Suisun mulls more public art; discussion continues B1
sunday | January 31, 2021 | $1.50
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covid-19 pandemic
Fairfield woman loses mom, brother, uncle in span of 3 weeks amaginnis@dailyrepublic.net
shiland@dailyrepublic.net
FAIRFIELD — Shifts this week in how that state ranks counties for novel coronavirus infection have once again opened the doors for a return to in-person classroom instruction and may soon allow some high school sports to resume. The Fairfield-Suisun School District governing board continues to wrestle with the issue of educating students in the time of Covid-19, evident Thursday when the matter was once again a topic
Glen Faison
INSIDE Man charged in Fairfield killing to face trial for later attack on Solano jail guard. Page A4.
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Santa Rosa resident, was wanted for an outstanding warrant for various suspected felonies that include domestic battery and assault with a deadly weapon, Cardona reports. His name was not released. Officers who arrived at the scene found that the man had barricaded himself inside the apartment. A standoff ensued and continued for nearly eight hours as other residents of the apartments were evacuated. Police negotiators during the standoff were not successful in their efforts to engage the man and get him to surrender, Cardona reports. Police used what Cardona describes as “distraction devices” and “chemical agents” during the attempts to get the man to surrender. See Women, Page A9
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Cathy Keller Castaneda went to Kaiser Permanente Vacaville Medical Center and Kaye drove Eugene Castaneda to NorthBay Medical Center. A few hours later she was told he was being transported to Kaiser in Vacaville, too. Her mother was put on a ventilator shortly after arriving. She went into cardiac arrest and died Christmas night. The Castanedas, who celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in
of discussion. i s su e At is whether to continue with distance learning or return to in-person instruction. The topic has been covered over the past few corey months at each meeting, but continued changes to the state’s response to the novel coronavirus pandemic has caused delays in returning to normal learning structures for students. Superintendent Kris Corey covered the “Safe Schools for All” plan,
August, were separated by three rooms at the hospital, Kaye wrote. Because of safety protocols, they were not allowed to see each other. “My dad was heartbroken because they were a few rooms away from each other and he couldn’t be with her,” Kaye wrote. Her brother David Castaneda died Jan. 18. “Even though my dad was sick
which has been proposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and has not been adopted but is working its way through the Legislature. The plan might be implemented in February, starting with the return of children in elementary school to in-person learning. Children in middle school and teens in high school would return to classrooms in the spring. A caveat of this plan is to offer $450 per student to school dis-
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Man who initiated standoff in Vaca apartment now in custody
Gina Keller Kaye is pictured with her father, Eugene Castaneda, at a memorial held for family members who died from Covid-19.
See Weeks, Page A9
Fairfield-Suisun board reviews plans to return to in-school learning Susan Hiland
Police investigate deaths of 2 women as double-homicide VACAVILLE — Two women were found dead Saturday after an overnight standoff at an apartment complex, with reports that portions of what led to the standoff were streamed online. A man who barricaded himself inside the apartment was later taken into custody. Sgt. Katie Cardona reports the incident began shortly after 12:40 a.m. when officers responded to a call for a welfare check at the Rocky Hill Veterans Apartments at 582 Rocky Hill Road. A woman had called to report a man was inside an apartment and was possibly armed, Cardona reports. The woman said the man had live-streamed himself on social media from inside the apartment. The video showed the man carrying a handgun and two women lying on the floor – not moving, Cardona reports. Police found that the man, a 29-year-old
Amy Maginnis-Honey
FAIRFIELD — Covid-19 has taken a toll on many families, including that of lifelong Fairfield resident Gina Keller Kaye, who lost three family members to the disease – her mother, brother and an uncle – within three weeks. “The family just seems so different now,” she wrote in an email to the Daily Republic. “It’s going to take some getting used to.” It started with Kaye’s 13-year- INSIDE old nephew Solano’s case having flu-like numbers symptoms. He make sudden was tested for jump, climb Covid-19 and the above 200. result was nega- Page A3. tive, she wrote. A few days later his father, Kaye’s brother, David Castaneda, 39, began to feel ill and assumed he had caught the flu from his son. “The only problem was that he felt worse and worse every day,” Kaye wrote. “He spent almost all of his time in bed.” The decision was made after two weeks to call 911 because Castaneda was having trouble breathing. He was taken to NorthBay Medical Center and was immediately put on a ventilator and placed in an induced coma, Kaye wrote. “He spent five weeks in the hospital,” she wrote. “During that time, his heart stopped three times, his kidneys started to fail, his oxygen kept going down and his temperature at one point went to 109.” About the same time their son fell ill, his mother, Cathy Keller Castaneda, 64, and father, Eugene Castaneda, 63, were ill. Eugene Castaneda took a Covid-19 test and was waiting for results. “My parents assumed that they had a winter cold,” Kay wrote. She went to her parents’ house to take her father and mother to the emergency room. She also called for her father’s Covid-19 test result and was told it was positive. Then, her mother said she couldn’t move or breathe and wanted Kaye to call 911. “My mom held her chest as they helped her into the ambulance,” Kaye wrote. “That was the last time that I got to see her.”
MEL gets to work; leagues can set own schedules B3
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tricts that return to in-person learning. The staff of FairfieldSuisun School District estimated that for this district it would mean between $8.5 million to $13.2 million under the Governor’s Incentive Grant income plan. Schools will need to fill out the required paperwork and submit it to the governor’s office by Monday. The district would need to meet the health standards required by the state by Feb. 16. If districts are unable See School, Page A9
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Decreasing clouds, then mostly sunny. Five-day forecast on B12.
Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic
A person sets up a tent near Railroad Avenue in Suisun City, Wednesday.
Suisun council covers variety of topics at virtual workshop Amy Maginnis-Honey
amaginnis@dailyrepublic.net
SUISUN CITY — The city will have access to two beds at the Shelter Solano facility in Fairfield starting Monday. They will be offered on a first-come, firstserved basis, according to Suisun City Police Chief Aaron Roth. The City Council held a workshop Tuesday evening to address homeless encampments. The virtual forum offered council members and the public the opportunity to field questions and to get answers. Michael Zeiss wanted to know the average monthly cost for clean-
ing up encampments and the percentage of people living in the encampments who want permanent housing. Roth said he didn’t have an official tally on the cost. Mayor Lori Wilson said the major cost is staff time. A very low percentage are interested in permanent housing, Roth said. Food and health care assistance are most requested. Steve Olry and Councilwoman Jane Day both broached the subject of people sleeping in doorways. Roth told them to call the police. If it’s
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See Council, Page A9