Daily Republic: Wednesday, June 14, 2023

FAIRFIELD — Eighty-three parcels and 7,896 acres in the unincorporated agricultural area surrounding Travis Air Force Base will be placed under a Travis Reserve Area Zoning Overlay.

The Solano County supervisors on Tuesday unanimously introduced the proposed ordinance and zoning text change that establishes the overlay boundaries and purpose.

“I see a need for this to happen and to happen with immediacy,”

Supervisor Mitch Mashburn said.

Of particular concern is the property purchases by the Flannery Group in the area, and what Mashburn described as “the unstated

Supervisors name airport building after visionary A6

Vanden graduate Jamai East a big catch for OSU B1

Trump pleads not guilty to 37 felony counts in federal classified documents case

loS A ngeleS TimeS

WASHINGTON —

Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 felony charges Tuesday in connec tion with his handling of classified documents and alleged attempts to prevent the government from recovering them. It marks the first time an American president has been charged with a federal crime. If found guilty in the case, he could face a lengthy prison term.

intent of those acquisitions.”

All the board members agreed it is an “utmost priority” for the county to protect the air base, noting its importance to national defense, humanitarian missions and its importance to the Solano County economy.

It was reported that Travis AFB, the largest employer in the county at more than 34,000 military and civilian employees, generates $2.1 billion to the economy each year.

“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.

The overlay:

n Allows continued agricultural uses as well as compatible nonavian habitat uses until a military use or other use clearly supporting the mission of the base is proposed for the land.

n No new residential uses will be permitted to be developed.

n All new development or expansion of existing non-residential uses is subject to discretionary review and cannot be approved unless found to be consistent with the purpose of the TRA

Wearing a navy suit and red tie, Trump was brought in about 15 minutes before the hearing began and sat slumped over in his chair, hands clasped in his lap, as he waited for the judge to arrive, ABC News reported. He looked down at the floor for most of the hearing and his lawyer waived a reading of the

49-page indictment. Special counsel Jack Smith sat in the front row watching Trump closely, CBS News reported. Smith did not speak.

“We most certainly enter a plea of not guilty,” Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche told federal Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman, who oversaw the arraignment. Trump was released

See Case, Page A8

Could Trump win the presidency from prison?

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

WASHINGTON —

Donald Trump meets the constitutional requirements to become president – he’s a natural born U.S. citizen over age 35 who’s been living in the country for at least 14 years.

DAily r epubliC STAff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VALLEJO — An interactive educational experience from IG MindWorks, a blending of Lucha Libre and American-style pro wrestling and the “Sip & Suds” wine and beer garden are new to the Solano County Fair this year.

The 74th annual “Celebrate Solano” summer exhibition opens Thursday. It runs through Sunday.

Organizers insist it will be fun for the whole family, while also showcasing and celebrating the “diversity and inclusive-

ness” of Solano County.

“Kids and parents are encouraged to participate in the hands-on exhibits and activities. Military personnel: active, retired and dependents with a valid ID get into the fair free. Enjoy entertainment from one end of the fairgrounds to the other,” the fair organizers said in a statement.

As usual, the staple of the fair is the livestock barns, highlighted by Saturday’s Junior Livestock Auction at 1:30 p.m. There will be 105 youth showing 453 animals this year.

“Livestock animal numbers are up 80%

over 2022, going from 252 to 453,” Kelly Fletcher, Solano County Fair Competitive Exhibits supervisor, said in an email response to the

Daily Republic.

The animal breakdown for the market division is 83 rabbits, 76 poultry,

Legally, his multiple indictments, including federal charges related to classified documents that could lead to prison time, wouldn’t stop him.

Trump could run for president from behind bars, and it’s been done before.

Eugene V. Debs made his fifth run for president as the Socialist Party nominee in 1920 while serving a 10-year sentence for encouraging resistance to World War I.

“It is perfectly legal to run for president if you’re under indictment, if you’re on trial, even if you’re in prison. Nothing bars you from doing that,” said Chris Edelson,

a government professor at American University who specializes in presidential power under the Constitution.

Debs collected just 3% of the vote nationwide from behind bars.

If Trump won a second term from prison, it would be so unprecedented that experts aren’t sure what would happen. He could attempt to pardon himself – though presidents have clemency power only over federal crimes. That wouldn’t help if he’s convicted in New York, where he was indicted two months ago on 34 counts related to hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign.

“It would be inconvenient to say the least if Trump was re-elected president while serving time in prison,” University of Texas at Austin government and law professor Jeffrey Abramson

See A8

Five important perspectives on K-12 schooling

There are boundless theories and practices about education swirling around America’s public schools and school systems.

While many of them have been carefully honed through rigorous research studies and applications in the field, others have become prominent through political processes that are not necessarily based on sound empirical evidence (the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is one example of this). Theories and practices that influence K-12 education may also be highly contentious politically and hotly contested among local and state legislative and governing bodies (for example, school prayer, voucher plans, etc.).

I’ve selected five important perspectives on K-12 education that continue to fuel debates over how to best educate American children.

One size does not fit all:

A key lesson after two centuries of American public

education is that the practices, systems, and structures of teaching and learning in a highly diverse society are not well served by simple or orthodox models. The needs of kids, teachers, schools, and school communities are too complex for that.

For example, issues like local control, curricular content, standardized testing and school choice have been hotly contested across American public schools for decades. There is no one best approach to these issues (there are many ways to educate children for success in a modern society).

School systems are archaic:

About 15 years ago Professor Kenneth Robinson adeptly portrayed American public schools as rooted in archaic systems and structures designed to organize and process students in “batches,” like interchangeable parts on an assembly line. Robinson pointed out that grade levels, grading protocols, class periods and school hierarchies were created over a century

ago and had nothing to do with how kids learn or how to best educate them and more to do with establishing order, control, predictability and efficiency.

In recent years, there have been some interesting examples of schools and systems that have attempted to “break the mold;” however the basic structures and practices of schooling in America remain intact.

What every child should know:

About 35 years ago, University of Virginia professor, E.D. Hirsch, Jr. wrote a best-selling, but controversial, book titled “Cultural Literacy: What Every American Should Know.” In it he criticized American public schools for their lack of shared “core” knowledge. Essentially, Hirsch argued that there is a multi-disciplinary foundation of knowledge that every child must obtain in order to succeed in school and beyond. While the types (and amounts) of knowledge needed remain open for debate, there is little disagreement that in order to think wisely about things, you first

Man ran over nest, then drove across Texas to save last egg

the WaShington poSt

Miles the roadrunner wasn’t long for this world –120 hours, give or take - but not for lack of trying.

Paula Hagan met Miles on May 31 while doing intake for the Rogers Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, a nonprofit bird rescue in Hutchins, Tex., a Dallas suburb. That morning, a woman pulled into the center’s parking lot with a box. Inside, there was a baby runner, who’d hatched the night before, wriggling but still too young to make much noise, Hagan told The Washington Post.

After giving Hagan the box, the woman told her the hatchling’s story: Her husband had been clearing land on property near Odessa in West Texas a day or two earlier when he accidentally ran over a bird’s nest, smashing all but one of the eggs it held.

When the lone surviving egg rolled out of the ill-fated nest, the man scooped it up. After finishing his work, he drove the egg back to his home in Lufkin in East Texas. For about 500 miles, he held the egg to keep it warm as he trekked across the state, Hagan said.

The egg hatched the night of May 30 after he got home. He and his wife researched places that could take in and care for the bird. Finding none near them, they broadened their search, eventually

CORRECTION POLICY

homing in on the Rogers center. The next day, his wife picked up the torch her husband had carried across Texas, driving about another 160 miles to the parking lot in Hutchins where she met Hagan.

All of this for a bird that others would have left to die.

“I just couldn’t believe it,” Hagan said, adding: “It just tells me they’re both very kindhearted.”

Hagan, a 70-year-old retired attorney who has volunteered for the center since 2018, was impressed with the lengths the couple had taken to save the nest’s last-surviving egg and then its hatchling. Inspired, she took to her keyboard to peck out the story of the pains they had taken for the baby bird and published it on the center’s Facebook page. The post, featuring a stark photo of the roadrunner, was flooded with hundreds of comments, many of them suggestions for naming the bird. Because of the baby roadrunner’s extensive travels right before and after hatching, it was named Miles, a nod to the song “Miles and Miles of Texas.”

The chorus of the song by Asleep at the Wheel, a decades-old, honky-tonk country band, goes: “I saw miles and miles of Texas. All the stars up in the sky. I saw miles and miles of Texas. Gonna live here till I die.”

Miles did well the first few days at the center. But on June 3, workers there grew worried when the bird stopped eating and failed to gain weight exponentially, which is typical of hatchlings. Miles died the following day.

The center rehabilitates 90 to 95 percent of the birds it cares for, Hagan said, but hatchlings die at a higher rate than adult birds.

It wasn’t the happy ending everyone had hoped for. Although the bird’s death saddened Hagan, the campaign to save Miles remains undiminished in her heart. The couple went to extraordinary lengths to save a helpless creature from certain death. Their efforts failed, but that wasn’t something they or anyone else ultimately had power over.

“Working there, volunteering there, renews my faith in humanity,” Hagan said, adding: “It’s just very moving to me to see how kindhearted they are.”

No one has told the couple that Miles died, she said. Hagan said that if she were to make that phone call, she’d thank the husband and wife for their kindness, that it’s people like them who make a difference in the world.

“I really believe that,” she said.

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.

need to know things.

I.Q. isn’t only intelligence that matters:

In 1983 Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner proposed that people possess several types of intelligence (spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, linguistic, logical-mathematic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic).

While his theory remains controversial, Gardner criticized narrow definitions of intelligence that primarily focus on linguistic and logical-mathematical abilities (e.g., I.Q. tests) and that exclude the more nuanced characteristics and talents of human intellect. According to Gardner, there are many dimensions to the human brain-mind, and there are many pathways to a successful life.

Dynamic vs. static learning:

When I was a public school student in the 1950s and 60s the dominant mode of instruction consisted of individual learning activities, mimeographed worksheets, lectures, rote memorization, and sum-

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Sonia Jones of Vallejo to the State Council on Developmental Disabilities. Jones was a janitor with Solano Diversified Services from 1995 to 2003.

Jones has participated in Tailored Day Service at The Arc-Solano since 2015. She previously served on the SelfDetermination Advisory Committee for the North Bay Regional Center. The Democrat receives $100 per diem during work events.

mative evaluations--primarily multiple choice and true or false questions. Such activities exemplified what is now called static learning.

Unfortunately, static learning strategies are still the dominant instructional modality in many schools. In contrast, the concept of dynamic learning flips static learning theory on its head. Originally conceived by progressive educator Francis W. Parker in the late 1800s, dynamic learning strategies are designed to engage students in a variety of learning activities, such as problem based learning, experiential learning, collaborative learning, and opportunities to apply knowledge across academic areas.

Finally, in a dynamic learning classroom student progress is monitored through formative (vs. summative) evaluations which emphasize learning growth and development.

Stephen Davis is a career educator who writes a column that publishes every other Wednesday in the Daily Republic. Reach him by email at stephen davis71@gmail.com.

Do you have some good news to share? Send it to Susan Hiland at shiland@ dailyrepublic.net. Be sure to include Good News in the subject line.

Stephen Davis Eye on education

Roundtable on Fairfield air quality set for June 22

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — A community roundtable meeting on air quality and resilience in Fairfield is scheduled for June 22 at the city’s Adult Recreation Center.

“This event invites residents to gather and learn about air quality and its impact on health while discussing their own experiences and concerns. It is one of two meetings that will inform a fall meeting to create a Community Action Plan

Fireworks can draw hefty fines in Vacaville

VACAVILLE —

The manufacture, possession, storage, sale, use, or handling of fireworks or pyrotechnics of any kind, including those described as “safe and sane,” are prohibited in the city.

In 2022, the adopted Vacaville Municipal Code, Section 9.62, enforcing illegal fireworks violations. The ordinance authorizes City staff to cite a property owner if any firework

is being stored or used on that property, regardless of the amount or type of firework. Citations can be issued immediately or by mail.

The fines are:

n Storage/Use of Dangerous Fireworks $1,000,00 per violation plus city expenses.

n Storage/Use of Safe & Sane FireworksFirst Violation $250 plus city expenses.

n Storage/Use of Safe & Sane FireworksSecond Violation $500 plus

city expenses.

n Storage/Use of Safe & Sane FireworksThird Violation $750 plus city expenses.

n Storage/Use of Safe & Sane Fireworks - Fourth or more Violation $1,000 plus city expenses.

The Fire Chief may issue “special use” permits for the possession, storage, use and handling of fireworks and pyrotechnics by state-licensed contractors.

The City of Vacaville’s Community Services Department provides a

professional fireworks show every year in Andrews Park, 614 E. Monte Vista Ave.

The Fourth of July free event includes music, vendors and more, including the fireworks show shortly after dusk, usually around 9:15 to 9:30 p.m.

The fun gets under way about 6:30 p.m. with music from the Crossman Connection.

Only service animals are permitted.

Police seek information on late-night motorcycle crash

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield Police Department seeks the public’s help on a motorcycle crash Saturday night that left the rider with life-threatening injuries.

Around 9:30 p.m., dispatch received an automated message from a cell phone, advising the owner had been involved in a collision and was in need of assistance near Cordelia Road and Beck Avenue.

Planning Commission will elect new chair, vice chair

FAIRFIELD —

The city’s Planning Commission will meet 6 p.m. Wednesday to elect a new chair and vice chair, a look at the general plan, consistency of capital projects program for fiscal year 2023-2024 and a public hearing.

The hearing is at the

Patrol officers responded to the area and located a single motorcycle rider. Officers, along with Fairfield Fire and Medic Ambulance personnel, provided medical treatment and transported the victim to a local hospital.

The Traffic Unit responded to conduct the investigation. The preliminary investigation determined the motorcyclist was traveling eastbound on Cordelia Road, and for reasons that

request of Yesco Signs LLC, on behalf of property owner Valley Strong Credit Union, for the development of a freestanding freeway-oriented sign on a vacant parcel adjacent to and north of the Valley Strong Credit Union near 3655 Nelson Road.

There will be time for public comments.

The new chair and vice chair are set to take on their tasks at the next meeting, slated on June 28.

The commission meets

have yet to be determined, left the roadway, traveled down the embankment, and into a barb wire fence.

Alcohol does not appear to be a factor at this time.

Jennifer Brantley, the Fairfield Police public information officer, said there we no update on Monday. On Tuesday, she said the rider remains in critical condition but is expected to survive.

If anyone has any information regarding this collision, is asked to

at 6 p.m. in the city council chamber, 1000 Webster St.

Daytime traffic controls in place at Rio Vista bridge

RIO VISTA — One-way traffic controls will be in place through Thursday on Highway 12 at the Rio Vista bridge.

The traffic controls will be in place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. so state Department of Transportation crews can do a bridge inspection.

Caltrans urges motorists to drive with caution.

contact the Fairfield Police Department Traffic Unit at 707-428-7300.

around addressing air quality in Fairfield,” organizers of the event said.

The roundtable will be hosed by Sustainable Solano. It is set to start at 6 p.m. The center is located at 1200 Civic Center Drive.

To register, go to www. eventbrite.com/e/ fairfield-air-qualityroundtable-conversationtickets-636793946837.

For more information, go to SustainableSolano.org or send an email to alex@ sustainablesolano.org.

Traffic stop yields 9mm handgun, pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD —

Four teens, three who are 15, and one who is 19, were pulled over by Fairfield Police early Tuesday morning.

The officer was on patrol near Auto Mall Parkway and Raleigh Drive when he conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for a violation.

While speaking with the occupants, the officer observed a mason jar full of marijuana buds and two pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes in plain view.

Due to the open container of marijuana and

the occupants being under the legal age to possess marijuana, all four were asked to exit the vehicle.

Further investigation revealed a 9mm handgun loaded with a 30-round magazine. The 15-yearold who had been seated where the firearm was located had a prior felony conviction for firearms and was placed under arrest and booked into juvenile hall.

The parents of the other two minors were contacted and they released to their parents. The 19-year-old was released at the scene.

Daily Republic Staff

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic file

Fourth of July fireworks light up the sky along the Suisun City Waterfront, July 4, 2022.

Dodd’s bill to up city council pay cap headed to governor

FAIRFIELD — A bill that will allow city councils in general law cities to increase their salary caps has passed the Assembly after having already passed the state Senate.

It applies to all cities in Solano County except Vallejo, which is a charter city.

“No one runs for city council to get rich. But the low levels of pay make it much harder to balance careers and personal obligations with the calling to serve their community,” state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, said in a statement. He authored Senate Bill 329, which now goes to the governor for consideration.

It was the first cap increase since 1984. A majority of cities in California are under 35,000 in population and presently capped at $300 per month with minimal allowances for adjustment.

“It’s especially hard for working people and those from diverse or dis-

advantaged backgrounds. By allowing councils to adjust their maximum pay to reflect inflation, my bill will remove barriers to achieving more equitable representation in local government,” Dodd added.

A majority of cities in California are under 35,000 in population and presently capped at $300 per month with minimal allowances

“Diversity and inclusion make for better policy-making at all levels of government,” said Carolyn Coleman, executive director and chief executive officer of the League of California Cities, said in the statement. “Cal Cities is proud to sponsor this important legislation that lessens barriers for those interested in governing at the local level. This overdue reform is another tool communities can choose to use that can help ensure our city councils are reflective of the residents who live, work and play in their communities.”

FAIRFIELD — City firefighters pulled a man from a burning house in the early minutes of Saturday morning.

“I want to commend the heroic actions of the men and women of the Fairfield Fire Department. Their actions saved a human life and many of the family’s pets,” Deputy Chief of Operations John Sturdee said in a statement.

The home, which sustained an estimated $400,000 in damage, is located on the 600 block of Hillside Drive. One fireman sustained a minor burn, but did not require medical care.

The cause of the two-alarm fire is under investigation, but appears to be accidental, the department reported.

“(Fire) units arrived to find a well-involved back

patio (and) deck as well as an established fire inside the two-story home,” the department reported.

“Upon search of the residence, an adult male was located, and rescued. The patient was transported to

a local trauma center via Medic Ambulance with Fairfield firefighter paramedics on board providing advanced life support care. Two dogs and a pet snake were also rescued,” the department reported.

One pet cat died. Station coverage and assistance at the scene were provided by Vacaville Fire Department. Other stations were covered by the Vallejo and Suisun City fire departments.

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

DIXON — Two years of being locked out due to Covid-19 certainly meant that 2022 was going to be a big year for the Dixon May Fair. And it was – the biggest.

However, 2023 also proved to be a big year for the fair, drawing the second largest attendance in the past 10 years, Patricia Conklin, the fair manager, said on Tuesday.

The paid attendance for the four-day 2023 fair was 44,612. The full attendance was 66,984. That compares to 2022 numbers of 46,879 paid attendance and 69,009 total number

of fairgoers.

“We were down a little bit, but based on past experiences, it was one of the best years we have ever had,” Conklin said. She said the difference between the overall attendance numbers and the paid attendance is mostly vendors, exhibitors – including the livestock youths – and Kids Day.

In fact, there were nearly 7,000 children who came out on Kids Day, Conklin said.

David Lew

David Lew — incredible father, husband, son, brother, and friend has lost his battle to cancer and left this earth on May 25, 2023; he died at the age of 40 in his home in Vallejo, CA surrounded by family and friends. He is survived by his 8 year old daughter Sydney Lew, wife Kathleen Lew, mother Ana Lew, brothers Danny and Diego Lew, nieces and nephews; Diego Lew Jr, Leia Lew, Thomas Jae Lew, Jadzia Lew, Lorenzo Lew, Aryanna Lew, Mycah Lew, and Myori Lew. David was loved by so many more family members and friends.

David was a comedian, TV personality, and on-line game show host; and above all, a remarkable father, husband, son, and friend. David made everyone feel like he was your best friend, showing his true and loving demeanor with every encounter. He had a love for wrestling, boy bands, the A’s and Niners, and thrifting. He was heavily involved in the Andrew Yang campaign as a part of the Yang Gang, furthering his focus on bringing humanity forward. He loved some good nostalgia like visiting the last Blockbuster; he was always up for an adventure.

He never lost his humor even after his 2014 diagnosis of stage 4 thyroid cancer. Fa ce d with such a daunting challenge, many would have been overwhelmed, but not David. Driven by his l ove for his daughter Sydney and a

desire to cherish ever y moment, he resolved to fight the battle alongside his biggest champion, his wife, Kathleen. They explored alternative paths, seeking hope and healing in unconventional ways. Their unwavering determination was m atched only by the support they received from their loving family and friends and they were blessed with 9 more years of life because of it

Throughout the arduous process, David remained steadfast in his belief that laughter and optimism were vital components of his healing journey. Even on the darkest days, he refused to let despair consume him. With an infectious sense of humor, he brought light and levity to every room he entered, touching the hearts of those around him. He even brightened the room with his infectious snort! David initiated the #BeThePOP (Be the Pur veyor of Positivity) campaign to spread happiness and encourage people to find joy even in the face of adversity. He believed in the healing power of laughter and encouraged others to embrace humor during difficult times. David faced his challenges with determination, grace, and an unwavering spirit, leaving an indelible mark on those who had the privilege of knowing him. David Lew leaves a legacy of love.

David’s Celebration of Life will ta ke place on Saturday, July 8, 2023 at 2pm at 101 Zellerbach Hall in Berkele y, CA 94720. In lieu of flowers, contributions are welcome to help with the funeral expenses via GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/a6cb8921 or you can Ve nmo Kathleen directly @Kathleen-Le w-149.

President: Dorothy Andrews dorothy.andrews@sicentralsolano.com

Membership: Karen Calvert karen.calvert@sicentralsolano.com www.SICentralSolano.com

Rosenblatt/Daily Republic

firefighters pulled a man from a burning house Saturday morning along the

block of Hillside Drive.

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic file Fairgoers walk through the Dixon May Fair, May 12.

Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic file The interior of the Fairfield City Council Chambers is seen Sept. 26, 2022.

Centuries-old sequoias damaged during prescribed burn at Calaveras State park. One may not survive

Tribune ConTenT AgenC

Two historic giant sequoias were damaged in a prescribed burn last fall at Calaveras Big Trees State Park – and one of them may not survive, park officials and tree enthusiasts agree.

The trees, known as The Orphans, are estimated to be at least 500 years old, with one possibly twice that age, said John Buckley, executive director of the Central Sierra Environmen tal Resource Center. The older of the two monarch sequoias, Buckley said after visiting the burn site, “has a high risk of dying.”

He added, “One of the trees has a fairly high chance of survival because it still has green canopy crown and suffered less of a loss of the needles that are so essential for the tree to be able to take in sunlight and photosynthesis.”

California Department of Parks and Recreation officials said the damage was discovered when part of the park reopened after winter closures.

Prescribed burn when it was ‘Incredibly bone dry’

In October, California State Parks conducted a prescribed burn in the North Grove area of the park.

Prescribed burns are done to help reduce wildfire risk and promote giant sequoia regeneration, the department said in a statement.

After the Walter W. Smith Memorial Parkway reopened from winter closure, the department said one of the two trees was found to have sufferedsignificant scorch within the prescribed burn perimeter.

Kristen Shive, a fire ecologist and assistant professor at UC Berkeley, did not see The Orphans in person, but saw photos of them and said it looks like the crown damage was the result of heat from fire on the forest floor and from fire that consumed a neighboring non-sequoia tree.

“In general, that’s what brown needles mean,” Shive said. “If fire was engulfing the crown, then most of the needles would be consumed.”

Buckley, who served as a Stan-

islaus National Forest wildland firefighter for 13 years, said he talked to fire crews and understands that part of the reason for The Orphans being damaged is that it was the third year of drought in the area.

“The fuels were so incredibly bone dry and the trees had less moisture to resist heating and to be resilient from being slightly scorched or damaged,” Buckley said. “Those extreme drought conditions last year are probably the key reason why what was otherwise normal burning ended up, in this case, being more than those two trees could easily accept.”

Community members respond to the loss

Calaveras County District

3 Supervisor Martin Huberty, leader of the Calaveras band of Mi-Wuk Indians Adam Lewis, members of the parks department and others gathered at the state park Sunday to hike to The Orphans and pray for their survival.

Arnold resident Tom Van Lokeren organized the blessing. Board members of the Calaveras Big Trees Association, the nonprofit partner of the park, also participated in the ceremony.

“I think the solidarity here is important not just to say, ‘Oh, we lost a couple of giant sequoias but we’ve got 1,000 more,’” Van Lokeren said. “These are two very special

giant sequoias.” Paul Prescott, president of the association, said prescribed burning is an essential tool in the efforts to bring forests back to health.

Because of policies by governments over the last century to suppress fires, Prescott said, forests are choked with thin trees and dead debris, which are fuel for wildfires.

“Occasionally and sadly, a prescribed burn will burn something you didn’t want burned,” Prescott said “That’s why (the association) has been advocating this last year to get more resources to the park so that they can thin more trees and clear more debris before the next burn.”

So far, Prescott said the efforts have been unsuccessful.

Future planned burns at Calaveras Big Trees State Park

The parks department, in cooperation with Cal Fire, plans to burn up to 155 acres inside Big Trees, including areas along Highway 4 this week, weather permitting.

While the park will remain open during the burn, the department said visitors should expect some closures, potentially including a section of West Moran Road inside the park and one lane of traffic control on Highway 4 near the park entrance.

The department plans to do a much larger burn in the South Grove of the park in the fall.

The prescribed burn will cover 1,300 acres, and Huberty has expressed concerns about whether the area will be properly prepared before the burn.

Shive said it’s impossible to do a prescribed fire with zero risk to the sequoias.

“The only alternative to that risk is to do nothing,” Shive said. “Doing nothing would keep the groves fuelloaded and at high risk of severe fire that has the potential to kill far more of these incredible trees.”

California GOP hammering Dems over fentanyl

But is it a political win?

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

SACRAMENTO — California Republicans have found an issue to use as their cudgel against the Democratic majority. For the past month, they have wielded it in nearly every policy debate in the Capitol.

When the Legislature welcomed the expelled-then-reinstated Democratic Tennessee state Rep. Justin Jones in May, Assembly Republican James Gallagher of Yuba City invoked fentanyl to rail against one-party rule.

During a recent debate over concealed carry permitting, Sen. Janet Nguyen, R-Huntington Beach, raised Democrats’ alleged failures on fentanyl.

R epublicans even dragged fentanyl into a discussion about Skittles. A bill from Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel, D-Woo dland Hills, would ban chemicals used in food products, including the chewy, fruit-flavored candy.

“It’s pretty tough to claim you’re protecting our children by taking away their candy yet not doing everything in your power to help get lethal fentanyl pills off the street that are poisoning children and destroying families,” the state GOP wrote in a May email newsletter.

Now, a group of Republicans and a handful of Democrats are turning a failed fentanyl bill into a constitutional amendment they want to put to voters. It would require judges to warn

drug dealers they could face homicide charges if they sell counterfeit drugs that kill people.

The GOP will likely never get exactly what it wants to address the state’s fentanyl crisis. But what it does have is a new vehicle for conveying a traditional Republican message to moderate and independent suburban voters – that Democrats are soft on crime.

“Republicans aren’t going to win right now on issues like abortion or guns, generally, in these suburban districts,” said Matt Rexroad, a Republican political consultant. “So here’s an issue that works for them very well. They’re very clear on it, and it’s not going to go away. It’s on people’s minds.”

R epublicans’ new tough on crime issue

Suburban voters view the problem with increasing urgency, which makes it possible for Republicans to win over lawmakers who represent purple districts. However, the GOP still has limited power, and progressive Democrats insist the party is making more noise than actual headway. Fentanyl is a cheap, powerful synthetic opioid that dealers cut into other drugs to increase their potency while reducing their own costs. Customers who might think they are buying a different substance end up ingesting a fatal dose of fentanyl that has been disguised and marketed as another drug. More than

See Fentanyl, Page A6

Dominique Williams/The Sacramento Bee/TNS Leader of the Calaveras band of Mi-Wuk Indians Adam Lewis sang Native songs and prayed for The Orphans’ survival at Calaveras Big Trees State Park, Sunday.

Supervisors name airport building after Nut Tree visionary

FAIRFIELD – The administrative building at the Nut Tree Airport will forever be known as the Edwin I. Power Jr. Administration Building.

The Solano County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved naming the building after the man whose vision ultimately resulted in the development of the airport.

“He truly was a visionary who married his love of aviation with the family business. What started as a dirt airstrip is now a significant attraction to the region. And what began as a concept for Edwin I. Power Jr. has evolved into a public facility that today serves as an economic driver for the county and surrounding areas,” the staff report to the board states.

Megan Greve, director of county General Services, told the board she remembers her mother flying her into the airport when she was in high

Fentanyl

From Page A5

7,100 people died of opioid overdoses in 2021, and 83% of those fatalities were related to fentanyl, according to the California Department of Public Health. Accidental fentanyl overdoses affect habitual drug users, as well as young people having initial experiences with opioids.

Republicans and some moderate Democrats want to see the state crack down on fentanyl dealers, which is at odds with California’s push to alleviate prison overcrowding and reduce penalties for drug crimes.

For the past 15 years, the state has been under a federal court order to cut its prison population. Lawmakers and voters have curbed sentencing for lower level drug offenses and moved some inmates from state prisons to county jails.

It means Democratic leaders – and lawmakers in safely blue districts — have consistently pushed back against stronger criminal penalties for fentanyl dealers. Instead, they promote communitybased programs and recall the failed war on drugs of the 1980s and 1990s, which resulted in the mass incarceration of Black and brown people, even as overdoses continued.

As prisons have become less overcrowded, Republicans have begun to challenge policies that reduce sentencing for drug offenses, saying they have caused crime to increase. Although violent and property crimes rates were up in 2021, both have stayed “relatively low” since hitting peaks in the 1990s, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

Republicans have reserved special ire for Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, D-Los Angeles, who chairs the Assembly Public Safety Committee. This spring, they claimed he was refusing to hear a handful of fe ntanyl-related bills, some of which came from Democratic lawmakers.

He eventually held a special meeting in April to consider the bills, although almost none of the criminal penalty-related measures advanced.

Democrats divided on fentanyl Andrew Acosta, a Democratic political consultant, said the issue is one that divides Democrats based on how blue their districts are.

“There’s clearly folks in very safe, uber-progressive areas who will never touch this with a 10-foot pole,” Acosta said. “But

school and the two had a meal at the restaurant.

And that, essentially, was why the Power family, which started the Nut Tree retail enterprise with a fruit stand in the 1920s, decided to create the airsrtip in 1955. By the 1960s, Nut Tree had grown to include the restaurant, a toy shop, the train and other attractions.

“I grew up around the Nut Tree,” board Chairman John Vasquez said.

“My father went to work there in the early 1950s.”

He said his father helped build the runway and the first hangars.

The Nut Tree Airport as a Solano County facility was dedicated on June 16, 1973, 50 years ago this month.

Power died March. 18, 2017. He was 94.

In other action, the board:

n Approved a three-year Master Services Agreement for July 1 through June 30, 2026 with Mead & Hunt, Inc., of Santa Rosa, with an optional two-year exten-

there’s other folks, maybe folks in the Valley and in the Inland Empire, who would say, ‘Yeah, this is something I’m going to be supportive of.’”

For example, Jones-Sawyer and Assemblyman Isaac Bryan, D-Los Angeles — two members who have been vocal about their opposition to harsh drug crime penalties – represent overwhelmingly blue districts, according to February data from the Secretary of State’s Office.

Nearly 64% of voters in Jones-Sawyer’s District 57 are registered Democrats, while just 6.55% are Republicans. More than 65% of voters in Bryan’s District 55 are Democrats while about 8.5% are Republicans.

On the moderate side, Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris, D-Irvine, and Assemblyman Brian Maienschein, D-San Diego, both presented bills at the April Public Safety Committee hearing that would have created crimes or increased penalties related to fentanyl-dealing.

About 40% of voters in Petrie-Norris’s District 73 are registered Democrats, while nearly 27% are Republicans. In 2022, Maienschein narrowly won re-election in his District 76, where nearly 38% of voters are Democrats and about 31% are Republicans.

A fentanyl constitutional amendment

As the legislative session reaches crunch time, Republicans are considering new ways to pursue their fentanyl proposals.

Their latest play is a constitutional amendment

sion, to provide as needed consulting services to support Nut Tree Airport capital improvement projects. Expenses for airport consultant services will be paid from board-approved appropriations for individual airport capital projects

that would send a measure called Alexandra’s Law to voters. The bill is named after Alexandra Capelouto, a 20-year-old woman from Temecula who died of an accidental overdose after unknowingly ingesting fentanyl.

Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Santa Ana, authored the bill, which requires judges to warn dealers about potential homicide charges that could result from knowingly selling fentanyl that kills people.

The measure failed to advance from the Senate Public Safety Committee in April. As a result, Assemblywoman Diane Dixon, R-Newport Beach, authored Assembly Constitutional Amendment 12, which would require a similar warning.

Republican leaders are confident the public is on their side when it comes to policies like ACA 12.

“You can’t have an ordered, safe society if you don’t have rules,” Gallagher said. “And I think a lot of people are seeing that now. Are they becoming Republicans? I don’t know if they’re becoming Republicans, but I think they’re agreeing with us on issues, or they’re agreeing with us on policy. And I think that is resonating with independents and moderate Democrats.”

Assemblyman Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, chairs a Select Committee on Fentanyl, Opioid Addiction, and Overdose Prevention. He called Republicans’ vocal stances on fentanyl “background noise,” because they “don’t have the power to stop bills or pass bills.”

“The Republicans are

and the airport operating budget on an as-needed basis. There is no dollar value or financial obligation associated with approval of the recommended contract.

n Approved a 10-year lease, from July 1 through

focused, it seems, mainly on a handful of bills, most of which they didn’t author, that would have extended consequences or punishment for promoting lower-level fentanyl dealing,” Haney said. “That may be a part of the solution and part of the response, but we have a lot more work to do.”

Acosta, the Democratic consultant, said Republicans’ focus on fentanyl is the party “playing ball with the small tools they have available.”

“Is there enough behind this (that) actual real voters have an understanding of this? No,” Acosta said. “And are they going to get enough to get this on

June 30, 2033, with Enterprise Rent-A-Car for office space located at the Nut Tree Airport Building, 300 County Airport Road, Suite 100, a portion of aircraft parking for a car wash pad, and 10 assigned parking spaces for an initial

Received the Auditor-Controller’s Internal Audit Division’s Registrar of Voters payment process for poll workers as of the Nove.08, 2022 election. The review identified that the division lacks formal written policies and procedures for preparing, processing, and reviewing poll worker payments. The ROV did not update policies and procedures when it went to the TENEX system, which occurred in November 2018. As a result, 12 poll workers did not get paid. The poll workers were paid after the auditors identified the oversight. ROV management is correcting

Approved an appropriation transfer recognizing $12,238 in unanticipated grant revenue from the California Department of Insurance for the investigation and prosecution of automobile insurance fraud from June 30, offset by appropriations for Travel Expense.

the ballot? I would be surprised if they were able to pull this off. The Democratic majorities are such

that it would be really tough for them to get over the hurdle.”

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic

A Cessna 172 Skyhawk II taxis on the tarmac at Nut Tree Airport in Vacaville, Tuesday.

The administrative building at the Nut Tree Airport will change to the Edwin I. Power Jr. Administration Building.

Dreamstime/TNS

A group of California Republicans and a handful of Democrats are turning a failed fentanyl bill into a constitutional amendment they want to put to voters.

We service all makes and models of RV motorhome, 5th Wheel and Trailer Chassis, brakes, lights, engine, HVAC, transmission, steering, axles, bearings, suspension, tires etc. We also repair and service all trucks from a pick up truck to a Class 8 Big Rig. Our team of Technician’s have over 150 years combined repair and diagnostic experience. We treat your vehicle like it is ours. There is no job too big or small, we invite them all.

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

(707)

Paul McCartney says artificial intelligence made upcoming ‘last Beatles record’ possible

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

A new Beatles song is coming together with a little help from AI, according to Paul McCartney.

Artificial intelligence made it possible to turn a decades-old demo recording by John Lennon into “what will be the last Beatles record,” McCartney told BBC Radio 4′s “Today.”

“We were able to take John’s voice and get it pure through this AI, so then we could mix the record as you would normally do,” McCartney said. “It gives you some sort of leeway. There’s a good side to [artificial intelligence], and then a scary side. We just have to see where that leads.”

McCartney, 80, said the record was recently

finished and will be released later this year. He didn’t share the song’s title, though the BBC suggested its likely a Lennon composition, “Now and Then,” from 1978.

Director Peter Jackson also employed AI technology when he made the 2021 documentary series “The Beatles: Get Back,” which uses archival footage of the band recording the 1970 album “Let It Be.”

“He was able to extricate John’s voice from a ropey little bit of cassette where it had John’s voice and a piano,” McCartney told BBC Radio 4 of Jackson. “He could separate them with AI. They tell the machine, ‘That’s a voice. That’s a guitar. Lose the guitar.’”

Pickles Brian Crane

Zits Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Pearls Before Swine Stephan Pastis

Candorville Darrin Bell

Baby Blues Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott

Baldo Hector Cantú

Crime logs

FairField

SATURDAY, JUNE 10

2:36 a.m. — Commercial burglary, 1200 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD

7:08 a.m. — Robbery, 2300 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

11:11 a.m. — Indecent

exposure, 1700 block of WEST TEXAS STREET

1:35 p.m. — Reckless driver, WESTBOUND INTERSTATE 80

2:17 p.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, 5000 block of BUSINESS CENTER DRIVE

2:24 p.m. — Forgery, 1900 block of GRANDE CIRCLE

4:15 p.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, WEST TEXAS STREET

4:43 p.m. — Forgery, 1400 block of FARWELL STREET

6:28 p.m. — Reckless driver, EAST TABOR AVENUE

7:18 p.m. — Battery, 1300 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD

8:23 p.m. — Grand theft, 300 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD

8:30 p.m. — Reckless driver, WESTBOUND AIR BASE PARKWAY

9:06 p.m. — Battery, 300 block of EAST BELL AVENUE

9:32 p.m. — Drunken driver, PEABODY ROAD

9:56 p.m. — Battery, 1400 block of HOLIDAY LANE

10:36 p.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, OAKBROOK

DRIVE

SUNDAY, JUNE 11

5:02 a.m. — Assault with a deadly weapon, 500 block of ALASKA AVENUE

5:13 a.m. — Trespassing, 600 block of AIR BASE PARKWAY

5:43 a.m. — Residential burglary, 2000 block of DUNCAN

COURT

10:21 a.m. — Vehicle burglary, 3000 block of EVERGREEN

DRIVE

11:47 a.m. — Commercial

burglary, BUSINESS CENTER

DRIVE

12:30 p.m. — Reckless driver, AIR BASE PARKWAY

1:22 p.m. — Vandalism, 4300

block of CENTRAL PLACE

4:19 p.m. — Indecent exposure, 2200 block of NORTH TEXAS

STREET

4:35 p.m. — Drunk and

disorderly, 2000 block of CADENASSO DRIVE

5:11 p.m. — Brandishing a weapon, 1100 block of ALASKA

AVENUE

6:05 p.m. — Hit-and-run property

damage, 200 block of SERRANO

DRIVE

6:51 p.m. — Vehicle burglary, 5000 block of LYNBROOK DRIVE

6:56 p.m. — Reckless driver, 300 block of JACKSON STREET

7:10 p.m. — Trespassing, 2500

block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

8:09 p.m. — Trespassing, 2100

block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

8:41 p.m. — Trespassing, 3000

block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD

8:48 p.m. — Trespassing, 1900

block of WEST TEXAS STREET

8:49 p.m. — Reckless driver, GULF DRIVE

10:20 p.m. — Trespassing, 800

block of TAYLOR STREET

11:30 p.m. — Battery, 2100

block of SUNHAVEN CIRCLE

MONDAY, JUNE 12

6:28 a.m. — Trespassing, 1100

block of B. GALE WILSON

BOULEVARD

7:54 a.m. — Commercial

said by email. “Trump would immediately pardon himself of any federal convictions, even though the issue of whether a president can self-pardon has

burglary, 800 block of TAYLOR STREET

8:14 a.m. — Assault with a deadly weapon, 1500 block of JAMES STREET

8:29 a.m. — Forgery, 2300 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

9:30 a.m. — Vehicle burglary, 4700 block of BUSINESS CENTER DRIVE

9:56 a.m. — Vandalism, 2500 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

10:29 a.m. — Residential burglary, 1000 block of TYLER STREET

10:36 a.m. — Vandalism, 2900 block of CORDELIA ROAD

10:47 a.m. — Battery, 1100 block of TABOR AVENUE 10:53 a.m. — Shooting into a dwelling, WESTBOUND HIGHWAY 12

1:56 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 700 block of EMERALD BAY DRIVE

2:22 p.m. — Trespassing, 3300 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

2:31 p.m. — Grand theft, 2200 block of CORDELIA ROAD

2:36 p.m. — Drunk and disorderly, VILLA COURT

2:41 p.m. — Forgery, 2400 block of ARTISAN WAY

2:53 p.m. — Forgery, 700 block of CAPRICORN CIRCLE

3:13 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 500 block of PARKER ROAD

4:19 p.m. — Battery, 1500 block of GATEWAY BOULEVARD

4:48 p.m. — Vandalism, 900 block of MATTHEW COURT

5:04 p.m. — Battery, 1200 block of B. GALE WILSON BOULEVARD

5:20 p.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, 1700 block of SUNSET AVENUE

5:25 p.m. — Vandalism, 3400 block of ASTORIA CIRCLE

6:36 p.m. — Trespassing, 1300 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD

7:01 p.m. — Reckless driver, LAWRENCE COURT

8:10 p.m. — Shots fired, 1000 block of WEBSTER STREET

8:26 p.m. — Shots fired, 5100 block of BROCADE COURT

8:44 p.m. — Battery, 700 block of FIFTH STREET

9:00 p.m. — Battery, DANA DRIVE

SuiSun City

SATURDAY, JUNE 10

4:12 a.m. — Assault with a deadly weapon, MAIN STREET

4:31 p.m. — Reckless driver, SEAGULL DRIVE/THRASHER WAY SUNDAY, JUNE 11

2:58 p.m. — Burglary, 600 block of PINTAIL DRIVE

MONDAY, JUNE 12

5:36 a.m. Vehicle theft, 200 block of MARINA BOULEVARD 6:35 a.m. Burglary, 700 block of MAIN STREET

p.m. Fraud, 400 block of MAIN STREET

p.m. Shots fired, 500 block of TRUMPETER DRIVE

p.m. Grand theft, CIVIC CENTER BOULEVARD/LOTZ WAY

never been determined.”

It’s also possible that a prison sentence would be delayed or suspended.

“There’s two competing principles,” Edelson said.

“You can’t really be president from prison. You can’t accomplish both things, so the conclusion might be that one’s got to give.”

on his own recognizance, wasn’t asked to surrender his passport and is still allowed to travel internationally, according to news reports. Goodman ordered Trump not to discuss the case with his personal aide and co-defendant Walt Nauta or witnesses.

Trump, who is again seeking the Republican presidential nomination, was scheduled to return to his club in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Tuesday night for a private fundraiser, where he planned to deliver live remarks. It was not immediately clear whether the date of his next hearing had been set.

After a yearlong investigation, the Justice Department on Friday unsealed the indictment of the former president, charging that he improperly took classified documents when his presidency ended and obstructed the government’s efforts to retrieve hundreds of secret documents – some of them related to U.S. nuclear weapons operations and national defense vulnerabilities.

The indictment states that Trump kept them in unsecured areas of his Florida estate, including a bathroom, ballroom and storage room. The Mar-a-Lago property is a private club that hosts thousands of people each year.

According to the indictment, topsecret and other classified records the FBI recovered after a subpoena and a search of the property included details on U.S. and foreign nations’ nuclear and other defense and weapons capabilities, potential vulnerabilities of the U.S. and its allies to military attack, and plans for possible retaliation in response to such an attack.

The indictment also details two instances in which Trump discussed and showed classified documents to people who did not have security clearances.

Trump is charged with willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding documents or records, corruptly concealing documents in a federal investigation, scheming to conceal, and making false statements and representations.

In a Truth Social post hours before his appearance, Trump

called Smith a “thug” and accused him, his friends and his family of planting evidence in the case.

Trump also questioned why Smith had not reviewed allegations against President Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, which Smith doesn’t have the authority to review.

Nauta faces charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding documents or records, corruptly concealing documents in a federal investigation, scheming to conceal, and making false statements and representations. His arraignment was delayed for several weeks after he was unable to secure local counsel.

The case has been assigned to Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee who was criticized for ruling in his favor last year and assigning a special master to review the seized classified documents. Her rulings, which delayed the investigation for several weeks, were overturned by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, which said that she never had the legal authority to intervene. Smith said last week that he would seek a speedy trial. That will largely depend on Cannon, who has significant control over the calendar, jury selection and what evidence will be allowed in the case.

Blanche and attorney Chris Kise represented Trump during the arraignment. Trump’s previous legal team resigned Friday after the indictment became public.

The former president was placed under arrest when he surrendered to federal authorities before the arraignment. A spokesman for

open at 4 p.m. and close at 10. Parking is $10.

There will be gifts handed out to the first 1,000 fairgoers.

the U.S. Marshals Service told the Associated Press that the agency had enough photos of Trump, so did not take a booking mugshot. Trump’s digital fingerprints were taken and his birth date and Social Security number were recorded, the spokesman said.

This is the second time this spring that Trump has been in court to enter a not-guilty plea. He was indicted in New York City in March on charges related to an alleged hush money payment made to a porn actor in the final days of the 2016 campaign. He also faces two ongoing criminal probes into his role in 2020 election interference.

U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Calif., urged Americans not to tune out the classified documents charges.

“Today cannot be viewed as just another day in the typical flurry that surrounds Donald Trump’s shocking words and actions. The charges filed against the former president include major violations of our national security and serious evidence of criminal obstruction. If filed against someone else, the gravity of the case laid out against them would be immediately apparent,” Carbajal said in a statement.

Trump and his allies have repeatedly called the charges a witch hunt intended to keep him from winning back the presidency in 2024. On Monday, Trump said in a social media post that if elected, he will appoint a “special ‘prosecutor’ to go after” people including Biden and his family. A president does not have the power to appoint a special counsel; that authority lies with the U.S. attorney general.

son for the second year after the Covid-19 hiatus that created the awardwinning Solano County virtual fairs.

The Race Place, featuring horse racing from across the country, will be open from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday as well.

32 pigs, 27 sheep, 20 meat goats and eight beef cattle. Additionally, there are 65 rabbit entries in the breeding division, 56 poultry, 26 dairy goats, 18 cavies (South American rodent), 17 dogs, 14 Pygmy goats, seven sheep and four meat goats.

“We are attributing the increases to several factors. More families are getting out post-Covid times, a change in our policy allowing exhibitors to have more flexibility in the types and quantity of animals selling in our Junior Livestock Auction on Saturday ... and positive experiences from 2022 exhibitors telling friends and family what a great time they have at our fair,” Fletcher said.

She also reported “exhibitor numbers have also increased by 55%, going from 66 to 102.”

Opening day is Family Ag Day, with fair organizers combining some of the traditional springtime Youth Ag Day activities into the fair. Admission is free. The fairgrounds

“Ag Day will not only feature livestock in our barns, but it will also include educational and hands on opportunities surrounding sustainable living and healthy nutrition. It is fun learning for the whole family, Fletcher said. More than two dozen organizations are participating in the activities.

Also on opening night, the “Crossman Connection,” two local brothers will be performing.

Jeff and Kevin Crossman, from Vacaville, “will have you on your feet from the first song until the end of the show. They have toured all over the U.S. and have played well over 10,000 shows and still love what they do every time they hit the stage.”

The fair will run noon to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday. The buildings close at 8 p.m. all days. Livestock barns close at 8 p.m. the first three days and at 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Other fan favorites such as the carnival, midway and exhibits will again be part of the four-day show, which returns in-per-

not see the development of that property to be a threat to that goal.

Those favorites include a petting zoo, pig races, pony rides and a host of wandering and on-state entertainment talent highlighted by local musical acts from professional and community performers: Country, hip-hop, pop, Spanish, swing, Tahitian, rap, and rock; Dance performances from Ballet Folklorico, Middle Eastern, Tahitian, modern, and line dance.”

And don’t forget the traditional fair food.

Discounted presale admission tickets and discounted presale carnival ride wristbands are available until 5 p.m. Wednesday. The fairgrounds are located at 900 Fairgrounds Drive in Vallejo.

Vallejo’s own Konsept Party Band is featured on the second day of the fair.

“This highly energetic seven-piece band plays an array of danceable music from the ‘80s, ‘90s, and 2000s, including R&B, funk, Motown, Latin and old school. For one night only, Konsept will play two, 45-minute sets.”

Local beers and wines will be featured in the new “Sip & Suds” Wine and Beer Garden, and the Chelu Car Club, known for hosting the Downtown Vallejo Car Show, will exhibit beauties from the local area.

Saturday features the Lucha Extreme pro wrestling event at 6 p.m., and as the day becomes night, Jelly Belly will put on a fireworks display.

Jaripeo, a Mexicanstyle rodeo that tests bull riders’ skills, is set for 2 p.m. on Sunday. There is an extra fee. Afterward, guests can dance to the sounds of La Dinastia de Tuzantla.

And the fair also presents Gina Williams on stage Sunday. She is a solo multi-genre singer, songwriter, pianist, and composer. She performs nationally and internationally sharing music in 12 languages including Ukrainian and Chinese.

For more information about all fair activities and tickets, go to scfair.com.

and not representing the city council, said that property in the Walters and Petersen roads area is critical for the economic future of the city. It is also in the overlay area, which could limit or even kill development opportunities if it prevents the city from annexing the property.

Hernandez said the city has few economic development options, and while she understands and supports the need to protect Travis, she does

However, there has been a fair amount of opposition to the project within the city, with Travis AFB being a central issue those concerns.

Joe Livaich, representing landowner and developer Buzz Oates, said a project in that area –right now believed to be a warehousing development – could actual help meet the goal of protecting the base. He also noted that Oates was a bombardier during World War II.

Supervisor Wanda Williams, a former Suisun City councilwoman, wants to county to find

a way to help the city, perhaps through a land swap or s0me other solution to help Suisun with its great need for economic development.

Hernandez told the board that if the city cannot generate new tax revenues, it could find itself on the “financial cliff” by 2026.

Board Chairman John Vasquez pushed the conversation away from discussing any specific project because it could create a conflict for those supervisors who sit on the Local Agency Formation Commission, which would decide whether Suisun can ultimately annex the Oates property.

Zoning and land-use decisions stay with the county as long as it is in the unincorporated area, even if it also sits in the city’s sphere of influence. That designation, however, traditionally anticipates that the property at some point would be annexed, at which time the authority over zoning and land use would fall to Suisun.

The county Airport Land Use Commission found the overlay to be compatible with base land-use interests, and the Planning Commission had recommended board approval.

The supervisors did clean up the map outline to prevent lots being divided.

Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/TNS

Former President Donald Trump gives a thumbs-up to supporters after his arraignment at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse, Tuesday.

Secession talks emerge in one Northern California county. Is a new state a possibility?

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

When considering the possibility of a 51st U.S. state, places like Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico are likely some of the first to spring to mind.

But what about a sparser alternative, nestled between California and Nevada, with prime views of Lake Tahoe’s southern shore?

A new proposal, put forth by a resident and supported by at least one former county leader, would have El Dorado County secede from California and become its own state.

The idea is being spearheaded by county resident Sharon Durst, who spoke alongside former county Supervisor Ray Nutting at a community meeting last month, the Mountain Democrat newspaper reported.

Durst also laid out the case for secession in a more than 7,000-word post published May 26 on newsletter platform Substack.

“El Dorado relies mostly on its income from tourism and on the unhappy people from Sacramento, the Bay Area and Los Angeles buying residential or second homes away from the crime-ridden metropolitan areas,” Durst wrote.

“The people of El Dorado County want their former livelihoods restored and their rural way of life respected. Even without its geographical major economic drivers, the people of the county are economically resilient and self-sustaining.”

The post, which opens with sentences mirroring the Declaration of Independence, makes clear that the proposal is to secede from California and become an independent U.S. state rather than secede from the United States.

The new state would be known as the Republic for El Dorado State.

Is county secession plan legal?

Durst argues the case for secession based on Article 4, Section 3, of the Constitution, which reads, in part: “Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims of the United States, or of any

particular State.”

Durst in her Substack post wrote that El Dorado County “is ‘other Property’ under the Power of Congress, not the California Legislature,” and that this language opens the door for the jurisdiction to divorce itself from the Golden State.

However, the immediately preceding paragraph of Article 4, Section 3, says that “no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State” without the consent of the involved state’s Legislature as well as Congress.

In other words, El Dorado County would only be able to depart California with California’s permission and an OK from Capitol Hill, both of which are highly unlikely.

County-level secession is not a new concept, but no single county has ever successfully seceded to become its own state, though a group of counties did split off from thenConfederate Virginia during the Civil War to become West Virginia.

New secession ideas are not unheard of, including in California.

A ballot proposal approved last year in San Bernardino County directed local officials to study the possibility of secession, also with the consideration of making San Bernardino its own state.

In 2015, as politically conservative proponents argued their

case for splitting the rural northern third of California into a new state called Jefferson, hundreds turned up at an El Dorado County Board of Supervisors meeting in an attempt to convince the county to join the campaign.

Durst in her post said she intends to circulate a petition among El Dorado County residents to gauge support, then take that petition “directly to the U.S. Congress.” Durst also hopes to garner support through additional community meetings in the near future, the Mountain Democrat reported.

Where is El Dorado County? How big is it?

El Dorado County is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills, just east of Sacramento County. El Dorado’s eastern half includes southern portions of Lake Tahoe as well as the city of South Lake Tahoe, and the county shares its eastern border with the California- Nevada state line.

El Dorado County county is about 200 square miles larger than Rhode Island.

But if it were to gain statehood, El Dorado would become by far the least populous U.S. state; El Dorado County had just over 191,000 residents as of the 2020 Census, less than half of Wyoming’s 577,000.

Funeral funds grow for Antioch 18-yearold shot to death at birthday party

ConTenT AgenCy

ANTIOCH — An online fundraiser seeking $30,000 to cover the funeral and other expenses for an 18-yearold woman killed at a birthday party shooting that also wounded six others went past the halfway mark to its goal Tuesday.

Nadia Tirado, Antioch, was hit in the hail of gunfire that broke out about 1 a.m. Sunday in or near a residence on Sunset Lane near Mountaire Park. According to police, uninvited guests arrived at the party and something sparked a conflict and bullets flew. Tirado died after being rushed to a hospital. The fundraiser reached $15,100 early Tuesday. It said Tirado was hit in the lower abdomen. Her death is the

fourth homicide investigated by Antioch police this year.

“Like many others, we are extremely heartbroken and devastated,” fundraiser organizers Melina Alvarez and Sandra Rangel wrote in the page’s entry. “With the help of friends and family, we would love to honor her and say our final goodbyes.”

Police have not made any arrests in the shooting or publicly identified any suspects. They said the shots created a scene of chaos, with gunshot victims and other partygoers fleeing on foot and in cars in all directions.

Some of the other shooting victims drove themselves to a hospital.

Two 20-year-old women and a 20-yearold man; two 19-year-old

Xavier Mascareñas/Tribune Content Agency file

People flock to the shores of Lake Tahoe at Camp Richardson on a hot Saturday, July 11, 2020, in South Lake Tahoe. Under a proposal introduced by a resident in May 2023, South Lake Tahoe and the rest of El Dorado County would secede from California and become a new U.S. state.

See Antioch, Page A10

Antioch

From Page A9

women; and an 18-yearold man all were hit by the gunfire. Their injuries were not considered lifethreatening, police said. It was not clear if the shooting took place inside the home where party was happening or outside the residence.

Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe on Monday used the shooting to reiterate his desire to fire at least some of the 44 officers involved in a racist-text scandal, all of whom are on administrative leave. That has left the department down about half its policing staff and has resulted in the dismissal of charges and a major payment from the county to help assess the size of the problem.

It was unclear whether the shooting tied up the resources of the department from other calls or whether the response had been lessened by staffing issues.

Messages left with Antioch Police Chief Steve Ford and the Antioch Police Officers Association were not returned early Tuesday. The party was held for a 19-year-old man, according to police.

“Nadia was only 18 years old and full of (life),” the fundraiser entry read. “She was an amazing daughter, sister, friend, etc. She was known for lighting up a room and putting a smile on everyone’s face. Everyone loved her, and she loved everyone. She was the most forgiving person we knew. She will be missed by many and will never be forgotten.”

Welcome to Alejandro’s Taqueria!

Located in Downtown Fairfield, Alejandro’s Taqueria offers a large variety of authentic Mexican dishes. Breakfast includes: Huevos Rancheros, Huevos con Chorizo ahd Huevos con Jamon. Their daily lunch special includes a choice of one of the following: Taco, Tostada, Chile Relleno, Enchilada or Tamale with rice and beans. Dinner Plates include traditional dishes such as: Carne Asada, Chile Verde, Pastor or Carnitas. Also available is Mariscos/ Seafood ranging from Fajitas de Camaron, Coctel de Camaron, Caldo de Camaron and Mojarra and much much more!

In addition Burritos, Tostadas, Super Nachos, Chimichanga, Tortas, Quesadilas and Flautas are also included in their menu. Saturday and Sundays; Birria (BBQ Goat) and Menudo is served.

Vegas too hot for Florida, wins Stanley Cup

Dave HyDe SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL

LAS VEGAS — First, the Florida Panthers got the bad news Tuesday that their emotional and scoring leader, Matthew Tkachuk, would miss Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final due to injury with their season on the line.

Then came worse news:

The Vegas Golden Knights weren’t missing anything. Not scoring chances. Certainly not the opportunity to win the Stanley Cup and

to, “give Vegas the biggest party it’s ever had,” as their armored knight mascot screamed after the second period.

Vegas beat the Panthers

9-3 Tuesday night to take this series 4-1. Vegas got its first championship for a pro team and ended an equally impressive and surprising Panthers run through the playoffs. The nine goals the Panthers gave up in Game 5 was more than the six given up in the entire Carolina series and one less than

the 10 in the Toronto series

For a Panthers team in the middle of drama and tight games for the past two months, this was a tough way to go out. They had some openings early like when Anton Lundell broke in alone on Vegas goalie Adin Hill less than three minutes into the game and was stopped.

After killing off an Aaron Ekblad interference penalty later in the first period, the Panthers had a power play after Vegas forward Keegan Kole-

sar’s interference penalty.

Vegas captain Mark Stone took the puck from Sam Bennett, though, and went the length of the ice to score a short-handed goal to make it 1-0 with 8:08 left in the period.

Less than two minutes later, Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky couldn’t secure the puck in a pile around the net and Nicolas Hague made it 2-0.

The Panthers showed some offensive life early in the third period when Ekblad scored his second

Vanden grad Jamai East a huge catch for Oregon State football

M att Miller MMILLER@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Vanden

High School graduate

Jamai East, the Vikings’ dominating 2021 wide receiver who played a pivotal role on the Division 3-AA State Championship football team, announced recently he has committed to Oregon State University.

East spent the 2022 season playing at College of San Mateo. He made 11 catches in seven games for 165 yards for the Bulldogs with two touchdowns,

receptions averaging 23.6 yards a catch.

Ironically, San Mateo won the California Community College Athletic Association State Championship with a 12-1 record as East went back-to-back with a high school and community college title. That should bode well for the Beavers, who went 10-3 last year and won the Las Vegas Bowl.

“He had a huge run for us during the playoffs,” Vanden head coach Sean Murphy said. “He’s a very special talent. We had a lot of talented players on that team but you don’t

see many players with the athleticism that Jamai has. He works extreme hard and is very football smart.”

East took to Twitter Friday to make his announcement. He chose Oregon State over offers from Illinois, Mississippi State and Purdue.

East was the Daily Republic’s Most Valuable Player on the All-Region Football Team in 2021. He made 25 catches for 616 yards and 14 touchdowns. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound receiver had the first score during the NorCal title game against

goal of the playoffs on a shot from the blue line that snuck through traffic. There was the chance this team that rallied to beat Boston in a similar road game to keep that series alive could do the same against Vegas.

That hope was shortlived, though. Vegas scored successive goals by Alec Martinez, Reilly Smith, Stone again and Michael Amadio to make it 6-1 after two periods. Sam Reinhart and Bennett scored in the third period

ALUMNI UPDATE

for the Panthers before Stone added an empty-netter for the hat trick.

The absence of Tkachuk deprived the Panthers of not just his spirited game but their leading scorer in the regular season and the playoffs. He went into the NHL’s concussion protocol and, more pertinent to Game 5, suffered an upperbody injury last Thursday in a Game 3 hit from Vegas forward Keegan Kolesar. Tkachuk returned that

See Vegas, Page B10

Scholtens has White Sox stint end, returns to Triple-A team

M att Miller MMILLER@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Rodriguez High School graduate and righthanded pitcher Jesse Scholtens returned to Triple-A Charlotte after a brief stint in the major leagues with the Chicago White Sox.

Scholtens was optioned back to Triple-A on June 1 after being recalled to the big leagues on May 22. Since his return to North Carolina, he has pitched in two outings.

games and 16.2 innings with nine strikeouts.

n n n

Veteran right-hander Tony Gonsolin (Vacaville) had one start last week on June 6.The 29-year-old went five innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 9-8 loss to Cincinnati. Gonsolin allowed three earned runs, three walks and struck out five batters.

Windsor and added two more in the state title win over Aquinas of San Bernardino on home turf at George A. Gammon Field. His 24.6 yards per catch was tied for the lead on that Vanden team with Michael Belk. East also had six interceptions, many coming during the playoff surge to the championship. East has a good opportunity to make contributions to the Beavers right away and has up to three years of eligibility in Corvallis.

Nuggets’ ‘old heads’ celebrate first title after combined 43 years in NBA

ryan McFaDDen

THE DENVER POST

DENVER — Ish Smith wouldn’t slow down. On a glorious Monday night, the Nuggets veteran guard ran around the tunnel of Ball Arena with a large smile, talking to family and dapping up anyone who stood near him. He shared a moment with his teammate and friend Jeff Green before calling DeAndre Jordan to bask in the afterglow of Denver’s first title.

The trio of veterans have spent a combined 43 years in the NBA, each playing for more than seven teams.

After decades of trav-

eling to different cities and getting acclimated to various organizations, their new home in

Denver allowed them to become champions.

“This is what the blood, sweat and tears and count-

less hours in the gym was all for,” Green said. “Being in this moment is everything.”

Growing up, Smith’s fondest memory of the Finals was the NBA on NBC. He remembered Hall of Famer Michael Jordan gracing his television screen while leading the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles.

Now, Smith, 34, had his own championship memory and didn’t know what to think. He spent the entire night before Game 5 wondering how he would react to being on the mountaintop of the NBA, but all he

See Nuggets, Page B10

Scholtens went 4 1/3 innings on June 6 in a 5-4 loss to Gwinnett. He allowed six hits, three earned runs and two walks to go with one strikeout. On June 11, Charlotte beat Gwinnett 5-4 with Scholtens working four innings again, this time allowing seven hits, three earned runs, no walks and adding two strikeouts.

The 29-year-old pitcher was 0-2 in his big league time with a 3.24 ERA, getting time on the mound in five

Gonsolin was scheduled to start Tuesday night against the White Sox at Dodgers Stadium. He entered the game with a 3-1 record and a 2.21 ERA.

n n n

Right-handed pitcher Devereaux Harrison (Vacaville) was named the Northwest League Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season. He threw a nohitter over six innings in a 2-0 win against Everett Saturday. Harrison allowed no hits, no earned runs, walked three and struck

See Alumni, Page B10

Giants lose two starters to injury, but rip Cardinals

Jerry McDonalD THE MERCURY NEWS

The Giants weathered significant injuries to starters Mitch Haniger and J.D. Davis Tuesday night in an 11-3 road win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Both players were hurt in the third inning, with Haniger suffering a fractured right forearm after St. Louis starter Jack Flaherty hit him on the first pitch of his at-bat.

The injury happened just moments after Davis departed following a right ankle sprain while attempting to go from first to third on a single by teammate Michael Conforto.

Well before the Giants announced those injuries, they had taken the precaution of removing outfielder Luis Matos and infielder David Villar from the Sacramento River Cats’

game in Texas against Sugar Land. One or both could be in St. Louis Wednesday for the last game of a three-game series, with the Giants (35-32) going for a sweep.

Signed as a free agent in the offseason, Haniger has already missed 21 games in 2023 with an oblique strain.

The Giants chased Flaherty (3-5) in the fourth inning and finished with 17 hits, with Conforto going 4-for-6 with three RBIs and Mike Yastrzemski and Patrick Bailey hitting back to back home runs in the sixth inning off reliever Genesis Cabrera. Yastrzemski’s was an opposite field shot against a lefty, his seventh of the season. Bailey’s home run was his third.

The Giants took 3-2 lead against Flaherty on Conforto’s run-scor-

See Giants, Page B10

‘Boycotting’ A’s fans hope their team will stay put B2

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic file (2021) Vanden HIgh School’s Jamai East, left, attempts to evade Aquinas’ Cesar Fernandez during the CIF Division 3-AA State Championship at Vanden High School in Fairfield, Dec. 11, 2021.

AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post/TNS Jeff Green of the Denver Nuggets holds the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after the Nuggets’ 94-89 NBA Finals clinching win over the Miami Heat at Ball Arena in Denver, Monday.

Thursday’s TV sports

Cursing John Fisher, A’s fans hold out hope their team stays

cuRtiS paShelka BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

OAKLAND — Alternating chants of “sell the team” and “(expletive) John Fisher” – in reference to the Oakland A’s owner – filled the air Tuesday afternoon as over a thousand ampedup fans in green and gold gathered for a pregame tailgate in the Coliseum’s south parking lot hours before their favorite team’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The event, part of a ‘Reverse Boycott’ organized solely by A’s fans, began with a few dozen people arriving more than 3½ hours before the first pitch. Members of the Oakland 68s fan group gave away hundreds of green T-shirts that read “Sell,” and after an hour, the assembled crowd swelled to several hundred people.

Expos split two games, move record to 24-6

FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield Expos summer baseball team split a pair of games Sunday and Monday night against two tough opponents.

The Expos lost to Medford 5-2 Sunday but followed it up with a 6-4 win over Chico on Monday. Fairfield is now 24-6 overall and begins its tour of the Northwest with a game Tuesday night at Humboldt.

Jace Parkinson went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI for the Expos against Medford. Matt Hague also had two

hits. Blake Bozzini, A.J. Perrin and Aaron Strong all singled.

Teagan Gonzales pitched six innings with five strikeouts. Hague worked one inning.

Bryce Alcantara was 2-for-3 with an RBI in the win over Chico. Hague had a double and an RBI. Drew Carrington had a hit and drove in two runs. Noah Rodda, Aaron Strong and Perrin also had hits.

Connor Broschard pitched five innings.

Calvin Johnson pitched 1/3 of an inning and Landon Dodge worked 1 2/3 in relief.

The Coliseum parking lot, which is usually mostly empty for weekday home games, also rapidly filled up, providing something of a festive atmosphere for ardent followers of the team, and serving as a reminder that the Bay Area remains passionate about the A’s.

“We do it to keep the A’s in Oakland,” said Oakland 68s member Jorge Leon, one of the organizers of the event. “That’s the whole end goal, to try to put pressure and maintain that pressure on John Fisher and MLB to sell the A’s to a local ownership group that can be part of the community.”

But there was also some sense of despair — at least by a few fans who have been keenly following the actions of Nevada lawmak-

ers in recent days.

Tuesday, the state senate voted 13-8 to approve the proposal by the A’s to build a $1.5 billion ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip on the site of the Tropicana Hotel & Casino at a cost of approximately $1.5 billion, with $380 million of that price tag funded by the public.

There was a feeling that despite whatever happened Tuesday, the A’s wouldn’t be long for the East Bay without some miracle, particularly after the Nevada state senate’s actions.

“It might not amount to a hill of beans,” said Sean O’Halloran, a longtime A’s fan who flew in from Australia for the event. “But at the end of the day, ownership will do what ownership does and they’ve shown in the last 20 years that they don’t really care what the fans think. They will do what they do regardless.”

“I definitely want to make sure that we exhaust all of our options and make sure that the team can stay,” said Hercules resident Robert Boeri, 60, who has been coming to A’s games since he was 13. “But it’s not looking very good.” Boeri usually attends a dozen or so A’s games per season but hasn’t been to a game since the organization announced in April they had a binding agreement to purchase a 49-acre plot of land just north of Allegiant Stadium.

“I didn’t want to give away money to John Fisher,” Boeri said. “But I think this is a good sacrifice to have a chance to be with a crowd of people that have the same cause as me right now.”

The fans that gathered for the tailgate wanted to send a message to Fisher and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred that Oakland remains passion-

ate about the A’s.

“We don’t live here, but we love this town and the history of this town, and the A’s are such an integral part,” said Christy Jourdan, 57, of West Sacramento, as tears began to roll down under her sunglasses. “I’ve been coming to A’s games since I was little. (Fisher) will destroy such a rich legacy.”

More “sell the team” and “let’s go Oakland” chants began about 30 minutes before the game started and continued as Shintaro Fujinami threw the first pitch of Tuesday’s game. Their passion was obvious.

“I care about our Northern California economy. That’s a big piece of it,” Jourdan said. “And that is where I would hope that a person like Fisher could find some loyalty within his tiny little Grinch heart and want to reinvest in the place that gave him so much.”

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

Vogelpohl Real Estate Consulting & Sales

Yin McDonald’s State Farm Insurance - Gary Falati

Network Independent Mortgage Broker

Upscale Boutique

Pam Watson, REALTOR®

Lave Wash Laundry Delivery

Eagle Eye Engraving Junk Removal in Solano County Townhouse Apartments

Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group/TNS Oakland Athletics fans chant “Sell the team” as they take part in a “Reverse Boycott” event at the Coliseum in Oakland, Tuesday.

Columns&Games

Drama at the Gym

Dear Annie: I love the gym. It has really helped me gain confidence and strength. I have been going to the same gym in our small town for roughly 10 years. I know all the people there and enjoy my time there –until lately.

There is a woman who just started going to the gym who is toxic. She really hurt a dear friend of mine, whose child was in the same class as her child, by spreading vicious rumors that she was having an affair with a tennis instructor. This was not true. She is the typical mean girl from middle school who we all choose to forget – the girl who never grew up.

Aside from comforting my hurt friend, I never came into contact with this woman until she joined my gym. Now I have to see her daily, and it bothers me. It seems like every time I sign up for a class, she is also in the same class. – Took Away

My Happy Place Dear Took Away: Don’t let her take away your happy place. So long as she does not try to engage you in conversation, just ignore her. The gym is a big place with lots of people, so don’t let one bad apple spoil the bunch. Focus on your exercises and on the kind people, the friends you have made at the gym over the years, and you won’t have time to focus on her negativity. If you consciously choose to focus your attention on all the wonderful people and experiences you have at the moment, she will become like white noise in the background, and you won’t even notice her.

Dear Annie: I was hanging out with my closest friend, “Alice,” and her friend, “Jane,” and they started talking about Alice’s ex-boyfriend. They asked me to leave for a minute so they could talk privately, but then they avoided me for the rest of the day.

Horoscopes

ARIES (March 21-April 19).

A strong emotion comes over you. There is a balance to be struck here. You will acknowledge and process what you’re feeling without holding on or dwelling in the intensity. The light energy of loving people will help all move forward.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’ll choose kindness and warmth even in situations where others are competing with might and power plays. You’re like the adult in a room full of unruly children. You set the tone and you will lead by example.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21).

It is said that gratitude is the most direct line to the angels, and indeed they will respond to the appreciation you radiate now as you find at least 10 things to be happy about before breakfast. This day is so lucky for you.

CANCER (June 22-July 22).

Don’t confuse rest with laziness. Laziness is a fear-driven decision to underachieve. Rest is a necessary part of achievement’s cycle, driven by nature’s maintenance system. Feeling tired isn’t weakness; it’s a signal to let nature repair you.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22).

Though some suffering may be inevitable, a lot of it might be simply a bad habit. If you focus on what you don’t want, it produces a stressed-out feeling in you. Move your focus to what you do want and work that angle.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).

You show what you’ve been thinking about and working on.

Crossword

Once Alice and I both got home, she sent a message saying our friendship wasn’t working and how we shouldn’t be friends anymore. I agreed with her, considering the fact that she couldn’t trust me.

But then, without explanation, for the next few days, Alice was friendly and nice. At that point, I was broken. I’ve been crying over this. What should I do? – Confused Girl

Dear Confused Girl: Her behavior is certainly confusing; it makes no sense. One day she is nice, and the next day she is mean, and then she is nice again. If you want this friendship to continue, you have to find out why she doesn’t trust you. If she makes up a reason, or if you don’t agree with her, then I might pull away and find a new friend, one who is consistently kind. She might also be suffering from a mental illness. If her behavior continues to be erratic, encourage her to seek help.

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

by Holiday Mathis

Today’s birthday

Welcome to a colorful and eclectic year in which life will keep you guessing. Highlights: People will give you odd things that you will turn into art, commerce or social currency. A worthy pursuit brings out new levels of focus and determination in you. A chance encounter leads to a lifelong friendship. Virgo and Aquarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 10, 6, 37, 2 and 19.

In doing so, you open yourself to comments and the possibility of being misunderstood (or, equally scary, understood). As scary as it is, the benefits of sharing your ideas make it worthwhile.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).

You’ll let go and see where life takes you. Apply your famous charm and increase your luck. You fall easily into a conversation with a stranger. You’ll run into unique perspectives, some weird, some helpful.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Getting clear about your wants and priorities is like making your bed. It’s not something to do once, but something you have to keep redoing every day. Making the checklist again and again is a powerful ritual that keeps you on track.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21). You’re not just openminded; you’re an adventurer. The open-minded try things

once; adventurers endeavor multiple times to make sure nothing was missed or mistaken the first time around.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19). Don’t let minor knocks affect your stellar attitude. Plans may change or people may fail to deliver as expected. Maybe the money gets funny, too, but in a few days, none of it will matter, so it doesn’t matter now.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 18). You’ll receive a new piece of the puzzle – information that connects a few different parts of the picture. It’s a thrill when things click in. This mystery will take its sweet time to come together, but don’t give up.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20).

You will be inconvenienced – a cosmic boon that works in your favor, actually. You’ll handle this with modesty, compassion and economy – just “doing you.” It’s not so bad, and then down the road will be a sweet karmic payoff.

CELEBRITY PROFILES:

Gemini Lucy Hale fits right into the new crime thriller “The Gemini Lounge,” one of her many upcoming projects. The versatile actress will add executive producing to her hyphens with the feature “What Brings Me to You.” Hale was born when the sun was in the sign of the twins while Saturn, Uranus and Neptune were all in Capricorn, the sign of business acumen.

Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

Bridge

by Phillip Alder

trumps.”

How should South play in six spades after West leads a low heart?

Note that North’s two-diamond rebid is a reverse because if South wishes to give preference to North’s first-bid suit, clubs, he must go up to the three-level. Over two diamonds, South chose to show his heart stoppers. Alternatively, he could have rebid two spades, which in the modern style promises five or more spades (not six) and is forcing. When North then showed three spades, South bid what he hoped he could make.

South’s first realization was that he needed trumps to split 3-2. Then he had to establish dummy’s club suit without losing control.

This deal fits the common pattern that if you must lose a trick in a suit, even a trump, it is usually right to concede it immediately.

IF YOU LOSE EARLY, BE SURE TO WIN LATER

Ann Richards, who was the 45th governor of Texas from 1991 to 1995, said, “If you think taking care of yourself is selfish, change your mind. If you don’t, you’re simply ducking your responsibilities.”

Not often do my quotations spill the beans quite as obviously as that one, if you change “yourself” to “your

With this layout, the only winning line is to ruff at trick one and then duck a trump, playing a low spade from each hand.

Suppose West takes that trick and leads another heart. Ruff, play a diamond to the queen, draw trumps, continue diamonds, ruffing the fourth round when they are not 3-3. Finally, cash the last spade, which luckily squeezes East between the heart ace and clubs.

COPYRIGHT: 2022, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

Sudoku by Wayne

Gould

6/14/23

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

Difficulty level: GOLD

Yesterday’s solution:

Bridge

Word Sleuth

Annie Lane Dear Annie

Fire meets Water in Pixar’s clever and increasingly charming ‘Elemental’

M ark Meszoros THE NEWS-HERALD (WILLOUGHBY, OHIO),

For a while, “Elemental” feels like little more than a reasonably clever idea, the latest from Disney affiliate Pixar Animation Studios finding an unusual way to illustrate the differences – and, ultimately, similarities – among folks of various cultural backgrounds.

However, this tale in which personified fire, water, earth and air residents live together in the metropolis Element City finds its footing as it leans on tried-and-true plot devices from romances featuring starcrossed lovers and stories about parents and their children.

“Elemental” is inspired by the experiences of its director, Peter Sohn, a second-generation immigrant, his parents bringing him to the United States from Korea when he was a child. He’d go on to marry an American woman after initially hiding the relationship from his family. (He says in the film’s production notes that his grandmother’s dying words literally were “Marry Korean!”)

Bursting with vibrant colors, the gorgeous affair begins by introducing a Fire couple, Bernie (Ronnie del Carmen) and Cinder Lumen (Shila Ommi), arriving by boat from the Fireland to start a new life, bringing with them only a blue flame representing their past and people. After a not-so-hot introduction to Element City –least structurally hospitable to the Fire folks, as they were the last to arrive and make a place for themselves – the Lumens find a spot in the Firetown neighborhood. They open up a shop, The Fireplace, and, more importantly, have a baby girl, Ember.

Years later, the grown Ember (Leah Lewis) is set to inherit the shop from her retirement-age father, but she has a tendency of becoming, well, hot when it comes to the behavior of customers. She

Daily Cryptoquotes

Here’s how to work it:

desperately wants to please her dad, but she must show she can keep her relative cool before he hands over The Fireplace to her.

The residents of Firetown live in fear of water, so when a leak happens in the store, it’s a big problem. Unfortunately for Ember, who discovers it, washing in with all the H2O is a Water fellow, Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie). He’s a city inspector, and he believes The Fireplace is in violation of various building codes.

After initially sending in his report to the city higher-ups, the good-natured Wade agrees to help Ember in her efforts to keep the business running.

At first glance, the two couldn’t be more different. She’s tough, strong-willed and, yes, fiery. He’s soppy and sappy, like other members of his fluid family prone to bursting into tears the moment he hears something emotionally stirring. Ironically, though, considering his kind’s natural malleability, he’s a very solid guy, as Ember grows to appreciate.

That doesn’t change the fact that if they get too close, he could extinguish her or she could evaporate him. Even if they somehow find a way past that, Ember believes her parents would never accept him, her proud but stubborn father especially.

As we’ve come to expect from Pixar, “Elemental” is consistently inventive, certainly with its visuals. You don’t want to take your eyes off Element City or its residents, especially Ember, her ever-burning form no doubt the work of myriad

artistic and technical folks. The blobby but buoyant Wade is a pretty neat creation, as well.

Penned by John Hoberg, Kat Likkel and Brenda Hsueh, with a story by Sohn, Hoberg, Likkel and Hsueh, “Elemental” serves up more than the requisite of situational puns, one Fire character calling another a “lazy ash.” Again, though, it grows increasingly affecting, the film is likely to give you at least a mild case of the feels before its end credits roll.

As Pixar films sometimes do, it largely eschews the casting of big names but gets strong work from its key players. Lewis (“The Half of It”) really helps bring Ember to vivid life, while Athie (“Jurassic World Dominion”) infuses Wade with an appealing steady-Eddie if also deeply compassionate vibe.

And in portraying a character who seems to have borrowed, um, elements from different ethnic groups, del Carmen (co-director of Pixar’s “Inside Out”) brings a dimensionality to Bernie that is revealed over time.

The most easily recognizable voice is that of Catherine O’Hara (“Best in Show,” “Schitt’s Creek”), who brings a little pizazz to Brook, Wade’s mother, who is very accepting of Ember.

Like many PIxar efforts in recent years, including an Academy Award winner or two and 2015’s Sohn-directed “The Good Dinosaur,” “Elemental” doesn’t reside among the studio’s best work, such as 2009’s “Up.”

(By the way, “Elemental” is preceded by “Carl’s Date,” a cute “Up”-verse short film featuring Ed Asner returning to voice charming curmudgeon Carl, who gets advice about the opposite sex from talking dog Dug, voiced by director Bob Peterson.)

That said, “Elemental” has enough winning elements to make time for it in the busy summer season.

Word Sleuth

Crossword by Phillip Alder

Bridge

In today’s deal, how should South play in three no-trump after West leads a fourth-highest spade seven? Would it make a difference if he were playing in a matchpointed pair event or Chicago? The auction was straightforward. The North hand was a maximum for the three-diamond rebid, but South had sufficient values to plunge into our favorite game contract.

DO NOT NEED PARTNER TO BE SYMPATHETIC

Joyce Carol Oates, who is a prolific author, said, “I was brought up to be sympathetic toward others.”

A bridge player’s best possession is a sympathetic partner -- except that any ambitious player hopes he never needs one of those.

Declarers playing in a duplicate, where overtricks are so valuable, would take the first trick, cash the diamond ace and play another diamond. Here, though, East would then gain the lead with his diamond jack and push a lethal spade through South’s remaining spade royal. Declarer then hopes his partner is sympathetic, not a result merchant. However, when overtricks are not important, there is a much better line, as shown by Monique France of New York City. At trick two, she crossed to the board with a heart. Then she could have played a diamond to her seven, establishing five diamond tricks without letting East on lead for the lethal spade lead through declarer’s remaining spade royal. France did even better, though, by leading the diamond 10 from the board. When this smothered West’s nine, declarer had her overtrick after all. East and West felt they were unlucky to play against an expert on a deal like this.

COPYRIGHT: 2022, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

Sudoku by Wayne Gould

Bridge

6/15/23 DO NOT NEED PARTNER TO BE

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

1 through 9, with no repeats. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box. Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com

Joyce Carol Oates, who is a prolific author, said, “I was brought up to be sympathetic toward others.”

© 2023 Janric Enterprises Dist. by creators.com

Difficulty level: BRONZE

Yesterday’s solution:

Disney/Pixar/TNS

From left, Ember (Leah Lewis) and Wade (Mamoudou Athie) in “Elemental.”

CALMATTERS COMMENTARY

Legislators will pass sham budget to protect paychecks

Let’s say you want a promotion to a higher-ranking position that will also mean a hefty increase in pay, but to be considered you need a master’s degree in your field, and you only have a bachelor’s degree.

You have three choices: Be satisfied with the job you have, go back to school to get that advanced degree, or lie about having it already. You might get away with the latter, but if you get caught, you probably will be fired.

Something like that is occurring this week when the Legislature pretends to have a state budget, but it’s really a sham to protect lawmakers’ paychecks.

The stage was set for this political charade 13 years ago when voters passed Proposition 25, which lowered the legislative vote requirement for budgets from two-thirds to a simple majority.

Democrats and their political allies placed the measure on the ballot to block Republicans from having any say over the budget, thus ending decades of often convoluted dealmaking that sometimes delayed budget enactment for weeks or even months.

Proposition 25 not only lowered the vote requirement but decreed that “in any year in which the budget bill is not passed by the Legislature by midnight on June 15, there shall be no appropriation from the current budget or future budget to pay any salary or reimbursement for travel or living expenses for members of the Legislature during any regular or special session for the period from midnight on June 15 until the day that the budget bill is presented to the governor. No salary or reimbursement for travel or living expenses forfeited pursuant to this subdivision shall be paid retroactively.”

The legislative pay language was included to persuade voters that lowering the vote requirement was a good thing because it would prevent long stalemates by punishing lawmakers for failure to meet the June 15 deadline.

The language was tested a year later when the Legislature passed a budget, but newly inaugurated Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed it as being unbalanced and state Controller John Chiang suspended legislators’ paychecks, declaring that parts of the budget were “miscalculated, miscounted or unfinished.”

Chiang’s actions incensed lawmakers, and they later obtained a judicial ruling that the Legislature itself is the only authority on whether its budget satisfies the June 15 deadline. Thus, the Legislature can merely pass a bill it labels as a budget by that date, regardless of its content, and continue to be paid.

That is what is happening this week.

On Sunday, two measures, Assembly Bill 101 and Senate Bill 101, were amended to become identical budget bills and legislative leaders declared their intent to pass one or the other and send it to Gov. Gavin Newsom by midnight Thursday, the June 15 deadline.

The timing is dictated by another constitutional requirement that a bill be “in print” at least 72 hours before passage.

Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Senate President Pro Tem Tony Atkins described it in a joint statement Monday morning as “a two-party agreement on a balanced and responsible budget,” adding, “we are continuing to negotiate and make progress on three-party final budget.”

There were significant differences between the two houses earlier in the budget cycle that apparently have been reconciled. The legislative leaders didn’t offer any details, but they really don’t matter because passing a bill, any bill, is just a drill to meet the June 15 deadline.

“As in years past,” the two leaders said, “once an agreement is reached between the Legislature and governor, amendments to this budget bill will be introduced to reflect such an agreement.”

That will be the real budget, whenever it occurs.

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.

Letters to the editor

Letters must be 325 words or less and are subject to editing for length and clarity. All letters must include the author’s name, address and phone number. Send letters to Letters to the Editor, the Daily Republic, P.O. Box 47, Fairfield, CA 94533, email to sebastian.onate@ mcnaughton.media or drop them off at our office, 1250 Texas St. in Fairfield.

Whataboutism is no defense

We shouldn’t be surprised that the MAGA Republican response to Donald Trump’s indictment on federal charges is more whataboutism.

They point to the tired, old Hillary Clinton email server issue that they milked in 2016.

What about Joe Biden possessing classified documents?

(They never seem to mention Mike Pence’s document problem.) What about the Bidens taking bribes, they whine? Whataboutism, pointing the finger at someone else to deflect from one’s own guilt, is something toddlers learn to do when they get caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

Make no mistake, it’s a deflection.

You don’t hear Republicans actually defending Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents. But while elected Republicans are clearly trafficking in untruths and distortions, many of their constituents, primed to absorb lies after watching Fox “News” for years, actually believe these deflections and parrot them.

Hillary Clinton was investigated by the Republican House and the FBI. FBI Director James Comey, who may have cost Clinton the 2016 election, said “no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case” for what Clinton did. And in 2019, Donald Trump’s

state department investigated Clinton’s emails and found “no persuasive evidence of systemic, deliberate mishandling of classified information.”

Mike Pence was just cleared in his classified documents case. Republicans don’t mention the Pence case because it doesn’t fit their narrative of the “weaponization” of the Justice Department. The difference between Mike Pence and Joe Biden’s classified document problem and Donald Trump’s is night and day. Both Pence and Biden invited the FBI to search their facilities for documents. The facts of Trump’s case caused Florida citizens on a federal grand jury to indict him.

Another talking point MAGA Republicans are regurgitating is a supposed scandal of the Bidens taking millions in bribes from a Ukrainian businessman. A supposed FBI whistleblower has provided House Republicans with a FD-1023 form of a confidential informant making the allegation. But that’s all it is. An FD-1023 form is just a form documenting an interview took place. The FBI hasn’t been able to verify any of the information in it.

When the Steele Dossier was leaked to the public in 2017 alleging Trump misdeeds, Republicans cried foul. It

was full of unsubstantiated material from interviews similar to what you’d find in an FD-1023. They blasted the dossier but champion the unsubstantiated allegations against the Bidens.

Now Sen. Chuck Grassley alleges there are audiotapes between the witness and the Bidens. Well, put up or shut up. Make no mistake, if the Bidens committed crimes they should be prosecuted just like Trump. People not in the thrall of MAGA believe no one is above the law.

Every American should read the indictment against Trump. The evidence against Donald Trump has been provided by Donald Trump himself and his own attorneys. If you haven’t read the indictment it’s probably best to keep your mouth closed because otherwise, you’re speaking about something you have no knowledge of.

At some point, the party that’s preached personal responsibility and accountability has to apply those same standards to Donald Trump. The country is not in this position because of Joe or Hunter Biden, Jack Smith, the Justice Department or the lunatic left. We’re here because of Donald Trump.

“But her emails …” Peace.

Kelvin Wade, a writer and former Fairfield resident, lives in Sacramento. Reach him at kelvinjwade@ outlook.com.

Erdogan and Orban, let Sweden into NATO already

Will they or won’t they?

Since Sweden applied to join NATO last year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban have been blocking its membership in the alliance. Now Sweden has gone above and beyond in accommodating Turkish demands. And Erdogan, having won his third term, no longer needs to act tough for his home audience. For the sake of Western unity, the two leaders must drop their vetoes and admit Sweden as the 32nd ally at the NATO summit in Vilnius next month.

Their parallel tracks of obstruction have certainly raised eyebrows. Both have been notably cordial with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose attack on Ukraine motivated Finland and Sweden to seek protection inside NATO in the first place. Erdogan even bought a Russian system of surface-to-air missiles, a head-scratcher for a NATO ally. Orban, whose country is also in the European Union, keeps resisting the bloc’s sanctions on Russia. This month, he was awarded the First Degree of Russia’s Order of Glory and Honor by Kirill, Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, confidante of Putin and staunch supporter of the invasion of Ukraine.

Erdogan and Orban claim to have their own reasons for blocking Sweden, and say they are not coordinating. If so, their lockstep is a remarkable coincidence. Sweden applied jointly with its Nordic neighbor Finland, and initially Erdogan and Orban vetoed both. When Erdogan finally gave the nod to Helsinki this spring, Orban dropped his objections at the same time.

Erdogan’s beef with Sweden is more fathomable than Orban’s. The Turkish strongman accuses the Scandinavians of coddling Kurds and

terrorists, which for Erdogan are interchangeable terms. Sweden has long labeled the PKK, a Kurdish guerrilla movement, as a terrorist organization, but so far not the various other Kurdish groups in Syria that Erdogan also wants to eradicate.

So Erdogan insisted that Sweden crack down harder on terrorists under the Turkish definition, banning their rallies and extraditing to Turkey any Kurd he wants to lock up. He also demanded that Sweden drop its embargo on arms sales to Turkey, imposed for Erdogan’s military adventurism in Syria in 2019.

I didn’t expect that Sweden, which used to think of itself as a moral superpower, would cave to Erdogan’s blackmail so fast. But it has. The ban on weapons deliveries was dropped last fall. That arguably makes sense among countries planning to be allies. Designations of what constitutes a terrorist group have also been tightened. A new law kicked in this month that criminalizes any participation in such movements - a big deal, since it also required tweaking the Swedish constitution’s clauses on freedom of association. The Council on Legislation, a legal watchdog, criticized it.

And now the extraditions are starting. Last week, Sweden’s highest court allowed the government to decide whether to send a man who supports the PKK to Turkey. But when he was arrested there in 2014, it was for possession of cannabis, not terrorism. When he was later paroled, he moved to Sweden, where he was arrested again on request from Ankara. He now says Turkey wants him not for weed, but for his Kurdish sympathies and “insulting the president.” Erdogan has a list of about a hundred others he wants extradited.

Such cases will prompt Swedes to wonder how much NATO membership is worth to them. In May, a group

of Swedish intellectuals published an open letter in which they worried about rule of law in the country. What if Erdogan next decides he wants to depose King Carl XVI Gustaf and proclaim a Swedish republic, then give it sharia law?

In a world that has evil aggressors such as Putin, the sad reality is that joining the alliance is indeed worth the cost in liberty, as long as that stays within limits. And it’s not only Sweden that gains security; the alliance does too. Finland added a huge land army to NATO. Sweden will add martial prowess in the air, at sea and in cyberspace - as well as Gotland.

That Swedish island in the Baltic Sea is strategically located just across from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and the three exposed NATO allies Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In more peaceful times, it was demilitarized. But since Putin’s annexation of Crimea, the Swedes have stationed troops there again. Because it’s a perfect - that is, unsinkable - aircraft carrier, it’s assumed that both sides - Russia and NATO - would try to control it in a conflict. Let’s instead make Gotland officially part of NATO right now.

If Erdogan and Orban don’t understand the military and geopolitical importance of Swedish accession to NATO, then the 29 other members should question the pair’s loyalty to the alliance. In time, that ambiguity could become a threat to the West as grave as Putin, but more insidious. Now is the chance for Orban and Erdogan to reflect on priorities - and then embrace Sweden with open arms.

Andreas Kluth is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering European politics. A former editor in chief of Handelsblatt Global and a writer for the Economist, he is author of “Hannibal and Me.” This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Dan Walters

Kelvin Wade

Andreas Kluth

Los A ngeLes Times

Cormac McCarthy, the acclaimed fiction writer whose books were regarded as American masterpieces by critics and legions of fans but who refused to offer insight into what had inspired them or what they might mean, has died.

Widely regard as one of America’s greatest living writers, McCarthy died on Tuesday of natural causes at his home in Santa Fe, N.M., according to his publisher, Knopf. He was 89.

Often set in the backwoods of Tennessee or the great wide open of the Old West, McCarthy’s novels took violence to a nearly hallucinogenic level as he spooled out stories of murderous bounty hunters, drug deals gone fatally wrong and life in a post-apocalyptic netherworld.

His work – especially his early novels set in the South – was sometimes compared to that of William Faulkner or Flannery O’Connor. During the course of his career, he won virtually every meaningful award, including a Pulitzer Prize. While his early novels won praise from critics, they also sold poorly. But his standing in the literary world soared with the 1992 publication of “All the Pretty Horses,” the first book in what came to be known as the Border Trilogy. His 2005 novel ”No Country for Old Men” was adapted into a screenplay for the Coen brothers’ movie of the same name, which won the Academy Award for best picture. And “The Road,” an allegorical tale of a father and son wandering through the gray gloom following an unexplained cataclysm, won the Pultizer Prize for fiction in 2007.

But it is the cinematic, ultra-graphic “Blood Meridian,” a full-throttled story of violence as a team of bounty hunters sweep across the TexasMexico borderlands to cash in on a government offer to pay $100 for every Native American scalp they can collect, that is regarded as McCarthy’s masterpiece. Some critics hailed it as one of the great American novels. In a 2005 review, The

Times described “Blood Meridian” as perhaps the most “violent and graphic book in American literature.” Yet it succeeds, the review concluded, as a cautionary tale about humankind confronting an existence that is somehow beyond good and evil.

McCarthy had a strong aversion to punctuation, and often stripped his books of quotation marks, commas and hyphens. He found the semicolon to be particularly loathsome — “weird little marks that block up the page.” While some purists complained, many critics found his writing so seductive and self-propelled that readers would instinctively know what was a quote or when a sentence came to an end. He was also steadfastly private, not in the reclusive manner of J.D. Sallinger or Thomas Pynchon, but more along the lines of Bob Dylan, who preferred to let his printed words speak for themselves.

McCarthy refused to go on book tours, granted few interviews and turned down handsome honorariums on the lecture circuit. He was dismissive of many of his literary contemporaries and preferred the company of the scientists and deep-thinkers he met at the Santa Fe Institute, the New Mexico think tank where he frequently wrote.

When a reporter from the London Telegraph finally tracked down McCarthy eating dinner at a Lubys diner in Texas, hoping for an interview, McCarthy slowly folded the newspaper he had been reading and answered politely, but firmly.

“I’m sorry, son, but you’re asking me to do something I just can’t possibly do.”

Zits Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Pearls Before Swine Stephan Pastis

Candorville Darrin Bell

Baby Blues Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott

Baldo Hector Cantú and Carlos Castellanos

Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images/ TNS file Cormac McCarthy in 2011.

/s/BrittanyJackson, ChiefExecutiveOfficer INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVI DEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONJune62028.

THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE).

HotelCircleSSanDiego.IS(ARE) HEREBYREGISTEREDBYTHEFOLLOWINGOWNER(S)ParijatCyffLLCCA SanDiego92108.THISBUSINESSIS CONDUCTEDBY: aLimitedLiabilityCompany Theregistrantcommencedtotransact businessunderthefictitiousbusiness nameorn ameslistedaboveon 06/01/2023. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.) /s/MiteshKalthia,ManagingMember INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATION6/72028.

THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon:

JUN082023 NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023000929 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00063958 Published:June14,21,28July5,2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT THE FOLLOWING PERSON (PERSONS) IS (ARE) DOING BUSINESS AS G GRACE NON-EMERGENCY MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION LOCATEDAT2293PeachtreeDriveApt 7,Fairfield,CA.94533Solano.Mailingaddress2293PeachtreeDriveApt7,Fairfield,CA.94533.IS(ARE)HEREBYREGISTEREDBYTHEFOLLOWINGOWNER(S)GGraceNonEmergency,LLCCA. THISBUSINESSISCONDUCTEDBY: aLimitedLiabilityCompany Theregistrantcommencedtotransac t businessunderthefictitiousbusiness nameornameslistedaboveonN/A. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.) /s/OsariyekemweIghodaro(CEO) INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTA SPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONJune12028. THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: JUN022023 NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023000908 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00063962 Published:June14,21,28July5,2023

Giants

From Page B1

ing single in the third and chased him from the game in the fifth with rookies Casey Schmitt and Bailey hitting run scoring singles to make it 5-2.

After Flaherty’s exit, Brandon Crawford popped a fair safety squeeze bunt against Cabrera in fair territory for the third run of the inning and a 6-2 lead.

Flaherty, who had held opponents to one run or less in his previous three starts, gave up 10 hits and six earned runs in 4 1/3 innings with three walks and three strikeouts. St. Louis fell to 27-41.

Giants starter Alex Cobb was removed after four innings and 79 pitches, giving up two earned runs with two walks and five strikeouts. Rather than send Cobb out for the fifth, the Giants opted for righthander Luke Jackson out of the bullpen.

Jackson (1-0) was the winning pitcher after throwing a scoreless fifth, with rookie Keaton Winn credited with the save for pitching the last three innings in his major league debut before a large contingent of family and friends. Winn, from Ollie, Iowa, walked three and struck out two. Before arriving Monday, Winn had never been in a big

league ballpark. Both starting pitchers were shaky in the first inning, with Conforto hitting a two-run double against Flaherty in the top of the first and the Cardinals tying it against Cobb in a 32-pitch inning that included a line shot single back at the pitcher by Nolan Arenado with a second run scoring on a fielders choice.

Notable

n In the fourth inning, Flaherty got into a shouting match with LaMonte Wade Jr. after the third out of the inning with both benches emptying briefly with no punches thrown and no ejections. Wade had doubled and was at second base.

n Crawford’s safety squeeze bunt was his first sacrifice bunt in 4,316 at-bats dating back to September of 2014.

n The three-game series concludes with a getaway day game Wednesday with righthander Anthony DeSclafani (4-6, 3.89) opposing St. Louis left-hander

Jordan Montgomery (3-7, 3.88)

U.S. Open brings many golfers home to Southern California

Jim a lexander THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

LOS ANGELES — It’s every man for himself this week at Los Angeles Country Club, but there will be a familiar feel for a few competitors as the 123rd U.S. Open tees off Thursday morning.

“Feels a little like a home game,” said former Servite and UCLA star Patrick Cantlay Wednesday. “I’m definitely going to have a bunch of family and friends out this week.”

In addition to Cantlay, currently No. 4 in the Official World Golf Rankings, the Open will feature SoCal natives Collin Morikawa (La Cañada Flintridge), winner of two majors, as well as No. 7 in the world Max Homa (Valencia), Sahith Theegala (who was born in Orange and attended Pepperdine) and Inland Empire products Rickie Fowler(Murrieta) and Aaron Wise (Corona).

he shot a course record 61 in the first round and then, as he put it, “hung on for dear life for three more rounds.”

They will share the novelty of playing one of the sport’s marquee events in Los Angeles, which hasn’t hosted a major since the 1995 PGA Championship and hasn’t hosted a U.S. Open since 1948, both at Riviera.

Nuggets

From Page B1

could do was think about all the coaches and family members who helped him along the way.

“I don’t even think about myself,” Smith said.

“I guess I’ll think about it at the end of my career. I’m truly thankful, but it will soak in later.”

When Green leaned against a wall, you could tell he needed a moment.

The 15-year veteran was on cloud nine as people walked by to congratulate him. “(This) means a lot,” he said.

At one point, there was uncertainty that Green could play this long after he underwent open-heart surgery in 2012. But Green, a member of Denver’s productive bench rotation, is still standing and will soon have a ring on his finger that signifies his perseverance.

“(Denver) gave me a chance as a 15-year guy,” Green, 36, said. “To be able to help win the first championship in franchise history is amazing.”

Green always respected Smith and Jordan, who he called his best friends. He played with Jordan, 34,

Alumni

From Page B1

out eight. He is 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA over 20 innings in four starts and he has 11 strikeouts in his last two games. n n n

Infielder Jack Metcho (Rodriguez) was named the West Coast League Player of the Week for the Portland Pickles, a collegiate wooden bat summer league based in the Oregon City.

Metcho shined on offense with a .448 AVG, 1.111 OPS and nine RBIs . He’s also notched a home

Vegas

From Page B1

in Brooklyn during the 2020-21 season, while he and Smith share similar journeys criss-crossing the league. Green has played for 11 organizations, including two seasons in Denver. Smith has played for 13 teams during a 13-year career, getting traded seven times and waived six. Since 2018, Jordan has played on six different teams after a 10-year career with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Despite the countless hours in the gym and constant moving, Green was the only one to appear in the Finals before this season, so they had every reason to drink as much champagne and Michelob Ultras as they could handle.

“Man, it’s gratifying to know what we put into this league,” Green said. “So for us, it’s about enjoying this together and making sure that everybody appreciates the moment because it doesn’t come too often. (We are) taking in every second of it.”

On an evening that will be talked about for years to come, Denver’s “old heads” showed good things can happen to those who wait.

“It feels good to be a champion,” Smith said.

run, nine runs, and 12 hits during that stretch.

The former Mustang was the starting shortstop as a freshman for the University of the Pacific this past season.

n n n

The University of Oregon baseball team reached the Super Regional round of the NCAA Baseball Tournament before losing two out of three games in Eugene to Oral Roberts. Utilityman Jack Brooks (Vanden) was on the roster but did not see action all season. Look for Brooks to make potential contributions next season as a redshirt freshman.

had said Tuesday morning he knew Tkachuk’s status for the game but wouldn’t disclose it until game time. Tkachuk, who tied for the league lead with 24 postseason points, was replaced in the line-up by 22-year-old Grigori Denisenko, who played 18 regular-season games with no goals and three assists.

Following an off day on Thursday, the Giants visit Chavez Ravine for a three-game series Friday through Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are second in the N.L. West behind the Arizona Diamondbacks. game to score a gametying goal with 2:13 left in regulation and the Panthers won in overtime. He didn’t play much in the third period of Game 4 on Saturday and was noncommittal afterward about playing in Game 5.

Coach Paul Maurice

And there are those who survived qualifying: UCLA junior Omar Morales, former Pepperdine player Olin Browne Jr. (who finally cracked the Open field on his 17th qualifying try), and Thousand Oaks native and current La Quinta resident Berry Henson, who will take a break from driving for Uber to tee it up this week.

Morales has played LACC regularly as a Bruin, as did Cantlay during his two academic years in Westwood. Morikawa, along with Scottie Scheffler, was part of the U.S.Walker Cup team that played the course in 2017. Homa won the 2013 Pac-12 individual championship at LACC playing for Cal;

And in some cases there will truly be the comforts of home.

“Stayed at my parents’ house on Saturday night,” Morikawa said during his pre-tournament press conference Tuesday. “Every time I come back to L.A., it’s my favorite spot in the world. It’s always going to be home for me no matter where I live, no matter where I move to.”

Homa, whose has won four of his six PGA Tour victories in the state of California, including 2021 at Riviera and 2023 at Torrey Pines, pointed to familiarity with the hotel and the locker room and “having played (the course) before so that the practice rounds don’t feel like we’re re-learning a golf course.

“To have a major in my

hometown, 18-ish miles from where I grew up, I think that’s a dream come true,” he added. “… It’s really cool that last night I got to have dinner with two of my best friends. All that, like being somewhere I’m comfortable, having – you know, my dad was out there walking the practice round today. Stuff like that never gets to happen.” There can be a downside, though. Family and friends want tickets, and sometimes that can be a major distraction. Homa said his agent is disbursing the ducats, and in this case the lucky ones got their orders in early.

“I’m fortunate that my friends texted me weeks ago about wanting to come out,” Homa said. “I think if you’re texting me now to try to get a ticket, you probably won’t get a response.

“It’s hard for me to say no to people. It’s hard for me not to be as helpful as I can, but this week is — I want this to go smoothly. I don’t want to feel overwhelmed. Riviera can get overwhelming even. So I’m trying to take a step back and be maybe a little less helpful at times.”

Cantlay played two years at UCLA, 2010-11 and ’11-12, and was the Division I Player of the Year as a freshman and the No.1 ranked amateur player in the world as a sophomore before turning pro. When the U.S. Open was awarded to Los Angeles Country Club in July of 2015, Cantlay was still a couple of years away from his first PGA Tour victory, but he was paying attention. Is there an advantage among the guys who have competed on this course before?

“I hope so,” Cantlay said. “I feel really comfortable with knowing where I need to hit it, and – it’s still the same golf course. It just is playing a little tougher, a little firmer and faster than I’ve seen, and obviously the rough is a lot more penal than I’ve ever seen it, and the fairways are effectively a lot narrower.

“But I still know exactly where I need to hit it. There’s not a lot of uncertainty about how I should play the golf course.”

Depending on how seriously one takes that “win one for the home crowd” attitude, it can add an unneeded dollop of pressure. But Homa, who has made one cut in four previous U.S. Open starts and whose best performance in a major was a tie for 13th in the 2022 PGA Championship, expressed the hope that playing at home might somehow have the opposite effect.

“I’ve been thinking about this event for like a year, about how I can’t try too hard,” he said. That sounds counterintuitive. We’ll see if it works.

Beckham Jr. takes field with Ravens

Brian

BALTIMORE SUN

Wacker

Odell Beckham Jr.’s road from a crumpled figure sprawled out on the Sofi Stadium turf in Los Angeles with a torn ACL in Super Bowl 56 to taking the field for the first time as a Raven was an arduous one, physically and emotionally.

It’s no wonder, then, that the simple act of slipping on a jersey for the start of a mandatory threeday minicamp Tuesday at the team’s facility in Owings Mills struck him as a “meaningful” moment. The 30-year-old former All-Pro missed all of last season with the second major knee injury of his career and was back at the Ravens’ facility for the first time since signing as a free agent in April. It was his first meaningful football action in nearly 500 days.

“I’ve been trying to not think about it because there’s been so many dis-

appointments,” Beckham said. “I’ve been in a good mental head space to where I’ve tried to downplay this, but I think I’ll be excited to put a jersey on and go out and do the thing you’ve done your whole life.”

The workload is not expected to be particularly heavy for Beckham in what are the final offseason practices before Baltimore breaks for the start of training camp in late July.

That was evident once Beckham took the field

for the 2 1/2-hour practice. He was in for only a few plays and caught one pass from quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Still, Beckham said he feels good about where he is at in the process of his return to full speed after his injury with the Rams in February 2022.

“It feels good to get out of bed and not feel pain,” he said. “It’s been a long journey this time around.”

While he wouldn’t put a percentage on just how good he feels, Beckham smiled and noted that he’s

still “definitely fast.”

“I don’t have a set play amount or number that’s in my head,” Beckham said. “You come here, be a pro, you get your reps, get your work, you talk. You don’t always have to build chemistry by taking reps.”

Likewise, Ravens coach John Harbaugh is in no hurry to push when it comes to Beckham’s return to full speed in what will be the receiver’s ninth year in the NFL.

“He’s going to be full go in terms of health, but I also expect us to ramp up a lot of our guys,” Harbaugh said. “We’re not going to be in a hurry to throw guys out there too much [with] too many reps. … It’ll be a see-as-we-go.”

It is only mid-June, after all. Training camp doesn’t begin for another six weeks, and the Ravens’ first regular-season game isn’t until Sept. 10. But it will be important for Beckham to come up to speed on a new offense quickly.

Maurice also shuffled his lines without Tkachuk in search of firepower.

Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG/TNS

Patrick Cantlay speaks to the media during the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club, Tuesday.

Kevin Richardson/The Baltimore Sun/TNS Odell Beckham Jr. took to the field for the first time as a member of the Baltimore Ravens, Tuesday.