Daily Republic: Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022

Storm delays final pass through city until Tuesday

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The jolly old elf himself toured several neighborhoods Friday to bring a taste of holiday cheer to children across town.

He did so as part of the Fairfield Police Depart ment’s Operation Santa.

Santa and his elves visited Crowley Lane, Park Lane, the Kentucky Street pocket park, Fairview Elementary School and the Linear Trail Park at Second Street.

Friday’s rounds represented Day 1 of a six-day tour of Fairfield that was scheduled to continue Saturday. However, Mother Nature – specifically a winter storm that’s expected to move through the area – caused the police to postpone the Day 2 schedule.

See Santa, Page A12

Santa – with police escort –tours Fairfield neighborhoods surging in state after Thanksgiving

tRibune content agency

SAN JOSE — Covid-19 cases are surging in the Bay Area and California since Thanksgiving, as holiday gatherings appear to have fueled the virus’ spread among a pandemic-weary public no longer masking or lining up for the latest vaccine booster.

Cases in the nine-county Bay Area have jumped from an average of eight daily cases per 100,000 residents in late October to over 13 at the end of November, an 80% increase. Every Bay Area county is in at least the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s second-highest substan tial transmission level, and Santa Clara and Solano counties already are at the high level. Santa Clara and Marin counties have risen from the CDC’s low to medium community level, reflecting the virus’ impact on local hospitals.

“We are seeing a Thanksgiving effect,” said Dr. John Swartzberg, clinical professor emeri tus of infectious diseases and vaccinology at the University of California, Berkeley. But he’s not surprised, as the rise started before the recent holidays. And with Christmas and New Year’s celebrations around the corner “there is no ques tion in my mind that we’re going to see a rise in cases,” he said. “The question is what the slope

See Covid, Page A12

Suisun welcomes families to waterfront for boat parade, tree lighting

SuSan HilanD SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

SUISUN CITY — People waited Saturday for the lights on the newly planted Christmas tree to shine. The rainy and gloom kept many people away until the evening for the annual Christmas on the Water front event.

City crews planted a 24-foot tall Blue Aptos, a type of redwood, back in August as the official community Christmas tree after the previous tree died.

That tree’s planting bed had limited space for it to grow. Although city staff attempted to prolong its life, their efforts were unsuccessful.

The new tree has a proper planting bed and is located about 40 yards from the previous tree – adjacent to the waterway in downtown Suisun City. The prior tree was removed in September and staff is discussing plans for the now empty planting bed, according to the city website.

Families have made a tradition out of attending

See Suisun, Page A12

FAIRFIELD — Kenny, 7, is asking Santa Claus for a Monster Vision and Blaster Set.

Scott, 8, wants a base ball first baseman’s glove and bat. His favorite player was Buster Posey, the retired San Francisco Giants catcher.

Amrit, 11, well, her wish for Christmas is a secret.

Those youngsters were joined by many others at Fairfield’s annual Christmas Tree Light ing Ceremony held in the downtown area Friday night. The threat of rain

was only that, a threat, and the hundreds of yuletide visitors were greeted with appropriately cool temper atures, holiday music and good tidings.

There were pony rides at one end of the celebra tion, near Jackson Street, and train rides around the county building courtyard where the tree would later light up the corner.

Santa Claus arrived on a Fairfield fire truck at 6:40 p.m., and four minutes later, atop the stage at Texas and Jefferson streets, following a count down from the crowd, he hit the switch and the tree came to life.

“I love this event,” Amy Carter, Kenny’s mother, said as her son waited to sit on Santa’s lap.

“I grew up in Sturgeon Bay in Wisconsin and

time,” said Carter, who has lived in Fairfield for about 11 years. “I wish

toDD R. H anSen THANSEN@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

Courtesy photo

Santa Claus poses with two children during the Fairfield Police Department’s Operation Santa at Fairview Elementary School in Fairfield, Friday.

Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic

Vessels cruise during the Suisun City Christmas Boat Parade in the Suisun Harbor, Saturday.

Susan Hiland/Daily Republic

Audrey Simmerman of Vacaville sells some bread to Inna Rosendo, also of Vacaville, who came out for the annual Christmas on the Waterfront in Suisun City, Saturday.

Ranking fictional holiday figures, from Cupid to . . .

Welcome to the height of the holiday season.

Halloween, Thanks giving and my oldest son’s birthday are behind us. Still to come are Hanukkah, Christ mas, Kwanzaa and New Year’s Day.

December is peak season for commercials, TV specials and movies about fictional holiday figures. What would December be without Burl Ives as Sam the Snowman, telling us about Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer?

Stanhope Like I was sayin’

But why only December? Why don’t we have Uncle Sam movies in July? Why not Easter Bunny TV shows in April? Why doesn’t the Hallmark Channel produce a bunch of St. Patrick’s Day-themed romantic movies? It’s a mystery.

As we begin the month most associated with holidays, it’s time to rank the eight best fic tional holiday figures:

8. Cupid. The symbol of love and Valen tine’s Day, an angel (or Greek god, it’s hard to tell) shoots arrows at people who then fall in love. But unless you’re experiencing Valentine’s Day with someone new (which seems risky), Cupid’s arrival Feb. 14 seems too late or too early. And Cupid’s appearance makes me uncomfortable.

7. Baby New Year. Perhaps the creepiest mainstream holiday figure – a sash-wrapped baby who is usually pictured with an old man (who rep resents the outgoing year and appears ready to die. It’s unclear, but weird).

6. Leprechaun. The symbolic figure for St. Patrick’s Day feels stereotypical. If I were Irish, I’d be uncomfortable with my culture’s main holiday being represented by a tiny (possibly drunk) figure.

5. Punxsutawney Phil. You could make a point that Phil is not “fictional” because there is a real Punxsutawney Phil – although we’re several generations past the origi nal and if not for the movie “Groundhog Day,” most of us wouldn’t know his name. The weirdest thing is that while Groundhog Day is ostensibly a holiday that helps predict how long winter will last, it is ref erenced far more to explain the same thing happening day after day, because of the movie. And you don’t need a ground hog for that.

4. Easter Bunny The dis

count-rate Santa: A secular figure for a religious holiday. Not as beloved as Santa and rather than gifts, the Easter Bunny brings candy. Questions: Is the Easter Bunny a male or female? Big or small? A mys terious figure in a weird way. And not Peter Cottontail, who hops down the bunny trail when Easter is on its way. Maybe they’re cousins?

3. Rudolph. The No. 2 figure in Christmas folklore, but a favorite, despite all the prob lems with his story (Santa only likes him when he proves useful to the mission, a blink ing light doesn’t cut through fog very well, etc.). Still a famous, beloved figure.

2. Uncle Sam. The univer sal symbol of July 4, another widely loved, fun holiday. Who doesn’t like fireworks and parades? Even better, who

doesn’t like Uncle Sam, who –now that he’s moved past trying to convince 1950s teenagers to join the Army – spends most of his time in parades or in car advertisements? Put him on stilts and he’s even better.

1. Santa Claus. The king of holiday figures, which would make him the Elvis of holiday figures if Elvis Presley had his greatest success when he was fat and jolly. Universally beloved to the point that movies that portray a negative side of him (“Bad Santa,” for one) make it clear someone is steal ing Santa’s identity. Santa is the No. 1 holiday figure in the same way that “Ice, Ice Baby” is Vanilla Ice’s No. 1 song. It’s not even remotely close.

Reach Brad Stanhope at bradstanhope@outlook.com.

Nobody wanted to adopt the dog with one ear - until he started painting

The WashingTon PosT

Jaclyn Gartner was scrolling through photos of shelter pups when one caught her eye: A dog named Van Gogh with only one ear. His left ear had been ripped off in the cruel world of dog fighting, and he was found bloodied and cowering inside a drain age pipe, covered in cuts and scrapes.

A shelter in North Car olina was trying to get him adopted.

“He’d had an abso lutely horrific life, and yet he looked happy, and I was told he got along well with people,” said Gartner, founder of the Happily Furever After Rescue in Bethel, Conn., which takes in pets at risk of being put down in shel ters because they are old or disabled. “His ear had to be surgically removed, but Van Gogh was resil ient, even after all he’d been through.”

“I had to rescue him,” she added.

Gartner arranged for the nonprofit Pilots N Paws to fly Van Gogh to her in Connecticut in June. She put out the word on Facebook, Petfinder and Rescue Me that she had a friendly, one-eared dog in need of a home, but nobody wanted the 7-yearold boxer pit bull mix.

“Not a single applica tion came in,” she said, explaining that he was staying with various foster families. “I couldn’t believe it. He was the cutest dog ever.”

After he’d been a part of her rescue for four months, she looked at Van Gogh with his one ear and an idea sparked of how she could make him more adoptable.

“I’d seen TikTok videos of other dogs creating paintings, so why not Van

Gogh?” Gartner said. “He certainly had the name and the ear for it.”

So she dropped small gobs of bright paint on an 8-inch by 10-inch canvas, sealed it in plastic wrap and coated the top with a thin layer of peanut butter.

Van Gogh took to his assignment with the gusto of a true peanut butterloving artist.

He licked the paint into dramatic streaks, and five minutes later when Gartner decided the painting was done (and Van Gogh had eaten enough peanut butter), she took the canvas away. It was perfect.

Gartner thought he honorably represented Vincent van Gogh, the leg endary post-Impressionist artist who created “The Starry Night” and “Sun flowers,” as the two artists both became prolific.

“He has a fast and cre ative tongue,” Gartner said. “It takes more time for us to get the canvas ready for him than it does for Van Gogh to lick off the peanut butter and smear the paint around.”

One of the dog’s can vasses was dabbed with blue and yellow paint to recreate Vincent van Gogh’s “The Starry Night.”

“We did the art over a week, then I invited people to come and meet him at an outdoor art gallery event,” she said. “I had sparkling cider and pastries and I even set up little stands for the paintings.”

She was disappointed when only two people showed up at the event on Oct. 23. One of them was Jennifer Balbes of Monroe, Conn., who follows Gartner on social media.

“He came up and sniffed my face and we were fast friends. He’s an incredibly sweet dog,” said

Balbes, 56.

She went home with a $40 Van Gogh painting titled “Clouds.”

Gartner was crushed that Van Gogh’s first art show was a bust, but decided not to give up. She took action the following day.

“I put out a post on Facebook that I felt bad only two people showed up, and I said the rest of the art was still avail able,” she said.

S uddenly, every one wanted it.

“The paintings sold out in two minutes,” she said, collecting about $1,000 for her animal rescue.

Van Gogh contin ued to complete painting after painting, and in midNovember, Gartner held an online auction. A dozen of the dog’s paintings sold, raising an additional $2,000 for the rescue, which she started in 2020. Almost everyone paid more than the asking price for each painting, she said.

More importantly, Gartner said, Van Gogh was adopted on the last day of the auction by one of her foster volunteers.

Gartner marveled at how he captured hearts online with his whimsi cal artwork.

She said she was sur prised by the sudden interest in Van Gogh’s artwork after his gallery show was a failure.

“I never in a million years thought I’d see a dog become popular for his paintings,” she said. “It’s really changed my life and his.”

She said the paint ings have brought a lot of exposure to her small rescue, which has about 20 volunteers.

“Because of the atten tion from Van Gogh’s story, we’ve now had other

dogs find homes,” she said. The person who adopted Van Gogh is one of her foster volunteers, Jessica Starowitz. The adoption was made official on the last day of the auction, Nov. 21, Gartner said.

Starowitz had taken over watching Van Gogh from another foster family and decided that she couldn’t let him go, she said.

“As soon as I saw him, I knew he’d be a foster fail,” she said, referring to the

situation where pet parents take in a foster animal on a temporary basis, but ulti mately adopt them as a permanent member of the family. “He was romping around and licking every one and playing tug of war. My whole family fell in love with him.”

Starowitz said she plans to keep Van Gogh supplied with paint and peanut butter in case Gartner wants to hold any other fundraisers for her non profit. She also started an Instagram page for her tal ented new family member.

“Everyone loves Van Gogh, and he loves people,” she said. “When ever he sees a Ziploc bag and a jar of peanut butter, he knows it’s time to paint. But right now, he’s sleep ing on a big cushion bed in my office.”

Brad

Happily Furever After Rescue courtesy photo Van Gogh the rescue dog with his version of “The Starry Night.”

Senior center craft fair offers one-of-a-kind gifts for holidays

SuSan HilanD SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Satur day might have been a bit gloomy with the clouds and the rain but that didn’t stop shoppers from enjoy ing the glitter and lights of a local craft fair.

Christina Turner of Fairfield came out with family to show some love and support for the Fairfield Adult Recre ation Center.

“It is great that this place is so busy after being quiet for so long with the pandemic,” Turner said.

She was born and raised in Fairfield but this was her first time at the annual Holiday Craft Fair at the center.

“They offer so much for the seniors year round it is good to help them out,” Turner said.

Pat Anderson, activity specialist for the senior center, has only been doing the craft fair for a short time but was pleased they had 56 vendors this time around.

“Back in 2019 we only had a few vendors before that but that year we had 70,” Anderson said. “It is a nice community event that allows people to get out and purchase nice handmade gifts.”

Anderson said a lot of the vendors are from the center and they have brought items to sell for the various groups they are supporting.

“It brings people to the community center so they can see what we offer,”

Fairfield Parks and Recre ation program coordinator Josh Brown said of the craft fair.

Money raised from the rental of booth space goes directly to the center; any thing the vendors bring in from sales goes to them, he said.

“The money will go to support other events throughout the year,” Brown said.

Brown and Anderson both were happy to report the programs and events from before the pandemic have all returned.

“We have monthly lun cheons and dinners along with our art series, and even bingo,” Brown said.

Some vendors come to make extra money, or make room for more cre ative projects at home,

but Mei Hack of Fairfield came out to support her adopted grandsons.

“They are raising money for Science Camp and they made these snowmen by hand,” she said.

The boys couldn’t make it Saturday so she volunteered to help sell the snowmen for them.

Sharon Lim, also of Fairfield, has created a business that sells paper origami items that do more than look pretty on the table. Some of them hold chocolate, like her matchbook holder with a Ghirardelli chocolate stuffed in the bottom where the matches should be, or her gift card holder, which if you tug on the bottom tabs reveals the hidden gift inside.

Lim calls her busi ness Sharon It With You and also is an inde pendent Stampin’ Up demonstrator, which provides high-quality papercraft products and a direct-sales opportunity for customers.

“I have been doing fairs since 2010,” Lim said. “When I was a teacher, I didn’t allow candy in my classroom so now I guess I am making up for that by creating a lot of crafty ways to hold candy.”

The holidays are the only time she does the craft fairs.

“I love to make things year round and when I come to these craft fairs I see things and I want to make them,” she said. “I like to challenge myself.”

Authorities seek public’s help to find wayward Solano prisoner

Man walked away from prison camp in rural Suisun City

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

SUISUN CITY — State prison officials and area law enforcement person nel are continuing their search for Raul Mejia, a prisoner who on Thursday walked away from Delta Conservation Camp.

Mejia, 22, was dis covered missing at approximately 7:35 p.m. during an evening count, the prison system reports. A search of the camp buildings and grounds was conducted, to no avail.

The California Depart ment of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Office of Correctional Safety, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Pro tection and local law enforcement agencies have been notified and are assisting in the search.

Mejia is 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs 186 pounds.

He has black hair, brown eyes and was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and gray sweatpants.

Mejia was received by the state prison system from Los Angeles County in August 2022 with a prison sentence of seven years, eight months for stalking, discharging a firearm in an inhabited dwelling/vehicle and attempting to prevent/ dissuade a witness against testifying.

The Delta Conser vation Camp is located at 6246 Lambie Road. It opened in June 1988 and is jointly operated by the state prison system and Cal Fire.

The primary mission of the camp is to provide prison fire crews for fire suppression for Cal Fire’s Sonoma, Lake, Napa Unit and Solano County areas, although crews may also

See Prisoner, Page

Courtesy photos

From left to right, Raul Mejia, Juan Avina and Marissa Bakers.

Susan Hiland/Daily Republic

Sharon Lim created unique origami like gifts for her Sharon It With You popup shop at the Holiday Craft & Gift Fair at the Fairfield Adult Recreation Center, Saturday.

Obituaries

Master Ser geant Robert (Bob) Watts, retired, was born Sept. 14, 1943, and passed Nov. 14, 2022.

Bob served 23 years in the United States Air Force and worked 25 years at Chevron Oil Refinery. A member of the TriCity Elks Lodge and Prince Hall Free masonry, he also earned his degree from Southern Illinois University.

Bob loved boating, com puters, music and Labra dors, and was an avid 49ers fan. The third Friday of every month you could find Bob at his ‘old timer’s lunch’.  He loved his family; you could see his face light up when any of them walked through the door.

He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Louise; and their children, Denora and Dennis Davis, Sabrina and Zeron Jefferson, Cindy and Joel Gibson, Margaret Watts, Roberta Caldwell,

Carmen Eva Lopez, 95, passed away Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 in Fair field, California.

Carmen was born Sept. 6, 1927, in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico to Petra Velez and Julio Bravo.

Carmen was an edu cator for almost 20 years. She lived in Fairfield and enjoyed crocheting, sewing, cooking, crossword puzzles and jigsaw puzzles. She loved to shop, and play games on her iPad. Some of her favorite things to do were traveling, volunteering at David Grant Hospital, and going to casinos.

She is survived by son, Luis Lopez Jr.(Donna); daughter, Janie Tepley (Scott); sister, Luz (Papo); brother, Gil; several grand children, Jillian Bracamonte (Bryon), Leila Tepley, Nicolas Tepley (Karlie), Stefani Thomas (Nathan), Steven Concepcion (Tiffani), Jeff Plant (DeAnna); many

John N. Stall ings, 93, died of heart failure at his home on Nov. 9, 2022. He was born May 3, 1929, in Fairmount, West Virginia.

John joined the U.S. Air Force in 1947, served during the Korean War, and received the Air Force Commenda tion Medal. He later joined the civil service after retiring from active duty in 1967 and worked at Castle Air Force Base in Atwater, California. There he served as the base recreation director, and later became the manager of the Castle Aero Club. During this time, John earned his private pilot’s license and devel oped a great love for flying, serving as president of the Merced Pilots Association and general manager of the West Coast Antique Fly-In. Additionally, John was a member of the Masonic Temple in Merced where he was a three-term master and a senior grand lodge steward from 1993-1994.

John was an outgo ing, and optimistic man who often said, ‘if you think you can, you probably can, and if you think you can’t, you are probably right.’ John never met a stranger. After joining the Com munity United Methodist Church, he became one of the Sunday greeters, which was something he looked forward to each week.

In his spare time, John enjoyed skiing, flying a Super Cub with his son, John, and flying his family to the Nut Tree airport from Merced. He also loved spending time at family gatherings sharing stories with his children and grandchildren about his

Roberts Watts Jr. and Anthony Laws; sisters, Carol Simmons and Sharon Savage; 20 grandchildren; numerous greatgrandchildren; and one great-greatgrandson.

Master Sgt. Watts is preceded in death by his parents; and his sister, Donna.

Viewing will be from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. with non-religious service from 10:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022, at the Fairfield Funeral Home, 1750 Pennsylvania Ave., Fairfield, California. Imme diately following, burial will take place at the Sacra mento Valley National Cem etery, 5810 Midway Road, Dixon, California.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your favorite charity.

Arrangements under the care of Fairfield Funeral Home, 707-425-1041.

great-grandchil dren, Gavin, Bryce, Grayson, Jocelyn, Jaggar, Payton, Caleb, Carter, Alyssa, Audrey, Aystin; and a special bonus child, Michael Parker.

She is preceded in death by her parents; husband, Luis Lopez Camacho; and sister, Darma.

Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, at Bryan-Braker Funeral Home, 1850 W. Texas St., Fairfield. Funeral services will follow at 1:15 p.m. at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery, 5810 Midway Road, Dixon, California.

In lieu of flowers, memo rials may be made to the SPCA.

Arrangements under the care of Bryan-Braker Funeral Home, 707-4254697, www.bryanbraker. com

travels and many adventures.

He will be greatly missed by all of his family and friends.

He is survived by his wife of 71 years, Christine; son and daughter-in-law, John and Rhonda Stallings; grand children, Taylor Armour (Stallings) and husband, Tyler, Samantha Stallings, Ian Stallings and wife, Tara, and Kellen Stallings; greatgrandchildren, Grayson, Blake, Emma, Atreyu and Ariel; as well as beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Patricia Stallings; son, Robert Stallings; brother, William Stallings; and sister, Bonnie Stallings.

A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday Dec. 17, 2022, at the Com munity United Methodist Church, 1875 Fairfield Ave., Fairfield, California.

In lieu of flowers, memo rials may be made to the Community United Method ist Church.

Warren Gray, age 92, passed away peacefully on Nov. 21, 2022. He was born on Nov. 10, 1930, in Baltimore, Maryland.

He joined the Air Force at an early age and served his country during the Korean War.

Warren enjoyed being around people, and really looked forward to family gatherings. He loved music, playing and teach ing the piano, and dancing. He was full of life and had a happy-go-lucky spirit.

He is survived by his wife, Erlinda Gray; sister, Lucre tia Gray; daughters, Diony sia (Prince) Smith, Lynette (Carl) Rachal, and pro ceeded in death, Selena Davis; stepdaughters, Marie Pablo and Victoria Pablo; stepson, Napoleon (Alicia) Pablo; and grandchildren.

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 volunteer or donate to many charita ble activities, including the Annual Holiday Toy Drive and Annual Christmas Lun cheon for seniors in our community and many other charitable organizations.

All of those he loved, and they were deeply touched by his love and kindness. Please join us in celebrating his life, viewing will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. with chapel service from 11 a.m. to noon Friday, Dec. 16, 2022, at BryanBaker Funeral Home, 1850 W. Texas St., Fairfield. Military burial will follow at 1 p.m. at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery, 5810 Midway Road, Dixon, California.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Alzheimer’s Association at https://act. alz.org, www.cancer.org or to any veteran organization.

Arrangements under the care of BryanBraker Funeral Home, 707-425-4697.

Package thefts lead to Stockton woman’s arrest in Suisun

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

SUISUN CITY — A package theft report Thursday led to the arrest 24 hours later of a Stockton woman.

Brianna Bryant, 22, was jailed on suspicion of mail theft, possession of a controlled substance and for a suspected felony probation violation, city police report.

The investigation got its start with a call to police around 12:40 p.m. Thursday in which the caller reported several packages had just been stolen from the porch.

Officers canvased the area and were able to obtain a description of the suspect and vehicle, police reported Friday.

Police did not indi cate the location of the call, but a theft was reported shortly before 12:40 p.m. Thursday on the 1600 block of Tucson Circle.

A resident spotted the vehicle at around 12:40 p.m. Friday on the 1100 block of Whippor will Way, police report.

Officer contacted Bryant, who was near the vehicle, because she matched the description of the suspect from the previous day, police report, and detained her while the investigation continued.

A probation search of the vehicle resulted in the recovery of all of the items stolen the previous day, police report. Bryant was arrested and booked into Solano County jail.

Survivors include son, Richard Simmons and daughterin-law Susan; daughters, Carol Afholderbach and Colleen Harless and son-in-law Michael; five grand sons; one granddaughter; eight great-grandchildren; 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.

Hernandez to take over as Suisun mayor; 2 new members join her on council

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

SUISUN CITY — Larry Brumfield on Tuesday will hold the post of mayor long enough to make some remarks after taking his oath of office.

But Alma Hernan dez will soon take the reins for her full fouryear term when the City Council seats its new members: Prin cess Washington and Jenalee Dawson.

Outgoing members Jane Day and Wanda Williams, who won a seat on the county Board of Supervisors, also will be recognized.

Hernandez will then appoint a new vice mayor and appoint members to the recently formed ad hoc committee on trash and illegal dumping.

In brief

Solano Planning Commission OKs lot line shift

FAIRFIELD — The Solano County Planning Commission this week approved the transfer of 20.57 acres between

The council, which meets in the chamber in City Hall at 6:30 p.m., will also provide direction to City Manager Greg Folsom about filling the vacancy created on the council when Hernandez ascended to mayor.

The meeting may also be accessed at https://zoom.us/join. The Meeting ID is 827 5858 9317. The public may also call in to the meeting at 707-438-1720.

A full agenda for the meeting is avail able at https://www. suisun.com/govern ment/city-council/ city-council/.

two adjacent lots at 4118 Lagoon Valley Road, 1 mile north of Fairfield.

The applicants were Terry and Linda Dykes and Michael and Judith Dykes.

Both properties are under an active William son Act contract.

Fairfield home.

Christina was born on July 27, 1984, and passed at the age of 38. She was a loving mother to two children, Owen Sai Mayavan and Taylor Shashi Mayavan.

Christina is survived by her son, Owen Mayavan; mother, Sandra Williams; father, Quintan Taylor; step father, Lee Williams; step mother, Terry Taylor; sister, Amanda Cain; and brothers, Joshua Taylor, John Taylor and Johnathon Panos.

She is fondly remem bered by her family as a beacon of light, easy to laugh and always available to lend

love and support. Christina dedicated her life to helping people as a social worker and cared deeply about her family relationships. She will be missed by everyone that knew her.

Taylor Shashi Mayavan was born Dec. 22, 2010, and passed at the age of 11. Taylor was a loving daughter and sister and is survived by her father, Dinakar (Dino) Sai Mayavan; and brother, Owen Mayavan.

Taylor was a bright, sweet girl that loved her family with all her heart. She will be missed desperately. Her smile was known to light up

any room and her laughter will echo fondly in our mem ories forever. Taylor was simply just a joy to be around. The thought of what a wonderful young woman she would have grown into saddens our hearts and fills our eyes with tears.

Christina and Taylor will be laid to rest together at Sil veyville Cemetery in Dixon, California.

Christina Marie Taylor and Taylor Shashi Mayavan both passed away tragically on Nov. 18, 2022, in an auto mobile accident near their

Christina Marie Taylor and Taylor Shashi Mayavan

Robert ‘Bob’ Watts Sept. 14, 1943 — Nov. 14, 2022

Carmen E. Lopez Sept. 6, 1927 - Nov. 14, 2022

Warren Gray Nov. 10, 1930 — Nov. 21, 2022

Lola May Simmons May 26, 1934 — Nov. 4, 2022

John N. Stallings May 3, 1929 — Nov. 9, 2022

U.S.

FORCE VETERAN

U.S. AIR FORCE VETERAN

be dispatched through out the state, according to the state prison system’s website. Prisoner hand crews provide a workforce for conservation proj ects. The in-camp Cal Fire project is a Digital Decal Sign Shop, which produces letters, numbers and strip ing of vehicles for fire and law enforcement agencies.

Mejia is one of two pris oners to walk away from camps as the week came to a close and the third to do so in the past few weeks.

Prison and regional authorities in Southern California are searching for a prisoner who walked away from Acton Con servation Camp in Acton, which is located in Los Angeles County. Juan Avina, 39, was last seen at 9 p.m. Friday, the prison system reports.

Avina is a Hispanic male, 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs 205 pounds. He has brown eyes and short brown hair.

Avina was admitted from Stanislaus County on July 13 to serve a four-year sentence for possessing/ owning a firearm by a felon or addict, a second strike, and possession of ammunition by a prohib ited person, also a second strike. He was sched uled to be released from custody in December 2023.

Prison and regional authorities in and around Sacramento are search ing for Marissa Bakers, 29, who walked away from the Sacramento Custody to Community Transitional Reentry Program facility on Nov. 19. Prison officials were notified at approx imately 1:50 p.m. that Bakers had removed her Global Positioning Device without permission.

The Sacramento facility allows eligible inmates to serve the end of their sen tences in the community and helps them find jobs,

In brief

SCWA on path to address platform

VACAVILLE — The Solano County Water Agency will reorganize its board officers and execu tive committee as well as address its legislative plat form when the directors meet Thursday.

The in-person meeting is set for 6 p.m. in the Berryessa Room of the agency’s office, 810 Vaca Valley Parkway, Suite 203. No virtual attendance is possible.

The usual reports on Delta and water policy issues, the agency’s Water Policy Committee, the Delta Counties Coali tion, Delta Protection Commission and Delta Conservancy, as well as the North Bay Watershed Association, also are on the agenda.

The board also will meet in closed session to discuss the general man ager’s position.

A full agenda for the meeting is available at https://www.scwa2.com/ governance/board-meet ings-agendas-minutes/.

Scott, Birdseye to be seated on Council

BENICIA — The City Council will dispense with a couple of proclamations and routine consent items –including final adoption of an infill mixed-use zoning ordinance – then issue the oaths of office to newly elected members Terry Scott and Kari Birdseye.

Outgoing council members Lionel Lar gaespada and Christina Strawbridge also will be recognized and offer closing remarks.

The council meets in the chamber at City Hall, 250 E. L St.

education and housing, offers social support, and helps them reunify with family.

Bakers is 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighs 202 pounds. She has short hair and was last seen wearing a blue velvet sweatsuit, white t-shirt, gray tennis shoes and a gray jacket.

Bakers was received by the state prison system in July after being convicted out of San Diego County for battery with serious injury. She was scheduled to release from custody in January.

The prison system reports that since 1977, 99% of all prisoners who have left an adult institution, camp or com munity-based program without permission have been apprehended.

Anyone who sees Mejia or has knowledge of Mejia’s whereabouts is asked to contact their local law enforcement agency, call 911 or Delta Conser vation Camp commander Lt. Sidney Turner at 707425-4878. Anyone who sees Bakers is asked to call 911.

Middle Green Valley back before Board of Supervisors for final action

FAIRFIELD — An afternoon session Tuesday of the Solano County Board of Supervisors includes a series of public hearings on the Middle Green Valley Special Plan subdivision application, and vacating a portion of Liberty Island Road as part of a $118.86 million habitat restoration and flood man agement project.

The 1 p.m. session includes final action on the tentative large lot and small lot subdivision maps for the Middle Green Valley area. The large lot map divides 410.9 acres into 27 parcels. The small lot map divides 137.2 acres into 322 residen tial parcels.

The Liberty Island decision is part of creating a 3,000-acre fish and wildlife tidal environment in the Cache Slough Complex.

The board first meets at 9 a.m. in the first-floor chamber of the government center, 675 Texas St., in Fairfield.

Among the agenda items in the morning session are review of the

Public Works Five Year Capital Improvement Plan for fiscal years 2022-23 through 2027-28, and final izing the Parks and Recreation Division’s 2023-25 workplan.

A closed session is sched uled between the two sessions, during which the supervisors will be updated on labor negotiations,

exposure to three possible litigation matters and the existing lawsuit of the county against the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District.

The agenda for the meeting is available at https://www.solano county.com/depts/bos/meetings/ videos.asp.

Courtesy map

The solano County Board of supervisors approved first tentative maps for the Middle Green Valley specific Plan are in the books, Tuesday, oct. 5.

New ruling provides options when selecting hearing aids

Hearing aids can now be pur chased over the counter in the United States, as a result of a new ruling announced in October by the Food and Drug Administra tion. The move is expected to lower the cost of hearing aids and expand access for millions of adults across the country.

Hearing loss is the third most prevalent chronic health condition facing older adults. While estimates are that 15% of American adults report some trouble hearing, only about one-fifth of people who could benefit from a hearing aid actu ally use one.

Over-the-counter options may lead more people to address their hearing loss but it’s important to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of these products.

Over-the-counter hearing aids are a new category of hearing assistance that allow consum ers to purchase directly without having to visit a health care pro fessional. But they are designed only for adults who have perceived mild to moderate hearing loss. For those with more severe hearing loss and people younger than 18, pre scription hearing aids are still the only option.

These new category of hearing aids may be inappropriate or inad equate to address issues including severe hearing loss. While they are more readily available than prescription devices, they’re not the best choice for everyone. So use caution.

With custom hearing aids, mea surements are made to ensure the different pitches of speech sounds are getting to the ear drum to meet a target prescription based on the individual’s unique hearing loss. And even with this, an audiologist may have to make adjustments to help troubleshoot issues or provide further counseling.

It’s best to see an audiologist first if you suspect you may be experi encing hearing loss. If you skip this step, there are issues that may be missed. And a hearing evaluation also gives your health care pro vider valuable insight to counsel you on realistic expectations with amplification – whether that’s with a custom-programmed hearing aid or a device purchased directly from a retailer.

The lower prices and easier buying process offered by over-thecounter hearing aid manufacturers is a big step forward in allowing more people in the United States the opportunity to get the help they need. But before heading straight to a website or drugstore to pur chase, it’s best to educate yourself, talk with your doctor and make an informed decision about which option is best to address your unique hearing needs.

Wendy Schreuder is an audiologist with NorthBay Health Ear, Nose and Throat in Fairfield.

Biden turns 80, joins growing ranks of octogenarians who still work

A person’s chronological age, matters less than their biological age – how well their bodies and brains are functioning, experts say

Last year, when Bob Hyde was 78, he stood in front of a mirror and decided it was time to retire. Hyde, who lives in Rio Rancho, N.M., ran his own accounting company and was glad to be free of deadlines, payroll, and hiring. He learned to make sourdough bread and kimchi, and began teaching himself clarinet.

But retirement lasted less than a year. “I missed the engagement,” he said. Hyde had been employed since he left home at 16 and joined the British army. Now, on the cusp of 80, he is back in the work force, doing accounting for a concrete company.

“I found I needed some thing to engage my mind,” Hyde said, adding that he has a cushy job compared to his 77-year-old boss, who is “out there every day as they’re pouring concrete.”

“I think retirement is vol untarily putting one foot in the grave, or if you like, ordering up the particle board box.”

Much hand-wringing has accompanied the fact that Joe Biden is by far the oldest person to hold the nation’s highest office. When he turns 80 on Nov. 20, he will be the first octogenarian to serve as president, spurring ques tions about how old is too old for the job.

But working past 80, while still the exception, is not as

rare as it once was. In recent decades, the number of octoge narians in the U.S. workforce has soared, from around 110,000 – or 2.5% of the 80-plus population – in 1980 to a high of around 734,000 – or 6% of all octogenarians – in 2019, according to a Washing ton Post analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data. (The numbers begin falling after the pandemic started, with around 693,000 – or 5.5% of the popu lation – working last year).

That makes sense, given that American life expectancy has steadily increased – from 47 for a baby born in 1900 to 68 in 1950 to 79 in 2019, accord ing to data from the Centers for Disease Control, (though life expectancy, too, dipped in the last couple of years).

Once a person survives childhood and young adult hood, the outlook improves

even more. When Biden was born, in 1942, life expectancy was 66. But an 80-year-old man today can expect on average to live to 88, and an 80-year-old woman to nearly 90, according to Social Security Administra tion actuarial estimates. That means everyone turning 80 this year has lived well past the life expectancy for the year they were born.

Since there are more octo genarians around, it stands to reason that more of them are still working – and if they are healthy, experts say there is no reason they shouldn’t. The number of years since a per son’s birth, or chronological age, matters less than their biologi cal age – how well their bodies and brains are functioning, said Dan Belsky, assistant profes sor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.

“An 80-year-old today and an 80-year-old twenty years ago represent different pockets of individuals; they’re not directly comparable,” he said. “Today there are many physically active, cognitively healthy 80-year-olds, taking classes, running around, governing.”

Ageism can make it harder for older people seeking employment, but unlike coun tries with broad mandatory retirement ages, the United States has few restrictions on working after a certain age (commercial pilots, for example, must retire by 65). As the population continues to gray, many politicians and other leaders have stayed in their jobs well past typical retirement age. Nancy Pelosi is 82, Mitch McConnell is 80, Anthony Fauci is 81. “We’ve never seen a cohort occupy dominant positions in society for so long,” Belsky said.

That may have surprised President Dwight D. Eisen hower, who finished his second term at 70, at that time the oldest a president had been. A possibly apocryphal story has him saying a sitting presi dent should never be older than that. But Stuart Jay Olshan sky, a professor of public health at the University of Illinois in Chicago, warned against blanket declarations about age and ability. “Just because you as an individual might not be able to do some

Wendy Schreuder Fit after 50

Tara Bahrampour THE WASHINGTON POST

Matt McClain/The Washington Post

Hazel Domangue, 82, teaches memoir writing to seniors and U.S. veterans at Howard Community College in Columbia, Md.

Ramsay de Give/The Washington Post

John Tomkins operates a forklift while loading concrete casts in Algodones, N.M. He is 77 and plans to keep working after he turns 80.

thing over the age of 70 or 80 doesn’t mean somebody else can’t do the job,” he said. “There’s people that can make it out into their late 80s and 90s that are processing as well as or better than other people that are younger.”

Scott Goldstein, 80, started working at Hecht’s department store in Wash ington D.C. when he was 14; he is now a lawyer working 40 hours a week in Miami and has no inten tion of stopping. “I’ve seen friends who have sort of retired and dete riorated mentally, and I don’t want that to happen to me,” said Goldstein, who is also a pilot and flies small planes on weekend. “I remain mentally alert while I work.”

Some brain changes do take place in older age, said Joe Verghese, chief of cog nitive and motor aging and of geriatrics at Albert Ein stein College of Medicine/ Montefiore Health System. “Your ability to process information for instance, slows down, the process ing speed slows down. Your ability to multitask when you’re presented with different informa tion at the same time, that gets affected as well,” he said, adding that slower processing can affect a person’s ability to make split-second decisions.

But absent disease affecting cognition, older workers also have some advantages, Verghese said. For example, people often become better decisionmakers as they age.

“Your judgment is a factor of not only biological process, but experience, and your judgment skills might actually improve over time because you have multiple experiences to draw from,” he said. When it comes to the job of president, “Most of the major decisions that I can think of that have affected this country haven’t been split-second decisions, they would have been decisions that required consensus

building, taking input of people, and I think age gives you a bit of greater ability to do that.”

One reason older people may take longer to make decisions is because after one’s early 40s, the myelin ization, or insulating sheath around brain axons, begins to break down, meaning messages are not transmit ted as effectively, said Rex Jung, a neuropsychologist and assistant professor of psychology at the Univer sity of New Mexico.

That can make preci sion pursuits such as math more challenging, but it can also loosen up one’s brain associations, making it easier to see the big picture, and to improvise and create, which could explain why jazz musicians and abstract artists often do some of their best work in older age, he said.

It can also be an asset for, say, a world leader. “One of the benefits, if you will, of this slowing down, is slowing down, and being more deliberate in our thought processes, [making] sure that you do look before you leap, and aim before you fire,” Jung said, adding, “Older people are known for this thing called wisdom.”

Even so, not all of them want to still be working.

John Tomkins, owner of Precast Manufacturing

is employed, still works 40 to 60 hours a week because he can’t afford to retire. “This is a small business, I’ve invested my life and my money into it,” he said, adding that he started working at the company, which his father started, in 1958 at age 12.

A widower, Tomkins would like to travel and see more of the country, he said. But “every time I think about selling it there is something that happens that prevents me from doing so.”

At the same time, he said, working “keeps my mind and my body sharp. . . . I never had any desire to belong to a country club or play golf or any of that nonsense. If I’m going to be alive I’m going to be

tive. I think human value comes from the goods and services that we produce. What else is there in life?”

Elizabeth Shaugh nessy, 85, is president of the Berkeley Chess School, which she founded in 1982. The organization brings chess to around 150 schools in the San Francisco Bay area and hosts classes and tournaments. Shaughnessy estimates that she works at least 40 hours a week, including many weekends.

“It never occurred to me that I would be doing anything else,” she said.

“I’m not the sort of person who sort of wondered all my life when I might retire. When the game first clicks for a child, she said, “To see their little eyes, the joy of that moment, it’s very wonderful . . . It energizes me.”

Hazel Domangue, 82, teaches memoir-writing to seniors and U.S. veter ans at Howard Community College in Columbia, Md., and recently formed a company, Precise Expres sion, LLC, to offer writing instruction. She said her views on working in old age have evolved.

“When I was younger I thought the same thing that others think – ‘No, he’s too old, he should have retired a long time ago,’ ” she said. “But as I grew older, grew old, it’s just not true.”

One advantage Biden may have is that he has spent his life in govern ment, Domangue said. “He’s doing what he’s done for years, for 50-plus years, and he understands the job,” she said “He’s not going as a neophyte. He’s doing what he knows how to do. . . . If your mind is still sharp, why not?”

Tomkins would go further. Two of his best employees, a welder and a salesman, were men in their 80s, and given the choice, he would opt to hire from that age bracket.

“Today if you want someone with experience, wisdom and a work ethic, I think I would prefer to go with the older crowd,” he said. “This generation [of young workers] want flex ible work hours, they don’t want to be managed, they don’t want to be told what to do, they may or may not show up on time. I would stick with the older gener ation anytime.”

There’s cherry wood and tile flooring throughout the main part of the house. Primary bedroom has carpeting with upgraded padding, fireplace, 2 walk-in closets. The 3 bedrooms on the left side of the home all have carpeting. The 4th bedroom/office on the opposite side of the home has cherry wood flooring. The 4th bedroom/office that has its own separate entry doors at the front of the home. The backyard offers a pool with a spa, 2 waterfalls and fruit trees. Enjoy the sunsets with panoramic views of the golf course and hills. There’s a 2 car garage with painted flooring, insulated garage door and lots of storage space. Looking forward to meeting you and touring together. Offered at $1,029,000 Hosted by “Loney & Worley Team” with Andy Klink

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

SUISUN CITY — A commu nity meeting is planned at 6 p.m. Dec. 17 for a new cannabis-based business in the city.

Cannabissary Holistic Healing Center plans to open at 1550 Hum phrey Drive. It’s billed as a "healing center" that "brings a holistic and educational approach to safe, effec tive and appropriate cannabis use."

The business is described as a "doctor-led, woman-owned mom-and pops boutique" . . . "with a focus on cannabis education and safety."

Construction is scheduled to start next spring or summer with com pletion and a grand opening in the summer or fall of 2024.

Members of the community are invited to take part in the commu nity meeting at the Joseph A. Nelson Community Center, 611 Village Drive. The meeting will also be available via Zoom. The Meeting ID is 820 8944 8652. The pass code is 442715.

The meeting is sponsored by Can nabissary. Suisun City staff members are not scheduled to take part.

For more information, send an email to cannabissary@gmail.com.

Courtesy graphic

NorthBay,

Apple Inc. is ramping up work on a mixed-real ity headset, its first major new product category since the Apple Watch, and has renamed the accompanying software in the latest sign of an approaching debut.

The company plans to introduce the headset as early as next year, along with a dedicated operat ing system and app store for third-party software, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Internally, the company recently changed the name of the operating system to “xrOS” from “realityOS,” said the people, who asked not to be identified because the project is still under wraps.

The new software name is a nod to the headset’s mixed-reality capabilities. “XR” stands for extended reality, a term that encom passes both augmented and virtual reality. Aug mented reality overlays graphics and virtual information over the real world, while virtual reality is an all-encompassing experience for gaming and watching video.

Apple’s push into the market sets it up for a showdown with Meta Platforms Inc., the owner of Facebook and Insta gram, which is betting on the metaverse in part to decrease its reliance on Apple devices. The move is also part of a perennial search for Apple’s “next big thing.” With the Apple Watch, released in 2015, the company turned its wearables business into a division that now gen erates more than 10% of its sales – contributing $41.2 billion in the last fiscal year.

A representative for Cupertino, Californiabased Apple declined to comment on its headset plans.

In offering both AR and VR technologies, Apple’s new headset takes a differ ent tack than most existing models from companies like Meta and HTC Corp. But Meta does have a newer headset, the Quest Pro, that blends the two approaches.

The mixed-reality oper ating system will offer new versions of core apps – like Messages and Maps – and

will work with a software development kit that third parties can use to create their own apps and games, Bloomberg News has reported. The headset and its accompanying operat ing system and apps are developed within what the company calls its Technol ogy Development Group, or TDG, a secretive unit led by executive Mike Rockwell. The operating system has been overseen by Geoff Stahl, a senior engineering manager and nearly 24-year Apple veteran who has led work on gaming and graph ics software.

Recent job listings revealed that Apple is looking to create its own 3D-based “mixed-real ity world.” People with knowledge of the compa ny’s plans have said the device will offer virtual collaboration tools and a VR version of FaceTime, rivaling services like Zoom and Meta’s Horizon Work rooms. Apple recently enlisted the head of engi neering for its iWork productivity apps, Notes app and Apple News to work on the headset.

When Apple started developing the operat ing system about seven years ago, the company internally dubbed it “reali tyOS” – or “rOS” for short. Apple recently started referring to the soft ware as “xrOS” inside the company. The new name, unlike the more generic-

Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images/TNS file (2017)

sounding “reality” moniker, could help Apple lay claim to the nascent mixed-reality market.

Around the same time as the name change, a secretive shell corpora tion named Deep Dive LLC filed to trademark the brand “xrOS” in several countries internationally and is trying to secure the name in the U.S. If Apple is indeed behind the filings, that suggests it’s considering using “xrOS” as its public product name as well.

Deep Dive, which was registered by yet another shell corporation in 2017, first applied for the name in Switzerland in March. It recently expanded registrations to the UK, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, Ukraine, Philippines, Aus tralia, Japan, Canada and the European Union. In September, a law firm rep resenting Deep Dive filed to oppose a March U.S. trademark application for the xrOS name by an unre lated Chinese company.

The shell company has made the trademark claims for classifications that include “head-mounted displays” and devices that provide “virtual reality and augmented reality experiences.” Those same classifications were used for the origi nal trademark of the name “realityOS” last year.

Trademarking a name via a shell company in several foreign coun

tries follows Apple’s usual strategy for establish ing a brand, though the decision to start in Swit zerland is somewhat out of character. Apple typi cally files for trademarks in countries like Jamaica, Liechtenstein or Trinidad and Tobago, which don’t easily allow the public to peruse registrations.

For instance, Apple

FAIRFIELD — NorthBay Health and Partnership Health Plan of California have reached agreement on new contract terms, ensuring no disruption in health care ser vices for patients who currently use NorthBay Health primary care and hospital services. The local health care orga nization cares for 7,700 Partnership patients through its primary care services in Fairfield, Green Valley and Vacav ille. Another 68,000 are assigned to NorthBay Health hospitals in Fair field and Vacaville in the event they need hospi tal services.

It is important that we receive fair and equitable rates for the services we provide so that we can continue to take care of our commu nity,” B. Konard Jones, president and CEO of NorthBay Health, said in a press release.

“Partnership is pleased to come to an agreement with North Bay and is committed to ensuring access to care for members,” company representative Dustin Lyda said in a Part nership HealthPlan of California press release.

Partnership Health Plan, based in Fairfield, is a nonprofit commu nity-based health care organization charged with administering MediCal benefits to vulnerable populations in the com munities it serves.

NorthBay had been operating under the same contract with Part nership since 2016 and began attempts in 2021 to secure a new contract.

to

After 18 months of infor mal efforts, NorthBay issued an intent to ter minate Nov. 30 if a more favorable deal could not be reached.

Partnership notified its patients in October they might need to find a new provider if a deal was not struck by Dec. 1. “That was unfortunate, because it caused distress and concern for patients, but such notification is required by the state,” Jones said in the press release. “We are thank ful that both sides worked hard to resolve the situa tion before the holidays.”

Notices were sent by Partnership Health Plan to its members letting them know their health care providers will not change. Part nership members were encouraged to call Member Services at 800-863-4155 with any questions or concerns.

NorthBay reported in July it faces financial difficulty in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, rising labor costs and the state of the economy. It embarked upon what the company describes as a $100 million “budget recovery plan” that included layoffs and a reduction in services.

“Reaching a favorable contract with Partner ship was one of our key initiatives to regain our financial stability,” Jones said in the press release.

“We still have work to do, but we’re signifi cantly closer with this achievement.”

Terms of the new agreement were not released by either NorthBay Health or Part nership HealthPlan of California.

US hiring and wages extend strong gains, keeping pressure

bloombeRg

U.S. employers added more jobs than forecast and wages surged by the most in nearly a year, pointing to enduring inflation pressures that boost chances of higher interest rates from the Federal Reserve.

Nonfarm pay rolls increased 263,000 in November after an upwardly revised 284,000 gain in October, a Labor Department report showed Friday. The unemployment rate held

at 3.7% as participation eased. Average hourly earnings rose twice as much as forecast after an upward revision to the prior month.

The median estimates in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for a 200,000 advance in payrolls and for the unemployment rate to hold at 3.7%. U.S. stock futures tumbled and Treasury yields surged following the report, as investors anticipated a

tRibune content agency

This rendering shows the proposed Cannabissary cannabis shop in Suisun City.

Courtesy map

This map shows the location for the proposed Cannabissary cannabis shop in Suisun City.

Apple renames mixed-reality software ‘xrOS’ in sign headset is approaching

on Fed

See Apple, Page A9 See Wages, Page A9

JONES

Vacaville veterans gear up for Christmas dinner

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DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

Eve meal giveaway.

The event comes on the heels of the group deliver ing more than 900 meals on Thanksgiving, so the cupboards need to be restocked. Cash donations give the group the most flexibility to get what it needs most.

Meals will be delivery only due to Covid-19 pan demic precautions. Anyone who wishes to have a meal brought to their home must call in by Dec. 22.

Beginning Monday, and each day through Satur day over the next couple of weeks, volunteers will be at the veterans hall to accept donations and accept sign-ups for meal deliveries. Checks should be made payable to VFW Post 7244. Donations may also be made via PayPal at the Vacaville veterans website, www.vacavets. org. The tax identification

Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic file (2019)

Children visit with Santa and receive toys at the Christmas Eve community meal, at the Veterans Memorial Hall, in Vacavile, in 2019.

number is 94-2583926.

The Vacaville Veter ans Memorial Building is located at 549 Merchant St.

“As usual, the menu will be turkey and ham and all the trimmings and those who call in beforehand will have their meal(s) delivered to their home Saturday, Dec. 24 between the hours of 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.,” organizers said in

a statement.

To request deliveries or to volunteer, call the veter ans hall at 707-447-6354 or visit www.vacavets.org. It is advisable to call first to make sure someone will be available to accept your donations.

The event coordina tors are Jeff Jewell, Lynn Jewell and Lewis Derfuss.

Los A ngeLes Times

LOS ANGELES — Cal ifornia is now reporting very high flu levels, accord ing to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Pre vention, as the respiratory illness continues to surge nationwide.

The CDC uses five overall levels, from minimal to very high, to measure influenza-like ill nesses across the U.S. and its territories. On Friday, the agency’s color-coded map showed Califor nia and 10 other states, along with New York City, shaded purple, the worst of the three shades in the very high flu level.

Since the start of October, CDC officials estimate, there have been 78,000 flu hospital izations and 4,500 deaths nationally.

The California Department of Public Health classifies all of Southern California as having high flu levels, while Central and North ern California are rated moderate. Flu is the reason for nearly 4% of hospi talizations each week at Kaiser’s Northern Califor nia facilities, the highest in any of the prior four

flu seasons.

In Los Angeles County, flu and Covid-19 cases are surging, and RSV – or respi ratory syncytial virus – also remains at a high level.

“This triple threat . . . has a lot of potential to cause there to be signif icant circulating illness and to strain our health care system – both in terms of the number of beds that are available and the number of healthcare workers that are impacted by illness, which lowers the hospital’s capacity to take care of patients,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a recent briefing.

The flu positivity rate in L.A. County has reached 25%, a level not seen at this time of year in the last four years. “Clearly, we’re . . . off the charts,” Ferrer said.

“We already are seeing many individuals hos pitalized for flu-related illness and complications. So please, we urge people to not just think of this as ‘just the flu.’ It’s not too late to get your seasonal flu shot,” she added.

California has recorded at least 36 flu-related deaths since the start of October, based on death

certificate data. That figure is probably an undercount.

The positivity rate for RSV also remains ele vated – around 15%, higher than in any of the four prior cold-and-flu years, which run October through September.

There are some indi cations that RSV activity may have peaked in L.A. County in early November and is starting to decline. In late October, the posi tivity rate exceeded 20%, according to county data. But it’s possible the 15% rate is simply a result of more people being tested for the virus, Ferrer said.

“The current percent positivity, even while it’s dropped, still surpasses the highest percent posi tivity values seen for our last five seasons,” Ferrer said. “So, still an alarming number of people who are testing positive for RSV.”

At Children’s Hospi tal Los Angeles, the RSV positivity rate is 23%. That’s dropped consider ably from Nov. 1, when the rate was 38%. But the latest figure is still quite high and is about the same as during the peak for all of last winter, which was

Fair Board meets behind closed doors Monday, has regular session Wednesday

VALLEJO — The Solano County Fair Asso ciation directors will meet in a special closed session meeting Monday, followed by their regular meeting Wednesday.

The closed session is an update on the fairgrounds property negotiations. The meeting starts at 9 a.m. The board will receive a recap and review at 6 p.m. Wednes day of the 2023 Strategic Planning and Transition Planning Session.

Fair and Youth Ag Day updates also are on the agenda.

zoom.us/j/8411434457 4?pwd=QkpjRi9kR0R VL2k4Kzk5a0huQVB JUT09. The Meeting ID is 841 1434 4574. The passcode is 616881. The public may call in to the meeting at 669-900-9128. The board also has scheduled a closed session Wednesday, again on property negotiations. Go ONLINE to DailyRepublic.com and click on Readers’ Choice or this logo

t VOTE NOW

Robinson Kuntz/ Daily Republic file A sheep in a cage at the Junior Livestock Show, at the Solano County Fairgrounds.

See Flu, Page A13

‘Off the charts’: California hit with very high flu activity, among worst in US

Pandemic widened California’s ‘achievement gap’

When the Cali fornia Legisla ture reconvenes this week for a new biennial session it will have dozens of new faces and also dozens of old, unresolved issues.

Housing shortages, inflation, homelessness and drought are among the larger ones, but none is more important than the state’s crisis in public education.

If the Legislature did nothing else during the next two years, the session would be a success if it decisively addressed the widening “achievement gap” that separates poor and English learner students – about 60% of the state’s nearly 6 million public school students – from those who come from more privileged homes.

So far, the disparity has resisted inconsistent efforts by the state to close it, most prominently by giving schools

Where’s the follow up?

It has been around a year now since the smash-and-grab robbery at Daniel’s Jewelry at the Solano Town Center. I wit nessed part of it and later spoke to a Fairfield Police Depart ment lieutenant with some more information. He told me they had identified three of the perpetrators and were working on identifying the rest of them. Since then, crickets from the Daily Republic.

What is the current status on this case? Have any arrests been made? If so, when are the trials scheduled for the accused? If not, why not? Unfor tunately, this is nothing new for the DR. During the BLM pro tests, rioters broke into and vandalized and stole items from several stores at the Solano Town Center. What is the status on any arrests or trials as a result of this illegal activity?

Back in either the late 1990s or at the start of the current century, I heard a commotion out in the front of my house and saw a man with a gun out yelling instructions to another person I couldn’t see. Turns out it was the apprehension of a suspect accused of shooting at a person in another car as they were both traveling on Sunset Avenue, because the victim gave the suspect “hard looks.” The victim later died of his injuries. If there was any fol low-up reporting on this case, to include the trial and any incar ceration, I sure never heard anything about it in the DR.

Again, no follow up! Why? This is the newspaper for our local area and we need and expect to be kept informed.

Dave Shreeve Fairfield

Response to gun restrictions letter

Mr. Mulenburg’s letter to the editor, “Thank You Canada,” was printed Nov. 13 on the Opinion Page. His letter stated that if New York City can outlaw guns in Times Square, then that can be done in other cities.

Guns are already banned on school grounds, govern ment buildings, hospitals, churches and many other venues. Banning guns every

with larger numbers of at-risk students extra money for focused instruction. School districts have often diverted the money into more generalized pur poses, such as salary increases, and state officials have largely shunned oversight on how the extra money is spent.

It’s apparent that Cal ifornia’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which included shuttering schools and forcing students into sporadic forms of online instruction, had the effect of widening the achievement gap. Not only did California children score very low, vis-à-vis other states, in the most recent round of federal academic achievement tests, the National Assessment of Education Progress, but there were sharp differences in how individual school districts fared.

Researchers from Stan

ford and Harvard universities crunched the NAEP data to assess the pandemic’s effects and concluded the most neg ative impacts were on local school systems with high numbers of poor children, par ticularly in states which, like California, had prolonged school closures.

That’s perfectly logical, when you think of it. Afflu ent parents were more likely to work at home, where they could monitor how their children were doing in “Zoom school,” were more likely to have resources for remote learning, and were able, as news media reported, to hire tutors and set up mock-classrooms for their own children and classmates.

Poor parents, on the other hand, generally had to leave their homes for work, leaving their children to fend for them selves, and often lacked internet access. The photos of poor chil dren trying to tap into the Wi-Fi

system of fast food restaurants attested to that disparity, as did widespread digital truancy.

The New York Times, in its coverage of the Stanfordbased Educational Opportunity Project’s NAEP analysis, cited the case of two California school districts, one in affluent Cuper tino and the other in relatively poor Merced.

“Cupertino Union, a Silicon Valley school district where about 6% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch (a marker that researchers use to estimate poverty), spent nearly half of the 2020-21 school year remote,” the Times noted. “So did Merced City in the Central Valley, where nearly 80% of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch,” according to the Harvard-Stanford analysis.

“Yet despite spending roughly the same amount of time attending classes remotely, students in the wealthier Cuper tino district actually gained

ground in math, while stu dents in poorer Merced City fell behind.”

“The poverty rate is very predictive of how much you lost,” Sean Reardon, an edu cation professor at Stanford who was on the analysis team, told the Times.

Giving poor districts such as Merced more money is one obvious response, but the Leg islature should insist on better oversight on how extra money is spent and also accept that there’s more to the equation than money.

Some school districts do an exemplary job of overcoming students’ disadvantages and the state should push other systems to replicate their success.

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

where is not going to solve the gun violence problem. We have a mental health crisis in this country and no one is doing anything about it.

People who are trained and have a CCW license are more apt to stop a mass shooting than someone without a gun.

This country needs to do away with no-cash bail and hold these criminals accountable for their actions. District attorneys are not doing the job they were appointed to do by not filing charges against these perpe trators. Remember, criminals don’t pay attention to the laws or rules and we have seen this many times.

The United States is not like Canada and we should not follow in their footsteps.

As has happened in the past, a good guy with a gun can stop a bad guy with a gun.

Andrew Moothart Vacaville

Farm Bureau’s gun raffle poorly timed

In the same week that there were mass shootings in Ches apeake, Virginia, Virginia

DAILY REPUBLIC

Foy McNaughton President / CEO / Publisher

T. Burt McNaughton Co-Publisher Glen Faison Managing Editor

Tech University and in Col orado Springs, Colorado, the Solano County Farm Bureau announced that it is raising money through a drawing for a gun. The bureau says it is to raise money for ag education.

Certainly, there must be something more ag educationrelated than a gun that could be raffled off.

Charlotte Lance Vacaville

The Right Stuff does not misinform

A correction is in order for a Nov. 27 letter to the editor alleg ing misinformation in a Right Stuff column. That column was No. 438 without any doc umented error so the spotless record continues.

The total wording of the partially quoted sentence is, “FBI Director James Comey lied when he failed to prose cute Hillary Clinton for security violations by excusing her for lack of intent (the law requires compliance, intent is not rel evant as thousands of citizens know), the Democrat gover nors who violated constitutional

law in the 2020 election, and mayors of riot-torn cities in 2021 who failed to prosecute rioters that killed and burned $2 billion of property, all remain unpunished for their crimes.” The entire column is identifying malpractice and mismanagement at senior government levels. The iden tified unpunished subjects of this sentence were FBI Direc tor Comey, specified governors and specified mayors, not the descriptive objects.

To correct additional errors refer to the official report on the 2020 protests and civil unrest by the Major Cities Chiefs Asso ciation. The subject letter listed news media extravagant and false reports of arrests. Sixtyseven of the largest cities of the United States participated in this association report for the period May 25 through July 31, 2020; they experienced 8,700 protests of which 522 (6%) were peaceful demonstrations, 8,178 (94%) experienced civil disobedience and 6,873 (79%) experience acts of violence.

Total arrests were 16,241, which is less than two arrests per protest. Of course, arrests are not punishment. How many were prosecuted? Very few. Half of the agencies reported

their district attorney denied prosecution of all protest arrests. One district attorney arbitrarily rejected any prose cution without multiple charges regardless of the severity of the single charge. Of the total, 2,735 were for felonies, which I would assume would be more assured of prosecution, but some district attorneys denied all arrests with felony charges even with video evidence.

Now can we that agree America’s justice system is failing?

Earl Heal Vacaville

Letters to the editor

Letters must be 325 words or less and are subject to editing for length and clarity. All letters must include the author’s name, address and phone number.

Send letters to Letters to the Editor, the Daily Republic, P.O. Box 47, Fairfield, CA 94533, email to gfaison@dailyrepublic. net or drop them off at our office, 1250 Texas St. in Fairfield.

Fairfield

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

A McNaughton Newspaper Locally Owned and Operated Serving Solano County since 1855

Dan Walters

Crime logs

FairField

THURSDAY, DEC. 1

12:04 a.m. — Reckless driver, AIR BASE PARKWAY 3:36 a.m. — Grand theft, 2000 block of NOTTINGHAM DRIVE 5:36 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 1900 block of GRANDE CIRCLE 7:51 a.m. — Vehicle burglary, 2000 block of NOTTINGHAM DRIVE 8:12 a.m. — Commercial burglary, 4900 block of FULTON DRIVE 9:09 a.m. — Drunken driver, WESTBOUND AIR BASE PARKWAY 10:24 a.m. — Reckless driver, 2900 block of CORDELIA ROAD 10:35 a.m. — Grand theft, 700 block of EMERALD BAY DRIVE 10:58 a.m. — Battery, 1700 block of ENTERPRISE DRIVE 2:50 p.m. — Forgery, 3000 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD 5:16 p.m. — Battery, 1700 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 6:52 p.m. — Trespassing, 1700 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 7:17 p.m. — Trespassing, 2200 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 8:40 p.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, PEABODY ROAD

FRIDAY, DEC. 2

12:26 a.m. — Brandishing a weapon, 800 block of TEXAS STREET 1:11 a.m. Fight with a weapon, 1900 block of GRANDE CIRCLE 3:05 a.m. Forgery, 100 block of EAST TABOR AVENUE 4:28 a.m. Trespassing, 200 block of EAST TABOR AVENUE 5:10 a.m. Shots fired, 600 block of EAST TRAVIS BOULEVARD 7:19 a.m. Trespassing, 1100 block of MISSOURI STREET 7:53 a.m. Vehicle theft, 1000 block of PIERCE STREET 9:52 a.m. Forgery, 600 block of EAST TABOR AVENUE 10:33 a.m. — Forgery, 3900 block of BUSINESS CENTER DRIVE 11:22 a.m. — Forgery, 1900 block of GRANDE CIRCLE 12:01 p.m. — Robbery, 4400 block of CENTRAL WAY 12:19 p.m. — Battery, 1900 block of VINE DRIVE 1:01 p.m. — Fight with a weapon, 300 block of HONEY

SUCKLE DRIVE

1 :26 p.m. — Forgery, 400 block of AMERICANO WAY 1:48 p.m. — Vandalism, 2100 block of UNION AVENUE 2:05 p.m. — Trespassing, 2200 block of PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE 3:30 p.m. — Forgery, 2100 block of WYLIE PLACE 3:45 p.m. — Forgery, 1300 block of TAFT STREET 3:48 p.m. — Vehicle burglary, 2000 block of CADENASSO DRIVE 4:40 p.m. — Battery, 600 block of VINTAGE VALLEY DRIVE 5:01 p.m. — Trespassing, 2000 block of SAN LUIS STREET 5:27 p.m. — Trespassing, 1100 block of CIVIC CENTER DRIVE 6:13 p.m. — Battery, 300 block of BELHAVEN COURT 6:21 p.m. — Battery, 1900 block of WEST TEXAS STREET 7:52 p.m. — Reckless driver, EASTBOUND INTERSTATE 80 10:26 p.m. — Vehicle burglary, 3300 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 10:46 p.m. — Trespassing, TABOR AVENUE 11:53 p.m. — Arson, 100 block of EAST TRAVIS BOULEVARD

SuiSun City

THURSDAY, DEC. 1 11:13 a.m. — Fraud, 400 block of MEEHAN COURT 11:33 p.m. — Brandishing a weapon, MARINA BOULEVARD 11:51 p.m. — Prowler, PRAIRIE DRIVE FRIDAY, DEC. 2 8:35 a.m. — Fraud, 700 block of CIVIC CENTER BOULEVARD 10:53 a.m. — Grand theft, 300 block of WALTERS ROAD 1:43 p.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, WALTERS ROAD

there was snow so my kids could enjoy the same things I loved as a child, but there are advantages to living here, too.”

Actually, there was snow.

A vendor had created a snow storm of flakes and no one minded that they were not the real thing. In fact, as a very light breeze pushed the flakes toward Texas and Webster streets, some vis itors had their phones out and were taking video of the wonderland scene.

Janelle Perez was working during the tree lighting event, but that was OK.

Her Christmas wish had already come true.

“My Christmas was about giving a wish for someone else . . . and that’s what I did,” Perez said.

She picked out the names of four children at Angel Trees – one in Vacaville and one in Fair field – and went to work fulfilling their wishes. It was no little thing, either, as one of the gifts was a bicycle.

“I got four kids, and I made sure I got kids in the same family so all the kids got (their wishes ful filled),” Perez said.

This was the last treelighting event for Harry Price as mayor. He has served as the city’s top elected official for 16 years, and has been in public service, including a long career as a teacher, for more than six decades.

“Christmas in down town Fairfield is a wonderful event,” Price said.

He said the event reflects the diversity of the town, showing off various cultures and backgrounds.

“And everyone is happy,” Price said.

City poet laureate Suzanne Bruce read a seasonal offering that was then translated into Spanish by Councilwoman Doriss Panduro.

And while there were food and other street vendors offering their goods, the downtown mer chants also were busy, particularly the food joints – and pizza was a top choice, along with any thing hot to drink.

Karen Christy ducked into Gordon’s Music and Sound for a little Christ mas shopping, and Sam

Christmas on the Waterfront.

Steve Dillman was working as a volunteer for First Christian Church, helping children decorate ornaments to take home as a keepsake of the day.

“I remember when they shot the fireworks off from the West Texas Park,” he said. “They did a lot of things differently back then.”

West Texas Park was the former name of Allan Witt Park in Fairfield.

Janet Hull, recreation manager for the Suisun City Parks, Recreation and Marine Department, which hosted the event, was bundled up for the cold weather but happy to see all the Christmas lights and decorations up.

“This is my favorite part of the year, seeing it all lit up,” Hull said. “It feels magical, like when we were kids.”

This year once again featured the lighted boat parade with Santa making landfall and helping to light the tree.

“I still get excited when I see Santa,” Hull said. “I get to drive him to the

Elks Lodge later and it is always a thrill.”

Suisun City’s Christmas event has grown over the years to include dozens of craft and gift vendors as well as food vendors.

“We have a carnival again this year,” Hull said.

Inna Rosendo of Vacav ille came over after she closed up In-Shape, special for the afternoon.

“I’m coming to all the Christmas and holiday events I can get to,” she said. “I want to support everything I can in Solano County because it is important to support the community.”

Not to worry, though. Santa will make his way through town once again Tuesday to visit with chil dren at 1220 Dana Drive; Tabor Avenue at Bristol Lane; Peach Tree Drive at Peach Tree Court; at

100 Tabor Ave,; and on Travion Court.

The remaining sched ule includes: n Dec. 9: 1350 Phoenix Drive; Flamingo Drive at Wren Court, near Dover Park; the San Marco pocket park on the 400 block of San Marco Street; and 313 E. Tabor Ave., in the rear parking lot.

n Dec. 10: Laurel

Permanente Northern California reports RSV admissions at the highest level since the winter of 2017-2018, though they appear to have peaked.

But the meaning of the season was not forgot ten amid the revelry. A number of vendors were sharing their ministries

Creek Park, bounded by Cement Hill Road, Peppertree Drive and Gulf Drive; Villa Court; Grande Circle, in the area of 1950 Grande Circle; and Santa Ana Court.

n Dec. 16: Woodcreek Park, at Woodcreek and Astoria drives; Mankas Neighborhood Park, along the 2800 block of Owens Street; Meadow Glen Park, along Parkview

and reminding folks of a baby born in Bethlehem.

“It is very nice to see something that is about what Christmas is really about,” Evelyn Thomas said. “We should never forget that.”

Terrace; and Rolling Hills Elementary School at 2025 Fieldcrest Ave. n Dec. 17: Nelda Mundy Elementary School at 570 Vintage Valley Drive; Oakbrook Academy of the Arts at 700 Oakbrook Drive; Cordelia Community Park off Gold Hill Road; and Cordelia Hills Elementary School at 4770 Canyon Hills Drive.

will look like.”

In Los Angeles County, where transmission levels also are high and the com munity level medium, the sharp rise in case and hospitalization rates has raised the specter of rein stating an indoor face mask requirement.

In Santa Clara County, Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody said data that mon itors local wastewater for the virus causing Covid-19 were rising heading into Thanks giving and show a sharp spike afterward through out the region.

Perhaps most trou bling, hospitalizations are rising as well, more than doubling from a state wide low of just over 1,500 in late October to 3,793 Covid-positive patients on Nov. 30.

And adding to the misery, influenza and RSV – or respiratory syn cytial virus, which can be dangerous for infants –are spiking. The CDC now lists California among 11 states with the highest influenza-like illness activity. And Kaiser

Cody said that we’re in a “serious respiratory viral soup” of Covid-19, influenza and RSV, and she urged people to get the flu vaccine and updated Covid-19 booster tailored to the current omicron variants of the virus and to wear masks indoors.

Though she doesn’t foresee a new mask requirement, “that doesn’t mean wearing a mask indoors isn’t incredibly important.” Cody said she wears a KN95 mask in indoor public places and an N95 respirator aboard aircraft.

“Many people emo tionally have moved on – that’s completely understandable – and are going about their lives,” Cody acknowledged. “But I feel it’s important to let the public know that the weather’s not good out there. There’s lots of virus circulating, and there are things you can do – get a flu shot, get a Covid booster, wear mask indoors. We’ve got not just Covid but flu and RSV, and masks help protect you from all of them.” Dr. Bob Wachter,

who chairs the medical department at UC-San Francisco, said the number of Covid patients at the hospital there has doubled to 30. That’s still well below the 175 back in January during last winter’s omicron surge. But he’s playing it cau tious, and even though he’s had the updated booster, he wears a mask to the grocery store, isn’t dining out indoors – he and his wife plan to eat outside at a restaurant this weekend – and insists that his friends test before gathering to play poker.

“I’d really prefer not get infected if I can avoid it,” he said.

Many Bay Area resi dents have seen friends and relatives go down with Covid after Thanksgiving.

Leigh Foster, of El Cerrito, said she kept her two daughters, ages 4 and 3, home from preschool this week after two of the youngest child’s teachers and a child in their class tested positive.

“We’ve heard of so many people who got sick either with Covid, RSV or otherwise over the holiday,” Foster said. “We’re trying to be extra careful since our girls already caught Covid once at school.”

Foster is frustrated

that so many people even in the Bay Area seem to have given up on efforts to tamp down the spread of the virus, putting her kids who are too young to effectively protect them selves at risk of being reinfected.

“We spent the first two years of this pandemic watching the Bay Area be one of the safest places in the country due to our masking policies, and as soon as we dropped mit igation measures, Covid has run rampant,” Foster said. “Almost all of the families we know with young kids have watched their kids bring it home at least once. It’s so depress ing that adults won’t take easy measures to help protect our young est children, who are so much more defenseless through this.”

Jacquelynn Herrera, of Mountain View, said she and her husband and 7-year-old daugh ter are all vaccinated and boosted, and she has had Covid twice before, most recently in September. After a “friendsgiving” gathering with nine adults and two children, no one in her family has tested positive so far.

“I had so much anxiety,” Herrera said. “No one masks anymore.”

Goode handed off the kids to his wife so he could take a look around the open shops, too.

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic

Lennox Marie Entzel, 2, top, reaches for fake snow during the Fairfield Downtown Tree Lighting ceremony, Friday.

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic

The Christmas tree lights up the evening during the Fairfield Downtown Tree Lighting ceremony, Friday.

Susan Hiland/Daily Republic

Handmade jewelry by Nefertari Guice, who opened her own popup business last year called Abacus Creations, is shown. She came out for Christmas on the Waterfront in Suisun City, Saturday.

24%. The emergency room at CHLA is so busy that it cannot always accommo date patient transfers from other hospitals.

The positivity rate for flu at CHLA is 19%; before Thanksgiving, it was 12%.

Orange County’s RSV situation remains the same as it was the prior week, according to its Health Care Agency, where officials declared a public health emergency over RSV and other viral illnesses stressing chil dren’s hospitals.

Increasing coronaviruspositive hospitalizations are exacerbating the RSV situation, as a rise in Covid-19 hospital patients means there’s fewer hos pital beds available, the agency said.

At Kaiser’s Northern California hospitals, about 2.2% of hospital admis sions are related to RSV, down from 2.3% last week, according to the most recent available data. Those rates are higher

than in the five preceding cold-and-flu seasons.

There have been at least 14 RSV-related deaths, according to Califor nia death certificate data, since the start of October.

The figure is probably an undercount.

“Given the high levels of RSV activity, caution is warranted,” Ferrer said.

“RSV often impacts young children most severely and causes bronchiol itis [inflammation of the airways] and pneumo

nia. It’s important to take precautions to prevent respiratory illnesses. This includes washing your hands often, and for RSV in particular, wiping down frequently touched surfaces.”

Health experts say one of the easiest ways to

reduce your risk of catch ing the flu or other viral illnesses is to avoid touch ing your face.

The CDC notes that people can be infected with flu and RSV by touch ing contaminated surfaces, where some viruses can survive for days, and then

their face.

“The one point I want to reemphasize is . . . avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth,” Dr. Ralph Gonzales, a UC San Fran cisco associate dean, said at a recent campus town hall. “Very good studies have shown that if we can double down our efforts to be vigilant about this, that will increase our chances of staying flu-free.”

Still, this simple-sound ing advice may be easier said than done. Touch ing your face can be a spontaneous or even sub conscious act that some research indicates can help us deal with anxiety and discomfort, or be related to negative or dis satisfactory feelings.

And it’s something that happens a lot. A study from 2015 caught medical stu dents in class touching their faces 23 times per

hour on average. Here are some tips on how to train yourself to avoid touching your face.

n Be mindful when you do touch your face, and catch yourself when – and, preferably, before – you do it.

n If you catch your self before touching your face, consider folding your hands or doing something else with them.

n Got an itch? Try to ignore it. If that’s bother some, wash your hands, then scratch it, then wash your hands again. Or buy sterile wooden tongue depressors to use as a tool to scratch itches.

Regular hand-washing is also an important step to help thwart viral spread, officials say. When soap and water aren’t available, hand sanitizer can be used as a substitute.

Legal settlement puts police agencies on notice about new use of deadly force restrictions

Los A ngeLes Times

SACRAMENTO — Days after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a 2019 law meant to reduce police shootings, law enforcement union leaders began telling offi cers that the new policy didn’t really change much at all.

It did not put more stringent limits on when police can use deadly force, the president of one of the state’s most influ ential police unions wrote in a memo to its member agencies, and “will not sig nificantly impact the way law enforcement performs their daily jobs,” accord ing to documents made public with a recent legal settlement.

Alarmed by the “misinformation cam paign” targeting the new restrictions on police use of deadly force, the American Civil Liberties Union sued the Pomona Police Depart ment in July 2020 for adopting policies and train ing materials influenced by the union’s effort to under mine the law.

Under a settlement agreement reached last month, the Pomona Police Department will be required to train its officers on deadly force in compliance with the 2019 legislation that Newsom signed amid national protests against deadly police killings of unarmed Black men, including the shooting of a Sacramento man in his grandparents’ back yard in 2018.

Civil rights advocates hope the settlement will finally end the years-long disagreement over the

importance of the law and send a warning to police departments around the state that they must comply with it or face legal repercussions.

“This settlement is important because it affirms that despite what these police lobbying groups might have been saying . . . the law actu ally did change and the law changed to heighten the deadly force stan dard,” said Adrienna Wong, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Southern California.

The law, known as Assembly Bill 392, says police can use deadly force only when “neces sary in defense of human life,” a change support ers hailed as a pivotal step toward mitigating police shootings – but one that law enforcement critics deemed little more than a technical update of an anti quated state law.

Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, who voted for the measure during his tenure in the state Assembly, said the settlement could provide more clarity on the law.

“No one should have a misunderstanding about what [AB] 392 requires,” he said. “To the extent that there was any misunder standing or difference of interpretation by some in California, now that that’s clarified, that’s certainly a good thing.”

The battle over AB 392 was one of the Cap itol’s most intense legislative fights of 2019.

Families of police shooting victims routinely traveled to the Capitol to advocate for stronger restrictions against when officers

can pull the trigger. Law enforcement groups raised serious safety con cerns over setting what they described as an “impossible standard” for their members.

In the end, both sides claimed victory.

The proposal raised California’s deadly force standard from “reason able” to “necessary” to preserve human life. But to broker a deal with police unions, legislators agreed to a set of amendments that included removing the definition of “necessary” in the bill’s final version, leaving that interpretation up to the courts.

With those changes, law enforcement groups said the bill maintained the “reasonable” stan dard and simply codified into California law two U.S. Supreme Court cases that dictate when and how deadly force can be used.

One of those cases, Graham vs. Connor, says

deadly force is justified if a “reasonable officer” in the same circumstances would do the same thing, which has led prosecutors to focus only on the split second when an officer decides to shoot.

The new law includes elements of that case because it also is based on the perspective of a “reasonable officer.” But it requires prosecutors to consider both the behav ior of the suspect and the officer that led to a shoot ing, a broader look at the circumstances that is intended to encour age de-escalation tactics and other strategies. An analysis of the bill deter mined it would “exceed the standards articulated and set forth by the U.S. Supreme Court.”

But Brian Marvel, pres ident of the Peace Officers Research Association of California, sent a message to member organiza tions days after Newsom

signed the bill claiming that advocates were “not successful in changing the standard to evaluate the use of deadly force from ‘reasonably objective’ to ‘necessary,’” and that the change wouldn’t sig nificantly change current policing practices.

Lexipol, a public safety consulting company that counts many California police departments among its clients, also published a legal analysis of the bill that said while AB 392 included a few “benign changes,” the “good news” was that it maintained the “reason ableness” standard.

The ACLU said the misinformation quickly spread to departments across the state and led to poor training – including in Pomona – that violated the new law.

“Pomona Police Department officers have an erroneous view of the law regarding their use of force, and they carry this misunderstanding with them on an ongoing basis as they patrol the com munity while armed with deadly weapons,” the lawsuit alleged.

The Pomona Police Department did not respond to requests for comment. According to court records, top depart ment officials claimed that officers were mandated to watch a video on the law’s requirements and that the agency had updated its use-of-force policy twice in 2020.

The settlement agree ment requires the department to provide training on the “signifi cant change in use of force threshold” and to update

its use-of-force policy to reflect the elevated legal standard, which officers must sign in acknowledg ment. It is also not allowed to use PORAC com munications for formal training purposes.

Even after the settle ment was reached, some law enforcement groups still maintained that the law didn’t make a sweeping change.

In a statement, Lexipol spokesperson Shannon Pieper said the company shared information with its customers that is “consis tent with the language of the statute.”

Marvel declined to comment, but through a spokesperson he pointed to a letter PORAC’s lawyers wrote to him that reaf firmed the association’s legal position.

“PORAC stands behind our legal analysis that AB 392’s changes to the Penal Code largely codified the constitutional stan dards established by the courts and modernized the antiquated statutes in Cali fornia,” the lawyers wrote.

The continued dis agreement could signal future lawsuits.

Secretary of State Shirley Weber, who wrote AB 392 as a former assem blymember, said police organizations worked hard in 2019 to “nullify the impact of the bill.” The ACLU lawsuit helps “really drive home what the intent of the bill was, and what it did and what the language actually meant,” Weber said.

“I assume we will have to continue to do that,” she said.

Anita Chabria/Los Angeles Times/TNS file (2019) Gov. Gavin Newsom, Assemblywoman Shirley Weber and others gather on stage with families who have lost a loved one to police violence, as the governor signs into law AB 392, a reform of California’s use of force rules for law enforcement, Aug. 6, 2019.

Be sure to visit for future events

This week

THINGS TO DO

I Suisun City

Noon Sunday

Sunday Champagne Brunch

Marina Lounge, 700 Main St., Suite 106. www.marina loungesuisun.com.

5 p.m. Monday

NFL Monday Night Football

Marina Lounge, 700 Main St., Suite 106. www.marina loungesuisun.com.

I Vacaville

2 p.m. Sunday

‘An American Nutcracker’ Journey Downtown, 308 Main St. www.journey downtownvenue.com.

3 p.m. Sunday

Solano Symphony Orchestra Presents Holiday Celebration

Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre, 1010 Ulatis Drive. https://vpat.net.

6:30 p.m. Wednesday

Christmas Concert Journey Downtown, 308 Main St. www.journey downtownvenue.com.

9 p.m. Friday

Dueling Pianos: Jason & Lindsay Makse Restaurant, 555 Main St. duelingpiano vacaville.com/events.

10 a.m., noon and 7 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday

Vacaville Ballet Company: ‘The Nutcracker’

Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre, 1010 Ulatis Drive. https://vpat.net.

7 p.m. Saturday

‘Jack Wright’s: A Neil Diamond Cherry Cherry Christmas’ Journey Downtown, 308 Main St. www.journey downtownvenue.com.

9 p.m. Saturday

Dueling Pianos: Jason & Nick Makse Restaurant, 555 Main St. duelingpiano vacaville.com/events.

I Benicia

6 p.m. Sunday Poker Night

The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therellik tavern.com.

5:30 p.m. Thursday

Soul’D Out Duo

The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therellik tavern.com.

4:30 p.m. Friday Thirsty

The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therellik tavern.com.

8:30 p.m. Friday

Just Jeff

The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therellik tavern.com.

4:30 p.m. Saturday

Duo Sonics

The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therellik tavern.com.

8:30 p.m. Saturday

Chris James and Showdowns

The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therellik tavern.com.

I Vallejo

5:30 p.m. Wednesday

Mark Hummel and Friends

Empress Theatre, 330 Virginia St. https:// empresstheatre.org.

8 p.m. Saturday

Holiday Speakeasy

Empress Theatre, 330 Virginia St. https:// empresstheatre.org.

Noon Saturday 2nd Annual Ugly Sweater Holiday Party

Vino Godfather Winery, 1005 Walnut Ave. www. vinogodfather.com.

SF woman overcomes Covid-19 pandemic; turns tables for 30th

Kung Pao

Kosher Comedy

R aSkin-ZRihen

FOR THE DAILY REPUBLIC

FAIRFIELD — This year marks 30 years since Bay Area comic and producer Lisa Gedul dig launched Kung Pao Kosher Comedy – providing what’s described as the perfect “Jew”ltide combination – Chinese food and Jewish comedy together at Christmastime.

One of the city’s longestrunning comedy shows, Kung Pao Kosher Comedy has been answering the age-old question, “What are Jews supposed to do on Christmas?” since its incep tion in 1993, Geduldig said. Kung Pao began Dec. 24, 1993, with one show at the Four Seas Restau rant. It was held for the next three years at Hunan Restaurant, but moved to New Asia Restaurant

Artists, poets prepare for reception, reading during Juried Art Show

FAIRFIELD — An artists reception and poetry readings are scheduled Dec. 10 as part of the Fair field-Suisun City Visual Arts Association’s 59th Annual Nor-Cal Regional Juried Art Show at the Solano Town Center Gallery.

The reception and read ings will occur from 4 to 6 p.m. Those who attend will

have an opportunity to visit with the artists, enjoy some poetry, snacks and fine wine supplied by the event sponsor, BackRoad Vines Winery.

Local poets are visit ing the Solano Town Center Gallery, selecting a piece of artwork the inspires them and writing a poem about that artwork. Each poet will recite their poem during the reception. Artists submitted

174 pieces that were juried Nov. 6 with 104 pieces selected for the show. Artwork was accepted in 14 different categories: oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel-drawing, sculptureassemblage, ceramic vessel, mixed media-collage, black and white photography, color photography, computer art, fiber art-textile, printmak ing, jewelry and glass.

See Artists, Page B3

Solano College student finds voice through her writing

It brings me great pleasure to introduce you to this month’s student poet, Justina Regalado. A graduate from Mare Island Technology Academy in Vallejo and now attending Solano Community College, Justina has always been interested in writing.

I met Justina in Sep tember at the open mic I hosted at the Fairfield Civic Center Library. She also participated with the Fairfield-Suisun Visual Arts Association art and poetry collaborations in October at the Solano Town Center Gallery.

When asked why she writes, she said, “Ever since I was young, I have had a love for reading. The imagery and metaphors that are discovered and created through books and poems widened my view of the world around me. When writing and reading, emotions and thoughts that couldn’t be said are then expressed through written words. The imagery and emotional connection that the author and reader form on words alone inspire me to communicate and connect with others through writing.”

She further said, “In fact, my passion for writing was increased after my expe riences at two of Suzanne Bruce’s poetry events. Gaining the courage and support to read my own original work was more than outstanding, for it helped me develop a stronger desire and passion to publish my own writings. With this help, I have now stepped even further into my goals of working in the publishing and creation of literature.”

What inspiration she exudes. Enjoy her poem and keep an eye out for more of her work. I have no doubt we’ll be seeing more of it.

Justina will receive her associate degree in English and communica tion this month and wants to further her writing studies at San Francisco State University.

Belle’s Library

With the smell of ink And twisted pages that never meet ends, I dance with an old friend.

These books on my shelf

Feel scattered and cloud with dust, But I find myself looking

And longing For more conversations to be read. Come to life

You fictional beings, For I have found worlds beyond vision That allow one to feel peace

In what’s printed and handwritten.

— Justina Regalado

This poem, along with other student poems, is mounted and hung in The Coffee Bar, 740 Texas St., down town Fairfield.

Poems must be sent to Suzanne Bruce at fairfieldpoetlaureate@gmail.com by the 15th of the month prior to publication. Please include a short introduction about yourself, such as if you are a student, where and why you enjoy writing poetry.

Artists release new books at Village 360 signing

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

SUISUN VALLEY — Local artists Dennis Ariza and Vineeta Dhillon will be exhibiting their artwork and releasing their newest books from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 11 at Village 360.

Ariza will be signing his new book, “Photographing California,” which is a guide to locations in California to visit and photograph. His first book, “Bodie, A Ghost Town!,” that was released last year, will also be available for purchase.

Dhillon will be releasing her new book, “Halloween.” This will be the fifth chil dren’s book written and illustrated by her.

Admission and parking are free. Village 360 is located at 4949 Suisun Valley Road.

People may view Dhillon’s and Ariza’s artwork at the Solano Town Center Gallery and Village 360 Gallery.

Suzanne Bruce Poetry connection

Kent Taylor/Courtesy photo

Lisa Geduldig is a Bay Area comic and the producer of Kung Pao Kosher Comedy.

Nick Larsen/Courtesy photo

Mark Schiff/Courtesy photo Troy Conrad/Courtesy photo

Lisa Geduldig/Courtesy photo

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Mark Schiff, Cathy Ladman, Arline Geduldig and Orion Levine are featured in the show.

See Comedy, Page B3

From

as Hunan was up a flight of stairs with no elevator.

The show was livestreamed on Zoom and YouTube Live the past two years, reaching more than 2,000 people and audiences throughout the country and some internation ally during the pandemic, Geduldig said.

The Covid-19 pan demic threw a monkey wrench into the works for a minute until Geduldig’s sound technician enlight ened her on the subject of Zoom, she said.

“When the pandemic hit, I thought, ‘Oh no, there goes my entire career and my Kung Pao Kosher Comedy show which I have built for almost 30 years,’ ” she said. “Then David, my sound guy, called me and explained Zoom and livestream shows to me and we did Kung Pao on Zoom and YouTube Live for the past two years.”

Kung Pao Kosher Comedy returns in-per son this year (maintaining its live-streamed virtual presence, as well), Gedul dig said. This year’s 30th anniversary event is set Dec. 23-25 in person in San Francisco and live-streamed.

But, some things will be different, starting with the longtime venue.

San Francisco’s “New Asia Restaurant closed, or rather converted into an Asian supermarket, in the beginning of the pandemic, and the building is slated to be torn down and turned into low-income housing,” Geduldig said. “It was a shock and a blow to have the restaurant where I’ve had the event annually for 20-plus years close. I had to scramble to find a venue for the 30th anniversary. I spent months trying to do so and kept striking out.”

Geduldig said she was eventually able to land “a pop-up” Chinese res taurant in what she’s calling “The Kung Pao Room” at San Francis co’s Congregation Sherith Israel synagogue, for the 30th anniversary show. But, since the synagogue is not actually a restaurant, a few other things will be dif ferent this year, she said.

“Since it’s actually not a Chinese restaurant, the tagline for this year‘s show is Jewish Comedy on Christmas in a (pop-up) Chinese Restaurant,” she said. “And, whereas in the past we’ve transformed a Chinese restaurant into a synagogue, this year we will be transforming a synagogue into a Chinese restaurant. But I need to be careful about cultural appropriation. We’ll proba bly hang red lanterns.”

Kung Pao’s traditional “kosher prawns” shrimp course likewise won’t be on this year’s menu as shrimp isn’t kosher and the synagogue won’t allow it, Geduldig said. But, there will be Chinese food, catered by Green Chow Down, headed by Chef Angela Chou.

Green Chow Down’s clients include companies like Google, private events, weddings, fundraisers and bar/bat mitzvahs, Gedul dig said. The dinner menu features the event’s sig nature dish, Kung Pao chicken (or tofu), along with steamed cod with black bean and ginger sauce, Chinese green beans with mushrooms and onions, sautéed egg plant with red bell pepper

COMEDY Preview

30th Anniversary of Kung Pao Kosher Comedy

What : Jewish Comedy on Christmas in a (pop-up) Chinese Restaurant with Mark Schiff, Cathy Ladman, Orion Levine, Arline Geduldig (by video) and Lisa Geduldig.

When : Dec. 23, Dec. 24, and Dec. 25. In-person: Dinner, 5 p.m. Show, 6 p.m. Livestream: 6 p.m.

Where : The Kung Pao Room, Congregation Sherith Israel, 2266 California St. at Webster, San Francisco, and virtually (on YouTube Live).

Tickets : www.citybox office.com/kungpao

and garlic, and steamed jasmine rice. Virtual Kung Pao viewers in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond may order the same menu through Chou’s ChowBox at chow boxkungpaokosher.com.

In-person attendees and virtual viewers who order the dinner will receive a custom-made Yiddish proverb fortune cookie with their meal. Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory in San Fran cisco’s Chinatown has been turning out fortune cookies since 1962 and making Kung Pao’s since 1994, Gelduldig said. The Yiddish proverbs include the infamous “With one tuchus, you can’t dance at two weddings.” (You can’t be in two places at once.)

Through the decades, many of the great Jewish comedians have graced the Kung Pao stage, Gelduldig said.

“Henny Youngman per formed his last show there in 1997 at 91 years old,” she said. “Shelley Berman has headlined, as has David Brenner, as have many others in the Who’s Who of Jewish Come dians including Elayne Boosler, Carol Leifer, Wendy Liebman, Cathy Ladman, Judy Gold, Jeff Ross and Gary Gulman.” (www.koshercomedy.com/ past-comedians)

This year’s shows feature:

n Mark Schiff, who tours with Jerry Seinfeld and was a writer and actor on “Mad About You.”

n Cathy Ladman, “The Tonight Show” guest a gazillion times; and has appeared on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Modern Family” and “Mad Me.”

n Orion Levine, recent Berkeley to Los Angeles transplant; just featured as a New Face at Montreal’s “Just for Laughs Comedy Festival.”

n Lisa Geduldig, Kung Pao host.

n Arline Geduldig, Lisa’s 91-year-young mom, who will appear by video from Florida.

Arline Geduldig has been performing on Lisa Geduldig’s virtual comedy shows for the past two years since she got marooned in Florida at the beginning of the pan demic, her daughter said.

In-person attendees sit at tables of 10 and eat dinner Chinese banquet style before the show.

Table names include Alan King, Barbra Strei sand, Catskills, Chutzpah, Fanny Brice, Gefilte Fish, Gilda Radner, Joan Rivers, Kasha Varnishkas, Kvetch, Marx Brothers and Meshugganah.

Partial proceeds benefit the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank and The Center for Reproductive Rights.

Symphony kicks off season with ‘Holiday Celebration’

DAily r epubliC STAff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — The Solano Symphony Orches tra sets the stage Sunday to launch the Christmas season with a perfor mance of holiday classics at the Vacaville Perform ing Arts Theatre.

The symphony’s “Holiday Celebration” program features the orchestra’s concertmas ter, Maxim Baluyev, playing Johann Sebastian Bach’s first Violin Con certo in A minor. Also in the program is the prelude to Engelbert Hump erdinck’s opera “Hansel and Gretel,” a medley of Christmas carols and songs, and selections from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” ballet.

Baluyev is an active soloist, concertmaster,

Visitors during the show are asked to vote for their favorite piece. The People’s Choice Award will be presented during the Juror’s Talk from 1 to 3 p.m. the final day of the show, Jan. 8. The winner of

the People’s Choice Award will be invited to have the winning piece of art dis played at the Solano Town Center Gallery during the next show, “Patterns,” which opens Jan. 12 and runs through Feb. 17.

Solano Town Center Gallery, 1350 Travis Blvd., Suite D-8, is located on the second floor of the Solano Town Center outside of Macy’s, next to the

of Music in St. Petersburg.

Humperdinck’s opera “Hansel and Gretel” was first performed in Weimar, Germany in December 1893. It has been associated with Christmas since its ear liest performances and today is still most often performed at Christmas time. “The Nutcracker” is the 1892 two-act ballet with a score by Tchai kovsky. It has enjoyed enormous popularity since the late 1960s and is now performed by countless ballet compa nies, primarily during the Christmas season.

The show will begin at 3 p.m. at the theater, 1010 Ulatis Drive. Tickets may be purchased through the theater by phone at 707-469-4013 or at https://vpat.net.

Musk: Ye suspended from Twitter for violating rules on inciting violence

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

After calls to “fix Kanye” and two months after his last suspension, Twitter has again sus pended embattled rapper Ye from the platform for violating rules about incit ing violence.

The development came late Thursday, appar ently at the behest of new Twitter Chief Execu tive Elon Musk, who just weeks ago restored the account of Donald Trump. The former president’s account had been perma nently suspended by the tech company following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“I tried my best. Despite that, he again violated our rule against incitement to violence. Account will be sus pended,” Musk tweeted Thursday about Ye in response to a user.

The @kanyewest account appeared blank Friday morning, only bearing the explanation that “Twitter suspends accounts that violate the Twitter Rules.”

Prior to that, the

Tickets available for Starbound’s ‘Rudolph’

DAily r epubliC STAff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE —

Tickets are available for Starbound The atre’s production of “Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer Jr.”

The show features Starbound Theatre Performing Arts Academy students.

Performances are scheduled at 7 p.m. Dec. 16; 1, 4 and 7 p.m. Dec. 17; and 4 p.m. Dec. 18 at The Satur day Club of Vacaville, 125 Kendal St.

Tickets are avail able at https:// starbound.regfox.com/ rudolph-the-red-nosedreindeer-the-musicaljr-show-tickets.

AT&T Store.

The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednes day through Sunday.

For more informa tion, visit www.fvaa-arts. org/juriedartshow or call Dennis Ariza, FairfieldSuisun City Visual Arts Association president and Solano Town Center Gallery director, at 707-688-8889.

Grammy-winning record ing artist posted a series of erratic tweets – one of which appeared to show a symbol combining a swastika and a Jewish star – on Twitter. In his self-described “final tweet,” Ye also got a dig in about Musk and posted a photo of the Tesla and SpaceX founder being hosed down on a yacht by Endeavor Chief Executive Ari Emanuel, who previ ously called on companies to cut ties with Ye.

The missives followed weeks of antisemitic rheto ric from the rapper. Those came to a head this week

after Ye aligned himself with far-right influencer and white supremacist Nick Fuentes. The two appeared together Thurs day on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ “Infowars,” where Ye again voiced his admiration for former Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

“Every human being has something of value that they brought to the table, especially Hitler,” he said, eventually adding, “I like Hitler.”

The 45-year-old, whose many business partnerships have evap orated amid the brewing controversy, had been

briefly suspended from Twitter and Instagram in October for offen sive posts about Jewish people. Ye returned to the platforms about three weeks later and claimed he “lost 2 billion dollars in one day.”

In March, he was sus pended from Instagram for writing inflammatory posts about late-night host Trevor Noah, who called out the rapper for harassing ex-wife Kim Kardashian and her thenboyfriend Pete Davidson. (Ye and Kardashian final ized their protracted divorce earlier this week.)

chamber musician and teacher in the San Fran cisco Bay Area. He has served as concertmaster of the Solano Symphony Orchestra since 2011. He

received his training in violin performance at the San Francisco Conserva tory of Music as well as at Rimsky-Korsakov College

Courtesy photo

solano symphony orchestra’s concertmaster Maxim Baluyev will perform Bach’s first violin Concerto in A minor sunday at the vacaville Performing Arts Theatre.

Sac region part of worldwide ‘Giving Machines’ campaign

FAIRFIELD — Solano County residents are just a short drive away from a set of vending machines that allow people to purchase clothing for a local refugee family, meals for a needy family, a blanket for a homeless person, essentials for a battered woman and even chick ens for a family in Africa.

The vending machines are part of a global effort to promote the true spirit of the holidays by giving gifts to those in need. The Light the World Giving Machines, organized by The Church of Jesus Christ of Lat ter-day Saints, are located on the first floor of the Westfield Roseville Galleria and stocked with items that are needed by four regional and three interna tional charities.

The Sacramento-area Giving Machines are available until Jan. 2 at the mall at 1151 Galle ria Blvd. in Roseville. The items available to donate range from $7 socks to a $250 children’s bedding kit that includes a mat tress, blanket, sheets and pillows.

“The Giving Machines will

help Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Sacramento in our mission to assist women, chil dren and families in our region who are struggling during these very tough economic times,” Miriam Sammartino, director of Catholic Charities and Social Concerns for the Diocese of Sac ramento, said in a press release.

“This wonderful program will enrich and transform the lives of those who both give and receive.”

The other local charities with items available for donation are Al-Misbaah, the Homeless Assis tance Resource Team and the Placer Food Bank.

The initiative got its start in 2017 in the U.S. and has been expanded to reach 28 cities worldwide. The three Giving Machines inside the Roseville mall will be the only ones this holiday season in California. Those unable to visit a machine in person may still participate by making an online donation at www.LightTheWorld.org/give.

“We are excited that the church has chosen the Sacra mento region for this year’s Light the World Giving Machines,” Bruce Anderson, the director of the local effort, said in the press

release. “Our region has proven to be very charitable, and we expect there to be an outpour ing of support from the public. These giving-focused vending machines offer a unique and memorable way to light the world with love by serving and caring for others both locally and globally.”

Since the first Giving Machine appeared, total contributions

have reached $15 million. As part of its ongoing global humanitar ian efforts, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints covers all operational costs, ensuring that 100% of every donation goes to the charitable cause of your choice. A team of volunteers will be staffed at the Roseville loca tion to assist individuals and families with their donations and to answer questions.

Due to the influx in the past couple of years of refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine, several of the items from the charities will benefit these families.

“The gifts that the public can purchase from these charita ble vending machines will help refugees from Afghanistan and the Ukraine get settled here in their new hometown,” Helena Madera-Silmi, resource director at Al-Misbaah, a local Islamic nonprofit organization that assists refugees and others in need of all faiths, said in the press release. “They include clothing, kitchen utensils and even bicy cles for the breadwinner of the family to get to and from work. This is a fun and exciting way to really light the world with true charitable love.”

Other Giving Machine char ities also are assisting refugee families, as well as those experi encing hunger and homelessness.

For more on the area’s Giving Machines, including answers to frequently asked questions, go to https://www. givingmachinesgreater sacramento.org/.

Courtesy photo

A man reviews options at a Giving Machine station. Three Giving Machine vending machines are available through Jan. 2, 2023, at the Westfield Roseville Galleria mall in Roseville.

I love my husband, but he’s unwilling to be affectionate

Dear Annie: My husband and I love each other very much, but we have grown apart for a while now. I’ve done my best to be a good and loving wife, yet it seems to be hard for him to give me physi cal affection. He says he loves me and doesn’t want to be without me, yet we physically seem to be 1,000 miles away.

I try to be affectionate, but it seems like it’s “whatever” for him. I don’t feel connected to him and feel like we’re more just friends and partners. Over time, I have given up and don’t bother with being affection

ate anymore. We have a young child together, and I don’t want to divorce. I’ve told him how I feel 100 times over the years, and he says that he’ll try in the future. But he never is able to give me what I need.

He also asked why I can’t just accept him for him. I feel like that’s very selfish because I try to cater to his needs, but he wants me to just deal without something that is very important to me. I feel hurt and depressed about it. I told him that if that’s the case, we should focus on our child and that he should not

Horoscopes

by Holiday Mathis

Today’s birthday

You’ll open your concept of agreements and strike a deal beneficial to not only you but to your family and extended network. You’ll show your love by assisting and encouraging others. Each situation and relationship is unique, so there is not one blanket method that is best for all, but many. Gemini and Leo adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 10, 4, 38, 19 and 16.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). No tra jectory is an easy, singular ascent. Ask any bird, entrepreneur, socialite or performer who has found a degree of success. They will all tell you that learn ing to fly is a messy affair that starts with learning to fall.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). While you’re unlikely to win the lottery today, you will have the satisfaction of helping another person in a way money cannot touch. Think deeply into relationships and realize what you value. Loyalties will be cemented.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Don’t worry about what to say. Just let your curiosity lead the way. Your questions will spring interactions to life. It’s riskier than following the social handbook, but without risk there is no reward.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Life will revolve around what’s important to you. Your interests and attractions are seeds that will grow. A few hours here and there turn into a significant block of time, and soon enough, it’s a lifestyle.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Your envi ronment is full of optional experiences presenting themselves as givens. Don’t be fooled. Math and matter have fixed answers, and the rest of life is up for negotiation. Choose how or if you want to engage.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). The obsta cle is an opportunity, though it can take a while to figure out exactly what kind and how to make the best of it. How can you view this from different angles? Ask for opinions from sources differ ent from you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Somehow, you’re able to give generously to others and still have plenty left for what you want to do. Just keep in mind that you are only responsible for one person’s reaction to life, and that is your own.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Restraint requires energy. Keeping it simple takes work. If left to their own tenden cies, things can get overly complicated, detailed or emotional. Say no to the extras and you’ll have everything you need to see it through.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Stretching your imagination into interest ing areas will enlarge your world. What delights your imagination may not be applicable or appropriate to real life, but the fantasy can positively affect the way you run your days.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Your heart can be made very happy by the unexpected circumstance you find your self in. There is magic in the strange twist of fate. It’s not what you wanted, but maybe it’s what you need.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). It’s amazing how much there still is to learn about taking care of yourself. Your body will let you know what it needs, which is different from what it needed yesterday. These requirements are always changing.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Mistakes are avoided by planning wide margins into your day so nothing gets rushed. The better you are at estimating how long things will take, the more efficient, accu rate and relaxed you will be.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: The empire of Jay-Z spans the world of music, fashion, fragrance, sports, restaurants, gambling, liquor, cigars, television, film and more. Diversity and expansion are buzzwords for Sagittarians. Jay-Z has natal sun, Mercury and Venus all in the sign of “more.” Moon, Jupiter and Uranus in Libra indicate a talent for nur turing beneficial alliances.

Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

expect anything emotional or physical from me. We agreed to be friends and partners, but he says he doesn’t want that. He wants us to grow close and for me to be his wife. He wants to be able to be sexual with me, too.

I’m angry because it’s been the same song and dance for a long time with him saying this or acting like he’s going to be different. I end up getting dis appointed, and on top of that, I feel like it’s disrespectful to be able to have sex with me without being affectionate. I understand people have their love language, but if his lack of affection and connection makes me deeply sad, along with us

acting like we’re friends instead of husband and wife, then why can’t he suck it up and do what will make me happy with this one thing? I don’t find it unrea sonable for someone to act like they love me instead of only saying it and then telling me they can’t live without me when I’m fed up. — Hopeless

Dear Hopeless: Be hopeful. People do change, especially when you both love each other but seem to be having different ways of expressing it. Perhaps you should both read the book “The Five Love Languages” by Gary Chapman so that you each get a better understand ing of how your partner shows love and how they need to

receive love. He seems to say that he wants to work on your marriage, so express to him that actions speak louder than words. That if his actions don’t change, it is just empty prom ises. But your actions have to change as well. You have to let go of the anger and frustra tion from the past and move forward. If you cannot do that, then it might be time to seek the help of a professional mar riage counselor.

Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@

It’s not too late to get your flu shot

K eira Dagy FOR THE DAILY REPUBLIC

The first week of December is National Influenza Vaccine Week, which is an annual reminder that it’s not too late to get your flu shot. Influenza, aka the flu, is a contagious respiratory disease that can lead to serious illness, hospitalization or even death.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends every one 6 months and older get an annual flu vaccine. It’s important to get a flu shot every year because your pro tection from a flu shot declines over time, and flu shots are updated each year to protect against the viruses that research suggests will be common that year. Every year, flu vaccination prevents illnesses, medical visits, hos pitalizations and deaths.

There are many reasons to get your flu shot, but here are the top 5: No. 1: The flu shot reduces the risk of you becoming sick with the flu. Additionally, it reduces your risk of serious illness and hospitalization because of the flu. Every year, the flu hospitalizes on average 200,000 people. This number can vary greatly depend ing on the severity of the flu variant that year. Getting a flu shot gives your body immunity toward the flu viruses

most likely to be dominant during the season, making you less likely to get the flu. In several studies, flu vaccines have been shown to reduce the sever ity of the illness as well.

No. 2: The flu shot is safe and will not give you the flu. A common mis conception is there is a chance getting the flu shot can actually give you the flu. This is impossible because of the way flu shots are made and admin istered. Flu vaccines are made from an inactive version of the virus that cannot cause illness, or a particle designed to look like the flu virus to your immune system, neither of which can infect you with the flu.

No. 3: You can get the flu shot almost anywhere for free or at a low cost. Most pharmacies offer walk-in flu shots, which are free with insur ance. Additionally, for those without insurance, many county health depart ments, qualified health centers, community health centers and doctor’s offices offer free or low-cost vaccines to eligible patients. Contact your health care provider or local public health department to get specific informa tion about whether you qualify for a free vaccination, and where you can go to get one.

No. 4: There is an option to get the nasal spray version of the flu immu nization. While getting the regular flu

shot is relatively painless, there are a lot of people who may be afraid of needles or getting vaccines – which is totally normal. For this reason, there is an option where you can get the same protection from the flu from a nasal spray. The nasal spray immunization can be given to people between the ages of 2 and 49 who are not pregnant and don’t have asthma.

No. 5: Getting the flu shot not only protects yourself, but also your friends, family and loved ones from the flu. The concept, called “herd immunity,” happens when a large percentage of the population gets immunized and the virus is unable to spread, thereby pro tecting those who didn’t or can’t get immunized, including babies younger than 6 months old and individuals who are allergic to ingredients in the flu vaccine.

All in all, there are many bene fits to getting your flu shot this season. Stop by your local pharmacy or sched ule an appointment with your doctor’s office today to protect yourself and your loved ones against the flu. To find a local vaccine clinic, visit solano county.com/flu.

Keira Dagy is a program manager from Redwood Community Health Coalition, a partner of Solano Public Health.

Annie Lane Dear Annie

Metro Services

It’s important to get a flu shot every year because your protection from a flu shot declines over time.

Bellarmine rolls by Vanden to NorCal title

Daily r epubliC Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Vanden High School foot ball team had its second straight stellar season come to an abrupt end on a rainy Saturday night at San Jose City College.

Vanden jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter, but then it was all Bellarmine College Prep for much of the game. The Bells were able to roll to a 35-21 win over the Vikings in the Northern California

Division 3-A title game.

Vanden finished the season 12-2 overall and reached the Northern Cali fornia regional final for the second year in a row, this time in Division 3-A and not 3-AA. The Vikings also won a second straight SacJoaquin Section Division IV championships one year after a state championship.

Bellarmine quarterback Nate Escalada put Vanden in a deep hole early in the second half. The Bells were going for a first down on fourth-and-2 but Esca

lada got much more than that. He broke away for 46 yards and a touchdown.

Six plays later, the Bells came up with a pick-six interception and raced more than 40 yards for a score. Later in the period, Escalada hit Sean McGuire with a 12-yard touchdown pass and a 35-3 lead.

Bellarmine scored twice in the second quarter on back-to-back drives after taking advantage of a Vanden fumble. The first drive was Ben Pfaff heavy as the senior running back

carried the ball on seven of the 10 plays. He dove in from one yard out to put the Bells up for the first time, 7-0. On that drive alone, he had 52 total yards.

The Vikings fumbled the ball on the second play of their next drive. Eight plays later, Pfaff was back in the end zone after a short 4-yard run. Connor Tripp was successful on all his extra-point kicks.

The Vikings got a steady died of Pfaff and Escalada. The two carried the Bells offense with a powerful

running attack. Throwing was difficult for both teams in the steady rain. Pfaff fin ished well over 100 yards.

Vanden scored for the first time on its second drive of the first half. Bel larmine lined up to punt and had the snap sail over the kicker's head and into the end zone. The kicker was able to pick it up and recover for a short punt. But the Vikings were unable to move the ball from the 10 yard line and had to settle for a 24-yard field goal from senior

Rafael Ortiz Valez.

The Vikings got two more points early in the fourth quarter. Bellarm ine lined up to punt and the snap sailed through the end zone.

Vanden ended the game late in the final period with a pair of touchdowns. Quarterback Tre Dimes hit Leon Robinson with two touchdown passes. Dimes had two short two-point conversion runs.

Bellarmine advances to the state final next week.

Rodriguez High’s girls basketball set for new season

M att Miller MMILLER@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Marcell Palmer has a solid core of returning players back on his Rodriguez High School girls basketball team, but December will be the time to see how that group comes together.

Netherlands win over Americans offers up pain, signs of promise

by ChuCk Culpepper WASHINGTON POST

RAYYAN, Qatar — As the Ameri can soccer players took their sadness and their hope and exited this World Cup on Saturday night, they passed through the mixed zone, a strange and familiar maze of padded bar ricades and ad-rich walls at global sporting events where athletes sometimes stop in front of gaggles of reporters and share insights or non-insights on what just happened.

The Americans stopped, one by one by one, and unwittingly built a sort of staccato chorus that told of their pain at their 3-1 shooing from the Netherlands, their sense that they might have done more, and their sense that they might do more.

They offered a bit of What I Learned At The World Cup, as when goalkeeper Matt Turner said, “I think the biggest thing is the margins

of success or failure in this tour nament are just so paper-thin,” or when the youngest captain at this World Cup, Tyler Adams said, “If there’s anything this team will take away from it, it comes down to the margins,” or when veteran DeAndre Yedlin said, “I mean, I think the biggest thing is the group learned what it feels like to lose in a World Cup, and that goes a long way,” or when Christian Pulisic said, “We don’t want to feel like this again.”

First came Turner, 28, who began with: “I said this on [TV], the silence is deafening [in the locker room]. Everyone’s disappointed and every one is in a somber mood.” He told how Dutch seemed to have “expecta tion” about the cutback crosses that wreaked the first two goals, said it “came down to both boxes” where “they finished their chances,” said it had been an honor, and said he hoped boys and girls would watch

and aspire to emulate.

“There’s a tremendous potential,” he said. “If you don’t see that, I don’t know . . . The potential is clear.” He did not want that “to be our M.O.,” and said, “That’s part of changing the expectations of our fans, chang ing the expectations of the players in the locker room, not just feeling like we won a trophy because we made the round of 16.”

Next came Adams, 23, who spoke about those “margins” - they’re everywhere, actually, across the 32-team event - and how the center backs “did really well,” and how he wasn’t around for 2010 and 2014 when the United States reached the same juncture, so he doesn’t know, but this does feel “special.”

Soon came Walker Zimmerman, the 29-year-old center back. He analyzed the Dutch puncturing of

Title IX celebration includes tough loss for Solano College women’s basketball

M att Miller MMILLER@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

ROCKVILLE — The final result Friday night was tough for the Solano Community College women’s basketball team, but it was also a special night as they honored the 50th anniversary of Title IX.

Title IX prohibits sexbased discrimination in any school or any other education program that receives funding from the federal government. It came about in 1972. Among many benefits, the legislation helped advance the growth of women’s ath letics over time.

Solano College and visiting Santa Rosa wore black T-shirts that read “#Equality in Women’s Sports” on the front and “We deserve to be here” on the back. Both teams signed a banner in com memoration of the landmark legislation and

stood together during the national anthem.

Sheila Hudson, dean of

Solano College, talked about the impact of Title IX on her own life before the game to those in attendance. The Cal graduate is one of the nation’s former all-time great triple jumpers who

won nine American titles during her career and set two world marks.

“It opened a lot of doors not only athletically but academically as well,” Hudson said. “Title IX pro vided me an opportunity to earn a scholarship and compete in track and field. I was the first in my family

to finish college. It allowed me to travel the world and compete, and even even tually led me to a career in higher education.”

Hudson recalled the history of women’s basket ball when players used to play half court and turn the ball over to another group of women on the other end. Today’s game is vastly different.

“Now they are allowed to run the full length of the floor,” Hudson said. “We have come a long way but there is still work to be done. I think it is impor tant to understand and remember the impact this legislation has had on girls and women.”

It was a tough night for Solano on the court. The Falcons went up against a 6-0 team in Santa Rosa that dominated on both ends of the court and lost 70-31. The Bear Cubs led

Palmer lost six players and all but one starter from a 2021-22 team that reached the second round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoffs. His star, Camryn Washington, is now getting minutes at Cal State East Bay as a freshman. But he still likes what he has left going forward.

“We can build on last year,” Palmer said. “They have to pick it up and step into new roles. We lost 40 points from last year (per game) and we’re going to have to find a way to fill that void.”

Rodriguez went 17-8 overall and fin ished 8-3 for second place behind Vanden in the Monticello Empire League. The Mustangs won their playoff opener against Granite Bay 57-50 before falling to Vista del Lago of Folsom 63-48. They were one of

only three area teams that advanced into the postseason.

Senior guard Maraya Vaughn, senior guard TyEese Chappell, soph omore Milana Balauan, sophomore Mia Marquez, senior forward Samantha Morris, senior forward Roniya Vaughn and soph omore guard Lieana Valentine are all back to build something new. Roniya Vaughn is the lone player back who

Five big keys for 49ers in attempt to sink Dolphins

CaM inM an BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

SANTA CLARA –Linebacker Dre Greenlaw confidently explained the 49ers’ defensive men tality for Sunday’s visit by the fast and furious Miami Dolphins.

“We know how they like to play. But they have to match us,” Green law said. “We’re not matching them.”

Opposing offenses have been no match for the 49ers (7-4) in their four-game win streak. In World Cup parlance, here are the point totals allowed after halftime: nil, nil, nil, nil. That latest feat was a completegame shutout of the New Orleans Saints, a 13-0 win last Sunday.

The Dolphins (8-3) did not score after half time of their last game, by the way. They did not need to, as they parlayed a 30-0, first-half outburst into a 30-15 win over the Houston Texans. The Dol phins are on a five-game winning spree, so, no doubt, the 49ers’ defense vs. the Dolphins’ offense is the marquee attraction.

The sideshow is how many Dolphins are ex49ers, from first-year coach Mike McDaniel to running backs Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson, plus other assistants ( Wes Welker, Jon Embree) and other offensive weapons ( Trent Sher field, River Cracraft).

As the Dolphins embark on a threegame road trip, they’re one win shy of match ing last season’s total, before they surprisingly hired McDaniel, who was the 49ers’ 2021 offen sive coordinator and Kyle Shanahan’s righthand man for 14 seasons. Miami will present the 49ers defense’s tough est challenge since the Kansas City Chiefs scored 30 points after halftime in a 44-23 comeback win.

“This week, it’s high explosives, speed, and really just seeing if we can hold them to not scoring 40 points on our head,” linebacker Fred Warner said.

Health Services at

Matt Miller/Daily Republic

Solano Community College women’s basketball head coach Matt Borchert talks to his team during a timeout during Friday night’s game against Santa Rosa.

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic file (2019)

Rodriguez’s Maraya Vaughn attempts a layup against Bradshaw Christian in December 2019.

Jabin Botsford/Washington Post

Matt Turner and Walker Zimmerman of the United States react after a goal by Netherlands during Saturday’s match.

CALENDAR

Sunday’s TV sports

Basketball College Men

• Michigan vs. Kentucky, 7, 10, 10 a.m.

• St. John’s vs. Iowa State, ESPN2, Noon.

• Stanford vs. Arizona State, ESPN2, 4 p.m.

College Women

• Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee, ESPN2, 10 a.m.

• Connecticut vs. Notre Dame, 7, 10, Noon.

G League

• South Bay vs. Ignite, ESPN2, 6 p.m.

NBA

• Chicago vs. Sacramento, NBCSCA (Vacaville and Rio Vista), 3 p.m.

Football

NFL

• N.Y. Jets vs. Minnesota, 5, 13, 10 a.m.

• Miami vs. San Francisco, 2, 40, 1 p.m.

• L.A.Chargers vs. Las Vegas, 5, 13, 1:25 p.m.

• Indianapolis vs. Dallas, 3, 5:15 p.m.

Golf

• DP World, Investac SA Open Championship, GOLF, 3 a.m.

• PGA, Hero World Challenge, GOLF, 9 a.m.

• PGA, HeroWorld Challenge, 3, 10 a.m.

Hockey

NHL

• San Jose vs. Buffalo, NBCSCA, 4 p.m.

Soccer World Cup

• Round of 16: France vs. Poland, FS1, 7 a.m.

• Round of 16: England vs. Senegal, FS1, 11 a.m.

Thunderhawks taking runners to national meet

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The

Solano Thunderhawks

youth running club qual ified nine athletes for the upcoming U.S.A. Track and Field Association Cross Country Champion ships scheduled Saturday in College Station, Texas.

The Thunderhawks, made up of boys and girls ages 7 to 17, recently competed Nov. 27 at the Region 14 Championship in Folsom. Qualification spots were given to the top 30 finishers in each age group and gender division. The region is comprised of more than 3,000 athletes from the Oregon border south to Fresno, as well as western Nevada and Reno.

Notre Dame fourthgrader Sofia Alanis finished fourth in the girls 9-10 age group, running the hilly 3-kilometer course at Willow Hills Reservoir in 13 minutes, 35 seconds. In the girls 11-12 age group, Josie Krulick, who is home-schooled, ran to a time of 12:40 with an 11th-place finish. Krulick was followed by teammate and Sullivan Language Academy fifth-grader Tatiana Sanchez in 18th (13:17).

Team captain and Green Valley Middle School eighth-grader Gis selle Swartz will attend her fourth national champion ship after finishing in 19th place on the 4K course (15:53). Jepson Middle School eighth-grader Jenesis Rafferty secured 20th (16:08) in the girls 13-14 age group.

Suisun Valley fifthgrader Parker Shuping finished 12th (13:26) in the boys 9-10 age group and will be participating in his first national finals. Gabri ella Swartz, a Rodriguez High School junior and a veteran of four previous

national meets, will be the team’s only athlete com peting in the 5K distance.

Other qualifiers included Vacaville Chris tian School third-grader Mehtab Kang, who competed in the boys 8-under age group on the 3K course, and Travis Elementary School fourthgrader Bodhi Calland, who competed in the boys 9-10 age group.

Soccer Rodriguez girls edged by Benicia

FAIRFIELD — The Rodriguez High School girls soccer team lost a season-opening match 2-1 Thursday night at Benicia.

Ella Bellandres scored the lone goal for the Mus tangs with her left foot in the first half that tied the game. Benicia got a late goal rebound to post the win.

Rodriguez also had strong play from Zawadi Kapapa, Lauren Snyder, Kaitlyn Snyder and Ella Bellandres, according to head coach Jeff Herman.

Vacaville boys net shutout win

VACAVILLE — Nathan Beltran scored twice and Jimmy MacNiven added a third goal as the Vacaville High School boys soccer team earned a 3-0 win Thursday night over vis iting Dixon.

Head coach Tony Bussard also acknowl edged the solid defensive efforts of Edwin Castaneda, Elijah Cline, Harrison Strausser and Christian Brenes in posting the shutout for the Bulldogs.

Vacaville improved to 3-0. The Bulldogs play Thursday night at Benicia.

Pele responding to treatment

tRibune content agency

Pele’s health remains stable and he is respond ing to treatment, according to the hospital caring for the Brazilian football icon.

Brazilian news outlet Folha reported earlier on Saturday that the former striker had been moved to palliative care and

that his chemotherapy to treat colon cancer had been suspended.

But an update from the doctors treating Pele at the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in Sao Paulo on Saturday presented a more positive picture.

He had remove a tumor during September 2021.

BASKETBALL

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.

Sharks’ Karlsson playing like a kid again in return to Ottawa

by cuRtiS paShelka BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

San Jose Sharks defen seman Erik Karlsson is back at the Canadian Tire Centre just outside of Ottawa, the building which bore witness to the great est seasons he’s had since he came into the NHL as a teenager in 2009.

That is, until this year.

After a record-set ting month of November, Karlsson enters Satur day’s Sharks game with the Ottawa Senators with 11 goals and 21 assists, totals that not only lead his team and all NHL defen semen but now put him just three points shy of the 35 points he collected in his 50 games last season.

If Karlsson, 32, can keep up this pace over the course of a full year – a big if considering his injury history – he will become the first blueliner to finish with over 100 points

since Brian Leetch had 102 in 1991-92 with the New York Rangers.

Karlsson will also be right back in the mix for a third Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman, if not the outright favor ite, after the two he won two with the Senators in 2012 and 2015.

The only other time Karlsson had a start this

fast was in 2015-16 when he had six goals and 26 assists in 26 games with the Senators. He finished that year with 82 points and was second in voting for the Norris Trophy.

“I’ve been feeling good for a while, for a couple of years,” Karlsson said this week. “Obviously right now it’s clicking a little bit more. But I think physi

cally, I think I’m in a good place where I feel I can still do the stuff that I did when I was in my 20s.”

Physical health is always going to be a key for Karlsson considering he’s missed 77 games because of injuries during his four seasons in San Jose. His vision and his playmak ing skills have always been elite, but his ability to skate without any hin drances has helped him regain the form he showed earlier in his career.

“(Karlsson’s) driving so many things and he’s such a unique player from the back end that he pres ents real issues if you don’t take care of that,” said Toronto Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe, who saw Karlsson collect a goal and two assists against his team on Oct. 27.

“He really had his way with us when we were down in San Jose.”

Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group

San Jose Sharks’ Erik Karlsson (65) skates on the ice during warmups before a game in November.

Will Giants dominate winter meetings discussion?

John Shea SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco Giants fans, prepare for potentially a glorious week at the winter meetings.

In what could go down in franchise history as an epic series of celebra tions, the Giants hope to dominate talk at baseball’s offseason showcase, which starts Sunday in San Diego and could feature Giantsangled headlines across the country.

On the other hand, the week could go down as a major bummer for Giants fans. It all comes down to how the negotiations and votes go.

The meetings kick off with Sunday’s announce ment on whether Barry Bonds will be a Hall of Famer. The results of the Contemporary Base ball Era Committee ballot will be known at 5 p.m., and MLB’s all-time home run king must receive at least 12 yeas among the 16 voters for election to the Cooperstown shrine.

Speaking of the Hall of Fame, Giants play-byplay man Duane Kuiper is among 10 candidates for the Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually to a longstanding baseball broadcaster during the Hall of Fame induction weekend. The announce ment is Wednesday.

The Giants’ baseball operations department is desperate to make momen tous news by significantly upgrading the roster through free agency, and these meetings gener ally serve as the hub for intense talks between

executives and agents that lead to megadeals for the top players on the market.

For the first time in years, the Giants seem serious about acting like a big-market team again and willing to sign multiple elite free agents. They’re eyeing the biggest and most expensive prize ( Aaron Judge), the top shortstops ( Trea Turner, Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts, Dansby Swanson), athletic center fielders ( Brandon Nimmo, Cody Bellinger) and a rotation fix if they don’t re-sign Carlos Rodón. ( Kodai Senga, anyone?)

The Oakland Athlet ics don’t expect to make noise at the meetings unless they trade catcher Sean Murphy and will seek undervalued free agents as they try to upgrade all over the diamond.

The A’s hope for good luck at Tuesday’s inau gural draft lottery, which will determine the order

Warriors’ Green finding his flow now as a scorer

By Shayna RuBin BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

SAN FRANCISCO —

Just over two minutes remained in the fourth quarter when the Chicago Bulls trimmed the War riors’ double-digit lead down to one. Golden State needed a bucket, and an unlikely hero emerged.

With five seconds on the shot clock, Dray mond Green pulled up for a 3-pointer. Odds tell us that shot was likely to miss – Green is a career 31 percent from 3 – but it swished in to shift momen tum back the Warriors’ way as they pulled away for a 119-111 win on Friday night at Chase Center.

Green knew he’d be open; his relatively low 3-point percentage gives defenders little reason to defend him from beyond the arc. But a more aggres sive start to the season offensively has Green feeling confident taking those shots.

“I really just want

to keep stepping in and taking them with confi dence when I’m open,” Green said. “But it feels great. My game feels great. My touch feels good, so I feel like I’m in a really good space.”

The 32-year-old made both of his 3-point attempts in his 13-point game on Friday and is shooting 32 percent from 3 this year on an average 1.3 attempts per game. It’s a far cry from the 38 percent on 3.2 attempts he took in 2016, but his 60 percent rate from the field points Green taking advantage of the space defenses provide to be a more decisive and confident scorer.

“He’s open and shoot ing it with confidence,” Steph Curry said. “And that was a big shot consid ering how the game was flowing down the stretch. We needed it.”

It’s a complete shift from the way he played most of last season. Green was benched during offen

of the first six selec tions. By virtue of their 60-102 record, the A’s have a 16.5% chance at the No. 1 overall pick, as do the Pirates and Nationals. If the A’s do not get drawn in the lottery, they would fall to seventh or eighth.

Aside from Murphy, top MLB trade targets include Marlins pitcher Pablo Lopez, Brewers pitcher Corbin Burnes, Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers and Pirates outfielder Bryan Reyn olds, a former Giants farmhand. Angels general manager Perry Minasian said he won’t trade Shohei Ohtani, but let’s remember Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said something similar about Juan Soto before shipping the outfielder to the Padres.

As usual, free agents will draw the most atten tion. Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi must keep in close

contact with agent Scott Boras, who represents Correa, Bogaerts, Nimmo, Bellinger and Rodón along with Michael Conforto, Jurickson Profar, Joey Gallo, Josh Bell, J.D. Mar tinez, Taijuan Walker and Sean Manaea.

Judge, represented by Page Odle and David Matranga of PSI Sports Management, could command more than $300 million over at least eight years after rejecting the Yankees’ seven-year, $213.5 million offer in spring training before breaking Roger Maris’ American League homers record.

The Giants put on a full-court press entertain ing Judge for two days last week, but must compete with the Yankees for the 6-foot-7 outfielder. If both teams are close on years and dollars, Judge will become a Giant only if he’s ready to move on from

the chaos (and booing) in the Bronx and prefers to play closer to his Linden ( San Joaquin County) home and in front of his parents, with whom he’s extremely close.

It would help the Giants’ cause if they can assure Judge they’ll be a perennial contender, like the Yankees, and some early strikes at the meet ings would go a long way toward convincing Judge he won’t be the only big bopper in the lineup.

The Dodgers are a wild card in the Judge sweep stakes, but their interest may be only to drive up the price and tilt the bidding in the Yankees’ favor. If the Giants snag Judge, it would send a message that the National League West power rankings extend three deep and no longer are all about the Dodgers and Padres.

Losing Turner and Bell inger could be a blow to the Dodgers, who won 111 games but were bounced in the playoffs. They like Bogaerts as a cheaper shortstop alterna tive to Turner and Correa, but they also might simply make Gavin Lux the fulltime guy. They lost lefty Tyler Anderson but are bringing back Clayton Kershaw and want another starter; they’re serious about Justin Verlander.

The Padres, who elim inated the Dodgers in the Division Series, need to replace the produc tion of Profar, Bell and Brandon Drury, all hitting free agency, but will have shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. once he serves the final 20 games of his PED sus

pension, perhaps as an outfielder.

Look for the Rangers to be among the most active teams if only because former Giants manager Bruce Bochy didn’t return to the game to oversee a loser. He was assured own ership would ante up for pitching, and a year after the Rangers committed a half-billion dollars to infielders Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, and they added right-hander Jacob deGrom on a fiveyear, $185 million deal.

Bochy has joined another former Giants manager, Dusty Baker, in the Lone Star State, and excuse Giants fans if they’re humming “All Our Ex’s Live in Texas.” Baker is coming off his first World Series title as a manager, and the Astros have delivered him a new first baseman, Jose Abreu, who got a three-year deal. They’re seeking another outfielder and pitching depth and plan to meet with free-agent catcher Willson Contreras at the meetings.

The Giants could make a major splash if Zaidi gets a free agent or two and Bonds and/or Kuiper get the votes for Cooper stown. Speaking of Hall of Fame ballots, The Chroni cle’s Bruce Jenkins is one of three writers who are candidates for the annual Career Excellence Award, along with John Lowe of Detroit and the late Gerry Fraley of Dallas. The winner will be announced at the meetings Tuesday and presented during the Hall of Fame ceremo nies in July.

Kings pull away for victory over injured Clippers

LoS a ngeLeS TimeS

LOS ANGELES — The participation of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in practice Friday wasn’t a precursor to the injured stars’ return, after all.

sive possessions late in Game 4 of the NBA Finals because he couldn’t create offensive for himself.

A back injury seemed to hamper his scoring throughout the season last year. At times he didn’t even look at the rim, and defense could apply pres sure elsewhere knowing he was a guarantee to pass the ball

But Green’s approach this season changed. Keeping in mind an injury that sidelined him for weeks in February and March, Green made it a point to stay in shape top shape so that he wouldn’t have to continually “get back in shape.” Only on his honeymoon in August did he take a real break from workouts and train

ing with assistant coach Jacob Rubin, he said.

“I thought it was important for me, as you continue to get older, to not get out of shape,” Green said. “And then try to fight to get back in shape.”

No play best exempli fied this than a running layup in the third quarter. Steph Curry threw a downcourt pass off a rebound to Green with DeMar DeRozan guarding him. In one swift motion, he jumped over DeRozan like a wide receiver, tipped the ball to himself and spun up for a layup. He ran to the bench and cele brated with assistant coach Anthony Vereen.

“I was just talking about me looking like Randy Moss,” Green said.

It only continued the pause surrounding their eventual returns, the All-Star duo watching in street clothes from the bench while their Clippers teammates were over whelmed in a 123-96 loss Saturday afternoon by the Sacramento Kings at Crypto.com Arena.

Backup guard Norman Powell, on a scoring tear for three weeks before injuring his groin Tuesday in Portland, sat out a second consecutive game. As the Kings’ lead ballooned to 28 points before halftime, Powell rested his chin on his right hand, his expression conveying the emotion of this rout.

The closest the Clip

pers came to putting life into the arena came when a young lineup pulled to within 16 points with 10 minutes to play. The Kings then restored order by scoring nine consecutive points.

Brandon Boston Jr. scored a team-high 18 points, with Ivica Zubac contributing 13 points and 15 rebounds, but the Clippers shot an anemic 35% on Saturday.

Sacramento (12-9), a franchise mocked throughout its 16-season playoff drought, has become a trendy team to watch in coach Mike Brown’s first season.

Domanta Sabonis led the Kings with 24 points. Rookie Keegan Murray added 23 for Sacramento.

One day earlier, coach Tyronn Lue had said the team would wait to see how their injured stars felt after practice before determining their availability.

Local scores

the American airtightness that had carried through Group B but could not hold against Denzel Dumfries’ first-half cross-backs. “Right,” he said, “you never know if it’s some thing that they maybe saw on tape. I mean, I’d have to go back at the group stage to see if those spaces were even open. Obvi ously we weren’t hurt by those chances in the group stage. Maybe it’s some thing that they saw. Maybe it’s just the execution in that moment, but again, certainly that second one, we’ve got to be able to mentally top that play from happening.”

He summarized. “I

think that’s what makes it the hardest,” he said, “just to go out knowing how special this team was, how hard we worked.” He thought they arrived with the goal of winning the whole thing and “showed that we can compete with anyone,” and ran off a list of promising attributes including “the youth of the team,” the “bond,” the “love that we have for each other.” He said this World Cup had been “something that a lot of American fans can look at and be proud of - the way that we play, the way that we went about our work. So I think we’ll be back hungrier than ever, a lot of the guys in their what we’d considered their prime, we have a lot of guys coming through the pipeline that I think can contribute. So it’s an excit

ing time to be an American soccer fan, and I just wish that the legacy - that’s what hurts is we thought this was a group that could have done something no American team had done.”

Andries Noppert popped by. He’s not Amer ican but Dutch, and a goalkeeper, and he took a few questions and chimed in with this: “In my opinion they’re really tough. They go like crazy, like hell. They’re working together. They don’t give up.”

Yunus Musah, still just 20 somehow, was brief but said, “The team we are, we could have done much better.”

Brenden Aaronson, 22, was somewhat less brief and said: “Sad and a lot of emotions. It’s just tough.”

And, “I mean listen, we had just as many chances

as they did.”

Antonee Robinson, still just 25, walked through and said of the two early goals: “I don’t know. Can’t tell you. I think maybe they pulled our team apart a bit, in terms of positioning.”

He said he hopes Coach Gregg Berhalter stays on and said: “He’s given a lot of boys a chance to develop with this group. You look at the whole campaign and pretty much every one’s played their first World Cup.”

Here came Weston McKennie, 24, who pro actively defended Pulisic for his miss in the third minute: “For anyone who may try in the future, ‘Oh if Christian would have score that,’ we all have seen the things he’s done for U.S. soccer. We all know it’s a collective here.”

Ivy Ceballo/Tribune Content Agency

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is the biggest name on the free-agent market.

Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group

The Golden State Warriors bench enjoys Draymond Green’s fast-break basket on a half-court pass from Stephen Curry in the third quarter, at Chase Center in San Francisco, Friday.

Here are five ways to securing a fifth-straight win for the NFC Westleading 49ers:

5. Disrupt Tua

Two months since prompting the NFL to intensify its concussion protocol for players, Tua Tagovaiola is thriving in a season that appeared over after a Week 4 concussion (and a Week 3 return-togame clearance). He leads the NFL with a 115.7 passer rating (19 touchdowns, three interceptions, 69.7percent completion rate).

“He’s tougher than a lot of people give him credit for, and he’s smart, too,” Greenlaw said. “He knows how to manipulate guys with his eyes. He can find the space in coverage and throw into tight windows.”

“He knows where to go with the ball and he doesn’t really need to see the guy open,” Nick Bosa added.

In welcoming Arik Armstead back from a seven-game absence, the 49ers’ defensive front must disrupt his timing, quickly. Tagovailoa takes an average of 2.6 seconds to throw; his quick-strike counterpart Jimmy Garoppolo, is clocking in at 2.65 seconds. Coach Kyle Shanahan said the 49ers are coming off their worst pass-rush game of the season – despite the shutout result – and that Arik Armstead’s return from a seven-game absence should provide a big boost.

Tagovailoa certainly could have less time to throw this game. The Dol phins could be without their starting tackles in Terron Armstead (pecto ral) and Austin Jackson (ankle), and, even if Arm stead guts it out, he’ll at times be matched against

Bosa, who blasted off from right defensive end last Sunday for a fourthand-goal sack.

4. Protect Garoppolo

Garoppolo is not getting sacked and not throw ing interceptions, but he is getting hit, and that is not good for the 49ers’ long-term outlook at quar terback, having lost Trey Lance in Week 2 and installing rookie Brock Purdy as their next-QB-up.

Garoppolo’s surgi cally repaired left knee endured a hit that riled him last game, and, if he’s less mobile this game because of it, the 49ers’ pocket needs more than a “Keep Out” warning sign for the Dolphins.

An especially intriguing Dolphin: Bradley Chubb, who sacked Garoppolo (against fill-in left tackle Colton McKivitz) for the Broncos in an 11-10, Week 3 win. Miami also comes strong with Melvin Ingram (five sacks, nine hits) and Jaelen Phillips (4 ½ sacks, 13 hits). Safety Jevon Holland (Bishop O’Dowd High-Oakland) recorded the NFL’s second-fast est sack this season (2.17 seconds).

One offensive lineman to watch: Daniel Brunskill, who figures to reclaim the starting role at right guard after rotating the past two months with rookie Spencer Burford.

3. Tackle friends

Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. were fan tastic 49ers who mightily contributed to the fran chise’s ascent the past few years. Their Levi’s Stadium return, however, casts them as enemies of the NFL’s No. 1 rushing defense (79.5 yards per game, 3.3 yards per carry).

Mostert rested his sur gically repaired knee and did not play last Sunday, so it’s unlikely he’ll be as healthy and quick as when he ran for a 49ers-record 220 yards and four touch downs in the January 2020 NFC Championship Game win. Mostert not only has run for 543 yards with Miami, he has 119 yards on 17 receptions.

Wilson has scored a touchdown in all three games since the Dol phins traded for him, a game after the 49ers’ acquired Christian McCaf frey. Wilson is averaging 5.4 yards per carry and ran for 119 yards in a Nov. 13 rout of the Browns.

2. Spice-rack shuffle

No, the 49ers aren’t ter ribly thin at running back, just because Wilson and Mostert are on the other team while Elijah Mitch ell is out again with a knee sprain and Christian McCaffrey is battling his own knee issue.

Think of the 49ers’

running back options as a spice rack. Each recipe calls for a different season ing. McCaffrey, if indeed healthy, should get most action. After him, it’s a bigger mystery, although several teammates expect Jordan Mason to see more action.

Mason impressed to help close out Sunday’s win, and if Mason gets to ratchet up his career (10 carries, 46 yards), he has Garoppolo’s endorse ment. “He’s just so strong. He’s explosive, has a low center of gravity and his cuts are aggres sive,” Garoppolo said. “It’s everything you want in a running back, hon estly. He makes it tough on defenses and those are body blows that wear on you in the fourth quarter. It’ll be interesting to see a full game with him.”

Fellow rookie Ty Davis-Price could get his first significant carries since a high-ankle sprain in the home opener. Or the 49ers could rely on Tevin Coleman off the practice squad.

1. Keep up pace

Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are two of the NFL’s fastest players, so, obviously, the 49ers’ safe ties must be on alert as the last line of defense. Open-field tackles will be challenging, hence the need for “sticky” coverage.

“There’s a number of fast people in this league, and, to me, he’s different than everyone else, prob ably ever, with just the physicality and speed,” Shanahan said of Hill, who famously burnt down the 49ers’ Super Bowl hopes with a third-and-15, 44-yard reception to ignite the 2019 Kanas City Chiefs’ comeback in 31-20 tilt.

Hill has at least five catches in eight straight games, and, for the season, he’s already tallied 115 receptions for 1,233 yards.

From Page B6

was honorable mention in all-Monticello Empire League voting after aver aging 7.1 points per game and 6.3 rebounds.

Palmer is count ing on big scoring from Marquez, solid on-ball defense from Maraya Vaughn and Chappell, and more from all of his returners. Balauan and Valentine were junior varsity call-ups late in the season. The Mustangs also have a talented addi tion in junior guard and foreign exchange student from Spain, Luna Perez.

The lineup also includes junior forward Deena Sharqawi, junior forward Ariana Tapia and junior center Giselle Menegatti.

Asked what the key for this season’s team would be, Palmer said, “Defense, defense, defense.”

“We’re going to lay our

Solano

From Page B6

18-7 at the end of the first quarter and then went on a 24-4 run in the second to make it 42-11. It was a lead the Falcons could never cut into.

Ashleigh Barr led Santa Rosa with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Sheri ene Arikat had 12 points. Ciarah Michalik added 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The Falcons were paced by the seven points that Melody Rafan was able to score. Julia Wright added five points. Jade Dickson scored five points and had seven rebounds.

hat on defense, be phys ical and get out fast,” Palmer said. “We’re going to get a lot of layups by applying pressure. We just have to be patient about letting them learn and be ready to play our best basketball by the start of league.”

The addition of Perez is also big to the lineup. Palmer said she is a “great facilitator and has a high IQ for the game.” She also does a “tre mendous job of getting everyone involved.”

The early going has been a challenge as the team is off to an 0-4 start with losses to Pioneer (37-29), Pleasants Valley (67-38), Chico (57-51) and El Dorado (42-25). The Mustangs had a game against another power, St. Francis, late Friday night.

Next up will be a game at home Wednesday against Chavez of Stock ton. And then continued growth before hopefully hitting their stride for the MEL season in January.

Solano was 10-of-55 from the field and shot at a tough 18.2% clip. The Falcons also fired up 22 3-pointers and only hit three of them (13.6%). They were out rebounded 56-42.

“They are the best team we have played, by far,” Solano head coach Matt Borchert said. “I just think they com pletely outpaced us. They gave us a lesson about pace. They ran the floor well and moved the ball well. Our ball handling and shooting is still in between right now.”

The Falcons fell to 3-5 overall. Solano will be back on the court Tuesday night at Hartnell.

Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group

The 49ers’ Dre Greenlaw (57) tackles Saints quarterback Andy Dalton in the fourth quarter Sunday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

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