Daily Republic: Friday, March 5, 2021

Page 1

TCU officials offer financial advice amid pandemic A3

Fairfield grad Banks named WCC Player of the Week B1

Friday  |  March 5, 2021  |  $1.00

dailyrepublic.com  |  Well said. Well read.

Fairfield looks to use FEMA grant to add 5 firefighters

covid-19 pandemic

Todd R. Hansen

which will eventually be housed at a new station off Business Center Drive FAIRFIELD — City near Solano Community Council members this College. The city already week authorized the Fire owns the property. Department to apply for In the meantime, they a $3.35 million federal will be housed out of Disgrant that would fund trict 35, and the Lopes five firefighter positions Road station. for three years. The next step, The departChief Tony Velasment on Tuesday quez said, is to was given the gohire an archiahead to apply tect, complete the for the Staffing design and hope for Adequate Fire to have construcand Emergency tion of the District Response grant 36 station comfrom the Federal pleted bysometime Emergency Man- velasquez in 2024-2025. agement Agency. “The additional The grant, if awarded, company would serve would support five full- as a valuable addition to time firefighter positions the city’s most vulnerover three years, and able district, which has would allow the depart- the slowest response ment to operate a seventh times and is most isocompany in an area that lated for backup response covers the Green Valley from other stations,” and Cordelia Villages the staff report to the area of the city. council stated. The five firefighters The positions are will be combined with expected to be filled in the four others approved by late fall, Velasquez said. the city this year to form a new District 36 company, See Grant, Page A8 thansen@dailyrepublic.net

Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic

Kaiser Permanente pharmacist Stephanie Golik prepares the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine during a mass vaccination

Tier restrictions

now link to vaccinations, eased Covid case rates Report ranks state 21st for vaccination rates Daily Republic staff

drnews@dailyrepublic.net

FAIRFIELD — WalletHub Thursday released its report Thursday on the Safest States during the novel coronavirus pandemic. An estimated 7.9% of the population was fully vaccinated as of Tuesday, upon which the data from the report was based. WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across five metrics: the rates of Covid-19 transmission, positive testing, hospitalizations and death, as well as the share of the eligible population getting vaccinated. The lower the number ranking, the less effect the novel coronavirus has on the state. California ranked 21st for

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Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., has vowed to hold up the coronavirus relief bill.

Senate begins considering relief package

See Rates, Page A8

Dems to end weekly $400 Covid-19 unemployment in August Tribune Content Agency WASHINGTON — The weekly $400 federal unemployment supplements included in the pending economic aid package being considered by Congress will stop in August rather than being stretched through September, as some Senate Democrats had requested. The Senate began formal consideration of the $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief measure Thursday, a day after Senate leaders agreed to narrow by several million people which Americans will receive $1,400 stimulus checks. The concession was

thansen@dailyrepublic.net

FAIRFIELD — There are new rules governing California’s Covid-19 response – rules that are less restrictive but may have no impact on Solano County moving into the red tier. Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that graduated tier placement – and with it eased restrictions on businesses and reopening schedules – would be tied to the distribution of vaccines to low-income communities. Once 2 million of the 8 million residents in those areas receive vaccinations, the new rules will go into effect. That target is expected to be reached within two weeks, the state said. The governor said 40% of the vaccines would be set aside for those communities. When that happens, Newsom said, the daily case average

needed to get from the purple tier to red will change from seven per 100,000 individuals in a county to 10 per 100,000. “With more vaccines online and administered, California is now in a position to take steps toward ending this pandemic by keeping our guard up and by vaccinating those Californians most at risk and most exposed,” Newsom said in a statement. “Vaccinating our most impacted communities, across our state, is the right thing to do and the fastest way to end this pandemic.” So instead of having to be below 31 cases per day, Solano would have to be below 45, which the county is well below already. The seven-day test positivity rate would stay at 8% for the red tier, a threshold Solano County is also below. Dr. Bela Matyas said the rate Thursday was at 6%, the same See Tier, Page A8

Tribune Content Agency

Alex Wong/Getty Images/TNS

Members of the National Guard walk on the empty Constitution Avenue near the U.S. Capitol, Thursday.

See Relief, Page A8

SUNDAY Parade coming this weekend. Look for the insert in the Daily Republic.

Todd R. Hansen

Threats to lawmakers spur request for more National Guard help

intended to appease moderate Democrats worried that too many high-wage earners would receive the payments. In exchange, some senators had pushed to extend unemployment benefits for the full six months that President Joe Biden initially requested, rather than the five months approved by the House. But the change did not make it into the final version of the bill. The bill provides a $400 weekly federal subsidy on top of state benefits. Congress traditionally breaks for the month of August, and some lawmakers worried ending

this weekend

event at the Solano County Fairgrounds, Thursday. Solano County could be moved into the red tier Tuesday.

INDEX Arts ������������������� B4 Classifieds �������� B6 Comics ������� A7, B5 Crossword �� A6, B4

Obituary ������������ A4 Opinion ������������� B3 Sports ��������������� B1 TV Daily ������� A7, B5

weather

65 44 Mostly sunny. Complete five-day forecast on B10.

WASHINGTON — The head of U.S. Capitol Police on Thursday asked the Defense Department to extend the National Guard presence at the U.S. Capitol, according to a statement from the police force. About 5,000 National Guard troops still on deployment in Washington since the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol were set to return home by March 12. The Capitol Police cited a spike in threats against lawmakers during the first two months of this year in the request for continued support from the Guard. The Capitol Police statement said only that acting Chief Yogananda Pittman asked for the extension without giving a specific timeframe. See Guard, Page A8

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