Daily Republic: Wednesday, November 30, 2022

SUSAN HILAND SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — The downtown glittered with every tree lit with tiny lights and each shop open late with decorated trees for the Vacaville Festival of Trees in the windows drawing the eye of people as they walked toward the main event, the Christmas tree lighting for Merriment on Main.

The downtown treelighting began in 1983 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of The Reporter, Richard Rico, the former owner of the newspaper, said.

“It was a way of saying thank you to my hometown for a century of support,” he said.

Rico created and gifted the Main Street three-flag monument to the community, leaving space and a receptacle in the center for a Christmas tree.

The idea for an annual Christmas tree lighting came from his time as a small child when city firefighters would light a tree in the creek and decorate it.

“This is a celebration of friendship and community,” Rico said.

Merriment on Main has turned into a family tradition for so many and feels like the turning point of the season from fall to Christmastime. Merriment happens each year because of the many volunteers and donors, and

Senate passes bill to protect same-sex, interracial marriages

THE WASHINGTON POST

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday passed the Respect for Marriage Act, which would enshrine marriage equality in federal law, granting protections to same-sex and interracial couples.

The bill passed in a 61-36 vote, with 12 Republicans joining Democrats to vote for it. Three senators did not vote. The bill includes a bipartisan amendment that clarifies protections for religious liberties, and it will now return to the House for another vote before it can go to President Joe Biden to sign into law.

The 12 Republican senators who voted “yes” were Roy Blunt (Mo.), Richard Burr (N.C.), Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), Susan Collins (Maine), Joni Ernst (Iowa), Cynthia Lummis (Wyo.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Rob Portman (Ohio), Mitt Romney (Utah), Dan Sullivan (Alaska), Thom Tillis (N.C.) and Todd Young (Ind.).

Before the final vote, Collins stood to “thank all of the Republicans who have supported this. I know that it’s not been easy, but they’ve done the right thing.”

Biden celebrated the passage shortly after the tally was announced.

“With today’s bipartisan Senate passage of the Respect for Marriage Act, the United States is on the brink of reaffirming a fundamental truth: love is love, and Americans should have the right to marry the person they love,” the president said in a statement. “For millions of Americans, this legislation will safeguard the rights and protections to which LGBTQI+ and interracial couples and their children are entitled.”

The Respect for Marriage Act would not force states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples but would require that people be considered married in any state as long as the marriage was valid in the state where it was performed. The bill also would repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman and allowed states to decline to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. That law has remained on the books despite being declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which guaranteed

RSV straining children’s hospitals across state

TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY

LOS ANGELES — RSV and other respiratory viral illnesses are continuing to stress children’s hospitals across California.

Nationally, hospitalization rates related to RSV – or respiratory syncytial virus – are exceptionally high, according to Dr. Theodore Ruel, chief of the University of California, San Francisco’s pediatric infectious diseases and global health division.

The per capita RSV hospitalization rate this month was the highest since the 2018-19 cold and flu season, Ruel said at a recent campus town hall. And while scientists are monitoring signs that RSV hospitalization rates may have peaked, it will take more time to be certain.

Whatever the larger

trend, children’s hospitals across California report being stressed. The primary children’s hospital in Oakland “has been really hit hard with RSV,” Ruel said.

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland was “pushed and strained earlier in this recent rise than on the (San Francisco children’s hospital) campus, and they’re still seeing rising numbers,” Ruel said earlier this month.

Santa Clara County, Northern California’s most populous, is reporting “an acute surge of patients … in both our inpatient pediatric ward and pediatric ICU,” said Dr. Vidya Mony, pediatric infectious disease specialist and associate hospital epidemiologist at Santa Clara Valley Medical

Center. “The predominant cause for these hospitalizations are secondary to respiratory viruses, specifically, RSV.”

RSV also continues to stretch the available emergency room capacity at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, meaning the facility cannot always accommodate patient transfers from elsewhere. The positivity rate for RSV at the hospital is 28%, about the same as the previous week, when

it was 29%, and less than the 37% reported earlier this month.

As of Nov. 15, L.A. County was reporting average daily occupancy of staffed pediatric hospital beds at 64%, up from 60% on Nov. 1. For pediatric ICU beds, average daily occupancy was 75%, up from 67%.

“These increases in pediatric bed occupancy are concerning, especially

SCC launches Homeless-toStudent Outreach

People in the crowd react as Santa Claus arrives during Merriment on Main in downtown Vacaville, Tuesday.

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic photos

Eddie

right,

in Vacaville” during Merriment

A poem learned many years ago springs to mind

Where do random thoughts come from? What makes them pop into mind for no apparent reason? And why can I recite a poem I learned long ago, but cannot for the life of me recall where I left my phone?

It can take hours to find it. The phone, not the poem. But it took only minutes to turn up this morning under my pillow where I left it when I got out of bed.

Either that, or my husband hid it there. I’m not saying he did that. I’m just saying he might, if he thought of it. He likes to joke even if I don’t think it’s funny.

I could have found the phone sooner if I’d done like my mama taught me, and made that bed the minute I crawled out of it.

Do you do that? When I wake up – if I want to function like a civilized human who actually

gives a rip about making a bed or finding a cell phone – I need coffee. Two cups. With cream. With one cup I can say “Good morning” to my husband and ask, “Did you hide my phone?”

But it takes two cups for me to put on my shoes and go see if I left it (or he hid it) in the car.

I was on my second cup this morning when I missed my phone. My husband was in the garage. I didn’t ask him about it. I just started looking. And that’s when I began to hear in my head a poem I recited when I was 10 years old to win first place in the school’s recita tion contest.

It was a small victory, not many contestants. But it was something, and I was proud.

In “The Children’s Hour,” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow describes the youngest (ages 10,

7 and 5) of his six children:

“From my study I see in the lamplight, / Descending the broad hall stair, / Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra, / And Edith with golden hair.”

The gist of the poem is this: He hears his girls sneaking up. They rush in like an army of squirrels scaling a castle, overcoming him with kisses and taking him captive in their arms. Just when it seems he’s lost the battle, Longfel low says this:

“Do you think, O blue-eyed banditti, / Because you have scaled the wall, / Such an old mustache as I am / Is not a match for you all!

“I have you fast in my for tress, / And will not let you depart, / But put you down into the dungeon / In the roundtower of my heart. / And there will I keep you forever, / Yes, forever and a day, / Till the walls shall crumble to ruin, / And moulder in dust away!”

I loved how the words of that poem would roll off my tongue like snowmelt on a tin roof. It made me think of my granddad, a preacher, who knew by heart, and could recite with passion, from Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon and other poetic pas sages of the King James Bible.

The night I won that contest, Granddad was ill and couldn’t be there to hear me. But I wish you could’ve seen his face the next day when I recited, just for him, “The Children’s Hour.”

Years later, when he left this world to go preach to the angels, he took the love of all our family to keep us forever and a day in the round-tower of his heart.

What put that poem in my head today? I was sipping coffee, trying to wake up, and thought of a phone call I got last night from my grandson.

Randy is 12, an artist, a writer, a musician, a skate boarder, a lifeguard and an

absolute joy. He had surgery a while back for a broken arm, but thankfully, it healed and he’s good to go. He’d been worried it might keep him from playing basketball. But he called last night happy to tell me he made the team. And I wish you could’ve seen my face.

When a child is born, parents and grandparents are often sur prised to discover they will rejoice in that child’s happiness far more than in their own.

That poem is a bit different now when it plays in my head. Instead of Alice, Allegra and Edith, I hear all my children’s and grandchildren’s names. I picture Longfellow laughing with my granddad. And I wish you could see their faces.

Sharon Randall is the author of “The World and Then Some.” She can be reached at P.O. Box 922, Carmel Valley, CA 93924 or www.sharonrandall.com.

I was observing a high school social studies unit a few years ago on the social, political, economic and cultural features of America’s 13 colonies. The teacher divided students into four task-specific groups of six students each with each group taking responsibil ity to examine and report out to the entire class the results of its investigation into one of the four features.

Davis Eye on education

There was a second and equally important dimension to the activity. Students were required to design and implement a PowerPoint presenta tion to teach what they had learned.

Since the class already knew how to work col laboratively in groups, they immediately divided themselves into sub groups. For example, the team that was responsi ble for reporting about colonial culture decided its first task would be to learn how to use the Pow erPoint software program. They began by assign ing two members to study what PowerPoint was, two other members to study how to manage its many features, and two members to examine how to build an attractive and user friendly presenta tion template.

Subgroups soon began to multitask by reviewing the book chapters, articles and online resources on colonial culture and Pow erPoint provided by the teacher (much of this they did as homework). They

found they could build PowerPoint skills while simul taneously pulling together important information about colonial culture and integrating it into the Power Point template. Once sub groups completed their assigned tasks, the whole group reviewed the materials and collec tively decided on what resources to include in their presentation, what PowerPoint features to use and how to present their findings. Through out the weeklong unit, the teacher monitored the progress of each group and provided guidance (but not solutions) when challenges arose.

The teacher explained at the beginning of the unit that just prior to group presentations she would randomly choose one member from each group to be the lead pre senter for that group. So, while every student would be given particular tasks in constructing the Pow erPoint presentation, each would also be responsible for understanding the pre sentation as a whole.

The teacher’s basic strategy was to merge collaborative learning activities, instructional technology and academic content. Perhaps more important, she flipped the traditional instructional dynamics of the class. Stu dents became teachers, and by doing so, enriched their learning. Instead of “empty vessels” filled with knowledge dispensed by the teacher, they had to facilitate their own learn

ing by developing new competencies researching academic subject content, instructional strategies and computer technology.

The essence of this story is simple – the act of teaching is an especially powerful learning expe rience. Educators have understood this for years, but the strategy described above is the exception, not the rule, in most classrooms.

Research reinforces this strategy. A study pub lished in the Journal of Educational Psychology in 2021 found that “when students act as teach ers and tutor their peers, it can lead to improve ments in the learning of the students who taught.”

In fact, students who pre pared to teach their peers performed better on assessments of learning depth and duration than students from a separate class that used traditional teaching methods. Also, students who prepared to teach a lesson were sig nificantly better in their ability to make inferences and judgments and to think critically about the subject being studied.

There is an important corollary to this story. According to University Illinois educational psy chologist Tricia Guerrero, simply preparing to teach conveys the very same benefits as actually teach ing. She explains, “When students were expect ing to teach, they were more motivated to learn and cued into impor tant concepts, details and connections.”

Perhaps 19th century educationist John Cotton Dana said it best. “Teach

ing is learning and learning is teaching –no coherent distinction can be sensibly made.”

Moreover, when students must do something with newly acquired knowl edge beyond simply getting a good grade on a test, they “own” that knowledge – and that is powerful education.

Teaching is learning, learning is teaching BRIGHT

Stephen Davis is a career educator who writes a column that publishes every other Wednesday in the Daily Republic. Reach him by email at stephen davis71@gmail.com.

spot

Stephen

Sharon Randall

Program

FAIRFIELD — The Solano Community College Department of Public Safety has launched a Homeless-to-College Student Outreach Program “to help those experienc ing homelessness become college students.”

Solano College “wants to serve all members of our community and encourages those who need support to enroll in classes. We will help them apply for financial aid, secure food and housing, and receive support ser vices. The fact that our Department of Public Safety has initiated this effort to help the unhoused demonstrates their com mitment to transforming students’ lives,” Superin tendent-President Celia Esposito-Noy said in

a statement.

While there are a host of programs that “can help pay for books, supplies, food, rent, counseling ser vices, transportation and other costs for those who qualify,” the college said few individuals who come to the various campuses and are expe riencing homelessness know about them.

This program is an attempt to engage those experiencing homeless ness, and is made possible because of a partnerships among the Department of Public Safety, Student Life Services, Academic Support Services and other groups.

Chief Brian Travis pitched the program to college staff. He said the program is another way to serve all members of the

Solano community.

“As public servants and guardians of our commu nity, we should always strive to help every one we serve, especially those in need or down on their luck,” he said. “We developed this program with that in mind, to help people get the education they need so they can get back on their feet. To have a better life. It’s all about humanity.”

Damian Cook, a former homeless student, shared that he had received such

Man shot, killed by deputy identified as county resident

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The man who fired on law enforcement officers Sunday morning and, in turn, was shot and killed by a Solano County sher iff’s deputy has been identified as 42-year-old Robert Duncan Jr., the District Attorney’s Office reported Monday.

Duncan was listed as a Solano County resident.

The incident started shortly before 2:40 a.m. when the Fairfield police responded to a distur

bance on the 4300 block of Central Place.

“The suspect was reported to be armed with a firearm,” a statement released Sunday afternoon by the District Attorney’s Office said.

Authorities reported the deputy and his canine partner responded to the area to assist Fairfield police in apprehending the man involved in the initial altercation.

Duncan, located a short distance from where the initial distur bance was reported, “fired several rounds” from a

Polymer80 handgun at the law enforcement per sonnel after the deputy had released his canine, authorities reported.

“A Solano County Sher iff’s Department . . . deputy returned fire with his service weapon, striking the suspect,” the District Attorney’s Office’s state ment said. The man died as a result of his injuries.

The Solano County Major Crimes Task Force is conducting an ongoing investigation.

The Napa County Cor oner’s Office conducted the autopsy.

help. Now a part of the Homeless/Students Overcoming Adver sity and Recidivism – or SOAR – program, he was overjoyed with the new program’s launch.

“This program is something our homeless community really needs. Solano College is leading the way with this new program,” he wrote.” I am just so happy someone is looking out for us. Instead of being shunned at other places, Solano College is embracing our com munity. We feel safe

See Program, Page A4

Air district offers buyback incentives for older cars

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is offering $1,200 for owners of cars and small trucks built in 1998 or earlier.

“The Vehicle Buy Back Program is an important tool to encour age early retirement of the most polluting cars and trucks on our roads as older engines run dirtier than newer models and contrib ute significantly more to unhealthy air quality,” Sharon Landers, interim executive officer of the air district, said in a statement. “Transporta tion remains the largest source of air pollution in the Bay Area and scrapping older vehicles helps limit harmful tail pipe emissions in the air we breathe.”

The district reported it has retired more than 90,000 cars, vans, pickup trucks and SUVs since 1996.

“For each pre-1998 vehicle removed from Bay Area roads, an esti mated 75 pounds of air pollution is prevented from being emitted into the air annually. In 2021, 3,000 vehicles were

retired, representing 91 tons of air pollution having been removed,” the district stated.

Eligibility require ments for the Vehicle Buy Back Program include: n Vehicle must be 1998 model year or older.

n Vehicle must be cur rently registered as oper able and must be drivable.

n Vehicle must have been registered in the Bay Area for the past 24 months.

n Vehicles within 60 days of a required smog check must take and pass smog check.

California operates a complimentary program offering eligible consum ers vehicle retirement options for vehicles that do not pass their smog checks. More on the Consumer Assistance Program is available at www.bar.ca.gov/ consumer/consumer_ assistance_program.

To find out more about the Vehicle Buy Back program, visit www. baaqmd.gov/vbb.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District includes the Vallejo and Benicia area of western Solano County and extends east to include Fairfield and Suisun City.

FAIRFIELD

adjustment and transfer of 20.57 acres between two adjacent lots will be taken up by the Solano County Planning Com mission when it meets at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The property is located at 4118 Lagoon Valley Road, 1 mile north of Fairfield. Both proper ties are under Williamson Act contracts. The pro posal is the subject of a public hearing.

The commission meets in the Board of Supervi sors chamber on the first floor of the government center, 675 Texas St., in Fairfield.

For the full agenda, visit https://www.solano county.com/depts/rm/ boardscommissions/ solano_county_planning_ commission/agendas.asp.

Staff anD wiRe RepoRtS

Courtesy photo

Solano College Department of Public Safety officers and support staff pose for a photo on the campus in rural Fairfield.

ESPOSITO-NOY TRAVIS

Obituary

Lola May Simmons

May 26, 1934 — Nov. 4, 2022

Lola May Simmons was born on May 26, 1934, at the Providence Hospital in Seattle, Washington, and passed away on Nov. 4, 2022. Lola resided in Fairfield, California, since October 1958.

Lola graduated from James A. Garfield High School in June 1952 and then went to work for the school district until 1954.

She married Clarence L. Simmons on Feb. 23, 1954, and they were married for 68 years. As Clarence was in the United States Navy and United States Air Force, she moved with him to several duty stations, the last being Travis Air Force Base.

Lola began a career as a teller with Pacific Telephone on Feb. 19, 1965, at the local Fairfield office and retired after 28 years of service on Nov. 30, 1993.

After retirement, she volunteered at David Grant Medical Center from 1994 to 2004. Lola joined the Women of the Moose Fair field Chapter 1379 on Feb. 5, 1968. She was an active member of the Chapter for over 50 years and held many chairs, including Senior Regent, Junior Regent, Chaplain and Recorder. Lola earned her Friendship, Star Recorder and College of Regents degrees. She was also a member of the Vacav ille Women of the Moose Chapter 1498 since 2016.

Lola was active in Chapter and Lodge activities. She was always first to vol unteer or donate to many charitable activities, includ ing the Annual Holiday Toy Drive and Annual Christ mas Luncheon for seniors in our community and many

other charitable organizations.

Survivors include son, Richard Simmons and daughter-in-law Susan; daughters, Carol Afholderbach and Colleen Harless and son-in-law Michael; five grandsons; one granddaughter; eight greatgrandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

She was proceeded in death by her husband, Clar ence L. Simmons; parents, Sundena and Winfield Ross; son-in-law, Mark Afhold erbach; aunts, Nellie Parks and Clara Craig; and uncle, Samuel Genovese.

Visitation will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5, 2022, at BryanBraker Funeral Home, 1850 W. Texas St., Fairfield. Funeral service will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022, also at Bryan-Braker Funeral Home. Internment will follow the funeral service at 1:15 p.m. at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery, 5810 Midway Road Dixon, California. After the funeral service, all are welcome to celebrate Lola’s life at the Fairfield Family Moose Center, 623 Taylor St., Fair field, California.

Thank you for sending the beautiful floral arrange ments. This is a diffi cult time for all of us. Your kind support and beautiful symbols of remembrance are truly appreciated.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Moose Charities, 155 S. Interna tional Drive, Mooseheart, IL 60539.

Arrangements are under the direction of BryanBraker Funeral Home, Fair field, California.

Tree of Memories returns to in-person ceremony

FAIRFIELD — The Tree of Memories returns this year to an in-per son event from 1 to 3 p.m. Dec. 10 at North Bay Health’s Green Valley Administration Center, 4500 Business Center Drive.

Family, friends and community members gather each year to remember loved ones who have died. The memorial includes music, placing a ceremonial ornament on the tree, a photo slideshow, and a reading of names in memory of those who have died. A small reception will follow the memorial.

The tradition is to give a ceremonial ornament to all who attend to hang on the memorial tree to honor and celebrate the memory of a loved one. Visitors after the ceremony are welcome to retrieve the ornament and take it home to use in their own holiday traditions.

Organizers also produce a keepsake ornament, for those inter ested in contributing to the Hospice program. The keepsake ornament is designed for North Bay Hospice and can be enjoyed throughout the year. Those who donate

$20 or more will have the keepsake ornament mailed to them. All pro ceeds from the donations are used to help fund the NorthBay Hospice & Bereavement Program.

In addition to remem bering those who have died, the ceremony rec

More Fairfield officers out looking for DUI drivers

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Police Department announced it has increased patrols through Dec. 31 – specifically looking for impaired drivers.

In brief

SolTrans schedules open house

VALLEJO — SolTrans is partnering with Vallejo Fighting Back Partnership to “Stuff the Bus” and bring gifts to children in need.

The organizations are asking people to attend the SolTrans holiday open house and bring a new, unwrapped gift as part of the “Stuff the Bus” campaign.

The open house will take place from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Dec. 9 at 311 Sacramento St.

SolTrans also is working with Vallejo Art Walk to celebrate “all the festive art” in downtown Vallejo.

City invites residents to Polar Bear Plunge

VACAVILLE — The city invites the community to take a jump in cold water during the Polar Bear Plunge and get a fresh start for the new year.

Wear a costume for a chance to win a prize. Invite your family and friends to watch you jump while enjoying a cup of hot cocoa.

The plunge will begin at 7 p.m. Dec. 29 at the Walter Graham Aquatic Center, 1100 Alamo Drive.

Fees for participants are $12, the spectator fee is $5. Advance registration is required by Dec. 20 and is available online at www.cityofvacaville.gov/civicrec.

From Page A3

and welcomed at Solano College so thank you, Chief Travis and SCC.”

The first step in the process is typically a conversation.

When officers come

Programin contact with people who are homeless, they will ask them if they would like to know more about the Homeless-to Student program. If yes, then officers will offer to walk them to the aca demic support services division so they can help them enroll. Students may focus on obtaining a bach elor’s or associate degree

“We want everyone to enjoy the holidays and be safe,” Sgt. Robert Piro of the police Traffic Divi sion said in a statement. “If you plan to go out and

celebrate, make sure you plan ahead and find a safe, sober ride home because driving impaired should never be an option.”

The increased patrols started Monday.

During the 2016-20 December months, there were more than 4,400 people killed in drunken-driving-related crashes, the department reported, citing national statistics.

“Fairfield Police

Department reminds drivers that a ‘DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.’ Prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs and marijuana can also impair, especially in com bination with alcohol and other drugs,” the depart ment stated.

Funding for this program comes from a California Office of Traffic Safety grant, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Revisions to Solano360 plan head to implementation committee

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VALLEJO — Changes to land uses to the fair grounds revitalization plan will be considered by the Solano360 Implementation Committee when it meets at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

What changes are being proposed is uncertain as no details were included in the announcement of the meeting.

A call to county staff was not returned.

The IRG Team, which

in order to pursue higher education. They can also learn a trade and obtain certification in one of the many fields offered at the college in order to begin work immediately after graduation.

The department has liaisons for students expe riencing homelessness at each campus to assist with this program, the state

has exclusive nego tiation rights for the development of the project, is scheduled to make a pre sentation on the revised Land Plan 2 and land uses for the Solano360 Project at the Solano County Fair grounds site in Vallejo.

The committee will then consider endorsing the plan and land uses “as the basis for future enti tlement applications and other supporting docu ments to implement the Solano360 Project.”

The meeting will be

ment said. Solano College has its main campus in rural Fairfield and com munity campuses in both Vacaville and Vallejo.

For more informa tion about the program, contact Solano Commu nity College Department of Public Safety at 707864-7131 or send an email to sccdps@solano.edu.

ognizes

Harbor Day and the veterans who gave their lives to protect our freedom.

For more informa tion about the Hospice Tree of Memories service, contact Brenda Boyd at 707-646-3517 or bboyd@ NorthBay.org.

held in Conference Room 6004 on the sixth floor of the government center, 675 Texas St., in Fairfield. THE DAILY REPUBLIC DELIVERS. CALL 707-427-6989.

Pearl

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic file (2018) Jaxon Wilkinson, 5, places an ornament on a Christmas Tree during the “Tree of Memories” ceremony at NorthBay Health’s Green Valley Administration Center in Fairfield, Dec. 8, 2018. Wilkinson attended the ceremony to honor his great-grandmother, Helen Crosby.

Suisun environment committee to discuss sea rise report

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

SUISUN CITY — A

NASA study states that by 2050 the sea level along some U.S. coastlines could be a foot higher than it is currently – and 4 to 8 inches along the Cali fornia coast.

“That report, developed by several federal agen cies – including NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra tion and the U.S. Geological Survey – expect significant sea level rise over the next 30 years by region. They projected 10 to 14 inches

(25 to 35 centimeters) of rise on average for the East Coast, 14 to 18 inches (35 to 45 centimeters) for the Gulf Coast, and 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centime ters) for the West Coast,” according to a NASA pub lication made available by Suisun City.

The city’s Environment and Climate Committee will meet online at 6 p.m. Wednesday to discuss sea level rise.

Access to the meeting is available at https://zoom. us/join. The Meeting ID is 844 9550 4564. The public may also call in to the meeting at 707-438-1720.

US government pledges $250M to help shrinking Salton Sea

tRibune content agency

LOS ANGELES —

The Biden administration has announced a plan to provide $250 million to accelerate environmen tal projects around the shrinking Salton Sea, helping to revitalize its ecosystems and control hazardous dust in a deal that will clear the way for California to take less water from the droughtravaged Colorado River.

Leaders of the Imperial Irrigation District, which uses the single largest share of the Colorado River to supply farms in the Imperial Valley, had

called for federal money to support the state’s Salton Sea program as a key condition for partici pating in water cutbacks.

The district’s leaders praised the funding com mitment from the Interior Department and the Bureau of Reclamation, calling it a historic step toward addressing the windblown dust and dete riorating habitats that have plagued the lake.

“This checks the box big time,” said J.B. Hamby, an Imperial Irri gation District board member. “It’s a really big deal, and nothing like this has really ever hap

pened before.”

Earlier this year, federal officials demanded large-scale water cutbacks through out the Southwest to try to prevent the Colorado River’s reservoirs from dropping to dangerouslylow levels. Four major California water dis tricts have proposed to reduce water use by up to 400,000 acre-feet per year for the next four years, about 9% of the state’s total water allotment.

The Imperial Irriga tion District has pledged to take on the largest share of California’s reductions, up to 250,000 acre-feet of

water per year.

“From the outset, IID made it clear that taking action to protect the Colo rado River system would have significant impacts on the Salton Sea, and that IID’s participation was conditioned on real efforts and dollars to protect public health and wildlife around the sea,” Hamby said.

He said the federal government’s new com mitment “makes it much easier and simpler for us to make large contribu tions toward the Colorado River system.”

Jury convicts Oath Keepers leader Rhodes of Jan. 6 sedition charge

tRibune content agency

WASHINGTON —

Stewart Rhodes, leader of the right-wing Oath Keepers group, and one other defendant were convicted of seditious con spiracy for their roles in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, capping a trial of the most serious crimes alleged among the hundreds of people prosecuted.

The guilty verdicts by a Washington jury Tuesday mark a major win for the Justice Department in its effort to hold indi viduals accountable for breaking into the Capitol while Congress met to ratify the 2020 presiden tial election. The riot by thousands of former Pres ident Donald Trump supporters involved assaults on 140 police offi cers and caused more than $2 million in damage on the building.

After three days of deliberations, a federal court jury found Rhodes, 57, of Texas, guilty of three charges including obstruction of an official proceeding and tamper ing with documents. A second defendant in the case, Kelly Meggs, was found guilty of the sedi tion charge that he and Rhodes conspired to stop the transfer of presiden tial power with a use of force intended to oppose the authority of the U.S. government.

Three other defendants were acquitted of the most serious charge, but were each found guilty of other offenses related to the events of Jan. 6. The most serious charges carry as long as 20 years in prison, although maximum sen

tences are rarely given in such cases.

The trial was seen as a test case for the rarely used seditious conspiracy charge, which has histor ically been prosecuted by the government with mixed success. The result could bode well for the government in two other upcoming seditious con spiracy trials involving Oath Keepers and another right-wing group called the Proud Boys. The convictions “reinforce the fact that violence of January 6th included a deliberate attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 elec tion and block the transfer of presidential power,” Jan. 6 committee Chair man Bennie Thompson and Vice Chair Liz Cheney said in a joint statement.

“It’s vital that there be accountability for every vile aspect of January 6th and the events that led to that day’s tragedy.”

To win a conviction on the sedition count, pros ecutors had to convince the jury beyond a rea sonable doubt that two or more people intentionally conspired to use force to

oppose the authority of the federal government or to prevent, hinder or delay the execution of any U.S. law.

In a marathon trial that stretched over seven weeks, the government displayed hundreds of messages, video footage and call logs to con vince a jury that the defendants – Rhodes, Meggs, Kenneth Harrel son, Jessica Watkins and Thomas Caldwell – coor dinated to stop Joe Biden from becoming president.

“On Jan. 6, our democ racy was under attack,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Rakoczy said during closing arguments. “For these defendants, it was ‘everything we trained for.’ ”

Prosecutors ques tioned multiple witnesses, including FBI agents, a civilian who recorded a meeting with Rhodes after the Capitol siege and two Oath Keepers who pleaded guilty to conspiracy. Some of the defendants trav eled together, stored firearms in a hotel on the outskirts of Washington and breached the Capitol building in an orderly line, the evidence showed.

During the trial, Oath Keepers testified that they had no ill intent, saying that they traveled to Washington to provide security to prominent individuals at pro-Trump events. They also claimed that the so-called quickreaction force that housed firearms was only meant for an emergency situ ation, such as an attack by left-wing activists or if Trump invoked an act they believed would give them authority to act

as a militia.

Defense attorneys argued that prosecutors cherry-picked bombastic statements that amounted to no more than bluster and argued no witness could claim anyone in the group had a plan or gave instructions to attack the Capitol or disrupt the electoral count. Rhodes, Caldwell and Watkins took the stand in their own defense.

“Not one piece of evi dence (the FBI) reviewed showed an actual plan,” James Bright, an attorney for Rhodes, said during closing arguments. “Not one person has testified there was a plan,” he said.

Prosecutors put Rhodes at the center of the alleged plot, which began with his warnings of a civil war after Biden won what he viewed as a fraud ulent election and calls for the group to act with force if Trump failed to take steps to retain power.

Rhodes repeatedly called for Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act, which gives the president author ity in certain situations to mobilize armed forces.

Some former Oath Keepers testified that Rhodes’ increasingly violent rhetoric made them uncomfortable. A secretly recorded Oath Keeper meeting from Novem ber 2020 revealed Rhodes stating that the group’s mission would be to travel to Washington to stand up against a stolen election.

Prosecutors depicted Rhodes on Jan. 6 “as a general overlooking a battlefield,” calling on members to meet at a spot on the Capitol grounds

See Rhodes, Page A9

LAFCO, MTC posts topic of Select Committee meeting

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Two appointments to the Local Agency Forma tion Commission will be considered at a special meeting of the Solano County City Selec tion Committee when it meets Thursday.

The virtual meeting of mayors starts at 6 p.m. and may be accessed by going to https:// cityofvallejo.zoom.us/ j/8515027190#success.

The Meeting ID is 851 502 7190. The pass word is 131313. Access is also available by calling

Salton

From Page A5

The infusion of federal money is the central feature of an agree ment among the federal government, the Impe rial Irrigation District, the California Natural Resources Agency and the Coachella Valley Water District. The Interior Department announced the plan on Monday, and the Impe rial Irrigation District’s board is set to endorse the agreement at a meeting Tuesday.

The Interior Depart ment said the agreement will expedite imple mentation of the state’s Salton Sea Manage ment Program, which includes creating shore line habitat areas for birds and controlling dust along the retreating shorelines.

Deputy Interior

669-900-6833.

The committee also will consider a letter of support for outgoing Supervisor Jim Spering to continue representing the county on the Met ropolitan Transportation Commission through Feb. 9, and will consider nominating a county supervisor for appoint ment to the MTC for the following four years.

A full agenda for the meeting is avail able at https://www. solanocounty.com/depts/ clerk_of_the_board/ solano_county_city_ selection_committee.asp.

Secretary Tommy Beau dreau said the agreement “represents a key step in our collective efforts to address the challenges the Colorado River Basin is facing due to worsen ing drought and climate change impacts.” He said the funds from the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act “will help to support the Imperial and Coachella Valley and the environment around the Salton Sea, as well as support California’s efforts to voluntarily save 400,000 acre-feet a year to protect critical eleva tions at Lake Mead.”

The Salton Sea, Cal ifornia’s largest lake, covers more than 300 square miles in Imperial and Riverside counties. It sits nearly 240 feet below sea level in the Salton Trough, which over thousands of years has cycled between filling with Col orado River water and drying out.

Collin County Jail/TNS Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes was convicted of seditious conspiracy for his actions in the U.S. Capitol riot of Jan. 6, 2021.

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

Clarence Gilyard, a film and television actor known for his roles in “Die Hard,” “Walker, Texas Ranger” and “Top Gun,” has died. He was 66.

The Univer sity of Nevada, Las Vegas, con firmed Gilyard’s death Monday in a statement shared on Instagram.

The performer, director and producer was also a film and theater profes sor who taught acting for the stage and screen at UNLV. No cause of death was given.

After appearing in various TV movies and shows in the early 1980s, Gilyard made his bigscreen debut as naval

Gilyard earned his BA in theater arts from Cal State Dominguez Hills, as well an MFA in theater performance at Southern Methodist Uni versity before teaching acting at UNLV.

flight officer Marcus “Sundown” Williams in the original “Top Gun” (1986). He later por trayed computer hacker Theo in the classic action flick “Die Hard” (1988) before starring as private inves tigator Conrad McMasters in the hit mystery series “Matlock” (1989-1993), and Chuck Norris’ onscreen partner James “Jimmy” Trivette in the popular crime series “Walker, Texas Ranger” (1993-2001).

Zits Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Pearls Before Swine Stephan Pastis

Dilbert Scott Adams

Baby Blues Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott

Baldo Hector Cantú

Crime logs

FairField

SATURDAY, NOV. 26

5:49 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 4400 block of CENTRAL PLACE 8:05 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 200 block of HAMILTON DRIVE 8:47 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 800 block of ILLINOIS STREET 10:29 a.m. — Shots fired, 1600 block of BLOSSOM AVENUE 10:47 a.m. — Fight with a weapon, 1800 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 12:05 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 400 block of CHELSEA WAY 12:09 p.m. — Indecent exposure, 400 block of UNION AVENUE

1:56 p.m. — Indecent exposure, 1900 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 2:23 p.m. — Grand theft, 100 block of BEL AIR CIRCLE 3:32 p.m. — Residential burglary, 1300 block of SONATA DRIVE

3:42 p.m. — Assault with a deadly weapon, 1200 block of B. GALE WILSON BOULEVARD 4:04 p.m. — Fight with a weapon, 2400 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

5:09 p.m. — Brandishing a weapon, 2200 block of CHANNING COURT 5:46 p.m. — Drunken driver, KENNEDY COURT 7:36 p.m. — Reckless driver, AIR BASE PARKWAY 8:25 p.m. — Reckless driver, OLIVER ROAD 9:02 p.m. — Reckless driver, EASTBOUND INTERSTATE 80 9:30 p.m. — Vehicle burglary, 1200 block of SANDERLING DRIVE 9:43 p.m. — Reckless driver, 2200 block of UNION AVENUE

SUNDAY, NOV. 27 12:48 a.m. — Trespassing, 2500 block of MARTIN ROAD 1:11 a.m. — Drunken driver, 2200 block of HUNTINGTON DRIVE 2:38 a.m. Fight with a weapon, 4300 block of CENTRAL PLACE 7:54 a.m. — Grand theft, 200 block of RED TOP ROAD 8:51 a.m. — Vehicle burglary, 1300 block of JAMES STREET 8:58 a.m. — Reckless driver, WESTBOUND INTERSTATE 80 10:20 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 800 block of DELAWARE STREET 10:22 a.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, 1000 block of OLIVER ROAD 11:08 a.m. — Reckless driver, WESTBOUND INTERSTATE 80 11:22 a.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, 1700 block of HEMLOCK STREET 12:45 p.m. — Residential burglary, 1300 block of SONATA DRIVE 1:27 p.m. — Vandalism, 1900 block of GRANDE CIRCLE 2:09 p.m. — Battery, 2100 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 2:55 p.m. — Vehicle burglary, JELLY BELLY LANE 3:30 p.m. — Grand theft, 1300 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD 5:19 p.m. — Trespassing, 2100 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 5:34 p.m. — Residential burglary, 1000 block of

WEBSTER STREET 6 p.m. — Battery, 300 block of LILY STREET 6:23 p.m. — Trespassing, 1900 block of BLOSSOM COURT 6:30 p.m. — Trespassing, 800 block of MADISON STREET 6:54 p.m. — Trespassing, 600 block of SAN LORENZO STREET 9:41 p.m. — Assault with a deadly weapon, 800 block of DELAWARE STREET MONDAY, NOV. 28 1:42 a.m. — Trespassing, 1800 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 6:44 a.m. — Vehicle burglary, 2200 block of GATEWAY COURT 6:52 a.m. — Prowler, 100 block of SUNDANCE COURT 8:04 a.m. — Grand theft, 4900 block of PEABODY ROAD 8:07 a.m. — Battery, 1900 block of WEST TEXAS STREET 9:46 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 400 block of CHADBOURNE ROAD 10:05 a.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, AIR BASE PARKWAY 10:39 a.m. — Grand theft, 2300 block of WHITECLIFF COURT 11:20 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 300 block of EAST TABOR AVENUE 11:50 a.m. — Reckless driver, 2900 block of BLACKWELL COURT 11:54 a.m. — Trespassing, 2300 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 12:01 p.m. — Forgery, 4700 block of ANTELOPE CIRCLE 1:51 p.m. — Battery, 1000 block of MEADOWLARK DRIVE 2:15 p.m. — Grand theft, 1300 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD 2:54 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 600 block of PARKER ROAD 3:26 p.m. — Vehicle burglary, 200 block of TABOR AVENUE 4:05 p.m. — Grand theft, 2700 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 4:11 p.m. — Battery, 4300 block of CENTRAL PLACE 4:18 p.m. — Reckless driver, JEFFERSON STREET 4:30 p.m. — Vehicle burglary, 1500 block of GATEWAY BOULEVARD 4:35 p.m. — Shooting into a dwelling, 1400 block of WEST TEXAS STREET 5:52 p.m. — Trespassing, 1300 block of EMPIRE STREET 8:07 p.m. — Drunken driver, EASTBOUND AIR BASE PARKWAY

SuiSun City

SATURDAY, NOV. 26 1:03 a.m. — Brandishing a weapon, SOLANO STREET / MAIN STREET 12:21 p.m. — Grand theft, 900 block of ANDERSON DRIVE 11:19 p.m. — Reckless driver, 4400 block of PETERSEN ROAD 11:50 p.m. — Trespassing, CRAVEN DRIVE SUNDAY, NOV. 27 7:40 p.m. — Reckless driver, PINTAIL DRIVE / WALTERS ROAD 7:45 p.m.— Vandalism, 200 block of RAILROAD AVENUE MONDAY, NOV. 28 10:41 a.m. — Fraud, 1000 block of FENNIE COURT 8:21 p.m. — Shots fired, CRANE DRIVE / SEAGULL DRIVE

Kardashian, West strike a divorce deal

LOS ANGELES — Kim Kardashian and Ye, who used to go by Kanye West, filed an agreement Tuesday covering who gets what in their divorce — including custody of the kids.

As a part of their divorce settlement, the rapperdesigner must pay $200,000 a month to the reality star and beauty mogul for child support, according to a dis solution document filed Tuesday with the Los Angeles County Superior Court.

The couple married in May 2014 and separated at the end of 2020. Kardashian filed for divorce in Feb ruary 2021. And while the divorce has played out in court, a judge in March granted Kardashian’s request to be considered legally single and to drop “West” from her name. Ye had opposed her requests leading up to the decision.

From

the support of sponsors that include the city, The Reporter, Vacaville Fire fighters VCFCF, Kaiser Permanente Napa Solano, Summit Crane, Recology, the Vacaville Museum and Stems Florist.

Lisa Rico, Richard Rico’s wife, said for her, Merriment on Main means the Christmas season has begun.

The downtown event with participat ing nonprofit community organizations, churches and clubs has been on hiatus for the past two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic, so this year marked what was for many a happy and joyful return to some thing normal.

“We did light the tree but it was only the tree,” Lisa Rico said of the 2020 and 2021 holiday seasons.

Her favorite part of the evening was looking out and seeing all the people.

“It is just heartwarm ing,” she said.

Senate

From

same-sex couples the fun damental right to marry.

Democrats have warned since June that federal protections for same-sex and interra cial marriages, as well as other rights, could be at risk after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which for nearly 50 years had guaranteed the right to an abortion in the United States.

In his June concur rence with the decision to overturn Roe, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the high court should also examine previous rulings that legalized the right to buy and use contracep tion without government restriction (Griswold v. Connecticut), same-sex relationships (Lawrence v. Texas), and marriage equality (Obergefell v. Hodges).

“In future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Oberge fell,” Thomas wrote. “Because any substan tive due process decision is ‘demonstrably errone ous’ . . . we have a duty to ‘correct the error’ established in those precedents.”

Thomas’s opinion set off alarm bells among proponents of marriage equality, who pointed out that if the Supreme Court were to overturn Oberge fell, as it did Roe, then the

Trinity Shane of Vacaville moved to town three years ago and had never seen the Merri ment on Main event. It was the first year also for her daughter, Jasmine, 6, along with the rest of her family.

“We are going to do as many Christmas events this year as we can fit in,” she said. “We are going ice skating, and more.”

There was so much going on downtown. The Vacaville Museum Guild

right to same-sex mar riage would similarly fall to the states. Currently 35 states have statutes or constitutional amend ments banning same-sex marriage that would go into effect if Obergefell were overturned, accord ing to the Movement Advancement Project, a nonprofit that advocates for LGBTQ equality.

In July, the House passed the Respect for Marriage Act, but the Senate delayed its vote on the bill until after the midterm elections. The decision to postpone the vote was negotiated on a bipartisan basis and was made to ensure that there were enough votes to pass the measure.

“The rights of all married couples will never truly be safe without the proper pro tections under federal law. And that’s why the Respect for Marriage Act is necessary,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on the Senate floor Monday. “Passing this bill is our chance to send a message to Americans every where: No matter who you are, who you love, you deserve dignity and equal treatment under the law. That’s about as American [an] ideal as it comes.”

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), the first openly gay person elected to the Senate, tweeted Monday that everyone knows someone who is in a same-sex or inter racial marriage. “That’s why I’m working across party lines to ensure their marriages are pro

served up hot onion soup, which is a Vacaville tra dition. The Omni Dance Academy performed, along with Eddy K’s “Christmas in Vacaville” song after the tree light ing, and performances by the Vaca Jazz Society.

Along Main and Mer chant streets were various groups, some serving up food and others hot cocoa and candy.

Darlene Conner along with her husband Doug Conner have been res

idents of Vacaville for 43 years. They have not made it to every Merri ment on Main but quite a few of them.

“It is wonderful. It is nice to see people getting out and not being afraid,” Darlene Conner said.

Her favorite part is the lighting of the tree and the music. Her husband liked the music.

“It just gives this such a hometown atmo sphere,” she said.

From Page One

given the fact that we are still early in the typical respiratory virus season,” L.A. County health officer Dr. Muntu Davis said during a briefing. “These numbers do not translate to a dire situation at hos pitals at this time, but we are already hearing anec dotally that hospitals and healthcare workers are feeling stress.”

The primary pediatric hospital in Orange County is also observing a high number of emergency room visits daily, accord ing to the county’s Health Care Agency.

At Children’s Hospital Orange County in Orange, roughly 450 patients have been seen each day over the past week and a half in the emergency room.

On Nov. 1, just after Orange County declared a health emergency related to RSV, CHOC was reporting more than 400 pediatric patients a day in the ER.

“We need to continue being vigilant in prevent ing the rapid spread of winter viruses,” Califor nia state epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan said in a statement. “As a pedia trician who specializes in infections, and a parent, it is concerning to see the rise in RSV and flu in babies, young children and our elderly popu lation. It is crucial we are aware of prevention methods, but also how to care for our loved ones at home and what symp toms to be aware of for parents to seek care for their children.”

Many of those who become infected with RSV can recuperate at home. Early symp toms in children can include a runny nose, reduced appetite and a cough, which may prog ress to wheezing. Infants younger than 6 months old will almost always show symptoms such as irritability, decreased activity, decreased appe tite and apnea (breathing that stops and starts).

Symptoms that can warrant medical atten

tected,” she said.

Baldwin was part of a bipartisan group that had been trying to find 10 Republican votes nec essary for the bill to pass in September and that ultimately negotiated a delay on the vote until after the midterms. The group – which included Sens. Collins, Portman, Tillis and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) – also worked on an amendment to the bill to allay some Repub licans’ concerns about religious liberty.

Among other things, the amendment clari fies that the bill does not authorize the federal government to rec ognize polygamous marriages and confirms that nonprofit religious organizations would not be required to provide “any services, facilities, or goods for the solemni zation or celebration of a marriage.”

Several religious leaders and groups expressed support for the amended bill, includ ing the Church of Jesus

tion include severe dehydration; difficulty breathing; fever, particu larly in young children or that exceeds 104 degrees; chest pain; and ear tugging or drainage. In babies, a warning sign is not having a wet diaper for eight to 10 hours straight.

Health officials say the simultaneous spread of respiratory illnesses threatens to exacer bate the strain on health care systems this fall and winter. Among those are the flu, which is already more active than in years past; and the coronavirus, which may be rebounding after a lengthy lull.

While this viral trio –sometimes referred to as a potential “tripledemic” –has garnered headlines, they are not the only ill nesses circulating. At UC San Francisco, other viral illnesses, includ ing MPV – also known as metapneumovirus – and parainfluenza are rising.

Given the risks posed by the respiratory virus season, officials say it’s vital that residents protect themselves. Simple steps like regu

Christ of Latter-day Saints. In a joint state ment this month, the bipartisan group of sen ators that worked on the amendment touted its protections for religious liberties as much as the protections for same-sex and interracial couples.

“We look forward to this legislation coming to the floor and are confi dent that this amendment has helped earn the broad, bipartisan support needed to pass our com monsense legislation into law,” the senators stated.

On Monday, Schumer said it was “notable” that senators from both parties were having this debate.

“A decade ago, it would have strained all of our imaginations to envision both sides talking about protecting the rights of same-sex married couples,” he said. “America does move forward, although some times in difficult ways, and sometimes it’s two steps forward, one step back. But today is a big step forward.”

larly washing your hands, staying home when sick, covering your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze and wearing a mask in crowded or indoor settings can help tamp down transmission, officials say.

“Just know that it’s a way to protect your family, to protect your community and protect the place where you work,” Ruel said of wearing a mask in indoor public settings.

And while there’s currently no vaccine available for RSV, the same isn’t true for the flu or Covid-19. For the latter, updated boost ers can provide an extra degree of protection throughout the holiday season, officials say.

“Covid-19 is definitely on the rise again – waste water, test positivity, reported case rates are all increasing,” Pan wrote on Twitter recently. “On top of an early RSV and flu season, our hospi tals are stretched. Get your booster and flu vaccine now!”

Elizabeth Frantz/The Washington Post From left, Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) attend a news conference after the Senate passed the Respect for Marriage Act.

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic

Members of the community have their picture taken with the Grinch during Merriment on Main in downtown Vacaville, Tuesday.

during the riot. The government displayed a 90-second call between Rhodes and Meggs shortly before the Florida leader trespassed the building with Watkins, Harrelson and others in the group, imply ing that the Oath Keeper founder had given an instruction to enter the Capitol.

On the stand, Rhodes tried to distance himself from the other defendants, claim ing that he was uninvolved in storing weapons in Virginia and calling some of the members “stupid” for entering the Capitol. He claimed that he was unable to hear Meggs on the phone because of the noise from the crowd. The govern ment showed evidence that Rhodes merged that call with Michael Greene, another Oath Keeper facing charges, who testified he didn’t remember a three-way conversation.

Watkins and two Oath Keepers who pleaded guilty to conspiracy testified they were given no orders to enter the build ing, but spontaneously followed the crowd.

“It was really stupid. I got swept up in it,” Watkins said.

But the other two Oath Keepers tes tified that the group’s chats implied that members would take action to stop the transfer of power. “It seemed to me that a lot of us were prepared, I was prepared, to stop the certification process one way or the other,” Jason Dolan testified.

Prosecutors also sought to prove that the alleged conspiracy didn’t end on Jan. 6. They showed evidence of Rhodes spending time in Texas with Joshua James, the Alabama Oath Keeper leader who pleaded guilty to seditious conspir acy. While there, James helped stockpile weapons for a possible civil war, accord ing to the government.

Prosecutors alleged that Caldwell, a 68-year-old Navy veteran, headed up the quick reaction force at the Virginia hotel. In one message, Caldwell wrote that the hotel could be used to “stage materials if things go high order.” In a separate one, he mentioned finding a boat to ship “heavy weapons” across the Potomac River.

David Fischer, Caldwell’s attorney, has compared his client to Walter Mitty, a fic tional character who had an active fantasy life. Caldwell, who denied his alleged role in the quick reaction force, attributed the “heavy weapons” reference to his creative writing hobby.

He also testified that there was nothing nefarious about his presence at the Vir ginia hotel and simply booked it so that he and his wife could easily get to the Ellipse to hear Trump speak.

Congress poised to pass resolution to avoid rail strike

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

WASHINGTON — Aiming to avert a Dec. 9 railroad work stoppage estimated to cost the economy $2 billion a day, House and Senate leaders of both parties prom ised to pass legislation soon that would enact the White House’s rail union agree ment that is opposed by most rail union workers.

According to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, the chamber will take up the legislation as soon as 9 a.m. Wednesday. The measure would put in place the most recent tentative agreement by the Presidential Emer gency Board in September.

Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said they intend to pass the legislation “as quickly as possible.”

“You need to act a few days before that, because a lot of the suppliers stopped sending their stuff on the trains if they think there’s a possible shutdown,” Schumer said. “For instance, chlorine, to preserve water supplies in many towns and cities, would not go on those trains.”

The legislation comes after Biden called on Capitol Hill to ratify the agree ment – a move that’s caused workers to question his self-proclaimed pro-union presidency. The rail unions’ bargaining process and con tract has remained in status quo since four unions voted down the agreement over what they called “insuffi cient” paid sick leave. The other eight unions have rati fied the agreement.

Lawmakers were poised to pass a joint resolution in September that would sim ilarly require the unions and railroads to accept the

recommendations of the pres idential board. However, the Biden administration issued a tentative agreement that includes one of the largest wage packages in nearly five decades, according to advo cates of the agreement, as well as health benefits and an additional day of paid time off for most union workers.

According to the Associa tion of American Railroads, the agreement offers one of the highest wage increases in over five decades, with extra wage and compensation of up to $16,000 for the average rail employee.

But four rail unions – the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division of the International Broth erhood of Teamsters, the Brotherhood of Railroad Sig nalman, the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers and SMART Transportation Division – said the agree

ment’s four days of sick leave doesn’t provide pro tections against illnesses like Covid-19.

“Despite making record profits year after year, pumping up their stock prices to unheard-of levels, downsizing the workforce by furloughing 30% of the employees and becoming some of the most profitable corporations on Wall Street, the Class One carriers somehow cannot afford to provide sick time for their hard-working and dedicated employees,” Jason Doering, general secretary of Railroad Workers United, a group rep resenting workers from a variety of rail unions and car riers, said in a statement.

The National Carriers’ Conference Committee, which represents the freight rail carriers in national col lective bargaining, maintains that the agreement allows

union employees to call in sick “at any time, as long as they maintain a reasonable level of overall availabil ity under carrier attendance policies,” as well as other long-term sickness benefits.

Biden and some Demo crats have been reluctant to urge congressional action to enact the agreement, especially as many in the party have focused on prounion policies over the past session. But the fallout from a rail strike, which would cause major disrup tions to many industries that rely on freight rail ship ping before the holidays, has outweighed Democrats’ prounion platforms.

Railroads haul about 40% of the nation’s freight each year, and a rail strike would cost the economy $2 billion a day, according to a railroad industry report published in September.

Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS

From left, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-California, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, President Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, meet in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., Tuesday.

Evelyn’s Big Italian Pizzeria features their signature classic Southern Italian fare with a little New York twist and attitude. Founder Piero, was born in Avellino, Naples, the same town in Italy where the Sopranos originated. Piero was raised in the Bronx, N.Y. but, looking to wear shorts all year round, he and his wife moved to sunny California. Once there, they became the original founders of New York Pizza Kitchen in Napa and Fairfield, Parry’s Pizzeria in American Canyon, and Evelyn’s Big Italian here in Fairfield. They hope you make yourselves at home and chow down! Grazie!

The Tropeano Family

Vanden draws Bellarmine in NorCal Final

M att Miller MMILLER@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Vanden High School varsity football team drew a trip to San Jose on Saturday to take on Bellar mine College Prep when regional bowl pairings were announced by the California Interscholastic Federation.

Despite being the defending state 3-AA champions, rallying to beat Aquinas of San Bernardino 14-13 last December, the Vikings were placed in the lower

3-A bracket this season and sent on the road. Saturday’s matchup is scheduled for 6 p.m. at San Jose City College.

Bellarmine enters with an overall record of 7-6.

The Bells went 3-4 in the stout West Catholic Foot ball League and finished in fifth place behind powers Serra, Saint Francis, Archbishop Mitty and Sacred Heart Cathedral. They were awarded the Northern California final after beating St. Igna tius 21-14 in the Central Coast Section Division II title game.

“They are big and strong and have really maxed out in the weight room,” Vanden head coach Sean Murphy said of Bellarmine. “It’s going to be a great challenge for us. They play in what is probably the best league in Northern California. We are going to have to play a very disciplined game, one of our better games of the year.”

Senior quarterback Nate Escalada was 20 of 29 for 131 yards in the title game. Senior Ben Pfaff rushed 18 times for 133 yards and a touch

down. Escalada, Pfaff and senior Jake Hanson all rushed for Bellarmine touchdowns in the win.

Escalada has thrown for 1,320 yards and 12 touchdowns this season, but he has been picked off nine times. Pfaff has rushed for 736 yards and 11 touch downs. The top receiver is junior Joe Fuqua with 30 catches for 442 yards and two touchdowns.

Vanden enters 12-1 after beating Capital Christian 10-6 on Satur day at Sacramento City College for a second

straight Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV cham pionship. The Vikings were able to put away the Cougars with an 8-yard touchdown run by Raheem Holt, a 28-yard field goal from Rafael Ortiz Velez and another stingy defensive performance.

Devin Martin made a game-saving intercep tion with two minutes to play and Capital Christian starting a drive. Marcel lus Chandler also had an interception.

“Our defensive line has been playing at a whole

other level,” Murphy said of his defense. “Capital Christian was also big a strong and played a very physical game. We’re probably going to see a similar game this weekend.”

Vanden hasn’t allowed an opponent more than six points since Oct. 31 when the Vikings defeated Will C. Wood 49-21.

The winner of Satur day’s game advances to a state title matchup against the winner of Birming ham of Lake Balboa and Laguna Hills.

Bailey earns all-Big Sky with Sac State

M att Miller MMILLER@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Armon Bailey's standout season as a senior line backer for Sacramento State was rewarded last week with a first-team, all-Bay Valley Confer ence selection.

US survives chaotic finish with Iran, advances to Round of 16

By k evin Baxter LOS ANGELES TIMES

AL THUMAMA, Qatar —

Needing a victory to advance to the final 16 of the World Cup, the U.S. took care of business Tuesday, edging Iran 1-0 on a Christian Pulisic goal late in the first half. With the win, the unbeaten U.S. (1-0-2) finished second to England in its group and will meet Group A champion the Netherlands in the Round of 16 on Saturday. Iran, meanwhile, goes home short of the knockout stages for the sixth time in an many visits to the World Cup. But the Iranians didn't make it easy for the Americans, battling to the final minute of stoppage time that left the U.S. win in jeop ardy until the final whistle. The

U.S. weathered two prime scoring opportunities by the Iranians in a chaotic finish to punch their ticket to the next round.

The only goal the U.S. needed came in the 38th minute when Pulisic got a half-step on Iranian defenders Majid Hosseini and Ramin Rezaeian, allowing him to redirect a headed cross from Sergiño Dest into the net from inside the six-yard box.

The U.S. showed some excel lent passing in the set-up to goal with a back pass from Tyler Adams sending the ball into the center of the field for Weston McKennie, who picked out an unmarked Dest sprinting up the wing. Dest's cross from just outside the right edge of the six-yard box was so accurate all

Pulisic had to do was stick out his right boot to deflect it in before col liding with Iranian keeper Alireza Beiranvand.

Pulisic appeared to take a knee to the groin and spent several long minutes being tended to in the goal before eventually rising and briefly returning to the game. He didn't start the second half, however, coming out in favor of Brenden Aaronson. Pulisic was taken to the hospital to undergo a scan for an abdominal injury, a U.S. men's soccer team spokesman said.

Pulisic has been involved in both U.S. goals in this tournament, setting up Tim Weah's score in the opening game and then getting one of his own against Iran. Weah

Barry Bonds’ Hall of Fame hopes will be decided this week by panel

before

By evan WeBeCk THE MERCURY NEWS

Barry Bonds was kept out of Cooperstown via the traditional route, but the Hall of Fame’s doors haven’t completely shut on baseball’s controver sial home run king.

Bonds’ hotly debated candidacy is back on the table this week, a year after coming up short of the necessary 75% in his 10th and final year of eli gibility on the writers’ ballot. This time around, it could be alreadyinducted contemporaries, such as Chipper Jones and Greg Maddux, that decide his fate.

A selected 16-person

Despite amassing a résumé that includes the all-time home run record, seven MVP trophies and 14 All-Star appearances, Bonds’ alleged use of performance-enhanc ing drugs – which he has never admitted to,

The Vanden High School graduate and Vallejo native set career highs with 78 total tackles, includ ing 12.5 tackles for loss and six sacks to lead the team in all three catego ries. Bailey added four pass breakups, three quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and one recovered fumble.

Bailey was credited with at least four tackles in all 11 games and had seven or more in eight of the final nine games of the season. He was twice named Big Sky Defen sive Player of the Week during the year.

Sacramento State, 11-0, is seeded No. 2 in the Football Cham pionship Subdivision Playoffs and will host the Richmond Spiders in the second round

at 2 p.m. Saturday at Hornet Stadium.

Here's a look at other local graduates playing at four-year colleges, or in the pros:

Senior kicker Brandon Talton (Vacav ille) made field goals of 25, 26 and 40 yards, and also had an extra point. But he and Nevada lost to rival UNLV 27-22 to finish the season at 2-10 overall.

Junior center Jake Levengood (Vacaville) was front and center for one of the biggest come backs in college football this season. Levengood and Oregon State beat Oregon 38-34 in the state rivalry game after train ing 34-17 after three quarters. The Beavers had 338 yards of total offense and five touch downs for the win, improving the team to 9-3 heading into a bowl game to be determined.

Men's basketball

Senior guard Jordan Adams (Vacav ille, Solano) scored six

Kahkonen perfect in net as Sharks roll

By Curtis Pashelka BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture both scored third-period goals and goalie Kaapo Kahkonen led a brilliant penalty kill as the San Jose Sharks opened a four-game road trip with a 4-0 win over the Mon treal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Tuesday.

The Sharks, with the NHL’s best penalty kill, erased all six Canadiens’ power plays, includ ing a 5-on-3 two-man advantage that expired early in the third period.

Kahkonen finished with 28 saves, including four on the penalty kill, as he earned the third shutout of his NHL career.

Thirty-one seconds after Jaycob Megna’s delay of game penalty ended, Hertl scored his sixth of the season at the 2:29 mark of the third period, as he redirected

a pass from Kevin Labanc past Canadiens goalie Jake Allen for a 2-0 Sharks lead.

Couture his teamleading 13th goal of the season on a breakaway, giving him nine goals this month, matching a career-high for one cal endar month that he set in Dec. 2011.

Hertl scored an empty net goal with 2:14 left in the third period and Matt Nieto scored in the first period as the Sharks (8-134) won for just the second time in their seven games.

The night, though, belonged to Kah konen, who earned his first shutout since March 16, 2021 when he made 31 saves in a 3-0 win by the Min nesota Wild over the Arizona Coyotes.

Nieto’s goal, came just 1:33 into the first period.

Contemporary Era com mittee – consisting of Jones and Maddux and five other Hall of Fame

players, six team exec utives and three media members/historians – will convene Sunday, the day

the Winter Meet ings begin in San Diego, to consider the candida cies of Bonds and seven others, including Steroid Era brethren Roger Clemens and Rafael Palmeiro.

Albert Belle, Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, Dale Murphy and Curt Schilling make up the remainder of the candidates.

Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images/TNS

The United States soccer team celebrates at the end of the Qatar 2022 World Cup Group B match between Iran and USA at the Al-Thumama Stadium in Doha, Tuesday. The U.S. advanced with a 1-0 victory.

Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group/TNS file (2021)

Barry Bonds, middle right, smiles before the Giants play host to the Dodgers in Game 5 of the National League Division Series at Oracle Park in San Francisco in 2021.

CALENDAR

Wednesday’s TV sports

Basketball College Men

• Ohio State vs. Duke, ESPN, 4:15 p.m.

• Purdue vs. Florida State, ESPN2, 4:15 p.m.

• North Carolina vs. Indiana, ESPN, 6:15 p.m.

• Michigan State vs. Notre Dame, ESPN2, 6:15 p.m.

NBA

• Indiana vs. Sacramento, NBCSCA (Vacaville and Rio Vista), 7 p.m.

Golf

• DP World, ISPS Handa Australian Open, GOLF, 5 p.m.

Hockey NHL

• Buffalo vs. Detroit, TNT, 4 p.m.

• Edmonton vs. Chicago, TNT, 6:30 p.m.

Soccer World Cup

• Australia vs. Denmark, FS1, 7 a.m.

• Tunisia vs. Denmark, 2, 40, 7 a.m.

• Saudi Arabia vs. Mexico, FS1, 11 a.m.

• Poland vs. Argentina, 2, 40, 11 a.m.

Thursday’s TV sports

Basketball College Men

• Creighton vs. Texas, ESPN, 4 p.m.

• Seton Hall vs. Kansas, ESPN, 6 p.m.

• UCLA vs. Stanford, ESPN, 7:30 p.m.

College Women

• Maryland vs. Notre Dame, ESPN2, 3:30 p.m.

• N.C. State vs. Maryland, ESPN2, 5:30 p.m.

Football

NFL

• Buffalo vs. New England, Amazon Prime (Live Streaming), 5:15 p.m.

Golf

• Investec SA Open Championship, GOLF, 2 a.m.

• Hero World Challenge, GOLF, 10:30 a.m.

• DP World, ISPS Handa Australian Open, GOLF, 5 p.m.

Soccer World Cup

• Croatia vs. Belgium, 2, 40, 7 a.m.

• Canada vs. Morocco, FS1, 7 a.m.

• Japan vs. Spain, 2, 40, 11 a.m.

• Costa Rica vs. Germany, FS1, 11 a.m.

Scoreboard

BASKETBALL

NBA

By Jerry McDonalD BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

Raheem Mostert, the Miami Dolphins running back who found himself in the middle of a social media-driven squab ble with his former team, took to local radio Tuesday to say what he thought he said in the first place.

Mostert, in a twopart interview with NFL reporter Tyler Dunne, was characterized as having disrespected the 49ers’ talent level as well as former team mate Jimmy Garoppolo when compared to Miami quarterback Tua Tagovaiola.

Among the quotes that were isolated and in Mostert’s mind taken out of context were: “We have way more talent here” and that the Dolphins “have a quarterback that can actually sling it.”

In an interview with Greg Papa and F.P. Santangelo on KNBR, Mostert gave his version.

“I can see how that can get misconstrued, to take snippets out of what one person said and alter it in a way that just seems like it’s relevant in that I’m on a different team,” Mostert said. “That’s not what I meant.”

Deebo Samuel even got into the act on Twitter, saying “Raheem be real with yourself.”

If Mostert said some things, didn’t like the way they looked once they wound up in print and then backtracked, he wouldn’t be the first. He went out of his way with Papa as a sympathetic ear to be complimen tary about both the 49ers’ level of talent as well as Garoppolo with a trip to the Bay Area approach

ing when Miami visits Levi’s Stadium Sunday:

On the 49ers’ talent level

“In regards to ‘We have more talent here,” I was speaking in terms of, we have more talent here, at this moment, than what has been here in the past . . . C’mon, I was with the Niners for several years. I know what their talent is, there’s unbelievable talent on both sides of the ball and on special teams. I wasn’t trying to take shots on anyone. ”

On Tagovaiola and Garoppolo

“When I was being asked those questions, I was looking at it as what Tua has done and what Tua has dealt with in the past . . . A lot of people are doubting him and his ability, not the fact that Jimmy G can’t sling the rock or any thing like that. I would never, ever in a million years talk down on a player specifically, a guy like Jimmy, just because we’ve grown together when I was there. His family is like my family. I’ve been to his brother’s wedding. His sister-inlaw and my wife are the best of friends.”

Mostert was not asked about his comments about the 49ers’ pres suring him to return in 2021 rather than have season-ending knee surgery. Mostert opted for the latter, and 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan conceded there was a dif ference of opinion.

“There were all dif ferent types of opinions during that,” Shanahan said Monday.

LOCAL REPORT

Daily r epuBlic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Vanden High School girls basketball team had a huge fourth quarter Monday night to rally for a 69-65 win over St. Mary’s at home in a Foun dation Game.

The Vikings were trail ing 52-42 after three quarters before closing out the game with a 27-13 run in the final period. St. Mary’s had led 33-21 at halftime.

Alysssa Jackson paced Vanden with 25 points. Gabby Wright scored 16 and Calonni Holloway added nine.

Jordan Lee led St. Mary’s with a gamehigh 35 points.

Boys Basketball Will C. Wood nets win over Pioneer

Indiana 116, L.A. Lakers 115 Tuesday’s Games Dallas 116, GOLDEN STATE 113 N.Y. Knicks 140, Detroit 110 L.A. Clippers at Portland, (N) Wednesday’s Games Indiana at SACRAMENTO, 7 p.m. Philadelphia at Cleveland, 4 p.m. Atlanta at Orlando, 4 p.m. Miami at Boston, 4:30 p.m. Washington at Brooklyn, 4:30 p.m. Milwaukee at N.Y. Knicks, 4:30 p.m. Memphis at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Toronto at New Orleans, 5 p.m. San Antonio at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m. Houston at Denver, 6 p.m. Chicago at Phoenix, 6 p.m. L.A. Clippers at Utah, 6 p.m. Portland at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m.

HOCKEY

JOSE

EASTERN CONFERENCE Metropolitan Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA New Jersey 23 19 4 0 38 87 51 N.Y. Islanders 24 15 9 0 30 78 62 Carolina 23 12 6 5 29 64 63 Pittsburgh 23 11 8 4 26 79 73 N.Y. Rangers 23 10 9 4 24 69 67 Washington 23 9 11 3 21 62 74 Philadelphia 23 8 10 5 21 56 75 Columbus 21 7 12 2 16 60 87 Atlantic Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Boston 22 19 3 0 38 88 48 Toronto 24 14 5 5 33 73 61 Tampa Bay 22 13 8 1 27 76 71 Detroit 21 11 6 4 26 68 65 Florida 22 10 8 4 24 76 75 Montreal 22 11 10 1 23 65 77 Buffalo 22 9 12 1 19 81 79 Ottawa 21 8 12 1 17 66 71 Western Conference Central Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Dallas 23 13 6 4 30 88 66 Winnipeg 21 14 6 1 29 68 53 Colorado 20 12 7 1 25 68 52 Minnesota 21 10 9 2 22 62 62 Nashville 21 10 9 2 22 55 66 St. Louis 22 11 11 0 22 63 78 Arizona 20 7 10 3 17 54 70 Chicago 21 6 11 4 16 52 78 Pacific Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Vegas 24 17 6 1 35 83 63 Seattle 21 13 5 3 29 75 60 Los Angeles 24 12 9 3 27 77 81 Edmonton 22 12 10 0 24 74 78 Calgary 21 9 9 3 21 61 68 Vancouver 22 9 10 3 21 79 83 SAN

Game Buffalo 28, Detroit 25 Dallas 28, N.Y. Giants 20 Minnesota 33, New England 26 Sunday’s Games SAN FRANCISCO 13, New Orleans 0 Carolina 23, Denver 10 Cleveland 23, Tampa Bay 17 Jacksonville 28, Baltimore 27 Miami 30, Houston 15 N.Y. Jets 31, Chicago 10 Cincinnati 20, Tennessee 16 Washington 19, Atlanta 13 L.A. Chargers 25, Arizona 24 Las Vegas 40, Seattle 34 Kansas City 26, L.A. Rams 10 Philadelphia 40, Green Bay 33 Monday’s Game Pittsburgh 24, Indianapolis 17 Week 13

Thursday’s Game Buffalo at New England, 5:15 p.m. Sunday’s Games Miami at SAN FRANCISCO, 1:05 p.m. Pittsburgh at Atlanta, 10 a.m. Denver at Baltimore, 10 a.m. Green Bay at Chicago, 10 a.m. Jacksonville at Detroit, 10 a.m. Cleveland at Houston, 10 a.m. N.Y.Jets at Minnesota, 10 a.m. Washington at N.Y. Giants, 10 a.m. Tennessee at Philadelphia, 10 a.m. Seattle at L.A. Rams, 1:05 p.m. Kansas City at Cincinnati, 1:25 p.m. L.A. Chargers at Las Vegas, 1:25 p.m. Indianapolis at Dallas, 5:20 p.m. Monday’s Game New Orleans at Tampa Bay, 5:15 p.m.

Nigel Rogers had 13 points apiece Monday as the Will C. Wood High School boys basketball team rolled to a 71-34 win over Pioneer in Woodland in a Foun dation Game.

Isiah Dixon added nine points and Ryan Sison scored eight. Rogers and Gabe Gonzalez had eight rebounds apiece.

Wood opened the first quarter with a strong 28-8 start to put the game away early.

“All players scored in this game and contributed on another good defen sive effort,” Wood head coach Mark Wudel said in an email.

Wood played late Tuesday night at Cordova High School.

Wrestling Vacaville comes out on top at Rumble

VACAVILLE — The Vacaville High School wrestling team won the

Redwood Rumble on Sat urday in Larkspur.

Leading the Bulldogs were division winners Ethan Busby (106 pounds) and Isaac Padilla (145). Wyatt Sandoval (126) took second.

Finishing in fifth place were Aiden Ortiz (120) and Jon Bragg (132). Ayden Ducharme (152) and Trevor Calzascia (170) each came in sixth place. James Corbit (160) rounded out the Vacaville placers with a seventhplace finish.

The Bulldogs return to action Friday and Sat urday at home with the Larry Nelson Classic.

Armijo fares well during tournament

FAIRFIELD — Armijo High School wrestlers fared well at a pair of recent tournaments.

The girls competed Saturday at the Folsom Invitational. Karissa McDaniel went 3-0 for first

place and Grace Mercado took fourth.

Three boys went unde feated Nov. 23 at the novice wrestling tour nament at Will C. Wood. Justice Grimmett, Jordan Brown and Benji Shin all went 3-0.

Will C. Wood claims first-place finishes

VACAVILLE — Six boys and two girls wres tled to first-place finishes for Will C. Wood High School at the novice tour nament that the Wildcats hosted Nov. 23.

Jacob Lopez, Matthew Stone, Adam Arvin, Elias Delos Reyes, Tevon Restauro and Maxwell Schneider earned titles. Tianna Nguyen and Madison Devalle did as well.

Coaches can email Daily Republic sports editor Matt Miller game results at mmiller@ dailyrepublic.net .

Kuminga, second unit show improvement but Warriors fall short against Mavericks

By M aDeline K enney THE MERCURY NEWS

DALLAS — Jonathan Kuminga was benched three times in the first 10 games of the season, leaving the 20-year-old forward to wonder why.

But Kuminga, the No. 7 overall pick last summer, has proved over the last three games, including a stellar showing Tuesday night in the Warriors 116-113 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, that he’s here to stay in the rotation.

Kuminga played so well that coach Steve Kerr ran with him into the final minute of the close Western Conference finals rematch.

Kuminga finished with his first double-double of the season, notching 14 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes.

Kuminga’s recent surge is part of a revi talized second unit that has been stabilized with the insertion of Draymond Green.

While one of the early storylines had been cen tered on that grouping’s dysfunction and lack of

Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group/TNS file

cohesion, Green’s veteran presence has helped get them back on track. Tuesday was another example of that.

After the Warriors fell into a 12-point hole due to shoddy shooting at the end of the first, the War riors’ second unit – Jordan Poole, Donte DiVincenzo, Kuminga, Anthony Lamb and Green – more than survived the non-Stephen Curry minutes which have been a huge problem this season. With Curry catch ing his breath from the bench, Golden State went on a 16-6 run to pull within four by the time the War

riors superstar was ready to re-enter the game. Kuminga was espe cially a bright spot in the first half. Late in the second quarter, Kuminga went one-on-one with Doncic, forcing the Slo venian stud into a tough shot. Curry gobbled up the rebound and then found Kuminga on the other end for a dunk.

By half, the War riors were down only 55-54. In a unique turn of event, all five of the Warriors starters had neg ative plus/minuses, while the reserves were all in positive, with the lone

exception of JaMychal Green who was neutral. The Warriors remained within striking dis tance of the Mavericks, though Doncic did his best to pull away, scoring 15 of his 41 points in the third quarter. With the Warriors down five heading into the fourth, Kerr went back to his second unit, which garnered the magic again.

Spencer Dinwiddie, who had 14 points, was ejected early in the fourth after being assessed a Flagrant 2 foul for elbowing Poole in the face. Moments later, Poole found Kuminga for a two-handed slam to give the Warriors a two-point lead. Poole, who finished with a season-high-tying nine assists, then got a steal for a dunk of his own to make it to complete a 13-4 spurt for the War riors’ second unit.

Six Warriors finished in double figure scoring. Curry finished with a team-high 32 points, five assists and five rebounds. Draymond Green added 12 points, six rebounds and four assists. The War riors’ bench outscored the Mavericks’ 43-29.

VACAVILLE — Jayden Hamilton-Holland and

Golden State Warriors’s Jonathan Kuminga speaks during a press conference after practice at Chase Center in San Francisco, Oct. 8.

Is Newsom’s presidential boomlet a bust?

So is the Gavin Newsom boomlet for president – or what ever it was – really over?

Over the weekend, Politico col umnist Jonathan Martin reported that on election night, he overheard Newsom per sonally telling President Joe Biden – who had called to congratulate the governor on his reelection – that he wouldn’t run for president even if Biden bowed out.

“I’m all in; put me in coach,” Martin said Newsom told Biden. “We have your back.”

Newsom was essen tially repeating what he said he had told others in the White House earlier – and to be fair, what he had often said publicly, once declaring that he had “subzero” interest in mounting a presiden tial campaign in 2024.

Newsom told Martin, who had spent election evening with the governor in the old governor’s mansion in downtown Sac ramento, watching election returns, that he’s eager to hit the campaign trail for Biden or any other Democratic candidate in 2024, particularly in red states such as Florida or Texas.

“I’m willing to take risks, I’m willing to get out and I’m telling you with certainty that I look forward to getting out more not with any grand ambition except to push back on this narrative and try to reframe this debate and get back on offense on freedom,” Newsom said.

Political media speculation that Newsom was laying the groundwork for a presiden tial campaign erupted because he largely eschewed campaigning for reelection this year and devoted much of his time to longdistance rhetorical duels with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, both of whom have been tagged as potential White House candidates in 2024.

His feuds with DeSantis and Abbott garnered national media attention and spec ulation intensified when, in one interview, Newsom seemed to be saying that Biden, who turned 80 this month, was out of touch with current political reality.

Newsom insisted he was just trying to light a fire under his Democratic Party to become more confrontational with Repub licans but there were reports Newsom’s campaign-like maneuvers were irritating Biden’s political advisers.

Newsom told Martin he had delivered assurances to the White House that he was not mounting a presidential campaign and then on election night delivered the message to Biden personally.

So where does that leave Newsom, who has spent nearly half of his life patiently climbing the political ladder one rung at a time?

He insists he intends to fully serve out his second and last term as governor, which would seem to preclude running for Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat in 2024 should she, as many expect, retire.

Maybe Newsom does simply intend to spend four more years in the governorship and then return to private life. He has not closed the door on running for president in 2028, but would have to do so as a private citizen, without the megaphone of holding office, and such a bid would depend on who occupies the White House at that time.

If Newsom does stick around for four more years, he’d best do something about his tattered relationship with California’s political media, which he has stiffed while promoting himself in the national media.

One example: On election night, he deliv ered only a brief statement acknowledging his reelection, brushed off reporters’ ques tions and then spent the rest of the evening with national political columnist Martin “to prove his disinterest in national politics,” as CalMatters political writer Alexei Koseff tweeted wryly.

Newsom should remember the Califor nia journalists he’s been rudely ignoring will have the last word on his gubernato rial legacy.

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how Cal ifornia’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more columns by Dan Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary.

Big tech failed to live up to its promise

It’s tempting to dismiss the mass layoffs and col lapsing stock prices in the tech sector as just another blip in the tech boomand-bust cycle. Technol ogy firms may make up 36% of the S&P 500, but they rep resent only 0.3% of workers. These are mostly highly skilled people who will prob ably find other jobs quickly, so there is reason to hope this is a necessary correction to an overinflated sector of the economy and that right-siz ing won’t cause wider damage.

But the fact that productivity in the U.S. is also falling is worth noting, and suggests what’s happening in tech could mean something much deeper is wrong.

The tech economy has yet to live up to its promise. Earlier bursts of tech nology changed lives: Indoor plumbing is pretty amazing, and so was electric ity, the power loom and the telegraph. These not only transformed the human experience, increased living standards and freed us from hard labor, they brought unprecedented gains in pro ductivity and wealth.

So it has been something of a mystery we live in a time with so many innovations that change just about everything about how we live and work, yet productivity numbers aren’t nearly as impressive as they were in the early 20th century.

Still, I was optimistic – perhaps we just didn’t know how to fully take advantage of these tech innovations. Then the pandemic came and sud denly tech seemed to revolutionize the human experience the same way industrialization did. Instead of massproduced cloth and entertainment (from record players, television and radio), we could scale human inter action in ways that seemed equally momentous. It turned out you could have meetings, attend a fitness class and shop for pretty much any thing from the comfort of your home. Perhaps, it seemed, the pandemic would push us to adapt in ways that

COMMENTARY

would bring the long-awaited boost in productivity and wealth for all.

And for a while, it seemed like it did. Productivity, measured by output-perhours-worked, spiked in 2020 and 2021. But in the last two quarters, productivity numbers declined.

Many tech companies –the ones that are supposed to change the world – are laying off workers for the first time in years, and pro ductivity-per-worker is falling. Even old stalwarts’ forays into tech, such as Walt Disney Co., are finding their streaming platforms aren’t producing the revenue they hoped. Crypto, the currency of technology, doesn’t appear to be the alternative to government currency we never knew we needed. Even Beyond Meat, a tech answer to our meat consumption, is failing to deliver.

In some ways, we should have seen it coming: Years of low inter est rates meant easy, cheap money, an environment that favored high-risk, high-growth stocks and debt-fueled expansion. Many tech companies were overvalued or should never have existed at all. A pullback in risk can even be healthy because it sep arates the wheat from the chaff – or the Googles from the Pets.com. So perhaps, as this research note pro poses, what’s happening in tech won’t spread to the larger economy.

But falling productivity is econ omy-wide and suggests tech could be due for a more structural reckon ing. During the pandemic, firms of all kinds adopted the technologies that were supposed to make us more pro ductive, such as work-from-home and the automation of all kinds of ser vices, from restaurant ordering to health care screenings. And while some workers may have been quietly quitting, you’d think the use of laborsaving technology would make up for it. Think of all the time we save by not having to commute, or by skipping the small talk with co-workers, or just by

using the self-checkout. Instead, the boost to productivity was only temporary. And the layoffs are a symptom of that productivity problem, not just of overinvestment. When people went back to their more normal lives, much of the new demand went away. There also has been a notable decline in product quality that may be due in part to the fact tech products rely on old data in a world that has changed. Or maybe rather than making us more productive, tech nology is making us feel more isolated and depressed. Hybrid work can save time and make us more efficient, but it’s also toxic for workplace culture.

Productivity might rise initially, but less collaboration and engagement can harm productivity over time.

If so, it could be we have overin vested in many of the wrong kinds of technology. Maybe replacing human contact and never leaving home isn’t the future, and the recent bubble will be followed by a recession like 2001, when the tech bubble spilled over into the larger economy and caused wide spread layoffs and wealth destruction. Longer term it could mean years of stagnation until we update our data and figure out better uses of technology.

Recent events have certainly justi fied skepticism of big tech’s promise. Though it’s still too soon to write off the tech revolution as a dud, it’s at least a reminder that progress – often the most important kind of progress –doesn’t follow a monotonic path. Often there are many steps forward, fol lowed by overinvesting in the wrong areas, and then a few steps back. Progress is messy and unpredict able. The steam engine took more than 100 years to appear in productiv ity numbers, so I still hold out hope for our newest wave of technology.

Allison Schrager is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering econom ics. A senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, she is author of “An Econ omist Walks Into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Under stand Risk.”

Xi Jinping will crack down on protesters

Confusion and rage over the zigs and zags of China’s “zero-Covid” policy have sparked a rare series of protests in cities across China. Protests erupted in at least 10 cities over the weekend and con tinued Sunday night, with anger being directed increas ingly at President Xi Jinping. Videos from Shanghai showed young people with bullhorns leading a crowd, chanting “Down with Xi Jinping! Down with the Communist Party!”

Once upon a time people might have fantasized that – as one Western journalist put it in Febru ary 1989 – “Like the bamboo shoots that emerge everywhere after a spring rain, . . . democracy is sprouting again in China.”

But as time has passed, the Chinese Communist Party has killed many pro testers and incarcerated many more. It’s flattened a religion – Falun Gong –and even allegedly harvested organs from adherents who had been jailed and then executed.

So, if the protests continue, Xi will order a crackdown and it will prob ably work. His minions took the first step Tuesday: blaming the West. The official Xinhua News Agency reported that the CCP’s Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission met and decided to “resolutely crack down on infiltration and sabotage activities by [foreign] hostile forces . . ., resolutely crack down on illegal and crimi nal acts that disrupt social order, and effectively maintain overall social sta bility.” In addition, new restrictions announced by the Cyberspace Admin istration of China make the harmless act of “liking” something on the web into a criminal offense. People literally could be held responsible for an emoji.

Things have changed substantially in China since the last time protests directed at the central government occurred in so many places simulta neously. That was the spring of 1989, as students and workers gathered by the hundreds of thousands in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square and other public spaces around the country to call for democratic reforms. Working for The

Associated Press, I covered months of protests that ended, on the night of June 3 and early morning June 4, with a military crackdown that killed hundreds, if not thousands, of demonstrators.

I was in China a decade later as well when on April 25, 1999, tens of thousands of Falun Gong adherents sur rounded the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing and conducted a peaceful sit-down protest. That display of public defiance ultimately triggered a multiyear, largely successful cam paign to wipe out any public vestiges of Falun Gong inside China.

Beijing has more means to sup press protests than existed in 1989 or 1999. The People’s Republic has built a digital panopticon and social control system unrivaled by even the dystopian visions of 20th-cen tury novelists (think Aldous Huxley or George Orwell).

China’s internal security appara tus, funded by a budget that exceeds even the military’s, monitors hundreds of millions of artificial-intelligenceenabled public cameras across the country. Armies of human and algo rithmic censors can access the smartphone apps that China’s citi zenry rely on to communicate, travel and purchase necessities.

Chinese police also have availed themselves of billions of dollars’ worth of anti-riot gear that wasn’t available to security forces in 1989, and which offer means of coercive suppression short of opening fire on crowds. In fact, China has turned into a major exporter of anti-riot gear.

China’s relations with the West have changed, too. Most signifi cantly – despite all the talk these days of decoupling – Western businesses are far more embedded in China’s economy and its supply chains than they were in decades past.

One of the main centers of protest this time around has been Foxconn’s giant iPhone plant in Zhengzhou. The spate of unrest began there Nov. 23, when workers angry over unpaid wages and Covid-19 lockdowns clashed with truncheon-wielding,

Fairfield City Hall: 1000 Webster St., Fairfield, CA 94533; 707-428-7400

hazmat-clad riot police. The violence followed disturbances last month that resulted in thousands of workers fleeing the facility after a Covid out break and a botched attempt at a “closed-loop” lockdown aimed at keeping workers isolated from the outside world. But plant administra tors failed to deliver adequate food and water to the 200,000 workers living there, sparking unrest. Workers were lured back to the plant with the promise of higher pay, a deal the factory administrators then allegedly broke.

The twin crises pulled Apple – lit erally and reputationally – into the middle of China’s zero-Covid imbro glio, prompting the firm to announce customers will face “longer wait times” for iPhone 14 deliveries even as Apple was committed, it insisted, to “ensuring the health and safety of every worker.” If the protests spread, Apple won’t be the only Western busi ness sullied by the mess.

Amid all the changes, however, one thing hasn’t budged: the appetite for brutality at the apex of the Chinese Communist Party.

Xi detailed his views on the events of 1989 in a speech to the Sixth Plenum a year ago, giving no hint of squeamishness about Deng Xiaoping’s resort to bloodshed June 3-4, 1989. As Xi said, “Our party . . . with reso lute will and historical responsibility, took decisive measures, won this struggle for the survival of the Party and country, and withstood the pres sure of Western countries.” Without the crackdown, Xi said the specter of socialism would’ve been left to “wander in the dark for a long period, and the process of Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation would also cer tainly be interrupted.”

Xi won’t let that happen this time and he has the tools of dictatorship to prevent it.

John Pomfret was the bureau chief of The Washington Post in China from 1997-2003. His latest book is “From Warsaw With Love: Polish Spies, the CIA, and the Forging of an Unlikely Alliance.”

Suisun City Hall: 701 Civic Center Drive Suisun City, CA 94585; 707-421-7300

Vacaville City Hall: 650 Merchant St. Vacaville, CA 95688; 707-449-5100

Dan Walters

John Pomfret

Allison Schrager

Readers offer tips for coping with allergies around the holidays

Dear Readers: Many readers expressed opin ions – and offered tips for coping – on the subject of allergies when visiting friends and family during the holidays, or just visit ing friends in general. Thank you for many wonderful sugges tions to help others who suffer from similar allergies. Here is a sampling:

Dear Annie: I read your column all the time, and this is the first time I have written to you. When my husband and I moved to a rural commu nity in 2003, I was very allergic to cats and horses. My nose would plug up; my eyes would water; I would be sneezing and blowing my nose con stantly whenever I was around animals. I was miserable!

Then I discovered some thing called Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Tech niques. Through a NAET practitioner, I was desensi tized and no longer am allergic to these animals. It took a few months, but it is amazing. There are no pharmaceuti cals involved whatsoever. I highly recommend that people with any type of allergy look this up on the internet. NAET treatments are noninvasive, drug-free solutions and have worked for me, and for friends, for years on many different types of allergies. — No More Animal Allergies

Dear Annie: You suggested that “Allergic” ask her aunt to board the cats and pay the

expense, but anyone with a cat allergy knows, myself included, that cats leave dander everywhere. It’s impos sible to remove it because it’s not the cat fur that allergy suffer ers are allergic to; it is the dried cat saliva pro teins (so gross, I know). Cat owners’ homes become covered in those ultrafine saliva particles, and it’s hard to escape them.

Instead of spending money on boarding, suggest that she check if her hotel has a party room to book or if there is a cabin or Airbnb option near her aunt’s house where she could book with her parents.

She’d get more time with her aging parents; she won’t spend the day alone; it would be cat-free; and as a bonus, the holiday would not be at her aunt’s house with her outdated patriarchal rules.

It’s a multi-win situation. Hope this helps her have a happier holiday! — A New Site Dear Annie: I can empathize with “Allergic to Thanksgiv ing.” I’m a lifelong allergy sufferer who has only improved in recent years with modern antihistamines. I once spent a Christmas in France outside Paris (literally) at my sisterin-law’s house where I was too allergic to their cat for me to be in the house at all. I sat outside a glass door in 30-degree weather, read a book and waved occasionally.

Has “Allergic” discussed this with a board-certified aller

Horoscopes

ARIES (March 21-April 19).

You’re paying attention. You’ll recognize where you’re at with someone through the tone of your interactions. When it’s a little off the norm, you notice. When it’s particularly sweet, you give back in kind.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Almost everything you see out there is not you – a humbling fact that makes you wonder about your place in it all. While you’ll experiment to figure it out, never doubt that you have a place and that your role is essential.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Take things as you find them. Facts are facts. The longer you hold on to information, the more you influence it. It will help you now to know how things stand independent of you. Only then can you really understand your influence.

CANCER (June 22-July 22).

Theatrics are unnecessary, especially if your aim is to stir things up. To surprise and alarm people, you don’t have to do anything other than tell the truth. The more unpreten tious and real you are, the more effective you’ll be.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22).

The drama unfolds. There’s no clear winner here, nor is there a solid sense of right and wrong. Humans are messy. They connect and discon

by Holiday Mathis

nect haphazardly. Don’t worry about making sense of it. Time will reveal additional rele vant details.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).

There’s a heightened quality to the day. The natural world invites your appreciation.

You’ll experience visual poetry. Things seem more dramatic set against the ever-changing sky.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).

You don’t have to seek trouble, nor should you go out to meet it. There’s much that can happen in the stretch between you and the problem. This time, it will be better to sit back and see who intervenes.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21).

Like all resources, your time, money and attention become undervalued when they are given too freely. The value increases when you hold some back.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21). With certain people, you’ll keep your feelings tucked away. It’s appropriate. They wouldn’t know what to do with the full-fledged version of you. Be sure to air those feelings when it’s safe, as no good comes from bottling up indefinitely.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19). You’re not trying to live dangerously; it’s just what naturally happens when you aim for daring goals. You’ll

gist? There are many modern treatments that can greatly reduce one’s histamine reac tion to allergens. Cat dander has a very light molecular weight – think invisible, micro scopic dust blowing through the house. Removing the cat and cleaning is not going to clear out the remnant dander, espe cially in winter if the house has thick rugs, curtains and sofas.

“Allergic” has to decide whether she really wants to bear another year’s exposure to an allergen that will likely lay her low for a couple of days. Could she meet some of her relatives the day after in a dif ferent location? — Allergic and Empathetic

Dear Annie: I wanted to reach out to you regarding your advice to the woman who was experiencing great diffi culty with her allergies at her aunt’s home on Thanksgiving. You suggested her aunt board the cats. My husband suffers from a severe cat allergy. Wellintentioned people are falsely under the impression that simply removing the cats to another room while the person with allergies is there will do the trick. It does not. The cat’s dander is present every where, regardless of how clean the home is. You just cannot vacuum it out of existence. My mother used to put her cats in the bedroom, to zero effect. My husband would leave every holiday and be sick for days after. My only suggestion is to go out for Thanksgiving dinner or have it somewhere cat-neu tral. — Been There

Today’s birthday

You’re brave, skilled and aimed at unusual goals. You’ll use big markers and your excellent sense of direction to venture where none before you have gone. Mostly, this applies in metaphor. Relationships thrive because of a shared vision. Family vacations, renovations and events are laced with luck. March brings a windfall. Virgo and Taurus adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 45, 3, 25, 6 and 19.

keep your eye on the prize, and the periphery will be a blur. To be a bit fuzzy about the risks involved works to your advantage.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 18). It doesn’t matter who is chosen first or third or not at all. What matters is what happens. It’s a waste of energy to worry about rank ings or status indicators. Just stick to your mission and things will work out.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Relationships are like chords –built one note at a time. Stay on your lovely note and see who chimes in with you. It only takes one other tone to make it a chord, and really any tone will do.

THE CONVENTIONS COME AROUND AGAIN

One of the best-selling bridge books was “25 Conventions You Should Know” by Barbara Seagram and Marc Smith (Master Point Press). Now they have revised their work, with some help from David Bird.

There are three sections: Learn These First, More Complicated and

Sudoku

THE

CONVENTIONS COME AROUND AGAIN

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

One of the best-selling bridge books was “25 Conventions You Should Know” by Barbara Seagram and Marc Smith (Master Point Press). Now they have revised their work, with some help from David Bird.

by Phillip Alder

Sophisticated Stuff. Each chapter ends with a summary and a quiz. There are no full deals in the book. In this one, what should South rebid after the given start to the auction? North has reversed because if South wishes to give preference to clubs, partner’s first-bid suit, he must do so at the three-level. North has shown 17-20 points with longer clubs than hearts. The authors say that South has no easy way to uncover three-card spade support in partner’s hand. They state that a rebid of two spades or two no-trump or three clubs would be nonforcing. This not mainstream. However, if you do not wish to get sophisticated, treat a reverse as a game-force. (In the tournament world, responder’s rebid of fourth suit or two no-trump, whichever is the cheaper, warns of a bad hand. Responder’s rebid of his own suit shows at least five cards there and is forcing for one round.)

After West leads the diamond eight against three no-trump, what should South do?

Declarer has eight top tricks: one spade, two hearts, four diamonds and one club. He can go for No. 9 in clubs or hearts. In general, play on a suit missing an ace or king before one missing a queen. So, win the first trick with dummy’s diamond king and play a club toward the queen – success! COPYRIGHT: 2022, UNITED FEATURE

SYNDICATE

by Wayne Gould

Bridge

Annie Lane Dear Annie

The iconic county music star spreads holiday cheer to viewers in the new special “Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas.”

WHAT TO STREAM

A stocking full of fresh Christmas shows, movies

K atie Walsh TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

The Thanksgiving leftovers have been gobbled, the Black Friday deals secured. Which means it’s time, officially, for Christmas to begin. Even if many recognize the stroke of midnight on Nov. 1 as the start of the holiday season, now we can confidently say that Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate), is here. Which means a slew of new holiday content to stream, if you haven’t been mainlining Hallmark holiday movies already.

But there are treats of every different flavor in this stocking of stream ing choices this week, from the comedic to the romantic, the sweet to the silly.

First up, a holiday comedy special from Matt Rogers, who brings his stage show, “Have You Heard of Christmas?” to Show time, streaming Friday. Rogers, who co-starred in “Fire Island,” and “I Love That for You” this year, has been touring this holiday spectacu lar featuring original Christmas songs for the past several years.

This “yuletide musical extravaganza” features Rogers performing his nine “future classic holiday hits” as he attempts to become the Prince of Christmas. And even though he’s not a pop star, Rogers can belt with the best, so tune in for this musical comedy special that strad dles the line between naughty and nice.

After that, flip over to the Roku Channel for “The Great American Baking Show: Celeb rity Holiday.” Hosted by Ellie Kemper and Zach Cherry, judges Paul Hol lywood and Prue Leith set up their tent in Los Angeles and put a group of stars through the holiday baking paces, including Rogers’ “Fire Island” co-star Joel Kim Booster, Nat Faxon, Liza Koshy, D’Arcy Carden, Chloe Fineman and NFL star Marshawn Lynch (who ends up being the funniest of the bunch).

It’s the “Great British Bake Off” format, with “Nailed It” results. That

streams Friday on the Roku Channel.

On Thursday, the holiday movie goes meta with “A Hollywood Christmas,” on HBO Max. We all know the holiday movie tropes, and in this film, Jessika Van plays the director of holiday movies with Josh Swickard as the stern executive sent to oversee if these movies are worth the cost to the studio. Something tells me these two are going to fall in love . . .

The classic holiday movie formula jets to Brazil on Netflix with the Portuguese-lan guage film “Christmas Full of Grace,” or “Um Natal Cheio de Graca,” in which the son of a wealthy family, Car linhos, brings home the wacky Grace as his Christmas date, who sows chaotic cheer throughout the event. Didn’t they make this one with Mario Lopez and Melissa Joan Hart back in the day?

For the kids, an updated version of “A Christmas Carol,” the animated musical “Scrooge: A Christmas Carol” on Netflix streams Friday. Featuring the voices of Luke Evans, Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley, this is a new take on the classic Charles Dickens tale.

And mark your cal endars for next week: Zoey Deutch, Kendrick Sampson, Shay Mitch ell and Ray Nicholson star in the Prime Video holiday movie “Some thing from Tiffany’s,” directed by Daryl Wein, a very O. Henry-inspired story about two men who accidentally swap their Tiffany’s gift bags and end up giving their part ners unintended gifts laden with meaning, and upend their lives in the process. Stream it Dec. 9 on Prime Video.

FF

Zits Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Pearls Before Swine Stephan Pastis

Dilbert Scott Adams

Baby Blues Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott

Baldo Hector Cantú and Carlos Castellanos

Michael Tran/AFP via Getty Images/TNS Jessika Van stars in “A Hollywood Christmas.”

12 cool new Christmas albums for the season

Jim H arrington THE MERCURY NEWS

Do you ever get tired of hearing Nat King Cole croon about “chestnuts roasting on an open fire” during the Christmas season?

Yeah, neither do we.

“The Christmas Song” –especially the version delivered by Cole in 1961 – is one of those amazing holiday staples that people return to year after year, generation after gener ation. Others on the treasured short list include Vince Guaral di’s “Christmas Time Is Here,” Johnny Mathis’ “Sleigh Ride” and Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

So, go right ahead and turn up the Christmas classics as Dec. 25 draws nearer. Yet, maybe, save a few spins for more recent holiday releases.

There’s certainly never any shortage of new Christmas recordings, as acts from all dif ferent genres decide to offer up their takes on the holiday song book and perhaps provide a few original tunes as well.

Here’s a look at some of the top new Christmas albums released in 2022. All are readily available in stores and an online on various retail and streaming sites.

‘Everybody Knows It’s Christmas,” Chris Isaak

Let’s kick things off on a California note and recommend folks spend some time with the second holiday offering from this Stockton-born troubadour, who previously rang the jingle bells on 2004’s popular “Christmas.” Isaak proves once again to be a natural at Christmas crooning as he rolls in retro/Sun Records style through a mix of holiday standards and original compositions. There’s a lot to like here, but the version of “O Holy Night” stands out as the real keeper.

‘Christmas at Home,’ Michael W. Smith

The Grammy-winning artist, who has sold more than 18 million albums in a career that dates back to the late ’70s, has a long and successful track record with seasonal recordings. This latest offering – which follows such previous winners as 1989’s “Christmas” and 1998’s “Christmastime” – is an EP that features six newly composed originals, including one song – “Freeze the Frame” – that ranks among the biggest holiday tearjerkers of recent years.

“Christmas at Home” is also a family affair, with Smith’s children and even grandchildren taking part in the recording.

‘Santa Baby,’ Alicia Keys

The multiplatinum-selling singersongwriter-pianist excels in every aspect of her career. So, it should come as no surprise to learn that her first Christmas album is terrific. Keys’ voice sounds marvelous on this collection of seven standards – including “The Christmas Song,” “Please Come Home for Christmas,” “Christmas Time Is Here” and, of course, the title track – and four original cuts. The first single from the album is the Keys-composed “December Back 2 June.”

‘Louis Wishes You a Cool Yule,’ Louis Armstrong

How can it even be possible that it’s taken until this year for someone to release the first compilation of Armstrong’s Christmas recordings? We figured that this would have happened back in, say, 1962 – not 2022. Oh, well, this is truly a case of better late than

never as fans can now enjoy such seasonal Satchmo efforts as “Cool Yule,” “’Zat You, Santa Claus?” and “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm” (performed as a duet with the equally legendary Ella Fitzgerald) all in one place. It also includes a track of him reciting the famed poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” recorded just months before his 1971 passing.

‘This Is Our Christmas Album,’ Switchfoot

The San Diego alt-rockers are back with their 11th studio album, which also happens to be their debut holiday offering. The descriptively titled “This Is Our Christmas Album” – which, according to a news release, “was inspired by everyone from the Beach Boys to Black Flag” – delivers a mix of originals and such seasonal favorites as “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” and “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” And if the weather outside is frightful, you can get a warm blast of Golden State sun by pushing play on the standout track “California Christmas.”

‘The

Bocelli family. Bocelli’s classical-pop crossover style isn’t for everyone, but If you liked “My Christmas” then you’ll probably also dig “A Family Christmas.” (Although, just to be clear, you don’t get a Muppets duet on the latter.) Bocelli, by the way, performs Thursday at the Chase Center.

‘Milk & Cookies: A Merry Crowder Christmas,’ Crowder

The Texarkana singer-songwriter sounds like he’s having a blast as he rambles through such fun tracks as “The Elf Song” and the long-overdue ode to Mrs. Claus, “The Ballad of Mrs. C (She’s Sick of the Beard).” Yet, there’s also a more serious and heartfelt side to the equation, on which listeners can hear on the likes of “I’ve Heard About You” and “Your Praise Goes On.” In all, it’s another winner for the artist known for the chart-topping Christian singles “Good God Almighty” and “In the House.”

‘One

More Christmas,’

Girl Named

Manger,’ Anne Wilson

No, we’re not talking about the similarly named lead singer of Heart – whose first name doesn’t have an “e” in it – but rather the contemporary Christian music star who rose to fame with the chart-topping debut single “My Jesus” in 2021. Wilson is one of the genre’s top young talents, with a classic country vocal style that she puts to fantastic use on this six-song EP – which might just be the best holiday offering of 2022. The six cuts (and especially the first five) are all well worth listening to over and over again, but it’s the tender version of “O Holy Night” that we just can’t get enough of here.

‘A Very Backstreet Christmas,’ Backstreet Boys

This amazing “boy band” – whose members are now all in their 40s and, in one case, 50s – finally enters the seasonal sweepstakes with its 10th studio album. And it appears Backstreet Pride is still alive in 2022, given that “A Very Backstreet Christmas” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Holiday Albums chart back in October. The Boys deliver the harmonies on a nice batch of classics (“The Christmas Song,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” etc.), some relatively newer material (including “Last Christmas,” from Wham!) and even a couple of originals.

‘A Family Christmas,’ Andrea, Matteo and Virginia Bocelli

The holiday season has been very good to Andrea Bocelli, the famed Italian tenor whose first seasonal selection – 2014’s

“My Christmas” – has sold more than 3 million copies in the U.S. Now, he returns to the Christmas songbook with the help of his two of his children –Matteo and Virginia – so fans can hear that musical talent truly does run in the

Tom

Fans of the TV talent competition “The Voice” will be happy to know that this folk outfit – which took home the top prize in Season 21 under the tutelage of coach Kelly Clarkson – has released a nice little holiday effort. The three siblings – Caleb, Joshua and Bekah Liechty – showcase some mighty impressive vocal harmonies as they jingle their way through such numbers as “Winter Wonderland” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

Bridge

by Phillip Alder

‘A

Nelson Family Christmas,’ Nelson

The album lives up to its title, featuring not just the twin rockers – Gunnar and Matthew Nelson – but also holiday tunes recorded by father Ricky Nelson and grandfather Ozzie Nelson. The album also features contributions from longtime friends Carnie and Wendy Wilson, who are the daughters of legendary Beach Boy Brian Wilson. The Nelson brothers – whose 1990 self-titled debut proved to be a double-platinum smash that delivered four Top 30 singles – stick with such classics as “Joy to the World” and “Holly Jolly Christmas” here.

‘Christmas Ballads,’ Dave Koz & Friends

On his eighth holiday outing, the smooth jazz master explores the romantic side of the season as he offers up such ballads as “Merry Christmas Darling” and “Ave Maria.” The performances, of course, are top-notch, as Koz makes music with three incredibly talented Friends – David Benoit, trumpeter Rick Braun and guitarist Peter White. And, yes, Koz is supporting the album with his annual Christmas tour, which touches down Dec. 21 at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa and Dec. 22 at the San Jose Civic. See davekoz.com for details.

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR ENTRIES

George Ade, who was a columnist and playwright, said, “Anybody can win, unless there happens to be a second entry.” In bridge, though, sometimes you win only if you have two or three entries – as in today’s deal. How should South play in six no-trump after the first trick has a royal attendance: heart jack, queen, king, ace?

If I had been North, I would have

Sudoku

responded two no-trump to show 8 points or more and a balanced hand. That works luckily here, putting the defender with the heart king on lead. However, after North’s more popular two-diamond response (“waiting”), South’s jump to three no-trump promised a balanced 25-27. North thought about bidding five no-trump to suggest a minor-suit contract but went for the higher-scoring strain. (Note that this was a wise decision because six clubs would surely have failed. Yes, six diamonds would have made, but why would they get there?)

South has only nine top tricks: three spades, one heart, four diamonds and one club. He needs to take four club tricks. East must be assumed to have the club king. However, if East has four clubs, declarer will have to take three club finesses, which requires three dummy entries. These must come from diamonds.

The correct approach is to cash the diamond king and continue with the diamond queen (seemingly not wanting to get into the dummy!). When West follows both times, declarer overtakes with dummy’s ace (entry 1) and notes that East discards. South takes a club finesse – phew! This is followed by a diamond to the nine (entry 2), another club finesse, a diamond to the jack (entry 3) and a third club finesse.

UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

2022,

COPYRIGHT:

by Wayne Gould

Bridge

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR ENTRIES

Isaac Brekken/Getty Images for iHeartMedia/TNS file (2019)

The Backstreet Boys share a moment at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas, Sept. 20, 2019. Their new album, “A Very Backstreet Christmas,” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Holiday Albums chart in October.

From

points, had nine rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot for William Jessup in a 77-65 loss to St. Francis.

He added six points, six rebounds, four assists and one blocked shot in a 74-66 loss to Jamestown.

Sophomore guard Teiano Hardee (Vanden) saw limited action for Sac ramento State. Hardee recorded a blocked shot in a 74-61 loss to Hawaii and saw action but did not score in a 91-87 loss to Southern Utah.

Senior forward Jay Nagle (Will C. Wood) played in three games for Idaho State. Nagle had 11 points, two rebounds and one assist in a 77-76 loss to Lin denwood, four rebounds and three assists in a 68-66 loss to BethuneCookman and four points, five rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot in an 81-77 loss to Central Arkansas.

Sophomore guard Jer emiah Jones (Salisian, Vacaville resident) con tributed two points and two rebounds to Stanislaus State in a 75-69 win over Academy of Art. Jones had four points and five rebounds in a 64-55 loss to Chico State.

Senior guard Dunnell Stafford (Solano) saw action for Fort Lewis in a pair of games. Staf ford scored nine points, had nine rebounds and five assists in a 99-85 win over Southeast Oklahoma State and 10 points, six rebounds and three assists in a 120-78 win over Navajo Tech.

Women's basketball

Sophomore forward

soccer

From Page B1

thought it had made it 2-0 just before the break, but he was deemed to be just a fraction offside before rolling a shot in off the far post.

With Cameron CarterVickers replacing Walker Zimmerman at center back, the U.S. started a World Cup lineup com posed entirely of players on European professional

Joia Armstrong (Vanden) had a pair of big games for Stanislaus State. She had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds to go with three assists and one blocked shot in a 67-60 win over Fresno Pacific. Armstrong added 14 points, five rebounds, one assist and two blocked shots in an 85-70 loss to Chico State. Junior guard Ashmeen Sran (St. Pat rick-St. Vincent, Solano) saw two minutes of action in each of those games for Stanislaus.

Junior forward Milia Gibson (Rodriguez) played in three games last week for Missis sippi Valley State. Gibson scored 10 points and had three rebounds, one assist and one steal in a 64-49 win over Nich olls. She had two points, six rebounds, one assist and two steals in an 85-49 loss to Lamar. She added three points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal in an 84-74 loss to Nicholls again.

Senior guard Myli Mar tinez (Vanden) scored eight points and had one rebound and three assists in a 71-52 win over Holy Names. Martinez went for 16 points, five rebounds and two assists in the 85-70 win over Stanislaus.

Freshman guard Jiana Creswell (Vanden) score two points and pulled down three rebounds in the Holy Names game.

Professional football Linebacker Mykal Walker (Vacaville) had one solo tackle, eight assists and intercepted a pass for the Atlanta Falcons in a 19-13 loss the Washington Commanders. Atlanta has a record of 5-7 heading into Sunday's game at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

teams for the first time in its history. With an average age a month under 25 years old, it was also the youngest start ing 11 of this tournament.

Iran, meanwhile, has the oldest team in Qatar, and the age difference seemed apparent in a first half in which the U.S. built a 61%-41% edge in posses sion and outshot Iran 9-0.

But then Iran, which needed only a tie to advance, showed little interest in going forward, bunkering down.

Bonds

From Page B1

nor tested positive for, despite evidence from a federal investi gation – tarnished his candidacy in the minds of enough writers to keep him out of the Hall.

Bonds received 66% of the vote in his final year on the ballot, a long climb from the 36.2% he garnered in his first year of eligibility but still short of the required 75%. Election via the committee still demands Bonds reach the 75% threshold but requires only 12 “yes” votes (in 2021, 260 BBWAA members voted in favor of Bonds, but 134 others voted against).

On the panel that will vote Sunday, Bonds can likely count on the support of the two BBWAA representatives, the San Fran cisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune’s LaVelle E. Neal III, past presidents of the organization who have both

previously voted for Bonds. Hirdt, who was an executive vice presi dent of Elias Sports Bureau before joining Stats Perform, has less of a public record.

“Between (commissioner Bud) Selig, (manager Tony) La Russa, (manager Bobby) Cox, etc., I feel that the Hall of Fame clearly indi cated they don’t have a problem with the steroid era,” Slusser wrote in 2021. “So I’m not going to hold it all just on two guys, Bonds and Clemens, which is what I had been doing because of the evidence in their court cases. That to me seems like an unfair way to do things.”

That means Bonds’ fate will be decided by the group of 13 exec utives and former players, many of whom overlapped with Bonds during his career. He can’t lose more than four votes, and at least three have taken public stances against steroid users.

The players include Jones, Maddux, Frank Thomas, Alan Trammell, Jack Morris, Lee Smith and Ryne Sandberg. The group of

executives is made up of former Blue Jays CEO Paul Beeston, former Red Sox and Cubs execu tive Theo Epstein, Angels owner Arte Moreno, Marlins general manager Kim Ng, Twins president Dave St. Peter and White Sox exec utive vice president Ken Williams.

Of the players, Smith, Trammel and Jones haven’t taken public stances on steroid users. (Smith, though, played with Bonds’ dad, Bobby, in Chicago, and went on to work as a minor-league pitching coach for the Giants.)

Maddux, who faced Bonds more than anyone else in his career (a .262 average and eight home runs in 130 at-bats, but also 23 walks –twice as many as any other hitter), skirted steroid rumors with his slender build and by relying on pinpoint precision over velocity. In a recent podcast appearance, though, he sounded sympathetic to Bonds’ case.

Sandberg has been outspo kenly against inducting any player who used.