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SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022

Mace tops city council agenda By Anne Ternus-Bellamy Enterprise staff writer

housing. There are currently about 30,000 bike racks on campus, Bruchez told The Enterprise in October. “This round of (Bicycle Friendly Universities) are not only making it possible for people to bike around campus but are implementing policies, programs and infrastructure improvements that encourage people to drive less and bike more for their health and the

Three years after the Davis City Council voted to redesign the Mace Boulevard corridor, council members on Tuesday will vote on design concepts and consider allocating up to $500,000 for continued design work by consultant Fehr & Peers. That $500,000 would be on top of the $354,280 already approved and come out of the $1.13 million included in the 2021-22 city budget for that purpose. However, the actual cost of fixing what many have dubbed the “Mace mess” — including restoring traffic lanes on Mace, making changes to the intersections of Mace and Cowell Boulevard and Mace and San Marino Drive, as well as placing a traffic signal on Mace at Montgomery Avenue or on Tremont in Solano County — could top $5 million, according to the staff report prepared for Tuesday’s meeting. As presented at a January community meeting, the conceptual designs before the council on Tuesday come in phases. The first phase, Phase 1a, would include restoration of a second southbound traffic lane between Cowell and North El Macero Drive, with a one-way protected bike lane

See PLATINUM, Page A3

See MACE, Page A2

Bike-friendly since the early 1960s, UC Davis once again earned a Platinum designation from The League of American Bicyclists for its pro-cycle culture. Caleb Hampton/ Enterprise photo

UCD bike love earns more Platinum By Caleb Hampton Enterprise staff writer The League of American Bicyclists has once again named UC Davis a platinum-level Bicycle Friendly University, the organization announced Wednesday. The designation, which is valid for four years, acknowledged the campus’ bike-friendly infrastructure as well as policies that encourage “multimodal commuting.” New to the campus this year

is a pay-by-the-day parking system, a policy that campus transit directors said incentivizes car commuters to bike to and from campus on occasion. “Our new parking policy helps those who would like to bike occasionally to do so without feeling they're ‘losing money’ on a parking subscription,” UC Davis bicycle program coordinator Jeffrey Bruchez told the League of American Bicyclists. “Moreover, by confronting people with the actual

cost of parking (instead of it being obscured in a payroll deduction process), we hope people actually get fed up with paying and make the move to a non-drive-alone commute.” Other bike-friendly policies at UC Davis include a 15-mileper-hour speed limit for the few vehicles allowed inside the campus core — mainly maintenance and delivery vehicles — and a campus design, updated in 2018, that requires 1.33 bike racks per unit of on-campus

Sheriff, DA face challengers in June By Lauren Keene Enterprise staff writer Yolo County Sheriff Tom Lopez has a challenger in his first bid for re-election. Thomas Hayes, a resident deputy sheriff for the rural Zamora community north of Woodland, pulled nomination papers on Thursday, a day ahead of the deadline for the June 7 election. A Yolo County native from a multigenerational farming family, Hayes has worked for the Sheriff ’s Office for just over 15 years. Hayes confirmed his plans to run for sheriff to The Davis Enterprise on Friday. He said he’s still outlining his campaign platform, which he’ll unveil

VOL. 124, NO. 31

INDEX

Business �� A5 Events �� A7 Obituaries �� A2 Classifieds ��B6 Forum ��B4 Sports ��B1 Comics ��B7 Living �� A4 The Wary I �� A2

Trustees gather for special meeting on school masks By Aaron Geerts Enterprise staff writer

LOPEZ Incumbent sheriff

HAYES Sheriff challenger

at a later date. Lopez, who prevailed in the 2018 race against his former boss, Ed Prieto, ran a campaign pledging to restore employee morale, create a homeless outreach team and resurrect the agency’s resident deputy and gang task force programs. He said he’s “disappointed” to have a challenger

WEATHER Today: Cooler and partly sunny. High 67. Low 42.

REISIG District attorney

RODRIGUEZ D.A. challenger

from within his department and noted his 42 years of law-enforcement experience including supervisory, management and executive training. “In this election, the voters will have the opportunity to choose between a candidate with an extensive background of successful

See CHALLENGERS, Page A2

The Davis school board held a special meeting on Friday, March 11, in which the trustees affirmed their decision to extend of the school district’s indoor masking mandate for students through April 11. According to Board President Tom Adams, this meeting came about due to an allegation that the board’s decision to lift the indoor masking mandate was not properly agendized in the previous meeting, held Thursday, March 3. After revisiting the

health-and-safety update and public comments regarding the decision, the board voted unanimously to maintain its course of action to lift the indoor masking mandate on April 11, after spring break. At March 3’s meeting, Associate Superintendent of Student Support Services, Laura Juanitas, reported a decline of COVID across all metrics. Although the report brought good tidings, it came in the wake of California announcing the lifting of the school mask mandates on March 11.

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See MASKS, Page A3

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A2 THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE

Briefly Toy grenade shuts down DHS It was a toy grenade that caused Davis High School students to be evacuated from their classrooms Friday while police investigated the suspicious object. Lt. Ilya Bezuglov said school officials summoned police to the West 14th Street campus at about 1:20 p.m., reporting that “a student found a suspicious device in his backpack that appeared to be a hand grenade, and he claimed not to be his.” The Yolo County Bomb Squad was dispatched to the school and determined the “grenade” was actually a toy. That’s when the student ’fessed up, Bezuglov said. “It was a toy that he brought to school,” Bezuglov said. “Somebody saw it, and they panicked,” leading the student to claim it wasn’t his. In addition to the high-school evacuation, neighboring North Davis Elementary School was placed on lockdown during the incident while police shut down surrounding streets. Davis firefighters also staged at the scene. Bezuglov said authorities are determining whether there will be repercussions for the unidentified student, as “we spent a lot of time and resources on this.”

More on scare

Softball game postponed

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Education drying up in the desert “H ouse panel votes 6-4 to restrict racism lessons in Arizona schools,” said the headline over a story by Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services. Based on that headline, the first paragraph of this breaking news story was entirely predictable. “A House panel voted 6-4 Tuesday, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed, to make teaching about racism illegal in certain ways.” This would be the same “House” majority that ignored the will of the voters in the 2020 presidential election and sent an alternate slate of electors for Vice President Mike Pence to count. I suspect it will soon be illegal in Arizona schools to even mention the name of Mike Pence. Talk about cancel culture, these folks want to obliterate all parts of American history that they don’t like. The bill is being sponsored by Rep. Michelle Udall, a Republican from Mesa, who claims this is not an effort to block students from learning about slavery or the treatment of Native Americans. “It simply means that judging others by their race, ethnicity or

sex is unacceptable,” she told the House Education Committee, which she chairs. Those are worthy goals, of course, even if they do involve thought control, which is something I thought Republicans were against. But, as Howard Fischer points out, “The potentially more problematic language has to do with whether teaching about the history of racism in the United States would cross a line that forbids teaching that individuals, based on race, ethnicity or sex, should ‘feel discomfort, guilt, anguish or any other form of psychological distress because of that race, ethnicity or sex.” In other words, Udall is apparently afraid that a first-grader in Tucson might feel discomfort, guilt, anguish or plain old sadness

when she is taught that members of her race enslaved members of another race, a practice that went on — legally — for over 240 years. If Arizona schoolteachers somehow make their students sad when they teach the history of slavery — no matter how factual or “non-judgmental” — they face suspension or having their teaching credentials revoked.

o, the best way for them to teach about slavery without running afoul of Rep. Udall’s edicts, is to never mention the race of either slaveholders or slaves, and to be especially careful not to mention where these slaveholders or slaves came from before they arrived in what would become the United States of America. Fortunately, there were no cameras available in 1619 Jamestown, so Arizona teachers needn’t fear that an old photograph might make a current Arizona kid squirm in his or her seat. It’s probably also best not to allow students to ask any questions at all about slavery so there’s no chance that race could enter the conversation. Similar concerns arise if a teacher brings up the fact that for

CHALLENGERS: D.A. hopefuls face off in debate From Page A1 leadership and a candidate that has never so much as supervised an employee in his short career," Lopez said. In other local law-enforcement races, attorney Cynthia Rodriguez is seeking to unseat Jeff Reisig as Yolo County’s district attorney, a position he’s held since 2007. Rodriguez, a Winters resident, is a former county and federal public defender who also served as general counsel and deputy director of forensic services at the California Department of Mental Health. Reisig, a prosecutor for 10 years before his election to district attorney, also serves as president of the California District Attorneys Association. Both appeared at a candidates’ forum Thursday hosted by the Yolo County Taxpayers Asso-

ciation in Woodland, where Rodriguez outlined a platform focused on tackling homelessness as well as increasing access to treatment-based programs for offenders suffering from mental illness and substance addiction instead of putting them behind bars. “We can’t continue to harm our communities with policies that have proved ineffective, wasteful and even dangerous,” Rodriguez said. She pledged to “prioritize safety by using a vigorous application of diversion and education programs that actually work to stop the cycle of crime.” Reisig, meanwhile, says he’s already implemented many of the policies that Rodriguez supports — including restorative justice and treatment-based programs for both juveniles and adults — but vowed to remain tough on violent crimes, sex offenders and

the majority of years of this country’s existence, women did not have the right to vote. If a student asks “Well, who did have the right to vote in 1789?” it will be impossible to answer the question without bringing up sex. Similarly, it will be impossible to discuss the details of the 19th Amendment without again bringing up sex. The best a law-abiding and Udall-abiding teacher can say is that “For a while in this country, some people had the right to vote and some people didn’t. That all changed with the 19th amendment when more people were allowed to vote.” The same for teaching about the federal Fair Housing Act of 1968. If a student asks “Why was this act necessary?” just say “Because Congress thought it was necessary” and let it go at that. And for sure, don’t mention that the Arizona Cardinals looked absolutely helpless in losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the 2022 NFL playoffs. That would no doubt make many, many Arizona students very sad indeed. — Reach Bob Dunning at bdunning@davisenterprise.net

organized retail thefts that have plagued local businesses in recent months. “I pride myself on being a balanced, traditional prosecutor with a deep streak of innovation and reform,” Reisig said, also citing his office’s establishment of a data transparency portal and race-blind charging program over the past year. “We are a model for modern prosecutors everywhere.” Three Yolo Superior Court judges also are up for re-election this year, although their names are not expected to appear on the ballot since they’re running unopposed. Judges Samuel McAdam, Paul Richardson and Daniel Wolk all are seeking to return to the bench for six-year terms. McAdam and Richardson both received appointments to the court in 2008 and Wolk in 2020.

MACE: Costs to fix issues piling up From Page A1 and modified median; restoration of a second northbound lane between North El Macero and Cowell; modifications to striping between San Marino Avenue and North El Macero for two northbound travel lanes; modifications to the protected intersection at Cowell and Mace to improve the radius for turning trucks; reconfiguration of the islands at San Marino Avenue; and modifications to on-street parking. The cost estimate for all the work ranges from $2.5 million if it’s all done as a single project and $3.2 million if done as stand-alone projects, according to the staff report. The second phase would include placing a metering traffic light at either Tremont Road or Montgomery and Mace to discourage traffic from getting around I-80 congestion.

Obituaries Frank Trau 1924—2022

Frank Trau died peacefully at home in Davis at the age of 97 of natural causes. He was born in Akron, Ohio, to Mabel and Frank Trau, and attended boarding school throughout his childhood. He ventured west when he was drafted into military service during World War II. He joined the Navy shortly after Pearl Harbor and the experience took him to the Philippines and Hawaii among other places. He enjoyed entertaining on his harmonica or the piano when on shore leave during this time. After the Navy, he used the GI Bill to complete his college education at UC Berkeley, becoming a lifelong Cal fan. He married Marilyn Wales and started a family, settling in the Bay Area in the ’50s. His working years spanned a variety of ventures, but he enjoyed a long career as a real estate broker in Davis, Sacramento and the Bay Area continuing to work well into his 80s. Of his multiple interests, he greatly enjoyed skiing, sailing his 35-foot sailboat in the San Francisco Bay, learning to play the banjo (at age 75),

photography, following Cal and 49er football or Giants baseball, and his daily servTRAU ing of bacon! Eight years ago, he and Marilyn moved to Davis, living independently in their home next-door to their daughter. Despite failing eyesight and hearing, he remained as active as he could with a personal trainer multiple times weekly and enjoyed socializing and keeping up with current events. Frank is preceded in death by his beloved daughter Mary Ann, younger brother Joe, and many relatives and friends. He is survived by his life partner, Marilyn Trau, daughter Katie Horn (John) of Davis, five grandchildren, and four greatgrandchildren. Private services will be held in March. Donations in his honor can be made to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation or the American Cancer Society.

Mary Frances Haugse Hornbeek Nov. 4, 1934 — June 27, 2021

Mary Frances Haugse Hornbeek, a longtime resident of Davis, passed away at her home on March 7, 2022 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. Her beloved husband of 54 years, Larry, was at her side in the final moments. Despite the difficult challenges of Parkinson’s, she maintained a positive attitude until the very end. Born Nov. 9, 1944, in Palo Alto, Mary was the first daughter of Virgil Samuel Haugse and Mary Jane Kramer Haugse. She attended St Thomas Aquinas elementary and Palo Alto High School. After graduating in 1962 she moved to Davis to attend UCD, where she majored in history. Mary and Larry met in 1965 on a three-couple blind date that also included life-long friends Diane Rhett, Dave Schmatjen and John Swanson. Larry was stationed at Travis Air Force Base at the time, and Mary was a student. The couple married in Palo Alto on April 1, 1967, and were approaching their 55th wedding anniversary. Mary and Larry loved the Davis community and have lived here ever since. They raised three children, Gary,

Michael and Nancy, who attended Davis High School. Mary was a devout Catholic and the family are long-time members of St James Church. Mary was very social and inquisitive and enjoyed long conversations with her many friends in the community. In 1981 Mary returned to school at Sacramento State to study accounting. Mary earned a CPA license and eventually started her own private tax practice. While tax season was an annual challenge, Mary was always very fond of her many clients. One of her passions was playing bridge. Some of her closest friends were members of “the bridge group” which met every month for decades. She also often played bridge with friends at University Retirement Community and the Davis Senior Center. Mary loved spending time walking on the beaches in Sea Ranch, where the family owned a home. Other favorite activities included walking on the greenbelt,

traveling to see family and watching the Oakland A’s. She enjoyed volunteerHORNBEEK ing at the Mondavi Center and the Sacramento Jazz Festival. She is survived by her husband Larry; grown children Gary Hornbeek and wife Susie of Portola Valley, Michael Hornbeek and wife Kim of Jacksonville, Ore., and Nancy Shields and husband Lance of Jacksonville; grandchildren Lance, Blake, Cole and Madison Shields, and Grady and Casey Hornbeek; brother Hank Haugse and wife Karen; and sisters Barbara and Katie Haugse. A private burial will be held for the immediate family. In addition, a memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, March 25, at St James Church in Davis. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to a charity involved in the fight against Parkinson’s disease, such as the Michael J. Fox Foundation or the Davis Phinney Foundation.

From Page One

THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE

PLATINUM: Praise for cycling efforts From Page A1 planet,” said Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists. Some of the infrastructure improvements at UC Davis from the past few years include the addition of bike lanes on La Rue Road between Hutchison Drive and Garrod Drive and green “bike boxes” at the intersection of Hutchison and La Rue, which serve as holding areas where cyclists can wait for the traffic signal to change. More improvements are in the works. A project to narrow the median on a stretch of Hutchison Drive that passes over Highway 13, which will make space for bike lanes in both directions, is due for completion in June. One of the new bike lanes will be a “protected” lane, meaning there will be a concrete barrier between the lane and automobile traffic. UC Davis was first recognized as a platinum level Bicycle Friendly University by the League of American Bicyclists in 2013, becoming just the second university in the country to earn the distinction. As of this week, the status has been renewed twice. Today, of the 222 Bicycle Friendly Universities in the U.S., only eight institutions have a platinum ranking. One factor that elevated

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022 A3

MASKS: Board makes sure on procedures From Page A1

Caleb Hampton/Enterprise photo

The dance between cyclists and pedestrians is a daily occurrence on the UC Davis campus. UC Davis to the highest tier is the role bicycling plays in the campus culture. “On many campuses, bikes are simply another way to get around,” Nesper said. “But at Bicycle Friendly Universities, we’ve seen that students, faculty and staff are encouraged to think beyond the utility of bikes as transportation, truly valuing their ability to foster a healthier, safer, more connected campus life.” In fact, the city of Davis, long proclaimed the “bicycle capital of America,” owes much of its bikefriendliness to the university. In the early 1960s, with UC Davis looking to expand enrollment from 2,000 to 10,000 — it’s now

almost 40,000 — campus officials realized the city could accommodate 8,000 more students but nowhere near so many cars. Emil Mrak, the UC Davis chancellor at the time, directed campus architects to “plan for a bicycle-riding, tree-lined campus” and banned students living on campus from bringing cars — a policy that remains in place. In 1963, the famous landscape photographer Ansel Adams captured a scene of a crowded UC Davis bike rack as students cycled past on either side. Local residents on staff at UC Davis formed an action group and pushed city leaders to emulate the campus’ bicycle-oriented

infrastructure. Today, 98% of Davis’ streets have some form of bicycle provision, and residents use bikes to commute at 10 times the rate of people in other American cities. This week, with gas prices at their highest in more than a decade and people across the country searching for alternate modes of transit, Mrak’s “un-American” vision, as The Guardian phrased it in a 2015 feature on bicycling in Davis, appears to be paying dividends. — Reach Caleb Hampton at champton@ davisenterprise.net. Follow him on Twitter at @ calebmhampton.

“I want to emphasize that masks will continue to be strongly recommended indoors,” said Juanitas. “Every school site will be working with students and families to safeguard everyone’s right to make a personal choice based on their risk factors, their family values and their own personal comfort level.” On Friday, the board also provided a list of the considerations in their decision making in the health-and-safety update which include new CDC and CDPH guidance, community division, staff feedback, history of surges after breaks, preparing

students, staff and community for change, staff/ student health-related choice, social and emotional wellbeing of students and staff, vaccine availability for 0-4 year olds, community transmission levels and what partners and neighbors are doing as well. With that, the meeting adjourned, with the next due to take place at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 17, at the Community Chambers at 23 Russell Blvd. One can also view the meeting on TV by switching to DJUSD Education Channel 17 or online at djusd.davismedia.org. — Reach Aaron Geerts at aaron.geerts@ mcnaughton.media.

Living

A4 THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022

Social awkwardness strikes unexpectedly I ’ve never thought of myself as socially awkward. In fact, I actually have an overdeveloped sense of “It’s them, not me” whenever a social encounter goes awry. Truly, when I have a weird conversation with someone, I almost always think that person was off his game, or he didn’t know how to process my (selfperceived) very clever comebacks, etc. Yes, this is incredibly obnoxious to admit, but thems the facts. So imagine my dismay as I’ve found myself second-guess everything I say lately, a result of trying to make a good impression so as not to jeopardize my husband’s new job. In case you’re just dropping in, S is now the interim president of San José State University. And yes, the accent mark is part of its name. But wait, you’re thinking — haven’t you already had to be on good behavior while your husband was the provost at CSU

Sacramento? True, but S’s career spanned 20-plus years at Sac State, and I had a well-established track record there. Each interaction didn’t feel like an audition the way it sort of does now. That reminds me ... Robert Nelsen, president at Sac State and a friend of ours, gave me a hearty directive to “be myself ” when I got to SJSU. I didn’t need to tone down my personality, he assured me. And while I want to believe him, I am over-analyzing every conversation I have with someone new, imagining how it seemed on their end. This is

tiresome and not at all useful. Example: S introduced me to a new colleague on campus, and the three of us talked for about 10 minutes. I remember I said something I thought was funny — more on that in a minute — and quickly followed it up by asking him too many questions — and more on that in a minute. Because the colleague didn’t really laugh at my “funny” comment, and because he stumbled a bit in answering my too-direct question, I walked away from the meeting thinking I’d been a jerk. S, who is admittedly a bit blinded by my charms, thought it all was perfect, but the replaying in my head kept going. One outcome of this is I’ve realized I’m now testing my “material” on my new rowingteam friends. If I say something I think is funny and they laugh, I wonder, “Would this have

worked in a room full of donors? Of campus leaders? Of Silicon Valley execs?” I have lost my ability to know, and I’ve also grown disgusted by my wondering. Just be yourself, I admonish me!

nd why do I even think I need to say something funny? I’ve been spending an uncommon-for-me amount of time pondering why I want to throw out a funny punchline. Is it just because it’s funny and I like when other people say funny things? I like people who are funny, so maybe it’s simply wanting to be liked. Maybe, however, I’m a smartass or a show-off. Is that the image I’m going for? Blech, this is tedious. Next, as I’ve also said in this space before, I ask people what I want to know — either because my time as a reporter has ingrained in me that everyone is an interview subject, or because I’m rude. In a recent lunch with

friend and former Enterprise editor Debbie Davis, she guaranteed me I’m not rude and people enjoy talking about themselves. Debbie is also a bit blinded by my charms, by the way. Did I mention I also swear a lot? I mean, that’s something I’ve completely learned how to control in professional settings. I didn’t even swear one time when S and I went to a church service for CSU’s Super Sunday last month. Impressive, right? So while I am being mostly cheeky here, I definitely don’t want to be a detriment to S’s career. And I do want to have a good time in the new role, not walking away from awkward encounters lamenting, “It’s me, not them!” And I want to be myself. — Tanya Perez lives in Davis with her family. Her column is published every other Sunday. Reach her at pereztanyah@ gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter at @californiatanya.

It’s time now for our own version of spring training Special to The Enterprise

Yolo CASA

s you read this, warmer weather and sunny skies are signaling that spring is on its way. Spring is always a hopeful time … longer days, warmer weather… it always brings with it a sense of new beginnings. Spring is also a busy time for extracurricular activities, summer vacation planning, and more. In fact, just this week many kids will show up to school wearing green, making leprechaun traps, and possibly eating way too many gold coins. While the excitement of spring is palpable indeed, so is the feeling of missing out that many foster children experience. We’ve heard countless stories of foster children having to quit an extracurricular activity because of something like lack of transportation… or even stories as small as a foster child not having any green to wear on St. Patrick’s Day. While all of these things may seem like a blip on the radar or easy to overcome, they quickly become

overwhelming as they add up … one after another. Often times, the job of a CASA volunteer is to mitigate the small stuff as much as the large stuff … to notice when a green shirt is missing from a closet or when a recent move in placements makes the route to a sports practice harder to achieve for a foster family. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard of creative and quick solutions that our CASA volunteers have come up with in situations like that, and some of those solutions have led to some magical firsts … like the time one of our volunteers realized her foster child had never been to the library, or the time our volunteers realized their foster children had never been to the zoo, riding a bike … or even flying a kite. These are just a few examples of the many firsts that our CASA volunteers have given our foster children. And it’s not just the “little kid” experiences either … We’ve heard

By Tracy Fauver

Courtesy photo

CASA volunteers can be around for a lot of big moments. of CASA volunteers taking their youths on their first hike, or to tour colleges, or to their first sporting event or concert. As we move into this season of hope, I’d like to remind all of our CASA volunteers of our gratitude

for their service. All of your small acts of kindness and mitigation add up to a big act of happiness for kids who need it most. And if you’d like to experience your own set of firsts and apply to become a CASA volunteer yourself, be sure

to apply to our Spring Training. We won’t swing bats or field balls, but you will learn how to keep all the balls in the air for a child who really needs you. Spring training starts on April 25, so reach out to

attend an info session as soon as possible by emailing volunteer@yolocasa. org. More info is at yolo casa.org. — Tracy Fauver, LCSW, is the Executive Director of Yolo County CASA.

Aguiar-Curry announces Assembly district’s Woman of the Year Enterprise staff Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, announced Rohnert Park Mayor Jackie Elward as the 2022 4th Assembly District’s Woman of the Year. “Jackie is a symbol of resilience and strength for Assembly District 4 and everyone in California. She has served as a great leader, with strength and grace, during these most difficult times,” AguiarCurry said. “Jackie’s passionate service and

By Andy Jones Special to The Enterprise 1. Internet Culture. What do we call a device that mediates the transmission routes of data packets over an electronic communications network? 2. Time. What five-letter L-word could refer to “an interval or passage of time”? 3. Great Italians. It is said that much of modern philosophy is derived from the ideas of what 13thcentury Dominican friar? 4. Unusual Words. Starting with the letter B, what is the only threesyllable word that rhymes with WATCH? 5. Books and Authors.

Name droppers commitment to her community of Rohnert Park, while building an incredible network of support for the children of her home town of Kinshasa, is simply amazing. I am honored to be associated with a person like her, and to have the privilege of naming her as my 2022 Woman of the Year.” Elward is an immigrant born and raised in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and speaks six

Marlon Brando earned his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for reprising the role of Stanley Kowalski in the 1951 film adaptation of what Tennessee Williams play? Answers: A router, lapse, St. Thomas Aquinas, butterscotch, “A Streetcar Named Desire.” — Dr. Andy Jones is the former quizmaster at de Vere’s Irish Pub and author of the book “Pub Quizzes: Trivia for Smart People.” His pub quiz is now seeking a new home. Meanwhile, Dr. Andy is also sharing his pub quizzes via Patreon. Find out more at www.yourquizmaster.com.

different languages. In 2000, she met her husband, John Ryan Elward, in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, while studying theology. A few years later, they immigrated to the United States to start their family. Coming to the U.S. was a huge culture shock for Elward. In the Congo, community engagement is a vital piece of daily life, so one of the ways to overcome her culture shock was to volunteer. Whether it was at

church or in her local community, Elward always found a way to give back. Her involvement got her started on the road to public service. She is the founder of Les Enfants Baobab, a nonprofit based in California that supports children in Kinshasa. The nonprofit gives children a second chance in life by providing them with a home, clothing and schooling. Elward and her husband

are raising their three children in Sonoma County. For the last 10 years, they have called the city of Rohnert Park home. Their children are bilingual in French and English, having studied at the French American Charter School. She is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Chico State University and another in criminal justice from Central State University.

Elward is honored to be the first Black woman elected to the city council of Rohnert Park and is serving as the mayor. As a public servant, she says she wants to serve her community and keep African American history alive. — Do you know of someone who has won an award or accomplished something noteworthy? Email it to newsroom@davisenter prise.net.

Local

THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022 A5

More Hawaiian, Chinese food, beading I took a week off and there’s lots of catching up to do. Let’s dig right in. ———— As of Feb. 25, Fish’s Wild Island Grill is a Tim’s Hawaiian BBQ. Tim’s now has two locations: its original one at 247 Third St., behind Sam’s Mediterranean Cuisine, and 516 Second St., downtown. Tim’s owner Tim Dai was a coowner of Fish’s Wild. Though the Tim’s menu is larger at the downtown location (it kept some ramen dishes) the remainder of the Fish’s Wild menu was cut. Both had island-themed offerings like rice bowls, but the poke and wide selection of cooked fish items are no longer available. Tim’s does offer a salmon bowl, said Laura Armero, one of the managers of the Third Street eatery. The change included some remodeling as well. Downtown hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Sundays. The Third Street restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, closing at 8 on Sundays. ———— The bead shop and jewelry store A Better Place to Bead is on the move. Its last day at its downtown location was set for Saturday, March 12. It’s been in Mansion Square, at 132 E St., Suite 150, for 27 years. The craft store will reopen on Saturday, April 16, in Oak Tree Plaza, 1520 E. Covell Blvd., Suite 2. It’s adjacent to the patio that separates Nugget Market and CVS. It replaces Super Eyebrow. “I’m nervous, excited, sad and happy all at once,” owner Imelda Castro told me. She looks forward to making new memories in her store’s new home. In a Feb. 25 Facebook post announcing the news, she was nostalgic about the change:

“(Downtown) is where my beading journey began my love and passion for making jewelry, and helping my customers design and make their own jewelry pieces.” She fought to stay open during the pandemic. “These past years have been quite a challenge, to say the least. I found myself questioning my profession. I was working on auto pilot. Fast forwarding, I truly believe that after a strong storm, the sun will shine even brighter. Thanks to all my friends and family … for your support and guidance through my stormy days.” When it reopens, hours will remain 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. ———— The Chinese food restaurant Tian Shun Ju opened Feb. 28. It fills the former Hong Kong Cafe site at 2151 Cowell Blvd., Suite C, in Oakshade Town Center. It features traditional Chinese food like Peking Duck and Kung Pao Chicken. Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. ———— I wrote in my last column that The Chicken Hawkers closed in the El Macero Shopping Center. It was at 417 Mace Blvd., Suite I. Landlord Engstrom Properties was notified that an employee of the restaurant plans to take it over and convert it into a Thai restaurant, a spokeswoman said. Hopefully it will come up with

a better name. There’s a sign in the window saying it will reopen “under new management with an exciting new full menu (with a) Thai restaurant concept. It has been our great pleasure to serve you over the past years and we hope you’ll return here to enjoy the delicious Thai food experience once these doors reopen very soon.” It opened in November 2020 in the former Extreme Pizza and longtime Mocha Joe’s space. ———— Hikari Sushi & Omakase may still open this month. It fills the former Cookies N Cones (CREAM) space at 110 F St. As of Tuesday, it was still awaiting city inspections. Chef Sithu Tun, whose wife Zin Khine owns the restaurant, said they still need to install the furniture and stain the wood trim. ———— You can always count on Shelley Dunning to bring people together. The Enterprise columnist, married to the most prolific and enduring newspaper columnist around, has a new venture to celebrate. On Wednesday, March 16, her “not-so-ordinary vending machine” called B’twixt & B’tween will make its debut at Ruhstaller Farm, 6686 Sievers Road in Dixon. The celebration — with ribbon-cutting — is from 4:30 to 6 p.m. that day. She summed it up best in an email to me. “I bought a used snack vending machine a couple of months ago, fixed it up a bit, and am going to sell local art, card games, some fun(ky) gift items, some Ruhstaller merch and basically stuff that I hope will make people smile and get people off their phones.” The vending machine will be available when the outdoor brewery taproom is open: 3 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays,

3 to 9 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and noon to 9 p.m. on weekends. It’s a great venue for music, and has a rotation of food vendors too. Learn more at https://ruhstallerfarm.com/. ———— A Club Pilates is coming to The Marketplace, at 1361 W. Covell Blvd. in the former GNC spot in The Marketplace, next to Jamba Juice. According to its Facebook page, Club Pilates Davis is a boutique Pilates studio specializing in Reformer fusion classes for all ages and fitness levels. “Pure to Joseph Pilates’ original Reformer-based Contrology Method, but modernized with group practice and expanded state-of-the-art equipment.” Classes are: Intro Class, Reformer Flow (signature Reformer class), Cardio Sculpt (cardio workout), Center + Balance (stretch with equipment), Control (using its Bar), Restore (foam rolling and release), Suspend (Reformer-based suspension training), F.I.T. (interval training) and Teen (cross training for youths). Much like the anticipated Orangetheory Fitness coming to South Davis (near Tian Shun Ju), the space remains untouched. A Facebook comment by the company said construction will begin soon for an anticipated June opening. Hours are listed as 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends. Visit https://www. clubpilates.com/. ———— Pure Barre Davis announced on Tuesday that it is under new, local ownership. Sigrid Asmundson, Amanda Chehrezad and Tracey McHugh took over the business. The fitness studio is at 714 Second St., in the former Mother & Baby Source spot. In an email, Asmundson said,

Citrus Circuits wins at regional tourney Robotics team qualifies for Houston World Championship

———— Cancer Champion Fitness recently became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. It plans a launch party from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 2 at 2500 Anderson Road. Tickets are $100 and reservations are required. Visit https://cancerchampionfitness. com/fundraiser/. The nonprofit “provides the cancer community with online access to cancer-fighting recipes, specially designed workout videos, and a supportive online community,” the invitation says. “Our dream is to be able to provide cancer patients and survivors with a fully immersive, in-person retreat to bring all our members together.” ———— I keep track of Davis businesses on my Google spreadsheet, which includes more than 325 Davis businesses affected by COVID-19. It’s at https://bit.ly/ DavisBusinesses. In it, there are sheets for Restaurants-open, Restaurants-closed, Coming soon, Businesses-retail, Businesses-service, and more. Email me (address below) to suggest updates. — Wendy Weitzel is a Davis writer and editor. Her column runs on Sundays. Check for frequent updates on her Comings & Goings Facebook and Instagram pages. If you know of a business coming or going in the area, contact her at wendyedit@gmail. com.

UCD: Labeling key to software innovations By Karen Nikos-Rose Enterprise staff writer

Special to The Enterprise Davis-based Robotics Team 1678 Citrus Circuits concluded the FIRST Robotics Competition Hueneme Port Regional as Regional Champions. Attended by 36 teams from California, Singapore, Wyoming, Colorado and Mexico, the teams competed on March 5 and 6 for a spot at the international FIRST Championship from April 20 to 23, at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. Citrus Circuits was also the recipient of the Autonomous Award sponsored by Ford, which awarded teams for demonstrating consistent and high-performance robot operation during autonomously managed actions. Citrus Circuits was presented with this award in recognition of their multi-ball autonomous routine, an intake with ball sorting using a color sensor to reject opponent game pieces, and an automated climb at the end of the game. This year, FIRST’s game is Rapid React presented by Boeing. Each match begins with a 15-second autonomous period where teams cannot manually control their robot and must instead run an autonomous program to score oversized tennis balls into an upper and lower goal in the center of the field. After the first 15 seconds, teams gain control of their robots

“As Davis residents, we are thrilled to join our local business community and especially downtown! We jumped at the opportunity to be part of the things we’re passionate about — contributing to Davis and encouraging everyone to live healthier and stronger lives.”

Courtesy photo

Robots from teams 589, 4414, and 1678 (Davis’ own Citrus Circuits‚ climb together in the last 30 seconds of a match at the Port Hueneme FIRST Robotics competition. Courtesy photo to continue scoring and climb a series of four bars of increasing heights for additional points in the last 30 seconds.

This is the first competition that Citrus Circuits has attended and won since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the Hueneme Port Regional, Citrus Circuits concluded the qualification matches of the competition with a record of 11 wins and 1 loss, making it the first seed for the alliances in the elimination matches. Team 1678 Citrus Circuits picked Team 4414 High Tide from Ventura and Team 589 Falkon Robotics from La Crescenta for its alliance, and won two consecutive matches in the finals against the opposing alliance — Team 359 Hawaiian Kids from Waialua, Hawaii, Team 973 Greybots from Atascadero, and Team 2945 Steel Mustangs from Manitou Springs, Colo. — to claim the regional title.

Students participating in FIRST are eligible to apply for more than $80 million in scholarships from leading universities, colleges and companies. Students who participate show increased interest in pursuing internship and employment opportunities in science and engineering, especially with companies that are involved with FIRST.

This qualified both team 1678 Citrus Circuits and High Tide for the Houston World Championship.

Citrus Circuits was founded in 2004, and is

based at School.

Davis

High

The team consists of almost 100 students from high schools and junior highs in the Davis Joint Unified School District. Major sponsors include UC Davis, DJUSD, Innovation First International, Hill Engineering, TechnipFMC, Lockheed Martin, Bayer and Intuitive. For more information go to www. citruscircuits.org.

Companies in the software industry, where novel ideas are prized, use linguistic tactics to develop new labels for their innovations to stay ahead of competitors. Using language to signal that something is “new and different” is an important tool for success, UC Davis research suggests. Category innovation during a study period from 1990 to 2002 included words and phrases such as “platform” and “supply chain management” — market categories that are now established. “There is an association between companies that use category innovation and their likelihood to IPO, suggesting category innovation is part of successful firm strategies,” said Elizabeth George Pontikes of the UC Davis Graduate School of Management who is the author of the study.

The article, “Category Innovation in the Software Industry, 19902002,” was published in Strategic Management Journal in January. Pontikes looked at more than 400 labels used in news releases about innovations by more than 4,000 different software firms over 12 years. Researchers also interviewed 12 executives and venture capitalists in the software industry. Category innovation, as defined in the study, is a practice that involves firms claiming a new category label to describe the market they are in. A firm may do this to differentiate from rivals, or to try to become a market leader or even a “category king.” One executive interviewed for the study described the “tag management” label, for example, as something that “wasn’t super innovative, but it was labeling it … so it was strategic the way we were thinking about it.”

A6 THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022 A7

THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE

Thu 3/17

Featured

San Francisco St. Patrick's Day Pub Crawl

Ballet Folklorico @ 7:30pm Jackson Hall - Mondavi Center, One Shields Ave, Davis

@ 6pm / $25 The Biggest St. Patrick's Day Party in San Francisco for 2022! 1233 Polk St, 1233 Polk Street, San Francisco. info@crawlsf.com, 415515-5220

In 2022, Ballet Folklórico de México will return to the United States for an extended multi-city tour featuring renewed performances of the company’s classic choreography. Founded in 1952 by dancer and choreographer Amalia Hernández, Ballet Folk‐ lórico brings together the music, dance and costume of Mexican folklore from pre-Colombian civilizations through the modern era.

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Saint Patrick's Day with Boot Juice! @ 6pm Sudwerk Brewing Co. Dock Store, 2001 2nd St, Davis

Boca Do Rio

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Editor's Pick St. Patrick's Day with Skunk Funk! @ 7pm Heretic Brewing Company, 1052 Horizon Dr, Fair‐ �eld

@ 9pm The Green Room So‐ cial Club, 251 Main St, Placerville

Sat 3/19

Editor's Pick //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "Skyfall" - Film with Live Orchestra

Friday Mar 18th

Editor's Voice

Birth of Planet Earth - 3/19 4:30pm

Kevin Paris: Yoga & Live Music @ Radiant Yoga! @ 3:30pm Radiant Yoga, 530 Post Ct, El Dorado Hills All-Faure San Francisco Boys Chorus Concert

The Bridge City Sinners @ 7pm Harlow's Restaurant & Nightclub, 2708 J St, Sacramento

Featured

Sat 3/26 Editor's Pick

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The Goddamn Gallows @ 7pm Harlow's Restaurant & Nightclub, 2708 J St, Sacramento ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Magic Fusion Starring Chase Hasty & Kaileigh @ 7pm / $32-$42 The Loft Theatre, 1001 Heavenly Village Way, South Lake Tahoe

Solano County Home & Gar‐ den Show @ 10am / $8 Mar 26th - Mar 27th March 26 & 27, 2022 Solano County Home Show Dixon May fairgrounds 655 S First Street Dixon, CA 95620 Dixon May Fair, 655 South 1st Street, Dixon. Shawna@schg.show, 707-6558439

@ 4pm / $39 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Hombres The San Francisco Boys Chorus presents an all-Fauré program. The Nation of Language G @ 9:30am @ 8pm works in this concert include his /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// @ 7pm Sacramento Bimbo's 365 Club, 1025 Columbus //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// beloved Requiem and others that Gaucho Ace Of State Planetar‐ Ave, San Francisco show his diversity. Trinity+St. Pe‐ Chris Fairbanks: Cheaper @ 10:30am Spades, //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ium, 6000 J Street, Sacramento ter's Episcopal Church, 1620 Red Window, 500 Columbus Ave., Than Therapy March 17th1417 R St, //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Pink Siifu: 4 Tha Folks³! Gough Street, San Francisco. con San Francisco 20th Sacra‐ Gaucho tact@sfbc.org, 415-861-7464 U.S. Tour /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// @ 8pm @ 10:30am mento //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// @ 8pm "You're A Good Man, Cheaper Than Therapy, 533 Sutter Red Window, 500 Columbus Ave., Brick & Mortar Music Hall, 1710 Yacine Boulares: Jesse John Nemeth St, San Francisco Charlie Brown" San Francisco Mission Street, San Francisco Fischer West Coast Tour //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// @ 5:30pm @ 2pm / $15-$30 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// @ 7pm Harlow's Restaurant & Nightclub, Landmark Musical Theatre, 533 Luke Sweeney: CBLS St. Patrick's Day Pub Mr. Tipple's Recording Studio, 39 2708 J St, Sacramento Silver Synthetic Sutter St., 2nd Floor, San Fran‐ Collective (Thurs Crawl - San Francisco Fell St, San Francisco //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// @ 8pm cisco "ELECTRO NIGHT LIVE") @ 2pm / $25 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Bottom Of the Hill, 1233 17th St, /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Aaron Parks Solo Piano at @ 8pm The Of�cial St. Patrick's Day Pub San Francisco Project VOICE: Sarah Kay Kabaka Pyramid: Reggae SFJazz Center Boom Boom Room, 1601 Fillmore Crawl. San Francisco's Biggest St. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// & Phil Kaye Live in San @ 7pm Campout 2022 St, San Francisco Patrick's Day Party for 2022. Francisco SFJazz Center, 201 Franklin St, San @ 2:30pm //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Mayes Oyster House, 1233 Polk @ 7pm Francisco Reggae Campout, Placerville Street, San Francisco. info@ "You're A Good Man, Gray Area / Grand Theater, 2665 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Birth of Planet Earth - 3/23 crawlsf.com, 415-515-5220 Charlie Brown" Mission St, San Francisco Savor Orangevale Food 10am //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// @ 8pm / $15-$30 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// @ 3am Festival Featuring The "Toy Story" - Film with Live Landmark Musical Theatre, 533 Gaucho at DecoDance Sacramento State Planetarium, Albertson Duo Immersive Frida Kahlo Sutter St., 2nd Floor, San Fran‐ Orchestra @ 7:30pm 6000 J Street, Sacramento @ 6pm cisco @ 2pm / $50 San Francisco DecoDance, 1160 Polk St, San //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Orangevale Grange, 5807 Walnut //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van @ 11am Francisco Ave, Orangevale Ness, San Francisco SVN West San Francisco, 10 South @ 7:30pm / $50 Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness, San Francisco

Wed 3/23

Mon 3/21

Zoo Station

@ 8:30pm The Chapel, 777 Valencia Street, San Francisco

Featured

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Van Ness Ave, San Francisco ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Featured

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Immersive Frida Kahlo San Francisco

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Immersive Frida Kahlo San Francisco

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Hill Country Truckers @ Power‐ house Pub @ 9pm Powerhouse Pub, 614 Sut‐ ter St, Folsom DJ Peeti-V

@ 2:30pm Lucca Bar & Grill, 439 1st St, Benicia Hubba Hubba Revue's Space Station: 2022 @ 7pm / $10 DNA Lounge, 375 Eleventh Street, San Francisco

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Presidio Theatre Presents Lorri Holt "Colette //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Uncensored"

@ 10pm The Golden Bear, Sacramento

Fri 3/18

@ 7pm / $30 Award-winning actress Lorri Holt in the one-woman tour-de-force GayC/DC w Middle Aged "Colette Uncensored", a gripping Queers & Katie Cash portrait of the French literary sen‐ @ 7pm sation and provocateur who wrote Bottom Of the Hill, 1233 17th St, as passionately as she lived. Pre‐ San Francisco sidio Theatre, 99 Moraga Avenue, //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// San Francisco. info@presidiothe A Journey to the World of atre.org

Fado

@ 7pm / $25 returning for an encore perfor‐ mance with Grammy award-win‐ ning musician Carlos Reyes at Journey Downtown on March 18th. 308 Main St, 308 Main Street, Va‐ caville. info@journeycoffeeco.com, 707-474-9657

@ 7:30pm / $50 Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness, San Francisco

@ 8pm / Free-$12.50 Spark Arts, 4229 18th Street, San Francisco

"You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" @ 8pm / $15-$30 Landmark Musi‐ cal Theatre, 533 Sutter St., 2nd Floor, San Fran‐ cisco

@ 3pm SVN West San Francisco, 10 South Van Ness Ave, San Francisco Murer House Italian Language Classes

@ 8pm Russ Room, 730 K St, Sacramento

Immersive Frida Kahlo San Francisco

@ 8pm / $21.99-$37.74 Dance Fridays - Grand Reopening Party Hottest Salsa and Bachata Dance Club, LIVE Salsa Band, Bachata Dance Floor, Beginning Dance Lessons with no partner or experience required. Dance Fri‐ days, 550 Barneveld, San Fran‐ cisco. info@dancesf.com

"How Black Mothers Say I Love You"

Credit Electric

@ 7pm Gray Area / Grand Theater, 2665 Mission St, San Francisco

@ 7pm Knockout, 3223 Mission St, San Francisco

Natalie Bergman

@ 12pm Private Concert, San Francisco ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

The Renegade Orchestra @ 4:30pm Music Concourse, San Francisco ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Presidio Theatre Presents Dan Hoyle's "Border People"

@ 8pm The Band‐ wagon Bar, 586 Parker Rd, Fair‐ �eld "How Black Mothers Say I Love You" @ 8pm / Free-$12.50 Spark Arts, 4229 18th Street, San Francisco

Tina Burner: Mix Queen

Lizzy and The Triggermen w/ Bakers�eld Condors @ 9pm The Chapel, 777 Valencia Street, San Francisco

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Piff the Magic Dragon

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DJ Peeti-V @ 9:30pm The Park Ultra Lounge, 1116 15th St, Sacramento

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Featured

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Mark Farina & Homero Espinosa Bday Bash @ 10pm Halcyon SF, 314 11th St, San Fran‐ cisco

Editor's Pick

Immersive Frida Kahlo San Francisco

@ 5pm //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// The Murer House foundation con‐ Murkury, Moniker, Jalaya, tinues its Italian language classes Dark Velvet, Cult-X @ The at the Murer House Learning Cen‐ American Legion ter, 1125 Joe Murer Court, in old @ 7pm Folsom. 1125 Joe Murer Ct, 1125 American Legion, 2748 Young St, Joe Murer Court, Folsom. infomur South Lake Tahoe erhouse@gmail.com, 916-413//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 9231

"How Black Mothers Say I //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Love You" "Toy Story" - Film with Live Orchestra

Nut Tree: California @ 2pm Icon, SVN West San Francisco, 10 South Family Van Ness Ave, San Francisco //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Stories — Author Featured Talk and Book Signing Immersive Frida Kahlo San Francisco

Tina Burner: Mix Queen

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Charlie Brown"

@ 8pm / Free-$12.50 Spark Arts, 4229 18th Street, San Francisco

@ 1pm SVN West San Francisco, 10 South Van Ness Ave, San Francisco

Red's Blues at Lucca Bar & Grill

"You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" @ 8pm / $15-$30 Landmark Musical Theatre, 533 Sutter St., 2nd Floor, San Fran‐ cisco

@ 12pm SVN West San Francisco, 10 South Van Ness Ave, San Francisco

Featured

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Downtown Theatre, 1035 Texas Street, Fair�eld Erika Henningsen: "Raise Your Standards" //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// @ 8pm / $49 Melissa Etheridge: One Feinstein's at the Nikko, 222 Ma‐ Way Out Tour son Street, San Francisco @ 8pm The Independent, 628 Divisadero St, San Francisco

Gogh with Lifeway Ke�r Immersive Yoga @ 8:30am SVN West San Francisco, 10 South Van Ness Ave, San Francisco ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Frances Ancheta @ 1pm El Lopo, 1327 Polk St, San Fran‐ cisco

Soccer Core De‐ //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// velopment "You're A Good Man, //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Series Charlie Brown" Gaucho Folsom @ 2pm / $15-$30

@ 8pm Uptown Theatre Napa, 1350 3rd St, Napa

@ 9pm / $32-$42 The Loft Theatre, 1001 Heavenly Village Way, South Lake Tahoe

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Wizarding World of What's in the Sky - 3/27 2pm @ 7am Sacramento State Planetarium, 6000 J Street, Sacramento

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Gaby Castro: Martinez Farmers Market @ 9am Martinez Farmers' Market, 700 Main St, Martinez

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Buster Keaton’s "The General" - Silent Film with Cameron Carpenter

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"How Black Mothers Say I

Love You" //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Magic Fusion Starring Robert Hall

Wizarding World of What's in the Sky - 3/27 10:30am

@ 8pm / Free-$12.50 Spark Arts, 4229 18th Street, San Francisco

@ 3pm / $30 Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness, San Francisco

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Gaucho at Brenda's Fleetwood Macrame: @ 12am / @ 5pm Fleetwood Macramé: A Free Brenda's French Soul Food, 652 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Tribute To Fleetwood Mac Polk St, San Francisco Mar 22nd - Apr 19th /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// @ 9pm //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Ernie Sheldon Youth Michigan Rattlers Milk Bar, 1840 Haight St, San Fran‐ Sean Parks: Lookout "How Black Mothers Say I Sports Park, 362 Natoma @ 8pm Rotary Club cisco Sunday's Love You" Station Dr,, Folsom. 916The Chapel, 777 Valencia St, San of Winters //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// @ 6pm @ 3pm / Free-$12.50 837-0336 Francisco Weekly Mighty Mystic w/ The Lookout, 3600 16th St, San Fran‐ Spark Arts, 4229 18th Street, San //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// MC Frontalot Lunch cisco Gentleman Brawlers Live Francisco "How Black Mothers Say I @ 7pm @ 12:15pm / $5/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// at Reggae Campout DNA Lounge, 375 11th St, San $20 Love You" Ghost Light @ 10pm / $75 Michelle Lambert: Michelle Francisco Buckhorn, 2 @ 8pm / Free-$12.50 @ 8pm Mighty Mystic is considered as Live at Be Bubbly //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// @ 8pm Comstock Saloon, 155 Columbus Ave, San Francisco

Landmark Musical Theatre, 533 Sutter St., 2nd Floor, San Fran‐ cisco ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Spark Arts, 4229 18th Street, San Francisco

Thu 3/24

Main Street, Winters

@ 3pm Be Bubbly Napa Valley, 1407 2nd //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// St, Napa

Sonamó: A World of Funk

8bitSF x Monobomb: POW x 10 @ GDC - A Colossal Night of Sound and Vision ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

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The Chapel, 777 Valencia Street, San Francisco

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Edie: Las Vegas Showgirl "Unleashed!"

@ 7pm / $15 OASIS, 298 11th Street, San Fran‐ cisco

Fuzz

@ 8:30pm Amado's, 998 Valencia St, San Francisco

@ 7pm DNA Lounge, 375 11th St, San Francisco

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Obituary

A8 THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE

Dino Cortopassi

Sept. 22, 1937 — Feb. 10, 2022 Dino Cortopassi, chairman and co-owner of Stanislaus Food Products, Corto Olive Company, Cortopassi Farms, and Canal Ranch Farms died at 84, on Feb. 10, 2022 of complications resulting from a stroke. He died peacefully surrounded by family. Dino was born on Sept. 22, 1937, to Italian immigrant parents Amerigo and Teresa Cortopassi in Stockton, CA. After graduating from Stockton High School in 1954, Dino went on to graduate with his AA from University of California, Davis. In 1958, Dino married his high school sweetheart Joan DeCarli and they had four children: Gino, Katie, Becky and David. From 1958 to 2022, Dino was involved in agribusiness and food processing. Growing up in an immigrant household, Dino absorbed the immigrant values which defined his ethics and what he expected from others. “Tell the truth, Do the right thing, Keep your word, Never cut corners, and don’t back away from a fight”. Dino was proud of his Italian heritage, and was also proud to be an American, with respect for competition and fairness. Dino’s farming and business philosophy can be distilled into these elements: 1) adopt new technologies first; 2) calculate your risks and then take them; 3) play fair and be fair; 4) Never back down from a fight. Dino got his “scratch start” farming 65 acres of rented land with his brother Alvin Cortopassi using farm equipment borrowed from family friends. Dino farmed numerous row crops including tomatoes used for canning. Dino was an “early adopter” of the emerging tomato genetics and mechanical

harvesting technology developed by Coby Lorenzen and Jack Hanna at UC Davis in 1959. As the US ended its guest worker program with Mexico in 1964, Dino’s ability to mechanically harvest tomatoes during a farm labor shortage allowed him to earn aboveaverage prices from canneries short of tomatoes. Dino plowed his gains back into renting additional acres and buying more harvesters and ultimately increased his farming operation 100-fold. Dino embraced a sense of fairness and competition throughout his life and business career. He often played David to larger Goliaths when he or others were treated unfairly. As a small green bean farmer in 1970, Dino refused to let canning giant Libby, McNeill & Libby get away with fraudulently misgrading his bean crop’s quality to drive down its contracted price. By scrupulously documenting the unethical industry practices used against himself and other farmers, Dino prevailed with a legal victory. At age 33, Dino was named one of four “Outstanding Young Farmers” in 1970. At age 36, Dino was inducted into Young Presidents Organization of outstanding business leaders in 1973. Dino was fascinated by the concept of vertical integration, from his farm to the consumer’s fork, and purchased Cal-Gift, a small bottler of Italian pickled vegetables for supermarkets. Dino quickly learned that consolidation among large supermarket chains gave them “buying power advantage” over smaller food processors like CalGift. Surveying the competitive landscape, Dino noticed that the retail supermarket sales channel

was controlled by large supermarket chains, the foodservice channel (that dis- CORTOPASSI tributes to restaurants) was more fragmented, not dominated by a few “Super-Distributors.” Dino thus sold Cal-Gift, that sold to the supermarkets, and along with other growers acquired the tomato canner Stanislaus Food Products that sold to foodservice distributors. After introducing multiple SFP products nationwide, Dino bought out his fellow investors in a leveraged buyout in 1986. As sole owner Dino had the freedom to pursue unique production and marketing approaches that others might think were too risky. On the production side Dino instituted the fullest engagement with the best tomato farmers available, producing the highest-quality tomatoes to his exacting standards, and utilized the latest technology to produce the freshest, best tasting tomato products possible. On the selling side Dino pushed “cutting cans side by side” against competitive products, so end-users could taste the difference in a fresher, better tasting product. Dino invested in and built unique brands, flavors and sauces that “stuck in the mind” of his clientele, and they came back for more. Dino also told his true family story, of being the son of immigrant Italian parents, who cared about family values and worked hard to try to “get ahead” in America, and thereby connected with many in the Pizza and Italian restaurant business who were descendants of immigrants themselves. In another “David vs. Goliath” battle, Dino fought the large multinational tomato processors

that quietly switched from traditional “freshly packed” tomato sauce brands to cheaper, lesser quality “remanufactured from concentrate” process, without informing their consumers. Dino considered this classic “bait and switch” consumer fraud. With the help and support of more than 5,000 independent restaurants, Dino was victorious in changing FDA labeling laws such that all re-manufactured tomato sauces must declare “tomato concentrate and water” on their labeling. In 2004 Dino passed the CEO reins to Tom Cortopassi, who had previously run tomato canning production, and Dino retired from day-today operations at Stanislaus. Dino founded Muir Glen Organic tomatoes with son-in-law Brady Whitlow in 1991 — Muir Glen became the first national brand of organic tomatoes sold in supermarkets. As a farmer himself, Dino knew that the intensive cultural practices involved in organic farming necessitated a higher price. But because there were no national organic tomato standards, other producers could grow non-organic tomatoes, slap an “Organic” label on them, and charge more, an example of “bait and switch”, that put honest producers at a disadvantage. To prevent this kind of cheating the customer, Dino and his team were instrumental in writing the nation’s first organic tomato standards that are still in place today. Muir Glen was later sold to General Mills in 2001. Creative new cultural practices for planting and harvesting olives were developed in the early 2000s, involving denser plantings, machine harvesting and earlier harvesting. Always the early adopter, Dino founded Corto Olive Company in Lodi in 2006 to use these new practices to produce

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022 ultra high-quality extravirgin olive oil. Corto processes an ultra-premium brand of fresh Fall harvest olive oil, that is now the No. 1 brand of extra virgin olive oil in the foodservice market. Unlike traditional European olive groves whose climate, cultural and harvesting practices require a “late harvest,” Corto’s denser plantings and mechanized harvesters allow earlier “one pass” olive harvest, at the peak of olive freshness and flavor. In yet another “David and Goliath” battle, Dino led the California olive oil industry’s efforts to expose fraudulent supermarket misbranding of inferior imported olive oils as “extra virgin” quality when they were not of that quality. In 2010 UC Davis validated Dino’s claims, in their published study showing that more than 73% of the five top-selling imported brands failed international sensory standards for extra virgin olive oil. Dino’s sonin-law Brady Whitlow has been Corto’s CEO since 2007. In 2005, at age 68, Dino was inducted into the Horatio Alger Association in Washington, D.C., that recognizes those individuals who had overcome adversity and ultimately succeeded. In his later years Dino became increasingly devoted to economic responsibility in politics, and charities. He crusaded for the water security of the California Delta in 2011-21. Dino launched California Proposition 53 to eliminate State Revenue Bonds, which he perceived as a blank check for the State of California to fund billiondollar infrastructure projects without voter approval. Although proposition 53 failed by less than a 1% margin 50.6% to 49.4% in 2016, it changed the mindset of Sacramento. Dino and wife Joan founded the Cortopassi Family Foundation which supports ‘boots

on the ground’ charities in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties, and the Wetlands Preservation Foundation, to support wild habitat development. In a lifetime of striving and adversity, failure and success, Dino collected many pithy sayings that speak to the core of his philosophy of life that he often shared with family and business colleagues: On truth and quality: “Nothing sells like the truth”; “When in doubt, tell the truth, it’s easier to remember”; “You can’t make good wine from bad grapes”; “Loyalty is a twoway street”; and “Life is a banquet at which many go hungry.” On estimation, forecasting, opportunity and risk management: “Arithmetic is not an opinion”; “What gets measured gets done”; “Chance favors the prepared mind”; “Get in position to get lucky;” “Stay focused on the big end of the cow;” “Hunt where the ducks are”; “The trend is your friend, don’t fight it”; “Bet on the champ till he loses, he’s a champ for a reason”; and “To prevent forest fires, look for wisps of smoke.” On strategy and obstacles: “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there”; “Great strategy with mediocre tactics trumps mediocre strategy with great tactics”; “Life is full of opportunities disguised as insoluble problems”; and “Good judgement comes from experience: experience comes from having bad judgment.” Dino is survived by wife Joan, four children and 10 grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Salvation Army Lodi Corps or St. Mary's Dining Room in Stockton. A private service will be held by the family.

sports

B Section

Sports Forum Dear Annie Comics

THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE — SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022

B2 B4 B6 B7

One less foe in Big Sky Conference G

iven that the 2021 Big Sky Conference football season has been in the rearview mirror for some time now, the conference will shrink to 12 teams with the loss of Southern Utah to the Western Athletic Conference. Several years ago the Big Sky had 14 teams, but then North Dakota left for the Missouri Valley Football Conference, followed by Southern Utah’s defection at the conclusion of the 2021 season. Conference members play eight league games each season, leaving room for three non-league games in most years and occasionally four. What this means is that the schedule is guaranteed to be unfair to one team or several teams every single year because each team will not play three

other league members in any given season. For instance, UC Davis might play Sacramento State, Montana State and Cal Poly in the same season, but Weber State might not play any of those three. And logically, Weber State will be playing three teams the Aggies didn’t. The Big Sky releases schedules in four-year batches and assures us that all

the inequalities even out over time. That, of course, is theoretical only, because Team A may be terrible when you play them in 2022, but could be terrific when someone else plays them in 2024. In other words, a team might end up as league champion with an 8-0 record by beating teams 5 through 12 in the standings but never meeting anyone in the top four. And the second place team with its 7-1 record might have played three of the top four teams and only five of the bottom-feeders. There’s no way any of that can be deemed “fair.” Add to this the nonsense that each team is guaranteed to play its two “natural rivals” every season and things get absolutely silly.

UC Davis does have natural rivalries with Sac State and Cal Poly, but does Portland State have any natural rivals in the Big Sky? In 2018, Sacramento State couldn’t win a single conference game. Most weeks the Hornets weren’t even competitive. In 2021, Sacramento State won every conference game. Bottom line: everyone wanted to play the Hornets in 2018 and no one wanted to play the Hornets in 2021. In the 2021 season, Cal Poly had seemingly the toughest schedule of all, facing Montana, Weber State, Montana State and UC Davis in its first four league games, followed by Portland State and Sac State. There was not a

See FOE, Page B2

Big West Tournament

Arya Lalvani/Enterprise photo

Members of the Davis High softball team sit on the home bleachers Friday afternoon, waiting to see if their nonleague game against Inderkum would be played.

Softball game gets postponed after scare By Mike Bush Enterprise sports editor Davis High softball head coach Tyler Gibson was looking forward to Friday's non-league home game against Inderkum's squad. Two Blue Devil players already had their uniforms on, in anticipation to hit the diamond. But the remaining Davis players did not have access to their uniforms, plus their gloves, batting gloves, cleats and other necessary items needed to play against the Tigers. Friday's game was postponed after the Davis High students and faculty were evacuated to Ron and Mary Brown Stadium after a suspicious package in a backpack was found on campus early afternoon. Davis Police investigated the suspicious object in a backpack, which turned out to be a toy grenade. “We got notification around 1:30 p.m., I think, that (the) school is being evacuated,” Gibson said. The Inderkum-Davis game was scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. Gibson further stated that the only information he received after the initial notification. He contacted Davis High Athletic Director Jeff Lorenson, and was told to get the players out to the field and wait.

“We've just been waiting,” Gibson added. There was more communication between Gibson and the school regarding the status of the campus through the middle of the afternoon. Prior to the start of the game, Gibson talked with Inderkum head coach Alex Guerra about what happened earlier in the afternoon at the campus. The coaches, before the home plate and base umpires arrived onto the field, exchanged lineups. Gibson said he and Guerra and their respective teams would wait until about 4 p.m. to see if the game would still take place. The Blue Devils and Tigers decided to play at 4:30 p.m., and would play, at least, a five inning game before sunset. Shortly before 3:30 p.m., the home plate and base umpires walked onto the field. Gibson and Guerra gave the umpires updates. Meanwhile, Davis High softball players Esha Kajley and Kayla Chin were the only players who had their white uniforms on with blue lettering in the front and jersey numbers on the back of their jerseys. The rest of the girls were still in street clothes. The entire team sat on the bleachers next to their dugout, located on the north side of the field. “They both live

See SCARE, Page B2

Tre Penn/Courtesy photos

Top, UC Davis guard Sydney Burns (right) and a UC Irvine player fall to the floor in the battle for a rebound in Friday’s game in Henderson, Nev. Bottom, Aggie guard Evanne Turner (15) communicates with a teammate by pointing to her left eye.

UC Davis women fall in OT By Bob Dunning Enterprise staff writer HENDERSON, Nev. — UC Davis was unable to convert the winning shot in regulation and went on to drop a dramatic 84-75 Big West tournament women’s basketball game to UC Irvine in overtime at the Dollar Loan Center Friday afternoon. The loss in the semifinal round ended the Aggies’ season at 15-13 overall, while Irvine moves on to Saturday’s championship game against top-seeded Hawaii. “When you pour your heart and soul into something and you come up just short, it’s heartbreaking,” said Aggie head coach Jen Gross. “We really got going in the third quarter and played some great basketball, but we were just one play short there at the end.” After Irvine’s Kayla Williams tied the game at 64 with a driving layup, the Aggies had 17.8 seconds left and elected to play for the final shot, eventually working the ball to 3-point specialist Evanne Turner, whose game-winning attempt from behind the arc bounced off the rim

at the buzzer. UCD never led in overtime as UCI’s Naomi Hunt hit consecutive 3-pointers early and Irvine raced away to 79-68 lead with 1:02 remaining. “We were definitely looking to be aggressive in overtime and I just got into a good state of mind and decided to let it fly and it all worked out,” explained an excited Hunt afterward. Added Irvine head coach Tamara Inoue, “Give credit to UC Davis for coming back. We knew they would make a run and it was touch and go there for a while, but we were finally able to get it done in overtime. Naomi hitting those two 3-pointers really set the momentum for where we needed to go.” The Aggies entered the game as the No. 6 seed against No. 2 Irvine, and for a while it appeared the talented Anteaters were going to run away with the game as they forged a 48-37 lead early in the third quarter. However, Turner got hot from long range, then a 3-pointer by Lena Svanholm gave UCD the

lead at 47-46 entering the fourth quarter. The Aggies eventually pushed their lead to 59-54 entering the final four minutes before Williams brought the Anteaters back to force overtime. “Credit to Irvine for making the plays they needed to at the end,” added Gross, who became emotional when talking about departing seniors Cierra Hall, Kayla Konrad and Sage Stobbart. “It’s an empty feeling for sure to have the season end like this, but it’s more about missing all these players every day than it is about winning and losing. “I love this team and I love our players. We have a group of amazing young women who are not only teammates, but best friends. “Their hearts are broken for a while, but they’ll eventually be able to look back and realize what a great experience it was to be on this team and all that they accomplished.” — Contact Bob Dunning at bdunning@davisenterprise.net.

Sports

B2 THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022

No winners among owners, fans T

here will be Major League Baseball after all. Once the owners and players realized the season was in real jeopardy, both sides gave a little, got a little, and the full 162-game season will begin April 7. Some highlights of the 5-year deal: Playoffs expand from 10 teams to 12, which both sides agreed upon. The competitive balance tax increases from $230 million to $244 million over the life of the contract, a win for MLB. The minimum salary for players with three years or less of major league service goes from $570,000 to $700,000, a win for the players. Player uniforms will now have advertising on them, a first, with patches on jerseys and decals on batting helmets. The designated hitter will be used in both the American and National Leagues. A draft lottery has been instituted to hopefully discourage teams from tanking. Also, a limit, expected to be five, the number of times a player can be optioned to the minor leagues in one

season. Lastly, spring training camps open today in Florida and Arizona. Free agent players can soon sign with any team of their choosing. Trades can be made and the market figures to be brisk MLB has a 45-day window in the 2023 season to implement a pitch clock, a ban on shifts and larger bases, all designed to create more offense. Neither the owners nor players “won” in this protracted, 99-day work stoppage. One could argue that the fans won. They get a full season now and are assured it remains that way through 2026. Now, let’s make the fans even happier. Like reducing prices for tickets, food,

beverages and parking? n Joe Buck and Troy Aikman’s move from FOX to ESPN is but one example of the “free agency” that several TV sports commentators now have. Aikman, the three-time Super Bowl winning quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, joined FOX at the conclusion of his playing days in 2000. He and Buck, who is also going to ESPNm rose within the FOX ranks to become that network’s No. 1 NFL broadcast team. The problem ESPN has with ‘Monday Night Football’ is that the Monday schedule is not flexible, as the ‘Sunday Night Football’ series is on NBC. While the NFL tries to come up with top matchups for all its broadcast partners, this isn’t always the case. As an example, two teams thought to be good opponents when the league schedule is released in April, are 3-11 and 4-10 respectively come December. Not a good development for the NFL, ESPN or the viewers when better games were to be had on Sunday. n The Los Angeles Lakers recently earned the ire of one of its franchise

FOE: Divide into two, six-team divisions From Page B1 Northern Arizona, meanwhile, opened with Northern Colorado, Idaho State and Southern Utah, teams that ultimately ended up with a combined league mark of 3-21. Cal Poly’s first six opponents combined for a 35-13 mark when all was said and done. It’s hard to call any of that fair by any standard. With 12 teams and an 11-game regular season schedule, the only way to

completely even things out is to drop the non-league games and have every Big Sky school play 11 league games. But no one wants to do that. And they shouldn’t do that. Adding three non-conference opponents makes a schedule interesting and sometimes challenging. The league could, I suppose, divide into two six-team divisions and at least guarantee that everyone in a given division will play everyone else in

that division. Which is exactly what the Pac-12 does, by the way. The difference being that the Pac-12 adds an extra week to the regular season to have its two division winners square off for the championship. The FCS playoff schedule precludes the Big Sky from having such a championship game unless everyone gets permission from the NCAA to start the season a week earlier and allow teams to

play 12 games instead of 11. Next fall, the Aggies will feel the schedule-maker’s wrath by opening Big Sky play against Weber State and Montana State after starting the regular season with non-conference road games at Cal and South Dakota State. Come through that stretch unscathed and you might end up in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. — Contact Bob Dunning at bdunning@ davisenterprise.net.

icons. Seems that Jerry West, a 14-time NBA all star and Hall of Fame inductee as a Laker, was promised he’d always have season tickets to Lakers games by the franchise’s late owner Jerry Buss. West was recently told by the team, via text, this would no longer be the case. Isn’t the negative publicity alone a good reason to rescind a poor decision? n NCAA men’s basketball differs from other forms of the game — NBA, WNBA, NCAA women, international — in two aspects. The men still play two 20-minute halves and not four 10-minute quarters. Plus, a timeout called under the basket does not advance the ball to half court. n Fare thee well, Brian Bates. Will greatly miss your unequivocal friendship and our many heart-to-heart talks. You were special. — The longtime radio and television color man on UC Davis football broadcasts, Doug Kelly is director of communications for Battlefields2Ballfields and managing general partner of Kelly & Associates. Contact him at DKelly1416@ aol.com.

SCARE: 3 games this week From Page B1 closely and had their stuff at home,” said Gibson of Kajley and Chin. “Most of the girls keep their uniforms and gear in a classroom or a locker at school for home games.” Before 4 p.m., Gibson was notified that the campus would remain closed, which led to the postponement of the game. “They said everything was OK but they are not going to let people back

into the school for another two or three hours,” Gibson said. On Monday, Davis plays at Wood of Vacaville at 4 p.m. On Tuesday, the Blue Devils entertain Pioneer of Woodland at 4:30 p.m. Then on Thursday, Davis plays at Woodland. That game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. — Contact Mike Bush at mike@davis enterprise.net. Follow on Twitter: @ MBDavisSports.

THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022 B3

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B4 THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022

Commentary School shows the way on reading Putin’s diabolical romanticism sinks N T global economy By Llewellyn King Special to The Enterprise

he barbarity of the Russian assault on Ukraine is neither mitigated by the ineptitude of the Russian army nor can hearts be uplifted by the bravery of the Ukrainians. Murder on a colossal scale is taking place in plain sight on television day after day. At this writing, there are 3.5 million refugees and thousands of civilian casualties reported. This is killing, killing, killing without respite. The Russian economy is destroyed, and the consequence of this bloody slaughter is affecting the world economy. Even pusillanimous nations like India and Brazil feel the hot breath of the crazed organ grinder Vladimir Putin and his Russian bear. The invasion of Ukraine was folly and a criminal act, but its continuation has become pure and sustained evil. Some in the U.S. commentariat have suggested with amazing thought gymnastics that all this is because of the expansion of NATO. But if NATO hadn’t expanded after the fall of the Berlin Wall, then Russia wouldn’t have felt threatened and wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine. Nonsense. Russia has felt threatened in Europe since the days of the tsar. If NATO hadn’t expanded to include the Baltic nations of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, Russian troops would be billeted there right now. Had Ukraine joined NATO, the United States wouldn’t be paying the price at the pump and Europe wouldn’t be shivering out the last days of winter, wondering how it will get through the coming months without enough fuel to produce electricity. Security is the abiding fault line in Russia’s thinking about the West. Sure, St. Petersburg is close to the rest of Europe and could be overrun. And Moscow isn’t so far from European neighbors that it couldn’t be reached easily by an invader: Napoleon got there, and Hitler could have if he had been a better strategist. But most of Russia with its 11 time zones is geographically out of reach. That makes it hard to swallow the security argument. Putin wants to restore Imperial Russia and the empire that reached even farther under communism — which makes him a diabolical romanticist. He wants to restore Russian hegemony over its former states: Ukraine first. Larry O’Donnell, the MSNBC host, correctly postulated that for NATO, or the United States alone, to intervene to help Ukraine, nuclear war could result; war not just in Europe but also between the United States and Russia — the very thing that dominated the world from 1945 to the fall of the Soviet Union. O’Donnell’s argument reveals the impotence that comes with nuclear weapons and sets up this question: Can we never challenge Russia, China or any other country with a substantial nuclear arsenal and the ability to deliver its weapons into the United States and Europe? If that is so, does it inoculate Russia from invading the Baltic states?

e know the reality that lurks behind China’s ambitions for Taiwan. Is that more inevitable than ever? President George W. Bush said we would do “whatever it takes to defend Taiwan.” That is very unlikely now, if it ever was. It isn’t that the reality of the international scene has changed so much as it has come into a clear and harsh light. However, one thing has changed: The slaughter, the unspeakable suffering in Ukraine will change the attitude of a generation to Russia in Europe. The United States fears war with Russia, but Russia, much weaker in every way, must fear war with NATO and the U.S. On a visit to Moscow, toward the end of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, I heard a four-star Russian general say, “Never again.” But the Ukraine invasion is again. Will Russia and other aggressors be deterred after the last of the dead are buried? Maybe for a generation, which is about how long it will take to rebuild after the invasion runs its ghastly course. — Llewellyn King is executive producer and host of “White House Chronicle” on PBS. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.

othing is more fundamentally vital to personal and societal success than literacy — the ability to read comprehensively and write clearly. Without literacy, it’s impossible to acquire other necessary skills, such as using mathematics, or to become an informed citizen and voter. California doesn’t score very high on literacy. In fact, according to the World Population Review, only 77% of adult Californians are considered to be mildly to highly literate — the lowest level of any state. Given that, it shouldn’t be surprising that California’s 6 million public school students also don’t score very high on tests of reading skills. In the most recent round of state testing, just 49% of students scored at or above standards in English language arts. It’s also not surprising that in national academic tests, California is no better than average and in some categories very low. For decades, California’s educators, academicians and politicians have battled over how best to teach children to read. “Reading wars” pit advocates of “phonics” against those of

Arts get a boost On behalf of Arts Alliance Davis, I’d like to thank the Davis City Council and city staff for their work in distributing over $12 million in American Recovery Plan funds on March 1. They waded through much expressed need and kept narrowing it down to the values that best represent our community: care for the under-served and the voiceless, for the arts and our local economy, with great attention to projects that will enhance the ways we gather as a community in so many ways. Our arts and culture nonprofit sector in Davis and Yolo County has been deemed non essential and shut out of many other COVID-relief funding streams, so the Council’s action last week to fully fund our collaborative request was unprecedented. It’s been a challenging two years of trying to keep our own organizations and efforts afloat, and I acknowledge that working collaboratively probably felt like a stretch for some among us. This allocation represents not only a real boost in terms of real dollars,

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“whole language.” Phonics stresses fundamental instruction in the letters and letter combinations that make up sounds, thus allowing children to “sound out” words and later whole sentences and passages. Its advocates contend that scientific research supports their view. The whole language approach assumes that reading is a naturally learned skill, much like speaking, and that exposing children to reading material will allow it to emerge. California embraced whole language in the 1970s and 1980s, but nationwide academic tests in the late 1980s and early 1990s revealed that the state was very near the bottom among the states in reading proficiency, sparking a backlash. Bill Honig, the state schools superintendent at the time, pushed tirelessly for a shift to phonics and a series

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of bills signed by Republican Gov. Pete Wilson in the mid1990s made it happen.

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hereafter, however, the whole-language faction regained ground. The current recommended curriculum for elementary grades allows some class time for phonics, but generally favors more time for reading, as the whole language philosophy prefers. The experience of one school in Contra Costa County implies that the phonics approach may be the right one after all. EdSource, a website that covers California education issues, reports that teachers and administrators at Nystrom Elementary, a school in West Contra Costa Unified, became dissatisfied with their students’ low reading skills and gained permission to shift to a phonics-oriented alternative. The school has seen “growth across the board” on students’ reading skills, principal Jamie Allardice told EdSource, adding that an increasing number of Nystrom’s students are expected to end the school year with acceptable reading skills as a result. “We really tried to make it clear to (teachers) that they

but in morale as well. Collaboration was possible because it’s literally what we do as an alliance of nonprofits, community-based groups, businesses, and individuals. The collective ask was possible because the hard work of building trust and working together was already long established. I will add my deep thanks for the city’s support for Arts Alliance, and the opportunity to work closely with city staff Rachel Hartsough and Jessie Nakahara Finally, one process will be developed and administered by Yolo Community Foundation, and another by City Arts & Culture, and it will take a bit of time to roll it out. Thank you to all who have supported the process with your signatures and public comment. To continued creative community building, and to moving forward! Autumn Labbé-Renault Chair, Arts Alliance Davis

Words matter In an email to its staff on March 7, instructing them on “some specific examples of language to use/not use at the moment,” the United Nations “banned its staff from referring to the situation in

had literally changed the trajectory of those children’s lives, that they were on track to be behind in school, not only in elementary school because the kids who fall behind tend to stay behind,” Margaret Goldberg, the school’s literacy coach, told EdSource. “These teachers had actually shifted their trajectory of achievement by getting them caught up and no longer in need of such support.” The lack of in-person instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic stalled educational progress for most students, with Black and Latino kids from low-income families suffering the worst due to lack of resources. The Nystrom experience indicates that shifting back to phonics would help them make up ground — if only the education establishment would accept and implement that reality. Without a reading renaissance, California’s already shameful level of literacy will continue with untold human and societal damage — 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.

Ukraine as a ‘war’ or ‘invasion,’ ” according to the Irish Times on March 8. “International civil servants have a responsibility to be impartial,” the email continued, and the use of such language involves “reputational risk.” The need to be impartial does not mean the U.N. should push an agenda of alternative facts prepared primarily as propaganda for Russia’s domestic audience and its foreign affairs. The U.N., to preserve and maintain such credibility as it possesses with its non-Russian constituents, would be well-served in remembering that words matter. Andrew Majeske Davis

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The Hon. Joe Biden, The White House, Washington, D.C., 20500; 202-456-1111 (comments), 202-456-1414 (switchboard); email: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

Rep. John Garamendi (3rd District), 2368 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20515; 202-225-1880. District office: 412 G St., Davis, CA 95616; 530753-5301; email: visit https://garamendi. house.gov/contact/email

Sen. Bill Dodd, State Capitol, Room 2082, Sacramento, CA 95814; 916-651-4003; fax: 916-651-4903; email: visit sd03.senate.ca. gov. District office: 555 Mason St., Suite 275, Vacaville, CA 95688; 707-454-3808; fax: 707-454-3811.

U.S. Senate Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202224-3841; email: http://feinstein.senate. gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me Sen. Alex Padilla, B03 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20510;

Governor Gov. Gavin Newsom, State Capitol, Suite 1173, Sacramento, CA 95814; 916-4452841; email: visit https://govapps.gov. ca.gov/gov40mail/

California Assembly Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, State Capitol, P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento, CA 94249-0004; 916-319-2004; fax: 916319-2104; email: visit https://a04.asmdc. org/. District office: 600 A St., Suite D, Davis, CA 95616; 530-757-1034

Op-Ed

THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022 B5

The imperialist roots of Putin’s aggression Commentary O A By Lawrence S. Wittner Special to The Enterprise

key factor that explains Vladimir Putin’s military invasion of Ukraine is traditional Russian imperialism. Throughout the world’s long and bloody history, other powerful territories (and, later, nations) expanded their lands through imperial conquest, including Rome, China, Spain, France, Britain, Germany, Japan, and the United States. Russia was no exception. Beginning with the small principality of Moscow in 1300, Russia employed its military might to crush neighboring peoples and gobble up territory across the vast Eurasian continent. Under the czars, it became known as the “prison of nations.” By the early twentieth century, Imperial Russia was the largest country in the world — and, also, one of the most brutal and reactionary. When the Bolshevik Revolution occurred, part of its impetus was a revolt against the imperialist role of Russia and other great powers of the era. Vladimir Lenin denounced imperialism, loosened the Russian grip on some subject countries, and promised that, within the Soviet Union, the new Soviet republics would have self-determination. Unfortunately, with the rise of Joseph Stalin, that anti-imperialist impulse was abandoned. When it came to the Ukrainian People’s Republic, which had not fulfilled the grain production quota set by the Kremlin, Stalin, in 1932-33, shipped off 50,000

Ukrainian farm families to Siberia and ordered the seizure of Ukraine’s grain crop. Massive starvation followed in Ukraine, causing an estimated four million deaths. Not surprisingly, this treatment did not endear Ukrainians to the Soviet regime. Although most Russians — and most Communists — were horrified by the rise of Nazi Germany during the 1930s, Stalin signed a pact with Hitler (the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact) in August 1939. Its secret provisions turned over the independent nations of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, as well as the eastern half of Poland, to the USSR, which soon occupied them. It also provided a green light for the Soviet invasion of Finland (which led to Soviet seizure of a portion of that country) and Soviet seizure of a portion of Romania. As the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact also provided Soviet endorsement of Nazi Germany’s imperialist ambitions, Hitler promptly launched World War II. In June 1941, however, things shifted dramatically, for Hitler, overly ambitious, began a fullscale military invasion of the Soviet Union, thereby doublecrossing his ally. In the ensuing bloody conflict, the Russians fought fiercely against Germany for their very survival. They were aided by Britain and the United States, both of which also took on the powerful Japanese armed forces in the Pacific.

After World War II, although Ribbentrop was tried at Nuremberg and executed, Molotov and Stalin were not, for, of course, they were on the winning side of the war. As part of the spoils of victory, the Soviet Union incorporated Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and eastern Poland into its territory.

his proved only the beginning of a new round of Russian imperialism. In the aftermath of the war, the Soviet Union took control of most nations in Eastern Europe and retained them as vassals and unwilling partners in the Warsaw Pact. They included Poland, Hungary, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Albania, Bulgaria, and East Germany. The Soviet Union retained its grip on them through Communist Party dictatorships that it imposed, occupations by Soviet troops, and military assaults, most notably bloody invasions of Hungary (1956) and Czechoslovakia (1968), where Communist regimes proved too independent for the tastes of the Kremlin. In Hungary, Soviet military repression produced 20,000 Hungarian casualties (including 2,500 deaths) and 200,000 refugees. When the reform-minded Mikhail Gorbachev finally stopped enforcing Soviet imperial rule in Eastern Europe, revolutions in these countries swept aside the tired pro-Soviet dictatorships and reasserted their national sovereignty. Not surprisingly, many of these newly independent countries then

began to apply to join NATO — not because they were forced to do so, but because they feared a reassertion of Russian domination.

Events in Ukraine illustrate this desire for freedom from Russian control. Gorbachev allowed a referendum on Ukrainian independence to take place in 1991. In a turnout by 84 percent of registered voters, some 90 percent of them voted for independence from Russia. As part of its independence arrangement, Ukraine — which had the third largest nuclear arsenal in the world — handed over all its nuclear weapons to the Russian government. In turn, as part of the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, Russia formally pledged to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty.

But the Russian government began to backtrack on its agreement with Ukraine. It was happy with the rule of Viktor Yanukovych, a pliable pro-Russian politician. But when the political tide turned against him and he was ousted from office because he blocked Ukraine’s membership in the European Union, Russian leaders were incensed. Ukraine was turning toward the West, and this, they believed, could not be tolerated. In a clear violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty, the Russian government deployed its military power to seize Crimea and take control of Russian-language separatist regions in eastern Ukraine.

f course, the Russian government sought to justify its actions with flimsy claims, then and subsequently. It said that there was no military intervention by Russia. But clearly there was. It said that there were fascists in Ukraine. True enough; but there were also plenty of fascists in Russia and in many other lands. Ukraine’s government, it said, was under the control of an unrepresentative Nazi cabal. But Zelensky was elected with 73 percent of the vote, remains wildly popular, and is certainly no right-winger or authoritarian. Can we say the same about Vladimir Putin? When one looks at what Putin has declared in his recent pronouncements, his dominant motive is clear enough. Denying that Ukraine has any right to statehood independent of Russia and glorifying the expansionism of his country’s Czarist and Stalinist past, he is caught up in a reactionary nostalgia for empire. Or, to put it simply, he longs to Make Russia Great Again. To safeguard the interests of smaller nations, as well as international peace, Putin — like other arrogant rulers of powerful countries — should be encouraged to discard outdated imperial fantasies and accept the necessity of a world governed by international law. — Dr. Lawrence Wittner, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is Professor of History emeritus at SUNY/ Albany and the author of “Confronting the Bomb.”

Davis schools should implement smart-mask policies Special to The Enterprise

Commentary

o one wants our children to wear masks at school forever. At the Davis Joint Unified School District Board of Education meeting on Feb. 17, Yolo County Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson indicated she would recommend removing indoor mask requirements for schools when the County’s daily case rate falls below 14 cases/100,000 people. While we strongly endorse the effort to use a data-driven approach, we ask that DJUSD work with Yolo County to develop smart-mask policies that can be scaled up or down, based on the best information we have. We believe that based on several indicators, DJUSD should continue indoor masking at this time to keep students and staff safe, and to keep our schools open, for the following reasons: * COVID-19 infection in children can lead to serious heart conditions, multiple-organ disease and even death. Among children, COVID-19 is far more serious than the flu. During the pandemic, more than 1,200 children have died nationally from COVID-19, versus fewer than 10 for the flu. Due to lower quality reporting for children, the estimate of children’s death due to COVID is likely an undercount. We also know that children can develop Long COVID, a condition with physical and neurological symptoms that can arise

even after mild infections. Children with Long COVID have difficulties with learning, attending school, and participating in activities; we still do not yet know about long-term impacts for children, including long-term disability. n Multiple studies consistently demonstrate the benefits of communitywide indoor masking to reduce spread of COVID19. The limited evidence on “one-way” masking, i.e. only one person wears a mask, while the other does not, shows that this practice remains inferior to all parties being masked. Also this evidence has been based upon N95 masks, which do not exist for children. To date, no source — federal, state or county — has made an adequate supply of KN95/ KF94 masks available to children in K-12 schools. Mask mandates — even with imperfect implementation — have also been shown to reduce the risk of transmission. In addition to reducing protection from COVID-19, taking down a universal policy leads to stigmatization for those who continue to wear masks — from children with pre-existing conditions, to those who are already subjected to other forms of stigma, including those with disabilities. Universal mask mandates lower the risk of COVID-associated discrimination. No studies have demonstrated emotional, physical

By Michelle Ko

or academic harms to children from masking. On the other hand, we know that COVID-19 transmission to family members, particularly when accompanied by illness, disability, and loss of loved ones, causes severe emotional harm. Often lost in the discussion is the fact that over 200,000 children have lost a primary caregiver to COVID-19. These reasons and more are why the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends universal indoor masking in schools. n The recent declining COVID-19 case rate is reassuring, but Dr. Sisson also noted that PCR testing rates also fall as outbreaks ease — therefore, we lose accuracy in case estimates just when we should be monitoring for preventive actions. We are fortunate to have access to multiple data sources through the Healthy Davis and Healthy Yolo partnerships. Thus we can see from our local wastewater monitoring data, viral transmission is rising once again in neighborhoods in Far West, North and South Davis. Through the UC Davis Genome Center variant monitoring, we know that Omicron BA.2, which has greater transmissibility than the currently dominant Omicron BA.1, is now rising. Lastly, given weekly testing at DJUSD schools, we can guide our policies by school site-specific positivity rates. If schools are to consider removing masks, then DJUSD should step

up weekly testing to an opt-out, rather than opt-in model. Under high rates of community transmission, we must protect those with higher risk medical conditions, such as diabetes, and compromised immune systems. DJUSD students, staff, and faculty, even those who are vaccinated, can still spread COVID-19 to at-risk family members, peers, and community members. n As of Feb. 17, less than 70% of DJUSD K-6 students were vaccinated. DJUSD should continue multiple mitigation layers — our Swiss cheese slices — while we continue to educate and make vaccination a reality, not just a possibility, for as many DJUSD families as possible. Current FDAapproved COVID-19 treatments, including antiviral medications and monoclonal antibodies, are not available for children under 12. These precautions are also critical for protecting those who are unable to get vaccinated: all children under the age of 5. Although they have made up only 15% of pediatric COVID cases, they account for 35% of deaths in the nation. Masking in schools reduces risk of transmission to our youngest family members of students and staff. n We must also take into account the impact on staffing if there is an outbreak–however mild, all positive student and staff cases must isolate. In addition, many staff are family

ICYMI: Our top 5 stories of the week News n Police: Suspicious object at DHS was toy grenade: http://wp.me/p3aczg-48k4 n Teen hurt in collision with car: http://wp.me/p3aczg-48dH n Sisson provides update on declining COVID-19 cases: http://wp.me/p3aczg-48d2

members of DJUSD students — an outbreak at one site can lead to the loss of staff at several others. We need an accurate assessment of total staff at risk and school capacity under differing outbreak scenarios. Universal masking helps keep schools open and ensures continuity of learning. It shows respect for the health and well-being of our staff, who have remained committed to providing our children with an education since March 2020. n Hospitalization rates and bed capacity should not be the only Yolo County metric for monitoring COVID-19 severity. This is particularly important for children, as many hospitals from Vacaville to Roseville provide hospital care for Yolo County children. Hospitalization itself is a late marker — we will not pick up on cases quickly enough to act in time for prevention. Yolo County and DJUSD further need to consider the impacts of transmission on the regional health workforce. The high quality of DJUSD schools has attracted many healthcare workers and their families to our community. However, that means even a small school outbreak can lead to a severe cutback among family members who work in our region’s clinics and hospitals–many of whom are leaders of departments, units, and for some, one of the only providers of their specialty in the county. Their absence — even

temporarily — will further strain multiple healthcare systems. n Public health demands that we care for our community as a whole — to do so, we must design our policies to protect those most at risk for poor health, not those most vocal about discomfort. For example, using vaccination rates in aggregate is not enough. In Yolo County, vaccination in the top equity quartile exceeds that of the bottom by over 20%. Within DJUSD, vaccination rates range from barely over 50% to over 70%. Until we can invest resources and time so that trusted community messengers can provide vaccine education, address families’ concerns, and have the support to make their decisions, we should not lift our other public health protection tools. Otherwise, we are making the decision to leave our most vulnerable families behind. No one wants our children to mask indefinitely. The key is that we use clear, data-driven guidelines, drawing from the multiple information sources we have, so we know when to turn masking off — and back on — when needed. Let’s continue to make DJUSD a model of what public health should look like: masks, tests, ventilation, and protection for all community members, while we continue the push for more vaccination. — Michelle Ko, Safe Classrooms, Safe Community — Davis

Editors’ choice for web comment of the week

Sports

Feature

“This business would need to post a staff person at each driveway to mitigate traffic safety issues — especially for the protection of child bike riders.”

n Track and field: Blue Devils produce multiple winners: http://wp.me/p3aczg-487t

n ‘A perfect career’: Longtime firefighter Weist retires: http://wp.me/p3aczg-484a

From J.R. Silva

These were the most clicked-on news, sports and feature posts at www.davisenterprise.com between Saturday, March 5, and Friday, March 11

In response to “South Davis car wash proposal to go before planning commission”

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Age gap is inappropriate Dear Annie: My husband is 59 years old and thinks it is OK to ogle young girls less than 18 years of age — more like 15 to 16. He does this with me present and says it is natural behavior and that all men do it. I say it is disrespectful to me and resembles pedophile behavior. I am 64 years old, and he had an affair with a 29-year-old female about a year ago. What is your opinion? — Feeling the Sting of Growing Old Dear Feeling Old: I’m not sure why your husband’s actions are making you feel old instead of disgusted. You should dump him. His pedophile behavior — and, yes, that is what it is — has nothing to do with your age and everything to do with his Lolita complex. He needs to seek treatment immediately. A 59-year-old man staring at 15-year-old girls and having an affair with a girl in her 20s? You can do better. ——— Dear Annie: I was married for 10 years to the father of my 40-year-old daughter. We divorced when she was 7; he left me to continue a relationship I didn’t know he was having. That lasted six months. He has since been married twice more and had many other relationships between and during those marriages. The thing is, I had no idea he was not monogamous until he left. I have always been wellemployed and capable of supporting myself and our daughter without a second income. Before he left me, he took a distant job that uprooted me, with my compliance, because we were

Legals@DavisEnterprise.net married and, I thought, happy. We moved again, and I went along. Less than a month after he left me, several longtime friends told me they knew of his affairs before our daughter was born. My point: People in a relationship, or who think they’re in a relationship, with a player deserve to know about it as soon as their friends do. I would never have temporarily shortcircuited my career, left my home city, or packed and unpacked households endlessly had I known about his predilections. Thank goodness he left when he did! It’s been 33 years. My daughter and I are close; I have a great life and career. But I’m weighing in because of the queasiness I read here on this subject; just like you’d tell a friend that she has spinach in her teeth or toilet paper on her shoe, for heaven’s sake, give her a heads up if you’re certain that her spouse repeatedly acts single when she’s not around. To answer an unspoken question, I never felt angry at my friends. Enough time was already wasted. — The Truth Set Me Free Dear Truth: It sounds like you made great steps toward creating a wonderful life without your husband. Thank you for your letter.

Needing space from her brother

Dear Annie: I need help, but I’m so lost on what to do. Please help with some advice. I’m 52 years old and so broken. My mom passed away on Sept. 14, 2019, at home. I’ve had to live with my brother “Ed” ever since. Or, should I say, he has had to live with me. I love him, but he can be such a challenge. Life is all about him. He sees a counselor weekly; he is a recovering alcoholic and drug abuser; he is bipolar and high — I mean high — anxiety and needs complete hip surgery. I am his caregiver, and I’m really not happy. Everything I do seems to be for him. He is going back to drinking after 170 days of sobriety and smoking again after three weeks of quitting. It never ends. He stands and mumbles where I can hear him carry on, usually about me. Ed is very self-centered and spiteful, but he is my brother. I don’t want to just abandon him, but I need a life. I don’t know where to turn. He only gets $794 per month Social Security, not enough to maintain his own place. I’ve been single since my youngest was 4 years old. She is 26 now. I would like to find my special someone to spend my life with. What should I do? — Overwhelmed and Unsure Dear Overwhelmed: I’m so sorry for the loss of your mother. I’m sure you still miss her every day. You have given every-

thing to your brother, and it’s time that he takes some responsibility for himself. Even though he’s carrying a large load, there is no reason he can’t accept some part-time work to supplement his Social Security and get a place of his own. It’s great that he is in therapy, but he should also look into Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous for additional support in his battle with addiction. As for your own wellbeing, reach out to your local Al-Anon chapter to meet others going through similar situations with their loved ones. Remember that creating distance between you and your brother is not an abandonment; it’s a boundary. You can only give someone else a tow if your own tank is full. If you’re running on empty... well, then you’ll both get stuck in the mud. Take a deep breath and write down a list of things you’re grateful for. Often, when our lives feel like they’re spiraling out of control, we become so overwhelmed that we feel helpless. This exercise will help put things in perspective. ——— Dear Annie: I am afraid you missed the boat on your answer to Worried in Wyoming. I am a lawyer, and I can assure you that the risk of her husband keeping virtually all of the assets in a noncommunity property state is real. If she is concerned about the other woman, I suspect she at least has some reason for concern. Something that isn’t a threat while it’s at a safe distance can become serious quickly if that distance is removed. After all, there’s only so

much that can happen over the phone. I agree that she shouldn’t go on the attack, but moving to another state should always be a joint decision. If she doesn’t want to move, her husband should be willing to discuss it. How about staying put and arranging frequent visits? If the husband doesn’t listen to her and insists on the move, then before she even considers relocating, she should find a good divorce lawyer immediately. — A Lawyer’s Perspective Dear Lawyer’s Perspective: Thank you for offering your professional advice. Sometimes, what appears to be an irrational fear may very well be a gut instinct. If Worried in Wyoming feels like this plan will harm her, her relationship or her assets, she should indeed take action.

Bailing bestie Dear Annie: Under what circumstances is it OK to cancel your plans with one friend in order to spend time with someone else? I have a friend who repeatedly cancels her plans with me if she suddenly gets an invitation from someone who is higher status/more socially prominent. I’ve tried to talk to her about this, but she feels I am being too sensitive and that it’s best to “keep things loose,” with the understanding that both parties are free to opt out if something else comes up. The frequent cancellations make me feel like I’m her “backup friend,” with whom she only spends time if she doesn’t get a better offer. What do you advise? — Blown Off Dear Blown Off: If a

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022 friend makes you feel like a backup, she is no friend at all. Even the term “backup friend” is an oxymoron; there’s no such thing! Once you commit to plans, you should honor that commitment. That doesn’t mean there’s no room for flexibility — we’re all busy, after all — but a pattern of blowing you off for “higher status” company is unkind and unfair. I would firmly tell this “friend” that you honor your word after making plans with someone and that you expect her to do the same. If she continues to blow you off, she’s probably not even worth penciling in. ——— Dear Annie: I lost a loving soul mate to dementia several months ago. We were extremely close for over 57 years, but now she is a great memory. I am sad I lost her but grateful to have had the time to thank her for those years and physically demonstrate that my love for her was — and still is — real. In the end, I cut her food in bitesize pieces and, for a short while, had to place the food in her mouth. I bathed her, dressed her, combed her hair, etc., and will be forever thankful for the opportunity to support her. We had worked together for some 50 years, and she went to the office with me right up until the last several days of her life. Each morning, while helping her from bed, I hugged her and reminded my life partner of my love and thanked her for being such a great wife. I might add here that I feel exceptionally blessed for having her in my life and being able to “pay back” a little bit for her years of dedicated love and support. — Loved Her Till the End Dear Loved Her: Your letter brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for sharing such a beautiful love story. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@ creators.com. ENTERPRISE PUBLIC

NOTICES Dear Annie: I am turnEmail legals to ing 38 this year. I’m a legals@davisenterprise.net father of two withat a third View legals duedavisenterprise.com/ in November — this classifieds

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YOLOlaughs

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