes were a “scam” — that there had been no jobs waiting for them.

On that Sunday, María’s friend who had gone with the contractors also called her from California. The

friend said that the contractor had driven them about two hours east to a motel before returning the next day to take them to the airport, where, as promised, a private plane was waiting, according to María.

María said her friend told her that police had interviewed the migrants as soon as they got off their flight, and that she and the others had met the governor of California. While confused at what was happening all around her, the friend told María that the treatment on the flight had all been “normal,” and that they’d arrived in California safely as promised.

María’s friend could not be reached to verify her experience. Newsom confirmed that he had met with migrants on Saturday, along with California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

Newsom spokesman Anthony York, who was present at the meetings, said the migrants seemed to be in good moods. They had been dropped off in front of the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, and had since been housed and fed by a coalition of local faith groups.

“We saw these folks after their first good night’s sleep in who knows how long, and I think a lot, a lot of them were just happy to have been fed and clothed,” York said. “And so a lot of them were in very good spirits just because they were being welcomed by the NGOs that received them and the faith community embracing them.”

Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images/TNS File

Migrants camp outside of the Sacred Heart Church in downtown El Paso, Texas, on May 8

400 gallons of red-dyed diesel spills into Lookout Slough

FAIRFIELD — Four-hundred gallons of red-dyed diesel spilled into Lookout Slough, the Solano County Environmental Health Division reported on Friday.

The spill was discovered on Tuesday near 5725 Liberty Island Road, at Schene Enterprises, in the Dixon area, creating what was described in the county Proposition 65 report as a medium risk to the public and the environment.

The spill has been cleaned up, the report states. There are three colors of diesel, the most common being the public roads vehiclegrade clear diesel.

Red-dyed diesel can only be used in off-road vehicles, typically farm tractors, heavy construction equipment and generators, where higher sulfur fuel use is permitted. It is not taxed.

There is also blue-dyed diesel. It is the same as red-dyed diesel except used only for U.S. government vehicles, and not available to the general public.

Vacaville Museum hosts history walking tour of downtown

VACAVILLE — The Vacaville Museum will be sharing history with visitors through a walking tour.

The next event will be on June 17 at 10 a.m.

Every third Saturday they will be covering Downtown Vacaville, learning about the history of still standing buildings in the area.

Tickets can be purchased at the website https://vacavillemuseum.org or over the phone at 707-447-4513, or come in during open gallery hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 213 Buck Avenue, Vacaville.

City council plans study session on Tuesday

FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield City Council will hold a special meeting study session 6 p.m. Tuesday in the council chambers, 1000 Webster St.

There will be public comment session.

Presentations include the water master plan introduction, continue discussion of land use alternative with regards to the general plan and a resolution authorizing the display of a flag commemorating the Juneteenth Holiday on June 19.

Il Fiorello dedicates weekend to everything lavender

by SuSan HilanD SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Ashley Madrigal came from Elk Grove for a day with her mom and sister to the eighth annual Il Fiorello Lavender Weekend, a celebration of all things lavender.

Her hands were coated with seeds and clay after a class on how to make seed balls for your garden.

“This is really cool,” she said. “We wanted to have a girl’s day out.”

None of them had every been to Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company before.

They planned to spend all day in the several classes that were offered. On Saturday about 10 people came out for the morning classes which included how to make seed balls, painting with Sandi Imperitori and Lavender Aromatic Swags with Denise

Revel, Girl on the Hill.

This annual event welcomes visitors for the weekend of fun and education.

Owner Ann Sievers noted that this year they were offering different classes than in year past.

“The classes have gotten

bigger over the years,” she said. “We are completely sold out on the lunch and some classes this year, too.”

The goal of the day was to share the joy of all things purple. They had a luncheon menu an herb and lavender salad, blackberry lavender

balsamic vinegar reduction which was special created for the event along with lavender stuffed pork loin, a honeylavender gelato and lavender pizzelles, a flat bread pressed in a special Italian food iron. This weekend Sievers introduced her signature scent for Il Fiorello a lavender and rose spray. “I just put it toge-ther,” she said. Participants will enjoy Sunday’s classes which include Growing Lavender with David Key a Master Gardener. They will all go home with lavender plants. Also Sustainable Solano will give a class on cooking with lavender, Denise Revel, Girl on the Hill. will have a demonstration on making wreaths with lavender. Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company has many events throughout the year. For more information go to https://ilfiorello.com.

Supervisors to consider zoning overlay to protect lands around Travis AFB

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD – The Solano County supervisors on Tuesday will consider establishing a Travis Reserve Area Zoning Overlay in the unincorporated agricultural area surrounding Travis Air Force Base.

“Establishing a Travis Reserve Area Zoning Overlay in the county’s zoning code implements the General Plan policy of maintaining the future viability of Travis Air Force Base as a significant national defense installation and economic resource in Solano County,” the staff report to the board states.

“Once approved, the TRA Zoning Overlay will apply to 83 parcels, totaling 7,896 acres,” the report adds. “The TRA Zoning Overlay preserves the agri-

cultural uses of parcels adjacent to the base for future expansion of TAFB per the General Plan’s Travis Reserve Area land use designation and limits incompatible uses adjoining TAFB that have the potential to restrict the range of activities at the base.”

The action comes as the Flannery Group has sued a number of landowner interests in federal court for at least $510 million for what the investor group contends have been anti-trust violations by colluding on land prices.

However, the county has been concerned for a number of years about Flannery’s intent in buying properties in the Jepson Prairie and Montezuma Hills areas, since those future uses have not been publicly disclosed.

The board meets at 9 a.m. in the firstfloor chamber of the government center,

REDUCE THE RISK of Becoming Infected with West Nile Virus

675 Texas St., in Fairfield. There are morning and afternoon sessions.

Also on the morning agenda is the annual presentation on the Solano County Index of Economic and Community Progress, recognition of the 74th annual Solano County Fair and consideration of naming the Nut Tree Airport Administration Building as the Edwin I. Power, Jr. Administration Building.

Power was a visionary for what became the airport. The family also started the famed roadside fruit stand known as the Nut Tree in Vacaville in the early 1920s.

The air base overlay is part of the afternoon session, which starts at 2 p.m.

It follows a closed session during which the supervisors will consider initiating legal action, details of which have yet to be disclosed.

A number of types of sources found within residential neighborhoods are capable of producing enough adult mosquitoes to bother not only the residents of one home but a number of homes in the area. These mosquitoes are also capable of transmitting West Nile virus! Water left standing for seven to ten days can produce mosquitoes during warmer weathaer. There are a number of simple precautions that can be taken to prevent this from happening...

HE LP US FIGHT THE BITE this season by reporting dead birds to the West Nile Virus Call Center at 1- 80 0-WN V- BIRD or go online to westnile .ca.gov to report elec tronic ally. Dead birds are an import ant tool for early virus detection. Birds ac t as a reservoir for We st Nile virus, infecting the mosquitoes that feed on them.

Dead birds are of ten the first indicator that West Nile virus may be present in an area

Susan Hiland/Daily Republic

Ann Sievers, owner of Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company, shows a class how to make seed balls at the Lavender Weekend on Saturday.

IRS apologizes for telling taxpayers their debt was due in weeks rather than months

TriBune ConTenT agenCy

LOS ANGELES

— The phones of tax

specialists all over Cal-

ifornia were ringing off the hook this week.

There were five on Tuesday — and five the next day — at the office of certified public accountant Tyler Ashmore in Bakersfield. Also on Tuesday, 15 customers rang the business line and personal cell of Dan Herron, a tax preparer in San Luis Obispo.

The same day about a dozen calls and emails hit the inboxes of David R. Flamer, a CPA in Agoura Hills.

An untold number of California taxpayers — believed to be in the hundreds of thousands — were recently mailed notices from the Internal Revenue Service notifying them that the income tax they owed was due within three weeks rather than the roughly four months the agency previously promised. The agency sent out a digital notice to those taxpayers this week, apologizing for its mistake and confusion.

“The IRS reassures California taxpayers that they continue to have an automatic extension until later this year to file and pay their taxes for those covered by disaster declarations in the state,” the agency noted in a statement Wednesday.

Notices, called a CP14, are for “taxpay-

Art on the Vine celebrates 25 years of talent and creativity

By SuSan Hiland SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

SUISUN VALLEY

ers who have a balance due, and they are sent out as a legal requirement,” according to the IRS.

The agency did not respond to calls or an email from a L.A. Times reporter for further comment.

The IRS granted individual and business tax payment extensions in January to those in areas affected by “severe winter storms, flooding and mudslides in California” last year. The extension applied to 51 counties, including Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and Ventura.

Due dates were changed from May 15 to Oct. 16.

The CP14s received this week, however, listed payment due dates within 21 days. That meant those expecting to pay off their debt erroneously saw their timetable cut from four months to late June.

“The hardest part for tax professionals is the work that is not of our doing,” said Ashmore, who added that he spent 20 to 30 minutes explaining to each client what was taking place. “Part of my job is easing their fears, which if you work with the IRS is par for the course.”

The CP14 notice can range from a few to several pages with a first page including a statement balance and due date.

— Artists from across California came out this weekend to share their work with visitors at the 25th Annual Art on the Vine.

Jean Purnell, a landscape artist who paints in oils, came from Benicia to sell her art.

“I did this two years ago,” she said.

She returned again because she really enjoys the people and sharing her work with others.

“Oil is easier to use than acrylic because acrylic dries so fast,” she explained about her medium of choice.

The Fairfield-Suisun City Visual Arts Association hosts the event almost every year, except in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Organizer Dennis Ariza, who is an accomplished photographer, was thrilled to see so many come out for the two-day event.

“This started in individuals homes,” Ariza said.

They show started with about 37 artists showing there work in there homes. Soon it seemed logical to start an art show with all the artist represented.

On Saturday, they have 57 participants which has certainly grown from 37 people.

“People wanted to show there art,” he said.

The event is free to attend but they charge for the booths for artists.

“We use the money for other events and our juried art show,” Ariza said.

This year they have a different food truck and Donut O’s brought dessert

with donuts for sale.

Artists came from all over California including Charles and Linda Perkins who decided to give the art show a try and brought there work all the way from Palm Springs.

“We heard good things about the show,” Charles said. “And so far it has been good.” The couple work together to create very unique art which is a combination of paint and metal for something that is beautiful and intriguing.

From down the road a group of 11 ladies came up to see what the fuss was about from Village 360 where they had breakfast.

“It was a bit of a hike to get here,” said Linda Medina from Fairfield. “We saw the sign and wanted to see what was here.”

Art on the Vine continues from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at BackRoad Vines, 2221 Julian Lane, in rural Fairfield.

Susan Hiland/Daily Republic

Seven-year-old Mia Medina, a young artist in the making from Fairfield, enjoys some painting time at the 25th Art on the Vine show at Backroad Vines in Suisun Valley on Saturday. Below, art by Charles and Linda Perkins, who come from Palm Springs to show their work at Art on the Vine.

The ‘Retirement Crisis’ is an on-going media myth

We are inundated, seemingly every day, with bad news regarding retirement. Reliable publications trumpet a dire future for retirees.

But when we skip the media articles and simply look at the data, a very different story emerges in nearly every area of retirement savings. This story is far more encouraging and gives us hope for our own retirement and those of people we care for.

Many retirement advocates yearn for the days of the traditional “defined benefit” (DB) pension. These plans are rare today, mainly part of government employee benefits. Yet the reality was that less than 40% of private-sector workers participated in a DB pension, even at their peak in 1975.

A 1972 congressional report stated that 9 in 10 workers who participated in a DB plan

failed to vest in their benefits. By 1981 the Social Security Administration (SSA) reported only 27% reported receiving any private pension benefit.

Among the bottom half of the income distribution, it was just 9%.

Today, the story is dramatically different. In a 2015 analysis by the SSA found 61% of private-sector workers participating in a retirement plan, with an additional 14% offered a plan but not enrolled. Similarly, a 2017 Census Bureau analysis found 61% of Americans 65 and older receiving benefits from a private retirement plan.

The introduction of 401(k) retirement plans in 1978 marked an inflection point in Americans’ retirement savings. Federal Reserve figures show that in 1978, total retirement plan balances were equal to half of employees’ total wages and salaries, with sav-

ings-to-salary ratios rising about 1 percentage point per year.

From 1978 through 2020, the ratio of retirement savings to the employee wages they must eventually replace increased by nearly 8 percentage points per year, with total savings rising sevenfold and currently sitting at 375% of employee wages and salaries. Other data, from the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances, show retirement savings increasing in every age, income, educational and racial/ethnic group.

While not perfect, 401ks have two key advantages over traditional pensions. First, employers are willing to offer them. Not surprisingly, when employers had to pay the benefits they promised and were required to put up money to back it up, traditional pensions were not attractive as a benefit. While 401(k)s face challenges with administrative burdens and, increasingly, liabilities to employee

lawsuits, employers are simply more willing to offer them.

Second, while private-sector pensions were funded almost exclusively through employer contributions, 401(k)s receive contributions from both employers and employees. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that employers have largely maintained their contributions to retirement plans, while the addition of employee contributions has boosted savings to much higher levels.

The result of broader retirement plan participation and higher contributions has been rising retirement incomes. Congressional Budget Office data show that, since 1979, the inflation-adjusted average household income of Americans 65 and older has risen by 119%, more than doubling.

By contrast, incomes for working-age households increased by only 75%. Census Bureau research shows that retirement incomes have

risen not just for the rich but across income distribution and have brought old-age poverty to record lows.

A Gallup poll reported that 80% of retirees have enough to “live comfortably,” while less than 5% are struggling. Other agencies have similar reports.

Americans are also working longer, which is one of the most effective ways to boost retirement incomes. A longer work life means more savings, higher Social Security benefits, and a shorter retirement in which savings will be drawn down. Americans are also delaying claiming Social Security benefits, retiring nearly a year and a half later today than in the mid-1990s.

These may not be the only relevant facts to inform discussions of retirement income security. But they are facts nonetheless that provide much-needed context to discussions of how well the U.S. retirement system is working.

Why is so little of this evidence known? One reason is that we now have better data, but it has not been widely reported. The dismal headlines can be a puzzle until you consider that many factions benefit from the pessimism. Good news does not sell as well as bad. Promoting an agenda is more difficult if the “problem” seems small.

The simple fact, as current data supports, is that never have so many Americans saved so much for retirement, nor had stronger incomes in old age or a lower risk of poverty. That does not mean the U.S. retirement system doesn’t face challenges. But it does make those challenges easier to address.

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

GM joins Ford in gaining access to Tesla’s network

tRibune content aGency

General Motors Co. reached a deal Thursday to gain access to Tesla Inc.’s network of electric vehicle chargers, joining its crosstown rival Ford Motor Co. in an industrychanging tie-up intended to speed consumer adoption of battery-powered vehicles.

San Diego’s new foam ban begins with little trouble

DaviD GaRRick THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE

SAN DIEGO — Early enforcement of San Diego’s new ban on polystyrene foam food trays, pool toys and other products has gone smoothly so far, with few complaints about violations and only a small number of businesses asking for exemptions.

The lack of controversy since the ban took effect April 1 is partly because city officials have opted so far against aggressive enforcement, relying only on complaints from the public instead of visiting businesses for inspections.

The city also exempted for one year any business with annual revenue less than $500,000, delaying enforcement until next spring for hundreds of local taco shops, pizza parlors and other establishments that use cheaper foam products to save money. There has been slightly more controversy over a second component of the

new law that requires businesses serving food to only provide straws and plastic utensils when customers request them.

Several businesses have asked city officials to clarify how to set up selfservice kiosks for straws and utensils. In addition, some third-party food delivery companies have been doling out utensils even when customers chose not to receive them.

San Diego is joining more than 130 other California cities with bans on polystyrene foam, including Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Del Mar and Imperial Beach. Oceanside and Coronado are the only local coastal cities without a ban.

The ban covers foam egg cartons, takeout containers, meat trays, coolers, ice chests, dock floats and mooring buoys. Retail stores can’t sell those products, and residents can’t use them at city parks or beaches. San Diego’s ban was delayed three years by lit-

igation from restaurants and container companies.

Supporters, including many environmental groups, say foam products poison marine life and damage the health of people who eat seafood, because the foam is not biodegradable and only continuously breaks into steadily smaller pieces.

Often sold under the brand name Styrofoam, the products – made of the chemical polystyrene –enter local waterways and easily get consumed by wildlife after they break down into pieces.

Nearly all national and regional restaurant chains long ago stopped using polystyrene in response to lobbying from environmental groups and backlash from customers concerned that foam isn’t biodegradable.

But the ban is expected to have a big effect on taco shops, pizza parlors, convenience stores and other small businesses that continue to use foam products.

See Foam, Page A9

First Northern announces VP hiring

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Jason Torres, a Fair field native and resident, has been hired by First Northern Bank as vice president and commercial loan officer for the YoloSolano region out of Davis.

Torres brings nine years of experi ence in the financial services industry, which includes underwriting, risk man agement, credit analysis and business development.

Prior to this job, he served as senior credit analyst for business and tech banking for First Republic Bank in

Walnut Creek. BH He holds a master’s of Business Administration from the University of the Pacific, Eberhardt School of Business in Stockton.

He has done volunteer work with Opportunity Junction, Habitat for Humanity, packing gift bags for young women in the foster system with Project Glimmer, and serving at local food banks. He enjoys cross-country cycling, and spending time with his family outdoors.

By turning the EV market leader from foe to friend, both of the Detroit automakers are adding to Tesla’s overwhelming lead in the number of public fast chargers in the United States – a critical component in the auto industry’s historic transition from gas and diesel engines to electric motors. The lack of enough reliable public chargers has been one of the biggest hurdles to EV adoption among American motorists.

“I think we have a real opportunity here to really drive this to be the unified standard for North America, which I think will enable more mass adoption,” GM CEO Mary Barra said during a live event with Tesla CEO Elon Musk announcing the partnership on Twitter Spaces, which is part of the Twitter social network owned by Musk, “so I couldn’t be more excited.”

Automakers, including GM and Ford, have

been using the Combined Charging System (CCS) standard on their electric vehicles. Tesla created its own connector and last fall offered up its design to everyone, inviting “charging network operators and vehicle manufacturers to put the Tesla charging connector and charge port, now called the North American Charging Standard (NACS), on their equipment and vehicles,” the automaker said in a November blog post. Tesla says its connector is “half the size, and twice as powerful” as the CCS connectors.

Ford took Tesla up on its offer two weeks ago when Musk and Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley announced their alliance, also during a live event on Twitter Spaces. Starting next year, Ford’s EVs will gain access to Tesla’s Supercharger network with a Tesladeveloped adapter.

That arrangement will give Ford customers access to more than 12,000 Superchargers, more than doubling the number of EV fast chargers they currently can use.

“We’re ramping production and we think this a huge move for our industry and for our allelectric customers,” Farley said during the May 25 announcement.

“Widespread access to fast-charging is absolutely vital to our growth as an EV brand.”

The Charging Interface Initiative, CharIN, a global association focused on the electrification of all forms of transportation enabled by CCS and the Megawatt Charging System, responded bluntly to the Ford/Tesla partnership: “CCS is the global standard and therefore focuses on international interoperability and, unlike NACS, is future-proofed to support many other use cases beyond public DC fast charging.”

Musk on Thursday’s call with Barra hailed the GM-Tesla partnership as a step toward greater EV adoption in the United States.

“This will really help put people’s mind at ease and focus on one standard,” he said. “And it’s really going to be great for consumers. They just won’t have to worry about which plug, which socket, which charging station. It’ll just work seamlessly.”

Current GM owners will be able use the superchargers starting next spring with an adapter. And starting in 2025, the first GM EVs will be built with a NACS connection and will not have a CCS connection.

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Foam

From Page A8

It also affects some grocery stores and big-box chains.

The city granted an exemption through the end of 2024 to all local grocery stores and big-box chains that sell meat products packaged in foam.

The stores, which are represented by the California Grocers Association, say compliance would sharply raise local meat prices because an estimated 80 percent of the meat sold in local grocery stores uses non-compliant packaging.

Despite the exemption, Costco stores within the city of San Diego have voluntarily replaced foam meat trays with biodegradable plastic trays.

Jennifer Ott, a city recycling specialist spearheading enforcement of the ban, said the grocery

stores weren’t given a blanket exemption that allows them to ignore the new law. They are required to report to the city, store-by-store and chain-by-chain, the progress they are making to shift away from foam packaging.

“It keeps it at the forefront of their minds how the transition is going,” Ott said. The city waiver likely means local grocery stores will be exempt until a state ban on foam products supersedes the city legislation.

A state ban is scheduled to take effect at the end of 2024 – the same time the city waiver is set to expire – unless recycling of foam products in California reaches 25 percent, which is considered highly unlikely.

The grocers

received one of two “feasibility” exemptions granted by the city. The other went to a small independent restaurant, which got a six-month waiver to shift away from foam products.

The city also granted two “contractual requirement” exemptions, which go to businesses that have ongoing contracts to buy foam products. Those exemptions went to a small grocery store and a restaurant with a small number of locations. Hundreds more businesses have gotten automatic exemptions that don’t require any application because their annual revenue is less than $500,000. Businesses hoping to extend such exemptions past April 2024 will need

to apply next spring, which will include submitting tax documents showing their revenue. “They will also need to demonstrate to us that they have looked at other products and show us what the pricing difference is, and we’ll assess all the pieces,” Ott said. “I can see us doing a bunch more outreach at that point and then getting some more waiver requests.”

Through last week, Ott said the city had received only nine complaints about businesses potentially violating the new law. When they get a complaint, city officials call a business and explain the new law to the manager. So far, they haven’t conducted any site visits. Anyone who sees a business that could be in viola-

tion should call (858) 694-7000 or send an email to sdrecyclingworks@sandiego.gov.

Ott said city officials are upbeat about how things have gone so far.

“We’re proud that we passed this ordinance and the implementation is going really well,” she said. “Our approach is business-friendly. We want to work with the business to figure out what’s going to work for them.”

But she said city officials are putting together enforcement procedures for the future. She said they tentatively plan to make at least one site visit, possibly two, before issuing a notice of violation and levying fines. She said that if compliance is spotty in the future, the city’s Get It Done! tipster

app could possibly be updated to include reporting of violations of the foam ban.

Ott said she is unsure whether pool supply stores have started complying with the new law. She said the city sent them mailers and none applied for exemptions, but there haven’t been any site visits to verify.

The rule requiring straws and utensils to be provided only upon request has prompted many questions, Ott said, especially about making such items available in selfservice areas.

“The utensil provisions can be a little confusing,” she said. “We can talk them through how that will work at a drivethrough or self-serve station – the things they are allowed to do and not allowed to do.”

She also noted that a related state law goes beyond the city legislation. In addition to requiring that customers ask for utensils, the state law outlaws bundling of multiple utensils in one package and mandates that condiment packets be given out only upon request. Another issue has been with drivers for delivery services, such as DoorDash, GrubHub and Uber Eats. Ott also provided some tips for people who want to support the new law. They include keeping a reusable utensil kit, including a straw, in your car or bag; using a reusable travel coffee mug; and bringing reusable glass, metal or plastic food containers to restaurants for any leftovers.

Where Trump’s mounting legal troubles stand

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

Donald Trump continued to make dubious history last week when the former president was criminally indicted for a second time — just weeks after being found liable in a civil rape and defamation trial.

The federal indictment unsealed in Florida Friday against the ex-chief executive and current Republican presidential front-runner accuses him of endangering national security by recklessly stashing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort, and then obstructing efforts to return them to the government.

The felony charges add to those Trump already faces in Manhattan related to paying off porn star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an alleged sexual encounter.

And they come as Trump gears up for a mammoth fraud trial in a lawsuit against his family business brought by New York’s attorney general.

Despite his facing more than 70 felonies overall and the possibility of decades behind bars, Trump’s staggering legal woes could get even worse.

Here’s an update on where things stand with the most significant legal threats facing Trump, who turns 77 this week, as he seeks the White House for a third time.

—Georgia investigation into Trump’s alleged efforts to subvert the 2020 election

Fulton County DA Fani Willis is expected to announce charges by September related to the Trump campaign’s alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. The DA is reportedly considering racketeering counts.

A special grand jury recommended Willis pursue indictments earlier this year.

Partially-released court records show panelists rejected claims that Georgia’s election proceedings were plagued by fraud. And they believed some witnesses should face charges for lying under oath.

Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who Trump notoriously told in a caught-ontape directive to “find” enough votes to give him the victory over Joe Biden, was among those who testified.

Justice Department Jan. 6 probe

The DOJ is still investigating Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 insurrection of the U.S. Capitol in a probe overseen by special counsel Jack Smith, who also headed the Mar-a-Lago documents investigation.

Trump’s VP Mike Pence took the stand in April, and Smith has reportedly presented evidence from Trump’s former chief of staff, Mark Meadows.

More than 1,000 people have been charged in connection to the fatal riot, with nearly 500 receiving sentences.

Classified documents case

Trump is set to appear in Miami federal court on Tuesday, charged with putting the nation and its allies at grave risk. He faces 37 counts alleging he willfully retained defense secrets in violation of the Espionage Act, conspired to obstruct justice, and related offenses.

Of significant interest is whether the assigned judge, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, will remain on the case. The Trump-appointed jurist delayed the probe with widely-ridiculed rulings in his favor that were overturned on appeal by other Trump-appointed judges.

The case handed up by a grand jury Thursday cites audio recordings of Trump acknowledging he wasn’t supposed to have the trove of records he took from the White House.

It cites information gathered from multiple Trump employees and advisers alleging he went to great lengths to evade law enforcement and hang on to government records related to nuclear programs, military vulnerabilities, and plans to respond

to foreign attacks.

Trump’s former lawyer, Evan Corcoran, told investigators that Trump suggested he lie to the feds or destroy the records. When that didn’t work, the feds said Trump had his White House valet and co-defendant Waltine Nauta hide the boxes from his legal team and a grand jury.

Stormy Daniels hush money case

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsification of business records brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in a case headed to trial next March.

The former president is accused of concealing reimbursement to his fixer-turned-foe Michael Cohen to hide that he’d broken election laws by paying Daniels into silence about an alleged extramarital tryst in 2006, just before he won the presidency in 2016.

Cohen went to federal prison for the $130,000 payment and is expected to be the

trial’s star witness.

Carroll sex abuse case

A Manhattan jury in May found Trump liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll in a Midtown dressing room in the 1990s. They agreed he defamed her after she spoke out, awarding her $5 million. But the litigation is far from finished.

A day after the verdict, Trump repeated his defamatory statements to an audience of about 3 million in a CNN town hall.

In response, Carroll added the outrageous remarks to her initial 2019 lawsuit against Trump, which has been bogged down in appeals.

Trump is appealing the verdict in the second lawsuit, demanding a new trial or a reduction of damages.

Trump Organization fraud case

Bragg’s office secured the convictions of the Trump

Organization and its longtime moneyman Allen Weisselberg on criminal tax fraud charges last year.

The 75-year-old Weisselberg served 99 days behind bars on Rikers and the company was ordered to pay $1.6 million in fines.

But the penalty will pale in comparison to what Trump’s real estate empire will owe if state AG Letitia James prevails at a civil trial set for October.

The case against Trump, his adult children, and other company executives accuses them of staggering fraud. James says they habitually misrepresented the value of assets like skyscrapers and golf courses — by hundreds of millions of dollars — to reap more favorable loans and tax breaks. She says Trump lied about his net worth to the tune of billions.

In Trump’s first deposition, he took the same strategy as his son, Eric, refusing to answer hundreds of questions by pleading the Fifth.

Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/TNS)

A stone-faced former President Donald Trump walks out of the Manhattan District Attorney Offices at One Hogan Place after being booked and criminally charged with a 34-count indictment on April 3 in New York. Trump surrendered after being indicted by a grand jury for hush-money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels and others.

National Cancer Survivor Month brings more hope

As we celebrate National Cancer Survivor Month, I find myself thinking of straightforward steps we can take to improve cancer survival.

Consider lung cancer, which kills more than 127,000 Americans annually. Primary prevention involves protecting the lungs, by encouraging our citizens to never pick up smoking. That is a worthy goal, and smoking rates have generally inched lower over past decades. Among those with lengthy smoking histories, however, we can work more diligently to catch lung cancer at an early stage.

A recent Wall Street Journal article (“Few Get Lifesaving Lung Cancer Test,” Brianna Abbot, June 2) explores the role of computer tomography (CT) scanning. This promising technology, employing low levels of radiation, deserves broader clinical recognition.

Lung cancers that have spread have five-year survival rates that are poor, perhaps hovering around 7%.

By contrast, early asymptomatic cancer may be surgically treatable, with five-year survival rates of 60%.

Doctors and professional organizations are increasingly likely to recommend screening CT scans on people older than 50 years who have significant smoking histories. The Journal described, for example, a 73-year-old woman in Kentucky whose early cancer was removed, improving her odds of cancer survival.

The practical challenge is that CT screening is not being widely employed. Although insurance typically covers the procedure, only 6% of people who are eligible choose to have CT screening. Why is that?

Low dose CT scanning confers significant benefits with a manageable radiation exposure level, and the American Academy of Family Physicians endorsed such screening

in 2021. Nonetheless, many doctors may still be unaware of the recommendations. Are patients similarly unaware, or reluctant to be screened for other reasons?

A related subject, a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Rebecca Stone and co-authors: Salpingectomy in Ovarian Cancer Prevention, June 1) describes promising research on ovarian cancer prevention. This malignancy, famously associated with the demise of comedian Gilda Radner, typically develops insidiously, and is challenging to cure.

Close to 20,000 women ae diagnosed with this condition annually in the United States, usually dying within five years of diagnosis due to widely metastatic disease. Screening is inadequate, in part due to a propensity for this tumor to develop in the fallopian tube section adjacent to the ovaries. Recent research suggests that a

procedure called “opportunistic salpingectomy” may have a huge impact. Instead of tubal ligation, women who desire to prevent future pregnancies may opt to have the fallopian tubes surgically removed. Indeed, this approach could be performed conveniently at the time of other surgeries, such as gall bladder removal or hernia repair. Medical experts are gravitating towards this approach. The JAMA article, in fact, states, “opportunistic salpingectomy must become the standard of surgical care, and efforts are needed to ensure tubal ligation and hysterectomy without salpingectomy become obsolete.” Ovarian cancer is one of the five most lethal cancers in women, and the post-menopausal fallopian tube appears to lack a clear physiological function. Sometimes cancer prevention and early detection are hard to sort out. For example, if a woman undergoes salpingectomy, how do we interpret the presence of microscopic can-

Diversity coordinator strives to be guide she wanted as college student

M AyA lor A THE BALTIMORE SUN

BALTIMORE — While obtaining her two degrees from Penn State Harrisburg, Atika Syed says she often struggled to feel seen.

Syed, a Muslim woman, immigrated to Hershey, Pennsylvania, from Pakistan in 2010 because of her husband’s job and started school as a mother of two, eventually obtaining a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s in community psychology and social change.

“I would often feel like I had to actually, actively explain to people at the university what certain religious requirements were, what was deemed important in my religion and culture. And that was a very tedious process,” Syed said. “It made me feel like an outsider. And that’s the last thing you need when you’re in a place that you spend most of your waking hours.”

In an attempt to ensure that other students don’t have the same experience, Syed works as the Asian, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern and Desi American (APIMEDA) coordinator at Towson University’s Center for Student Diversity. She’s the first person to hold the position. (Desi describes people of the Indian subcontinent, including those from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.)

The Center for Student Diversity was established in 1969 as the Office of Minority Affairs to integrate Black students into Towson, according to the center’s website. The center has changed names several times since then.

According to a university spokesperson, in spring 2023, there were about 1,180 students in the APIMEDA community out of 18,306 students across the undergraduate and graduate populations.

Syed, 46, capped off her inaugural year in the role by overseeing a first-of-its-kind graduation ceremony for APIMEDA students

May 19. Over 50 graduates received navy blue and gold stoles while surrounded by dishes piled high with vegetable biryani, tandoori chicken

and samosas.

Ava Askandarian, 22, was one of those students. She said it was “eyeopening” to sit in a room surrounded by other students in the APIMEDA community, and that it made her feel proud.

Askandarian, who studied psychology and theater arts, immigrated from Iran while in elementary school. At Towson, she was constantly looking for a place she belonged. She started working as a student office assistant at the Center for Student Diversity in September 2021, a little less than a year before Syed started. Askandarian said Syed being in the office was a catalyst for the APIMEDA community’s growth.

“All the students who identify as APIMEDA are slowly starting to find a place where they feel like they belong,” Askandarian said. “APIMEDA ... is a huge umbrella term with so many different backgrounds and cultures. I feel like having a coordinator who understands that is so important, so the students feel as though they are at home.”

At the beginning of the year, Syed focused on building relationships with individual students and student organizations, she said. Students often offer to help her with events such as the graduation ceremony. And they’ve come to see Syed’s office as a “safe space” where she helps them prioritize their mental and physical health while managing course loads.

“The relationship has blossomed so much so that they actually, when they don’t have classes, they often hang out in my office all the time,” Syed said. “There’s hardly any time when I’m by myself in my office.”

Askandarian said she’s grateful that Syed’s door is always open. While grappling with watching her country undergo a woman-led revolution from afar, Askandarian found comfort in being able to go to Syed for support.

In addition to the graduation ceremony, Syed has hosted other events for APIMEDA students, such as two welcome events at the begin-

ning of the fall semester, an author talk and book signing with a Pakistani writer and a “stop Asian hate” panel discussion. She has collaborated with offices such as the Asian Arts & Culture Center and the Office of Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility.

Before Syed started at the Center for Student Diversity, she worked as a social justice coordinator at the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg in Pennsylvania and as a homicide survivor advocate at Roberta’s House, a family grief support center, in Baltimore.

At the Center for Student Diversity, Syed is one of several employees who connect with students from traditionally underserved communities, such as the Latine, African American and LGBTQ+ communities.

“By providing the services of the center, we are able to ensure that the students are also retaining and graduating because they have identified a sense of community on campus,” said Rhea Roper Nedd, the center’s director. “Being on campus away from home can be challenging, but knowing that you have a community, a support system, and a ... faculty member that can serve as your mentor and your advocate and your ally certainly changes or shifts the experience that you’re having on a college campus.”

When she was a Penn State Harrisburg student, Syed didn’t know she could bring her children to class if she couldn’t find a babysitter or that she could ask professors to let her eat to break her Ramadan fast during class. Even though she had understanding professors, Syed said she didn’t feel comfortable asking for help.

Syed’s daughter, Adeena, graduated from both Penn State and Temple universities. Like her mother, Adeena struggled to find someone she could relate to in the administration, Syed said.

“When this opportunity came my way, my daughter was the first one to say, ‘Please, do not pass it up,’” Syed said. “She was like, ‘I wish I had someone like that.’”

cerous areas in the removed tissue? What appears to be a preventive strategy may represent early extirpation of an asymptomatic and undiagnosed malignancy. Reasoning by analogy, we know that early extirpation of small cancers elsewhere often results in surgical cure. On the other hand, every cancer is different. For example, so-called “small cell” lung cancers may be metastatic, even if cancer is discovered early on. Early detection, however, usually improves prognosis.

Let us salute cancer survivors, their family members, and health care providers. If we can contemplate sending human beings to Mars, perhaps we can defeat cancer.

Scott T. Anderson, MD (standerson@ucdavis.edu) is Clinical Professor, UC Davis Medical School. This article is informational, and does not constitute medical advice.

19-year-old to earn doctorate, from UC Davis, future is in AI

transformative impact he will have on our world.”

A 19-year-old man will receive a doctorate in biomedical engineering this quarter from the University of California, Davis.

Tanishq Mathew Abraham of Sacramento said he will graduate with his Ph.D. on June 15. He received an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering from UC Davis in 2018 at age 14, according to Julia Ann Easley, a spokeswoman for the university.

Easley said Abraham’s focus is artificial intelligence in medicine and using generative AI in microscope viewing and the causes and effects of diseases.

“I think we are now in the AI revolution, and I want to continue to be a part of it,” Abraham said. He graduated from high school at 10 and was home-schooled by his parents. His mother, Dr. Taji Abraham, is a veterinarian researcher and his father, Bijou Abraham, is a software engineer. Prior to that, he began taking parttime college courses at American River College at 7 years old.

‘Incredible’ achievement

“Any time an individual completes their doctoral degree, it is an exceptional accomplishment,” said Jean-Pierre Delplanque, vice provost and dean of graduate studies at UC Davis.

“And for Tanishq, to have already reached this milestone at such a young age is incredible.

“I know he will continue to accomplish great things in his life, and I cannot wait to see the

He said his doctoral dissertation explored how medical professionals diagnose diseases and advanced algorithms that may enable doctors to make more accurate and timely diagnoses.

“It should speed up the workflow,” he said.

It runs in the family Abraham’s sister, Tiara, 17, graduated from UC Davis last year with a degree in music, and is now a second-year student in a music graduate program at Indiana University. She will be singing the national anthem at Abraham’s commencement at University Credit Union Center next week.

Also in attendance at the ceremony will be Abraham’s grandmother, Dr. Thankam Mathew, 90, who received a Ph.D. in the 1960s and became a veterinarian.

Abraham also founded Medical AI Research Center in February 2023. The organization is made up of collaborators from Stanford and Princeton universities, among others, that is working on developing generative AIs for medicine, according to Abraham.

Last month, the center published a paper on MindEye, a technology that constructs images from brain activity.

He rang the bell at the Graduate Center at Walker Hall on Tuesday morning. The UC Davis tradition, which was reestablished in February 2022 after the pandemic shut it down, celebrates the students’ completion of their master’s or doctoral degrees.

Scott Anderson Ask Dr. Scott

A lex Muegge THE SACRAMENTO BEE

Hector Amezcua/The Sacramento Bee/TNS

Tanishq Mathew Abraham, 19, celebrates the completion of his Ph.D. on Tuesday with family and friends at UC Davis with a cup of sparkling grape juice.

Karl Merton Ferron/The Baltimore Sun/TNS

Atika Syed is the coordinator for Asian, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern and Desi American students at Towson University’s Center for Student Diversity in Baltimore.

Chico, in the fall. She plans to study Sociology, but her career goals are in real estate.

“It ties into the whole family thing,” Campi said of her choice in majors. “I thought about the whole business thing, but it just didn’t interest me as much.”

Gray, storm-looking clouds loomed over the football field as friends and families filled the grandstands. The music – a mix of “Satchmo,” Glenn Miller and Roaring ‘20s jazz more suited to the grandparents in the stands than the rap, hip-hop and today’s country listened to by the graduates – blared from the public address system.

However, with the thunder of the timpani marking the start of “Pomp & Circumstance,” the sun broke through the clouds to warm the air as the honorees, clad in black robes, marched to their seats –most searching for loved ones as they entered the stadium.

A drone flew above them.

Principal Kristen Cherry chastised herself for crying as she welcomed everyone to the commencement ceremony, “a super proud principal,” she said.

Both Justin Wei, the class salutatorian,, and Tianeb Parsi, valedictorian of the Early College High School, talked about appreciating the now.

Buckingham celebrates its Knights

By M att Miller MMILLER@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

Wei said if he could travel back in time, the advice he would give to himself as a freshman would be to enjoy the moment more.

“This is our moment and our time,” he said.

“As we move forward and embark on our own paths ... tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift,” Wei added.

Parsi likened her fullthrottled charge into the future to the board game of “Life,” even reaching so far as to imagine retirement.

“I’ve had to learn to enjoy the moment,” she told the graduates. “Life should be a journey and not a race.”

The members of the Class of 2023 were freshman when the Covid-19 shutdown hit the schools, and they returned to mask-wearing and other restrictions.

But they endured and persevered, and Cherry left them with a little advice moving forward, pulling from a Tim McGraw song, from 2015:

“Let yourself feel the pride, but always stay humble and kind.”

Cherry urged the graduates to make good decisions, to live life to the fullest and to help others along the way.

Early College Principal John Pizzo closed out the comments, the final prelude to each graduate hearing his or her name read off, and the diplomas and certificates handed out.

“Class of 2023, you made us proud,” Pizzo said.

VACAVILLE — The 105 graduates of Buckingham Collegiate Charter Academy celebrated not only their commencement Friday morning at Vacaville High School's Tom Zunino Stadium but also their adaptability. Few seniors faced more challenges in their four years than the assembled group of Knights in burgundy caps and gowns. They went through the worldwide pandemic, online learning and masked in-person academics as all others, but also moved from the Bella Vista Road campus to the new one on McLellan Street. They attended classes while it was being reconstructed from an old elementary school to a modern high school.

Wildcats:

From Page One

bigger kids.

“We developed a sense of self,” she said. “We still wanted to be upper classman, and here we are senior year unsure of what we are going to endure. Those years have shaped us into who we are today and will be tomorrow.”

She acknowledged that they will be forever growing up.

Class speaker Destiny Eikenberry joked of going to class with “the smell of burnt rubber” in the air.

“You rose up to the challenge,” Buckingham principal Samantha Working said. “You went back to in-person learning with a new campus and a new principal. You have become more resilient in these last four years.”

The commencement offered music from the school choirs, speeches and the announcement of special senior award winners. Then the graduates were presented their diplomas and turned their gold tassels.

ASB co-president Diego Contreras compared the new school to a castle since the student are Knights. He told the assembled students, teachers, administrators,

Co-Valedictorian Julia LeBaron spoke of the seemingly impossible task of reaching her goals like receiving a diploma and an associate of arts degree at the end of her senior year. She talked about the social, economic upheavals America is going through. “We are seeming to be going in the wrong direction, but we are the class that will put it right,” she said.

Co-Valedictorian Trevor Olmo noted in

family and friends, “The castle is fully complete.”

“We stand together,” Contreras said. “We've been through so much together. Through it all, I have built so many friendships and memories that will last me forever.”

Co-president Richard Lassio took a selfie from the dais with his classmates behind him.

“It's been a heck of a journey,” Lassio said. “I am so proud of each and every one of you. The fact that you are here is absolutely incredible. Never stop pushing and do the things I know you can do. We may be taking our final bows, but we are no way done.”

Eikenberry spoke of the character of classmates by saying, “Not everyone will remember what you did in high school, but

his speech that they have all learned to adapt to changes and will continue to do so.

“Change is inevitable,” Olmo said.

Salutatorian Alexis Marie Abadiano spoke of leaving a legacy behind them.

“We have experienced the opportunity for a chance to overcome obstacles and reach our goals,” she said.

“It was a rough start,” said Senior Speaker Katrina Smith. “We were mocked online for

everyone will remember how you treated them. The best is yet to come. Remember that.”

Class Speaker Wyievee Binda said she and her fellow Knights were given the “school to light up the world.”

Congratulation on whatever path you have chosen to take,” Binda said.

The Judith Cook Community Service award was given to Sarah Rothstein and Kendal Silva. The Academic Achievement award was presented to Adrianna Butler. The Personal Achievement award went to John Long. Nicole von Ting was the winner of the Eric Kepford CTE Award. Eikenberry was selected for the Elise P. Buckingham Award

being the weirdest class. Our first year we were at home in bed learning, so maybe we were the weirdest class.”

Smith spoke of getting back up after being knocked down by setbacks, dusting themselves off and going forward.

“You are the only person who knows what is best for you,” Smith said. “Go out into the world with an open heart and mind and be ready to face what ever life throws at you.”

Bulldogs:

From Page One

Brooke Williams, Senior Class President spoke on the sadness of leaving high school and going into the future.

“It is sad but I am ready to move on,” Williams said. “It has taken courage, dedication and good work ethic to get this far.”

This year they had a little something differ-

ent with commencement speakers instead of having the Valedictorians speak.

Mia Ramos, Molly Skinner introduced Madison Poe who they have shared classes with over the last few years.

Poe used a special speaking device to address the hundreds of attendees. She spoke on her appreciation and love of fellow classmates, teachers and especially her family.

“I loved listening to music and dancing while at Vacaville High

School,” she said.

The valedictorians were Allison Cline, Ivy Knabe, Dylan Morgan, Mia Jocelyn Ramos, Allyssa Shafer and Caleb Wirth.

After Poe spoke, Ramos gave a speech on her experiences as a teenager.

“I came to high school without a plan, I still don’t have one,” she said. “I have successes. I have failed. I have loved, laughed, cried and got up ran anyway. I can’t wait to see what tomor-

row brings.”

School board President Michael Kitzes noted that the day held the best weather he has ever seen at graduation with a moderate temperature and light breeze.

He quoted one of the senior’s mortar boards, which read, “Do you want to live or just exist?”

“Every day you were challenged by things that come up,” he said. “It is amazing because we have the chance to live or just exist.”

Matt Miller/Daily Republic

Buckingham Collegiate Charter Academy graduates stand for the National Anthem during commencement ceremonies at Vacaville High School’s Tom Zunino Stadium Friday.

Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic

It was all smiles and celebrations at the Rodriguez High School and Early College High School graduation ceremony on Friday.

Zelensky says Ukrainian forces counterattack

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President V olodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that his country’s fighters have started counterattacks along the front with Russian forces, although he refused on Saturday to provide any further details.

His comments left open whether this was the start of the long-awaited Ukrainian counteroffensive to win back land seized by Russia.

But he contradicted Russian President Vladimir Putin who said the counteroffensive had begun but had not achieved its goals.

Zelenskyy said in a press conference in Kyiv that he would not believe Telegram channels or Putin, adding that he talks to his generals on a daily basis and they are “in a good mood.”

The Ukrainian general staff also has not commented on the widely expected attacks as Kyiv seeks to reclaim the territories it has lost control of during the course of the 15-month war.

There were recent reports of heavy fighting in southern Ukraine.

Zelenskyy later only thanked his fighters for holding their positions and pushing forward.

Ukraine has carried out counterattacks in at least four front-line sections in the past few days, according to the U.S. Institute for the Study of War.

The strongest clashes were near Bakhmut, Kreminna, in southwestern Donetsk and in western Zaporizhzhya, the ISW said, citing information from Kyiv, Moscow and Russian military bloggers.

How far Ukraine’s attempts succeeded was unclear. Observers believe that the first attacks of a counteroffensive are intended to detect weaknesses in Russia’s defenses and expose Moscow’s possible defensive tactics before Kyiv sends larger numbers of its Western-trained soldiers and Western-obtained weapons into battle.

Three people were killed and injured in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa during nighttime Russian drone attacks, the Ukrainian military said earlier. Debris from a Russian attack drone shot down by air defenses crashed

into a multistory apartment building and started a fire, the Ukrainian army’s southern operational command wrote on Facebook.

The Ukrainian air force said that Russia had directed 35 drones and eight missiles at Ukrainian targets. Twenty Iranian Shahed drones and two ballistic missiles were shot down, it said.

For its part, the Russian

military said it had repelled Ukrainian advances in the Zaporizhzhya region and southern Donetsk and inflicted heavy losses on Kyiv’s forces.

“The total losses of Ukrainian forces in the above-mentioned areas within a day amounted to up to 300 soldiers, nine tanks, including four Leopards, and 11 infantry fighting vehicles, including five American Bradleys,”

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

A French Cesar howitzer was also destroyed, he said.

The information could not be independently verified.

As Kyiv seeks to push the Kremlin’s forces back, Zelenskyy thanked Canada for fresh military aid worth 500 million Canadian dollars ($373 million) after

a visit by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Trudeau announced that a training program for Ukrainian pilots would continue. He also pledged humanitarian aid after the dam breach in southern Ukraine.

Britain also promised aid for southern Ukraine following catastrophic flooding due to the ruptured dam.

On the diplomatic side, French President Emmanuel Macron called on Tehran to end its military support for Russia in a telephone conversation with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

Macron warned of the serious security and humanitarian consequences of Iran’s drone deliveries to Russia, the Elysee Palace said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meanwhile said he would talk to Putin again “soon.”

He had also spoken with him after the war began. “I intend to do so again soon,” he said at a church congress in Nuremberg.

A prerequisite for a “fair peace,” he said, was that Russia withdraw its troops, he said.

Pope to miss Sunday blessing due to abdominal surgery

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

Following doctors’ advice, Pope Francis will not attend his usual public blessing this Sunday, as he continues to recover from the abdominal surgery he underwent earlier this week.

“I sincerely appreciate the prayers and numerous expressions of closeness

and affection received in the past few days,” the pope tweeted Friday. “I am praying for everyone, especially those who suffer. I ask you to keep me in your prayers.”

The 86-year-old pontiff is reportedly recovering in an “absolutely normal” manner, according to operating surgeon Sergio Alfieri. The Vatican

said Friday he was sitting up and working from the hospital.

Alfieri shared the news during a briefing at Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, where the pope remains for the time being, reports NBC News.

The operation on Wednesday involved the removal of painful scarring caused by prior abdomi-

nal surgeries, as well as the repair of an abdominal wall hernia.

While Pope Francis’ recovery has been medically uneventful, Alfieri believes any additional physical exertion, such as delivering his typical Sunday blessing, could pose a risk to his health.

“In the next few days, if he’s not careful about

healing, the netting could tear and he’ll be back in the operating room,” the surgeon said, referring to the prosthetic support netting placed during the procedure. “If he has a careful recovery, he’ll be back better” than before, Alfieri added. “It’s prudence that we suggested and that he wisely accepted.”

The pope will instead privately recite the traditional Sunday noon prayer in his hospital room and encourages the faithful join him, said Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni.

No announcement has been made yet regarding the pope’s potential release date from the hospital.

Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images/TNS

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a press conference in Zhytomyr, Ukraine, on April 24.

This week

THINGS TO DO

I Fairfield

7 p.m. Saturday Joni Morris and the Music of Patsy Kline Downtown Theatre, 1035 Texas St. www.downtown theatre.com.

I Suisun City

7 p.m. Wednesday Cultural Exchange

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

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

7 p.m. Friday Salsa Fridays Marina Lounge, 700 Main St., Suite 106. www. marinaloungesuisun.com.

7 p.m. Saturday

Father’s Day Weekend Celebration with Duane Patton & The Pattaon Leatha Band Marina Lounge, 700 Main St., Suite 106. www. marinaloungesuisun.com.

I Vacaville

6 p.m. Thursday

Omni Dance Academy

Competitive Company

Showcase Journey Downtown Theatre, 300 Main St. https://events. journeydowntownvenue. com.

9 p.m. Saturday

Dad’s Night Out Comedy Journey Downtown Theatre, 300 Main St. https://events. journeydowntownvenue. com.

6:30 p.m. Tuesday

Music from the Time Machine Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre, 1010 Ulatis Drive. https://vpat.net.

I Benicia

2:30 p.m. Sunday Clay Bell

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

6:30 p.m. Sunday Poker Night The Rellik, 726 First St.

7 p.m. Tuesday Open Mic Night

The Rellik, 726 First St.

7 p.m. Wednesday

Karaoke

The Rellik, 726 First St.

9 p.m. Thursday

DJ John Rok

The Rellik, 726 First St.

5 p.m. Friday

5-0 Boyz and Wyldz

The Rellik, 726 First St.

8:30 p.m. Friday

Igor and the Red Elvises

Live The Rellik, 726 First St.

I Vallejo

1 p.m. Sunday

Mitch Woods and the Rocket 88’s Vino Godfather Winery, 1005 Walnut Ave. www.vinogodfather.com.

5:30 p.m. Wednesday

Yoshinobu Takeda

Empress Lounge, 330 Virginia St. https://empresstheatre. org.

Be sure to visit for future events

Weber, Gubser, Escobedo team up for Dad’s Night Out

a my m aginniS-Honey AMAGINNIS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — Creative Arts Solano presents Dads Night Out, a stand-up Comedy Show FUNraiser for Creative Arts Solano, 9 p.m. Saturday at Journey Downtown.

The show, presented by OnStage Vacaville, stars Vallejo’s own Myles Weber along with Matt Gubser and Victor Escobedo.

“The 23-year-old version of me is probably throwing his head back and laughing at the idea of me headlining a Father’s Day Comedy Show,” Weber shared with the Daily Republic.

“I didn’t want kids in my 20s. I was very immature and confused in many ways. After years of therapy and finally marrying a woman who I knew would be a great mother, I changed my mind.”

Now, being a father is the best thing he’s done. “People talk about the love you feel for your kids, but it feels stupid to try and put into words. You can’t. You have to experience it first-hand.”

His son is 18 months old and so smart, talking all day long. “We are in so much trouble haha. But he’s a happy kid. Loves his family almost as much as he loves dinosaurs,” Weber said.

He views the Saturday show in Vacaville as life coming full circle. Weber will share the state with two fathers, Gubser and Victor Escobedo, whom he started comedy with 15 years ago.

“Their kids are all pretty much grown, and I’m the rookie on the bill. It will be cool for them to see how far my act has come from when I was 19 years old at Pepperbelly’s. I can’t think of a better way to spend Daddy’s Day than laughing for an hour and a half with three proud papas,” he said.

Weber’s has racked up over 60 million views across all platforms, was featured on MTV’s “Greatest Party Story Ever Told” and had a top 10 Special on the Dry Bar Comedy App in 2021. This prompted him to film a second special with the company coming out this year.

He took first place in the San Francisco International Comedy Competition. (Past competitors include Robin Williams, Dana Carvey, Sinbad, Ellen Degeneres, Patton Oswalt, and Dane Cook.)

Weber was the second youngest to win the competition and one of only two comics to ever sweep the whole thing.

Gubser is a San Francisco Bay Area based comic who performs across the country.

Touching on topics ranging from parenting, dating, sex, politics, and religion, he intermingles personal anecdotes and biting social commentary.

He has been part of SF Weekly’s “Best

comedy show

Comedian Myles Weber.

Gubser’s first special “Daddy Issues” can be seen on Next Up Comedy. His most recent album, “Before He Was Famous,” reached No. 2 2 on Amazon Music’s comedy chart. Escobedo is the man behind the Papalote Salsa brand made from trusted family recipes. He has two sons.

Creative Arts Solano, based in Solano County, focuses on empowering artists in our community as well as helping to create more access and opportunities for artists and audi-

Fairfield celebrating Juneteenth with music

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The second annual Fairfield Juneteenth Celebration is 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at the Solano annex, next to the old courthouse, 601 Texas St.

The emcee is Nikki Thomas, KBLX radio personality.

Performing are Darrell Edwards & Lighting Up the Soul, Project 4, Soul’d Out, 2nd Planet and LJ Bryant & Friends. There will also be guest speakers, dancing and children’s activities.

All are welcome. Those attending are encouraged to bring their own blankets and/or lawn chairs.

For more information, call (707) 67-2148 or email info@solanoblackchamberofcommerce.com.

Courtesy photo

or more information on Creative Arts Solano initiatives visit facebook.com/ creativeartssolano

Dad’s Night Out (18 and older)

n 9 p.m. Saturday n Journey Downtown, 308 Main St., Vacaville n https://onstagevacaville.org/ and then clicking on “events” n https://givebutter.com/ dadscomedynightshow.

‘Hamilton’ is most streamed musical

became an entry point for many to musical theatre.”

FAIRFIELD — Slot Tracker says that Spotify’s “Hamilton’ (2015) is the most streamed musical album with over 5.6 billion streams – three times more than “Mamma Mia” in second place with 1.5 billion streams.

“Hamilton is loved by fans due to its fresh approach to musical theatre, making use of hip-hop, R&B, and other contemporary music styles to tell a historical story, said press materials from Slot Tracker.

“This modern, accessible style means that fans that hadn’t previously attended musicals were drawn to “Hamilton”, and it

The musical’s most streamed song is “Alexander Hamilton.” with more than 263 million streams, almost double the streams of “Mamma Mia!’s” most streamed song “Lay All Your Love on Me.”

“Mamma Mia!” is the jukebox musical which premiered in London’s West End in 1999, paying tribute to Abba’s much-loved music from the 1970s.

“Dear Evan Hansen” ranks third, with 845,678,685 streams. “Waving Through a Window” is the most popular song on the album, with more than 167 million streams.

Crowded Room’ is a crime thriller starring Tom Holland (no spoilers)

RobeRt lloyD LOS ANGELES TIMES

Let’s talk about spoilers.

Apart from the occasional plea to an audience, “Please do not reveal the shocking conclusion,” as in punchline movies like “Sleuth” or “The Sixth Sense,” spoilers were until relatively recently not a thing. These days, some viewers think nothing should ever be revealed about a show or film they haven’t gotten around to watching yet – which is to say, ever – though it is easy enough not to read reviews. (Harder to avoid is social media, where viewers spoil more plot points than any professional critic has the time to.)

Networks and streamers and their marketing departments have now come preemptively to ask critics not to reveal certain details of a series in order to “preserve the audience viewing experience,” though just which details are usually left to the writer’s discretion. Most reviewers, who are also viewers, understand and are happy to oblige. Specific requests are by and large easy to accommodate – sometimes they are so minor, you wonder what the fuss is.

Which brings us to “The Crowded Room,” which premiered Friday on Apple TV+. The official requests, though few, are so broadly stated and so central to the series as to make any meaningful review of the program impossible – indeed, one requested Thing to Avoid is common to nearly every mystery or thriller, if not, indeed, their very definition. Apart from commenting on the production values, performances, pacing, general quality of dialogue and describing the action in the early episodes, there will not be much to say — certainly nothing about the actual subject of the series, how it’s treated, and whether “The Crowded Room” succeeds in its aims, except in the vaguest terms, and even some vague terms qualify as forbidden.

(Of course, there is no law saying that a writer can’t refuse to honor these requests, but for the most part, we go along to get along.)

Here is the official description of the series.

Starring and executive produced by Tom Holland, “The Crowded Room” is a gripping, 10-episode limited series that stars Holland as Danny Sullivan, a man who is arrested following his involvement in a shooting in New York City in 1979. A captivating thriller told through a series of interviews with

‘Fauna’ opens Saturday at Vacaville Art Gallery

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

curious interrogator Rya Goodwin (Amanda Seyfried), Danny’s life story unfolds, revealing elements of the mysterious past that shaped him, and the twists and turns that will lead him to a lifealtering revelation.

It’s probably safe to mention that the series was created by Akiva Goldsman, and inspired by a “non-fiction novel,” with which it has little in common past its greater subject, which I am not supposed to tell you. (That each episode ends with a title card reading “If you or someone you know, needs support, go to apple.com/heretohelp” might say something, if nothing in particular.) As is often the case, the property has been bouncing around Hollywood for a while, changing its shape and name until finding its current form. That Goldsman, who wrote the screenplay for “A Beautiful Mind,” is best known for his work in sci-fi, horror and genre pictures is not irrelevant to the way he has externalized certain psychological elements. (I was also reminded in this respect of the Disney-Pixar film “Inside Out.”) I wouldn’t call it technically, or medically, accurate, but it does make a kind of pictorial sense.

Anyway, as our story opens, we see Danny, a nervous, bedraggled young man, clutching a paper bag, riding a subway in the company of a woman we will come to know as Ariana (Sasha Lane). Up from the underground, he passes by Radio City Music Hall, with Frank Sinatra advertised on the marquee — the period work makes an immediate impression, all those extras in vintage clothing, all the old cars on the street – and proceeds to Rockefeller Center, where a gun comes out and goes off multiple times.

In the very next scene, police arrest Danny at his home (Ariana has “disappeared”), and then we are at the station house, one cop noting that Danny was “just a little good luck shy of a murder charge.” (No one was killed.) Det. Matty

Dunne (Thomas Sadoski) wonders whether Danny might be a serial killer, and subsequent flashbacks seem to indicate we’ll be witnessing TV’s nth-hundred “making of a psycho” story. The series quickly brings in Seyfried’s character, Rya, whom Dunne addresses as “professor” and who is invited to ask Danny questions. Their scenes together are quietly compelling; indeed, this story could be told effectively as a duologue – though not over 10 hours, a length that seems arbitrary as regards the drama, but that must have been deemed economically advantageous.

“I wasn’t a very popular kid at school,” Danny tells Rya; and Holland, though 27 and British, does impressively inhabit a luckless American high school student. (He’ll age a few years over the course of the show.) Saddled with an immediately unlikable stepfather (Will Chase) and an intimidated mother (Emmy Rossum), Danny relies for support first on two goofball friends, Mike (Sam Vartholomeos), who is sporty, and Jonny (Levon Hawke), who does card tricks and knows where to buy pot. Later, moving into what he calls “the ghost house,” he will come under the protective wing of bullish landlord Yitzhak (Lior Raz) and wild child Ariana. (That the police can locate neither after the Rockefeller Center incident is what prompts Det. Dunne to imagine a serial killer.) Even later, in London, of all unlikely places, we’ll meet another sort of guardian, Jack (Jason Isaacs), who has something to do with Danny’s biological father.

Filling out the opening episodes are a girl Danny likes, Annabelle (Emma Laird), a bully who doesn’t like him and some frightening local drug dealers with whom the kids get mixed up. Things turn a little violent sometimes. There’s also talk of Danny’s absent twin, Adam, whose fate remains mysterious up until the moment the series declares something

you have already guessed. There are time jumps in these early scenes, some obvious, some not, and gaps you will not notice until they are filled in later on, as early scenes are revisited. This is cleverly done, though you would have to watch the series twice to get a full sense of it, because “The Crowded Room” is very long, and you may have forgotten much by the time you reach the end.

Things have been arranged to keep Danny sympathetic throughout, if a little confounding at times, more victim than victimizer, and the series advances toward a conclusion that will allow Rya to muse lengthily upon overcoming hurt. (“If a relationship can break you, then sometimes a relationship can also heal you,” she begins.) The story is sad, but ultimately not a tragedy, which would have felt very much like a waste of time.

The performances are good; the production values are high; the dialogue is well-written. The soundtrack is filled with great songs from the period — the late ‘70s produced a lot of fantastic music.

In the end, the filmmakers – or the promotional team at Apple – may be overly concerned about maintaining the element of surprise. The series’ actual subject matter becomes obvious relatively early anyway, and, really, one could know it from the start without the viewing experience being significantly harmed. There are levels in the misdirection, and not all its secrets are given up at once.

VACAVILLE — The Vacaville Art Gallery will open its upcoming exhibition, “Fauna,” on Saturday. The show is a reflection of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The artist’s reception

is 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the gallery, 718 E. Monte Vista Ave. The show runs through July 23. Gallery hours are noon to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. For information, visit https://www.vaca villeartgallery.org.

More events, artists added to Hard Rock lineup

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

WHEATLAND — Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sacramento at Fire Mountain has added more artists to it Hard Rock Live lineup.

The lineup is:

June 16: Earth, Wind & Fire.

July 11: Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade

July 13: 3 Doors Down.

July 22: A1 Combat MMA.

July 23: Matt Fraser.

July 29: Collective Soul.

July 30: Ween

Aug. 3: Trombone Shorty with Mavis Staples.

Aug. 5: W.A.S.P.

Aug. 9: Donny Osmond.

Aug. 12: Bronco.

Aug. 19: Sebastian Maniscalco.

Aug. 25: Billy Currington.

Hard Rock will celebrate Pride with three special performances in Diana Ross on June 17, Halsey on July 2 and RuPaul’s Drag Race on July 20. For information, visit hardrockhotel sacramento.com.

‘The

Apple TV+/TNS

In Apple TV+’s “The Crowded Room,” Tom Holland stars as Danny Sullivan, a man arrested after a shooting in New York City in 1979.

Daily Republic file

Attendees view works of art created by classmates during the reception for the student art show held at Vacaville Art Gallery, April 17, 2016.

No accusations needed for missing earrings mystery

Dear Annie: I recently found a pair of earrings missing from my jewelry box. These earrings had belonged to my mother. My sisterin-law spoke of wanting them and felt (for some unknown reason that she herself could not express) that she deserved them. I have no proof that she took them.

I don’t even know how long they’ve been missing.

What should I do? – Suspicious

Annie Lane

Dear Annie

knowing that she stole something. As they say, you can buy many things, but you can’t buy a good conscience. Next time you see your sister-in-law, tell her that they are missing and ask if her husband has seen them around. You could also ask your brother if he has seen Mom’s earrings around the house –without accusing anyone; you are simply on a mission to find them.

because she has bipolar disorder. It isn’t her bipolar disorder causing her to behave that way; it’s you!

replied, “I have to look at you! Thanks a lot for trying to look nice for me.”

know.” – Fed-Up Wife

Dear Suspicious: If your sister-in-law took the earrings, then she has to live with herself

Dear Annie: I’m writing in reference to the man who is convinced his wife threw his old jeans out and yelled at him

Horoscopes

by Holiday Mathis

Today’s birthday

Here comes a fresh and adventurous chapter, which you’ll often face with a worthy sidekick. You’re especially adept at imagining what will benefit all and negotiating mutually beneficial deals to make it happen. More highlights: You’ll develop a new talent with a sweet payoff, and travel will lead to a life-changing escapade. Libra and Virgo adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 7, 12, 8, 31 and 18.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You keep catching yourself in the act of trying to impress someone. It's proof of feelings running on multiple levels. This is your subconscious teaching you about who and what you like.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You're not trying to do a job. You're trying to turn a job into art. This is why you'll put more thought into your task than the others do, and this is also why you'll get better results.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You root for the underdog before you even realize how the odds are stacked. It's because you see merit where others do not, and you'll be correct in this, too. Your cheerleading will make a difference.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). When your message is not getting through, consider tone. The way a thing is communicated can matter more than the words. Experiment to find what resonates with your audience.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You still don't have what you want, but it's also not as far off as it seems. The smallest adjustments can make a huge difference. Mostly, this will be a matter of dialing some efforts back, doing and saying less and making cuts.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You'll notice your influence. It's as though people can't help but agree to your ideas, even the impractical or outrageous ones. Why do they find you irresistible? You're in it for the fun and they want that, too. You'll lead the way.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You know who you are. The world will get you and you won't have to tell them with words. It's how you show up, your intentions and the feeling you bring to interactions. Your essence radiates bright and clear!

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You'll become extremely organized in the next few days as you realize just how much needs to be accomplished to set you up for success later this month. Can you enlist more help?

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Your efforts do not always directly correlate with the results you get, which is why today is special. You'll see results immediately and know in real time the difference you make.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You'll be a little surprised by the feelings that come up in different situations. Noticing is step one. Next, you'll be more intentional with your reactions so you can conserve energy and resources to use when it really counts.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Stress isn't all bad. Today's stressor is better dealt with than avoided. It's a minor tension that makes life interesting and brings people together to communicate and collaborate for the solution.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You're so good to your friends. A gentle reminder: Your relationship to yourself is more important. Why wait for the opportunity to practice self-compassion? Each morning is a chance to be good to you.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Shia LaBeouf is among the all-star cast of "Megalopolis," a film that's been anticipated since the 1980s when Francis Ford Coppola wrote the script. LaBeouf is a versatile Gemini born when the moon was in Leo, the sign of entertainment. Mercury and Venus in Cancer suggest a strong maternal bond; LaBeouf's mother was a dynamic presence in his adult life and career choices.

Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

I don’t have bipolar disorder, and yet my husband drove me to react the same way. He wears nice clothes to his office and then comes home and puts rags on for me to look at all night. He would have nice jeans and shirts in his closet, but instead he ate dinner and watched TV dressed like he was going to change his oil or do some painting. He would also try to go places with me dressed like that.

“I’m not going to see anyone I know,” he would say, and I

FOR YOUR HEALTH

The biggest frustration is that I have always tried to look nice for him.

I regularly took my husband’s raggedy clothes and cut them up to make cleaning rags from them. I did this so he would not continue to wear them. He was an absolute embarrassment. One day, he wanted to go somewhere, and I went to get in the car with my old painting jeans and sweatshirt, no makeup, hair hanging in my eyes. He said, “Aren’t you going to change?” I said, “No, I’m not going to see anyone I

Dear Fed Up: On the one hand, you could look at it how flattering it is that your husband feels so comfortable with you that he doesn’t have to impress you. Instead, it sounds more like he is taking you for granted and you are tired of it. Marriage takes work, and part of that work is not taking the other for granted. Get curious about why he doesn’t feel the need to dress nice in front of you.

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

Recovery from addiction is a long, hard journey There’s no one-and-done solution to problem

Bernard J. Wolfson

KFF HEALTH NEWS

The atmosphere inside the Allen House is easygoing as residents circulate freely through the hallways, meet in group sessions, or gather on a large outdoor patio that features a dirt volleyball court with an oversize net.

The 60-bed safety-net residential treatment center in Santa Fe Springs, run by Los Angeles Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse, has a dedicated detox room, on-site physicians and nurses, substance abuse counselors, licensed therapists, and other practitioners. It offers group counseling as well as individual and family therapy, and it endorses the use of medications for addiction treatment, such as buprenorphine and naltrexone, which are increasingly considered the gold standard.

Willard Sexton, a staff member and former Allen House patient, says the most important part of his job is speaking with each resident daily. Most of them, like him, came to treatment straight from jail or prison, and he knows as well as anybody how stressful it is to stop using.

“It’s similar to grief and loss,” says Sexton, 35. “The drug was their best friend for a long time.” Interacting with them, he says, helps him in his own ongoing recovery.

At a time when drug use is among the nation’s gravest public health crises, a visit to the Allen House offers key lessons: Addiction is a chronic illness requiring constant vigilance, there’s no one-and-done solution, and relapses are part of the journey to recovery. Peer mentoring is an invaluable element of drug counseling, since people who have plodded the difficult path from dependence to sobriety understand the mindset of patients on a visceral level.

And most importantly for those who feel despair in the grip of addiction, there is hope. “Recovery happens,” says Michelle Doty Cabrera, executive director of the County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California. “Every single day people come into treatment and succeed in addressing their substance use disorders.”

Drug-related overdoses kill almost

as many Californians as lung cancer, more than diabetes, and two to three times as many as car accidents, according to a report by California Health Policy Strategies, a Sacramento consulting group. The report showed there were about 11 times as many fentanyl-related deaths in 2021 as in 2017, accounting for more than half of overdose fatalities. And addiction can ruin lives even if it doesn’t end them.

But proper care for substance use disorders can still be hard to find.

Experts in the field say residential treatment beds are in short supply. A pandemic-driven shortage of health care workers has hit the drug treatment world. Unscrupulous operators, with an eye on their bottom lines, may take advantage of people desperate for any answer. Commercial insurers often deny treatment requests or propose cheaper alternatives.

Some treatment programs shun anti-addiction medications that have proven effective. Physicians, nurse practitioners, and other providers with the requisite training can prescribe these drugs in California, but too few seem willing or able to do so — though that could change now that federal law no longer requires them to get a special waiver.

A page on the website of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (www. samhsa.gov) allows you to find practitioners in your area who treat patients with buprenorphine.

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for addiction. Treatment can differ depending on the substance – opioids, alcohol, or methamphetamine, for example. And people with substance use problems come from all walks of life: Some are straight off the streets or out of jail or may have serious mental or medical conditions that require additional care. Others may be otherwise healthy with good jobs and insurance. If a clinic tries to sell you on a standardized treatment program, cross the place off your list.

And if someone tells you that after one stint in their program you or a loved one will be drug-free for life, run the other way. For many people, addiction is a chronic condition that ebbs and flows over many years. Too often, patients in the throes of an overdose

are revived and then discharged with no follow-up.

“If we talked about treating other chronic illnesses like diabetes or asthma in the same way we often approach treating substance use, people would think we were crazy or would sue the doctor for malpractice,” says Bradley Stein, a psychiatrist and senior physician policy researcher at the Rand Corp.

Finding the treatment that is right for you or a loved one will take legwork. Whether it should be a residential or outpatient program depends on multiple factors. People who need to be shielded from exposure to a dealer or a toxic domestic situation, require detox, or have mental health or medical conditions on top of their drug use generally are better off in a residential setting, says Randolph Holmes, medical director of the Los Angeles Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse. Outpatient settings are more suitable for people with stable lives and better health or those transitioning from residential treatment, he says.

The cost of treatment can vary widely depending on duration and the patient’s circumstances. In some cases, it can reach tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Various websites allow you to search for nearby addiction treatment. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has a treatment locator at www.findtreatment.gov, or you can call its help line at 800-662-HELP (4347). Shatterproof (www.shatterproof.org) is another source for finding treatment. In California, the Department of Health Care Services publishes a list of substance use help lines by county.

If you’re on Medi-Cal, California’s version of the federal Medicaid program for low-income residents, your county is a good place to start. It can point you to several options, at least in more populous areas. Almost all patients with the Los Angeles Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse, for example, are Medi-Cal enrollees.

If you have commercial insurance, call your health plan first. Parity laws require insurers to cover substance use treatments.

Bernard J. Wolfson for KFF Health News/TNS

Willard Sexton has been through court-mandated residential addiction rehab twice and is now a staff member at Allen House, a safety-net drug treatment center. He says he understands how stressful it is to stop using.

CALMATTERS COMMENTARY

California water rights at risk as three legislative proposals advance

When California imposed its firstever regulation on the extraction of water from underground aquifers in 2014, it gave environmental groups a landmark victory in their decadeslong effort to overhaul water use laws.

It was also a political setback for farmers, who are California’s major water users and have depended on wells to irrigate their crops as increasingly frequent droughts reduce surface water in rivers and reservoirs.

However, while groundwater regulation ended one front in California’s never-ending political and legal battles over allocation of water, it merely set the stage for an even bigger conflict over surface water rights, particularly those predating 1914, when the state first began controlling diversions.

Just months after the groundwater regulation’s enactment, with drought still gripping the state, the water rights battle was joined when the state Water Resources Control Board attempted to curtail diversions by some pre-1914 rights holders.

The board accused a small water system on the southern edge of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, Byron-Bethany Irrigation District, of ignoring its curtailment order and continuing to take water from the Delta for 13 days.

“We are a test case,” Byron-Bethany’s manager, Rick Gilmore, said at the time. “I think this has become a larger issue. I think the water board wants to use this as a precedent so they can start to gain more control over senior water right users.”

An immediate confrontation was averted, but the underlying conflict continued and last year the state court of appeal declared that the board lacked emergency curtailment authority over senior rights holders.

Meanwhile, 2022 saw another clash involving another small water agency that ignored curtailment orders on the Shasta River a few miles south of the Oregon border. The Shasta River Water Association’s farmers and ranchers continued to tap the river and later paid small fines.

The court decision and the Shasta River case fired up a long-standing drive by environmental groups to reduce diversions that damage wildlife habitat, contending that pre-1914 rights reflect exploitive and even racist 19th century attitudes incompatible with climate change and 21st century societal mores.

Water rights reformers have pressed the board to aggressively invoke the “public trust doctrine” of California water law and the state constitution’s declaration that water use must be reasonable.

Despite its clashes over curtailment orders, the water board has been reluctant to engage in a sweeping political and legal war. It did, however, underwrite research by UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy and the Environment on the powers needed to curtail diversions during droughts.

The resulting report, issued in April, declared that “the state needs to implement curtailments on a regular basis, not only in times of extreme crisis. Routine curtailments already happen in other western states. California cannot afford to remain an outlier.”

Not surprisingly, three bills have been introduced in the Legislature to give the water board the authority suggested in the UC Berkeley study, pitting water rights reformers against agricultural and municipal water agencies.

Although advocates contend that the bills would merely give the water board muchneeded managerial tools, a coalition of water districts and agricultural groups see them as a prelude to the wholesale abrogation of their water rights. The board could gain the “potential to strip public agencies of water rights that have been used to sustain communities for decades,” with decrees of “arbitrary outcomes,” they wrote in an opposition letter.

All three measures, Assembly Bill 1337, Assembly Bill 460 and Senate Bill 389, survived initial floor votes but the political battle is just beginning. Their fate could rest in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s hands as powerful interests clash over a bedrock issue – who prevails when there’s not enough water to meet all demands.

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.

Fairfield City Council talks ag land development at next meeting

The Fairfield City Council will make critical decisions this coming Tuesday at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers about how Fairfield will develop between now and 2050.

They will consider three development scenarios. The city’s “Fairfield Forward” website says they share several common characteristics, including:

n Focus on preserving and expanding industrial land

n Assume expansion of city boundaries in the area between western and central Fairfield

This language is code for developing on our prime ag soils in the Suisun Valley. All the area between

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR COMMENTARY

Rockville Road and I-80 between Fairfield and Solano Community College might get developed. Some or all the land south of I-80 could get developed.

The Suisun Valley is taking off! If you’ve seen the new wineries, the new vineyards, and some of the plans for turning the valley into a worldclass tourist destination, I hope you will show up to protest Fairfield’s desire to expand its urban footprint there.

At public hearings over the past few years, the Suisun Valley Vintners and Growers Association, the Farm Bureau, Solano County Orderly Growth Committee and many others eloquently pled with the Council to not let this happen.

Council members said they didn’t want it to happen, yet the same three alternatives are still on the table.

If you aren’t able to attend in person, you can use Zoom to join the meeting.

Information is on the website at www.fairfield.ca.gov/government/

city-council/city-council-meetings/ current-city-council-agendas.

Marilyn Farley, former member, Fairfield City Council Fairfield

Good news is good to read

Thank you for the full page of good news in the Wednesday, June 7, Daily Republic. It was so refreshing to read about a teacher happy in her new assignment and a shop owner relieved about a neighbor who had caused her trouble.

I know good news doesn’t sell papers but since the majority of us know deep down that most of us are good people, it would be nice to see more in the paper about and supporting that fact.

Christy Cutting Rio Vista

China isn’t acting like it wants to improve relations with the U.S.

The Biden administration is trying to reduce tensions with China and “put a floor” under the relationship. Although China’s leaders profess to want the same end, their actions tell a different story. This gap between what China says and does is widening, presenting a vexing problem for the United States.

The Biden team is busily engaging with Chinese government officials in pursuit of a follow-up meeting between President Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping after their summit in Bali, Indonesia, in November. The goal, as national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on CNN on Sunday, is “to manage the competition responsibly, to ensure that competition does not become conflict.” But there are mounting signs that China’s leaders are uninterested in improving U.S.-China relations at the moment – and may see benefits in ramping up tensions.

This dynamic was on full display last weekend at a major international conference in Singapore. In a sophisticated if not convincing speech, China’s defense minister, Gen. Li Shangfu, attacked the United States (which he repeatedly referred to with the phrase “some country”) as the source of all the world’s ills, while presenting China as a more reasonable alternative regional power.

“We practice multilateralism and pursue win-win cooperation. Some countries, however, take a selective approach to rules and international laws,” he told the IISS ShangriLa Dialogue, later adding, “Some country has willfully interfered in other countries’ internal affairs and matters ... and frequently resorted to unilateral sanctions, incursion with force.”

Li, who is under U.S. sanctions, accused the United States of everything from “hegemony of navigation” to “sowing discord among us and fanning the flame” of chaos and instability. China, he said, offered peace, stability, cooperation and protection from the evil Americans.

“As the lyrics of a well-known

Chinese song goes, when friends visit us, we welcome them with fine wine. When jackals or wolves come, we will face them with shotguns,” he said.

Several attendees told me Li’s presentation to Asian countries of China as a benign and benevolent power is undermined by his country’s actions around the region. For example, Li claimed that China was committed to resolving maritime disputes “in a peaceful manner through negotiations and consultation.” The day before, a Chinese warship had conducted a dangerous maneuver that almost caused a collision with a U.S. ship transiting the Taiwan Strait. Pressed for an explanation, Li defended the action. He warned the U.S. military to stay far away from China’s shores and “Mind your own business.”

In another contradiction, Li said “only enhancing dialogue and communication ... will ensure stability in our region” – but he refused to meet with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who was also at the conference. Li was happy to meet with many other foreign officials, but he would only shake hands with his U.S. counterpart.

To be sure, many leaders in Asia might be sympathetic to China’s pitch as an alternative power – or at least willing to overlook its contradictions in favor of the benefits of partnership with China.

“The contradiction of the Chinese position is claiming to uphold a form of the international order, while not doing so in practice and heavily hinting they don’t want to do it in theory, either,” said James Crabtree, executive director of IISS-Asia. “This vexes Western observers but might not bother everyone in the region.”

But some Asian leaders at the conference bristled at Li’s claims that Beijing promises to resolve regional issues through talking. Many countries see China’s policies in the South China Sea as aggressive, not constructive. Philippines coast guard spokesman Jay Tarriela confronted Li, pointing out that, “While China

is talking about dialogue, its actions show confrontation.”

The fact that Beijing is ramping up its anti-U.S. rhetoric while doubling down on its bad behavior is ominous. Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the German Marshall Fund’s Indo-Pacific program, told me that Li’s speech was essentially a message that China wants the United States to leave the region, not a sign Beijing wants to work to stabilize the relationship.

“The Chinese have made it pretty clear that they believe the presence of risk will induce caution in U.S. behavior so they won’t talk to us about risk reduction,” she said. “They are going to keep increasing the risk. That may temporarily induce caution, but they are not going to drive the U.S. out of the region.”

In other words, Beijing’s demands for maintaining a smooth U.S.-China relationship are now so extreme that there’s no way any U.S. administration could give in to them. That would require the United States to abandon Taiwan, forget about the Uyghur genocide and halt efforts to stop China’s unfair trade practices, for a start.

There are some signs the Biden administration is trying to minimize confrontation with China on these issues – to entice Beijing back into high-level dialogue. Seeking meaningful engagement with China’s leaders is always a good idea, but it is not as important as winning the competition and maintaining U.S. leadership in Asia.

The best the administration can do under these circumstances is to bolster its alliances, stay active and present in Asia, stand up for American interests and values, and leave the door open for Beijing. But it takes two to tango, and China’s stance indicates that things will likely get worse before they get better.

Josh Rogin is a columnist for the Global Opinions section of The Washington Post. He writes about foreign policy and national security. Rogin is also a political analyst for CNN. He is the author of the book Chaos Under Heaven: Trump, Xi, and the Battle for the 21st Century.

Dan Walters

Josh Rogin

Denny Hamlin charges to pole in Sonoma

naSCar Wire ServiCeS

SONOMA — Denny

Hamlin made the most of a second lap in the final round of Saturday’s qualifying to edge Tyler Reddick for the pole position for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.

Running the fastest lap of the day, Hamlin toured the 1.99-mile road course in 77.719 seconds (92.178 mph) to earn his second Busch Light Pole Award of the season, his

first at Sonoma and the 38th of his career. Reddick had covered the distance in 77.812 seconds (92.068 mph) before Hamlin knocked him off the provisional pole late in the session.

Michael McDowell, who posted the fastest lap in Round 1, qualified third at 92.060 mph, followed by Christopher Bell (91.308 mph) and road course ace AJ Allmendinger (91.873 mph). Sunoco rookie Ty Gibbs was sixth fastest, and Chris

Buescher, the 2022 Sonoma runner-up, was seventh.

Interestingly, crew chief Chris Gabehart suggested to Hamlin that he settle for his first lap in the final round. At the time, Hamlin was second fastest.

“Chris was trying to get me to unbuckle after our first lap in the final round,” Hamlin said. “He was like, ‘That’s a great day, that’s a good starting spot,’ and I just asked like ‘You don’t want me to try again – I feel like maybe I could do it.’

“And so I’m glad that

we did try again.’”

Seeking his first career Cup Series pole, McDowell was frustrated with his third-place result, which matched his finishing position in last year’s race.

“I think we had the car to beat today, so that’s what stinks about qualifying third,” McDowell said. “I feel good about our race trim. The cars I outqualified there I felt like we were way better in race trim. The only one I felt that was better than us was maybe the 5 (Kyle Larson),

Vanden, NFL alum Deone Bucannon offers skills and life advice at camp

m att miller MMILLER@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Former

NFL star Deone Bucannon was back on the field Saturday morning where his own dreams came true to help a large group of area high school athletes potentially achieve their own.

“You never know who out here is going to be the next NFL player,” Bucannon said.

The Vanden High School graduate and veteran of seven NFL seasons held a “Dream And Believe” Skills Camp at George A. Gammon Field. Many of his NFL and

college friends were on hand to assist, along with area coaches, who put the campers through the paces with a number of drills.

They ran passing routes and worked on blocking and tackling. Each drill was done in energetic, timed segments with all the players rotating from station to station.

“It’s been going fantastic,” Bucannon said as athletes were involved in activities all around him.

“Honestly, it’s a dream come true for me. It’s for the kids. To see the guys that have actually done things before that

they are aspiring to do. It’s really about showing what it takes to achieve your dreams.”

Bucannon played seven seasons in the NFL, mostly with the Arizona Cardinals but also briefly with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New York Giants.

He was a first round draft pick in the 2014 NFL Draft after a standout career at Washington State.

One of his biggest moments might have been his last when he helped Tampa Bay to a 31-9 Super Bowl victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in February 2021. Bucan-

so we’ve got a good car for (Sunday) and we’ll get after it.

“It’s good to be disappointed with third. I haven’t had a career pole here in the Cup Series, so I was hoping today would be it. I gave it all I had and just a little bit too much and over-stepped it.”

The surprise of the session was Larson, who failed to advance to the second round after topping the speed chart in final NASCAR Cup Series practice by .558 seconds over

Martin Truex Jr., who claimed the eighth starting position for Sunday’s race, the 16th of the season. Larson had started from the pole for the last five Sonoma races, winning once, in 2021. Earlier in the day, he won the pole for Saturday night’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race.

Chase Elliott made one attempt during Saturday’s final round but slid sideways in Turn 4 before regaining control. He dropped him to 10th on the grid.

Giants nearly no-hit in 2nd straight loss against Cubs

evan WebeCk BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

SAN FRANCISCO —

Mitch Haniger doubled in the eighth inning, averting a no-hitter, but held hitless for more than half the game for the second time in the past week, the Giants on Saturday were not able to awaken their bats in time to pull off the come-from-behind win.

Haniger’s double and a walk to Michael Conforto in the second inning were the only base runners the Giants managed against Chicago starter Kyle Hendricks, who flirted with what would have been the first no-hitter by an opponent in Oracle Park’s 23-year history, in their second straight loss to the Cubs, 4-0.

matched his four-pitch arsenal, not registering one reading on the radar gun of even 90 mph.

Often strikeout-happy, contact was not a problem for the Giants on Saturday. They finished all but three of their at-bats with balls in play. But even their most promising pieces of contact seemed to find leather.

Held hitless through five innings against the Rockies on Tuesday, the Giants clawed back to win 5-4 with scoring rallies in the seventh and eight innings. It was a different story Saturday, though, as Haniger’s two-out double off the wall in the eighth merely averted disaster rather than ignite a comeback.

non finished with 434 total tackles, 28 tackles for loss, seven sacks, two interceptions, 12 pass deflections, seven forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries.

“I don’t have any regrets about anything,” he said. “I put in every aspect of blood, sweat and tears. Every time I stepped on the field, every time I worked in the weight room, every time I interacted with my coaches and teammates, I gave them everything.”

The idea for the camp was a chance to give back to the area youth. His

Arcangelo tops field at The Belmont with history-making female trainer

Cameron DrummonD

LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER

History was made Saturday night at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.

Jena Antonucci became the first woman to train the winner of a Triple Crown race as Arcangelo held on in the stretch to win the 155th running of the Belmont Stakes at 1.5 miles on the dirt track.

Ridden by Javier Castellano – who was also aboard Kentucky Derby winner Mage – Arcangelo is a son of Arrogate who collected his third win of 2023.

Arcangelo was one of four horses making his Triple Crown debut in the Belmont Stakes. He went off at 7-1 odds.

Arcangelo’s winning move came with a little bit less than three furlongs to go, when a rail ride from Castellano guided the horse to the lead past

National Treasure, the Preakness Stakes winner.

Arcangelo settled into that lead in the stretch and never gave it up, prevailing by about 1.5 lengths.

“Never give up, and if you can’t find a seat the table, make your own table,” Antonucci, 47, said in a postrace inter-

view with Fox about her history-making achievement. “Build your team, and never give up. You are seen. People see you. Just keep working your butt off.”

Antonucci is the 11th woman to saddle a horse in the Belmont Stakes, and the first to emerge

as a winner.

Arcangelo wasn’t initially nominated to race in any of the three Triple Crown events this year: His ownership had to pay a $50,000 supplemental fee for him to be able to race in the Belmont.

Race favorite Forte –the champion 2-year-old who went off at 2-1 odds and was making his longawaited Triple Crown debut – finished second by a nose ahead of Bluegrass Stakes winner Tapit Trice in third.

Fourth place was a dead heat with Angel of Empire and Hit Show.

All four of these horses closed strong, but none truly threatened Arcangelo for the race win.

The Belmont Stakes began with National Treasure settling into the lead during the early stages, before the Bob Baffert-

Hendricks needed only 94 pitches to mow down the Giants for eight innings, only giving way to a reliever after San Francisco mustered its first hit in the eighth, and was reminiscent of Greg Maddux for more reasons than his pitch count. The 33-year-old right-hander from Newport Beach masterfully mixed and

After sweeping their series in Colorado, the Giants (32-32) have dropped their first two at home to the Cubs (28-36), falling back to .500.

Joc Pederson, Brandon Crawford and Mike Yastrzemski all put charges into balls, generating hopeful shrieks from the 35,452 in attendance, but

A’s beat Brewers in 10 innings for

4th straight win

Jerry mCDonalD THE MERCURY NEWS

For the time being, the Athletics have thrown it into reverse.

A well-placed RBI single by Aledmys Diaz put the A’s up 2-1 in the top of the 10th inning Saturday and Sam Long closed it out against the host Milwaukee Brewers for their fourth straight victory and second straight series win.

The A’s improved to 16-50, have a chance to sweep the Brewers (34-31) Sunday and come home with a a 5-4 record on their longest road trip of the season – one that began with four straight losses.

The A’s hadn’t won four straight games since 2021 under Bob Melvin, never winning that many in a row at any time in last year’s 102-loss season.

The Athletics got six shutout innings from Paul Blackburn, who looked like the guy who pitched a scoreless inning in the All-Star game a year ago before his season went south due to injuries and dealt with middle finger

issues most of this season.

The bullpen made just one mistake – an 0-1 grooved slider by Richard Lovelady that pinch-hitter William Contreras hit into the stratosphere to tie the game in the eighth inning. Yet the A’s won anyway.

“This is a great stretch,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay told reporters. “It’s taken awhile to get where we’re at ... it’s tough to gain confidence in a season when the results aren’t there. Now you can see the group collectively starting to believe in each other and form a culture that is reflective of the performances of late.”

Following the Contreras home run that tied the game, Shintaro Fujinami (3-6) pitched a scoreless ninth with five pitches breaking 100 miles per hour or better.

Diaz, who had an earlier double and a hitand-run single, then delivered the game-winner against reliever Joel Payamps (2-1). He an outside slider and simply grounded it up the middle.

Matt Miller/Daily Republic

Vanden High School graduate and former NFL star Deone Bucannon talks with his campers during the “Dream

And Believe” Skills Camp Saturday morning at George A. Gammon Field.

Al Bello/Getty Images/TNS

Trainer Jena Antonucci holds the winner’s trophy aloft alongside owner Jon Ebbert, middle, and jockey Javier Castellano, who rode Arcangelo to victory in the Belmont Stakes, at Belmont Park, Saturday.

See Camp, Page B8

See Belmont, Page B8

See Giants, Page B8

Sunday’s TV sports

Miami Heat remains resolute despite 3-1 hole in NBA Finals

a nthony chiang MIAMI HERALD

Oakland vs. Milwaukee, NBCSCA, 11:10

• Chicago Cubs vs. San Francisco, NBCSBA, 1:05 p.m.

• Boston vs. N.Y. Yankees, ESPN, 4 p.m.

Basketball WNBA

• New York vs. Dallas, 7, 10, 10 a.m.

• Seattle vs. Washington, 7, 10, Noon.

Football USFL

• Houston vs. Birmingham, 3, 11 a.m.

• New Jersey vs. Philadelphia, 2, 40, 4 p.m.

Golf • DP World, Scandinavian Mixed, GOLF, 4:30 a.m.

• PGA, RBC Canadian Open, GOLF, 10:30 a.m.

• PGA, RBC Canadian Open, 5, 13, 11:30 a.m.

• LPGA, ShopRite LPGA Classic, GOLF, 11:30 a.m.

• PGA Korn Ferry, BMW Charity Pro-Am, GOLF, 2 p.m.

Motorsports

• NASCAR Cup Series, Toyota/Save Mart 350, 2, 40, 12:30 p.m.

Soccer MLS

• St. Louis vs. L.A. Galaxy, 2, 40, 10 a.m.

• Portland vs. FC Dallas, FS1, 7 p.m.

Tennis

• French Open, Men’s Final, 3, 6 a.m.

MIAMI — The Miami Heat has taken the hard road to this point as only the second No. 8 seed in league history to advance to the NBA Finals. To win an NBA championship, another hard road awaits.

After Friday night’s 108-95 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of the Finals at Kaseya Center, the Heat faces a 3-1 hole in the best-of-7 championship series that only one team in NBA history (the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016) has overcome. And entering this season’s playoffs, teams that have led any best-of-7 series 3-1 have gone on to win the series 95.2 percent of the time (258-13).

“I told the guys, feel whatever you want to feel tonight. It’s fine,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after Friday’s loss. “You probably shouldn’t sleep tonight any amount of time. I don’t think anybody will. We have an incredibly competitive group. We’ve done everything the hard way, and that’s the way it’s going to have to be done right now, again.”

The Heat needs to win three straight games to win its fourth NBA championship in franchise history, including two games in Denver. The Nuggets just need to win one of the next three games to clinch their first NBA championship.

Sunday afternoon ahead of Monday night’s contest.

As of Saturday morning, the Heat was listed as a big 9.5-point underdog for Game 5, according to FanDuel. The Nuggets have outscored the Heat by a total of 36 points over the first four games of the Finals, with Miami’s only win of the series coming by three points in Game 2.

“It’s going to be a gnarly game in Denver that is built for the competitors that we have in our locker room,” Spoelstra said, looking ahead to Game 5.

5 on Monday. The Heat shot just 31.7 percent from threepoint range in its Games 3 and 4 losses in Miami after the Nuggets adjusted their defensive game plan to contest more outside shots by sending less help on paint attacks.

Gabe Vincent and Max Strus combined to shoot 2 of 17 (11.8 percent) from deep during this rough two-game stretch.

Julian Finney/Getty Images/TNS

Poland’s Iga Swiatek celebrates with the trophy after her victory over the Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova in the French Open final at Roland Garros in Paris, Saturday.

Swiatek crowned queen of Roland Garros once again

tRibune content agency

PARIS — Poland’s

Iga Swiatek confirmed her status as the dominant player in women’s tennis by beating Karolina Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 to a secure a third French Open title on Saturday.

It is a fourth grand slam title overall for the world No. 1, who also triumphed in the U.S. Open last year to add to Roland Garros wins in 2020 and 2022.

The top seed’s greater big match experience saw her through against the unseeded Czech, who had stunned world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the Paris semifinal.

Muchova fought back from a set and 3-0 down but then failed to take advantage of being a break up twice in the third, and it was all over after 2 hours 46 minutes when Muchova double faulted.

“I really love being here. It is my favorite place on the Tour,” said

Swiatek, who received the Suzanne Lenglen trophy from former American great Chris Evert and then dropped its lid when posing with it for the photographers. “Congrats to Karolina. Since we first played I knew that you were going to play these tough matches, these finals, because I was really struck with your variety on court. I really hope you are going to have many more finals.”

Swiatek, 22, showed her superior energy across the clay court and fierce hitting making the difference.

The men’s singles final, where Novak Djokovic will target a record 23rd men’s singles grand slam title against Casper Ruud, is on Sunday.

Elsewhere on Saturday, fourth seeds Ivan Dodig of Croatia and Austin Krajicek of the U.S. won the men’s doubles title 6-3, 6-1 over Belgian outsiders Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen.

Expos edged out in extra inning by Reno

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield Expos were edged out by the visiting Reno Knights 4-3 Friday at Laurel Creek Park. Reno scored twice in the extra top of the eighth inning to grab the lead. Fairfield came back with one in the bottom of the frame but could get no more. The Expos are now 23-4 overall.

Trevor Morse pitched five innings and had three

strikeouts. Jackson Kolakoski worked the final three innings and also had three strikeouts.

Bryce Alcantara and Aaron Strong had two hits apiece. Strong doubled and drove in a run. Blake Bozzini and A.J. Perrin each delivered a hit and an RBI.

The Expos will be home Sunday night for a 6 p.m. game against the Medford Mustangs and a 2 p.m. game Monday against the Chico Nuts.

But Spoelstra emphasized late Friday night after the disappointing loss that the Heat’s focus only needs to be on the next game and not on the three-game winning streak it needs to win the title.

“All we are going to focus on is getting this thing back to the 3-0-5. Get this thing back to Miami,” Spoelstra said. “And things can shift very quickly.”

To force a Game 6 in Miami on Thursday, the Heat needs to win Game 5 on Monday at Ball Arena (5:30 p.m., PDT, ABC). The Heat traveled to Denver on Saturday, with Finals media day scheduled for

“We get an opportunity to play a super competitive game in a great environment. That’s going to be an awesome environment. Our guys are built for that. They love that. I’m sure, everything in the next three days in between, yeah we understand what the narrative will be. But that’s the way it is with our team.”

The Heat has already played two elimination games this postseason: in the Eastern Conference’s second play-in tournament game against the Chicago Bulls in Miamion April 14 and in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics in Boston on May 29. The Heat won both of those games.

The difference this time is the Heat will need to win three straight elimination games to win this series.

“Going to Denver, if there’s any team that can get one anytime, any-

where, it’s us,” said Heat captain Udonis Haslem, who is in his 20th and final NBA season. “I believe in our guys. Back against the wall,you’re going to get our best version.”

The Heat has a player on its roster who was on the only team in league history that rallied from a 3-1 series deficit in the NBA Finals to win the championship. Heat forward Kevin Love was a member of the Cavaliers when they overcame a 3-1 hole against the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 Finals.

“Stay in the saddle,” Love said Friday of what he learned from that experience. “We know that anything can happen. It has been done before. You really just have to take it one possession at a time. Forget the game. It’s just one possession, one quarter, half to half. Just get it done by any means necessary and figure the rest out.”

What’s Heat star Jimmy Butler’s message to his teammates?

“No doubt. We don’t have any of that,” Butler said. “We don’t have no quit. We are going to continually fight, starting [Saturday], to get better. And then we are going into Monday and do what we said we were going to do this entire time and win. We have to. We have no other choice. Otherwise, we did all this for no reason.”

The Heat has plenty to figure out over the weekend before Game

Led by the the dynamic pick-and-roll duo of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets have posted an elite offensive rating of 119.3 points per 100 possessions through the first four games of the series. That production is equivalent to the NBA’s top team offensive rating from this regular season.

The Heat’s two best players, Bam Adebayo and Butler, have combined to average 44.1 points per game on 45.1 percent shooting from the field and the Nuggets’ two best players, Murray and Jokic, have combined to average 54 points per game on 54.1 percent shooting from the field.

“It doesn’t matter about confidence or not confidence or how we feel or what our mood is,” Spoelstra said when asked about the state of the team. “Our guys love to compete. We get another opportunity to compete and take this thing one step at a time. Get this thing back to the 3-0-5. We do that, and that’s how quickly things can change.

“Obviously, we have some things to figure out, but we have an extra day to do that. The mindset, you don’t have to question that.”

But mindset is not enough against the talented Nuggets. The Heat simply has to play better or its historic run as a No. 8 seed will come to an end on Monday.

“We’ve done some hard things all year long in this playoff run and now it’s like the hardest of the hard,” Butler said. “So that’s where we’re at. That’s our reality, so we’ve got to go out and win three straight.”

Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/TNS

Miami Heat guards Gabe Vincent, Max Strus and Kevin Love react on the bench as their team loses against the Denver Nuggets in the second half of Game 4 of the NBA Finals at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Friday.

Belmont

From Page B6

trained horse grew his advantage to a length on the back stretch.

National Treasure took that lead into the far turn, while Forte remained a few lengths behind but boxed into the middle of the pack by other horses in the field of nine.

After the turn for home, Arcangelo glided to the lead with his move on the rail and held on the rest of the way, despite a hot pursuit from the likes of Forte and Tapit Trice in the closing moments.

Arcangelo has enjoyed past success at Belmont Park prior to Saturday as well: His last race was a victory at Belmont Park in the Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes.

Arcangelo now holds a career record of 3-1-0 in five career starts. He is a graduate of Keeneland’s 2021 September Yearling Sale.

Cody’s Wish remains perfect at a mile

One of the standout moments from Saturday’s undercard action at Belmont Park was yet another dominant win by Cody’s Wish, trained by Bill Mott, ridden by Junior Alvarado and with a sentimental story that has far surpassed just horse racing circles.

Cody’s Wish – who romped to victory in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap — has now won six straight races, including the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and a pair of undercard races prior to both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.

The horse is also now a perfect 7-for-7 in races run at a mile distance.

The namesake of Cody’s Wish – who is a son of the legendary Curlin – is a young man named Cody Dorman, who was born with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, a rare chromosomal disorder that affects many parts of his body.

Dorman can’t walk or speak verbally, but he can communicate via a tablet. Dorman befriended Cody’s Wish when the horse was a foal.

Giants

From Page B6

none found grass. Pederson’s 388-foot fly ball in the first inning would have been a home run at 18 ballparks, according to Statcast, but merely made for the final out of the first inning. Yastrzemski launched another 388-footer in the second – a homer at two parks – that landed in the glove of former Giant Mike Tauchman. Tauchman likely elicited memories with his hit-saving catch on Crawford’s drive, the most spectacular play of the day. Playing his 1,600th game with the Giants, Crawford lined a 2-1 fastball to the track in right-center field in the third inning that seemed destined for extra bases. Tauchman, who memorably robbed the Dodgers’ Albert Pujols of a walk-off homer as a Giants left fielder in 2021, dove to the track, tumbled

Camp

From Page B6

dreams began as a standout athlete at Vanden and carried him on a journey all the way the sport’s ultimate game. He wants kids to fulfill their dreams as well, on the field or in any aspect of life.

“No matter what it is, it is going to take hard work ,” Bucannon said. “You have to have the mindset of going out into the world and getting what you want.

The horse has become a sentimental selection for bettors and horse racing aficionados ever since this story came to light, but make no mistake either: Cody’s Wish is an elite performer.

After winning as the overwhelming 3-5 post time favorite on Saturday afternoon, Cody’s Wish has a career record of 9-1-3 in 13 career starts, having never finished out of the money in a race.

Kentucky Derby:

n Mage (Gustavo Delgado, Javier Castellano).

Lightly raced Mage delivered his Venezuelan connections — namely trainer Gustavo Delgado and jockey Javier Castellano — a surprise Kentucky Derby win at 15-1 odds.

It also completed the final piece of Castellano’s career résumé: Prior to this year’s mount aboard Mage, Castellano was 0-15 in his previous Derby rides.

Preakness Stakes:

n National Treasure (Bob Baffert, John Velazquez).

Bob Baffert claimed his record eighth victory in the Preakness Stakes on what was an emotional day for the embattled trainer: One of his other horses, Havnameltdown, suffered a catastrophic injury during an undercard race on Preakness day. The field of seven horses in the Preakness marked the fewest horses to contest the race since 1986. Of the 23 horses that entered the Kentucky Derby, only one — the winner Mage — also ran in the Preakness Stakes. Mage finished third.

Belmont Stakes:

n Arcangelo (Jena Antonucci, Javier Castellano).

Jena Antonucci is the first woman to train a Triple Crown racewinning horse.

Javier Castellano finishes this Triple Crown season as the winning jockey in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. Castellano was previously 0-for-29 in both races combined.

and came up with the ball, hoisted from the seat of his pants on the warning track by an excited and astonished Cristopher Morel, who was hustling over from right field.

Morel drove in three of the Cubs’ four runs, all plated against Jakob Junis, who was called upon after two scoreless innings from John Brebbia in his sixth time opening this season. With runners at second and third in the fifth, Junis struck out Nico Hoener for the second out of the inning. But Morel ensured he wouldn’t escape unscathed, lacing a single up the middle that drove home both runners and made it 4-0.

Junis allowed a solo shot to the first batter he faced, Matt Mervis, and another to Morel the following inning. While Junis struck out five over 2⅔ innings, he also allowed five hits, walked a batter, hit another and was credited with four earned runs, raising his ERA to 4.58.

Russian prospect Michkov offers a dilemma for every NHL team

Giana H an THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

With each team that doesn’t take talented winger Matvei Michkov after Connor Bedard and Adam Fantilli on June 28 at the NHL draft, the next team has a dilemma on its hands – and for the Flyers, that dilemma hits especially close to home.

While Bedard and Fantilli are the undisputed projected No. 1 and 2 picks, Michkov is considered by some the No. 3 player in terms of talent. But unlike Canadians Bedard and Fantilli, Michkov hails from Russia, a country currently embroiled in war.

Last offseason, the political climate affected the sports world in many ways, including when Russian players heading to the NHL started to experience obstacles.

The first player to make headlines was goaltender Ivan Fedotov.

The Flyers signed the 25-year-old Fedotov, whom they had drafted seven years earlier, to a one-year entry-level contract in May 2022. Then-general manager Chuck Fletcher said he hoped Fedotov, who had just backstopped CSKA Moscow to the Gagarin Cup (the KHL’s championship), would compete for the backup job behind Carter Hart.

Two months later, Fedotov was arrested in St. Petersburg for an alleged evasion of military service. All Russian men between the ages of 18-27 are required to serve one year with some exemptions, but Fedotov allegedly bought a fake military ID in an attempt to avoid his service. Russian officials denied the arrest had anything to do with his desire to go to the NHL — even though they knew of his violation previously and had yet to act on it. Fedotov subsequently was sent to a remote base in northern Russia for military training.

Diplomats get involved

Fedotov was not the only NHL player to encounter problems last offseason. Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov had difficulty returning to the United States after leaving the country during the offseason.

The Wild said it was because his work visa ran out and the pandemic caused a backlog of paperwork, but there also were reports that he was wanted for buying a fake Russian military ID as well. Those reports largely were refuted, and Kaprizov elected not to discuss it upon his return to Minnesota. But lawyers and diplomats had to get involved, and Wild general manager Bill Guerin admitted to being concerned. The Wild previously had to wait the entirety of Kaprizov’s three-year contract with CSKA Moscow before he arrived in Minnesota in 2020-21. So the Russian dilemma isn’t new. Despite widespread concerns around the league regarding Russian players entering last year’s draft, ultimately, three Russian players were taken in the first round. Minnesota chose one of

them, Danila Yurov. The Flyers did not draft a Russian player with any of their six picks.

Adding further complications to Michkov’s situation is that he is signed with KHL giant SKA St. Petersburg through the 2026 season. While SKA has said it will not prevent a player from heading to the NHL, it does expect players to fulfill their contractual obligations.

That means it could be at least three years before Michkov joins the team that drafts him. For teams that are rebuilding, that timeline might work and offer Michkov a chance to mature further. But for others, the wait and potential risk may be too much. That’s also assuming the political climate and American-Russian relations don’t deteriorate between now and then.

The Flyers are in that slow rebuild, but they’ve been burned once before. And that experience remains fresh in their memory. But they also aren’t in a position to turn down high-end talent or the chance at landing a player with genuine star potential.

“The Fedotov situation is a little different than the Michkov (situation),” assistant general manager Brent Flahr told The Inquirer recently. “There’s some things you can’t control, which you’ve got to weigh out your comfort level with going into it. But at the same time, we’ll have all of our background intact, and if we’re comfortable, then we’ll certainly consider it. You’ve got to weigh the talent level as well.”

While Michkov is Russian, it doesn’t mean his situation automatically will end up being like Fedotov’s. He may play out his contract and come over to North Americawith no issues. Fedotov allegedly broke a Russian law, while Michkov has done nothing illegal. For context, the Washington Capitals recently signed Russian 2022 first-rounder Ivan Miroshnichenko with no headaches. Michkov also comes with a much higher reward than Fedotov. The 5-foot-10, 172-pound right wing is considered the best Russian prospect since Alexander Ovechkinand Evgeni Malkin went 1-2 in 2004. He’s got elite stick handling and

Local scores

Bocce

Fairfield Bocce Federation

of your stomach, or it is not something you want.”

The return to Gammon Field brought back a flood of memories.

“It’s an honor to be here,” he said. “I’ve been gone so long and everyone here still embraces me. So many people have helped me with my transition, my mom, my dad, and so many great people. It’s so great to see many of my coaches still doing what they do.”

intelligence, and in a non-Bedard draft without the Russia factor, he would have had a good chance at going No. 1 overall.

A showman

In addition to being a natural goal scorer and a game-breaker, he has a showmanlike quality to his game. The puck seems to find him in the offensive zone, and, once it does, he processes information quickly and creates danger for opponents. Most draft analysts project him to develop into a starlevel NHL player. Michkov often is compared to Ovechkin. His statistics in junior hockey certainly compare. When playing for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl’s under-16 team as a 15-year-old, Michkov scored 70 goals and put up 109 points in 26 games. Then, in Russia’s top junior league, the MHL, he scored 38 goals and 56 points in 56 games, the most ever by a 16-year-old. He followed it up with 30 goals in 28 games as a 17-yearold. He also has dominated at every underage international level with Russia including at the U16 Worlds and Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2021.

This past season, he scored 10 goals in 12 games in Russia’s second-tier pro league, the VHL, before being loaned out to last-place Sochi in the KHL. Despite being the youngest player with Sochi, he tallied 20 points in 27 games. His 0.74 points per game with Sochi –excluding his three games when he barely saw ice time with SKA –would be a record for an 18-year-old in Russia’s top pro league.

However, there are still some questions surrounding his game. Because of distance and politics, NHL teams have had limited contact with Michkov over the last year, given that he plays in a country that Americans are hesitant to enter, and Russian teams are banned from International Ice Hockey Federation tournaments. Michkov hasn’t played on North American soil since playing two games at the Covid19-abbreviated 2021 IIHF World Junior Championships. NHL scouts have watched video on Michkov, but there are intangibles that can only be seen in person.

It doesn’t have anything to do with sports. Your vision has to give you a feeling in the pit

Tom Pennington/Getty Images/TNS file (2021)

Russia’s Matvei Michkov (17) celebrates after scoring a goal against Canada during the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship Gold Medal Game at Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas.

Now’s the time to preserve warmth, energy, and enthusiasm about being Jewish

TThere is a beautiful story of the famous Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic movement some 300 years ago. He was once walking with his students on a cold, wintery day when his students noticed that in the snow beside them, an image of an idol had been engraved.

“Our master,” the students began, “you have taught us that everything we encounter in life is to be a lesson. If G-d caused us to notice this site, there must certainly be a message here for us. What can we possibly learn from this site?”

The Baal Shem Tov responded: “There is nothing more pure than water. It is the basis of all life and existence. Nonetheless, even this most pristine substance – when it becomes cold – can be tainted and can be used to express a message that is antithetical to the source of all life – G-d.”

In the synagogues around the world this week, Torah portion

Oklahoma school to become nation’s first religious charter

The WashingTon PosT

opens with the description of the way Aaron would light the fire on the menorah in the temple. Kindling these flames in the Temple is meant to act as a wake up call for the Jewish People to ignite their internal flames – the passion and fire or our Jewish souls.

The secret to maintaining our purity as Jews lies in the way we preserve our warmth, energy and enthusiasm about being Jewish. Feelings of apathy, cynicism, or coldness are fertile breeding grounds for sin and assimilation.

So during this week when we read about this spiritual global warming, let us add more fuel to our Jewish passion and drive. In this way, we can continue to grow and flourish – both on a micro and macrocosmic scale – adding new life and energy to the world.

Rabbi Chaim Zaklos is the executive director of Chabad Jewish Center of Solano County and can be reached at chaimzak@gmail.com.

An Oklahoma board approved the nation’s first religious charter school on Monday, agreeing to publicly fund a school where Catholic teachings will be incorporated into lessons throughout the day - and testing the constitutional bounds of taxpayer funding for religious education.

The new online school, called St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, will be run by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa. It plans to enroll students in grades K-12 in fall 2024. Religion will be woven into every subject, from math and science to history and literature.

Religion is “baked into everything we do,” said Brett Farley, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Oklahoma, which handles public policy and government affairs. “Our aim is to continue doing what we’re already doing in Catholic schools.”

The application was approved on a 3-2 vote by the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board.

Almost immediately,

the advocacy group Americans United for Separation of Church and State said it would challenge the decision in court.

“It’s hard to think of a clearer violation of the religious freedom of Oklahoma taxpayers and public-school families than the state establishing the nation’s first religious public charter school,” said Rachel Laser, the group’s president and CEO. “This is a sea change for American democracy.”

Charter schools are publicly funded but privately run and must abide by some of the rules that govern traditional public schools.

The new Catholic school, which expects to serve 500 students initially, was created in part to provide Catholic education for students in rural areas that do not have a private Catholic school nearby. But it also was set up intentionally to test the legal limits of taxpayer funding for religious schools.

The move is part of a conservative push to expand the boundaries of school choice, giving families more taxpayerfunded options for religious education. Farley called this “a watershed moment in the school-choice movement.”

A drive to break down the once-solid wall between public funding and religious education has already made significant gains. Over the past six years, a conservative U.S. Supreme Court has issued three rulings that religious institutions could not be excluded from taxpayerfunded programs that were available to others.

In a 2017 case, the court ruled that a church-run preschool in Missouri was entitled to a state grant that funded playgrounds. In 2020, the court ruled that a Montana could allow parents to use private school vouchers at religious and secular schools. And last year, the court said that a Maine voucher program that sent rural students to private high schools had to be open to religious schools.

Now Oklahoma is testing whether the state can directly fund a religious school.

“The burden of proof is on the opponents of this idea,” argued Farley of the state’s Catholic Conference. He said opponents will need to show why taxpayer funding for a charter school is different from funding a voucher that also pays for religious education.

Minister: Elliott Williams

Sunday Morning Bible Study..........9:30 AM

Sunday Morning Worship............10:30 AM

Sunday Evening Worship...............5:00 PM

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

If you would like to take a free Bible correspondence course contact: Know Your Bible Program, 401 Fir Street, Vacaville, CA 95688 (707) 448-5085

Chaim Zaklos Religious view

LOCATEDAT101FalconDr,Vallejo, California94589Solano.Mailingaddress 101FalconDr,Vallejo,California94589. IS(ARE)HEREBYREGISTEREDBY THEFOLLOWINGOWNER(S)Andres Garcia101FalconDrVallejo,94589. THISBUSINESSISCONDUCTEDBY: anIndividual Theregistrantcommencedtotransact businessunderthefictitiousbusine ss nameornameslistedaboveonN/A. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.) /s/OscarA.Paredes INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONJune52028. THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESS ANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: JUN062023 NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023000917 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00063921 Published:June11,18,25July2,2023

LOCATEDAT151OlympicBlvd,Vallejo CA94589Solano.MailingaddressPO Box6226,Alameda,CA,94501.IS(ARE) HEREBYREGISTEREDBYTHEFOLLOWINGOWNER(S)BreonnaBrowne 151OlympicBlvdVallejo,94589.THIS BUSINESSISCONDUCTEDBY: anIndividual Theregistrantcommencedtotransact businessunderthefictitiousbusiness nameornameslistedaboveonN/A. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.) /s/BreonnaBrowne INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER

ANYCHAN GEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONJune62028. THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: JUN072023 NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023000923 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00063934 Published:June11,18,25July2,2023

Jenelle Jangar Im; Jenelle Jangar Im & Peter Im on behalf of Dylen Jarelle Jangar Im; Maya Lileian Jangar Im & Jayce Coleone Jangar Im, minors filedapetitionwiththiscourtforadecr ee changingnamesasfollows:

Present Name:

a. Jenelle Jangar Im

b. Dylen Jarelle Jangar Im

c. Maya Lileian Jangar Im d. Jayce Coleone Jangar Im Proposed Name:

a. Jenelle Im

b. Dylen Jarelle Im

c. Maya Lileian Im d. Jayce Coleone Im THECOURTORDERSthatallpersonsinterestedinthismattershallappearbefore thiscourtatthehearingindicatedbelowto showcause,ifany,whythepetitionfor changeofnameshouldnotbegranted Anypersonobjectingtothenamechanges describedabovemustfileawrittenobjectionthatincludesthereasonsfortheobjectionatleasttwocourtdaysbeforethematterisscheduledtobeheardandmustappearatthehearingtoshowcausewhythe petitionshouldnotbegranted.Ifnowrittenobjectionistimelyfiled,thecourtmay grantthepetitionwithoutahearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING

Date: July 5, 2023; Time: 8:30am; Dept: 12; Rm: I The address of the c ourt is: SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SOLANO 580 Texas Street Fairfield 94533 Old Solano Courthouse AcopyofthisOrdertoShowCauseshall bepublishedatleastonceeachweekfor foursuccessiveweekspriortothedateset forhearingonthepetitioninthefollowing newspaperofgeneralcirculation,printedin thiscounty:DailyRepublic. Pleasefileproofofnewspaperpublication atleast5businessdaysbeforehearing (newspaperdoesnotfilew/ court)zoom ok.zoominvitewillbeemailed1-2days beforehearing

Date:4/19/2023 /s/C.Carringer JudgeoftheSuperiorCourt

FILED:APR202023 DR#00063579

Published:May28June4,11,18,2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT THE FOLLOWING PERSON (PERSONS) IS (ARE) DOING BUSINESS AS LITTLE LAVANDA LOCATEDAT1317RebeccaDrive, SuisunCity,CA94585Solano.Mailing address325MerganserDrPOBox1797, SuisunCity,CA94585.IS(ARE) HEREBYREGISTEREDBYTHEFOLLOWINGOWNER(S)PamelaGermany 1317RebeccaDriveSuisunCity,945853506.THISBUSINESSISCONDUCTED BY: anIndividual Theregistrantcommencedtotransact businessunderthefictit iousbusiness nameornameslistedaboveonN/A Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.) /s/PamelaGermanySoleProprieter INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION (b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONMay222028. THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: MAY232023 NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023000858 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00063575 Published:May28June4,11,18,2023

TOALLINTERESTEDPERSONS: Petitioner: Maurice Moore filedapetition withthiscourtforadecreechanging namesasfollows: PresentName: a. Maurice Thomas ProposedName: a. Maurice Moore THECOURTORDERSthatallpersonsinterestedinthismattershallappearbefore thiscourtatthehearingindicatedbelowto showcause,ifany,whythepetitionfor changeofnameshouldnotbegranted. Anypersonobjectingtothename changesdescribedabovemustfileawrittenobjectionthatincludesthereasonsfor theobjectionatleasttwocourtdaysbeforethematterisscheduledtobeheard andmustappearatthehearingtoshow causewhythepetitionshouldnotbegranted.Ifnowrittenobjectionistimelyfiled, thecourtmaygrantthepetitionwithouta hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING

Date: July 19, 2023; Time: 8:30am; Dept: 12; Rm: 1 The address of the court is: SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SOLANO Old Solano Courthouse 580 Texas Street Fairfield, CA 94533 AcopyofthisOrdertoShowCauseshall bepublishedatleastonceeachweekfor foursuccessiveweekspriortothedate setforhearingonthepetitioninthefollowingnewspaperofgeneralcirculation,printedinthiscounty:DailyRepublic Pleasefileproofofnewspaperpublication atleast5businessdaysbeforehearing (newspaperdoesnotfilew/court)zoom ok.zoominvitewillbeemailed1-2days beforehearing Date:MAY162023 /s/C.Carringer JudgeoftheSuperiorCourt FILED:MAY172023 DR#00063577 Published:May28June4,11,18,2023

NUMBER: CU23-01601

TOALLINTERESTEDPERSONS:

Petitioner: Shirley Vazquez Ayala fileda petitionwiththiscourtforadecreechangingnamesasfollows:

PresentName: a. Shirley Vazquez Ayala

ProposedName: a. Shirley (no middle name) Vazquez Ayala THECOURTORDERSthatallpersonsinterestedinthismattershallappearbefore thiscourtatthehearingindicatedbelowto showcause,ifany,whythepetitionfor changeofnameshouldnotbegranted. Anypersonobjectingtothename changesdescribedabovemustfileawrittenobjectionthatincludesthereasonsfor theobjectionatleasttwocourtdaysbeforethematterisscheduledtobeheard andmustappearatthehearingtoshow causewhythepetitionshouldnotbegranted.Ifnowrittenobjectionistimelyfiled, thecourtmaygrantthepetitionwithouta hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING

Date: August 9, 2023; Time: 9:00; Dept: 3; Rm: 2 The address of the court is: SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SOLANO Old Solano Courthouse 580 Texas Street Fairfield, CA 94533 AcopyofthisOrdertoShowCauseshall bepublishedatleastonceeachweekfor foursuccessiveweekspriortothedate setforhearingonthepetitioninthefollowingnewspaperofgeneralcirculation,printedinthiscounty:DailyRepublic

Pleasefileproofofnewspaperpublication atleast5businessdaysbeforehearing (newspaperdoesnotfilew/court)zoom ok.zoominvitewillbeemailed1-2days beforehearing

Date:5/30/2023 /s/StephenGizzi JudgeoftheSuperiorCourt

FILED:MAY312023 DR#00063783 Published:June4,11,18,25,2023

PhoenixCircleVallejo,CA94589.IS (ARE)HEREBYREGISTEREDBYTHE FOLLOWINGOWNER(S)#1Renee Sykes120PhoenixCircleVallejo,94589 #2PamelaSterling5005TehachapiWay Antioch,94531.THISBUSINESSIS CONDUCTEDBY: anUnincorporatedAssociationotherthan aPartnership Theregistrantcommencedtotransact businessunderthefictitiousbusiness nameornameslistedaboveon 01/27/2018. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.)

/s/RenéeSykes-Secretary INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER

ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE

THEEXPIRATIONMay302028.

THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: MAY312023

NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023000890 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00063776

Published:June4,11,18,25,2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT THE FOLLOWING PERSON (PERSONS) IS (ARE) DOING BUSINESS AS L.B. UNIQUE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LOCATEDAT1710TennesseeStreet, Vallejo,CA94590Solano.Mailingaddress2401AWatermanBlvd,Ste4PMB 334.IS(ARE)HEREBYREGISTERED BYTHEFOLLOWINGOWNER(S)L.B. UniquePropetiesInc.CA.THISBUSINESSISCONDUCTEDBY: aCorporation Theregistrantcommencedtotransact businessunderthefictitiousbusiness nameornam eslistedaboveonN/A. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.) /s/LionelBohanon INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40 DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONMay14,2028. THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon:

MAY152023 NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023000807 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00063387

Published:May28June4,11,18,2023

withthiscourtforadecreechanging namesasfollows:

PresentName:

a. Gracen Mathew Collier

ProposedName:

a. Grayson Mathew Collier THECOURTORDERSthatallpersonsinterestedinthismattershallappearbefore thiscourtatthehearingindicatedbelowto showcause,ifany,whythepetitionfor changeofnameshouldnotbegranted. Anypersonobjectingtothename changesdescribedabovemustfileawrittenobjectionthatincludesthereasonsfor theobjectionatleasttwocourtdaysbeforethematterisscheduledtobeheard andmustappearatthehearingtoshow causewhythepetitionshouldnotbegranted.Ifnowrittenobjectionistimelyfiled, thecourtmaygrantthepetitionwithouta hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING

Date: July 28, 2023; Time: 9:30am; Dept: 22; Rm: 3

The address of the court is:

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF Old Solano Courthouse 580 Texas Street Fairfield, CA 94533 AcopyofthisOrdertoShowCauseshall bepublishedatleastonceeachweekfor foursuccessiveweekspriortothedate setforhearingonthepetitioninthefollowingnewspaperofgeneralcirculation,printedinthiscounty:DailyRepublic Pleasefileproofofnewspaperpublication atleast5businessdaysbefore hearing (newspaperdoesnotfilew/court)zoom ok.zoominvitewillbeemailed1-2days beforehearing Date:5/30/2023 /s/AlesiaJones JudgeoftheSuperiorCourt

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT THE FOLLOWING PERSON (PERSONS) IS (ARE) DOING BUSINESS AS CHINA PALACE LOCATEDAT715JacksonSt,Fairfield, CA,94533Solano.Mailingaddress715 JacksonSt,Fairfield,CA,94533.IS(ARE) HEREBYREGISTEREDBYTHEFOLLOWINGOWNER(S)#1HuuDuyLuong 1062PacificAveSanFrancisco,94133#2 KueiHuiNung1062PacificAveSan Francisco,94133.THISBUSINESSIS CONDUCTEDBY: aMarriedCouple Theregistrantcommencedtotrans act businessunderthefictitiousbusiness nameornameslistedaboveon 05/16/2023. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.)

/s/KueiHuiNung INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROV IDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONMay21,2028. THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon:

MAY222023

NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023000851 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00063526

Published:May28June4,11,18,2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT THE FOLLOWING PERSON (PERSONS) IS (ARE) DOING BUSINESS AS BAJA ICE CREAM AND BIONICOS LOCATEDAT948TexasStreet,Fairfield CA94533Solano.Mailingaddress948 TexasStreet,FairfieldCA94533.IS (ARE)HEREBYREGISTEREDBYTHE FOLLOWINGOWNER(S)GermanGarcia Galvez4441SolanoRdFairfield,94533. THISBUSINESSISCONDUCTEDBY:

filedapetitionwiththiscourtforadecree changingnamesasfollows:

Present Name:

a. Aaron Michael Caldwell

Proposed Name:

a. Aaron Michael Viratos THECOURTORDERSthatallpersonsinterestedinthismattershallappearbefore thiscourtatthehearingindicatedbelowto showcause,ifany,whythepetit ionfor changeofnameshouldnotbegranted Anypersonobjectingtothenamechanges describedabovemustfileawrittenobjectionthatincludesthereasonsfortheobjectionatleasttwocourtdaysbeforethematterisscheduledtobeheardandmustappearatthehearingtoshowcausewhythe petitionshouldnotbegranted.Ifnowrittenobjectionistimelyfiled,thecourtmay grantthepetitionwithoutahearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING

Date: Aug. 11, 2023;

COUNTY

Justice 600 Union Ave. Fairfield, CA 94533 AcopyofthisOrdertoShowCauseshall bepublishedatleastonceeachweekfor foursuccessiveweekspriortothedateset forhearingonthepetitioninthefollowing newspaperofgeneralcirculation,printedin thiscounty:DailyRepublic. Pleasefileproofofnewspaperpublication atleast5businessdaysbeforehearing (newspaperdoesnotfilew/co urt)zoom ok.zoominvitewillbeemailed1-2days beforehearing Date:May162023 /s/ChristineA.Carringer JudgeoftheSuperiorCourt FILED:MAY172023 DR#00063530 Published:May28June4,11,18,2023

declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.) /s/RonaldLanza INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONMay22,2028. THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: MAY232023 NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023000854 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk

anIndividual Theregistrantcommencedtotransact businessunderthefictitiousbusiness nameornameslistedaboveon 05/02/2023. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.)

/s/GermanGarciaGalvez INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONMay01,2028. THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: MAY022023 NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023000754 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00063565 Published:May28June4,11,18,2023

Lavewash Laundry Delivery

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

Anderson & Associates, CPA’s Downtown Theater Foundation for the Arts

Jelly Belly Candy Company

Jim Stever Realty - Stever & Associates

Law Office of Elizabeth Anderson

Medic Ambulance Service

Meyer Corporation

Michael J. McMurry CPA

Napa Solano Medical Society

Operating Engineers Local Union No. 3

Salvation Army

- Suisun City, KROC Center

Upscale Boutique

Vogelpohl Real Estate Consulting & Sales

Yin McDonald’s

State Farm Insurance - Gary Falati

Network Independent Mortgage Broker

Eagle Eye Engraving • Junk Removal in Solano County • Townhouse Apartments

Want To See Your Name Here?

Find out what it takes to become sponsor and the positive benefits it has on your local schools!!

Call Bob at 707-425-4646

Pam Watson, REALTOR®