Daily Republic: Wednesday, August 2, 2023

Solano’s ag diversity keeps county’s crop value up A5

State champions vie for Western Regional crown B1

National Night Out celebrations gather neighbors, friends

number of times he watched the “Back to the Future” trilogy.

scream and laugh, recognizing the truck are the real fans,” he said.

FAIRFIELD — Jack Russo was prepared for the $64,000 question at Tuesday’s National Night Out.

The project manager traveled from Daly City to show off his restored 1987 Toyota 4x4, representing Marty McFly’s truck from “Back to the Future” movies.

When asked if he would share how much money he spent restoring the truck, Russo headed to the truck and returned with a copy of Grays Sports Almanac, 1950-2000. The same book featured in the same film series.

“I made a couple of bets in this,” he said, flipping pages. “That paid for it,” he added with a chuckle.

Russo has lost count of the

Another viewing was added on a recent plane trip to Europe, where, from the many choices, Russo opted to watch the first “Back to the Future” movie.

He found the truck, after an exhaustive search, on Craigslist, in 2012 . Within a year, it was completely restored and ready to be featured at car shows and even fan conventions.

The Fairfield Police Department’s Crime Prevention Team to participate in National Night Out in downtown Fairfield. He made the trek in the truck, drawing attention on the roads.

Thumbs up are common response when people see the truck.

“Those who bounce up and down,

Guests were allowed to snap photos in front of the truck and asked not to touch the truck.

There was a time the truck was on display in the Moscone Center for a few days and the fingerprints were obvious, from across the room. Having to wipe them off seems seems to make the little nicks more prominent, he said.

Shyanne Joseph stopped by with her daughter Elizabeth Joseph, 4. The girl spent some time playing a bean bag toss game, some with Bee Xiong, an investigator with the Solano County District Attorney’s office. Seeing kids such as Elizabeth was great, he said.

Third gig was a charm for Leaving Theodora

A my m Aginnis-Honey

AMAGINNIS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — Three seems to be the lucky number for the Leaving Theodora, who won the 2023 Singer Songwriter contest on Friday.

It was the band’s third gig. Leaving Theodora is a trio of longtime friends and musicians, who grew up in Vacaville.

Drummer/percussionist Michael Santoni, guitarist Paul Deal and bassist Randy Marshall, bring a rich history of music to the band. Deal and Marshall were in a handful of bands together, including the Plain Janes, an alt-rock band that played on the west coast of the US in the late 1990s.

Santoni toured the globe with other bands.

A Plain Janes reunion in 2018, was the beginning of Leaving Theodora.

The three, who are also a mutual admiration society, began jamming in a wood shed and liked what they hearing and what was happening.

Marshall and Santoni

say Deal is the ultimate songwriter. When asked to join Leaving Theodora, Deal felt insecure. But it was also an outlet for his four years of written songs in limbo. “Now they have taken on a life of its own,” Deal said. ‘Paul gets stuff in his head 24/7,” Marshall said. “He has to put the stuff down.” Deal may bring a tune to rehearsal, Marshall and Santoni will play it and see where it goes. “We are blessed to have the ability to communicate,” Marshall said.

The band’s moniker came from a debate regarding whether Theodora should be one or two words. Santoni sent a text to his bandmates, saying he was OK with leaving it one word.

Santoni, Deal and Marshall recalled Vacaville in their youth, going to Journey Downtown, which was then a movie theater. “I grew up in that place,” Marshall said. “it’s great to come back and play on

See

Page A9

Trump

indicted after special counsel investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election

Los A ngeLes Times

WASHINGTON —

Former President Donald Trump has been indicted on four felony counts fol lowing a special counsel investigation into efforts to stop the transfer of power after his 2020 elec tion loss and his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

Trump is charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, conspiracy against rights, and obstruction of or attempting to obstruct an official proceeding.

The indictment alleges that Trump sought to discount legitimate votes and subvert the 2020 presidential election results through three criminal conspiracies: obstructing the nation’s process of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the presidential election; impeding the Jan. 6, 2021, count and certification of the presidential election

results; and denying the right to vote and to have that vote counted.

Trump said last month that he had been notified he was the target of special counsel Jack Smith’s probe, which began late last year amid televised hearings conducted by a congressional select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Those proceedings laid out many

See Counsel, Page A9

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden are locked in a neck-and-neck race for the White House in 2024, a new poll revealed.

Despite Trump’s deepening legal woes, voters are split right down the middle in a rematch of the 2020 race with 43% supporting each candidate, according to a new Siena College/New York Times poll released Tuesday.

In a glimmer of good news for Democrats, the 14% of voters who don’t support either candidate seem to lean fairly strongly to Biden.

The president opens up a narrow 2% overall lead in the poll when those so-called “double hater” voters are allocated based on whom they say they voted for last time. Biden holds a similar advantage if the poll is only limited to those who actually voted in either 2020 or 2022.

Biden beat Trump by 4.5% in 2020, or about 7 million votes.

But that popular vote victory translated into a razor-thin margin in

battleground states like Wisconsin, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Georgia that forged his win in the electoral college, suggesting the poll’s margin could lead to another extreme nail biter.

The poll shows Biden is consolidating support among Democrats, many of whom once hoped he would hand over the baton to a younger, more dynamic figure.

Another sign of potential upside for Biden is that young voters, who overwhelmingly hold liberal views on issues like abortion rights, are still on the fence.

Trump, on the other hand, has maintained an enduring strength despite becoming the first former president to be criminally charged.

The poll shows virtually no drop off among voters who supported him in 2020 and very little decline among Republicans, belying any possible affect from the criminal cases that Trump derides as a partisan witch hunt.

He has maintained

See Poll, Page A9

Kaiser Vallejo Medical Center earns award for nursing excellence

VALLEJO — Kaiser Permanente Vallejo Medical Center was recognized nationally for its nursing excellence and providing patients with exceptional care by receiving the highly sought American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet Recognition according to a press release.

Kaiser Permanente

Vallejo is the first Kaiser Permanente Northern California hospital to receive this prestigious designation. Less than 10% of hospitals in the United States have earned Magnet Recognition, which is considered the gold standard for nursing excellence, quality care, and innovations in nursing practice the release said. To receive this award they demonstrated nursing excellence by outperforming national benchmarks in the areas of quality, safety, care experience, and nursing engagement; a set of rigorous criteria created by the ANCC. The designation is renewed every four years.

Achieving the prestigious designation required the participation of all nurses at the hospital and interdisciplinary team members.

As part of the process for the designation, a three-day site visit was conducted in May at Kaiser Permanente Vallejo. Not only were nurses involved but also hospital leaders, physicians, and community and business representatives.

Beyond the exceptional work taking place inside the hospital, the surveyors also recognized Kaiser Permanente

Feeling lonely, she got a kitten; he became U.K. Cat of the Year

The WashingTon PosT

Genevieve Moss has profound hearing loss, and she was feeling lonely and isolated as she flipped through the local newspaper at her home in Chesterfield, England.

Vallejo’s commitment to the community and the work the hospital does in Napa and Solano counties from helping with housing assistance to addressing food insecurity.

“Magnet Recognition provides patients and their families with a benchmark by which to measure the quality of care they can expect to receive,” said Darryl Curry, senior vice president and area manager of Kaiser Permanente’s Napa-Solano service area. “We have reached this moment through our long history of excellence within the medical center combined with our dedication and pride in serving the community.”

Wesley graduates from Elms College

FAIRFIELD — Nikole

Wesley of Fairfield graduated with a postbachelor’s certificate in pre-med studies from Elms College during the May 20, 2023 commencement ceremony in Chicopee, Mass.

Wesley was among 440 students who received their degrees. Do you have some good news to share? Send it to Susan Hiland at shiland@dailyrepublic. net. Be sure to include Good News in the subject line.

Vacaville vets, Travis 1st Sergeants hosting poker tourney

VACAVILLE — American Legion Post 165 and the Air Force Sergeants Association Chapter 1320 at Travis Air Force Base are holding a charity poker tournament on Sept. 23.

Proceeds benefit airman at Travis AFB, Gold Star Families, American Legion Baseball, Boys State, scouting programs, veterans’ rehabilitation and the Travis AFB Fisher House.

There will $2,000 in Visa gift card prizes, starting at $500, and free food.

The tournament is open to 100 players, with a $70 donation buy-in prior to Sept. 1 and $75 after that date. Doors open at the Veterans Memorial Building, 549 Merchant St, in Vacaville, at 4 p.m. The first hand is at 5.

To purchase tickets on Pay Pal go to: www.paypal. com/paypalme/ALPost165 Be sure to indicate tickets for poker tournament; or contact Jeff Jewell at vetrepjeff@gmail.com or (707) 365-8384 to buy tickets using Venmo, cash or check.

CORRECTION POLICY

“Being in a silent world and living alone without any human support caused a lot of distress and anxiety,” Moss said in an email interview with The Washington Post.

Then something stopped her as she read the paper that day in April 2021, deep in the pandemic.

“I saw a photo of a tiny black and white ball of fluff, and I fell in love with him then and there,” said Moss, 66.

A family had placed an ad, hoping to find a home for the last kitten in their cat’s litter. When Moss reached out to them, the family arranged to bring by the two-month-old domesticated shorthair with tuxedo markings. Soon, the deal was sealed.

“He jumped from their arms straight into mine, and I knew that he had chosen me,” said Moss, who decided to call him Zebby because his colors resembled those of a zebra.

Moss had heard of studies showing that pets can help to alleviate loneliness for people who live alone, but she had no idea the cat would turn into her helper and her ears, even grabbing her mail and slippers for her.

And last month, about 21/2 years after Zebby leaped into her life, Moss was stunned when her cat was named Britain’s National Cat of the Year by Cats Protection, the country’s largest feline welfare charity.

Zebby beat about 3,000 nominees for the title because of the many ways he helps Moss, said Zahir White, spokesperson for Cats Protection.

“He’d had no training at all,” Moss said, “but his cat instincts and curiosity seemed to tell him that I needed his helpthat I wasn’t able to hear anything at times when the hearing aids were out of my ears.”

“People were impressed with how a cat like Zebby can help someone who is in a vulnerable position,” said White, adding that about 24,000 people cast votes online this year for their favorite finalists in the annual contest.

White said Zebby essentially taught himself to help Moss around the house and “act as Genevieve’s ears.”

Moss has no hearing in her left ear and hearing capability of less than

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.

After several weeks, Moss noticed that whenever her phone rang or somebody knocked on the door, he would tap her with his paw or pace in front of her to alert her.

When security lights came on outside, she said, her cat would scratch at the glass and run around the room until she woke up.

“He became my security guard and night watch cat,” she said. “Sometimes, he would even nibble my toes to wake me.”

It wasn’t long before Zebby took on another task: picking up Moss’s mail.

“He heard the rattle of the letterbox being opened, and he stretched up on his back legs and pulled the letter from the flap as a hand posted it through,”

she said. “I thought at first it was a ‘one off’ game, but he continued to do it every Zebby now carries the mail in his mouth and drops it at her feet, Moss said. He also fetches her slippers if

“He has helped break the loneliness and has made my house a home,” she said. “Zebby always makes me laugh.”

Late last fall, Moss said, she was scrolling through Facebook when she came across a post seeking nominations for the 2023 National Cat Awards. Open contest categories included Cat Colleagues (bringing joy to the workplace), Family Fur-ever (making families complete) and Moggy Marvels (extraordinary felines).

“I was keen to let them know about my fur baby,” she said.

She filled out an application online in the Family Fur-ever category, explaining her hearing loss and how Zebby had taught himself to alert

her to sounds inside and outside the house.

“I’ve never known a cat quite like him,” she wrote in her application.

Moss said she was stunned when she received word earlier this year that Zebby had won the family category and, even better, that he was one of three finalists for the grand prize, National Cat of the Year. Finalists are chosen through a combination of public votes and panel judges.

The winner is selected by judges and announced at a ceremony in London.

Besides Zebby, this year’s National Cat of the Year finalists included a sociable cat named Elsa that visits local shops in Bridgwater, England, and Dali, a cat from Shipley, England, that survived for a month while stranded on a patch of river rocks.

At the July 17 ceremony, Moss’s eyes filled with tears when Zebby’s photo popped up on a giant screen and he was announced as the grand prize winner. The only downside, she said, was that Zebby wasn’t there with her.

“I froze in disbelief when he won,” Moss said. She took home two glass-engraved awards for Zebby and a gift package that included a pet store voucher worth $255.

“As soon as I got home, I hugged him, then ordered him a superhero costume,” she said. “I can’t envision not having Zebby in my life now. Because of him, I’ll never have to go back to those dark, lonely times.”

Genevieve Moss courtesy photo

Genevieve Moss with a portrait of Zebby at the Cats Protection National Cat Awards in London, July 17.

Civil grand jury reviews lack of agency response to its reports

FAIRFIELD — The

2022-23 Solano County

civil grand jury called out the county Office of Emergency Services, Dixon and Vallejo for not responding to past reports as required by law.

“Each Grand Jury throughout the state of California takes its obligation seriously to investigate issues that affect their county and municipal government operations.

Civil Grand Jury reports include findings and recommendations that result in improved governmental effectiveness and efficiency. California … law requires each entity to respond in a timely and appropriate manner, addressing specified findings and recommendations,” the report states.

“Failure to fully and adequately reply to Civil Grand Jury reports undermines the ability of the citizens of Solano County to evaluate the performance of local governments and agencies,” the grand jury wrote.

That is why this grand jury opted “to review the statutorily required responses and compliance to the 2021-2022 Solano County Civil Grand Jury Final Report.” It went on to review reports and the agency responses to consolidated reports for the past 10 years.

Perhaps most noteworthy are the lack of responses to review of emergencies and the ability to respond to future events.

It noted as part of its review of the 2021-22 LNU wildfire review, “Effective Emergency Response Needs City and County Support,” that the county Office of Emergency Services did not respond specifically to four findings, including one that

indicates only two agencies filed after-action reports on the fire response.

OES, according to the grand jury report, did not respond to these findings:

n “The most dangerous failure during the LNU fire was the failure of the first Chief on the scene to establish an Incident Command Post.”

n “The lack of a consolidated digital communication system in Solano County hampers effective firefighting efforts.”

n “A county fire department is needed to serve the unincorporated areas of Solano County.”

n “Only two agencies involved in the LNU fire produced afteraction reports.”

The 2022-23 civil grand jury addressed the emergency dispatch system in its own report this year.

“Time is of the essence for emergency service personnel to respond to calls for help. Delays in responding to such calls can be the difference between life and death.,” that report states. There were three findings and corresponding

recommendations issued. The Sheriff’s Office and Dixon Police Department each responded to the third finding as required, and each agreed the “Solano County Board of Supervisors should approve and begin the implementation of a consolidated dispatch center.”

And, in fact, the county is moving in that direction.

Fourteen additional responses are required, but as of Monday, had not been posted by the Superior Court.

Ironically, the civil grand jury did not require any responses to this report titled, “Noncompliance with Required Responses to Solano County Civil Grand Jury Final Reports.”

There was on finding made in the report.

“The agencies and municipalities within Solano County have not always fully and adequately complied with the legal requirements to reply to Civil Grand Jury reports (as specified in Penal Code section 933),” the report states.

Additionally, this civil grand jury prompted

County terminates contract with firm hired

for Covid

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Solano County has terminated a contract with California Health Medical Reserve Corps, which provided Covid-19 services at the Solano Town Center and some pop-up locations, as the Health & Social Services, Auditor-Recorder and County Counsel offices account for services rendered against what was described as inadequate documentation.

serve as a basis for the audit conclusions:

n Finding 1: CHMRC did not provide sufficient documentation to substantiate the expenditures contained within the four sampled invoices.

n Finding 2: CHMRC did not provide a cost allocation plan.

“future panels evaluate and report on legally required responses to their reports on a more regular basis and refer evidence of failure to comply with statutorily required responses to the presiding judge.”

The noncompliance report noted failure to respond by Dixon on five occasions and Vallejo twice.

The Dison reports in question are the 2021-22 report “Solano County Is Not Prepared for Future Emergencies; ” the 2019-20 report “Registry of Public Agencies Filing Process;”

2018-19 report “Wastewater Treatment Plants;” the 2017-18 reports “Solano Animal Control Authority” and “Code Enforcement;” and the 2015-16 report “Homeless-Omnipresent and Invisible?”

Vallejo was cited for failure to respond to the 2021-22 report “An Operational Review of Solano County Library Services (SCLS),” and the 2019-20 report, “Registry of Public Agencies Filing Process.”

Caltrans planning I-80 closures in Vallejo area

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VALLEJO — Cal-

trans is scheduled to close parts of Interstate 80 on three weekends between early August and early September for repavement projects.

The first of those closures is on eastbound I-80, between Hercules and Crockett, starting at 9 p.m. on Friday and ending at 5 a.m. on Monday, the state Department of Transportation reported.

The closure on that stretch of the interstate will be repeated starting

on Aug. 18, Caltrans said.

Motorists traveling east on I-80 will need to exit at Highway 4 in Hercules and continue east to northbound I-680. From there they can use I-680 to reach I-80 in Fairfield or use westbound I-780 to access the Benicia and Vallejo areas.

Cummings Skyway between Highway 4 and I-80 will be open into the Crockett area, too.

“Caltrans has also scheduled nightly lane closures at various times during the weekend of Aug. 4 to perform work on the I-80/Highway

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29 Bridge Separation Project in Vallejo. Motorists traveling on eastbound I-80, just east of the Carquinez Bridge Toll Plaza, should drive with caution as traffic will be reduced down to one lane on eastbound I-80 after the bridge,” Caltrans said in a statement.

The lane reductions will be in place on eastbound I-80 from the Carquinez Toll Plaza to Magazine Street in Vallejo. Additionally, Caltrans reported, a 104-hour full, westbound I-80 closure is set for Labor Day Weekend, starting at 9 p.m.

on Aug. 31 and ending at 5 a.m. on Sept. 5.

Westbound I-80 will be closed at the I-80/I-780 interchange in Vallejo.

Westbound traffic, at I-780/Curtola Parkway will exit onto eastbound I-780 and continue east to southbound I-680. From there they can reach westbound Highway 4 or westbound I-580 to access central and south Bay Area destinations.

For more information, Solano and Contra Costa residents can call the CC I-80 Pave Project Hotline (510) 286-0319.

Matthew Fong, deputy auditor-controller, told the Board of Supervisors Tuesday that there were several administrative red flags that prompted an audit of the contract, which started at $48,000 and was extended three times for a total of $843,904.

“The (Auditor-Controller’s Office) was unable to conclude as to whether the claimed expenditures totaling $736,462.97 complied with contractual terms,” the staff report to the board states.

The initial contract was entered into on June 18, 2021 for $48,000 “to support the county to improve its ability to receive, analyze and share key public health metrics, mobilize, and train public health professionals, support public health emergency events, and respond to the Covid-19 pandemic or other health issues that affect Solano County residents,” the audit report states.

Three amendments to the contract to it to its total. CHMRC is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization and is exempt from federal income tax.

The county has paid invoices up to May 2022.

The following findings

n Finding 3: CHMRC subcontracted without prior written authorization from Solano County officials. Some of those subcontractors, Fong added, were CHMRC employees, raising concerns of potential double charges for the same work.

n Finding 4: CHMRC did not have written policies and procedures over the invoicing process.

n Finding 5: CHMRC did not provide a final and complete financial statement audit report.

Because the contract was partially paid for by federal funds distributed to the county, the supervisors, with Erin Hannigan absent, wanted a full review of expenses and services rendered to meet its reporting obligations to the federal agencies.

“My concern is the services were not given out,” Supervisor Monica Brown said.

That was not enough for Supervisor Mitch Mashburn, who wanted CHMRC, based in Granite Bay, to be placed on a do-not-use list because of the administrative issues alone.

Debbie Vaughn, assistant county administrator who was with H&SS at the time the contract was awarded, said there is no evidence services were not provided. In fact, the Fairfield mall site was one of the county’s most successful Covid service location.

Vaughn said the issue is about documentation.

Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic file (2020)

A house burns in the LNU Lightning Complex Fire in rural Vacaville, Wednesday Aug. 19, 2020.

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic file (2022) Rick Vredenburg, Logistics Support for California Health Medical Reserve Corps, conducts a Covid-19 test at the Solano Town Center Mall in Fairfield, Nov. 22, 2022.

Vacaville Parks and Rec Commissioners to vote on Centennial Park Master Plan

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — The city’s Parks and Recreation Commission is asked to give its support for the Centennial Park Master Plan at its Wednesday meeting. The meeting gets underway at 6 p.m. in the council chambers, 650 Merchant St.

The plan focuses on three zones: Active Recreation, the southern portion where there are existing sports fields and other active uses.

Creekside Discovery, a triangular-shaped area located between tributaries of Horse Creek.

Nature Exploration, large undeveloped area located at the north end of the park.

A draft master plan was presented to the Parks & Recreation Commission on May 3. During public comments there was discussion surrounding the lack of pickleball courts, and traffic and maintenance issues that would be associated with a fully developed Centennial Park. The Commission expressed concerns that primarily revolved around:

n Construction phasing.

n Various aspects of the California Environmental Quality Act.

n The need for sufficient parking. Including certain park elements in the first phase affords a unique funding opportunity that could potentially provide for the design and construction of the areas. At the June 7 commission meeting, Landify-ECT presented a business model and proposed to develop the areas designated in Phase 1, at no cost to the city, in exchange for allowing Landify to import external fill to those specific areas.

After a masterplan has been approved, the CEQA process could begin. It would be made available for public review and comment before it is submitted for final approval by the City Council.

The previously presented draft master plan included a total of 948 parking spaces and identified overflow parking sufficient for about 100 additional vehicles. Commissioners wanted to ensure full implementation of the master plan will provide enough parking for peak times. The parking assumptions have been reviewed and requirements of existing and proposed amenities, and considered potential changes in park operations that could help alleviate parking concerns.

Staff also considered the impacts of creating a reverse problem: paving too much of the park to resolve a problem that occurs only a few days per year. There is a high cost of providing too much parking in terms of visual impact, financial cost, loss

1st Annual Pet Extravaganza & Vendor Fair hosted by Solano Co. Sheriff’s Office Animal Care

FAIRFIELD — Solano County Sheriff’s Office Animal Care will host its inaugural Pet Extravaganza and Vendor Fair on Saturday.

The event will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 2510 Clay Bank Road, Fairfield.

Check out the animals available for adoption, and maybe take home a new friend. They will also have food trucks and vendors along with a chance to get your pet microchipped.

The adoptions will be free but you still have to pay to register the animals with the city.

Western Railway Museum hosts end-ofsummer barbecue, looking for vendors

SUISUN CITY — The Western Railway Museum will be hosting an end of summer barbecue and are looking for vendors.

As summer wraps come for some family fun on the rails Sept. 2 at 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Western Railway Museum, 5848 State Highway 12, Suisun City.

Local vendors will be on hand to provide tasty food of all kinds in their large shady park grounds.

Guests can also enjoy some bounce house fun, and of course a vintage train ride through the countryside.

They are looking for food and beverage vendors to participate in this special event.

If interested please contact the Event Manager at katrina.gomez@wrm.org.

Summer Movie and Food Truck event draws to a close

FAIRFIELD – The City of Fairfield Parks & Recreation presents Summer Movies & Food Trucks final movie will be showing on August 25.

Grab dinner at one of the array of food trucks with plenty of goodies available for purchase, then kick back and comfy.

of usable land, and environmental responsibility. For those unavoidable days/times when unusually large numbers of vehicles must be accommodated, the revised design leans on the use of overflow parking areas that are not traditional paved parking lots.

If the Commission approves this revised, draft master plan, staff will begin work on the environmental studies needed to satisfy CEQA, expected to take between four and 12 months. A draft CEQA document, as well as the final Centennial Park Master Plan will then be presented to the Planning Commission for their consideration and their recommendation to City Council.

Centennial Park’s 365 acres are filled with a wide diversity of natural resources. The southern edge of the park is bisected by Pine Tree Creek and three small tributaries of Horse Creek run through the northern portion of the park. Several beaver dams along the creeks have created small wet-

Get help at Homebuyer Education Learning Program workshop

VACAVILLE — Get help at the Homebuyer Education Learning Program, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Town Square Library, One Town Square Place.

Topics include readiness & preparation, FHA financing, Fair Lending and predatory lending. Budgeting and credit, purchase procedures and closing costs and home inspection.

Space is limited. Register at Cityof Vacaville.gov/HELP.

For more information, or help with registration, contact Mary Decker (707) 449-5672 or via email at: Mary.Decker@ cityofvacaville.com

lands full of frogs, birds and other wildlife, while the grasslands in the interior of the park include several large vernal pools that were created as a result of construction of the Putah South Canal which restricted the area’s natural drainage.

The southwest portion of the park served as the City dump in the early 1900s while lands to the east later served as the City’s sewer treatment plant and evaporation ponds. The northern portion of the park was dry-land farmed for many decades until 1980 when this area was obtained by the City’s Redevelopment Agency to serve as additional parkland. A farmstead once existed near the northern tributary of Horse Creek and a Sacramento Northern railroad line defined what is now the western edge of the park. Although these historical land uses reduced the

See Parks, Page A10

The next movie night will be showing Minions: The Rise of Gru on Aug. 25. The food trucks will be available at 6:30 p.m. and the movie will start 15 minutes after sundown at Mankas Neighborhood Park, 2800 Owen Street, Fairfield.

Admission is free.

For more information, visit Fairfield.ca.gov/events.

OBITUARIES

William Anderson

William Anderson, known to some as Bill or Billy, unexpectedly passed away at the age of 64 on July 20, 2023 in Fairfield, CA.

Bill was a very skilled and talented arborist for many years. He had an incredible passion for trees, gardening, bicycles, tinkering around, fishing, reading the newspaper, slurpees and car mechanics. He always had one hell of a joke to tell too. He always knew how to make his daughters laugh — he is one of the funniest guys they know. He loved his children very much, in his very own special way.

He always helped anyone in need, whether it be a bike repair or someone who needed lunch — he was a very giving and helpful man. Bill was a superhero to those in need. He will be missed immensely and is loved by so many. Always remembered, he could never be forgotten.

Bill is survived by two beautiful daughters Madison Anderson and Samantha Anderson; his two grandsons and a third grandchild on the w ay; his three siblings Mick Anderson, Cathy Ander son and Tom Anderson; his nephew Carl (Erika) Gray; and his great nece.

Helping You... Help yourself

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic file (2019)

Charlie drinks from a water fountain for dogs following a leash cutting ceremony at Centennial Dog Park in Vacaville, June 29, 2019.

Law would make emergency ag relief permanent in USDA

FAIRFIELD — U.S.

Rep. Mike Thompson is among the group of legislators who have reintroduced a bill that would make relief for farmers who lost crops due to natural disasters a permanent part of the Department of Agriculture emergency relief structure.

The Agricultural Emergency Relief Act would:

n Create a permanent structure of the U SDA’s Emergency Relief Program.

Solano’s ag diversity keeps county’s crop value up

FAIRFIELD — The diversity of the Solano County agriculture cornucopia and the stability of Lake Berryessa water supply kept the 4.12% dip in the 2022 gross ag value from being any worse than it was.

“When we were here with you last year we were excited about an all-time high,” Agriculture Commissioner Ed King told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

That record value in 2021 was $407.64 million, about $16.97 million higher than the 2022 value of $390.88 reported in the 73rd annual Crop and Livestock Report.

King said there are 90 commodities represented in the report. So despite significant losses in the almond crop, the top value crop in each of the last three years, the walnut crop, also a top 10 crop that has taken losses, and sun-

flower seeds, which fell out off the top 10 crop list, the county still had the secondhighest gross ag value in its history.

The next highest reported value came in 2014 at $378.54 million.

“It tells a story of how important agriculture is to Solano County,” board Chairman John Vasquez said about the annual crop report, repeating the significance of the Lake Berryessa and Solano Project vision that has supported the county for decades.

King said his office is tracking the loss about 1,000 acres of walnuts that have been removed from production due to continually low prices. Asked by Supervisor Wanda Williams what the farmers are replacing the trees with, King said mostly field crops, but also olives and pistachios.

Processing tomatoes had a lot to do with the success of the 2022 overall crop values, despite its own

September rain issues. A top-five value commodity since the 1950s, the gross value in 2022 hit a record high of $47.35 million, the report stated.

Tomatoes – with 439,000 tons harvested from 9,500 acres, at $107.88 per ton – moved up from the second highest valued crop in 2021, to the top spot in 2022. Almonds, the county’s perennial top-crop, fell to sixth with a value of $21.29million–a70%decline of nearly $49.83 million from the 2021 value of $71.12 million, the report states.

“Extreme weather events throughout the year impacted crop and livestock production: freezing temperatures in late February severely damaged the developing almond and olive crops; early September brought a relentless heatwave with temperatures peaking at well over 100 degrees across the county for nine consecutive days, includ-

ing localized highs of over 115 degrees desiccating grapes on the vine,” Agriculture Commissioner Ed King wrote in the report.

Mid-September rains temporarily halted the final weeks of tomato harvest and caused tomatoes still in the field to mold. (The) excessive heat and rain likewise led to mold and poor kernel color in walnut crop; a third year of drought continued to stress soil moisture, groundwater and rangeland conditions; and in early December, Lake Berryessa dropped to its lowest level since 1994,” King added. Apiary pollination broke into the top 10 at eighth with a gross value of $9.34 million. Dropping off the list was sunflower seeds, which was eighth in 2021 with a value of $10.529 million. In 2022, that value was $7.487 million, the report states. The rest of the top

n The program was originally established through language in the fiscal year 2022 emergency supplemental appropriations bill and received additional appropriations in the fiscal year 2023 omnibus, but has not been formally authorized.

n Include as eligible disasters droughts, wildfires, floods, hurricanes, derechos, excessive heat, excessive moisture, winter storms and freeze events, including polar vortexes.

n Require farmers who apply for relief payments to purchase crop insurance for two years after receiving a payment.

n Allow payment calculations to be based on indemnities reported to USDA or on losses in revenue to better accommodate specialty crop growers.

n Allow Congress to continue to appropriate supplemental disaster funds in response to the level of damage incurred in a specific year or event.

“California has been ground zero for the impacts of climate change, and farmers and growers in our state and across our country are seeing the impact of climate-related disasters on their crops,” Thompson said in a statement released through his office.

Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla, and Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, were also part of introducing the bill.

“I authored legislation to create the Emergency Relief Program to provide our agriculture community with financial relief to cover disasterrelated crop losses, but as climate change continues to worsen, it’s clear that this program needs to be made permanent,” Thompson added.

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic

An agricultural worker tends to a field along Rockville Road in the Suisun Valley in Fairfield, Tuesday.

Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic file (2015) Rep. Mike Thompson speaks at the Solano Economic Development Corporation breakfast at the Hilton Garden Inn in Fairfield, Oct. 16, 2015. See Crop, Page A10

Sacramento County’s first fentanyl murder suspect

charged

Tied to 24-year-old’s death

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

Folsom police say they have arrested a man suspected of providing fentanyl to a 24-year-old woman who died July 26, and the murder charges filed against him by Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho mark the first such filing in Sacramento County.

The suspect, Ronald James Ehman, 44, is charged with murder in the death of the Folsom woman.

“This is the first case that we have filed related to a fentanyl poisoning,” Ho told The Sacramento Bee on Tuesday.

Police said officers responded to the 1000 block of Folsom Ranch Drive shortly before 7 a.m., where authorities say 24-year-old Mary Milagro Siryj of Folsom was found unresponsive.

Folsom police arrested Ehman July 28 and he is being held without bail in the Sacramento County Main Jail.

Ehman was scheduled to make his first court appearance in Sacramento Superior Court Tuesday afternoon.

Public records indicate Ehman is a Rancho Cordova resident. He does not have a criminal history in Sacramento, according to online court records.

Siryj’s death came the same day that Elk Grove police arrested a man they say secretly placed fentanyl in his wife’s food before she died in January.

Glennis Douglas Smith, 48, was arrested on suspicion of homicide in the death of his wife, 49-year-old Jennifer Ann Smith-Floyd.

Smith is being held without bail at the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center on a murder charge and arson and insurance fraud charges from when police said he burned the couple’s travel trailer.

The cases come as California prosecutors are focusing more weapons

State’s new primary rules could help Trump win GOP nomination in 2024; here’s how

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

on fighting fentanyl overdoses, including murder charges against people suspected on supplying the drug to victims who later die.

“From January 2021 to June 2023, nearly 400 people have died from fentanyl in Sacramento County,” Ho’s office said in a statement. “For several years, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office has been forwardthinking and proactive in trying to prevent fentanyl deaths.

“In the past year alone, the office’s countywide ‘1PillCanKillSac’ Fentanyl Public Awareness Campaign has reached 12 million people through PSAs on social media, streaming TV and audio sites, digital billboards and public transit. In this same time frame, more than 14,000 people have visited the office’s 1PillCanKillSac.com site, which is a central website for fentanyl information and resources within the county.

“The office has also participated in 41 school assemblies and several parent meetings about the dangers of fentanyl. In addition to these awareness efforts, District Attorney Thien Ho is spearheading the creation of a Fentanyl Response Team, where specially trained investigators will be able to respond to fentanyl deaths to gather critical evidence and a specialized vertical prosecutor will be assigned to handle these cases.

“The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office remains committed to both efforts of preventing more fentanyl deaths and holding accountable those who knowingly distribute and sell deadly fentanyl.

“Efforts like those of the Folsom Police Department to identify and investigate fentanyl deaths will help ensure victims of fentanyl poisoning and overdoses receive justice.”

Suddenly, California’s 2024 Republican presidential primary looks like it’s positioned to give former President Donald Trump a huge boost. The state’s GOP executive committee changed the rules over the weekend so that any candidate getting a simple majority –50% plus one – wins all of the state’s 169 delegates.

If no one gets a majority, delegates would be awarded according to candidates’ vote percentages.

A Republican presidential candidate needs 1,234 delegates to be nominated.

The previous system awarded delegates according to who won each of the state’s 52 congressional districts. There were also 13 at-large delegates allocated according to the statewide vote total.

In theory, that could have meant Trump alternatives in less conservative areas – think San Francisco, Los Angeles or Sacramento – could have had a better shot at more delegates.

“The rule is also a self-inflicted wound, as candidates now have no incentive to organize and spend money at the district level. Very disappointing,” said Dave Gilliard, a Rocklin-based GOP consultant.

Matt Rexroad, a Yolo County-based strategist, said that the congressional district allocation method was designed to encourage presidential candidates to campaign all over the state.

“That is lost with this change. It may be good for Trump but it is bad for the Republican Party. Of course, Trump does not care about the party at all except as a funding vehicle,” said Rexroad, a Yolo County-based GOP consultant.

Trump’s campaign had enthusiastic praise for the change. “President Trump looks forward to working with the California Republican Party to Make America Great Again as he continues to dominate

statewide polling by over 50%,” said spokesman Steven Cheung. He chided Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who reportedly had hoped to gain ground on Trump in the primary, calling the California Republican decision a “a humiliating defeat as they tried to manipulate the party rules.”

At Never Back Down, a pro-DeSantis Super PAC, founder Ken Cuccinelli was highly critical of the revision.

“Smoke filled back rooms do not reflect the will of or benefit voters in any state. Yet across the country games are afoot to enhance the potential outcome of primary elections for one former president who half of the Republican electorate no longer wants as the party leader,” he said, noting that other states have adopted delegate selection rules that could favor Trump.

“Even with these asinine primary rules changes, we remain confident Governor DeSantis will become the Republican nominee and 47th president of the United States,” Cuccinelli said.

Trump and the primary California Republican Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson said the change, approved by the party’s 100-member executive committee Saturday,

was needed to comply with national party rules. If the state did not comply, it would lose half its delegates.

She was upbeat about what the rules mean for the state. “Republican presidential candidates will not only be encouraged to spend real time campaigning in our state and making their case to voters, but Republican voters will equally be encouraged to turn out to support their chosen candidate to help them win delegates,” Patterson said in a statement.

California politicos had high hopes that its primary would be consequential this time. In 2016 and 2020, the state’s June Republican primary was virtually meaningless, since the nominations had been decided weeks or months earlier.

Next year, though, California will be one of at least 14 states voting on Super Tuesday March 5, just weeks after the early states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada vote.

Under the previous system, with his rivals able to pick off delegates in less Trump-friendly areas, they would have a decent shot at picking up blocs of delegates.

So far, Trump is ahead by almost any measure, despite two criminal indictments, the like-

lihood of a trial starting next spring, and perhaps more indictments shortly.

Trump was the preference of 50% of California’s likely Republican voters in the June Public Policy Institute of California poll. Next was DeSantis at 24% and former Vice President Mike Pence at 10%.

Another June California poll of registered Republican voters, conducted by Emerson College, had Trump with 53% and DeSantis with 19%.

Trump also leads the money race. He has raised $3.1 million in contributions of over $200 in California since November, when he announced his bid for a second presidential term, according to the nonpartisan OpenSecrets, which analyzed the data for McClatchy.

DeSantis, who announced in late May and held a June fundraiser in Sacramento, has received $2.1 million from donations of over $200. Smaller contributions do not need to be reported as part of the Federal Election Commission campaign filings. At the moment, said John Pitney, professor of government at Claremont McKenna College in California, “It’s just hard to see any outcome other than Trump getting the nomination and clinching very early.”

It’s not windy, but wildfires are still spreading in California

Los A ngeLes Times

LOS ANGELES — If you live near the coast, wildfire season starts with Southern California’s notorious Santa Ana winds, which usually arrive in the fall.

But inland, the fire season is already well underway.

It’s as if there are two separate fire seasons, said David Gomberg, a forecaster and fire weather program manager with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. His forecast office has warned for more than a week of the potential for fires that can explode into monsters, sending smoke plumes thousands of feet into the sky. And they do it without any significant winds, such as a Santa Anas.

“Strong winds are not a requisite condition for large uncontrollable fires,” said John Abatzoglou, a professor of climatology at UC Merced who has studied the bifurcation of Southern California fire activity.

These fires, he said, are driven by a trifecta of fuels, topography, dryness and heat — of which there has been plenty in the Southwest this summer.

But there’s another important but little understood factor — a product of the heat that fire forecasters study closely. It’s called mixing height.

Mixing height is a measurement of how high a smoke column or plume can rise from a fire.

The measurement can be used as a proxy for estimating fire danger, said Darren Clabo, South Dakota’s state fire meteorologist.

Knowing the mixing height can help scientists determine the potential vertical plume growth of a fire, Gomberg said. A fire with a high vertical

plume or convective column of smoke, ash, particulates and other gases is dangerous because it acts like a giant chimney. Air rushes in to replace the heated air rising in the column, creating erratic winds on the ground that provoke extreme fire behavior.

Hotter temperatures tend to result in higher mixing heights, Gomberg said.

“During a typical heat wave, it is common to see mixing heights between 10,000 and 15,000 feet across inland areas, and sometimes as high as 20,000 feet during major heat waves, such as what we saw during the Station fire and Bobcat fire.”

Elevated heat and mixing heights of 10,000 to 15,000 feet in the Inland Empire have contributed to recent plume-dominated fires such as the Bonny fire in Riverside County. Forecaster

Brian Adams said that on Friday he could watch a pyrocumulus cloud soaring above the Bonny fire from his window at the San Diego weather service’s office in Rancho Bernardo.

The mixing height marks the top of the planetary boundary layer, which is the section of the atmosphere affected by Earth’s surface, such as the heating of land and sea by the sun and the obstruction of wind by trees and buildings.

At night and during cooler times of the year, the planetary boundary layer contracts as the sun’s heat does less to warm Earth’s surface. (If there’s a fire, this is why the smoke is held close to the ground at night and the blaze is said to lie down.)

If you sent up a weather balloon first thing in the morning, it might encounter warmer air

just above Earth’s surface before detecting progressively cooler temperatures as it rises higher. That’s because at night the sun isn’t heating the ground and the air immediately above it.

When the sun comes up, it warms the ground, which heats the air above it. Air that’s warmer than the surrounding air rises; air that’s cooler than the surrounding air sinks.

As the summertime sun’s heat increases, the planetary boundary layer expands. If there’s a fire, the smoke no longer hugs the ground; instead, it abruptly soars thousands of feet into the sky. That means the mixing height is suddenly dramatically higher, with important implications for fire behavior.

As warm air near the surface rises, it leaves behind voids or low-pressure areas. Since the atmosphere is constantly trying to restore equilibrium, higher pressure always flows toward lower pressure. Air next to those voids flows in to fill the vacant space. That creates more voids, which too must be filled, this time by air sinking from above.

But when air sinks it is heated due to compression, like how a bicycle pump gets hot because the air is being squeezed into a smaller space. The further the air sinks because of the high mixing height, the more it is forced to heat.

On top of that, the air sinking from higher in the atmosphere is bone dry compared to the more moist air hanging around Earth’s surface.

“A day with high mixing heights lowers surface dew points [humidity] and increases surface temperatures,” Clabo said. “Higher mixing heights

tend to promote larger fire growth because of these processes.”

If there’s a fire in these conditions, heated air will rise very rapidly, quickly creating a convective column or plume and with it dangerous conditions, Clabo said.

Experts warn that warming from human-caused climate change is a factor in the persistent heat gripping the West. The strong ridge of high pressure, sometimes referred to as a “heat dome,” besieging the Southwest may be stuck in place because the jet stream, the upper-level air currents that steer weather patterns around the globe, has become more wavy.

Even without climate change, more heat is likely on the way. In Southern California, inland valleys are the hottest in midAugust, somewhat later than the rest of the country. Closer to the coast, the hottest weather is delayed just a fraction toward late August to Sept. 1, said Eric Boldt, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

Wildland vegetation in Southern California has been drying out over the last several weeks, Abatzoglou says, but the cool spring weather that lasted into June has helped. “Should things be persistently and unusually hot and parched for another few weeks in the mountains, the switches that likely are limiting high fire potential may turn on.”

By that time, Southern California will be on the cusp of its other fire regime, the one fueled by hot, dry Santa Ana winds.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images/TNS file

Former President Donald Trump arrives on stage to speak at the Turning Point Action conference, July 15, 2023, in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Don Bartletti/Los Angeles Times/TNS file (2009)

A pyrocumulus cloud from the Station fire looms over downtown Los Angeles in August 2009.

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Alicia Keys’ 8-year-old son stood guard on stage so concertgoers wouldn’t throw objects at her Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

Alicia Keys’ son proved to be a fierce protector of his mom, amid the rash of concertgoers throwing objects at performers while on stage.

During the Seattle stop of her “Keys to the Summer” tour stop on Sunday, the 15-time Grammy winner’s youngest son, Genesis Ali Dean, provided a form of extra security detail.

“He heard how people been acting at shows lately,” his father, Swizz Beatz, said in a series of Instagram photos of the youngster standing guard by his mother’s side during the Climate Pledge Arena show. “My boy serious in real life.”

The 8-year-old, who recently appeared on “The Jennifer Hudson Show” with Beatz, had a stern expression on his

face while standing with his hands in his pockets.

“My boy said I’m not playing no games on mom’s stage. … He a real serious one. … Thank you Gen we love you and your protection … He didn’t care she was live on stage …,” the proud dad captioned the post with laugh emojis.

Keys and the hip hop super-producer, who wed in 2010, are parents to Genesis and his older brother, Egypt, 12.

There have been numerous incidents of concertgoers throwing objects at or even assaulting recording artists in recent weeks.

Just over the weekend, Cardi B had the contents of a cup thrown at her by an audience member while performing her hit “Bodak Yellow” at Drai’s Beachclub in Vegas.

Pickles Brian Crane

Zits Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Pearls Before Swine Stephan Pastis

Candorville Darrin Bell

Baby Blues Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott

Baldo Hector Cantú

CALMATTERS COMMENTARY

Ballot measures will revive familiar ideological battles

As it stands, the 2024 California ballot would be, as the old saying goes, “déjà vu all over again.”

Nine measures have qualified for the ballot: two constitutional amendments for the March primary election, and five initiatives and two referenda for the November general election. All are replays of polarizing ideological issues.

The two March measures, both placed on the ballot by the Democrat-dominated state Legislature, typify the trend of refighting old battles.

One would repeal a 2008 ballot measure, passed by a 52% vote, that prohibited same-sex marriages but was later voided by the U.S. Supreme Court. The other would repeal a constitutional mandate known as Article 34, passed by voters in 1950, that requires voter approval for low-income housing projects.

The two referenda are by their nature replays of previous clashes, both backed by business interests seeking to overturn recent legislative efforts to impose more state regulation on their operations, and both are likely to spark multimillion-dollar campaigns.

One, sponsored by the fast food industry, would erase a 2022 union-sponsored bill that would create a 10-member Fast Food Council to regulate wages and working conditions in fast food chains such as McDonald’s and Burger King.

The second referendum, backed by the petroleum industry, would overturn a 2022 law requiring a 3,200-foot buffer between new oil wells and homes, schools, nursing homes and hospitals.

The five initiatives so far qualified for the ballot are also reruns of ideological clashes –three sponsored by those on the political left and two by conservative business interests, to wit:

n Michael Weinstein, who runs the Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, has spent millions of dollars on two previous ballot measures that would remove longstanding legal barriers on local rent control laws, both of which failed badly. Weinstein hopes the third time will be the charm, but rental property owners are ready to spend tens of millions of dollars to oppose his latest effort.

n Commercial real estate interests, meanwhile, are part of a coalition, led by the California Business Roundtable, to pass a new constitutional amendment that would require voter approval of any new state and local taxes or tax-like fees. It’s needed, they say, to bolster California tax limitation laws that have been eroded by judicial decisions and sets up a high-stakes clash pitting business against local government officials and public employee unions.

n Although California voters have in recent years rejected efforts to hike property and income taxes, another 2024 measure would increase the marginal tax rate on incomes of $5 million or more by 0.75% to finance research on detection of pandemic diseases. The bulk of the money to qualify the measure came from a fund created by cryptocurrency guru Sam Bankman Fried, who is facing federal fraud charges.

n In 2003, the Legislature passed the Private Attorney Generals Act, making it easier for workers to sue their employers for violations of state wage and working condition laws. It was a big win for unions but employers claim it has been used to shake them down. After two decades of legal skirmishing, business groups qualified a measure for the 2024 ballot to repeal the law, setting up another high-dollar clash.

n Another employer-union skirmish looms in a labor-backed measure to raise California’s minimum wage, now $15.50 an hour, to $18 over several years with upward adjustments for inflation thereafter. Proponents say it would create a living wage needed to cope with inflation while opponents say it will discourage employers from creating jobs.

While more 2024 initiatives or referenda are unlikely, when the Legislature returns from its summer vacation it probably will approve some bond issues that would require voter approval.

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to Commentary.

THE OTHER SIDE

Twelve tickets bring perspective

With people divided over politics, LGBTQ rights, beers, movies, songs and anything else we can idiotically fight over, sometimes you need a break from all of the tribalism. And I recently got that break with the help of 12 tickets.

My significantly better half loves to pay it forward. She buys first responders coffee in Starbucks, pays for snacks and toys for kids in stores and carries dog treats in her purse to give to every dog she sees. So when Cal Expo, where we both work, recently gave us 10 California State Fair tickets (in addition to our free passes) we couldn’t wait to give them away and make people’s day.

I offered tickets to my brothers, but Tony was too busy promoting his upcoming book, “Armijo High School: Fairfield, California” and Orvis is … well, he’s Orvis.

The first four were easy. Cathi decided to give four tickets to our grandson, Kawika and his girlfriend, Alyssa. Our grandson always gets the first tickets.

A few days later a guy walked into the office at work looking and sounding just like rapper Snoop Dogg. He was in town for a few days to propose to his girlfriend. We asked if he were going to take her to the state fair and

CALMATTERS COMMENTARY

he had no idea the fair was going on. I presented him with two tickets as a little congratulations and he was stoked. (He later brought his fiance’ over to show off the rock.)

Ran into an old friend, Jerry, who lives in Nevada but does business in Northern California. I asked him if he was going to the fair while in town and he blew it off. Before he left he asked if there were any concerts at the fair. I rattled off a list of the acts and when I got to country recording artist Scotty McCreery, he perked up. “The American Idol guy? I like him.” Jerry secured ticket number seven.

Last Saturday night we were supposed to go to the fair to see Kool and the Gang (the first group I ever saw in concert way back in 1981 at Concord Pavilion.) For some reason, people seemed to have waited for the last weekend of the fair to go. Traffic around Cal Expo was like a parking lot. Cathi and I were sitting in traffic for a half an hour and only moved a few feet. We decided to forego the concert and go out for sushi.

Two friends were already at the fair who wanted to see Kool and the Gang but didn’t have tickets. I emailed them our tickets and they were ecstatic. The next morning they sent us a link to a YouTube video of the entire concert that someone shot

from right behind them. Man, we had great seats.

On the final day of the fair, we still had three tickets left to give away. We waited outside the fair, Cathi sitting in a wheelchair because she recently had a total knee replacement. She spotted a family of three and offered them tickets. The dad was skeptical. It’s a shame we’re automatically suspicious if someone offers us something free but I get it. I explained the situation and he asked if he could give us something for the tickets. We told them just to have a good time. We went in and enjoyed the fair. Later, amidst the burgers, jumbo corndogs, tacos, turkey legs, funnel cakes and the like, we grew hungry. We were about to buy some lunch when all of a sudden a hand holding a credit card darted in front of mine. It was the dad we’d given the last three tickets to. While we tried to beg off, he insisted we let him pay. Though we would’ve loved for him to pay it forward to someone else, it was cool that he tracked us down to offer his own goodwill gesture. That’s how society, how community should be. Twelve tickets. And I think we had more fun than the people who received them. Peace.

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

Family leave laws overlook babies that need intensive care

On a Friday in February, I wished my team a great weekend, only I didn’t return. It was the Irish goodbye I never intended.

After a complicated pregnancy, I was lucky and relieved to welcome our second son, Hudson, at 34 weeks. He was immediately whisked off to the neonatal intensive care unit where he spent the next 29 days learning to breathe, drink from a bottle and maintain his temperature.

There are very few words to describe the NICU experience. It’s a paradox of emotions, each encompassing every fiber of your being. You feel the highest of highs and the lowest of lows: from isolated to grateful, frustrated to hopeful, and disheartened to excited all at once. Not to mention the all-consuming guilt when your baby isn’t by your side.

In California, 9.1% of babies are born preterm, or before 37 weeks. A March of Dimes report estimates that infants admitted to a special care unit had an average length of stay of 13 days, ranging from five days for fullterm infants to 46 days among those born before 32 weeks.

The time in the NICU is stressful on its own. Coupled with navigating how to take leave for this unexpected time, it’s overwhelming.

Thanks to laws like Senate Bill 951, which was signed last year to help

boost paid family leave, California is already leading the country. But NICU parents remain largely unsupported.\ They should be added to Assembly Bill 575, with the creation of a separate paid leave that provides parents with the ability to focus on their newborn’s development and use their regular parental leave when their baby gets home. This was critical for our family and I know it would help others.

Throughout Hudson’s time in the NICU, my husband continued to work to maximize his leave, often trading billing hours for visiting his son. While doctors could give us a general timeline, only Hudson could tell us when he was ready to come home. We weren’t sure if he would be on the quicker side for his gestational age or if we’d be in for an eight-week stay.

Even with California’s eight weeks of paid family leave, NICU dads and partners are left with a difficult choice: spend their leave at their infant’s bedside or wait until their baby hopefully makes it home. Since the birthing parent is on disability, there isn’t a question of whether or not they will return to work upon their baby’s admittance. However, putting the added weight of daily hospital visits on the recovering mother isn’t fair. And it gets even more complicated for long-term stays.

When Hudson came home, I had two weeks of disability left followed by paid family leave. Even though he was 1 month old and looked like a normal baby, he was still supposed to be developing in utero. We had to start from scratch: sleepless nights, feeding around the clock, counting wet and dirty diapers, and managing reflux.

With four weeks of precious bonding time lost to the NICU, I had already planned on taking an extended leave and it ended up being necessary to help Hudson flourish. But we took a financial hit to our family’s income by making this decision.

This needs to change. California’s legislators should add NICU parents to AB 575.

Parents shouldn’t have to decide between conference calls and caring for their warrior infants. As California thinks about comprehensive paid family leave, it’s critical to create a separate paid leave so our smallest yet mightiest are supported on their journey home.

Cassie Lawrence is the senior director of public relations at JSA+Partners. She is a mother of two and a San Diego resident. She wrote this for CalMatters, a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s Capitol works and why it matters.

Dan Walters

Kelvin Wade

Cassie Lawrence

Crime logs

FairField

SUNDAY, JULY 30

12:23 a.m. — Hit-and-run

property damage, NORTH TEXAS STREET

12:53 a.m. — Reckless driver, MARIGOLD DRIVE

9:55 a.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, 1700 block of EAST

TABOR AVENUE

10:03 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 3500 block of NELSON ROAD

10:15 a.m. — Trespassing, 3400 block of NORWALK PLACE

10:43 a.m. — Sexual assault, 600 block of VINTAGE VALLEY

DRIVE

11:46 a.m. — Vehicle burglary, 200 block of PITTMAN ROAD

12:41 p.m. — Battery, 1100 block of TABOR AVENUE

1:16 p.m. — Grand theft, 4300 block of CENTRAL PLACE

1:34 p.m. — Battery, 1600 block of FAIRFIELD AVENUE

2:06 p.m. — Drunk and disorderly, 2100 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 8:35 a.m. — Prowler, 2100 block of SAN GABRIEL STREET

9:55 a.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, 1700 block of EAST

AVENUE 10:03 a.m. — Vehicle theft,

block of NELSON ROAD

10:15 a.m. — Trespassing, 3400 block of NORWALK PLACE 10:43 a.m. — Sexual assault,600 block of VINTAGE VALLEY DRIVE

11:46 a.m. — Vehicle burglary, 200 block of PITTMAN ROAD MONDAY, JULY 31

1:54 a.m. — Trespassing, 1600 block of FLAMINGO DRIVE

5:09 a.m. — Trespassing, 1200 block of B. GALE WILSON BOULEVARD

5:56 a.m. — Hit—and—run property damage, 1000 block of WEBSTER STREET

6:49 a.m. — Reckless driver, HILBORN ROAD

7:07 a.m. — Grand theft, 2900 block of AUTO MALL PARKWAY

7:15 a.m. — Battery, 1300 block of SONATA DRIVE

7:35 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 3700 block of LYON ROAD

7:35 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 600 block of RIALTO COURT

9:18 a.m. — Vehicle burglary, 4700 block of BUSINESS CENTER DRIVE

9:38 a.m. — Vehicle burglary, 600 block of MADISON STREET

9:44 a.m. — Vandalism, 5000 block of PEABODY ROAD

10:27 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 1000 block of WEBSTER STREET

11:47 a.m. — Indecent exposure, 1600 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

his base of support among white male voters without a college degree while modestly improving his performance among low-income and minority voters, particularly Latinos, the poll showed.

The poll also showed Biden holding only a narrow 41%-to-38% lead among Latinos, a number that would represent a

11:48 a.m. — Vandalism, 1400 block of HOLIDAY LANE

12:09 p.m. — Brandishing a weapon, 2900 block of GULF DRIVE

12:14 p.m. — Battery, 1000 block of EISENHOWER STREET

1:42 p.m. — Indecent exposure, 2200 block of UNION AVENUE

2:15 p.m. — Forgery, 600 block of WOOD CREEK DRIVE

2:55 p.m. — Vandalism, 1000 block of HORIZON DRIVE

3:19 p.m. — Hit—and—run property damage, TAYLOR STREET

3:21 p.m. — Forgery, 1600 block of SHADYWOOD COURT

4:48 p.m. — Drunk and disorderly, 1900 block of WEST TEXAS STREET

5:59 p.m. — Reckless driver, EAST TABOR AVENUE

6:17 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 400 block of TABOR AVENUE

6:50 p.m. — Trespassing, 1300 block of GATEWAY BOULEVARD

7:03 p.m. — Vehicle burglary, 3000 block of BALANCE CIRCLE

7:38 p.m. — Battery, 1200 block of B. GALE WILSON BOULEVARD

7:52 p.m. — Vehicle burglary, 700 block of OHIO STREET

8:44 p.m. — Trespassing, 2000 block of SAN TOMAS STREET

9:31 p.m. — Trespassing, 1900 block of WEST TEXAS STREET

11:55 p.m. — Battery, 2800 block of CANDLEBERRY WAY

SuiSun City

SUNDAY, JULY 30

2:17 a.m. — Shots fired, SUMMERTIME LANE/STRAWBERRY LANE

8 :12 a.m. — Vandalism, MCCLELLAN DRIVE/WALTERS ROAD

8:53 a.m. — Shooting into an inhabited dwelling, 100 block of SUMMERTIME LANE

He and other staff from the District Attorney’s Office were off to visit more National Night Out gatherings.

Community, and homebased gatherings were also held in Vacaville and Suisun City.

“I think it is important to emphasize the significance of National Night Out as a powerful tool in promoting community engagement and building trust between law enforcement and the residents we serve,” said Suisun City Police Chief Aaron Roth, in an email.

departments and other

public and private partners to interact with our community and strengthen relationships to not only help foster safer neighborhoods, but to have discussions on improving the quality of life in our community.”

“National Night Out is a tradition we love to celebrate in Vacaville,” wrote Amber McCabe in an email. McCabe is a Community Policing Outreach Specialist with the Vacaville Police Department.

dramatic decline from the approximately 2-1 margin Biden won by in 2020.

That could be a hopeful sign for Biden as analysts believe most of those voters will eventually return to the Democratic fold.

The poll’s margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.67 percentage points for all registered voters and plus or minus 3.96 percentage points for the likely Republican primary electorate, according to The New York Times.

“National Night Out also represents a unique opportunity for our city

“It is a time for neighborhoods and communities, big and small, to get together, enjoy some fun together and build bonds that will last years to come. National Night Out is also an opportunity for neighbors to get to know each other and

team up against crime.

“The more people in a neighborhood that know each other and look out for each other, the safer the neighborhood. When you get to know those in your community, it is easier to

spot things that that don’t seem right or might need attention.

Two days before the final, Santoni was notified he could not play his drum set. He improvised and “pulled it off like a Jedi warrior.”

The trio is looking forward to more shows and a more rehearsals.

Leaving Theodora is

starting to connect with fans on social media. They can be reached at leavingtheodora@gmail. com and leavingtheodora on Instagram.

Santoni, Deal and Marshall said there were many great acts in the Singer Songwriter competition. They hope to connect with some of them in the future.

They also shared family members and friends have played a key role in their momentum. Work is under way on a

video that will be posted on social media. Taking home second place honors was Christian Abrojena winning $ 250. Third place went to Haley & Jacob winning $100.

“I would like to thank everyone for participating in the Singer Songwriter Showcase. As a singer myself I know how important it is to have a place to share your talent, I think the Journey Library is the perfect place,” shared Ron George, along with

Eddy Ka’ anoi, organized the event.

McCabe called National Night Out “the Super Bowl,” of the Vacaville Police Department’s outreach events. the big stage. It’s come full circle.”

“When I was asked to put this Songwriter Showcase together, I wanted it to be open for all ages and styles of music, because we each have our own unique stories and styles to share.”

The Singer Songwriter Showcase will continue every Thursday night from 6 to 8:30pm. For information, contact Ron George at rongeorge@todd productions.net

of the overarching facts outlined Tuesday in the criminal charges against Trump. But the 45-page indictment cast in stark relief the allegations that a former president misled the nation, attacked the underpinnings of democracy and enabled violence in an effort to overturn an election and stay in power.

“The attack on our nation’s Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy,” Smith said in a news conference Tuesday. “As described in the indictment, it was fueled by lies. Lies by the defendant targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the U.S. government, the nation’s process of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the presidential election.”

Trump has been summoned to appear Thursday afternoon before Magistrate Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya at the E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse in Washington. Though only Trump was charged Tuesday, the indictment refers to six unnamed co-conspirators. Smith said Tuesday that his team’s “investigation of other individuals continues.”

The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, an appointee of former President Barack Obama and the only federal judge on the bench in Washington who has handed down sentences to Jan. 6 defendants that are longer than those requested by the government.

The indictment is the result of a lengthy, wideranging probe by Smith that scrutinized Trump’s attempts to mislead the public with claims that the election had been stolen, despite his private acknowledgment that he had lost.

“Each of these conspiracies – which built on the widespread mistrust the Defendant was creating through pervasive and destabilizing lies about election fraud — targeted a bedrock function of the United States federal government: the nation’s process of collecting, counting, and certifying the results of the presidential election,” the indictment states. For months, federal grand jurors have heard

testimony from dozens of witnesses, including Trump’s former attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani and former chief of staff Mark Meadows. Governors and local elections officials in battleground states including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin have spoken with investigators as part of the probe.

The indictment states that, on the pretext of baseless fraud claims, Trump pushed state officials to disenfranchise voters, ignore the popular vote and dismiss legitimate electors in order to have illegitimate electoral votes cast for him.

It also states that he and his co-conspirators organized false slates of electors in seven key states – Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – to cast votes and send them to Congress to be counted on Jan. 6, 2021.

The former president is also accused of trying to use the Justice Department to conduct sham election fraud investigations, and to provide support for the fraudulent elector plan and for state legislatures overturning the election results in Trump’s favor.

The indictment states that Trump moved on Jan. 3, 2021, to install a supporter – named “CoConspirator #4” in the document – as acting attorney general to issue a letter to certain states saying that the Justice Department encouraged them to convene their legislatures to overturn election results. That day, Deputy White House Counsel Pat Philbin told the unnamed co-conspirator – who is thought to be then-Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Clark –that any effort by Trump to remain in power past Jan. 20, 2021, as outlined in the Constitution, would cause “riots in every major city.” According to the indictment, the co-conspirator replied, “That’s why there’s an Insurrection Act.”

When that plan didn’t work, the indictment states, Trump and his coconspirators put pressure on then-Vice President Mike Pence and falsely informed him that he could interfere with the counting of electoral votes and certification of results by Congress on Jan. 6.

The indictment states that Pence took handwritten notes about the relentless needling, including that Trump told

the former vice president “you’re too honest” when he objected to blocking Biden’s win.

“On January 6th, Former President Trump demanded that I choose between him and the Constitution. I chose the Constitution and I always will,” Pence said in a statement Tuesday.

Trump amassed a crowd in Washington to put pressure on Pence and federal lawmakers to throw out certain state results in order to keep him in power, the indictment alleges.

When the crowd became violent and rioted at the Capitol, and even as they were cleared from the grounds hours later, “the Defendant and coconspirators exploited the disruption by redoubling efforts to levy false claims of election fraud and convince members of Congress to further delay the certification based on those claims,” the indictment states.

According to the indictment, Trump made calls to two senators at 6 p.m. while lawmakers were still locked in safe rooms and police fought to regain control of the area.

Trump is being charged under a civil rights law first written to prosecute Ku Klux Klan violence during Reconstruction.

Sean Morales-Doyle, director of the Brennan Center’s voting rights program, said the statute makes it a crime for two or more people to conspire to interfere with another person’s federal rights.

“It is a statute that has historically been used, and was passed originally, with the intent of prohibiting people from engaging in efforts to interfere with people exercising the right to vote and to interfere in elections,” he said.

As with past charges, the Trump campaign criticized the latest indictment by accusing President Joe Biden of using the Justice Department to derail his presidential campaign.

“This is nothing more than the latest corrupt chapter in the continued pathetic attempt by the Biden Crime Family and their weaponized Department of Justice to interfere with the 2024 Presidential Election, in which President Trump is the undisputed frontrunner, and leading by substantial margins,” the Trump campaign said in a statement. The statement also compared the U.S. justice system to Nazi Germany.

Attorney General Merrick Garland

appointed Smith in November to oversee the investigation into Trump’s efforts to stay in power as well as a second probe focused on the mishandling of classified records at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The FBI recovered the records during an August search of Mara-Lago after a monthslong effort to get the former president to turn them over and after receiving evidence showing he had not complied with a subpoena ordering him to return the documents.

Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury in that case in June and charged with 37 criminal counts covering seven different violations of federal law, including the Espionage Act. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include willful retention of national defense information and obstruction of the investigation. A superseding indictment with additional charges was filed last week, bringing the total number of charges Trump faces in that case to 40.

Trump is also facing legal challenges at the state level. In Fulton County, Georgia, investigators have examined his efforts to pressure state election officials to “find” the votes needed for him to win the key state in the 2020 election. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in Atlanta has said an indictment decision will be made by Sept. 1.

In April, Trump was indicted in New York City on charges related to an alleged hush-money payment made to porn actor Stormy Daniels in the final days of the 2016 campaign. That trial is scheduled to take place in the spring.

A special counsel was appointed in large part because Trump had announced plans to run for president again.

Recent polls show Trump with a substantial lead over his challengers for the GOP presidential nomination and also competitive with Biden in a general election match-up. His previous two indictments seem to have only bolstered his standing among Republican voters. They have also been fundraising boons for his campaign.

presence and quality of native vegetation that once grew naturally in the park, in recent years some of the remaining natural plant communities have been restored and enhanced while recreational opportunities have also been improved.

Starting in the late 1990s, the city began developing a variety of active recreational amenities in the southern portion of the park, including ball fields, tennis courts and soccer fields, as well as constructing a 1.1 mile-long pedestrian/ bike trail on the old railway line. Two Cal Fire grants were awarded to increase the number of trees in the park. The first grant was obtained in the 1990s and created a riparian forest along the southern tributary of Horse Creek. The second grant was obtained in

2012 and provided funding for the planting of 450 trees and large shrubs along both sides of the old railroad corridor and under PG&E’s power transmission lines. In 2019, a 1.4 acre off-leash dog park was added to the south-central portion of the Park.

In 2014, the City of Vacaville and Solano Resource Conservation District received an Urban Greening Grant from the California Natural Resources Agency. This grant funded the Centennial Park Restoration Project, with the goal of improving wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities along both the middle and north tributaries of Horse Creek.

The Project installed

3,750 linear feet of all-weather surfaced trails in 2015. These new trails, when combined with other already-existing trails, allow park visitors to utilize multiple loop combinations of trails that total 3.5 miles in length and also serve nicely for 5k run/walk events. The Project

installed ten interpretive panels located at intervals along the new trails to provide visitors with information about a variety of natural history topics that can be observed at those specific locations.

Between 2015 and 2019, Solano Resource Conservation District designed and installed 15 acres of riparian, wetland, and upland native plant communities in the park, including seeding 640 pounds of native grasses and wildflowers, and planting 2,250 native trees & shrubs and 24,000 native sedge & forb plugs as part of the Project. Non-native weeds were controlled throughout the project area and over 500 nonnative trees that were invading the Horse Creek tributaries were removed.

Community volunteers helped plant 2,250 native trees and shrubs as part of the Centennial Park Restoration Project.

Crop

From Page A5

10 crops, by gross value, were nursery products ($43.698 million), moving from third to second on the list; cattle and calves ($36,218 million), moving from fourth to third; alfalfa-hay ($30.946 million), from fifth to fourth; and wine grapes ($26.164 million), from sixth to fifth, the report states.

Rounding out the top 10 crop value list were almonds followed by walnuts ($11.304 million), holding at seventh; pollination; sheep and lambs ($9.074 million), holding at ninth; and staying at 10th was dried prunes with a gross value of $9.009 million, the report states.

King focused on the crop groups in his presentation to the board, noting vegetable crops representing about 25% of the overall gross value, followed by animal production (22%), field

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crops (20%) and fruit and nuts, which has typically been close to one-third of the value, but reduced to 19% in 2022. Nursery products (11%) and seed crops (3%) finish the group list.

Assistant Agriculture Commissioner Priscilla Yeaney completed the presentation.

She told the board that the Solano County Agriculture Department issued 688 federal certificates for export to 41 countries, a 16.5% decrease from 2021.

Yeaney also discussed the role the Ag Department has in fighting invasive pests and plants, including the ongoing twoyear eradication battle with the glassy-winged sharpshooter in north Vacaville. The good news is only one sharpshooter has been detected since November.

The report also has a section on the other half of the Agriculture Department – weights and measures. There were 5,300 measuring devices and 1,290 weighing devices inspected.

Brock Purdy working hard in camp with 49ers B2

Giants stand pat on trade deadline day

evan

WeBecK BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

SAN FRANCISCO —

Giants brass, from president Farhan Zaidi on down, have said they believe the group of players in their clubhouse is a playoff-worthy one, and they made their strongest statement yet Tuesday, opting to stand pat ahead of MLB’s trade deadline.

Among a group of five teams in a virtual tie for three National League wild card spots,

well within striking distance of the division, the Giants will be counting on their biggest upgrades to come internally as they embark on the stretch run. They will soon get back Thairo Estrada and Mitch Haniger, but veteran outfielder A.J. Pollock will go down as their biggest deadline acquisition.

Pollock arrived in San Francisco on Tuesday as the clock ticked down to the 3 p.m. PT deadline.

As always, there was a flurry of movement in the

hours leading up to the deadline. But none of it involved the Giants.

Potential middle infield help was scooped up by the Blue Jays (Paul DeJong) and Braves (Nicky Lopez).

Their closest competitor in the wild card race, the Phillies, bolstered their starting rotation by adding Detroit’s Michael Lorenzen, as did Bruce Bochy’s Texas Rangers (Max Scherzer, Jordan Montgomery) and the rest of the AL West (Justin Verlander to Houston, Lucas

Giolito to Los Angeles). The Marlins, also in the wild card mix, made the biggest offensive splash of the deadline, adding slugging third baseman Jake Burger to their lineup in a deal with the White Sox.

Not every arm moved: the Tigers’ Eduardo Rodriguez, White Sox’s Dylan Cease and Cubs’ Marcus Stroman could have all given the Giants a reliable third starter behind Logan Webb and Alex Cobb but ultimately stayed put. The Dodgers, having missed

State champions vie for Western Regional crown at Laurel Creek

M att Miller MMILLER@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Brad Hanson knows that the planning, organizing and preparation for the American Legion Baseball Western Regional Tournament becomes well worth it once the games begin.

“It takes a lot of work,” said Hanson, the Fairfield Expos president and tournament director said. “but the reward is seeing a lot of great baseball.”

The Expos are hosting the event which begins Wednesday at Laurel Creek Park for the ninth time in program history. Fairfield has hosted every year except 2020 when it was cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The local program is scheduled to host for at least the next two years as well.

“The field looks great. It’s well manicured,” Hanson said. “We’ve painted the foul poles and the numbers on the wall. We’ve pressure washed everything. The floors in the grandstands are immaculate. You could eat off them. We’re in good shape and ready to go.”

The Expos qualified as tournament host and the rest of the field is made up of state tournament champions. Games will be played through Sunday with the winner earning a berth and an all expenses paid trip to the American Legion World Series in Shelby, North Carolina, Aug. 10-15.

Wednesday’s openers feature League City, Texas, against Tucson, Arizona, at 9:30 a.m. and Las Vegas, Nevada, against St. George, Utah, at 12:30 p.m. The second half of the day has Albuquerque, New Mexico, against California champion Yuba City and Honolulu, Hawaii, versus the Expos at 7 p.m.

There will be four games Thursday at 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Three games will be held Friday at 9:30 a.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Two games will be held Saturday at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. The championship is Sunday at 1 p.m., and a second game will follow at 4 p.m. if necessary.

The tournament banquet was held

Vanden’s Armon Bailey earns FCS honors as Preseason All-American

FAIRFIELD — Former Vanden High School standout Armon Bailey continues to rack up the preseason accolades as a senior linebacker at Sacramento State.

Bailey was named to the second team of the 2023 Stats Perform AllAmerican FCS Preseason All-America Team, sponsored by FedEx Ground. He is more than ready for another standout season after shining as a junior for a dominant Hornets defense.

Bailey was first-team

all-Big Sky after leading the team with 88 total tackles a season ago, including 12.5 for loss and six for sacks. He had

at least four tackles in all 13 games and recorded 5 or more in 10 contests.

Earlier this summer, Bailey was named pre-

out on Verlander, reportedly had an agreement in place to acquire Rodriguez, but he invoked his no-trade clause.

The Giants’ own stable of pitchers – Alex Wood, Jakob Junis, Sean Manaea, Ross Stripling – also drew interest from other teams but weren’t moved. Forlorn catcher Joey Bart also remained with the organization despite reportedly coming up in talks.

San Francisco explored the idea of subtracting from the deep backend of

its rotation while supplementing the frontend with another top-line starter but ultimately decided to stick with the current group. The aforementioned foursome inspired some confidence with their recent performances, combining for a 1.84 ERA over the past three games. Webb and Cobb, however, remain the only pitchers on staff with a proven ability to pitch six innings on a consistent basis.

US women advance, but barely after scoreless draw

K evin Baxter LOS ANGELES TIMES

AUCKLAND, New

Zealand — The most alarming thing about the national soccer team’s performance Tuesday didn’t come on the field, where the U.S. stumbled through a lifeless, listless and passionless draw with Portugal.

It wasn’t in the group table, which showed the Americans finishing second for just the second time in nine women’s World Cups, nor in the record, which showed the U.S. winning just once in three games and collecting five points, its worst-ever World Cup performance.

All of that was concerning. But what was alarming happened afterward, when many of the players declared their mission accomplished because they had squeezed into Sunday’s knockout round by the slimmest of margins.

A performance that would have been embarrassing to previous editions of the national team was being cele-

brated by this one.

“We’re moving on to the next round. We’re moving on to the round of 16,” Alex Morgan said.

“We got through to the next round,” Lynn Williams added. “I wish we would have won. But at the end of the day, that doesn’t really matter. It’s just getting through to the knockout stages.”

That, of course, is true. The unbeaten U.S. (1-0-2) came within the width of a goalpost of being eliminated when Portugal’s Ana Capeta hit the right post with a stoppage-time shot that would have sent Portugal, a World Cup debutante, on and sent the U.S, a four-time champion, home. But the Americans lived to see another day.

They may be on life support, suffering from wounds terminal and self-inflicted, but they’re still alive.

“I’m not concerned at all,” Lindsey Horan said. A bit of context here: Horan is the team captain.

CIF survey shows high school football participation rises

Joseph Dycus BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

The California Interscholastic Federation announced Tuesday that football participation increased by over 4,000 students from the 2021-22 to the 2022-23 school years.

previous year, according to the survey of 1,609 schools.

season all-Big Sky.

The Hornets open the season Thursday, Aug. 31 at Nichols State. n n n

Chris Minner announced on Twitter that he has been named the new women’s basketball coach at Texas A&M, Texarkana, an NAIA program.

The former Vacaville and Vacaville Christian basketball coach has found success on the NAIA level after moving on from the local high schools to Napa Valley College.

Minner coached at Our Lady of the Lake in San

In a release by the CIF, 11-player football, the state’s most popular high school sport, went from 84,626 players across California in ’21-22 to 89,178 last school year, an increase of 5.4 percent. Eightplayer football also saw a slight uptick from 2,232 to 2,611.

This was the first time participation in the sport has increased since 2015, as the number of players statewide steadily declined from 103,725 to 84,626 over that span.

Overall, 763,867 student-athletes played high school sports in California last year, an increase of 1.4 percent over the

“It’s encouraging to see steady participation after a challenging past few years,” CIF Executive Director Ron Nocetti said in a press release on Tuesday. “As we move forward, the CIF looks to continue to expand and provide students with the opportunity to belong, connect, and compete in educationbased experiences.”

While boys athletics gained 10,401 participants overall, girls sports lost 140.

In boys athletics, soccer was the secondmost popular sport with 53,368 participants, with track and field coming in third with 52,164.

Both sports saw increased involvement, and wrestling saw the largest gain from last year at 10.5 percent, going from 19,900 to

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

SECTION B Matt Miller . Sports Editor . 707.427.6995

Matt Miller/Daily Republic file (2022)

The Fairfield Expos shake hands with a team from Hawaii during the 2022 American Legion Baseball Western Regional Tournament at Laurel Creek Park. The tournament returns this year beginning Wednesday.

Courtesy Photo Vanden High School graduate Armon Bailey (30) led Sacramento State with 88 total tackles a season ago.

See Crown, Page B10

See Giants, Page B10

See Women, Page B10

CALENDAR

TV sports

Baseball

MLB

• Arizona vs. San Francisco, NBCSBA, 6:45 p.m.

• Oakland vs. L.A. Dodgers, NBCSCA, 7:10 p.m.

Basketball

The Tournament

• Teams TBA, ESPN, 4 p.m.

• Teams TBA, ESPN, 6 p.m.

Soccer International Friendly

• Atletico Madrid vs. Real Sociedad, ESPN2, 6 p.m.

• Sevilla vs. Real Betis, ESPN2, 8 p.m.

Women’s World Cup

• Jamaica vs. Brazil, FS1, 3 a.m.

• Panama vs. France, 2, 40, 3 a.m.

Thursday’s TV sports

Baseball

MLB

• Arizona vs. San Francisco, NBCSBA, 12:45 p.m.

• Oakland vs. L.A. Dodgers, NBCSCA, 7:10 p.m.

Basketball

The Tournament

• Teams TBA, ESPN, 4 p.m.

Football

NFL Exhibition

• Cleveland vs. N.Y. Jets, 3, 5 p.m.

Golf • LPGA, Women’s Scottish Open, GOLF, 6 a.m.

• The Wyndham Championship, GOLF, 11 a.m.

Motorsports

• Superstar Racing Experience, ESPN, 6 p.m.

Soccer Women’s World Cup

49ers camp: What we learned about Purdy, Moody, McKivitz

SANTA CLARA — Throwing pain-free in the summer sunshine on the 49ers’ first-string unit, isn’t Brock Purdy’s end game this training camp.

“He’s not happy where he’s at,” right tackle Colton McKivitz said. “He’s con stantly working on things. Even at the dinner table, talking about what he can work on.”

That drive is reminis cent of what pushed Purdy through his rookie season emergence, and it’s what McKivitz encountered in college when his West Vir ginia squad repeatedly lost to Purdy and Iowa State.

“Brock’s Brock. I played him in college and know the mentality he has,” McKivitz added. “We saw what he did last year and he’s picking up right where he left off.”

Purdy indeed has a determined, all-ball veneer at practice. He finished his fourth session of camp Tuesday with touchdown passes to Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings in red-zone drills; he was 8-of-11 passing in fullteam action.

Kick-me sign

The quarterback competition looks as locked up the kicker duel: Purdy is QB1, and Jake Moody is K1, meaning the rookie right-footer is on track to beat out veteran challenger Zane Gonzalez.

little voice in the back that you may not be here tomorrow, but at the same time, you may lose your job. … It’s my job not to lose it.”

Backing up McKivitz is veteran Matt Pryor.

Austin Bryant with an apparently minor injury.

More Aiyuk praise

UFC legend Faber hoping to bring indoor football to Golden 1 Center

Jason a nderson THE SACRAMENTO BEE

SACRAMENTO —

UFC legend Urijah Faber is leading an effort to make Sacramento the new home of the Indoor Football League’s Bay Area Panthers.

The Panthers will play the Sioux Falls Storm in the IFL championship game on Saturday at Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada, but beyond that their future is uncertain.

Team owners Marshawn Lynch, a former NFL All-Pro running back, and Roy Choi, a gaming and entertainment entrepreneur, are considering relocation after two seasons in San Jose. They have issued a request for proposals from four Northern Californiacities: Oakland, Sacramento, San Jose and Stockton.

Each market will have an executive community board to help rally support from the local business community. Faber, a member of the UFC Hall of Fame, is serving as chairman of the executive community board for Sacramento.

“I’ve had an opportunity to experience arena football and it’s an incredible family environment,” Faber told The Sacramento Bee. “It’s exciting. It’s fast paced. There’s a lot of cool things on top of the actual football game. I have two kids now, almost 3 and 4, and this is perfect for kids. I think it’s a great thing to bring to our community.”

The proposal process is being led by PIVOT Agency founder and CEO Ben Shapiro, who is involved in talks with the Sacramento Kings regarding the use of Golden 1 Center. Shapiro said the team will choose its home by mid-September with the 2024 season expected to begin in March.

Shapiro, a former Sacramento State tennis player, said Faber will play an important role in the process.

“Urijah is the perfect person to lead the executive community board in Sacramento,” Shapiro said. “He might be known as ‘The California Kid’ from his UFC days, but he’s the King of Sacramento after years of involvement.”

Unlike during his rookie season, Purdy did not celebrate by pretending to shoot guns with his hands or inject ice into his forearm’s veins. Instead, he knows there is much more work to do, beyond just getting his surgically repaired right elbow ready, with six weeks until the season opener in Pittsburgh.

Purdy is completing 60 percent of his passes (30-of-50), and, more pertinent to any quarterback-competition chatter, he’s taken every firststring rep in his four practices, under the prescribed comeback plan of working two days on, then not throwing for two days.

Cornerback Isaiah Oliver is impressed, having been victimized by Purdy’s final pass Tuesday, when Jauan Jennings broke free to catch almost a fade pass into the right side of the end zone.

“Just watching him on film from in the playoffs and watching now, it looks like he’s throwing the ball the same way to me,” said Oliver, who was with the Atlanta Falconslast year (when they beat Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers) but didn’t face Purdy until this past week.

“That’s really good for him and his confidence,” Oliver said of Purdy’s comeback. “It takes an extra step or two when coming back from injury. I have experience with that and I’ve talked to him about it. As long as he’s confident and it doesn’t hurt, then he’s definitely going to be a hell of a player.”

Local scores

• Morocco vs. Colombia, FS1, 3 a.m. Golf Rancho

Solano

Women’s Golf Club Game:

Moody made a 60-yard field goal to end Tuesday’s practice, and, for important context, it followed a 43-yard miss earlier in practice.

“That’s one I want back and prove that’s not what I’m about,” Moody said. “I’m just trying to put it through; I don’t care how far it goes over.”

Moody commended Gonzalez for his veteran guidance and that it’s been “pretty cool.” They kicked inside Levi’s Stadium this spring to gauge “tricky” wind patterns and capture the scenery’s aiming points, but the field has been unavailable in camp because of last weekend’s Taylor Swift concerts.

“We were trying to, but with the Taylor Swift concert, they had to take the poles down,” Moody said. “Hopefully we will get a few more kicks in there before the first preseason game” on Aug. 19 against Denver.

McKivitz has starting mentality

McKivitz said he got a confidence boost after spring workouts when told he was the starting right tackle to replace Mike McGlinchey, who left in free agency for Denver.

“I sweated a few drafts, and for them not to take anyone and then to put that full confidence in me as a starter is huge,” McKivitz said. “The pressure is not off, because now you are the starter, but it gives the ability to work on little things and not have that

First injury stoppage

Jaylon Moore exited with an injury to his right leg after serving as the second-string left tackle and apparently getting rolled up while blocking a Jordan Mason run. That paused practice at camp for the first time because of an injury, and concerned teammates gathered around Moore before he walked off the field with trainers. Leroy Watson IV replaced him.

Rookie wide receiver Isaiah Winstead appeared to sustain a foot or ankle injury in warmups.

Stop the fight

When linebacker Dre Greenlaw essentially tackled Christian McCaffrey on a 5-yard run, fisticuffs did not ensue, unlike Monday’s heated practice that saw a few scrums. Instead, Greenlaw apologized, with angry offensive linemen encircling him.

Cowboys’ bust is hired

Taco Charlton lined up as a third-string defensive end in his practice debut, continuing a journeyman career that began with him as a Dallas Cowboys’ 2017 first-round draft pick (No. 28). He has 11 ½ sacks in 60 games through a career that’s included stints with the Miami Dolphins (2019), Kansas City Chiefs (2020), Pittsburgh Steelers (2021) and Chicago Bears (2022). Not only does he add depth with Nick Bosa absent amid a contract dispute but the 49ers also are missing

4: Linda Perry, Carol Afholderbach, Cathy Treece, Marge Tye, 36.

5: Marilyn Weaver, Judy Horan, Sandy Latchford, Pat Alvestad, 38.

6: Julie Smith, Barb Ray, Kay Williams, Rene Romiski,

Bridges, net 39

1: Kathy Lemon, net 36.5

2: Debbie Dahl, net 38

3: Amy Shively, net 38

4: Margie Miller, net 39.5 Closest to the Pin, #4:

1: Karen Moore, 0’0”

2: Kim Greer, 5-1/2” Closest to the Pin, #15:

1: Jackie Smith, 16’7-1/2”

2: Lisa Hoekwater, 17’6” Birdies: Nia Magno, #10 Chip-ins: Elaine Hahn, #13 Karen Moore, #4 LOW GROSS: Jackie Smith, 87

Niners

Bocce Fairfield Bocce Federation

Scramble Team Results

1: Ann Rollin, Berna LaPointe, Stella Gauden, Kim Weaver, 33

2: Genny Lopez, Becky Ramirez, Jodene Nolan, Nadine Kramer, 35.

3: Kay Bone, Nancy Reublin, Suellen Johnstone, Bev Long, 35.

Saying the 49ers’ receiving corps is unique for having multiple receivers who are extremely physical blockers, Oliver also commended how Aiyuk and Jennings are looking in camp.

On Aiyuk, Oliver said: “Really crispy routes, way better than I even thought he was. I knew that he was already good. Seeing it up close and personal, he’s such a better receiver than when he first got in the NFL. Really detailed in his routes, explosive, quick off the line. He’s poised to have a really big year.”

On Jennings, Oliver added: “He’s definitely a physical guy. That’s just in his nature. And that’s his role in the receiving room. He’ll block linebackers, safeties, anybody, it doesn’t matter. He looks for that challenge. He’s a big, strong guy, runs good routes, and has a great catch radius.”

Jalen Hurd retires

Jalen Hurd, the 49ers’ third pick of a 2019 draft class led by Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel, was placed on the reserve/ retired list Tuesday by the New England Patriots. Hurd never appeared in an official NFL game, and he apparently got hurt Monday, a week after signing with the Patriots to try restarting his career. Hurd scored two touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys in the 2019 preseason opener, then hurt his back and spent his rookie year on injured reserve. A torn ACL in 2020 camp further derailed his career, and the 49ers waived him off injured reserve in November 2021.

Karl Mondon/Bay Area

Group/TNS San Francisco 49er quarterback Brock Purdy (13), is greeted by linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball at training camp practice in Santa Clara, Thursday.

Columns&Games

Change will freshen up longtime marriage

Dear Annie: Your answer to “Not Dog Tired Anymore” was great from the human point of view, but not so much from the animals’. I’m an animal behavior consultant and have seen problems arise from inconsistencies such as these. Like children, pets need to have a sense of security about their routines so they can predict their future. Any time we are inconsistent, they lose a little confidence about what happens next. I’d recommend that the owners decide on a routine, whatever it is, and then stick with it. — Animal Helper

Dear Animal Helper: Thank you for your letter. A great number of you wrote in with similar comments.

Dear Annie: “Traveling Days Over,” who thought his vacations were over once he and his wife were “empty nesters” and traveling with his wife alone was stressful, has probably never considered his wife a member of the vacation

ARIES (March 21-April 19).

Once your heart sets a quest in motion, the rest of you goes on the search. However, since things often show up when you’re not looking for them, you’ll benefit from a break and a distraction.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20).

You may not agree with someone, but you’ll hear them out, honoring the basic human need to feel seen and heard. Because you give your respect to all, it will be abundantly reflected back to you when you need it.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21).

You might feel miffed without knowing why. Anger happens when something has been lost or an expectation has been violated. You can diminish your agitation by simply looking into the feeling and asking, “What has been lost?”

CANCER (June 22-July 22).

You’re open to the magical but you do the practical work anyway, knowing that magic has an affinity for sweat and often visits in the heat of effort. You’ll be amazed by what you can accomplish all on your own.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22).

Greed often settles in where there’s a lack of creativity, curiosity and security. You may not have everything you want, but you’re so resourceful you can see no reason to grasp or hoard. Your internal resources make you rich.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).

Responsibility is meant to be shared. You’ll attract a dream team. You’ll be a master of del-

Daily

Cryptoquotes

group. I imagine she has done all the work and planning (and cooking and cleaning) on his vacations so he and his children could have a fun, carefree experience. Now that it is only the two of them, she still has all the dog work to do, and he is getting stressed because she can’t live it up with him and still provide the service he expects.

I have been there. Unless he is willing to cough up some dough so they both can relax, or pitch in and help, I believe his vacations as he knew them are over.

There is another choice!

Reconnect with the girl you married – consider her a playmate instead of a servant! Change like that in an old marriage is hard as people become very territorial and dug in to the way they have always done things, but it is possible! I have been there, too, and I can say the change is well worth it!

I wish them luck. I appreciate your column and your wise and compassionate advice. —

Today’s birthday

You’re like a sunrise over the ocean, your fiery passion illuminating a wide sea of emotion. People will be drawn to you and will be awed to watch you lift to new heights. More highlights: You’ll manage a project and be involved in the livelihood and thriving of many. You’ll develop a soulful talent.

You’ll celebrate additions to family and chosen family. Aries and Cancer adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 1, 7, 20, 13 and 5.

egation, with just the right amount of involvement in a task to maintain quality while freeing up your perspective to handle a bigger picture.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).

A lone wolf will be integral to your experience. This person feels stifled by too much involvement, but you’ll find the amount of social connection that works and be enriched by the unique perspective this person offers.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21).

Listening is the power move. The loudest person is often the weakest one. Talking the most actually puts a person at a disadvantage. Power comes from knowing what others want, which requires listening well.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21). You don’t have to formally sign up for the “race” to

Empty Nesters Reconnect

Dear Reconnect: What a great idea to try to remember the person that you married and rekindle your flame. Being able to change is part of having a better marriage and understanding of each other.

Dear Annie: I have four grandchildren from one son. None of them have ever thanked me for gifts. The last time was a graduation card and necklace. Don’t think it’s too much to ask for them to acknowledge they’ve received the gift. Each one has access to the internet either from a phone, tablet or a laptop. No excuse for ignorance. I blame my son and his girlfriend.

Teach your kids manners! — I Blame My Son

Dear Blame: Instead of “blaming” your son, why not talk to him and tell him your frustrations and feeling unappreciated? My guess is that he has no idea how hurt you are by their lack of communication. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@ creators.com.

get the full benefit of the game. Just knowing you have competition is enough to motivate you to do more than you otherwise would.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19). Subtle variances of language can mean drastically different things. For instance, “I couldn’t say” means something and “I don’t know” means something else. You’re completely tuned in to the nuances that matter, which will help you solve a mystery.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 18). Making and keeping promises is a theme. You don’t have to know how you will accomplish goals; you just need to commit, and the way will reveal itself as you go.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20).

It’s easy be confident when you don’t know much about a situation. Extremely knowledgeable people are often humbled by how much more there is to know and will come across as less confident even though they are more qualified.

CELEBRITY PROFILES:

In additions to “Avatar 3,” “Avatar 4” and “Avatar 5,” Sam Worthington is working on at least seven major entertainment projects, ranking him among the busiest actors in Hollywood. Leo has Mercury, Venus and Saturn in the sign of the entertainer as well. His Scorpio moon lends magnetic intensity and resonates inside his simple quote, “My private life stays private.”

Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

Bridge

Crossword by Phillip Alder

the opener. That was fine, but he should have passed three no-trump. When he jumped to five clubs, South understandably went on to the slam, expecting a better spade suit or a third trump in the dummy.

It should be apparent to declarer that he needs to win three spades, one heart, one diamond and seven clubs. Given the lack of dummy entries, trumps must divide 2-2. However, what about that third spade winner?

The incorrect line is to cash the spade ace, enter dummy with a trump and immediately discard a red-suit loser on the spade king. If South does that, continuing with the spade jack, East will ruff to stop a loser-on-loser play by declarer.

WHEN ESTABLISHING, WINNERS CAN WAIT

How good is your suit-establishment technique? Let’s find out.

How should South play in six clubs after West leads the heart king? What were West’s more effective opening salvos?

North’s three-spade rebid was game-forcing after the jump rebid by

The high spade king can wait. Declarer must win the opening lead, cash the spade ace, cross to dummy and immediately call for the spade jack. If East covers with the queen, South ruffs, plays a trump to dummy and runs the spades. If East plays low, South discards his heart loser. Here, West wins with his queen, but he cannot defeat the contract. Alternatively, if the spade jack holds, a spade ruffed high establishes the suit, and dummy still has a trump entry.

Finally, note that an initial minor-suit lead is lethal.

COPYRIGHT: 2023, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

Sudoku by Wayne Gould

Bridge

8/2/23

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

WHEN ESTABLISHING, WINNERS CAN WAIT

How good is your suit-establishment technique? Let’s find out.

How should South play in six clubs after West leads the heart king? What were West’s more effective opening salvos?

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

Difficulty level: GOLD

Yesterday’s solution:

Horoscopes by Holiday Mathis

B4 Wednesday, August 2, 2023 — DAILY REPUBLIC

As a gentle, soft-spoken drug dealer, Angus Cloud became ‘Euphoria’s’ moral backbone

Los A ngeLes Times

When HBO’s teen drama “Euphoria” begins shooting its third season, it will do so without one of its strongest and most indelible characters. Played by Angus Cloud, who died Monday at 25, Fezco – a soft-spoken drug dealer with a philosophical streak – had emerged as the series’ conscience since its premiere in 2019, a tribute to what made the actor “special,” as his family and “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson called him in statements to The Times. “Fez,” as the character was affectionately known, may have been Cloud’s first foray into acting, in a program with bigger names (Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Colman Domingo) and bombastic set pieces, but in knocking it out of the park, he turned Fezco from an ensemble player into an integral part of the series’ success.

It helped, of course, that Fezco was likable – which made him stand out among all the hard-to-love characters in “Euphoria” suburban teens hurtling toward adulthood high and half-naked. More than that, though, Cloud infused Fezco with an empathy that the rest of the drama too often lacks, turning a dope slinger into the show’s moral backbone.

From the pilot episode, when audiences first met these selfdestructive high-schoolers in the fictional California burg of East Highland, Fezco felt distinctive, not just to “Euphoria” but to series TV. He is slow to speak. He doesn’t understand sarcasm. He’s bad at small talk. He learns math by measuring ounces and pounds of weed. But for all his exposure to a world where violence is the best way to solve a problem, he is naive –at least to the ways of his peer’s social scene. A novel mix of kid and adult, Fezco was an immediately endearing character.

And in a story centered around Rue (Zendaya) and her struggle with drug addiction, he did his best to keep her away from the dangerous stuff, or at least safe from other dealers. He failed on the first count, but Fez nonetheless came into the series as our heroine’s most trustworthy protector, and Cloud played that role with such understated authenticity that his moments on screen popped again and again, particularly alongside the loud mouths and chaotic behavior of his peers.

As narrator, Rue describes Fezco as “not revolving in the same direction as planet Earth,” a quality Cloud, with his laconic delivery, brought uniquely to life. In his hands, Fezco may have been more socially awkward than the teens

Here’s

he crossed paths with, but he was observant and resourceful in ways they were not.

After all, Fezco’s serene presence was born out of survival, which made him seem like an alien orbiting outside the selfcentered dramas of privileged brats like Cassie (Sweeney), Maddy (Alexa Demie) and Nate (Jacob Elordi).

For one of the series’ more understated characters, Fezco had quite a vivid backstory.

Born to a strip-club owner and raised by his gangster granny, he learned how to cut crack cocaine into dime bags before he hit puberty. He went to school occasionally before dropping out. And he earned quite the scar on his head when he tried to stop Grandma from killing a deadbeat client with a crowbar.

Yet, thanks to Cloud, who brought gentleness and gentility to the role, the character could never be easily written off, or out, as a gangland plot device. The ginger-haired dealer was familiar to anyone who ever ran with a tough crowd, a potent reminder that those whom society deems “rough” often have more fortitude than the kids who “have it all.” After his granny was incapacitated by a

stroke, Fezco raised himself and his younger, adopted brother, Ashtray (Javon Walton). Unlike the other characters who broke the law for fun, he did it to put food on the table.

Throughout the first two seasons, Cloud played the role quietly, never straining for fireworks in a show built on them. It was fitting that he believably seemed more flappable during fumbling, lovestruck moments with good girl Lexi (Maude Apatow) than in the midst of the SWAT team shootout that took down Ashtray.

No wonder Fezco swiftly became a favorite of “Euphoria” fans. He represented tangible problems and solutions (even if illegal) rather than general teen angst. He was a source of groundedness and calm in the otherwise reckless and frenetic world of the series, a delicious irony given his highrisk lifestyle.

To turn a character that could have gone wrong in so many ways into one so complex and compelling – especially without much in the way of training or experience – took an actor of special abilities. And as those closest to him have said, Cloud was just that. Special.

Word Sleuth

Crossword by Phillip Alder

Bridge

West leads a trump and a second round of the suit reveals the 4-1 split, East discarding a club?

North correctly responded two diamonds, not one spade. As he had enough strength to force to game, he bid his longest suit first. After spades were agreed, three control-bids followed. North then signed off because he had no diamond control. South, with his singleton, though, moved on. If the trumps had broken 3-2, declarer would have had 12 easy tricks: four spades, five hearts, two clubs and a club ruff on the board. Now, though, South had to be careful.

At trick three, the original declarer led a diamond to the 10 and king. He was hoping to ruff a diamond in his hand, draw trumps and run the hearts. However, East switched to a heart, cutting South’s communications and defeating the contract.

WHEN YOU MAY TAKE A RUFF ANYWHERE

We try to find a trump suit that is at least an eight-card fit. That is straightforward, but the technique of trying to gain extra tricks by ruffing losers can be noticeably different between a 4-4 and a 5-3 fit.

Today’s deal features a 4-4 fit. How should South play in six spades after

Declarer should have taken a ruff in the dummy. He would then immediately cash two clubs and two hearts, pitching a club from the dummy. The club nine could be ruffed with the spade ace, the trumps drawn, and the hearts cashed for 12 tricks. With a 4-4 fit, ruff in either hand if there is no risk of promoting an opposing trump. In a 5-3 fit, always try to ruff in the hand with shorter trumps.

COPYRIGHT: 2023, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

Sudoku by Wayne Gould

© 2023 Janric Enterprises Dist. by creators.com

8/3/23

Difficulty level: BRONZE

Yesterday’s solution:

WHEN YOU MAY TAKE

A RUFF ANYWHERE

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

We try to find a trump suit that is at least an eight-card fit. That is straightforward, but the technique of trying to gain extra tricks by ruffing losers can be noticeably different between a 4-4 and

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images/TNS file (2022)

In this photo from March 27, 2022, Angus Cloud attends the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills.

‘A Compassionate Spy’: Footnote to ‘Oppenheimer’

Michael O’Sullivan THE WASHINGTON POST

Physicist Ted Hall, who was recruited to join the Manhattan Project after graduating from Harvard at the age of 18, worked alongside J. Robert Oppenheimer at the project’s Los Alamos compound. Although his character is not depicted in “Oppenheimer,” Christopher Nolan’s sweeping biopic about the director of the Los Alamos lab, Hall’s smaller story – told in the documentary “A Compassionate Spy” – makes for a timely footnote to Nolan’s magnum opus.

As Hall has admitted, shortly before his death in 1999, he gave the Soviets critical information about the implosion technology being used for the atomic bomb at Los Alamos, information that may have helped them in the pursuit of their own nuclear weapon. The decision, he says in an old interview –footage of which, included here, contains his confession and other recollections of the past –was born out of “compassion”: Two superpowers with the same weapon of mass destruction would be less likely to use it against each other.

Suspicions about the loyalty of Oppenheimer –who like Hall and some others at Los Alamos had some sympathies toward leftist causes – figure prominently in “Oppenheimer.” But although Hall was interviewed by the FBI, he was never charged with a crime. By the time the U.S. government’s suspicions about Hall were confirmed (when a misspelled version of his name was recognized in an intercepted communication from Russia), the decision was made not to pursue espionage charges, which would have publicly revealed that the United States had broken Soviet code.

This small detail is actually the most fascinating part of “A Compassionate Spy,” but it is glossed over in the film by Steve James, director of the Oscarnominated 1994 film “Hoop Dreams.” Instead, the film focuses mainly on an interview with Hall’s widow, Joan Hall, who adds some interest-

ing perspective and insight into her husband’s thinking.

Reenactments with actors playing the Halls (J. Michael Wright and Lucy Zukaitis) and Ted’s friend and co-conspirator Saville Sax (Nicolas Eastlund) are occasionally goofy and unnecessary. The threesome, it is suggested, formed a love triangle, so “A Compassionate Spy” is also a kind of romance.

Ted’s motivations are adequately defended, by his own words and Joan’s. But the other side of the moral coin is left largely unexplored, other than a brief clip in which we hear one of the film’s subjects opine that, if he had his druthers, Ted would have been shot as a traitor. Interludes related to Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were convicted of espionage in 1951 (and executed in 1953), provide some helpful context.

“A Compassionate Spy” is less a full companion piece to “Oppenheimer” than an intriguing sidebar. When Ted Hall reminisces about how he sat alone in his room, disturbed, as his Los Alamos colleagues celebrated their team’s 1945 success, it’s hard not to remember those scenes of self-congratulation in “Oppenheimer” – but also to recall Nolan’s film as a better, bigger, bolder and more complex examination of all the nuance and contradiction associated with the dawn of the atomic age.

Baby Blues Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott

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LOCATEDAT11005thStreetFairfield, CA,94533Solano.Mailingaddress1100 5thStreetFairfield,CA,94533.IS(ARE) HEREBYREGISTEREDBYTHEFOLLOWINGOWNER(S)MariaDuran1100 5thStreetFairfield94533.THISBUSINESSISCONDUCTEDBY: anIndividual Theregistrantcommencedtotransact businessunderthefictitiousbusiness nam eornameslistedaboveonN/A. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.)

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JUN222023 NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023000995 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00064627 Published:July12,19,26August2,2023

NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF BULK SALE (Secs.6104,6105U.C.C.) EscrowNo.FSSE-6032301975

NoticeisherebygiventotheCreditorsof GoldenStateSourdoughInc.,Seller(s) whosebusinessaddress(es)is3336North TexasStreet,Fairfield,CA94533,thata bulktransferisabouttobemadeto SGCheemaInc,Buyer(s),whosebusiness(es)addressis:3336NorthTexas Street,Fairfield,CA94533. Thepropertytobetransferredislocated at:3336NorthTexasStreet,Fairfield,CA 94533. Saidpropertyisdescribedingeneralas: Allstockintrade,fixtures,equipment goodwillandotherpropertyofthatbusinessknownasSourdough&Co.Restaurant,andlocatedat:3336NorthTexas Street,Fairfield,CA94533. Thebulksaleisintendedtobeconsummatedattheofficeof:FIDELITYNATIONALTITLECOMPANY,1671EastMonte VistaAve,Ste.218,Vacaville,CA95688 Thebulktransferwillbeconsummatedon orafterthe08/18/23. ThisbulktransferissubjecttoSection 6106.2oftheCaliforniaCommercialCode IfSection6106.2applies,claimsmaybe filedatFIDELITYNATIONALTITLECOMPANY,EscrowDivision,EscrowNo FSSE-6032301975TG,1671EastMonte VistaAve,Ste.218,Vacaville,CA95688 Phone:(707)449-3472,Fax:(707)4714128. ThisbulktransferdoesNOTincludealiquorlicensetransfer.Allclaimsmustbe receivedatthisaddressbythe08/17/23 SofarasknowntotheBuyer(s),allbusinessnamesandaddressesusedbythe Seller(s)forthethree(3)yearslastpast,if differentfromtheabove,are:NONE

INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONJuly062028. THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONS CODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: JUL072023 NewASSIGNEDFILENO.20230001060 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00064646 Published:July12,19,26August2,2023 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT THE FOLLOWING PERSON (PERSONS) IS (ARE) DOING BUSINESS AS THE CHICKEN SPOT LOCATEDAT1601SpringsRoadVallejo, CA94591.Mailingaddress710Walford AvenueVallejo,CA94591.IS(ARE) HEREBYREGISTEREDBYTHEFOLLOWINGOWNER(S):LuisDiaz710 WalfordAvenueVallejo94591.THIS BUSINESSISCONDUCTEDBY: anIndividual Theregistrantcommencedtotransact businessunderthefictitiousbusiness nameornameslistedabov eonN/A. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.) /s/LuisDiaz INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANG EINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONJuly162028.

THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: JUL172023 NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023001105 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00064866 Published:July26August2,9,16,2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT THE FOLLOWING PERSON (PERSONS) IS (ARE) DOING BUSINESS AS CA BUILT FENCING & GATES LOCATEDAT324GrapeStreet,VacavilleCA95688Solano.Mailingaddress324 GrapeStreet,VacavilleCA95688.IS (ARE)HEREBYREGISTEREDBYTHE FOLLOWINGOWNER(S):ThomasCook 324GrapeStreetVacaville,95688THIS BUSINESSISCONDUCTEDBY: Theregistrantcommencedtotransact businessunderthefictitiousbusiness ornameslistedaboveonN/A. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.) s/ThomasCookII INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONJuly242028. THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: JUL252023 NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023001153 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00064974 Published:August2,9,16,23,2023

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Mets send Verlander to Astros

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Justin Verlander is going back to the Houston Astros.

The Mets have traded the righthander back to Houston hours ahead of Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET trade deadline, according to multiple reports. The Mets are getting a pair of highly-touted outfielders in return: Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford.

The 40-year-old three-time Cy Young Award-winning Verlander signed a two-year, $86.66 million deal with the Mets as a free agent during the winter meetings in December. The contract also carries a vested option for a third season worth $35.33 million. His signing with the Mets solidified

Women

From Page B1

The top-ranked U.S. came into Tuesday’s game leading the group on goal differential over the Netherlands. If it beat No. 21 Portugal and protected its two-score edge in the differential, it would win the group.

The Dutch served notice early in the evening that wasn’t going to happen, scoring four times in the first 23 minutes of its 7-0 rout of Vietnam.

No worries. A draw against a Portuguese team that the U.S. had beaten 10 times in 10 tries, outscoring them 39-0, would suffice. That almost didn’t happen either, with Portugal outpossessing and outpassing the sloppy Americans and nearly grabbing what would have been a well-earned win on Capeta’s shot.

Portuguese coach Francisco Neto thought it obvious that his team deserved to win. For his part U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski continued to ignore the obvious, parroting the same lines he’s used since arriving in New Zealand.

“I’m not worried about it. I don’t think anyone on the staff is worried,” he said after last month’s sloppy opener, which ended in a win over Vietnam.

“We’re just going to get better from game to game,” he promised after the second game, a draw with the Netherlands.

That promise didn’t pan out since the U.S. regressed considerably against Portugal. Yet Andonovski stuck with his “what, me worry?” routine.

“It does not concern me at all, actually. I’m very confident with the group that we have,” he repeated Tuesday.

“It’s not like we don’t

CIF

From Page B1

21,982 in one year.

Swimming and diving participation declined 5.6 percent, the most of any of the top 10 boys sports.

Basketball and base-

them as bona fide contenders in the National League, but that status didn’t last long.

Verlander pitched well in 16 starts with the Mets, going 6-2 with a 3.15 ERA, but the veteran ace looked like a different version of himself than the one who won a Cy Young Award and a World Series with the Astros last season. He started the season on the injured list with a teres major strain in his right shoulder and he struggled with inconsistencies from start to start. However, he turned a corner in recent outings. He made his final start for the Mets on Sunday against the Washington Nationals, allowing one earned run over 5 1/3 innings before coming out to an ovation from the Citi Field crowd. It was

Alumni

From Page B1

the Everett, Washington, Aquasox. He gave up three earned runs, walked three, struck out three but picked up the victory.

his fourth straight win and his final one in New York.

Verlander possessed no-trade protection and had the final say in any trade.

According to MLB Pipeline, Gilbert, 22, is the Astros’ top-rated prospect in the organization. A Minnesota native, he went to the College World Series with Tennessee in 2021 and was drafted in the first round (28th overall) in 2022. He’s currently playing in Double-A.

Clifford, 19, was drafted in the 11th round in 2022 out of Crossroads FLEX High School in Cary, North Carolina and is currently in High-A.

The Mets have shifted their priority from winning in 2023 and 2024 to stocking their farm system and getting younger.

Antonio, Texas, before he moved on to Midway University in Kentucky.

The Eagles will open the season in late October.

n n n

Former Rodriguez

High standout Carter Bins is back in action in minor league baseball. The Double-A Altoona Curve had put the catcher on the 60-day disabled list. Bins has been rehabbing of late with the Florida Coast League Pirates.

Bins is 2-for-11 with a walk and an RBI during recent action in Florida. He had a 2-for-4 game with an RBI Monday in a 6-5 win over the FCL Rays.

The former Mustang had an excellent stint with the big league Pittsburgh Pirates during spring training before being assigned to Double-A Altoona.

n n n

Vacaville High graduate Troy Claunch was reassigned Wednesday to the Chicago White Sox High-A affiliate, the Winston-Salem Dash.

The catcher has been 2-for-9 in recent games for the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers prior to the move to Winston-Salem. His best recent game came July 27 when he went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI for Kannapolis in an 8-4 win over the Delmarva Shorebirds of Salisbury, Maryland.

On July 20, Harrison went five innings in a 7-3 win over Spokane, Washington, allowing five hits, no earned runs, and one walk to go with three strikeouts.

n n n

The Chicago White Sox pitching staff might be in a bit of upheaval after recent trades, but Rodriguez product Jesse Scholtens continues to get innings out of the bullpen.

Scholtens has had two recent appearances. He worked one inning, allowing only one hit, no earned runs, no walks and struck out two for a no decision as the White Sox beat Cleveland 7-2.

Scholtens also had a no decision ins a 7-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs on July 25. He pitched two innings, allowing three hits, two earned runs, one on a home run, to go with two strikeouts.

The former Mustang is now 1-3 in the big leagues with a 3.32 ERA. He has pitched in 16 games, started two and has one save. Scholtens has worked in 38 innings and has struck out 23 batters. n n n

Vacaville’s Tony Gonsolin was tagged for a loss July 26 when the Los Angeles Dodgers were beaten by the Toronto Blue Jays 8-1.

have the pieces.”

One piece that will be missing Sunday is midfielder Rose Lavelle, who played her first full game since April but was ineffective and drew her second yellow card in as many matches, meaning she’ll be suspended for the round of 16. It’s also a group that looks as if it should be playing with name tags, so unfamiliar do the players seem with one another.

But it’s the team Andonovski brought to New Zealand, one that includes a U.S.-record 14 World Cup rookies and three starters who came here with fewer than 20 international caps. Andonovski hasn’t just ignored metaphorical alarms bells, though.

After a pro-U.S. crowd of 42,958 booed the team off the field at the end of the first half, real alarm bells started blaring seconds into the second half when a fire alarm went off, accompanied by verbal instructions to leave the stadium immediately.

Nobody went anywhere, but the warning, which continued for an annoying four minutes, seemed appropriate.

Before Tuesday, the only

ball were the fourth and fifth-most popular boys sports, although each saw slight decreases in participation from the previous school year.

Soccer (45,544 players) and volleyball (45,390) are the two most popular girls sports, with sports each losing 3.2 and 0.3 percent

time the U.S. has finished anywhere but first in their group was 2011. The Americans rallied to make the tournament final that year before losing to Japan, still the only team to win a World Cup without winning its group.

One person who did seem visibly concerned about the U.S. performance was defender Kelley O’Hara, a fourtime World Cup player and two-time champion. She gathered the team in a huddle after Tuesday’s draw and delivered what appeared to be a passionate message. Asked about that afterward, however, she stuck to the company line: Everything’s fine.

“I just told them, ‘Listen guys, we did what we had to do. This game’s done. We advanced. That’s the name of the game: Get out of your group and then go from there,’ “ she said. “This is in the rearview and the only thing that we’re looking at and focused on is the round of 16.”

She did offer a candid answer when asked whether the U.S. can win the next one if it doesn’t play better than it did in the last one.

“I don’t know,

of participants, respectively, from the prior school year. Track and field, the third most popular at 40,434, saw an increase of 5.3 percent.

Swimming and diving had the largest decline at 5.2 percent, going from 23,153 to 21,124. Traditional competitive

man,” she said. Later this week the team will check out of its 17-story hotel overlooking Auckland’s scenic harbor and head for Melbourne, not Sydney, where they are almost certain to play Sweden, not Italy or Argentina. The Swedes, ranked third in the world, beat the Americans in the Tokyo Olympics and have lost to them in the World Cup and Olympics just once in five tries since 2007.

“We always play Sweden,” Morgan said. “In every major tournament.”

If the U.S. wins, it comes back to Auckland. If it loses, it goes home. And no one has more riding on that return trip than Andonovski, who would become the first women’s national team coach to fail to reach the World Cup semifinals if the U.S. loses.

“We want to make it all the way to the final. That includes coming back to New Zealand,” he said. “We’ve got to take it one step at a time.”

Their last step was a stumble. In the knockout rounds, they can’t afford another.

cheer saw the largest increase in participants among all sports at plus16.8 percent, going from 11,233 to 13,119.

Girls water polo lost the most participants, with a drop of 8.9 percent from the previous year throughout the state.

Claunch had a sevengame stint on the injured list this season. He returned for a rehab assignment in Arizona.

n n n

Devereaux Harrison, a Vacaville graduate, picked up two victories in recent stints on the mound as a starter for the Vancouver Canadians, a single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Harrison worked six innings in a start July 27 when Vancouver earned a 6-4 win over

Giants

From Page B1

The Giants’ offense sputtered to the end of the month, averaging the fewest runs in the majors for July (3.3), and will have to make do without any substantial upgrades.

San Francisco (58-49) entered Tuesday holding a half-game lead on Philadelphia (57-49) for the top wild card spot with three other teams – Arizona (57-50), Miami (57-50), Milwaukee (57-50) – just a game back and two more clubs – San Diego (52-55), Chicago-NL (53-53) –close enough to convince them to add.

The Padres, once thought to be possible sellers, acquired veteran left-hander Rich Hill and first baseman Ji-Man Choi from the Pirates, and first baseman Garrett Cooper from the Marlins. The Cubs, winners of eight of their past 10, opted to hold on to Stroman and

Crown

From Page B1

Tuesday night. Opening ceremonies are scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday. The tournament is sponsored by the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation.

League City, St. George, Tucson and Fairfield all have the same teams returning from last season. League City was the 2022 Western Regional champion.

“We expect Hawaii to be very good,” Hanson said. “Las Vegas has many players from Bishop Gorman High School, one of the top programs in the nation. It’s going to be a really tough tournament.”

Hanson believes a deep

Gonsolin allowed seven hits and five runs in five innings. He gave up one home run, walked three and had five strikeouts.

On July 21, Gonsolin had a no-decision in an 11-5 win at Texas. He worked five innings, allowing two hits, four earned runs, gave up one home run, three walks to go with six strikeouts.

Gonsolin is now 5-4 on the season with a 4.25 ERA in 16 starts and 82 2/3 innings. He has struck out 68 batters this season.

Cody Bellinger and even added infielder Jeimer Candelario.

Mark Canha was considered a possible right-handed bat for the Giants, but he went to Milwaukee, along with first baseman Carlos Santana. Canha’s Mets teammate David Robertson was sent to the Marlins, who also added lefty Jorge Lopez in a boost to their bullpen in addition to their pickup of Burger, who has 25 homers this year.

The Dodgers (59-45), holding a 2.5-game lead in the NL West, missed out on Verlander, reportedly their top target, and were thwarted by their second option, Rodriguez. But they already rounded out their pitching staff and bench last week with the additions of Lance Lynn, Joe Kelly, Amed Rosario and Kike Hernandez. The D-backs, only a game back of the Giants, also had a new arrival from Seattle on Tuesday: closer Paul Sewald. Arizona also added outfielder Tommy Pham.

pitching staff can make a big difference, but added that many coaches make gambles that have to pay off to succeed.

“You not only have to be good, you also have to be lucky,” he added.

Hanson believes his own Expos team have a chance if they can get off to a good start. That would require stunning wins over Hawaii and likely Las Vegas.

“The first two games are going to tell the story,” he said. “If that were to happen, we would be tough to beat.”

Grant Genter of Rodriguez High School gets the ball to open the game for the Expos on the mound Wednesday night against Hawaii.

Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images/TNS

USA defender Naomi Girma, left, and Portugal’s Jessica Silva vie for the ball during a World Cup match at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand, Tuesday.