Daily Republic: Sunday, July 23, 2023

July on track to be the hottest month on record

And things are about to get warmer

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

July is shaping up to be the planet’s hottest month on record as global warming, El Niño and regional heat waves conspire to push civilization into uncharted thermal territory, experts say.

As a sizzling heat dome spread misery over the American Southwest, and hospitals reported increasing numbers of heat-related illnesses, government officials told reporters this week that it was increasingly likely that July would rank as the hottest month ever recorded, and that 2023 and 2024 may end up being the hottest years ever.

“We are seeing unprecedented changes all over the world – the heat waves that we are seeing

in the U.S., in Europe, in China are demolish ing records left, right and center,” said Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

“This last June was the warmest June on record, and we anticipate, with the understanding of what’s going on on a day-by-day basis, that July is likely to be the warmest absolute month on record.”

Schmidt said he put the odds that 2023 will be the warmest year on record at about 50-50, but noted that others have suggested it’s more like an 80% chance based on current data.

“We anticipate that 2024 will be an even warmer year because

See Record, Page A9

California looks into its future –and sees fewer Californians

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

More than a century of long-term population growth in California could be over, according to new projections that show the state will have about the same number of people in 2060 as it does now.

The forecast released this week from the California Department of Finance is sobering news for the country’s most populous state, which saw its first-ever population decline in 2020 amid an exodus driven by the pandemic and high housing costs. Lower birth rates and aging baby boomers will add to the demographic drag over the coming decades.

The department predicts that there’ll be 39.5 million people in the state by 2060. Just three years ago,

FSUSD hires new staff for the coming school year at job fair

Board hears important dates for new school year

SuSAn HilAnd

SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — In a brief meeting Thursday night for the Fairfield Governing School Board, Sheila McCabe, assistant Superintendent of Education Services, reminded everyone that summer is nearly done and the new school year will begin in just a few short weeks.

“Some important dates are coming up,” she said. “School will actually be started before our next meeting.”

Those important events and dates include the annual Back to School Resource Fair

See Board, Page A9

SuSAn HilAnd SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The FairfieldSuisun Unified School District will welcome students back to the classrooms in a few short weeks, and new teachers will be there to greet them.

Linda Houston was offered a position as special education teacher at a hiring fair Saturday for the school district.

The mother of two grown sons is excited to be returning to the classroom after taking time away last year. For many years, she worked as a paraeducator in the special-

job as an administrative assistant.

“I took a job working in UC Davis, but it was mostly paperwork. I didn’t get to interact with the kids,” she said. “I really missed the kids.”

She missed seeing them struggle and succeed on tasks, she missed the hellos each day and missed being needed.

“Being in school, it is more than just work. It is about learning life skills,” she said.

Houston thinks by teaching the students those life skills, in the end she is giving back to the community.

“Because they will get jobs, they will be in the workforce,” she said. Her husband, Robert Houston, is also a teacher and she looks forward to sharing her day with him next year.

“We have lived in Fairfield for 30 years, so we know the area,” she said. The Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District held the yearly hiring fair on Saturday. It was one of three this year.

forecasters were expecting the number to be 45 million – and a decade ago, the population was seen surging to almost 53 million.

Population losses over the last few years will have a compounding effect in the future, says Andres Gallardo, a demographer who works for the state government. “You don’t have those people, and those people don’t have kids,” he says, adding that it’s the first time California’s long-term forecast has shown the population staying flat.

There are already real consequences for the state. California lost a House seat in 2021 –the first since achieving statehood in 1850 – and the new population estimates could signal more

See Future, Page A9

Russian attack kills at least 4 near Donetsk; Kyiv drones hit Crimea

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

KYIV, Ukraine — At least four people were killed in the latest Russian attacks on a village near the city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, the public prosecutor’s office said on Saturday.

Moscow’s forces dropped Fab-250 bombs on the village of Niu-York in the Donetsk region on Friday evening, and three civilians were taken to hospital with injuries, according to the office.

The number of victims was expected to rise.

The Ukrainian village of Niu-York, or New York, was renamed in 2021 in an effort to break from its Soviet past.

The prosecutor’s office opened an investigation

into possible war crimes.

Also, the Dnipropetrovsk regional authorities reported three people had been injured by Russian artillery fire in Nikopol, a town located on the banks of the Dnipro River on the opposite side of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant that is occupied by Russian troops.

In Crimea, an ammunition depot caught fire after a Ukrainian drone attack on the Black Sea peninsula, the Moscowappointed governor Sergei Aksyonov said on Saturday. No deaths or injuries have been reported so far.

Aksyonov added that orders were given to evacuate nearby villages and suspend

rail traffic. The incident occurred in the Krasnogvardeysk district north of Simferopol in the central part of Crimea.

Videos showing a major fire are being shared online and in some videos, explosions can be heard. There were initial reports of an attack on a

fuel depot.

Moscow reported that a Russian military correspondent died in the combat zone in southern Ukraine.

“As a result of shelling with cluster munitions by the Ukrainian armed

Eddie Roberts makes his stage debut with Bay Area Stage B1

Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals ready to roar again B6

Susan Hiland/Daily Republic photos

The Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District seeks new employees during the Teacher Hiring Fair, Saturday.

Brandon Bell/Getty Images/TNS file

A billboard displays the temperature that was forecast to reach 115 degrees Fahrenheit in Phoenix, Arizona, July 16.

The Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District hires at least 13 new teachers at the Teacher Hiring Fair, Saturday. See

How AM radio shaped me: NBA from Seattle, MLB from Anaheim, music from Portland

In late elementary school and junior high, my nighttime ritual was simple: I’d go to bed, turn on my Panasonic radio and begin searching for sports. I lived in Humboldt County, about five hours north of San Francisco and seven hours south of Portland. Other than Giants and 49ers games broadcast on a Eureka radio station, there was no sports on local radio. We got two TV stations (no cable for my family), so I’d see national sports broadcasts on weekends only.

Laying in bed, I would find AM radio stations from far-off cities and tune in. Play-by-play of the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers and Seattle SuperSonics. Baseball games involving

the Oakland A’s, Seattle Mariners, California Angels and even the hated Los Angeles Dodgers. University of Southern California football and University of San Francisco basketball. The Denver Bears, then the top minorleague baseball affiliate of the Montreal Expos. Even the Bay Area Golden Gaters of World Team Tennis had games broadcast on a radio station I could pick up.

Those cities were hundreds –sometimes thousands – of miles from my bedroom, yet I could listen in. The broadcasts faded in and out, but I could hear them.

I also listened to a Portland station play the most-requested songs of the day every night. I listened to Ronn Owens host

his talk show on San Francisco’s KGO radio, unaware that I was hearing the early stages of arguably the greatest local talk show host career in radio history.

Those were – for me, at least – the glory days of AM radio.

I wrote a week ago about car manufacturers removing AM radio from many models. It made me sad because I loved AM radio. As a kid, it was my window to the rest of the world.

The AM signal travels farther (and has lower sound quality) than FM radio. Thus I could hear stations in Denver or Salt Lake City or Los Angeles or Seattle.

In 2023, it seems quaint. It sounds like how when old people used to talk about going to silent movies. In the internet era, when you can stream

almost anything to your phone, the idea of a 13-year-old searching the radio band for a far-away baseball or NBA game seems ancient.

Yet AM radio had an impact.

My favorite NBA team was the Sonics, not the Warriors (whose broadcasts I couldn’t find). My dream job was being the play-by-play announcer for the Giants. My musical tastes were cemented by listening to the top-40 station in Portland playing the most-requested songs every night (which eliminated the chance for me to ever like hard rock). AM radio is fading. Why listen to talk radio when you can hear a podcast? Why listen to static-filled music when you can stream it to your phone or car? Why find a distant radio station for baseball when the MLB app has all the broadcasts?

I don’t believe childhood was better in the 1970s than it is now. I don’t believe technology is ruining the world. I don’t believe we were better off without the internet.

I just know I still have fond memories of listening to Bob Blackburn broadcasting Sonics games on KOMO radio and Bob Clarke presenting the most-requested songs of the day on KEX radio from Portland. In my childhood, AM radio brought the world outside my small town to my bedroom every night.

Decades from now, someone will talk about how obscure podcasts and TikTok shaped their childhood and it will seem similarly old-timey.

Reach Brad Stanhope at bradstanhope@outlook.com.

Sit! Stay! Honor your ancestors! 500 golden retrievers meet in motherland

The WashingTon PosT

What happens when 500 extra-large lap dogs converge in one place?

(Golden retrievers technically aren’t lap dogs, but try telling them that.)

The answer is you get a chaotic crowd of eager-to-please goldencoated canines sitting on command, rolling over and chasing tennis balls with abandon in the Scottish Highlands. And while the humans they arrived with often have a lot in common, the pups are the focus of the “Guisachan Golden Gathering” – an event hosted by the Golden Retriever Club of Scotland.

The purpose of the fiveday summer festival is to celebrate the breed on the grounds where the first golden retriever puppies were born in 1868. For people who have a deep and abiding love for golden retrievers, travel was no obstacle to be able to celebrate the 155th anniversary of the breed.

“People do tend to talk to each other’s dogs more than anything,” said Ollie Sheppard, who drove with his fiancée, Michelle Potter, nearly 500 miles from Lichfield, England to Cannich, Scotland, to attend the gathering with their 2-year-old golden, Margo.

This year’s event –which ran from July 10 to July 14 - saw people traveling from places including the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and South Africa. Many of them decided to take their pooches along for the journey.

Kelly Sisco and her husband, Tim, are golden retriever breeders who made the trip from Fair

CORRECTION POLICY

Grove, Mo., where they live with 11 golden retrievers of their own. When they heard about the event, right away, “we decided we were going to go,” she said.

Sisco wasn’t able to bring her dogs to Scotland, but being around 500 flaxen-haired, floppyeared pups all sniffing each other was everything she had hoped for.

“To know that the first golden retrievers ran on these grounds, practiced on these grounds and trained on these grounds is nothing short of incredible for those of us who are so invested in this breed,” Sisco said.

Golden retrievers, in addition to being the third most popular breed in the United States, are often selected as service dogs because of their size, temperament and ability to learn skills quickly. Thousands of the pups are also participating in a longitudinal research study to support science and their fellow canine.

The gathering happens every five years at what remains of the “Guisachan House,” which is the ancestral home of the Golden Retriever in the Scottish Highlands.

The first litter was bred by Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks, also known as Baron Tweedmouth, a Scottish businessman who owned the Guisachan mansion.

The puppies – named Crocus, Cowslip and Primrose – were the offspring of a flat-coated retriever, known for their hunting abilities and cheerful personalities, and a tweed water spaniel, an athletic canine that became extinct at the end of the 19th century because they

were used excessively to breed goldens.

“A lot of golden retriever owners find there’s an emotional attachment to the Guisachan house, and it’s where they want to go and look and experience,” said Carol Henry, the secretary of the Golden Retriever Club of Scotland.

The first official gathering was held in 2006 and the second was in 2013. Since then, it has taken place every five years.

The Golden Retriever Club of Scotland organized both four-legged and two-legged activities, including: a torchlight procession – where all participants walked about one mile from the kennel field to the house, with people at the front of the group carrying electronic torches; a human-only traditional afternoon tea (though owners could bring their dogs and sit at a separate table outside); and training sessions, where a canine behaviorist offered tips to address problems such as separation anxiety and poor socialization skills.

There was also a picnic, educational meetings and various games – including tug of war open to anyone with opposable thumbs.

“Dogs were at the side encouraging them,” Henry said.

The crowning event, a championship dog show, was won by Bronagh, a 2-year-old golden from southern Ireland.

And of course, there was a group photo.

The owner of the property – now a historical ruins site – allows the Golden Retriever Club of Scotland to host the event, and “he has been very supportive,” said Henry.

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.

Brad Stanhope Like I was sayin’

Ollie Sheppard courtesy photo

Supes consider response to grand jury findings on First 5 Solano

FAIRFIELD — The Solano County Board of Supervisors return to the dais on Tuesday.

One item on the agenda is the board’s response to the fiscal year

2022-23 Civil Grand Jury Report on First 5 Solano.

The grand jury was concerned that declining revenue from tobacco tax funding could be current and future monetary challenges for maintaining mandated First 5 Solano services.

Michele Harris, First 5 Solano executive director, and the supervisors agreed. “Additionally, it should be noted that First 5 services are not technically mandated, and a reduction in funding could impact service levels – meaning there is no guarantee they will continue absent Proposition 10 funding,” the board wrote.

The grand jury wrote if the state controller does not act according

to the Revenue and Taxation Code section and transfer appropriate funding, First 5 Solano can request offsets.

“The recommendation for First 5 Solano to request offsets from the state controller will not be implemented at this time because it is not warranted, Harris wrote.

“First 5 Solano, through its Long-Term Financial Plan, has anticipated this decrease in revenue and has planned for adjustments accordingly. The state controller has been allocating the funding to First 5 Solano in a timely manner. Although the recommendation is for First 5 Solano to request offsets, it seems to only apply if the state controller does not actually issue the funds. Given that the controller has been allocating the funding appropriately thus far; First 5 does not believe it is warranted to make a request at this time.”

The Board of

See Supes, Page A4

SuSan Hiland SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — Sip a little mimosa and browse the handmade goodies –that was the plan for many at The Saturday Club of Vacaville’s third annual Summer Sip and Shop Craft and Gifts Fair.

Vicki Rutledge, along with her husband Jim Rutledge, started making crafts during the pandemic.

“We needed something to do,” Vicki said. “But then we realized we made so many items, we needed to figure out what to do with them.”

The couple decided to start selling the items they made, which included home décor and even decorated golf balls.

Rutledge knew Brooke Fox, president of The

Saturday Club from the Soroptimists and other vendor fairs, so that is when she found out about the event at the club.

The couple moved to Vacaville before the pandemic four years ago and have been getting acquainted with the community ever since.

Fox was happy to welcome Vicki as a new member of The Saturday Club last year.

This is the third vendor fair on the property, the last one was a holiday event in November. Fox was pleased with being able to share the space with others.

She is the event organizer who helped bring everything together.

Fox comes from a long line of women who were members of The Saturday Club over the years, including her mother and grandmother. The building the club meets in at 125 W. Kendal St. has been around for

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic file (2020) Children play in an activity room during the grand opening of the First 5 Center in Vallejo, Feb. 13, 2020.

Jim and Vicki Rutledge of Fairfield man their booth during the Summer Sip and Shop Crafts and Gifts Fair in Vacaville.

Susan Hiland/Daily Republic photos

Nancy Schlesinger talks about her saw art during Summer Sip and Shop Crafts and Gifts Fair in Vacaville, Saturday.

Multiple vehicle accident launches car into tree on I-80

was used to treat an injury.

Vaca council to consider funds for Play 4 All Park parking expansion

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — The city’s Play 4 All Park is an example of “build it and they will come.” And, come and come.

The city council will vote on whether to approve a one-time infusion, not to exceed $344,000, for parking expansion at the park.

“As we will all attest, the Play 4 All Park has been a huge success. So successful, in fact, that parking is a constant problem, and it would appear to be in everyone’s best interest to expand the parking lot as soon as possible,” wrote Thomas A. Phillippi, president of Play 4 All Park Inc. in a May letter.

Phase 1 of Play 4 All Park was transferred to the city in February. The park is designed for chil-

Club

From Page A3

70 years and The Saturday Club, for 100 years. In that time, the building was bound to run into a few needs, so that is one of the reasons members are raising money. But it is not the only reason.

One of the planned upgrades is a new air-conditioning unit for which the club needs upward of

supes

From Page A3

Supervisors agrees with Harris’ response.

The grand jury suggested developing further sources of income, both public and private, to maintain and expand delivery of services.

Harris, “First 5 Solano has been working to develop further sources of income, both public and private, to maintain and expand delivery of services since 2016, as stated in its 2022 Systems Change Implementation Plan. Further; First 5 Solano reports out successes in fund development in its Annual Report.” The Board of Supervisors concurred.

The grand jury found First 5 Solano currently operates a Family Learning Center in the city of Vallejo only. Residents of other cities in Solano County could benefit from similar programs. Harris and the super-

Suisun City Council to examine norms and procedures

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

SUISUN CITY — The city council will be asked to discuss and give staff directions on revising and updating the council’s norms and procedures at Tuesday’s meeting.

The 37-page document focuses on language cleanup, code of ethics, social media, conduct that disrupts meetings and the length of time for public comment.

The original document, adopted in July 2019, has been amended three times. The norms require the council review them annually.

Among the suggestions:

n Change references

to Mayor Pro Tem to Vice Mayor, to be consistent with language in other local jurisdictions which use Vice Mayor.

n Code of ethics: The norms have some provisions that are typically found in codes of ethics, but the city does not have an explicit code. The code of ethics can be adopted as a policy by resolution or can be incorporated into the municipal code.

n Social media policy. The norms address the use of social media, but the provisions should be expanded and clarified, and moved to a separate policy that applies to not just the council, See Suisun, Page A5

Russell Sheppard

dren of all abilities and it was an immediate hit.

Additional parking was planned for Phase 2.

In June 2023, staff from Parks and Recreation, Community Development, the City Attorney’s Office, and Public Works met with representatives of Play 4 All Park Inc. to address the need for

$11,000 to replace.

One way they bring in money is by renting out the hall for events like weddings, dinners and other events.

“This event is for a good cause because it is a fundraiser for the club,” Fox said.

It also is a chance to show off the space, get more people into the club, and help people find out more information about what they do.

“People have told me they never knew we were

visors agreed with that recommendation.

The grand jury suggested there should be First 5 Solano Family Learning Centers in each city in Solano County.

“The recommendation to establish additional First 5 Centers in each city within Solano County will be partially implemented,” Harris responded. “Each First 5 Center has an operational budget of $720,000.

additional parking and to develop the next steps to achieve that project goal.

The Parks and Recreation Department identified that Park Development Impact Fees in the requested amount are available and eligible for use in the completion of the parking lot.

“As Play 4 All Park is

here, or they saw the building but didn’t know what it was about,” Fox said.

Along with 20 merchants and one food-provider out front, the vendor fair was moved inside due to the high heat on Saturday.

“It just fits every one of the vendors,” Fox said.

They usually bring in between $13,000 and $15,000 including vendor fees, a raffle and a silent auction.

“It’s just a nice space,” she said. “And it’s a for a

First 5 Solano has enough resources to operate two First 5 Centers in Solano County, one operating in Vallejo and one opening in Fairfield in early 2025.

The recommendation to establish additional First 5 Centers in each city within Solano County will not be fully implemented due to financial constraints. Should additional funding be secured, the commission could consider directing the funding

now a city park asset, in consultation with the City Attorney’s Office, it was determined that a Public Improvement Agreement would be the best contractual mechanism to facilitate the completion of the parking lot while also protecting the city from undue risk exposure,” said a city staff report.

If the funds are approved, the project will be put out to bid. Once the project is awarded to a contractor, it’s estimated it will take three to four weeks to complete.

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

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the city council chamber, 650 Merchant St.

The complete agenda can be found at www.ci.vacaville. ca.us/government/ agendas-and-minutes.

good cause.”

The Saturday Club, created in 1909 by Katherine Saxton Steiger, has been a staple of Vacaville for 116 years. It holds a variety of fundraisers throughout the year to help raise money for The Saturday Club Foundation and scholarships for students. For more information on The Saturday Club of Vacaville, visit https://sat urdayclubvacaville.com.

to the five other cities within Solano County to operate a First 5 Center.” The supervisors agreed. The board meets at 9 a.m. at 975 Texas St. The complete agenda can be found at https://www. solanocounty.com/depts/ bos/meetings/videos.asp.

With broken hearts, we are sad to announce the passing of Russell Har vey Sheppard on July 5, 2023 with friends and family by his side. He was born on February 22, 1936 in Richmond, CA. He graduated from Ripon High School in 1954 and joined the Air Force shortly after. While stationed in Thailand, he met the love of his life, Joan LaVerne Willson, on the 4th floor of the US embassy. They married in 1961 in Bangkok. Their love traveled the world during his 22 year career. He served in Vietnam from 1969-1970 and was awarded the bronze star. He retired as SMSGT at TAFB in 1976 and set roots down in Suisun City. In 1998 he retired from both Anheuser-Busch and the Suisun City fire department as a v olunteer assistant fir e chief after 23 years.

He joins the love of his life, Joan, who we lost in 2014, and his son Timothy “Shep,” who passed in 2005.

He is survived by his daughter, Cynthia Sheppard; granddaughters Meagan Gilbert and Michelle (Greg ) Boam; great-grandchildren Indie and Dax; sister, Arlene Floodman; brother Lee Sheppard; the Marciel cousins: Greg and Sabrina, Larr y and Lauri, and Keila and Fabian.

We would like to thank the staff of Vaca Valley & a special thank you to his cardiologist Dr. Mark Villanon at North Bay. This last year with Papa was a true gift.

A military service is scheduled for Tuesday, July 25, 2023, at 1:15 p.m. at Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon, CA.

Sally Irene Rodeen Calbert

Sally, affectionately known as Grammy Sally, or just Grammy, to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, passed away with her family by her side on July 1, 2023. Born in St. Helena CA on June 9, 1945 to Wayne and Dorothy Rodeen. Sally was raised in Napa and graduated from Napa High School in 1963.

She was preceded in death by her husband Joe, known by all as Papa Joe, in 2008, as well as her parents and her sisters, Sherr y and Debby.

Sally was the matriarch of her family. She was a devoted mother to her two children, Christy Harrison (Dave) and Danny Webb (Missy). She loved her role as Grammy and adored her seven grandchildren: Brittany, A shley (Wiseley), Tanner (Patti Jo), Brittani, Corey (Sophia), Julia and Caleb (Taylor); and her great-grandchildren: Jocelyn, Bristol, Colton, Ella and Brooks.

Sally started her career first working at Sears and then later began work as a banker with various institutions, finishing her career with Bank of America. As a banker, she loved her co-workers and customers. She always treated them like family and had friendships with many of them well passed retirement

Her passions were the color red, classic cars (Hot August Nights), Relay For Life (Papa Joes Pit Crew) and her dog Jack, among other things. She was always sure to include everyone she knew in her famous Christmas Eve parties. It was said, “If you’re lucky enough to be invited, then you’re lucky enough.”

Sally’s family and friends were dear to her heart as she always put them first, even before herself. She was a force of nature and made things happen.

Services will be held at Bryan Braker on August 12, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. Sally requested that instead of flowers, donations be made to the American Cancer Society.

Aaron Rosenblatt/

Daily Republic

car is seen smashed against a tree just feet from the Willis Linn Jepson Garden at Peña Adobe Park following a multiple-vehicle accident on eastbound Interstate 80 in Vacaville, Friday. Allegedly a tourniquet

Matt Miller/Daily Republic

Thomas Phillippi stands in front of the Play 4 all Park equipment in Vacaville, March 21, 2022.

Child’s body found in Delaware River confirmed as that of 2-year-old swept away by flood

Tribune ConTenT AgenC

PHILADELPHIA — A child’s body found in the Delaware River near Port Richmond Friday night is that of Matilda “Mattie” Sheils, the 2-year-old who disappeared a week ago during a deadly flash flood in Upper Makefield, township officials said Sat urday morning.

In a statement posted to Facebook, Upper Make field police said “we are grateful that prayers were answered and that we were able to bring Mattie home.”

Search operations including K-9 teams and divers will continue Saturday “up and down the Delaware River” for Mattie’s 9-month-old brother, Conrad, the township said.

Mattie’s body was found around 5:30 p.m. Friday in debris against a pier in the area of the Philadelphia Waste Disposal Plant after police received a 911 call about a child’s body in the river in the 3900 block of North Delaware Avenue, south of the Betsy Ross Bridge, police said. The location is 32 miles from where floodwaters swept Mattie away last Saturday along a stretch of Washington Crossing Road in Upper Makefield.

Including Mattie and her 32-year-old mother, Katheryn Seley, six people are confirmed dead in the flash flood, triggered by a severe thunderstorm. The child’s father, Jim Sheils, survived along with a 4-year-old son, and Seley’s mother. The family was

Upper Makefield Township Police Department/TNS

Matilda “Mattie” Sheils, 2, disappeared during the deadly flash floods in Upper Makefield Township, Pennsylvania. Her body was recovered Friday.

visiting friends and family from Charleston, S.C., and were on the way to a barbecue when their vehicle encountered the raging waters along the overwhelmed Hough’s Creek.

Seley’s body, along with those of Enzo Depiero, 78, of Newtown Township, and Susan Barnhart, 53, of Titusville, N.J., were found last Saturday. The bodies of Yuko Love, 64, and Linda Depiero, 74, both of Newtown Township, were recovered Sunday.

The Sheils family Saturday released pictures of a smiling blond Mattie and a statement of thanks “for the overwhelming outpouring of love, support, and concern” from people throughout the country.

“We are grateful that our little Mattie has been brought home to us. We are still praying for the return of Conrad,” they said.

A Caltech Nobel laureate celebrates 100th birthday

THEN HE GETS BACK TO WORK

Say you wake up on the morning of your 100th birthday, having achieved the pinnacle of recognition in your chosen field and the warm esteem of family, friends and colleagues. How would you celebrate the day ahead?

“Work,” quipped Caltech chemistry professor Rudy Marcus at a lunch in honor of his centenary Friday.

But the university where he’s been on the faculty for 45 years had other plans, so the Nobel laureate good-naturedly agreed to a symposium in his honor.

Generations of Marcus’ colleagues and former students gathered at the Athenaeum, Caltech’s faculty club, to celebrate a scientist who still reports to the book-lined office he has occupied on the Pasadena campus since 1978, and whose inquisitiveness and generous spirit remains undimmed.

heard him say a harsh word to anyone,” Klippenstein added, echoing others who described Marcus as a role model both in and out of the lab. “He leads by example: Work hard and solve hard problems.”

As a theoretical chemist, Marcus works with concepts rather than laboratory apparatus. He received his Nobel Prize in 1992 for work on electron transfer reactions, a deceptively simple theory describing how electrons move between molecules in chemical reactions without breaking chemical bonds.

While experimental chemists produce compelling new results in the lab, Marcus seeks the elegant architecture that undergirds their findings.

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

A pregnant woman was shot and killed after a fight broke out during a birthday party at a Houston park early Saturday morning.

Dozens of shots were fired at Margaret Jenkins Park in southeast Houston. Assistant police chief E. Garcia told reporters the Houston Police Department received multiple reports of shots fired at the location through its ShotSpotter technology just after 1:15 a.m.

“A total of 36 shots came in from that technology,” he said.

When officers arrived on the scene, they encoun-

Suisun

From Page A4

but also to city officials and employees.

n Public comment. The norms provide that comments shall be for a maximum of three minutes. The mayor may shorten the time depending on the number of speakers. Council could change the amount of time for comments, for example limit all comments to two minutes or three minutes for public hearings and two minutes for other items.

n The council can also limit the amount of time that public comment can be taken at the top of the meeting, with the remainder to be completed at the end. When meetings run late, if public comment isn’t completed in the time allotted, time must be made at the end of the meeting.

n Commissions and committee appointments.

tered “several groups” who were involved in “some sort of altercation,” Garcia said, adding that the tensions among them eventually escalated into gunfire.

The family of the woman killed in the shooting identified her to KTRK as 21-year-old Autumn Vallian, who was 5 months pregnant. Her mother, Ebony Vallian, said she was in the park for a birthday, and that most of the people there when the shooting erupted had been friends.

“As we were getting ready to leave, they started

Currently, only persons who live within the city can be appointed. The council could add an exception for committees where it would be in the best interest of the city to have representation by persons who don’t live in the city but who represent organizations whose input and participation would benefit the city.

The proposed document has the city council meeting on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. Meetings are currently on the first and third Tuesday. In late June, the council shot down the idea of the move.

The council meets at 6:30 p.m. at the city council chamber, 701 Civic Center Blvd.

A closed session gets underway at 5 p.m. at the same location. On that agenda are a conference with real property negotiator and an employee performance evaluation for the city manager. Both agendas can be found at www.suisun.com.

“He’s an excellent example of what it is to be a scientist: the curiosity, the energy, the enthusiasm and the excitement for figuring things out,” said Stephen Klippenstein, a former doctoral student of Marcus’ who is now a theoretical chemist at Argonne National Laboratory.

“I don’t think I’ve ever

It’s an intellectual challenge that keeps him eager to return to his desk as his 11th decade begins. If anything, he said, his workload feels even more pressing as the sheer amount of intriguing experiments grows.

“There are all sorts of developments in the laboratory and all sorts of new techniques that have been produced,” he said Friday as well-wishers

milled around his table at a pre-symposium lunch.

“I have plenty of work to do, more than I can comfortably handle.”

Marcus still publishes several research papers per year. The Office of

too much to do yet.”

Marcus’ work ethic is legendary, colleagues and family members said.

When his eldest son, Alan Marcus, a cultural historian and professor at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, decided to shift to part-time work as his 65th birthday approached, “Dad said, ‘You’re such a slacker,’ ” the younger Marcus recalled with a laugh.

Naval Research just renewed a grant he’s had since the 1950s.

Age has demanded some concessions. He walked to work each day from his house near the Pasadena campus until the age of 97, when the Covid-19 pandemic forced him to stop.

He hung up his skis at the age of 90, not because he couldn’t physically continue, but because it seemed unwise to do so.

“I’d love to ski, but I’d love not to break any bones,” he said. “Once people get hospitalized, for some that’s the beginning of the end, and there’s

Marcus was married to Laura Hearne from 1949 until her death from multiple myeloma in 2003. Their sons Alan, Kenneth and Raymond all obtained doctoral degrees in history.

Marcus continued to teach until the age of 95, when he decided “enough is enough.”

“They should really have somebody who really knows something,” he said.

As a teacher, Marcus “has this uncanny ability to reduce very complex problems into simple essentials,” said Caltech chemist Zhen-Gang Wang. “The electron transfer theory” – his Nobel Prizewinning work – “is a great example of that.”

Officials: ‘Aggressive’ grizzly bear charges family on picnic at Glacier National Park

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

A “food-conditioned” 5-year-old grizzly bear had to be put down after she charged at a family having a picnic inside a Montana national park, officials said.

The bear had grown “increasingly aggressive” after finding unsecured human food, and became a “threat to human safety,” Glacier National Park officials said in a news release. The bear was first reported roaming around the Many Glacier Campground on June 27, where she munched on food from a picnic table, officials said.

Since the bear had “received a food reward,” park officials closed the campground to tents and soft-sided campers.

Park staff had to chase the bear out of the campground two more times. Then, after radio tracking showed she hadn’t returned for several days, the campground reopened to all campers July 10, officials said.

But the bear turned up

again July 18, this time at the Swiftcurrent Lake Boat Launch about a mile from the campground. There, she charged at the family having a picnic along the shoreline, officials said.

The bear didn’t get the family’s food, but she gulped down the beverages they had cooling in the lake, officials said. The family reported the scary encounter to park staff right away.

Officials decided with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to capture and remove the bear. They euthanized her on July 20, near Lake Sherburne, east

of the picnic area. She was the first food-conditioned grizzly euthanized in the park since 2009, officials said.

She was one of 10 female grizzlies park staff monitored as part of a grizzly bear population study – out of 300 estimated grizzlies in the park.

“Once a bear receives a human food reward, it can become food conditioned,” officials said.

“Food rewards can include items such as human food, trash, livestock feed, and pet food. Over time, food conditioned bears may become

bold or aggressive in their attempts to obtain human food, as was the case with this bear.”

Once that happens, hazing and “aversive conditioning” are usually unsuccessful in reversing the grizzly’s bold or aggressive behavior. So officials don’t relocate food-conditioned bears “due to human safety concerns,” officials said.

On July 17, another grizzly that had “several conflicts with people” was also captured and euthanized near Hungry Horse Reservoir in Flathead National Forest, about 21 miles southwest of Glacier, McClatchy News previously reported.

To help prevent grizzlies from becoming conditioned to human food, park visitors should avoid stopping along roads when bears are nearby, secure all food and garbage, and report all bear sightings to the nearest ranger.

“It may be a cliché; however, more often than not, ‘a fed bear is a dead bear’,” officials said.

Pregnant woman killed, at least 4 wounded in shooting at party

Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Lev Marcus, 14, signs a card for his grandfather, Nobel laureate Rudy Marcus, who celebrated his 100th birthday with a day of festivities at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Friday.

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

Frank Fichtmueller/Dreamstime/TNS

A grizzly bear in Glacier National Park in Montana.

‘There are all sorts of developments in the laboratory and all sorts of new techniques that have been produced. I have plenty of work to do, more than I can comfortably handle.’

— Rudy Marcus

See Caltech, Page A10

See Party, Page A10

Considerations for mentally preparing for retirement

Retirement is a major lifestyle change requiring the proper mindset both for financial and emotional matters. Preparing may not be easy, but lack of preparation could undermine a successful retirement.

Mark Sievers Wealth matters

The campaign against affirmative action shifts to corporate America

The WashingTon PosT

SAN FRANCISCO —

Hopefully, you enjoy your job and will have some regrets when you leave the workplace. The shift to a completely different lifestyle framework is a challenge that millions of people struggle with each year.

Too often, the focus of retirement planning is only the financial portion. Certainly, such preparation helps to develop a healthy and realistic financial mindset. The conflict between occupational feelings and personal desires may catch individuals off guard. Having the material resources to stop working is much different from the intangible aspects to make the most of those assets.

Career and retirement are two major life stages that can have a profound impact on our mindsets. In your career, a sense of purpose and achievement can be the dominant issue.

You may feel like you are making a difference in the world, or that you are contributing to something larger than yourself. When you retire, you may feel a loss of that sense of purpose and meaning. You may also have to adjust to a new lifestyle that is less structured and less demanding.

Career and retirement mindsets are two sides of the same lifestyle coin. As people enter retirement, they must reconcile their feelings on the end of their working career. At the same time, they must come to terms with what retirement life can look like.

You must address the transition from three different viewpoints: career, retirement, financial.

Careers play a key role in how people feel about themselves. Multiple studies have indicated that more than three-quarters of study participants believe that their job provides them with a significant amount of personal satisfaction. More than half state their career provides them with the main fulfillment in their life. It is not surprising then to see that only 36% are ready to leave their occupation. People entrenched in the career mindset often think that without a job their personal value

career life.

n Do you want to continue working? Do you want to phase out? What does the partner or spouse envision? Here there must be agreement!

n If you left or could leave your job today, what would you do? This question begins the shift towards the retirement mindset and may encourage broader thinking and reflection about the personal side of life.

A positive approach to the retirement mindset should emphasize the post-career life because of all the flexibility. Unfortunately, too many retirees do not anticipate or address reasonable expectations for what retirement life can be. Too few believe they will enjoy life. But this can be a function of preparation. Do not avoid such planning, embrace it.

Three more questions:

n How do you really feel about retiring and retirement life? Many people say they want to retire because they do not want to appear ungrateful when there are more true feelings right below the surface.

n What brings you value outside of work? You should acknowledge that you contribute in many ways beyond a career, thereby opening a lifestyle strategy.

n Imagine life without a career; what would you do? Planning goals and aspirations outside of a job helps in both the career and retirement mindsets.

Even when your financial situation is solid, you may not genuinely believe the reality of the situation. Only half of the study participants felt they were financially ready for retirement. Less than half had developed and used a budget or have planned for major-lifeevent challenges. Even if your hard work has led to a secure financial situation, ask yourself a few more questions.

n Have you created a written budget that aligns with your financial plan?

n What happens if one or both of you suffer major health issues?

n What is your long-term residence plan?

Such planning is best done when you are not facing the pressure of an immediate decision. Considering the choices and ideas years in advance can be an enjoyable process. Enjoy life. Remember that the journey is the fun part. Retirement can be seen as just a separate set of scenery along the way.

Mark Sievers, presi-

Weeks after George Floyd died at the hands of Minneapolis police, sparking nationwide protests over racial inequality, Microsoft joined an avalanche of companies announcing lofty plans to diversify their overwhelmingly White workforces.

The tech giant promised to double the number of Black employees in senior leadership roles by 2025. It also pledged to double the number of Black- and African American-owned suppliers by 2023, as well as its percentage of transactions with Black- and African American-owned banks.

Three years later, Microsoft said it has met most of those goals. But now its pledge is drawing scrutiny from a group of Republican state attorneys general who say large companies have set “racially discriminatory quotas and preferences.”

In the wake of a recent Supreme Court decision outlawing affirmative action in college admissions, the officials argue, such “explicitly racebased initiatives” in the corporate world “are similarly illegal.”

Companies “need to understand there is a debate and legal risk here,” Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said in an interview. “We want companies to know that they may not be able to do all these things that they’ve been doing.”

Last week, Skrmetti and Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach sent a letter urging Microsoft and other Fortune 100 companies to reexamine their policies in response to the June 29 Supreme Court ruling. Though the decision applies only to college admissions, the letter –signed by GOP attorneys general from 13 states – is part of a growing conservative campaign to target affirmative action in hiring and other settings.

Legal experts said most companies, especially employers with large human relations staffs like Microsoft, are likely to be in compliance with current law, which has long prohibited discrimination on the basis of race or gender. On Wednesday, a group of 21 Democratic attorneys general sent their own letter to the Fortune 100, urging the companies to “doubledown on diversity focused programs because there is still much more work to be done.”

The Democrats condemned the GOP’s letter, saying it had a “tone of intimidation” that “purposefully seeks to undermine efforts to reduce racial inequities in corporate America.” And while legal experts called the Republicans’ argument dubious, many worry that the growing clamor could have a chilling effect on corporate efforts to counter generations of discrimination.

solely on immutable characteristics, like race or sex, rather than qualifications or abilities,” which the group argues is a violation of federal civil rights law. America First Legal also has targeted an Amazon program that awards $10,000 grants to certain Black, Latino and Native American entrepreneurs to start delivery businesses.

In the case of Microsoft, the Republican attorneys general take particular aim at its 2020 pledge regarding its suppliers. The letter argues that the company not only “set a quota for the number of Black-owned approved suppliers,” but also implied that suppliers that “did not adopt their own racially discriminatory policies would suffer consequences.”

The Microsoft pledge also came under scrutiny in the waning days of the Trump administration, when the Labor Department asked Microsoft – a federal contractor – to defend the initiative. The inquiry was closed after the company provided a response in December 2020.

Microsoft declined to comment on the GOP attorneys general letter but pointed to a 2020 blog post from Dev Stahlkopf, corporate vice president and general counsel, responding to the Labor Department inquiry.

“We have every confidence that Microsoft’s diversity initiative complies fully with all U.S. employment laws,” Stahlkopf said in the post. “. . . We have decades of experience and know full well how to appropriately create opportunities for people without taking away opportunities from others.”

Brandon Smith, Skrmetti’s chief of staff, said Labor’s decision to close the 2020 probe has little bearing in 2023,

when signs abound that the legal ground under affirmative action may be shifting. “Something that predates the [Supreme Court’s affirmative action] decision does not provide much illumination as to the potential ramifications of that decision,” Smith said via email.

Last month’s Supreme Court decision found that programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill violate the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection. The opinion hinged on Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of attributes such as race and gender in programs that receive federal funds.

Title VII of that same act makes it illegal for an employer to discriminate against someone because of race or gender.

But courts have repeatedly upheld the right of employers to recruit qualified female and minority job applicants to counter existing discrimination in the workplace. In 1997, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit held that “an employer’s affirmative efforts to recruit minority and female applicants does not constitute discrimination” but instead allows employers to “gen-

erate the largest pool of qualified applicants.”

The EEOC, the federal agency that enforces workplace civil rights, also has advised employers that encouraging minorities to apply for positions or seeking out minorities for job opportunities or promotions is both legal and a good way “to develop an applicant pool that reflects the demographics of the qualified labor force.”

Additionally, federal contractors like Microsoft are encouraged to diversify their workforces under a 1964 executive order. Quotas are “strictly forbidden,” and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has said hiring goals are “not to be interpreted as a ceiling or floor for the employment of particular groups.” Instead, the goals should be seen as a “benchmark against which the contractor measures the representation of persons within its workforce.”

The same rules apply to nongovernment suppliers and contractors, said Chris Dolan, founder and chief legal counsel with the San Francisco-based Dolan Law Firm: Goals for diversity are fine, so long as companies do not set strict quotas. Especially in the wake of the recent

Berkeley. Contact him by

“This is political grandstanding, but it’s grandstanding that is really dangerous,” said Y-Vonne Hutchinson, CEO and founder of ReadySet, a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) consulting firm based in Oakland, Calif. “We should be taking it seriously.”

Since last year, America First Legal, a group run by former Trump aide Stephen Miller, has filed at least nine complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) accusing a host of major companies of “hiring people based

Minh Connors/The Washington Post file

Anti-affirmative action demonstrators outside the U.S. Supreme Court, June 29.

Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post file (2020)

Aide Stephen Miller follows President Donald Trump from Marine One at the White House in 2020.

Action

From Page A6

Supreme Court ruling, Dolan said, companies could open themselves to legal challenges if they have numerical goals for how many people of a certain race they want to hire.

“Once you put a number on your goal, people are likely to call it a quota. And then you’re more vulnerable to application of this current [Supreme Court] decision,” Dolan said.

Sherrilyn Ifill, founding director of the 14th Amendment Center for Law & Democracy at Howard University’s law school, said companies with DEI hiring goals should be insulated from conservative attack under existing law. She dismissed the Republican letter as “premature” showmanship by Kobach

and Skrmetti, both of whom have held their offices for less than a year.

“I think it’s fascinating that these particular attorneys general regard themselves as needing to teach the nation’s most powerful – and, in many ways, careful – business leaders what their obligations are,” Ifill said.

Kobach, who took office in January, is known for his hard-line stance against immigration. He helped lead President Donald Trump’s Election Integrity Commission, established to promote voter ID laws and review claims of voter fraud after Trump said without providing proof that he lost the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016 because of millions of illegally cast ballots.

Skrmetti, a formal federal prosecutor, has generated controversy over restrictive stances toward LGBTQ+ rights since taking over as

Tennessee’s appointed attorney general in September. In 2022, the attorney general’s office began requesting patient records for underage transgender individuals from Vanderbilt University Medical Center as part of a fraud case. And he has defended recent state laws restricting drag performances and gender-affirming health care

for minors.

In interviews, Kobach and Skrmetti said they believe the Supreme Court ruling has far-reaching consequences for employers. Their letter urges Fortune 100 companies “to immediately cease any unlawful race-based quotas or preferences your company has adopted for its employment and contracting practices.”

In addition to the Microsoft pledge, the letter cites a 2019 diversity commitment by Goldman Sachs for new analysts and entry-level associates, as well as an effort by JPMorgan Chase to increase the number of Black interns. It also mentions “racial quotas and other explicitly race-based practices” at other tech companies, including Google and Facebook. Those companies did not respond to requests for comment.

“If these corporations continue as if nothing happened in the Supreme Court,” Kobach said in an interview, “I think it is quite likely that something will happen – if not in my state, then in one of the others.”

In their letter Wednesday, the Democratic attorneys general noted that the corporate diversity efforts cited by the Republicans set recruiting goals and ambitions - not official company policy

or quotas – and therefore are permissible under current law.

The Republican attorneys general “have distorted the recent ruling from the Supreme Court and stretched the rationale in this case as a way to try and intimidate and dissuade corporate leaders from continuing to open up their corporations to historically excluded groups,” Raúl Torrez, New Mexico’s attorney general, said at a Wednesday press conference.

Still, Dolan, the San Francisco-based attorney, called the rising debate about affirmative action “frightening.”

America’s civil rights laws “were designed to make sure that minorities were not excluded, but it is being flipped to being used as a weapon,” Dolan said. Instead of “leveling the playing field, it is tilting the playing field back 50 years.”

Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post file (2016) President-elect Donald Trump greets Kansas secretary of s t ate Kris Kobach at Trump n a tional Golf Club in bedminster, n J., in november 2016.

Being prone to falls doesn’t mean you can’t drive a car safely

Dear Annie: I am a retired RN, and I was interested when one of your readers wrote that if an elderly person falls, they should not be allowed to drive. I am here to tell you there is no direct correlation between falls and driving. Falls for the elderly occur for many reasons – some known and others unknown.

Annie Lane Dear Annie

The statement in your column was not qualified. Perhaps it should say that in some cases people should not drive due to a medical condition, such as dizziness, seizures, visual deficits, cardiac condition

or medications. Although the elderly perhaps are known to fall more frequently, the origin of the cause of falling is often unknown. It also may not affect their driving safely. Mobility too may be limited, but that does not necessarily affect one’s safe driving ability.

The fear of drivers causing an accident after a certain age is of course natural, but so are all deaths while behind the wheel, and there are factors other than age that lead to accidents. People are living to an older age, with many having no cognitive deficits. However,

Horoscopes

by Holiday Mathis

Today’s birthday

You don’t always want to be the star, but you’ll be noticed and adored anyway because you use your talent to make a difference, move people and make them happier. More highlights: You’ll go where you’re the one with the accent. Your contributions will be considered bright and novel. An investment brings quick money and long-term satisfaction. Sagittarius and Capricorn adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 6, 8, 20, 12 and 37.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). There’s that one person in your group who is not afraid to ask for more. It may strike some as greedy, but any talent can be used for good, and you’re just the leader to figure out a way to make this work for the whole group.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’ll get pleasure from not only how something tastes, feels or looks but also from what you believe about it. For this and other reasons, the story of things, how they are made and by whom, will matter a great deal to you.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Your “live and let live” policy is easy to maintain among the well-mannered and put to the test by those with a very different sense of boundaries from your own. Tests are an opportunity to shine.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). If they don’t get you yet, don’t worry. Their lack of imagination gives you an advantage. They may assess you according to your present circumstances rather than considering your potential, which offers you the opportunity to quietly develop, improve and, eventually, rule.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Different endeavors need different teams. The ones who slay a work project may not be your go-to for a child’s birthday party or fishing trip. One versatile partner will help you in multiple ways to earn a cherished position.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Things are working, though progress may be so slow you have trouble seeing or believing it. Be patient. Changing tactics will only set you back. Stick to the plan a little longer. Momentum takes time to build.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). The obstacle is internal. Claim more hope and optimism and get moving in the direction of your wishes. You’ll find that much of the noise will be drowned out by the rushing air created by your own momentum.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). There’s no reason the work has to be a grind. With the right people around, it’s easy to keep things fun. Align yourself with those who, like you, communicate effectively and in a way that keeps morale high.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You are driven by ambition, not greed. Your ambition is to serve many, and you are open to different ways in which this can happen, some of which will be very different from your original vision.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19).

Sensing that your energy is needed somewhere, you conserve it. You avoid conflict and connect with your core of gentle, supportive strength. You’re as constant as a mountain. Storms come and go; the mountain remains.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). When you want something and then do the opposite, it’s a sign of conflicting interests within you. Pretend you are not one person but a committee, then pose the question: Who among you is not on board, and why?

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You’ll do a thing the same way you have for years, but suddenly it feels wrong. You’re not the same person you were. This awareness is the start of learning fresh accommodations for the new you.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Woody Harrelson has portrayed several real people over the course of his career such as Larry Flynt, E. Howard Hunt and the counterculture revolutionary Timothy Leary in the upcoming series “The Most Dangerous Man in America.” Possibly the most naive character Harrelson has played was his breakout role in “Cheers” as a bartender and devoted friend. Loyalty is among Leo’s top qualities, as is a sly understanding of how to be entertaining.

Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

some may have slower reflexes. There are online defensive driving courses for seniors, including ones offered by AAA and AARP for under $30. Completion of the course may give you a discount on insurance premiums. It certainly is a good idea to at least consider these courses even if insurance does not give a discount when you complete the course.

Hope you can use this information. — Older Drivers

Dear Older Drivers: Thank you for this very helpful information. I hope that people look into taking one of the driving courses for seniors. It sounds like it could be very beneficial

FOR YOUR HEALTH

for everyone. I love hearing from professionals.

Dear Annie: I saw your column where the person who wrote to you was trying to stop an older driver from getting behind the wheel of a car.

My sister had a great solution to the same problem.

Mom (80-plus at the time) went away for a few days, and when she returned, my sister introduced her to “Penny” and said, “You remember Penny? She will drive you wherever you want to go.” She was lucky enough to have someone Mom was familiar with, but that was pre-ride-share services. I would recommend saying

the following to one’s elderly parents: “Hi Mom/Dad. This is your Lyft/Uber app. I/we set up an account for you. Here’s how to use it.” If your loved one is able to get behind the wheel, they can use the app.

Mom wasn’t happy, but “Penny” became a great asset for us and safety for Mom and the public! She died peacefully at 86, never injuring herself or anyone else. — Been There

Dear Been There: What a great solution. I hope your tips inspire others to do the same. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@ creators.com.

from lead

Colleen Townsend FOR THE DAILY REPUBLIC

Lead poisoning occurs when people swallow or breathe in lead particles which then enter the blood stream. Lead is a metal added to many common materials like gasoline, paint, pottery, dishware and makeup. People exposed to lead over time can become very sick and even die due to high lead levels in their body. There is no safe level for lead in the blood. Babies and young children are at highest risk for negative effects from lead poisoning. Lead harms the brain, slows growth and causes hearing, speech, learning and behavioral problems.

In the United States, there are regulations that prevent lead from being used in the above products. However, lead is still found around us. Lead was used to make pipes that carry water into our homes; these pipes are still present in older homes. Lead pipes are a common source for lead in children with lead poisoning. Lead dust is found in dirt around older homes that were built and painted with lead-based paint prior to 1978. Toys, jewelry and even candy from other countries may have lead in them.

Children who live in households where the income is below the federal

poverty level and those living in housing built before 1978 have highest risk of lead exposure. Young children put their hands and objects that may be contaminated with lead dust into their mouths, which increases lead ingestion. In pregnancy, lead passes from a mother to her unborn baby. Adults who work in certain industries may be exposed to lead at work can bring lead home on their clothes and shoes.

Most children with lead poisoning do not look or act sick. Children with high lead levels may have stomach problems, poor eating, headaches and they may be cranky. Blood tests only will find a high lead level. Every child should complete standard blood lead screening tests before they are 6 years old. Medical practices that treat young children should have a standardized system for screening young children for lead levels. Screening should occur at the following ages: at 0-6 months, then 12 and 24 months. All children should be screened at least once before they are 6 years old. Any child who is new to Medi-Cal should be screened if there is no record of a prior screen. Any child, regardless of insurance, with a high risk for exposure who has not been screened should be tested.

Any amount of lead can make it hard for children to learn, pay attention and behave. When lead is found in the blood, the source of lead must be found and eliminated to prevent further ingestion of lead. Based on the lead level and children’s symptoms, the medical provider will recommend a treatment to lower the lead levels.

Regulations restricting the use of lead has lowered the rates of lead poisoning in the United States. Families can also limit lead exposure in the following ways:

n Keeping young children away from peeling paint in homes built or painted before 1978.

n Not cooking with pottery made outside of the United States.

n Avoiding giving candy from outside of the United States.

n Limiting the use of toys with paint from before 1978 or toys from outside of the United States. Find ways to decrease your family’s exposure to lead in and around your home. Talk with your child’s primary care provider about lead screening tests.

Colleen Townsend, M.D., is the regional medical Director from Partnership HealthPlan of California, a partner of Solano Public Health.

Adobe Stock

Lead pipes are a common source for lead in children with lead poisoning.

Crime logs

FairField

THURSDAY, JULY 20

1:27 a.m. — Trespassing, 2500 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

7:08 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 2300 block of PEACH TREE DRIVE

8:52 a.m. — Reckless driver, CHADBOURNE ROAD

11:54 a.m. — Trespassing, 2100 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

12:15 p.m. — Drunk and disorderly, 1300 block of WEST TEXAS STREET

12:54 p.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, BALBOA

COURT

1:59 p.m. — Forgery, 600 block of JACKSON STREET

2:04 p.m. — Trespassing, 2000 block of CLAY BANK ROAD

2:13 p.m. — Trespassing, 2100 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

2:15 p.m. — Reckless driver, EASTBOUND AIR BASE PARKWAY

5:01 p.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, 500 block of ALASKA AVENUE

6 p.m. — Hit-and-run with injury, 1000 block of MISSOURI STREET

8:04 p.m. — Vandalism, 300 block of ARLINGTON CIRCLE

8:11 p.m. — Vehicle theft, EL DORADO COURT

9:14 p.m. — Brandishing a weapon, 1600 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

10:41 p.m. — Vehicle bur-

glary, 1800 block of BLOSSOM AVENUE

11:06 p.m. — Reckless driver, EASTBOUND INTERSTATE 80

11:17 p.m. — Battery, 200 block of DAHLIA STREET

FRIDAY, JULY 21

12:31 a.m. — Battery, 2400 block of EAST ATLANTIC AVENUE

3:35 a.m. — Battery, 1200 block of B. GALE WILSON BOULEVARD

4:48 a.m. — Grand theft, 3900 block of BUSINESS CENTER

DRIVE

5:17 a.m. — Vehicle burglary, 1200 block of TANGLEWOOD

DRIVE

5:38 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 800 block of BROADWAY STREET

8:12 a.m. — Grand theft, 200 block of ATLANTIC AVENUE

9:11 a.m. — Battery, WESTAMERICA DRIVE

9:58 a.m. — Hit-and-run

property damage, 1800 block of DOVER AVENUE 10:05 a.m. — Battery, 1500 block of WILSON STREET 10:21 a.m. — Reckless driver, EASTBOUND INTERSTATE 80 11:03 a.m. — Indecent exposure, 1500 block of PHOENIX DRIVE Noon — Drunk driver, CLAY STREET

12:23 p.m. — Vehicle theft, EL DORADO

we’re going to be starting off with that El Niño event,” he said at a Thursday news conference.

El Niño, a climate pattern in the tropical Pacific associated with warmer global temperatures, is still developing, but forecasters are increasingly confident that it will be a very strong El Niño.

HOLIDAY LANE

4:49 p.m. — Trespassing, 800 block of EAST TRAVIS BOULEVARD

5:29 p.m. — Drunk and disorderly, CANOVA LANE

5:54 p.m. — Vandalism, 2000 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

6:05 p.m. — Reckless driver, 3400 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

6:08 p.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, KIDDER AVENUE

6:55 p.m. — Battery, EASTBOUND AIR BASE PARKWAY

9:53 p.m. — Vehicle burglary, 1200 block of SHORELINE CIRCLE

p.m. — Vehicle burglary, 1500 block of GATEWAY BOULEVARD

p.m. — Battery, 1300 block of CROWLEY LANE

SuiSun City

THURSDAY, JULY 20

a.m. — Vehicle burglary, 300 block of SANDY LANE

8:16 p.m. — Assault, 300 block of WALTERS ROAD

8:04 p.m. — Fraud,

Foxx opens up about medical emergency

Actor Jamie Foxx opened up about an unspecified medical emergency for the first time since the health complication landed him in the hospital in April.

The “Ray” star posted a heartfelt and candid update to Instagram on Friday night to shed some light on his absence from the spotlight.

“I just didn’t want you to see me like that, man,” he said in the more than three-minute-long video. “I wanted you to see me laughing, having a good time, partying, cracking a joke, doing a movie, television show. I didn’t want you to see me with tubes running out of me and trying to figure out if I was going to make it through.”

The 55-year-old entertainer’s “medical complication” was first shared by his daughter Corinne Foxx, who posted a family statement to Instagram on April 12.

Board

From Page One

will once again be at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 1600 Union Ave.

This is a free family event for pre-K through 12th-grade FSUSD students from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 12.

Students will receive free school supplies, community resources booths will be available along with some fun things like haircuts, food, drinks and live entertainment. Stu-

2016 and 2020 – currently tied for the hottest years on record – both came after El Niño events. But while El Niño will likely boost temperatures over the next two years, the root cause of increasing global average temperature is humanity’s burning of fossil fuels.

“A lot of this is expected – it is what our models predicted would happen,” said Kristina Dahl, a principal climate scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists. “But I think the impacts are more severe than I would have anticipated. ... Just seeing how it actually plays out, I think, is really heartbreaking.” In the coming weeks, huge swaths of the U.S, including California, are expected to see warmer-than-average temperatures, according to the latest forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The forecast looks particularly brutal in the Pacific Northwest, where Oregon and Washington have a 60% to 70% chance of a hotter-than-normal

August. In California, there is a 33% to 60% chance of above-normal temperatures, with the odds highest in the northern part of the state.

“The southern tier of the U.S. and even into the Pacific Northwest could end up with another period of quite warm weather – quite extreme weather – during the month of August, temperature-wise,” said Matt Rosencrans, a meteorologist with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, during a briefing Thursday.

The forecast came after NOAA officials confirmed that last month was the hottest June in 174 years of record-keeping, with global surface temperatures 1.89 degrees Fahrenheit above average. The global ocean surface temperature also saw a record high, 1.66 degrees above average.

The officials also said that this year was “virtually certain” to rank among the 10 warmest years on record, with a 97% chance of making the top 5, according to the agency.

Much of that prediction hinges on the presence of a strong El Niño.

Currently, there is a 52% chance that this El Niño will be in the “upper echelon” of strength, said Rosencrans. Should that happen during October, November and December, “it would likely be quite a warm winter over much of the Lower 48.”

Experts also noted that persistent warming from human-caused climate change is a factor in the skyrocketing temperatures. The jet stream – the fast-flow-

ing air currents that drive weather patterns around the globe – may also be changing due to global warming, Dahl said.

While it is still an active area of research, she said there is evidence that as the climate has warmed, the traditional path of the jet stream has changed and become “wavier” due to shifting temperature gradients from north to south. That could explain why the current heat dome has lingered over the Southwest for so long.

“Basically what we’re seeing is that these weather patterns are getting stuck, and you see it both in the summer and the winter,” she said.

The convergence of factors is already making life miserable for millions of people living through the heat. In California, portions of the Central Valley could climb as high as 114 degrees this weekend.

In the Los Angeles County area, highs could reach 112 degrees in interior mountains and deserts, and 105 degrees in the coastal valleys and Santa Monica Mountains. Daily records could be broken across the Ante-

lope Valley on Friday and through the weekend, said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

The agency has issued an excessive heat warning across the Los Angeles region until 8 p.m. Sunday. Some slight cooling is expected next week, although temperatures will still remain above normal.

“The expectation is that we’ll be cooling off, but it’s still going to be above normal for the foreseeable future,” Wofford said.

While current temperatures may seem unbearably hot, many forecasters underscored that this could well be remembered as one of the cooler years if current trends persist, including warmer overall temperatures and warmer oceans.

“We will anticipate that this is going to continue,” said Schmidt, of NASA. “And the reason why we think that it’s going to continue is because we continue to be putting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and until we stop doing that, temperatures will keep on rising.”

— Tribune Content Agency

dents must be present to participate.

They are still accepting backpack donations or financial donations. Monetary donations can be made by cash or checks made payable to FSUSD FRC and dropped off at the district office during business hours. The school office will be open again on Aug. 1.

Finally, brace yourselves – Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District will be starting school on Aug. 16. Parents and guardians should check the students’ school websites for more information.

forces, four journalists have suffered injuries of varying severity,” the Russian Defence Ministry stated.

Rostislav Zhuravlyov, a correspondent for the Russian state news agency Ria Novosti, succumbed to his wounds on the way to the field hospital, the statement said. The news agency confirmed his death.

A cameraman working for the German agency Deutsche Welle was also later injured by Russian shelling.

A photo correspondent working for Ria Novosti and two employees of Izvestia, a pro-Kremlin daily newspaper, were also hit.

The group reportedly came under fire in

the Pyatykhatky area south of Zaporizhzhya. The journalists are now being taken to the major Ukrainian city of Melitopol, which is controlled by Russian occupation forces.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces said the village of Pyatykhatky was liberated as part of their counteroffensive launched in June. However, there is still fierce fighting in the area.

For weeks, Kyiv’s troops have been trying to break through the heavily fortified Russian defense lines on the southern front, there and at two other locations in the Zaporizhzhya region.

The war is meanwhile having an impact on several museums designated with World Heritage status in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa, UNESCO reported.

According to a statement by the United Nations’ Paris-based

scientific and cultural organization, the Archaeological Museum, the Maritime Museum and the Literature Museum were the most affected.

UNESCO strongly condemns the attacks and stated that damage has been recorded at 270 Ukrainian cultural sites since the Russian invasion began in February 2022.

In recent days, the city on the Black Sea coast has been shelled several times with missiles.

Away from the frontline meanwhile, the latest daily intelligence report from Britain’s Ministry of Defence stated that the arrest of Russian pro-war blogger Igor Girkin is likely to anger parts of the Russian military community and other army bloggers.

Girkin, a former intelligence officer and leading nationalist military blogger “was almost

certainly arrested for extremism” on July 21, the London assessment wrote. “Girkin has long been a critic of the Russian Ministry of Defense’s conduct of the war. However, in recent days his comments turned to direct criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his time in power.”

His arrest is likely to cause anger among those who largely see Girkin as an astute military analyst and patriot, the Defense Ministry update said. “He played a major role in Russia’s war in the Donbas from 2014 and spent months on the front line in 2022.” The ultra-nationalist Girkin, known by his fighting name Igor Strelkov, was arrested after calling for more decisive action against Ukraine in the Russian invasion which began in February 2022.

to come. By comparison, Texas – the second most populous state – is projected to expand from 30 million people to 36.7 million by 2060, according to its latest forecast from 2022.

What’s more, California’s tax base will be eroded, and many population-related jobs such as school teachers will come under pressure since there’ll be fewer students.

If there’s a bright

From Page One

It’s Cheryl Countee’s job to make sure the hiring process brings in the best teachers and helps to retain those who are already working for the district.

The assistant director of retention and recruitment, Countee interviewed more than 30 people on Saturday morning. She will be following up with about

spot in the forecast, the state is at least expected to recoup its pandemic population decline in the coming years – returning to its 2020 population level in the 2030s, before peaking in 2044.

Eric McGhee, a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, says the long-term forecast is “more illustrative than it is predictive,” because it’s hard to project that far ahead. But he says it poses real questions for California’s leaders as they grapple with a housing affordability crisis.

“California’s govern-

12 more in the week ahead.

“Some people called and told me they couldn’t come because of family obligations, so I set up phone interviews next week,” she said. “Others wanted to do an interview on the internet.”

Countee realizes it is important to meet people halfway to bring in new teachers.

“It is important to be flexible,” she said.

So her days will be full, with interviews, follow-ups on candidates, examining work histories and performing back-

ment really wants to be helping people who are worse off and giving them opportunities and we see they are leaving the state,” said McGhee. “People are voting with their feet.”

The effect could be biggest in regions like the County of Los Angeles, which is expected to shrink by 1.7 million people from 2020 to 2060.

The forecasts are based on a combination of natural increase in population – births minus deaths – and net migration. The demographers project that the number of deaths in California will exceed births by 2035.

ground checks – all to fill the many positions with the district.

“We offered 13 people a job today,” she said.

The district is looking for not just teachers, but classified employees as well.

“Today was a teachers’ fair, but we had people asking about maintenance positions,” she said.

FSUSD offers a California Classified School Employee Grant for classified employees who want to become certified teachers through a grant of up to $3,800 per school

The total fertility rate for California has been below what’s known as the replacement level, of 2.1 births per woman, since 2009 and it’s projected to decline to 1.5.

Meanwhile, the number of deaths is expected to jump to more than 460,000 a year in the 2050s – up by about 150,000 from this year’s estimate, as the babyboomer demographic ages. The number of Californians aged 95 or more is expected to jump fourfold by 2060 to almost half a million.

year for a maximum of five years to complete a bachelor’s degree and a teachers credential preparation program.

The district also offers an emergency credential for community members who have a bachelor’s degree but not a full teaching credential.

For anyone who missed the job fair this weekend, never fear, the district has plenty of openings. Go to www.edjoin.org to search for available positions and follow the instruction to apply for a position.

AA pilots secure new $9B contract

DALLAS — American Airlines’ pilots union has landed a new $9 billion contract after United Airlines pilots secured a deal that set new industry standards for pay and other benefits.

The new deal matches pay increases at United and includes a ratification bonus, among other benefits like extended sick bank, increased life insurance and a medical privacy clause. The future wage increases were also pushed to take effect every Jan. 1, matching its competitor. Chicago-based United Airlines reached an agreement in principle with its company, raising pay by up to 40% over four years this month.

The revised deal adds about $1 billion in costs for American over the four-year contract.

Melly murder case ends in mistrial

FORT LAUDER -

DALE, Fla. — The trial of Jamell “YNW Melly” Demons ended Saturday afternoon with a hung jury after more than 14 hours of deliberation over three days.

Jurors told Broward Circuit judge John J. Murphy they could not reach a unanimous decision even after they were instructed Friday to do everything they could to resolve their disagreements. They wrestled with their decision for more than five hours after telling the judge Friday they were deadlocked.

Demons, 24, will remain in custody as attorneys on both sides prepare for a retrial in 90 days with a new jury.

— Tribune Content Agency

a little commotion,” Ebony Vallian said, recalling how after one man pulled out a firearm, another man’s girlfriend showed up in a truck, also with a gun.

She said they “were talking back and forth,” and then they suddenly

World’s biggest wind power projects in crisis just when world needs them most

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

Offshore wind projects are facing an economic crisis that erased billions of U.S. dollars in planned spending this week – just as the world needs clean energy more than ever.

A unit of Spain’s Iberdrola SA agreed to cancel a contract to sell power from a planned wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts. Danish developer Orsted A/S lost a bid to provide offshore wind power to Rhode Island, whose main utility said rising costs made the proposal too expensive. Swedish stateowned utility Vattenfall AB scuttled plans for a wind farm off the coast of Britain, citing inflation.

Soaring costs are derailing offshore wind projects even as demand for renewable energy soars. Extreme heat driven by climate change is straining electric grids all over the world, underscoring the need for more power generation – and adding urgency to calls for a faster transition away from fossil fuels. In Europe, the move to reduce reliance on Russian oil and gas has also given clean-energy projects momentum.

“Energy coming from these projects is desperately needed,” Helene Bistrom, the head of Vattenfall’s wind business, said on an earnings call this week. “With new market conditions, it doesn’t make sense to continue.”

Together, the three affected projects would have provided 3.5 gigawatts of power – more than 11% of the total offshore wind fleet currently deployed in the waters of the US and Europe. And the numbers could soon expand. At least 9.7 gigawatts of U.S. projects are

started shooting. “I looked back, and my baby was down on the ground. Gone,” Ebony Vallian told the news station. “I just lost my baby. (She was) in school, trying to get a job. Trying to become something, and she’s gone now.”

Another four people were struck by gunfire, including two suspected shooters, police said. One of the victims suf-

to wheel me in a carriage around McGill, she told me that I would go there,” he said in an oral history collected by Caltech in 1993.

at risk because their developers want to renegotiate or exit contracts to sell power at prices that they say are now too low to make the investments worth it, according to BloombergNEF.

The jettisoned projects are the latest signs of stress for offshore wind farms that use turbines larger than skyscrapers to harvest power from the sea air, where winds are most powerful and consistent. Soaring materials costs, particularly for steel, forced turbine makers to raise prices. Costs of other key services, like specialized vessels to install the turbines, have jumped sharply as well. And rising interest rates mean that it’s more expensive to take on debt.

That doesn’t mean investment has ground to a complete halt. Some proj-

fered a graze wound and did not need to be hospitalized, while the other victim and both suspects remained hospitalized Saturday afternoon. Police are working to determine if there are any additional suspects in the incident. An investigation into the matter is ongoing and authorities have called on anyone with information regarding the case to come forward.

continuation of the childlike pleasure of teasing a solution from once-scattered parts.

ects in the U.S. and the U.K. are still going ahead, despite cost increases.

And earlier this month, oil majors BP Plc and TotalEnergies SE bid $14 million to develop offshore wind farms in Germany’s North Sea. But canceled and delayed projects show that if governments are committed to offshore wind, they’ll have to pay more to get it.

Capital costs and prices for turbines, cables and other equipment have “gone up sharply,” Mads Nipper, chief executive officer at Orsted, said in a post on LinkedIn. “This means that price of renewable energy regrettably must come up temporarily after years of steep decline.”

While some of the projects could still go ahead

in the future, they would need to be able to secure higher power prices to make investments viable. Any delays mean more reliance on fossil-fuel generators that contribute to climate change, putting goals to cut emissions further out of reach.

Offshore wind is critical to decarbonization goals. The massive size of turbines at sea make them one of the most efficient ways to generate renewable electricity. In the U.S., each megawatt of installed capacity of offshore wind farms could produce as much as triple what a solar park would generate, according to data from BloombergNEF. In cloudy Britain, the wind farms produce five times more electricity than a similar-

sized solar farm.

That’s led governments around the globe to set ambitious targets to scale up deployment. President Joe Biden aims to have 30 gigawatts of offshore wind farms installed in the U.S. by the end of the decade, up from basically nothing today. In Europe, nations including the UK, Germany and the Netherlands vowed earlier this year to reach a combined 120 gigawatts of wind power by 2030, more than quadruple the current capacity.

But with governments still intent on seeing their green goals deliver cost reductions for consumers, it’s not clear how they can achieve that kind of expansion.

Marcus was at an electrochemistry conference when the call came in from Stockholm in 1992. At a hastily called news conference at the Toronto hotel where he was staying, the professor demurred when asked about the newfound fame that comes with being a Nobel laureate.

“I don’t know that I want to attract more attention to my work,” a bemused Marcus told reporters. “I just want more time to get it done.”

He got his wish. His colleagues couldn’t have foreseen the sheer longevity of his tenure when he arrived at Caltech during the Carter administration, “but the Nobel Prize quality, yes,” said John D. Baldeschwieler, a retired professor emeritus of chemistry who was chair of the department at the time of Marcus’ hiring.

Marcus was born in 1923 in Montreal, the much-loved only child of Esther and Myer Marcus. His mother in particular instilled a love of learning, in part motivated by the fact that her own family lacked the money to continue her education beyond grade school.

“She told me that when I was a baby and she used

(She was right: he earned both his bachelor’s degree and doctorate at the prestigious Montreal university.)

He was drawn to puzzles as a child, and has often described his approach to science as a decades-long

“The main thing is finding something that you enjoy doing, that preferably doesn’t harm others, and that tests whatever aptitude one has, that tests one’s ingenuity,” he said. “It’s almost like a kind of a game. You against nature.”

Images/TNS file (2022) Wind turbines during their assembly at the Taranto offshore wind turbines farm in Taranto, Italy, March 10, 2022.

M ayo CliniC news network

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of both men and women – in the U.S. and around the globe. Overall, men over 45 and women over 55 are more likely to have a heart attack than those who are younger.

Dr. Rekha Mankad, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist, says it’s crucial to invest now in your heart health for better heart health later.

Can a steady diet of chips, pizza, burgers and fries in your younger years affect you later?

“The choices you make in your teens and 20s are going to affect you years down the road,” says Dr. Mankad.

Heart disease progresses slowly, says

Up, up and away … overcoming fear of heights

My family ventured forth in a hot-air balloon recently. We were supposed to leave from Napa, but cloudy weather moved the takeoff location to Winters. Instead of flying over rolling hills and vineyards, we surveyed agricultural fields.

It was beautiful, especially soaring down to within 100 feet of sunflowers, tomatoes and open fields. The experience reminded me, however, of acrophobia, or pathological fear of heights. The famous Alfred Hitchcock movie “Vertigo” starred James Stewart as a San Francisco detective disabled by this condition. Vertigo, manifesting as dizziness with a rotational quality, often goes handin-hand with acrophobia.

Signing disclaimers at 5 a.m., before the flight, was a perfect way to instill a small amount of anxiety in this traveler. I remember glancing through exculpatory clauses designed to free the balloon company of accident liability. Beyond that, I realized that hot air balloons have been around since before the French Revolution. I am getting that they did not use propane tanks, but this is not cutting-edge technology. I focused on the coffee and pastries our hosts provided.

Upon arriving at the takeoff zone, we were impressed by the magnificent canopy, extending more than 100 feet above us. We climbed into the basket. We found ourselves in what looked like a large and reinforced wicker carton, containing several separate passenger and crew areas. A gaping hole in the balloon revealed the interior of the canopy. Propane combustion created a 10-foot flame. The pilot manipulated a series of control ropes with familiarity.

The forces of physics took over. The canopy gas lost density, creating an upward force caused by the temperature differential, relative to surrounding air. The

1960s Fifth Dimension song, “Up, Up, and Away,” came to mind. Everything about ballooning seems ancient. Where was the Wizard of Oz? The launch was faster than I expected. I found myself gripping a strap on the side of the passenger area as I gazed down at the receding landscape. Perhaps I experienced sweaty palms, and a bit of tremulousness, minor feelings of discomfort. Nothing too bad. I breathed deeply and focused on relaxing. As we topped out at 2,500 feet, I felt fine. We enjoyed a great ride, and a successful landing. The silence, in between propane bursts, added to the experience.

Feeling uneasy with a situation is a normal response to perceived danger. When such a fear becomes incapacitating, it may be a “phobia.”

Excessive fear of enclosed spaces, for example, is claustrophobia. Millions of years of human evolutionary heritage as tree-dwelling primates exposed us to snakes, spiders and heights. Could the corresponding phobias be a legacy of this heritage? Might

claustrophobia reflect our evolution within expansive forests, prior to the advent of elevators?

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not dwell on acrophobia, but there are diagnostic criteria available for clinicians. For example, one looks for a fear that is out of proportion to the specific risk, anticipatory anxiety, and efforts to avoid situations that may involve the perceived threat. One of the major problems that could ensue would be limitation of activities due to a phobia, inhibiting social or workrelated functioning.

Treatment for phobias, outlined along with diagnostic characteristics on Verywellmind.com include psychotherapy, desensitization through gradually increased exposures, medications and relaxation exercises. In my case, I enjoyed the balloon ride despite experiencing mild initial discomfort. My other fears included a concern about the balloon catching on fire, the passenger compartment breaking off or getting tossed out due to turbulence.

In a strange sense, however, I am glad the process was a bit scary. Nothing unexpected transpired, and

I experienced a sense of accomplishment. Skydiving, however, will have to wait.

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

Dr. Mankad. If you are unhealthy in your teens and 20s, you have a greater likelihood of developing risk factors for heart disease, such as obesity, elevated cholesterol and high blood pressure. This risk won’t show up right away and can be silent for years. But you can make changes. Move more, she says. Add regular daily walks. Take the stairs instead of an elevator, park as far away as you can from an entrance door. Little changes can add up and can become healthy habits leading to better heart health.

“It is never too late to become heart healthy. You can become heart healthy in your 70s and 80s. And there will still be benefit for you,” Dr. Mankad says.

Adobe Stock

Taking a hot-air balloon ride may help you get over your fear of heights.

Scott Anderson

Ask Dr. Scott

This week

THINGS TO DO

I Suisun City

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

3 p.m. Sunday Jimmy Toor Band Waterfront, 600 Main St. www.suisun.com.

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

6:30 p.m. Friday

‘DC League of Super Pets’ Heritage Park, 611 Village Drive. www.suisun.com.

7 p.m. Friday Pub Kats True Symmetry, 315 Marina Center. www.facebook.com/ truesymmetrybrewing.

9 a.m. Saturday Farmers Market Waterfront Lawn at Sheldon Plaza. https://business. fairfieldsuisunchamber.com.

6:30 p.m. Saturday Sweet Maria and The Suspects Waterfront. www.suisun waterfront.com.

7 p.m. Saturday Black and Gold Ball Marina Lounge, 700 Main St., Suite 106. www.marina loungesuisun.com.

I Vacaville

3 p.m. Sunday Live Music Center Summer Camp Showcase

Journey Downtown Theatre, 308 Main St. https://events. journeydowntownvenue. com.

10 a.m. Wednesday Free movie Journey Downtown Theatre, 308 Main St. https://events. journeydowntownvenue. com.

6 p.m. Friday

Singer-Songwriter competition finale Journey Downtown, 308 Main St. https://events. journeydowntownvenue. com.

Preview

‘On Golden Pond’

3 p.m. Sunday; July 30, Aug. 6

8 p.m. Friday, Saturday; Aug. 4-5 Bay Area Stage, 515 Broadway St., Vallejo www.bay areastage.org

a my m aginniS-Honey AMAGINNIS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

Eddie Roberts is a familiar face at Bay Area Stage productions. He was an assistant director, worked in the front of the house and helped with set building.

He makes his onstage debut this weekend as Norman in “On Golden Pond,” which centers on a curmudgeon with an estranged relationship with his daughter. He and his wife nevertheless agree to care for the son of their daughter’s new boyfriend, and an unexpected relationship blooms.

Roberts brings a long résumé to the character, portrayed by Henry Fonda in the 1981 movie of the same name. He also feels there’s a little Norman in

his personality.

“In that I forget things,” he said. “I couldn’t recall the movie; I knew I liked it. He’s relatable.”

Fonda’s performance was touching, and also makes Roberts feel he can relate to the character’s “grumpiness and senility.”

By today’s standards, Norman would be a little racist, Roberts noted. “He doesn’t mean it,” Roberts said.

Roberts chuckled as he saw a meme on Facebook noting that “Blazing Saddles” had been edited for TV and would air from 8 to 8:07.

The 67-year-old considers himself semi-retired. He has worked in construction as a cement mason and a locksmith. He still “dabbles” as a locksmith.

“It keeps my mind from turning to mush,” he said. Roberts loves to make people laugh. He did some improv and scripted roles. “If I can make some random stranger chuckle, I feel like I’ve accomplished something.”

The late George Carlin was a favorite. In his youth, Roberts enjoyed Red Skeleton. “When I looked at him as an adult, I don’t know why I found that so funny,” he said.

He discovered Bay Area Stage through a mutual friend, Matt Goff, who has done a variety of jobs for the Vallejo theater group.

Roberts has been seen with Women of Words, the Benicia Old Town Theatre Group, now the

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

SAN RAFAEL — Marin

Shakespeare Company continues its 2023 Summer Season with Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” adapted and directed by Bridgette Loriaux. The production runs Aug. 5 through Sept. 3 at Forest Meadows Amphitheatre at Dominican University of California.

Loriaux brings several directorial works, including “2½ Breaths,” a play she wrote, directed and choreographed, which premiered off-Broadway on May 19, 2022, at the Chain Theatre in New York.

As a choreographer, she has

THEATER Preview

‘Twelfth Night’

7:30 p.m. Aug. 4-5, Aug. 11-12, Aug. 18-19, Aug. 24-25, Sept. 1-2

5 p.m. Aug. 6, 13, 20, 27 and Sept. 3 Doors open one hour before the show for picnicking Forest Meadows Amphitheatre, 890 Belle Ave., San Rafael www.marinshakespeare.org

collaborated with several groups. She experienced four seasons as company member at the Oregon

Shakespeare Festival.

Loriaux has assembled a cast of Bay Area thespians: Nancy Carlin as Maria, Adrian Deane as Feste, Stevie DeMott as Viola, Dorian Lockett as Toby Belch, Justin Lopez as Antonio, Charisse Loriaux as Olivia, Johnny Moreno as Orsino, Steve Price as Andrew Aguecheek, Salim Razawi as Sebastian, and Michael Gene Sullivan as Malvolio.

Forty-five minutes before each 2023 performance, Marin Shakes presents “Kaleidoscopes,” a pre-show talk led by a variety of speakers, including actors, directors, scholars, activists and community members, curated by dramaturg Philippa Kelly.

Herman Bustamante Jr./Courtesy photo

Eddie Roberts, right, is Norman Thayer and Stacey Loew as Ethel Thayer in a scene from the Bay Area Stage production of “On Golden Pond.”

See Eddie, Page B3 See Cast,

Americans love subtitles for various reasons

harder to hear dialogue in shows and movies than it used to be.

How Bennett saved his career after drugs nearly killed him

to clean up my act,”

FAIRFIELD — The world is overflowing with captivating audiovisual content, 3.7 million videos are uploaded YouTube daily, and the role of subtitles is now about more than just translation. From understanding audio to engaging in language learning, subtitles have evolved into a powerful tool that enhances viewing experiences.

Preply, a company that offers one-on-one online language tutoring, surveyed Americans to find out who uses subtitles and why. In early May 1, 503 Americans were asked about their use and experiences with subtitles in entertainment on both streaming platforms and online. Respondents ranged in age from 18 to 76 years old, and were 49% female, 50% male, and 1% nonbinary.

They key findings:

n More than half (51%) of Americans watch content with subtitles most of the time. Women are at the forefront with 61% using subtitles more frequently than they used to as opposed to 54% of men.

n Due to background music, 61% say it is

n A large majority (70%) of Americans use subtitles to better understand actors with accents.

n Mikayla Nogueira is the hardest TikTok creator for Americans to understand.

n Fifty-eight percent of viewers are using subtitles more often than they used to, a 5% rise from 2022.

n Nearly all (96%) of Gen Z viewers use subtitles, up from 70% last year.

n Netflix is leading the way. More than half of Americans (52%) report using subtitles more frequently on Netflix than on any other platform.

n Nearly 1 in 3 viewers request subtitles when watching TV with another person.

n Subtitles are even prevalent in online videos on platforms like YouTube and TikTok. Forty-six percent of viewers prefer to view these videos with subtitle, up 5% from last year.

In TV, several popular programs have confused audiences with their challenging dialogue. Topping this list is “The Crown” with its period-specific British accents, which can be difficult for some American viewers.

Tony Bennett’s career was in the toilet and his life was spinning out of control.

It was 1979, and Bennett was without a recording contract or manager, not perform ing much outside of Las Vegas, and his marriage was falling apart. When the IRS sought to seize his Los Angeles home after he failed to pay $2 million in taxes, Bennett said he “overindulged” on cocaine and marijuana to the point that he almost overdosed.

If not for Sandra Grant, his wife at the time, saving him from drowning in the bathroom when he was high on cocaine, Bennett could have died in his 50s.

“I was in a completely self-destructive tail spin,” Bennett wrote in his 2011 book, “All The Things You Are: The Life of Tony Bennett.”

After he survived, Bennett picked up the phone and called his son, Danny. The singer’s life had been saved, and now Bennett needed help res cuing his career.

“That was the day of reckoning,” Danny told the New York Times in 1999. “ . . . I think that was a desperate move.”

It was a decision that changed the trajectory of not just Bennett’s career but also his life. With his son as his manager, Bennett got his crippling debt under control.

In the process, Bennett jump-started a career in which he won an additional 18 Grammy Awards from that point on, sold tens of millions of records and performed into his mid-90s in what historians have considered to be one of music’s most enduring second acts.

“I knew I had to make major changes in my life,” he wrote in 2011.

eddie

From Page B1

Benicia Theatre Group and Shakespeare in the Park. He calls himself a “plant nut.” “I just enjoy propagating plants and succulents,” he said. When he needed a vessel for them, he started taking ceramics classes.

In the fall, he will teach

Cast

From Page B1

They are Sidney Bruhl, a washed-up, hasbeen playwright, who was once very successful but hasn’t had a hit in many years; Myra Bruhl, Sidney’s wife, who is

Week

From Page B1

6:30 p.m. Friday

23rd Annual CreekWalk series: Big Crush Andrews Park, 614 E. Monte Vista Ave. www.ci.vacaville.ca.us/ government/parks-andrecreation/specialevents/creekwalk.

9 p.m. Friday and Saturday Dueling Pianos Makse, 555 Main St. http://duelingpiano vacaville.com.

I

Tai Chi Chih classes. “I’ve studied other stuff but always come back to this,” he said. “It’s more accessible and reaches more people.”

Roberts said “On Golden Pond” is a good show. He’s worked with one other cast member in the past. The rest are new to him.

“It’s a good cast,” he said. “It’s going to be one of those shows that makes you laugh and cry.”

encouraging of his career and has been supporting them financially for the past few years; Clifford Andersen, a student of Sidney’s, also a playwright; Helga ten Dorp, a mysterious psychic who has visions of the future; and Porter Milgrim, Sidney’s lawyer.

For more information, call 707-746-1269.

tavern.com.

6:30 p.m. Friday Don Bassey & Friends Lucca Bar and Grill, 439 First St. www. luccabar.com.

Bennett died Friday at the age of 96, the Associated Press reported, citing his publicist, Sylvia Weiner. No specific cause was noted. He and his family revealed in 2021 that he had Alzheimer’s disease.

“Tony Bennett possesses one of the great voices and singing careers of the last 60 years,” John Edward Hasse, a music historian and longtime curator of American music at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, said before Mr. Bennett’s death. “Not very many singers, much less musicians, have achieved that kind of durability. He’s got a jazz musician’s phrasing and sense of timing, as well as a feeling for spontaneity. These are classic, timeless aesthetic values that he personifies.”

But Bennett’s story and legacy might have looked much different if he didn’t survive his

9 p.m. Saturday Secret Sauce The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therellik tavern.com.

I Vallejo

First St. www.therellik tavern.com.

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

6:30 p.m. Thursday Time Machine Lucca Bar and Grill, 439 First St. www. luccabar.com.

p.m. Thursday DJ Jerry Ross The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therellik tavern.com.

5 p.m. Friday The Fabulous Cruise Tones The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therellik

8:30 p.m. Friday Goth Night The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therellik tavern.com.

1:30 p.m. Saturday Sun Hunter Lucca Bar and Grill, 439 First St. www. luccabar.com.

5 p.m. Saturday Lark, LeBlanc and Flynn The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therellik tavern.com.

6:30 p.m. Saturday Crossman Connection Lucca Bar and Grill, 439 First St. www. luccabar.com.

near-death experience decades ago.

After Bennett parted ways with his pianist and musical director Ralph Sharon in 1965, he and other singers faced increasing pressure to perform “contemporary” rock songs that helped thrust acts such as the Beatles to worldwide acclaim. The crooner tried to record more contemporary music, but the results were not great. He later compared his disdain for recording the rock songs to the distaste his mother, Anna, a seamstress, felt for working on cheap dresses.

“This has always been my inspiration for insisting on singing nothing but great songs,” he wrote in his 1998 autobiography, “The Good Life,” which was co-written by Will Friedwald.

When he was without a contract and the recording label he started had flopped, Bennett was amassing significant debt in the late ‘70s. He was beginning to be seen as only a Las Vegas nightclub act, and he “began to experience long bouts of depression,” Bennett recounted in “The Good Life.” He turned to drugs – pills, cocaine, marijuana – during what he described as the “darkest period” of his life.

“I used to take pills – uppies, downies and sleepies,” he wrote in “All

The Things You Are.”

After his accountants called to tell him that the IRS was beginning proceedings to take the house, Bennett used drugs “in frustration” one night in 1979.

“I overindulged and quickly realized I was in trouble,” he wrote in 1998.

Bennett tried to calm himself down by running a hot bath. He ended up passing out and recalled what he said was a neardeath experience.

“A golden light enveloped me in a warm glow,” he wrote in his autobiography. “It was quite peaceful; in fact, I had the sense that I was about to embark on a very compelling journey. But suddenly I was jolted out of the vision.”

When Bennett woke up, the tub was overflowing and Grant was standing over him. She had heard the tub running for too long and realized he was not breathing when she rushed into the bathroom.

“She pounded on my chest and literally brought me back to life,” Bennett wrote in “The Good Life.”

On the way to the hospital, Bennett recalled what his ex-manager had told him about the comedian Lenny Bruce, who died of a drug overdose: “The man sinned against his talent.”

“I realized I was throwing it all away, and I became determined

The singer called his sons, Danny and Daegal, to fly in for an emergency meeting at their father’s art studio. Bennett wanted them not only to sort out his financial mess but also to figure out how he could become an artist people cared about again.

“He said, ‘Look, I’m lost here. It seems like people don’t want to hear the music I make,’” Danny Bennett recalled to AARP Magazine in 2003.

After Danny took over as his father’s manager, the singer moved to New York to be closer to his family. The sons helped set up a plan for Bennett to repay his debts, which he fully paid off in 1990, according to the Times.

“I said, ‘Your head is above water,’ and Tony said, ‘Really?’” Danny recalled to the newspaper in 1998. “I don’t think he really believes it His music and reputation might have been an even bigger challenge. The family had a plan for that, too. Danny scheduled his dad to perform at colleges and small theaters to help shed his Las Vegas persona. Bennett’s family also helped him get re-signed to Columbia Records. In 1986, he released “The Art of Excellence,” his first album to make the charts in 14 years.

Bennett’s appeal to younger audiences started with regular appearances on “Late Night With David Letterman.” Soon, Bennett appeared on “Muppets Tonight” and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” was caricaturized on “The Simpsons” and made a famous appearance on “MTV Unplugged” in 1994, where he told the young crowd, “I’ve been unplugged my whole career.”

“We didn’t make it cool to like Tony Bennett,” Danny told AARP. “We just put him in places that were cool to be.”

Bennett continued to connect with younger audiences for the rest of his life, most notably with his late-career collaboration with Lady Gaga.

Later in life, Bennett never forgot how far he had come – and how close he had come to losing it all.

“I did a lot of drugs and all that. And then I learned, from experience, that I wasn’t doing the right thing, and I stopped [taking] all kinds of stimulants that are very bad for you,” he told the San Diego Union-Tribune in 2017. “It was the best thing that ever happened to me. I have a natural life. I don’t have anything to hide, or to stay away, from.”

3 p.m. Sunday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday ‘On Golden Pond’ Bay Area Stage Theatre, 515 Broadway St. www. bayareastage.org.

6:30 p.m. Wednesday Rusty Zinn Empress Lounge, 330 Virginia St. https:// empresstheatre.org.

1 p.m. Saturday Dakila Vino Godfather Winery, 1005 Walnut Ave. www. vinogodfather.com.

4 p.m. Saturday ‘Shakespeare in the Park’ Hanns Park, 198 Skyline Drive. www.vallejo shakespeare.org.

Brent Perniac/AdMedia via Zuma Press Wire/TNS file (2013)

Legendary crooner Tony Bennett, best known for singing “i Left My Heart in san Francisco,” has died, according to his longtime publicist, sylvia Weiner. He died Friday at age 96. Here he performs in ontario, Canada, november 2013.

Sowing the seeds of love

Some readers may recall the 1980’s English band Tears for Fears singing these words: “Sowing the seeds of love; anything is possible when you’re sowing the seeds of love.”

I thought of that song last Sunday, when our church heard Jesus tell the Parable of the Sower: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up …” (Matthew 13:1-9). The rather reckless sower scattered seeds all over the place – on rocky ground, among chocking thorns, and on good soil.

Jesus often used down-toearth illustrations for many of his messages. After telling this parable to a crowd, Jesus explains the meaning to his disciples (Matthew 13:18-23). The seeds, Jesus says, are “the word of the kingdom,” and the various kinds of ground are the ways that this message might be received by people, or not.

To us, the sower seems careless and wasteful with his seeds. The method he uses is

called “broadcasting,” and it was the way farmers sowed back then. It was a haphazard endeavor, but as with all of the parables Jesus told, there is a deeper meaning. The parables lead us to reflect on where we might find ourselves within the story. In the Parable of the Sower, the condition of the soil represents the condition of a person’s heart, whether it’s resistant, stubborn or cynical, or a receptive heart, willing to welcome the message of Jesus into our soul and be changed by it.

The seeds in the parable could be thought of as metaphorical for love. The sower wants to scatter as much love as possible, even wastefully, as the divine love of God has been recklessly scattered. For lovers of God, the broadcasting method idea of sowing seeds of love is helpful. It doesn’t matter whether the love we scatter is returned to us or not, because God’s love is given unconditionally.

One of my favorite Bible verses is 1 John 4:16, “So we

have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in them.” If the seeds in the parable are “the word of the kingdom,” the truth of the word is that LOVE REIGNS. God is Love, and Love wants to reign over our lives, and Love wants us to be like the reckless sower in today’s parable, broadcasting love like seeds all over the place.

The message of Jesus is that God seriously loves the world, so much so that God came to live among us in Jesus, to show us what God is like and how much God loves us. To hear and to be open to this message – to seek to understand it and to embrace it –this is what it means to live in the kingdom of God.

This is what being “good soil” is all about. So, let’s sow the seeds of love, because all things are possible when you sow the seeds of love.

The Rev. Karen Freeman is the rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Fairfield. She can be reached by email at rector. gracefairfield@gmail.com.

“Making

www.GCCSuisun.org

Rev. Karen Freeman Religious view “The People of The United Methodist Church™”

The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Public Domain

A print from 1517 depicting the Parable of the Sower, by Hans Schäufelein.

My last visit to a movie theater

According to the 2023 Apple Hearing Study, 1 in 3 adult Americans are exposed to excessive noise levels.

I believe that to be conservative. Noise levels are on the rise everywhere. Diesel pickup trucks that can be heard several properties away. Loud cars, trucks and motorcycles that shatter your teeth when they race by your home.

Deafening gas-powered garden tools. And certainly, louder movie theaters.

It has been a couple of years since I went to a movie theater, remembering the last time to never again let the blasting soundtrack damage my ears. Well, I succumbed this week going with my son to the latest Tom Cruise film.

I’m sure that those in film production are replete with excuses for this, but the bottom line is that today’s movie soundtracks at theaters are damaging hearing. This is so bad that it is preventing people from going to movie theaters because the sound experience is positively painful.

Most experts agree that prolonged exposure to sounds of more than 80 decibels (dB) can cause hearing damage. The average movie theater frequently crosses into the danger zone. The louder the sound, the less time you can afford to be exposed to it.

The only guideline theater owners have is to avoid consistent noise levels above 85 dB.

While there might be some degree of damage to your ears after just a single exposure to a loud movie, a repeated exposure above 85 decibels can permanently harm it.

When the previews at the theater started, I opened my sound meter app and found the average sound level was 87 dB with peaks at a whopping 109 dB. The average, of course, includes the times when there is no or little sound in the film, so most of the sound levels were consistently in the 90-plus dB range.

According to the Center for Disease Control:

n Noise above 70 dB over a prolonged period of time may start to damage your hearing.

n Hearing sounds between 80- and 85-dB damage to hearing is possible after two hours of exposure. (The new Cruise film is 2¾ hours.)

n At 95 dB damage to hearing is possible after 50 minutes of exposure.

n At 100 dB hearing loss is possible after 15 minutes.

n Exposure to sounds between 100-105 decibels, hearing loss is possible in less than 5 minutes.

“The level of noise exposure that one experiences in a movie theater is relatively high and could actually cause hearing damage,” says Dr. Nicole Laffan, clinical professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Northeastern, “What’s more, depending on the film, this damage can occur after just one movie. “I’m concerned about the consumers not having awareness of the possible damage,” says Dr. Laffan.

The CDC also reports that 12.5% of children have noise-induced hearing damage, and movie theaters may be part of the problem. Lee Ann Burdick, director of the Russell J. Call Children’s Center at Northeastern, says she hears parents complain about the noise level at movie theaters. “If it’s loud for us, can you imagine how their little ears are doing?” Burdick says.

Knowing the above, as soon as the previews started both my son and I put in earplugs. The sound still blasted through. We curiously watched a young father with two grade school children a couple of rows ahead of us, and thought “how could that parent subject their young children to such an audible assault?”

That experience may well be my last trip to a movie theater, given that within a month or two of release we can watch the latest theater films streamed on a large screen at home with sound levels that are healthy. Who wants to pay nearly $50 for two tickets and have to wear earplugs to withstand the audible pain caused by theater deafening sound volumes?

If enough of us gave this column to theater managers, perhaps, just maybe, sound levels will return to normal, and we can return to theaters.

Danny Wells is a resident of Vacaville and can be reached at danny@dannywells.com.

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 downtown Fairfield.

CALMATTERS COMMENTARY

Something is clearly off with California’s homelessness spending

K erry JacKson and Wayne Winegarden CALMATTERS

California put aside $7.2 billion to address homelessness in the 2021-22 state budget.

Last year, there were an estimated 172,000 homeless statewide, which equates to spending nearly $42,000 per homeless person.

Spending of this magnitude – which only accounts for state money – is sufficient if it were applied effectively. The worsening crisis indicates that something is off with how the state spends its resources.

This perspective is important in light of a comprehensive homeless survey by UC San Francisco. Many of its findings are enlightening, but too many of its suggestions call for more spending.

It strains credulity to believe that spending $42,000 per person is insufficient, but if bumped up to $45,000, all will be OK. California does not have the worst-in-the-nation homeless crisis because it spends too little.

Continued calls for more government subsidies supporting the state’s ineffective housing-first approach will waste money while failing to alleviate the emergency. The survey confirms some things we already know, such as most of the homeless in California (78%) are unsheltered. It also provides essential information to help sustainably address homelessness, such as the pivotal role housing unaffordability plays in driving the problem.

Solutions require policymakers to leverage all we have learned to adopt a more innovative structure for addressing the grim conditions.

COMMENTARY

The UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative does recommend some innovative policies. Gov. Gavin Newsom has also sought to create homelessness courts. While neither a perfect nor sweeping solution, a court system ordering treatment programs for homeless people could make a difference.

If the effort has the necessary scope and force, it can help move homeless people suffering from mental illness and addiction into a setting of care rather than the current invisible asylum of “the street, the jail, and the emergency room.”

Other suggestions merely throw money at the current ineffective government-run programs, a poor strategy bound to fail. Instead, California should fund well-run and fully accountable private sector groups that help homeless people gain control, address any issues and then become self-sufficient. The “California Way” bias has blinded lawmakers from successful initiatives in other states and tailoring them to West Coast needs. Partnerships and nonprofits in Virginia, Tennessee, and elsewhere have shown that they can sustainably address homelessness through novel methods, flexibility and personalization.

Another flaw is government’s focus on “controlling the cost of housing” rather than removing disincentives driving the housing shortage. As rising inflation reminds us, you don’t lower the cost of anything by throwing money at people. We need to incentivize more housing supply by lowering costs and construction time through deregulation and avoiding harmful

policies like rent control that worsen housing unaffordability.

The richest target for deregulation is also the state’s most firmly entrenched law: the California Environmental Quality Act. While well-intended when enacted in 1970, it has become a destructive force derailing “the possibility of homeownership” among the “hardworking members of Latino, Black and other minority communities,” says Jennifer Hernandez, an environmental and land-use lawyer who has documented CEQA’s long list of litigation abuses.

Both Newsom and before him Gov. Jerry Brown have publicly supported CEQA reform, which is a start. A better plan would be a legislative initiative to repeal and replace.

Concerns that dismantling CEQA would invite environmental mayhem are overblown. Fresh legislation relying on the volumes of knowledge gained in protecting the environment since CEQA became law, and including provisions that would prevent it from becoming another tool for abuse should not be beyond the abilities of lawmakers.

Spending $42,000 a year per homeless person is wheel-spinning on a grand scale. It shows a lack of reflection and a poverty of ideas. The progressive policy framework has made no progress on homelessness. It shouldn’t be too much to ask lawmakers to rethink their premises.

Kerry Jackson is a fellow with the Center for California Reform at the Pacific Research Institute. Wayne Winegarden is a senior fellow in business and economics at the Pacific Research Institute.

Europe’s far right isn’t so fringe anymore

Aglobal upheaval looms as Donald Trump strength ens his candidacy for the next U.S. presiden tial elections. Ukraine and its European allies need to start considering the prospect that by the end of next year, they could face a U.S. no longer invested in resist ing Russia’s aggression.

We should also start bracing ourselves for a geopolitical earthquake in Europe itself. In Spain, which holds national elections on July 23, and across the continent, far-right demagogues are in the ascendant.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s first postwar leader with fascist roots, was not exaggerating when she told a far-right rally in Spain last week, “The hour of patriots has arrived.”

Meloni’s ideological ally, Vox, is already the third-largest party in Spain’s national assembly and rules, together with the center-right People’s Party (PP), several big Spanish cities. It could gain power in a coalition government next week despite, or perhaps because of, an election manifesto that calls for the repeal of laws on violence against women, as well as the party’s vigorous denial of climate change in a country struggling against a historic drought and extreme heat.

The European far right has long prospered by stoking hatred of immigration and Islam. It now also feeds on the anger and resentment of voters who think governments are asking them to sacrifice too much in the battle against climate change.

The siren song of demagoguery has become more alluring during a cost-of-living crisis resulting from an uneven recovery from the pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine. Farrightists also benefit from the general disorientation caused by swift social transformation.

Consequently, unthinkable things have started to happen: In polls, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party

has overtaken the governing Social Democratic Party (SPD) to become the second-most popular party in Germany. In Austria, the proVladimir Putin Freedom Party (FPÖ), which was once led by a former Nazi, is polling at 28% a year ahead of elections, higher than its center-right and center-left rivals.

In Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his party Fidesz seem wellensconced after their landslide victory last year. In Poland, the other longdelinquent right-wing member of the European Union, the ruling Law and Justice Party continues to stoke the anti-Semitic embers in Polish chauvinism in its bid to win elections due this fall.

In Greece, Spartans, a party established weeks before recent elections and supported by luminaries of the now-defunct neo-Nazi Golden Dawn, unexpectedly won 4.7% of the vote. The pro-Russian Greek Solution party won 4.5% – enough to make it into the national parliament. Come September, Slovakia might be led by Robert Fico, a pro-Russian demagogue with a record of floating conspiracy theories about George Soros.

The normalization of vicious prejudice is the most immediate consequence of Europe’s far-right upsurge. Last month, Finnish Economy Minister Vilhelm Junnila had to resign after revelations that he had joked about Hitler at a neo-Nazi event and called for mass abortions in Africa to combat climate change.

Meanwhile, Riikka Purra, the leader of Finland's far-right party and the country’s finance minister, remains in office even after being revealed as the apparent author of such online comments as, “Anyone feel like spitting on beggars and beating n----- children today in Helsinki?”

One can keep hoping that the political responsibility that comes with high office would diminish some of the

far right’s venom. But history tells us that political pragmatism or ethical principle stand little chance against extensive radicalization of the kind we are witnessing today. The last time so much of Europe lurched to the far-right – in the 1930s – the most extreme racists benefited the most.

The Nazis flourished partly because they had sympathetic or collaborating parties and regimes in almost every country across the continent. A figure such as Putin can only feel more secure as his active and potential allies in Europe gain strength.

Against this bleak backdrop, the Spanish elections offer a test case for the health of democracy, not to mention the good sense of voters.

Inflation has come down faster in Spain than in any euro-zone country. GDP is growing at a higher rate than in the U.S., Germany, and France. Employment is at its highest level since 2007. And Spain will soon become the first major European country to generate more than 50% of its electricity from renewable sources.

An election that nevertheless elevates Vox to power not only threatens each one of these gains. It would also endanger, among other projects, the E.U.’s ambitious green new deal; Spain heads the rotational E.U. presidency this year.

Greater disasters would await in the longer term. It may seem a cliché to invoke, as during its civil war in the 1930s, Spain as the crucial battlefield for the struggle for democracy. But that’s what it looks like – at least for now, before Trump’s re-election campaign really gets going.

Pankaj Mishra is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. His books include “Age of Anger: A History of the Present,” “From the Ruins of Empire: The Intellectuals Who Remade Asia,” and “Temptations of the West: How to Be Modern in India, Pakistan, Tibet and Beyond.”

Danny Wells

Pankaj Mishra

Webb roughed up as Nationals rout Giants

evan WeBecK BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

It’s not often you see a pitcher emerge from the dugout and jog out to the bullpen in the middle of the second inning. But only moments later, Sean Manaea was making it a roundtrip commute, and Logan Webb was hanging his head on the bench.

The Giants’ young ace was not even two weeks removed from twirling the top gem of his career, a complete-game shutout

to lead the club into the All-Star break. But tasked Saturday with being the stopper of a losing streak, Webb’s night was over and San Francisco’s hopes were dashed one out into the second inning.

The Giants (54-45) lost their second straight to the last-place Nationals, 10-1. The skid reached four games. They have yet to announce their starter for Sunday’s series finale, a must-win to avoid being swept in a three-game series for the first time

US not fazed by flaws made in World Cup opening win

K evin Baxter LOS ANGELES TIMES

AUCKLAND, New

Zealand — When Vlatko Andonovski left Eden Park stadium after his team’s first World Cup game Saturday, he was seated in the left front seat of a red U.S. Soccer minivan. In the States, that would be the driver’s seat. But in New Zealand, cars drive on the left-hand side of the road, so Andonovski was just a passenger.

It’s an apt metaphor because how far the coach and his U.S. team go in this Women’s World Cup will largely be determined by a half-dozen young players who are untested on this stage; Andonovski is just along for the ride.

So far, the kids are all right. With Sophia Smith scoring twice in the first half of her World Cup debut, then assisting on another goal in the second half, the U.S. pushed aside Vietnam, 3-0, in an opening performance that was more clumsy than clinical, more sloppy than sensational.

“It’s always great to get a win,” Andonovski said.

“Obviously we came here to win the game. And we did that. Unfortunately, we didn’t capitalize on all the opportunities, great opportunities, that we created. And that’s something that we’re certainly going to focus on.”

Clearly this trip is going to be a bumpy one.

Although the U.S. outshot Vietnam 28-0, it put just seven of those tries on target, sending many of the rest over, around and off the goal frame. Alex Morgan even sent one into the goalkeeper’s legs in the first half, failing to capitalize on a penalty shot for the first time in her international career.

And while that was good enough to beat a Vietnamese team making its first World Cup appearance, it likely won’t be good enough to beat the Netherlands in the second group-stage game on Wednesday. And it certainly won’t be good enough to go far in the deepest, most competitive Women’s World Cup field in history.

Yet Morgan, playing

Warriors’ GM, once booed as a player, now boss

Shayna ruBin

BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

LAS VEGAS — Mike Dunleavy Jr. emerges from the workout room at the Warriors’ Summer League facility and slides into a tall bar chair, a sweat towel draped over his shoulders as the temperature outside pushes 110 degrees.

He hasn’t stopped moving since taking over as general manager just a month ago, and he’s moving with purpose: His trade of Jordan Poole for Chris Paul sparked an offseason that has turned the Warriors’ roster from young and green to old and wise.

Dunleavy took over the GM role from Bob Myers, succeeding the man who brought him on as a scout in 2018.

The pressure is on Dunleavy to preside over a dynasty in its final stages. Of course he hasn’t stopped.

“There should be urgency. I think there is urgency,” he said. “But I don’t see an end in sight for Steph Curry, which is exciting for us.”

this season. Webb failed to complete five innings for the first time this season, allowing six runs that raised his ERA to 3.48 from 3.11.

In a second inning that seemed like it would never end, Webb exhausted 41 pitches while recording one out and allowing all six runs. The Nationals were relentless, fouling off nearly a third of his pitches in the inning. He was 29 pitches deep with one on and two in after three batters; it wasn’t

until his 36th offering that he recorded his first out, getting Luis Garcia swinging on a changeup for his second strikeout of the night. That would prove to be the last batter Webb retired.

Manaea began his trot to the bullpen, and the No. 9 hitter, Alex Call, ended any notion of escaping the inning with minimal damage, clearing the bases with a triple off the right field wall. C.J. Abrams blew it open and

ended Webb’s outing with his second home run of the series.

After his expedited warm-up, Manaea got them out of the second and took down the next five innings, sparing the bullpen.

Webb, the MLB leader in innings pitched, had never in 97 career starts failed to make it out of the second inning. His previous shortest start was 2-plus innings, all the way back in 2019. Since he ascended into the staff ace in the second half of 2021,

Webb had gone at least five in 56 of a possible 62 starts, including all 20 this season before Saturday. As the Giants assess their options at the trade deadline, they have gotten befuddling performances from the two starting pitchers they believe they can count on to lead them down the stretch. The aberration from Webb followed Alex Cobb’s second-worst start of the season, also failing to make it out of the fifth in a loss Saturday to the Pirates.

Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals ready to roar again next weekend

SonoM a r aceWay

SONOMA — The best drag racers in the world make their annual trek to Northern California Friday through Sunday for the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals.

It is the 12th of 21 races during the 2023 season in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. After stops in Denver and Seattle, the stars in Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock Motorcycle close out the Western Swing in Northern California on one of the fastest and most popular stops on tour.

Racing features the roaring 11,000-horsepower, 330-mph nitro machines. Fans enjoyed a series of track records a year ago, while this season provides a full weekend of action. That includes the nitro session under the lights on Friday, the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA

Challenge and Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout specialty races on Saturday, and eliminations on Sunday.

Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Bob Tasca III (Funny Car) and Joey Gladstone (Pro Stock Motorcycle) won the 2022 event, and this year’s race will be broadcast on both FOX and Fox Sports 1, including eliminations coverage starting at 1 p.m. Sunday on FOX.

Force put on one of the most memorable Top Fuel displays in Sonoma Raceway history a year ago, breaking her own track records multiple times on elimination Sunday. Heading into Sonoma, everyone is chasing Justin Ashley, who has the points lead and four wins. Others to watch include Antron Brown, Leah Pruett, Mike Salinas, Austin Prock, Josh Hart, Tony Schumacher, Denver winner Clay Millican and

veteran Doug Kalitta.

In Funny Car, Bob Tasca III claimed the victory last season, beating the legendary John Force in the final round. Tasca already has one win this season and he’s aiming for another in Sonoma, but it won’t be easy in a loaded lineup that includes back-to-back world champ Ron Capps, points leader and Denver winner Matt Hagan, Robert Hight, who won the previous three races in Sonoma before 2022, J.R. Todd, Cruz Pedregon and Tim Wilkerson, who each have two Sonoma wins, Chad Green and Alexis DeJoria. Sonoma fans will also see exciting Pro Stock Motorcycle action all weekend, including the first appearance at the facility from current points leader Gaige Herrera. He’s already posted four wins this season

See NHRA, Page B12

To understand Dunleavy as the Warriors’ general manager is to know him as a Warriors player. He knows better than most how bad it was when this team was flailing in the darkness. He’s not wasting a moment the Warriors have in the light.

Dunleavy, 42, did more than experience that darkness. He embodied it. What precedes him is a reputation as one of the most disliked Warriors of all time, detested by fans from the Chris Cohan ownership era for not being a franchise savior.

So, it must be asked: Is this Dunleavy’s shot at redemption in the Bay Area?

“I never thought about it that way …” Dunleavy said.

“I don’t want to say no.”

Adonal Foyle, his former Warriors teammate and a current team ambassador, was more forthright.

“Sports is about redemption,” he said.

“The coolest thing about sports is doing the second act better than the first.

Japanese, Mexican kids get a taste of California during Pony World Series

M att Miller MMILLER@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — The kids from Mexico arrived at Keating Park Friday morning and found the group from Japan relaxing under the trees and walked over to say, “hola.”

Suddenly both teams were posing for pictures together as their Mexican and Japanese parents, coaches and chaperones circled around to the get the shot. Moments later, all the teams present came running over to join the group pictures. International diplomacy at its finest.

The teams from Mexico and Japan are in Vacaville this weekend to participate in the Pony League 9U International World Series. Vacaville is one of four teams from California, along with a squad from Texas, Illinois and the two international squads.

The tournament began Friday morning with a skills challenge and, later in the day, an official opening ceremonies. Games are held at 5 p.m. and 7:30 Sunday with the championship slated for Monday at 6 p.m. The other teams are Frankfort,

Illinois, Kingwood, Texas, Simi Valley, Tecolote (San Diego) and Rodeo.

All the games are open to the public. There is a $10 admission for 13 and over, $5 for ages 5-12. Both cash and credit cards will be accepted at the gate.

The kids from Los

Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, arrived in style on a chartered orange bus that featured pictured headshots of each player. It was a monumental, 31-hour trip with plenty of stops fo the “bano,” so 9-year-old Miguel Ruiz said, through a translator, there was lots of “sleeping, eating and video games.”

Ruiz said the team was “happy to be there, ready to see the sights .” He also wanted to “go shopping.”

Asked what food the team was eager to try in California, he said, “hamburguesas.” No translation needed there.

Manager Ramon Sanchez said his kids are focused solely on the tournament, but did add they, “want to go to San Francisco and see a baseball game.” He also offered that there is “lot of hitting” on the team and that he likes

Pat Brandon/Special to the Daily Republic file (2021)

Robert Hight returns to Sonoma with his Funny Car next weekend for the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway. Hight won the previous three races to 2022 and hopes to grab the title once again on Sunday.

Matt Miller/Daily Republic

Members of the Japanaese and Mexican baseball teams posed for pictures prior to the start of the Pony 9U World Series at Keating Park in Vacaville.

CALENDAR

Sunday’s

TV sports

Baseball MLB • San Francisco vs. Washington, NBCSBA, 10:35 a.m.

• Houston vs. Oakland, NBCSCA, 1:07 p.m.

• N.Y. Mets vs. Boston, ESPN, 4:10 p.m. Golf • The British Open, 3, 4 a.m. Lacrosse Athletics Unlimited

• Team Read vs. Team Mastroaini, ESPN2, 9 a.m.

• Team Apuzzo vs. Team Moreno, ESPN2, 11:30 a.m. Motorsports

• F-1, Hungary Grand Prix, ESPN, 5:55 a.m.

• IndyCar, Hy-vee 250, 3, 11 a.m.

• NASCAR Cup Series, HighPoint.com 400, USA, 11:30 a.m.

• NHRA, Northwest Nationals, 2, 40, 1 p.m.

Soccer Leagues Cup • New York City FC vs. Atlas, FS1, 4 p.m.

• Pueblavs. Minnesota, FS1, 6 p.m.

Women’s World Cup

• France vs. Jamaica, 2, 40, 3 a.m.

• Italy vs. Argentina, FS1, 11 p.m.

• Germany vs. Morocco, FS1, 1:30 a.m. (Monday).

Brian Harman ruining drama at the British Open

barry Svrluga

WASHINGTON POST

HOYLAKE, England — Man, is this shaping up to be a classic British Open finish or what? Jon Rahm, the reigning Masters champion, is coming off a heater of a 63 on Saturday that pushed him up the leader board before the other contenders had even settled into their rounds.

Cameron Young, the powerful young American who was the runner-up last year at St. Andrews, birdied the last to get to 7 under par, one shot better than Rahm.

Viktor Hovland of Norway, Jason Day of Australia, Tommy Fleetwood from just up the road. Shoot, even the rare Austrian – Sepp Straka, a recent PGA Tour winner –adds some flavor, albeit of Wiener schnitzel. Also in the top 10 are the requisite outliers in Antoine Rozner of France and Shubhankar Sharma of India.

What a leader board.

Ahead of Sunday’s final round at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, all of those players are within two shots of one another. This finish could be...

Oh, wait. Shoot. Brian Harman – a 36-year-old, left-handed, everyman PGA Tour grinder - shot

ANALYSIS

a steady and sturdy 69 on Saturday, didn’t he? Darn it. He’s at 12 under. He maintained the five-shot lead he held after 36 holes.

He’s ruining what could be an epic British Open.

Admit what he’s doing, but give him his due and allow him his dreams.

“You’d be foolish not to envision [a victory], and I’ve thought about winning majors my whole life,” Harman said Saturday evening. “It’s the reason why I work as hard as I do, why I practice as much as I do, why I sacrifice as much as I do. Tomorrow, if that’s going to come to fruition for me, it has to be all about the golf. It has to be execution and just staying in the moment.”

Harman should absolutely be commended for how he handled himself during the third round. He entered with that fiveshot lead. He wobbled with two bogeys on his first four holes to see that lead shrink to two. He made a steadying birdie at the fifth and didn’t stumble the rest of the way.

He has made just three bogeys over 54 holes and absolutely will dictate how Sunday plays out.

Janric Classic Sudoku

Messi dazzles in his Miami debut

SuSan Miller Degnan MIAMI HERALD

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The only thing more thrilling than playing for the same team on the same field in the same game as Lionel Messi for his Inter Miami debut was doing it in a last-minute victory on a free kick – the game’s final kick – by the man himself.

Inter Miami’s 2-1 victory late Friday over Cruz Azul of Mexico’s Liga MX in their opener of the Leagues Cup will not be forgotten by Inter Miami players and the capacity crowd of about 20,500 that began chanting “Messi! Messi! Messi!” shortly after the match began – and rarely stopped. Fireworks shot off over DRV PNK Stadium seconds after the game ended and the pink Messibanner-waving crowd

went absolutely berserk.

So did the Inter Miami players, amazed and enlightened by the magical moment and realization that the world’s best soccer player, not to mention his close friend and fellow newly arrived superstar Sergio Busquets, are really

their teammates.

“I was standing on top of our chairs,’’ 18-yearold midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi, the Key Biscayne teenager that the 36-year-old icon replaced in the 54th minute, said, laughing. At that point, defensive midfielder Busquets also entered the

game for the first time as an Inter Miami player.

Messi didn’t say a word to Cremaschi as he replaced him, Cremaschi said. “He just gave me a hug and a kiss.

“I was like another fan cheering for him. It was really exciting. ... When he came in, a couple of us said, ‘He’s going to score! He’s going to score! He’s going to win the game for us.’ And that’s what happened. He has been very vocal with us. Also, Busi as well has been very vocal with us. Obviously that helps us young kids to learn from them. We appreciate that.

“This is one of the top moments of my career. It’s just crazy that I could be part of that moment.’’

The Argentine hero did not play in the first half and leaped off the bench, pumping both fists in the air, when midfielder Robert Taylor scored.

Fairfield Bocce Federation seeking new members for winter and summer leagues

Daily r epublic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield Bocce Federation is seeking new players to join its winter and summer leagues.

Signups for the winter league begin Sept. 1 and league play begins in mid-October. Summer league signups begin March 1 with league play beginning in mid-April. There is a 9 a.m. league Tuesdays, a 6 p.m. league Tuesdays, and 9 a.m. leagues on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Participants can ask to be paired to an existing team or be part of a

new one with a minimum of four players required. Anyone 16 years and older is eligible to play. League fees are $25 per person with a oneyear membership fee of $15.

There are four outdoor courts for the summer league and two indoor courts for the winter league. The indoor courts are in the multipurpose room at the Adult Recreation Center, 1200 Harry Price Drive in Fairfield. The outdoor courts are across the street from the Adult Recreation Center.

Those interested in joining the organization and playing in a bocce

league should go to the website at www.fairfieldbocce.org for more information, or contact Priscilla Barrett at beneg@msn.com or cell number, 707-469-7310.

Weekly “Al Sacco Sessions” are held for those who are new to the game every Thursday at 5 p.m., at 1200 Harry Price Drive. During the summer Sacco will hold sessions outdoors and in the winter it will be held indoors. There is no fee for attending. It’s an opportunity to learn to play the game and try it out with other players. No past experience is necessary.

Los Angeles Times Sunday Crossword Puzzle

MOVING PARTS By Enrique

Henestroza Anguiano

7/23/23

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

© 2023 Janric Enterprises Dist. by creators.com

Difficulty level: GOLD

Solution to 7/23/23:

David Santiago/Miami Herald/TNS

Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi celebrates with teammates DeAndre Yedlin, left, and Christopher McVey after scoring the go-ahead goal at DRV PNK Stadium in a 2-1 victory over Cruz Azul of Mexico n Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Friday.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT THE FOLLOWING PERSON (PERSONS) IS (ARE) DOING BUSINESS AS MAIJA'S MACRONS & MORE LOCATEDAT711CapricornCircleFairfield,CASolano.Mailingaddress711 CapricornCircleFairfield,CA94533.IS (ARE)HEREBYREGISTEREDBYTHE FOLLOWINGOWNER(S)Maija Nacionales711CapricornCirFairfield 94533.THISBUSINESSISCONDUCTEDBY: anIndividual Theregistrantcommencedtotransact businessunderthefictitiousbusiness nameornameslistedaboveonN/A. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.) /s/MaijaNacionales INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONJune222028. THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: JUN232023 NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023001000 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00064615 Published:July9,16,23,30,2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT THE FOLLOWING PERSON (PERSONS) IS (ARE) DOING BUSINESS AS KAHLO'S RESTAURANT LOCATEDAT731TexasSt,FairfieldCA 94533Solano.Mailingaddress152Idora Ave,VallejoCA94591.IS(ARE)

HEREBYREGISTEREDBYTHEFOLLOWINGOWNER(S)Kahlo'sRestaurant

LLCCA94591.THISBUSINESSISCON-

DUCTEDBY:

aLimitedLiabilityCompany Theregistrantcommencedtotransact businessunderthefictitiousbusiness nameornameslisteda boveonN/A. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.) /s/Kahlo'sRestaurantLLCby LuisGGutierrezCastaneda

INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY

CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER

ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER.

ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE

THEEXPIRATIONJune212028.

THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: JUN222023

NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023000997 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00064363 Published:July2,9,16,23,2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT THE FOLLOWING PERSON (PERSONS) IS (ARE) DOING BUSINESS AS J FRANCIS FLORAL DESIGN LOCATEDAT5116JuliaBergerCircle, Fairfield,CA94534Solano.Mailingaddress5116JuliaBergerCircle,Fairfield, CA94534.IS(ARE)HEREBYREGISTEREDBYTHEFOLLOWINGOWNER(S)BonigHausLLCCA.THISBUSINESSISCONDUCTEDBY: aLimitedLiabilityCompany Theregistrantcommencedtotransact businessunderthefictitiousbusines s nameornameslistedaboveon 06/06/2023. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.) /s/JasonFBoenig,CEO INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONJune062028. THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ., BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: JUN072023

NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023000926 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00064583 Published:July9,16,23,30,2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT THE FOLLOWING PERSON (PERSONS) IS (ARE) DOING BUSINESS AS KNT CLEANING SERVICES LOCATEDAT1745EnterpriseDr,Ste1A, Fairfield,CA,94533Solano.MailingaddressP.O.Box25,Fairfield,CA,94533. IS(ARE)HEREBYREGISTEREDBY THEFOLLOWINGOWNER(S)KevinRogers4851CowellBlvdAptDDavis, 95618.THISBUSINESSISCONDUCTEDBY: anIndividual Theregistrantcommencedtotransact businessunderthefictitiousbusin ess nameornameslistedaboveonN/A. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.) /s/KevinRogers INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONJune52028. THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: JUN062023 NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023000916 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00064343 Published:July2,9,16,23,2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT THE FOLLOWING PERSON (PERSONS) IS (ARE) DOING BUSINESS AS KEEP ME HANDY LOCATEDAT307ETaborAveApt3, Fairfield,CA94533Solano.Mailingaddress307ETaborAveApt3,Fairfield, CA94533.IS(ARE)HEREBYREGISTEREDBYTHEFOLLOWINGOWNER(S):FlyrouteLewisLLCCA.THIS BUSINESSISCONDUCTEDBY: aLimitedLiabilityCompany Theregistrantcommencedtotransact businessunderthefictitiousbusiness nameornameslist edaboveon 07/11/2023. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.) /s/CalvinLewis INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONJuly102028. THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: JUL112023 NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023001078 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00064707 Published:July16,23,30August6,2023

HOUSE

Petitioner:ErikShawnRogersfiledapetitionwiththiscourtforadecreechanging namesasfollows:

a. Erik Shawn Rogers ProposedName: a. Erik Sean Ellington THECOURTORDERSthatallpersonsinterestedinthismattershallappearbefore thiscourtatthehearingindicatedbelowto showcause,ifany,whythepetitionfor changeofnameshouldnotbegranted. Anypersonobjectingtothename changesdescribedabovemustfileawrittenobjectionthatincludesthereasonsfor theobjectionatleasttwocourtdaysbeforethematterisscheduledtobeheard andmustappearatthehearingtoshow causewhythepetitionshouldnotbegranted.Ifnowrittenobjectionistimelyfiled, thecourtmaygrantthepetitionwithouta hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING

Date: AUG 18, 2023; Time: 9:00AM; Dept: 4; Rm: 305 The address of the court is: SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF Old Solano Courthouse 580 Texas Street Fairfield, CA 94533 AcopyofthisOrdertoShowCausemust bepublishedatleastonceeachweekfor foursuccessiveweeksbeforethedateset forhearingonthepetitioninthefollowing newspaperofgeneralcirculation,printed inthiscounty:DailyRepublic PleasefileProofofPublication5businessdaysinadvanceofhearingdate (newspaperdoesnotfilew/court).

Date:MAY18,2023 /s/E.BradleyNelson JudgeoftheSuperiorCourt FILED:MAY242023 DR#00064596

Published:July9,16,23,30,2023

Hardwood/ bamboo floors, FR w/fp, bar, whole house fan. Byard oasis w/pool & hot tub. $795,000

& Bobby Schultz REALTORS® DRE#00858829 & 02059665

HOUSE

Local scores

Nine Arounders

Cup

From Page B6

in this tournament for the fourth time, isn’t worried.

“The way the first World Cup game goes is not the way the last one is going to go,” she said. “Teams need to have time to get into the World Cup. Having so many players who had their first World Cup experience, it was a good start for us.

United states head coach Vlatko Andonovski talks to his team during a group match against Vietnam in the World Cup at Eden park in Auckland, New Zealand, saturday.

what we could have done better.”

Kathy Pascal, 5’ 10”

2: Mona Begell, 12’

Handel, No. 3

Peterson, No. 15

Hoekwater, No. 6

Kreger, No. 15

Lowrey, No. 2

Dahl, No. 2

Carroll, No. 7

Hahn, No. 8

Kreger, No. 15

Rio Vista Women’s Golf Club

Bellamy, No. 9

Biles, No. 15

Smith, Nos. 10 and 12

Bocce

Fairfield Bocce Federation

“Could we have scored more goals? Of course. But we had a lot of players that played extremely well, we had a lot of players who this was their first time playing in a World Cup. We’re going to build on that.”

In many ways, Saturday’s game unfolded just how Andonovski hoped it would. He pushed midfielder Julie Ertz to the back line, where she hadn’t started since the last World Cup opener four years ago, and she responded with the best afternoon of the four U.S. defenders. He wanted to give some playing time to veterans Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle, who have been sidelined with injuries, and each went 28 minutes. And he especially wanted to test his young players, giving starts to six World Cup rookies and bringing two others off the bench.

GM

From Page B6

Green

NHrA

From Page B6

in his first full year of action but will face off with an impressive field that also includes defending world champ Matt Smith, Hector Arana Jr., Eddie Krawiec, who is seeking his 50th career win, Steve Johnson and Angie Smith.

The category will also get the spotlight on Saturday with the Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout, pitting eight top riders against each other in a unique specialty race. The first seed will get the chance to select his opponent, followed by the second seed until all matchups are set in the exciting shootout race. The first-round selections will be made on the starting line at 7:45 p.m. Friday.

NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League Shootout, Street Legal and Top the Cops exhibitions as well, along with autograph sessions at the Toyota and Mission Foods Midway Displays. Pro Stock Motorcycle autograph sessions will take place at the Suzuki Display, while a special kids-only autograph session takes place at 2:30 p.m. on Friday under the main grandstands.

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 4:30 and 7 p.m. on Friday, and the final two rounds of qualifying Saturday at 12:40 and 3:30 p.m.

We’re always striving for that, and I think Mike is no different.”

Dunleavy’s return to Golden State is ripe for vindication given the way he left. He was booed out of Oracle Arena for reasons only irrational, beleaguered fans can explain.

In 2002, the Warriors had a league-worst record and didn’t get the No. 1 pick. Their poor lottery luck dropped them to No. 3, where then-GM Garry St. Jean picked Dunleavy – a star at Duke, but perhaps not at the NBA level.

“Imagine if their ping pong ball had been drawn and we got Yao Ming instead of Mike,” said Eric Jett, a War-

All had stout games, especially Smith and USC grad Savannah DeMelo, who contributed mightily on both sides of the ball.

“It was good to just get a game under my belt,” Smith said. “I was feeling all the emotions going into it, not really knowing what to expect. I don’t usually get nervous, but I was nervous before this game. I mean, it’s a World Cup.”

Expected to be the breakout star of this tournament, Smith opened the scoring in the 14th minute. The sequence started with Lindsey Horan sending a ball forward for Morgan, whose back-heel pass found Smith in full sprint up the left wing. She then outran a pair of defenders before grounding a leftfooted shot through the legs of Vietnamese keeper Than Thi Kim Thanh.

Smith doubled the lead in the dying moment of

riors fan of 36 years who runs r/warriors, a Reddit community dedicated to the team. “(Still), you expect a lot from a third overall pick.” But Dunleavy didn’t save the Warriors. They went 164-246 in Dunleavy’s four-and-a-half seasons with Golden State under coaches Eric Musselman, Mike Montgomery and Don Nelson. Wallowing in the dark ages that saw a decades-long championship drought and no player whose jersey they could wear with pride, fans reviled Dunleavy not for the solid player he was, but for the superstar he wasn’t. What made it worse –Dunleavy put the target on his own back.

“I’m really tired of the negativity around here,” a 24-year-old Dunleavy said in 2005. “We’re trying

first-half stoppage time, left-footing a shot through traffic and again through the keeper’s legs. But her most impressive play of the day was the pass that sent up the final goal in the 77th minute. After driving toward the end line, drawing the attention of a couple defenders and Thanh, the keeper, Smith sent a right-footed pass from a difficult angle to a lonely Horan, who had nothing but open net to shoot at from the center of the box.

“It’s always great to have the first game to really calm everyone’s nerves and get the three points and then we progress from there,” said Horan, the team’s captain. “You get the win, the three goals were great. But we could have finished a lot more of our opportunities.

“It is what it is. We’ll go back and look to see

our best. We play hard. If they’re going to come out as fans, they shouldn’t be negative.”

Chris Mullin, who replaced St. Jean as GM in 2005, traded Dunleavy to Indiana, where he broke out in his first full season and parlayed that into a 15-year career. Golden State fans showered him with boos when he returned as a visiting player.

“You come in as a high pick from Duke, there’s expectations,” Dunleavy said. “Not only from the outside, but in myself. It’s disappointing looking back because we could have had better teams.”

While fans may live in the past, those who knew Dunleavy best as a Warrior expect him to win them over as GM. All the qualities he had as a teammate made him destined for the front office.

Maybe. But reviewing that game film will likely leave Andonovski with more questions than answers. Although the U.S. spent most of the game in Vietnam’s end, players were far too unselfish, passing up clear shots in an effort to set up a teammate. At least a dozen times that resulted in an errant cross into a crowded penalty area while Morgan, Rapinoe and Horan combined for 12 shots from the run of play, but only put one on frame.

They won’t get away with wasting that many chances against a good team.

“We needed to be a little bit better with the final shot,” Andonovski said. “Usually it’s the final pass. I would say now it was the final shot.”

Before climbing into the passenger seat of the minivan for the ride to the team hotel, the coach flashed a wan smile. He wasn’t sure how long the ride would take or how bumpy it was going to be, but at least he knew where he was headed and who was driving. The same could be said about his team.

“I don’t think anyone on the staff is worried, actually,” he said. “We’re very, very encouraged.”

“Warriors fans wanted a superstar,” Mullin said in a phone conversation last week. “But his best quality was as a teammate.”

From his teammates’ perspective, Dunleavy was committed to making the team better, relying on his strong feel for the game rather than hunting for stats. Foyle recalls long flights spent talking with Dunleavy about team building, the collective bargaining agreement, rosters, Xs and Os.

“I always felt he was more aware of the nuances behind the scenes in a way a lot of people weren’t,” Foyle said. “He had an opinion about everything.” Watching his father, former NBA coach and GM Mike Dunleavy Sr., work with everyone from Magic Johnson to Scottie Pippen gave Dunleavy perspective.

pony

From Page B6

The event also will offer up the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, featuring some of the top drivers in the sport. The weekend includes the the “union of the team.” Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, is a coastal community that rests on the Gulf of California.

Japanese manager Keiki Sakaeda said, through a translator, that the boys were “excited” to be in California. He said pitching is the strength of the team and that he is most pleased that the boys “can challenge and think

Final eliminations are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Sunday. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 9 a.m. Saturday, 10:30 a.m. Sunday, and then eliminations on FOX at 1 p.m.Sunday.

To purchase tickets to the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals, fans can visit www.sonomaraceway.com or call 800-870-7223.

for themselves.” Bel Passi Baseball in Modesto was not able to host the tournament this year, so Vacaville stepped in. It has taken a solid group of volunteers to handle things like field prep, transportation, housing, food and marketing.

“We have this big, old complex, so we said yes. 100 percent,” Vacaville Pony president Jason Case said. “We shuttled the Japanese kids over here and they were so excited. It was unreal. They all just love baseball.”

Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images/TNS