Daily Republic: Monday, Dec. 19, 2022

Air pollution alert in place, covers western Solano

Daily r epuBlic staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued an air pollution alert Sunday for Monday. The alert is based on an anticipated accumulation of ground-level smoke. The alert bans burning wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel, both indoors and outdoors, throughout the day.

Air quality is expected to be unhealthy for sensitive groups Monday in Vallejo, moderate throughout the rest of Solano County, the Bay Area air district and its companion agency report.

High pressure over Northern California will act like a lid, trapping wood smoke at ground level, the air district reports. Freezing overnight temperatures, Tule fog and light offshore winds, combined with high air pollution levels in the Central Valley are expected to cause unhealthy air quality across the Bay Area.

“Wood smoke is

expected to create hazy skies and unhealthy air quality throughout the Bay Area tomorrow,” Sharon Landers, interim executive officer of the air district, said Sunday in a press release. “By not burning wood, we can reduce the harmful health impacts on our families and neighbors this holiday season.”

It is illegal for Bay Area residents and businesses to use their fireplaces, wood stoves, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits or any other woodburning devices during a Spare the Air alert for fine particle pollution, which includes smoke.

Exemptions are available for homes without permanently installed heating, where wood stoves or fireplaces are the only source of heat. Anyone whose sole source of heat is a wood-burning device must use an EPAcertified or pellet-fueled device that is registered with the Air District to qualify for an exemption.

An open-hearth fireplace

See Air, Page A8

Reports of Beijing Covid deaths fuel speculation about China cover up

BloomBerg News

The number of Covidpositive dead arriving at Beijing’s funeral parlors and crematoriums is rising, according to media reports, despite China not reporting a fatality from the virus for two weeks.

The Chinese capital is in the grip of its worst Covid-19 wave yet, after officials nationwide abruptly abandoned the stringent curbs that have kept the virus at bay for much of the past three years. Staff at a Beijing crematorium told the Financial Times they cremated the bodies of at least 30 Covid-19 victims on Wednesday, while a relative of one of the dead said their family member had been infected with the virus, according to The Associated Press. Reuters reported funeral homes in Beijing being overwhelmed.

Still, China hasn’t recorded a death from Covid-19 since Dec. 4, when two were lodged, that of an 84-year-old man in Sichuan province with underlying health conditions and another in Shandong province. The last official Covid-19 fatality reported for Beijing – which was seeing thousands of cases a day even before China’s swift u-turn on “zeroCovid” – was recorded on Nov. 23: A woman, 87, authorities said had chronic heart disease.

It’s becoming increasingly hard to get a handle on the scale of China’s Covid-19 onslaught, with the country last week halting reporting of asymptomatic cases, which typically made up the bulk of the infection tally. Even before that move, the

See China, Page A8

Downtown Vacaville lights up for first night of Hanukkah

susaN HilaND SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — Hanukkah started Sunday with the 14th Annual Menorah on Main celebration downtown.

A celebration of light overcoming the darkness is at the heart of Hanukkah, according to Rabbi Chaim Zaklos of Chabad of Solano County.

The purpose of Hanukkah, observed for eight nights and days, is a celebration of miracles. It commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire.

It is observed by lighting a Hanukkah menorah, one additional candle each night.

The celebration featured latkes, lattes, Bavarian custard, jelly sufganiyot (doughnuts), dreidels and chocolate gelt (coins). Children could decorate their own

cookies this year.

Jeremy the Juggler rolled around on his flaming unicycle while performing other feats with some volunteers from the crowd.

Vacaville City Council member Mike Silva came out representing the City Council.

“I think this is so beautiful because it is the celebration

of different cultures we have in Vacaville,” Silva said. “It’s a great family event and that is what America is about – family.”

About 100 people came out in the biting cold weather for some tea and cocoa, along with latkes.

Zaklos said this was a year of gathering as part of a seven-year cycle for those of the Jewish faith.

“It is bringing people together and dedicating themselves to another year of devotion,” he said.

Zaklos advocated that everyone should or could be a leader in the sphere of influence at home with family.

“You can be the light in your surroundings,” he said.

Being a little beacon of light is the best difference we can make against the darkness we are all experiencing, Zaklos said during the ceremony.

“The only way to beat the

BloomBerg News

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump awaits the most serious blow yet from House lawmakers investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack – a possible recommendation that he be prosecuted just as he’s launching a comeback bid for the White House.

The committee is poised to decide Monday whether to refer Trump and several advisers to the Justice Department for criminal charges for their conduct in con-

17-month

nection

a massive report.

In Trump’s case, the nine members will vote on whether to recommend a prosecution for obstructing an official government proceeding and conspiracy to defraud the U.S., according to people familiar with the plans. A charge of insurrection is also under consideration, one of the people said.

While a criminal referral by the panel won’t have a formal legal impact, it would be a powerful statement. And it would

with the deadly insurrection in 2021. It is the culmination of a

investigation by the panel, which will also unveil its findings in

Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images/TNS

President Donald Trump greets the crowd at a “Stop The Steal” rally, in Washington, D.C., Jan. 6, 2021.

Susan Hiland/Daily Republic

Jeremy the Juggler entertained at the 14th Annual Menorah on Main in Downtown Vacaville, Sunday.

Susan Hiland/Daily Republic

Rabbi Chaim Zaklos, of Chabad of Solano County, lights the menorah on the first night of Hanukkah for the 14th Annual Menorah on Main in Downtown Vacaville, Sunday.

Evel

Author’s note: This is a work of fiction. It ain’t about you, so get over yourself.

I have to find a new best friend. It’s not gonna be easy because it’s not like people have been lining up eager to apply for the position or anything. I mean, truth be told, Everett is not only my best friend, he is actually my only real friend.

Wade The last laugh

Oh, I am friendly with several people from my school and the neighborhood, but that isn’t the same thing and we all know that, right? I mean, I bonded with Nathan Jensen because he loves “Lost in Space” as much as me and even taught me how to draw the Robot. But that is where our similar interests end. Plus, he is a public nose picker, which grosses me out. I’m talkin’ dang near up to the second knuckle.

Me and Everett have been best friends for over two whole years now. We met in Miss Holly’s first grade class and now we are in third grade in Mrs. Sorenson’s class. But if truth be told, I think when we became best friends it was just that we each were actually using the other as a space saver best friend.

Let me explain.

We both knew it wasn’t cool to be hanging out at recess all by ourselves so we teamed up, but the differences we have are pretty big. We both hoped we can use our current “best friendship” as a springboard or validation to someone else we are each more compatible with to come along. In the meantime, two years have passed.

The only thing is, we do have a pretty cool best friends origin

slight spurs end of best friendship

story. I mean, all best friends have to have a cool story of how they came to be and ours is like something a sitcom writer would make up or something, but it really happened.

In March 1971 we were standing next to the monkey bars and had never talked to each other. A strong gust blew Everett’s bright red hair all over his face. He smoothed it back into place with his hands and I said it must be cool as a white guy to just wake up in the morning and not have to mess with your hair.

He assured me he definitely had to brush his hair in the morning and surprised me by saying he thought we Black people didn’t have to do anything with our hair in the morning. I told him tales about Afro Sheen and picks and didn’t even bother with hot combs and grease, but that Black and white hair thing was what bonded us – and the rest is history.

Only it kind of wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, there were many things to like about Everett. He could be funny and he was smart. He was an only child and so he had a lot of toys that were not only super cool, but were in pristine shape because he didn’t have two older brothers and a younger sister like me who constantly broke them. Plus, he had a comic book collection that ran the gamut from Richie Rich to Green Lantern.

Everett’s mom was super nice and she was the only divorced mom I knew back then. Everett never talked about his dad and I never asked, but they both appeared to be happy he was no longer there. Everett’s mom would often call my mom and ask if I could stay for dinner if we were playing and it

got late. Unlike my house where we had the Clean Plate Rule, if I didn’t like something Everett’s mom made for dinner, like lima beans, I could opt out of eating them and still have a slice of apple pie, with a scoop of ice cream, for dessert.

I know what you’re thinking – what the heck am I complaining about? Everett sounds like a pretty cool best friend and he has the bonus of a cool mom. Well, I haven’t gotten to the annoying part yet, so hold your horses.

You see, there were some things that Everett did that drove me crazy. Take for instance last year when I talked my mom into buying a box of Super Sugar Crisp cereal because it had a Jackson 5 45 record on the back of the box. I cut out the 45 and couldn’t wait to play it, but my brother Doug’s record player was busted.

I knew Everett had a Close N’ Play record player so I took my Jackson 5 record to his house thinking he would naturally be as anxious as I was to not only witness the technological marvel of music delivered via cereal box, but to hear the J5. But that’s not what happened.

He refused to let me play it because he said the Jackson 5 were passé. Now, what I suspected was he had recently had passé as a spelling word and was just showing off something he learned, but he was serious. But it got worse. Dramatically worse.

He said that while he used to be a Jackson 5 fan, he now liked the far superior band . . . the Osmonds. While I kinda did like their hit song “One Bad Apple,” it was no match for the string of great tunes the Jackson 5 had. Plus, the Osmonds’ Saturday

morning cartoon was a blatant rip off of the Jackson 5 show.

That was our first real argument and we were shouting at each other so heatedly that Everett’s mom had to come in his room and break us up. We did later both apologize and remained friends after that.

But he still never let me play my record on his Close N’ Play.

There were other annoyances, like how he never used a bookmark even on books he borrowed from you, but just bent the pages back so when you got it back there were creases in the corners of a lot of the pages. And how he preferred Ginger over Mary Ann. And how he just bit into Oreos without taking them apart and eating the white goo first. Important things like that.

But what finally put me over the edge was when he proclaimed he didn’t like Evel Knievel.

Now, I can’t emphasize enough how much I loved Evel Knievel. With the exception of Muhammad Ali, he was the only example of a real life superhero that I knew and cherished. Like most every other kid in the neighborhood, I pretended my Schwinn Stingray was a Harley-

Davidson XR-75 like Evel rode.

I first would just audibly mimicked the sounds of a motorcycle when I rode, like I was Ralph from one of my favorite books, “The Mouse and The Motorcycle,” but then I heard John Harrison ride by one day on his Stingray and it was making a motor sound. He showed me how he did it and I, too, attached a playing car to my bike’s frame so the spokes hit it and created the cool sound.

We made ramps in the culde-sac and jumped over Tonka Trucks, Fisher Price toys and then each other laying down on the street.

We all had the Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle toy and wore them out jumping ramps and racing.

Everett wanted none of it. He thought it was silly to risk dying just to jump buses or fountains. When he said that, I tried to do the mental calculation of just how much force I would have to generate with an open hand to slap all the taste outta his mouth, but math was never one of my strong suits.

So that’s why I’m looking for a new best friend. I’m thinking of making a newspaper ad. Something like “Looking for a New Best Friend. Must be in the third grade, love the Jackson 5, Evel Knievel, ‘The Planet of the Apes,’ ‘Lost in Space’ and prefer Mary Ann over Ginger. Let’s create an origin story.”

Fairfield freelance humor columnist and accidental local historian Tony Wade writes “The Last Laugh” on Mondays and “Back in the Day” on Fridays. Wade is also the author of The History Press books “Growing Up In Fairfield, California” and “Lost Restaurants of Fairfield, California.”

Tony

Courtesy photo

A Jackson 5 record was available to cut out of a box of Super Sugar Crisp cereal.

Solano cities continue celebration of Hanukkah

FAIRFIELD — Solano County this year boasts more than a half-dozen public Hanukkah events that began Sunday with the 14th Annual Menorah on Main in Vacaville.

This week’s offerings include celebrations in Fairfield and at Travis Air Force Base, in Suisun City along the waterfront, and in Vallejo.

Hanukkah celebration returns to downtown Fairfield

FAIRFIELD — The 2nd Annual Menorah Lighting and Hanukkah Celebration begins at 5 p.m. Tuesday in front of the Solano County government building at 675 Texas St.

Chabad of Solano County and the city of Fairfield host the gathering in the heart of downtown Fairfield. Join city officials and Solano County supervisors and enjoy juggling and a light show by Jeremiah the Juggler. The event will include holiday foods like hot latkes, donuts and Hanukkah cookies and happens rain or shine.

The event is free and open to all. Sponsorships are available. For more information, call 707-592-5300 or visit jewishsolano.com.

Vallejo City Hall venue for Drive-in Hanukkah

VALLEJO — A Hanukkah celebration is planned at 5 p.m. Thursday in front of Vallejo City Hall, 555 Santa Clara St.

Chabad of Solano County and Chabad of Napa Valley will present Drive-in Hanukkah, which includes music, a grand Menorah lighting, a gift box for every car, juggling and light show by Jeremiah the Juggler.

For more information, visit jewishsolano.com.

Jelly Belly, Chabad team up for 13th Hanukkah Wonderland

FAIRFIELD — Jelly Belly hosts its the 13th Hanukkah Wonderland from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday

at the company’s visitors center, 1 Jelly Belly Lane.

The event includes lighting of a candy-filled giant menorah at 4:30 p.m., a musical performance by the Solano Kids Choir and a Menorah Parade.

Jeremiah Johnston, who performs as Jeremiah the Juggler, will showcase his expertise at 5 p.m.

For more information, visit www. jewishsolano.com.

Suisun waterfront site of city’s 2nd Hanukkah celebration

SUISUN CITY — Chabad Jewish Center of Solano County and the city of Suisun City present the 2nd Menorah Lighting at 7 p.m. Thursday on the Suisun waterfront at City Hall, 701 Civic Center Blvd.

Elected officials and other dignitaries are expected to take part. The event features Jeremiah the Juggler and holiday foods. It will occur rain or shine.

For more information,

Vallejo police recover marijuana, weapon after chase, crash

VACAVILLE — An attempt to stop a reckless driver Friday led to a police chase, a crash and the recovery of a sizable amount of mari-

juana and a gun.

Officers on patrol saw the reckless driver and attempted an enforcement stop, but the driver sped away, police report. The vehicle ultimately crashed into a light pole while the driver was trying to evade the police.

The driver was arrested

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE — The 5th Annual Grand Menorah Lighting and Hanukkah Celebration will begin at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the corner of Skymaster Drive and Travis Avenue.

The event includes live music, singing and dancing, hot drinks and holiday food, and greetings from base officials.

The celebration is free and open to everyone with base access.

For more information, visit www. jewishsolano.com.

Deadline nears to sign up for Polar Bear Plunge

VACAVILLE — The deadline to register for the city’s Polar Bear Plunge is Tuesday.

and transported to a local hospital for medical clearance for incarceration eventual booking into the Solano County jail. The driver’s name, gender, age and city of residence were not released.

Officers searched the driver’s vehicle and found what police describe as “a large amount of marijuana” and an unregistered firearm.

Those who register have a chance to plunge feet first into 2023 at the city of Vacaville’s annual Polar Bear Plunge at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 29 at the Walter V. Graham Aquatic Center. The event happens rain or shine.

Register online http:// ow.ly/fAlp50LY5rN.

Mount Calvary Toy Giveaway set Christmas Eve

FAIRFIELD — Mount Calvary Baptist Church’s Christmas Toy Giveaway will take place on Christmas Eve.

The event will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday in the culde-sac of Grande Circle in Fairfield. This is a firstcome, first-served event.

For more information, send an email to tadams@

Vaca shooting investigation snares Fairfield teen in Stockton

VACAVILLE — Police this week arrested a Fairfield teen for a shooting that left a Vacaville teen injured early

Toy giveaway returns Christmas Eve to Suisun City

SUISUN CITY — Christmas Eve will get a little more magical for children this year in Suisun City with a toy giveaway in the morning for city residents.

The nonprofit Community Elevate will host the second annual Community Outreach Toy Giveaway from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday at Crystal Middle School, 400 Whispering Bay Lane. The event will give children the opportunity to get pictures with Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus along with the toys – while they last – and sip on some hot cocoa.

For more information, visit https:// co mmunityelevate. com and send a message.

2 cities, Solano College, SID to meet this week

FAIRFIELD — A handful of government meetings will take place this week. They are all open to the public. They include:

n Fairfield City Council, 6 p.m. Tuesday, City Council chamber, 1000 Webster St. Info: www.fairfield.ca.gov/government/city-council/ city-council-meetings.

n Rio Vista City Council, 6 p.m. Tuesday, City Council chamber, City Hall, 1 Main St. Info: www.riovistacity.com/ citycouncil.

near Holly Lane. A 15-yearold was found to have sustained gunshot wounds, was treated at a local hospital and has since been released, police report.

Vacaville police served multiple search warrants Wednesday both in Vacaville and Stockton and arrested a 16-year-old Fairfield resident in Stockton in connection with the shooting, police report. Police also seized several firearms.

trict, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Lake

nity College Governing day, Solano Community Administration

church Board Room 626,

solano.edu/governing_ board/meetings.php.

Vacaville Veterans Hall to deliver Christmas Eve dinners

VACAVILLE — The Vacaville veterans and auxiliaries are accepting donations of hams, rolls and desserts, as well as cash, as they prepare for the annual free Christmas Eve meal giveaway.

The event comes on the heels of the group delivering more than 900 meals Thanksgiving Day, 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 pandemic precautions. Anyone who wishes to have a meal brought to their home must call in by Thursday.

Beginning Monday, and each day through Thursday, volunteers will be at the veteran’s 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 number is 94-2583926.

Deliveries will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Vacaville Veterans Memorial Building is located at 549 Merchant St.

To request deliveries or to volunteer, call the veterans hall at 707447-6354 or visit the organization’s website. It is advisable to call first to make sure someone will be available to accept your donations.

The teen’s name and gender were not released. The searches and arrest came after what police describe as “an intensive nine-day investigation.”

The shooting remains under investigation.

Solano County sheriff’s deputies and Stockton police assisted with the case.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Detective Kaley Sullivan at 707-469-4857.

Massage Envy - Cordelia

this month.

The shooting happened Dec. 5 on Rocky Hill Road

Travis Air Force Base to host 5th Annual Grand Menorah Lighting

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic

Workers set up a Menorah in Downtown Fairfield, Tuesday.

Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic file (2018)

Volunteers serve food at the Vacaville Veterans Community Christmas Dinner, in 2018.

I’m unsure how to help older homeless, alcoholic brother

Dear Annie: I always read the stories sent to you by your readers, and I have always wanted to write you. Now is the time.

It breaks my heart to see my older brother living in the streets due to his drinking problem. He is 36 and was married for 14 years and has four kids. He lost his family because he is an alcoholic. He does not want to work, and when he has to work out of necessity, he always quits the job after a few weeks.

We’ve all helped him in many ways, but he refuses to help himself. He won’t get help and says he is able to stop drinking on his own, but he never does. It breaks my heart to see my mom suffer like she is by looking at how my brother is losing his life. I wish I could help him more, but he never

appreciates what we do for him. Are we doing a bad thing by not bringing him to our house while he is not working and always drunk? I just need advice, please. —

Feeling Helpless Sister

Dear Sister: No, you are not doing a bad thing at all. In fact, you are being loving. The worst thing you could do is to enable his disease. But keep on loving him. Tell him that once he gets clean and sober, he will be welcomed with open arms into your house.

You are not alone. There is a group created to help family and friends live with the fact that someone they love is either an addict or alcoholic. It’s called Al-Anon. You can see the letter that follows is from a fan. It has helped countless people better understand the disease. I hope that the meetings bring

Horoscopes

ARIES (March 21-April 19).

When you think about the vastness of the world and its billions of human inhabitants, it makes no sense to expect too much from any one source. Establish many channels to what you need; life becomes unstrained.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Of course you’ll be more successful if you can act on good information, but there may not be time to go as deep into the research as you’d like to today. Luckily, your intuition is on 11 and will fill in the gaps for you!

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Pay attention to what makes you ask questions. This is how new interests and epic quests start – with the spark of curiosity. Curiosity will do the job of courage today. It will be strong enough to push you past a fear.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). New isn’t always better, but sometimes the inferior new thing is the right choice anyway. The reason you crave novelty is because you actually need it. Freshness wakes you up to your life.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Stick with what you said you’d do and complete some version of it. It doesn’t have to be the same version you set out to accomplish, but having some kind of finality will satisfy your mind and keep your standards for yourself intact.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’d rather be a witness than a judge. When it comes to matters of style and personal choices where no one gets hurt,

by Holiday Mathis

Today’s birthday

Learning is your work and your play. You’ll love the rewards of your intellectual pursuits this year, some of them tangible, many indescribably enriching. At times, life will open itself to you, vivid and expansive. You can afford to be a bit choosy with your relationships, as you have much to offer and very specific wants. Cancer and Leo adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 4, 30, 22, 1 and 33.

you have the option of being a detached observation. You’re not required to moralize or hand in a verdict.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).

If a hero swept in to save the day, you’d rather it was a hero who also had problems, especially the sort you could handle, thus repaying the favor. You hate to be indebted in any way and will go far to avoid creating that dynamic.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21).

You can’t really work through a feeling without feeling it. Don’t worry, it won’t last. Feelings are clouds drifting through, changing shape, dissipating. Let the emotion briefly rock you. On the other side, you’ll be more powerful.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You’ve known the pain of telling the truth, also the pain of hiding it. This is why you deeply appre-

comfort and answers to you and your mom.

Dear Annie: How come you never suggest Al-Anon for friends and families of those with drinking problems? — It Works for Me

Dear Works for Me: I recommend Al-Anon all the time – and have for years. Thank you for bringing it to the attention of all “Dear Annie” readers.

Dear Annie: Just wanted to let you know that I thoroughly enjoyed your Thanksgiving Day column of poems. They were very uplifting and helped me to remember the real reason of Thanksgiving. I’m grateful to you for giving me the opportunity to read your column. Thank you! — In Gratitude

Dear Gratitude: Thank you so much for your kind words. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@ creators.com.

ciate the situation you’re in today. Your honesty is genuinely needed and wanted.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Shopping around is fun if you’re in the mood but laborious if you’re not. You won’t have to shop, though, because you’ll quickly recognize what’s right for you – a perk of knowing yourself so well!

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You’ll look for ways to connect the small things you do to a bigger vision of your future. One day it will be a thrill to see how it all lines up. Until then, you’ll keep nudging your life and choices into alignment.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Relationships are like cooking. Some dishes work with a few simple ingredients, and others require you to balance many elements, steps and techniques. Neither way is better; it just depends on what you’re in the mood for.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Among the numerous projects filling the overflowing schedule of Jake Gyllenhaal is “Francis and the Godfather,” in which Gyllenhaal will tribute the late, great producer Robert Evans. Four luminaries in the high-energy sign of Sagittarius indicate confidence, charisma and an adventurous spirit. A witty Gemini Moon says Gyllenhaal is the life of the dinner party, or “Ambulance” when applicable.

Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

Bridge

by Phillip Alder

Everyone vacated the playing room and moved into the cold, dark parking lot. Bird was worried that when play recommenced, the defense would be perfect. Not a characteristic thought of an Englishman. Chatting with one’s partner in such a circumstance wouldn’t be cricket.

North’s double was for takeout, showing length in the unbid suits. Bird need not have worried. After leading the diamond ace, West switched to a heart. East won with the ace and returned – a heart! Bird ruffed, drew trumps and ran his diamonds, discarding all four of dummy’s club losers.

At another table in the event, East correctly worked out that West wouldn’t lead declarer’s primary suit unless he had a singleton ace. So, after winning with the heart ace, he gave West a diamond ruff. However, now West tried to cash the heart king, with fatal consequences for the defense.

WHEN THE LIGHTS WERE EXTINGUISHED

Strange things happen from time to time at bridge tournaments. Once, during a power cut, we were forced to play by candlelight.

David Bird, who writes amusing stories about bridge-playing monks, was declaring today’s deal in Eastbourne, on the south coast of England, when the hotel fire alarms went off.

Sudoku

Bill Hodgkiss was alone in finding the best defense. Knowing that he could give his partner only one diamond ruff, at trick three he cashed the club ace. Only then did he administer the diamond ruff for down one.

If your partner leads declarer’s longest suit at trick one, either he is short or he thinks you are – or you need a new partner.

by Wayne Gould

WHEN THE LIGHTS WERE EXTINGUISHED

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

Strange things happen from time to time at bridge tournaments. Once, during a power cut, we were forced to play by candlelight.

David Bird, who writes amusing stories about bridge-playing monks,

Word Sleuth

Annie Lane Dear Annie

(707) 427-1386

Fonda’s cancer is in remission

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

Jane Fonda is getting a respite from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and feeling “so blessed, so fortunate,” she wrote Thursday in a blog post titled “Best Birthday Present Ever.”

“Last week I was told by my oncologist that my cancer is in remission and I can discontinue chemo,” the 84-year-old actor and activist said.

Fonda went public with her diagnosis in September, saying she had already begun chemotherapy for what she called “a very treatable cancer.”

“I’m especially happy,” Fonda wrote, “because while my first 4 chemo treatments were rather easy for me, only a few days of being tired,

the last chemo session was rough and lasted 2 weeks making it hard to accomplish much of anything.”

She said the effects of the most recent round wore off just as she headed to Washington, D.C., for the Dec. 2 Fire Drill Friday. The rally against climate change was the first live Fire Drill Friday since the Covid-19 pandemic turned the protests virtual early in 2020.

Before that, Fonda managed to get arrested five times at protests in D.C. before bringing them to Los Angeles in January 2020.

“I thank all of you who prayed and sent good thoughts my way,” Fonda wrote Thursday. “I am confident that it played a role in the good news.”

Zits Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Pearls Before Swine Stephan Pastis

Dilbert Scott Adams

Baby Blues Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott

Baldo Hector Cantú

Dissension brews among striking UC union members

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

LOS ANGELES — A day after the University of California and union leaders representing 36,000 academic workers heralded a breakthrough agreement that could end a five-week strike, dueling narratives over the tentative pact emerged among graduate student supporters and opponents.

Rafael Jaime, president of one of the two United Auto Workers bargaining units involved in the negotiations, touted Friday’s agreement as a “historic” win that would reshape the lives of thousands of graduate student workers and inspire peers across the country to fight for better wages and working conditions. The pact, he said, would boost minimum wages by as much as 80% and enhance support for child care, healthcare for dependents and international students.

“This contract really does set a new standard for institutions of higher education,” Jaime said Saturday. “It’s a major step toward building a more equitable UC that is accessible to workers from all backgrounds.”

But opponents of the tentative pact announced Saturday that they would launch a statewide campaign to urge their peers to reject ratification. They said the wage gains are not as significant as billed, won’t fully kick in until fall 2024 and would do little to relieve the rent burden on academic workers struggling with housing costs in the pricey areas where many UC campuses are located.

Mark Woodall, a UC Merced Ph.D. candidate in physics and chair of his UAW 2865 campus unit, said the tentative agreement abandoned the demand to link wage gains and housing costs, which he called the “organizing principle” behind the walkout that began Nov. 14 with 48,000 teaching assistants, tutors, researchers and postdoctoral scholars.

“The idea that these are being sold as spectacular wins is just ludicrous,” Woodall said.

The divided views were reflected in the votes to accept the tentative agreement by bargaining team members for UAW 2865, representing 19,000 teaching assistants, tutors and other academic employees, and SRU-UAW, representing 17,000 graduate student researchers. UAW 2865 bargaining team members supported the pact 11-8; for SRU-UAW, the vote was 13-7.

Campus UAW units –which each provided two representatives to the bargaining team – showed significant divides.

All representatives from UCLA, Berkeley, Davis and Irvine supported the agreement; all from Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and Merced opposed it. UC Riverside representatives from both bargaining units split their vote. For UC San Diego, three of the four representatives supported the pact; for UC San Francisco, one supported it and the other abstained.

Both graduate student researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory voted yes.

Both sides said they would work hard to win over fellow union members when the ratification vote takes place Monday through Friday. If the pact is ratified by a majority of members, the strike will end.

For academic student employees, the tentative agreement would raise minimum pay from about $23,250 to about $34,000 for nine months of part-time work by Oct. 1, 2024. The rate at Berkeley, San Francisco and UCLA would be $36,500. The union had demanded doubling the minimum pay to

$54,000 for 12 months, but leaders agreed to take the compromise to members for ratification, Jaime said.

Graduate student researchers would make a minimum of $34,564.50 for 50% time work by Oct. 1, 2024, under a new six-point salary scale.

Members of both bargaining units would receive certain student support funds. Child care reimbursements would be set at $1,350 per quarter or $2,025 per semester, plus $1,350 for summer. UC also agreed to pay 100% of dependent child premiums for eligible student workers, enact new protections against bullying and harassment and increase paid family leave.

Earlier, UAW 5810, which represents postdoctoral scholars and academic researchers, ratified a new contract that boosted their minimum pay to $70,000 with adjustments, among the highest in the nation. The unit returned to work last week. Their new contract also offers increased support for child care and healthcare for dependents, along with transit subsidies and protection against harassment and bullying.

The breakthrough in the protracted strike over graduate students’ wages and other issues – which roiled finals and grading at the end of the fall term – came after both sides agreed to bring in an independent mediator.

Darrell Steinberg, the

mayor of Sacramento and former leader of the state Senate, stepped in to help.

Steinberg, in an interview, said he began meeting with both sides and “listening hard” on Dec 10. By Wednesday, he had made enough progress to set up in-person negotiations and worked past 11 p.m. shuttling offers and counteroffers between the two sides holed up in Sacramento City Hall.

Steinberg did not deny reports that he said he was ready to walk out without a compromise when the two sides continued to balk during negotiations.

“You get to a point where the parties dig in a little harder, and you have to say, ‘I’m now going to insist that you consider these options – this is it,’” he said.

A critical compromise, he said, came when UC agreed to raise the minimum compensation to about $34,000, and the unions agreed to drop demands to increase a pay guarantee for teaching assistants and other academic employees from nine to 12 months.

A majority of members of the bargaining team also agreed to drop demands for full remission of supplemental tuition for i nternational students throughout their Ph.D. journey, which can last six or seven years. Instead, they agreed to accept codifying the current general practice of offering tuition remission for up to three

years after graduate students complete teaching, research and other requirements to advance to a Ph.D. candidacy.

Aarthi Sekar, a UC Davis Ph.D. candidate and bargaining team member, said she planned to promote the pact throughout campus as a major step forward to address the high cost of living.

“In talking with members as a bargaining team member for UC Davis, there is a lot of excitement for this contract,” she said.

But Woodall said the wage gains are being oversold and the pay increase is hardly enough to afford the escalating cost of living, even in Merced. When he moved to the Central Valley city in 2017, he paid $730 for a one-bedroom apartment, he said; such units now go for about $1,300.

He also said he disagrees with the higher pay

for colleagues at UCLA, Berkeley and San Francisco, saying all graduate students should get “equal pay for equal work.” But

those three campuses tend to offer graduate students higher pay in order to compete nationally for top talent.

Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/TNS file Academic workers walk the picket line at UCLA, amid the strike of 48,000 University of California employees, Nov. 16.

Union conflict threatens housing legislation

State Sen. Scott Wiener has been the Legislature’s foremost advocate of loosening land use and design restrictions that inhibit the construction of much-needed new housing, particularly for low- and moderate-income families.

As the Legislature convened this month for a new biennial session, Wiener reintroduced a new version of legislation that had stalled in past sessions – making it much easier for churches and colleges to build housing for non-affluent renters on their own land.

However, that worthy goal is complicated by the renewal of a squabble between two construction union organizations over language governing pay and other factors for workers who would build the envisioned projects. No matter how that conflict is resolved – if it is resolved – it will add costs that could make such projects financially infeasible.

Wiener’s Senate Bill 4, therefore, encapsulates the difficulties that make California’s chronic housing shortage – and therefore its homelessness crisis – very tough nuts to crack.

As written, SB 4 would require contractors on projects generated by the legislation to pay “prevailing wages,” similar to what’s required on state and local government construction. That alone furthers the recent notion that privately financed construction of projects made possible by state law should be treated as public works with all their attendant costs.

The language satisfies the California Conference of Carpenters, but draws opposition from the state Building and Construction Trades Council, which wants tighter language that, in essence, would allow only unionized contractors to work on the projects by specifying that projects must have apprenticeship and training programs.

Andrew Meredith, president of the trades council, said, “We should not have to sacrifice the training and protection of construction workers to provide incentives to developers to build affordable housing. We need to ensure that California workers are employed on projects being built in California.”

The two union groups clashed earlier this year over two other bills aimed at making it easier to build housing on unused or underused shopping center sites. That conflict was resolved by enacting two similar bills with slightly different labor language, giving developers and contractors a choice of which to employ.

SB 4 is the third attempt by Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat, to free up church and college land for housing. He lost a 2020 version due to squabbling over labor requirements. Would-be sponsors of projects on church and college property complained that requiring them to pay high union wages would raise costs and make some projects infeasible.

Wiener acknowledges the conflict that could doom SB 4 but says he hopes to “thread the needle” with compromise language that would allow the legislation to pass.

“SB 4 will unlock an enormous, and I’m not exaggerating, an enormous amount of land for 100% affordable housing,” Wiener told a news conference announcing the proposal. He cited a 2020 study by UC Berkeley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation that found nearly 40,000 acres currently used for religious purposes could be developed.

Such land, the study found, is largely concentrated in a few urban counties where the need for affordable housing is particularly acute and jobs and transit access are most likely available.

“As faith-based organizations grapple with the best uses for underutilized land, interventions at the state and local levels in the form of regulatory reform and new financial tools can provide important support,” the study concluded.

So there it is – an old California syndrome of making it easier to build vital new housing on one hand and saddling projects with higher costs on the other. It goes to the core of the state’s housing crisis.

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.

Culture is ripping America apart

I’ll never forget one night perhaps 10 years ago watching Sean Hannity.

He looked directly into the camera and said, “If you’re a white man over 60 you have every right to be resentful and angry.”

I was floored. Me, white, blue-eyed, raised in the late 1940s and 1950s should be resentful and angry? Heck, the world was my oyster. Another crazy eruption from Mount Hannity.

Now, of course, I know that white resentment is Fox’s stock in trade. Make the dominant demographic angry due to cultural change and direct that anger toward Democrats so white men will vote Republican. It continues to this day.

The culture I grew up in assumed white superiority and male patriarchy. Now, the definition of “good, red-blooded American boy” has disappeared. Boys are no longer young family princes.

I remember my mother telling us she had a woman friend who, at the conclusion of “The War,” (World War II) quit her job as shop window dresser to make way for a man returning to the civilian world. I thought nothing about it at the time; men were the family breadwinners. That’s changed now, too.

Why? Because cultures change. They change all the time. Politicians react to that change. Conservatives resist; liberals accept it as inevitable. So after “The War,” American culture generated rapid change . . . and resentment.

ON THE LEFT THE RIGHT STUFF

It’s been going on, more and more rapidly, since World War II, even making me wonder sometimes if the pace couldn’t slow down a bit. The world I was born into hardly resembles today’s world.

An early-modern philosopher observed, “All that is solid melts into air.” True! And the fact is, cultural change can’t be stopped. Conservatives became conscious and resentful of change starting in the 1950s. The National Review, the first specifically conservative periodic publication, had in its first issue in 1955 an editorial by William Buckley stating, “[We] stand athwart history yelling, ‘Stop.’ ” Good luck, Bill, but it hasn’t stopped.

Let’s take the family and the feminine revolution, from home to equality in all phases of “outside” life. My mother was chief cook and center of the family. That was the norm for every family on the street we lived on. But mine is the last generation that mom was housewife.

My father taught me to shoot, hunt and fish. Every boy I knew wanted a BB gun and many got one. When I went into the Army, I was the best shot in my infantry company. I loved guns.

I teach BB gun shooting to local Cub Scouts. Each year, fewer and fewer come, even though I stress gun safety, “Never point a gun at anyone – ever!” I feel more and more out-of-date.

What’s happened? I trust all of you, gentle readers, can trace the wea-

ponization of gun culture through the abuse of the Second Amendment. That shift happened outside of liberal government action. The love of guns was weaponized by the cultural Right, and here we are. I’m sickened by it. I won’t be giving my grandsons BB guns. In fact, I want all semi-automatics gone from society.

Women’s rights? It began with force in the 1920s with electric laborsaving devices to make housewifery easier. The vacuum cleaner with a beater bar replaced taking carpets outside and beating them by hand.

Gas and electric ovens replaced wood-burning ovens and endlessly sawing and splitting wood. The refrigerator ended daily food shopping. Washing machines and dryers saved time. Dish detergents and shampoos gave women more free time.

Women went to work in huge numbers in World War II and did men’s work just fine. They liked getting out of the house. So by the 1950s they were twiddling their thumbs at home with lots of free time. Then Betty Friedan wrote her famous book, “The Feminine Mystique,” stating that women had always been dynamic and needed to continue that impulse outside the home. Cultural change. “Government” had little to do with it.

Now, the far right wants to put women back as baby-makers and cooks. Good luck with that, boys!

Next week, civil rights and the Sexual Revolution.

Jack Batson is a former member of the Fairfield City Council. Reach him by email at jsbatson@prodigy.net.

Secret to Christmas joy a simple recipe away

Iwant to be Santa for Christmas.

Plump my rump, whip me up a hoary head and white whiskers, bedeck my body in red and white and tickle my tummy for a hearty Ho Ho Ho! Give me the gift of gift giving. I know my first gift and I’d fly into it like down off a thistle.

Dr. Kevin Ryan

A recipe; Santa’s Recipe – and I’d give it away.

Here is the skinny on portly St. Nicholas’ boundless joy. Over the past few millennia, Santa has honed his expertise as a culinary critic of how to prepare a bountiful buffet banquet of living. I have it direct from none other than Rudolph that the Merchant of Mirth knows the secret to put the sizzle in your stake in life. If you tune your hearts and minds just right, close you eyes and wish the most selfless ever Christmas wish, you’ll find yourself there.

Of course, no iPod’s, cellphones, TVs, PCs, CDs or DVDs allowed. Their frequencies interfere with the recipe, as well as Rudolph’s nose. Mrs. Claus assures me Santa’s kitchen is not one of those wham bam, conspicuous consumption scams that simply pack on the empty calories of pounds of mere possessions.

As I learned from Dancer and Prancer, Santa knows who’s been sleeping and who’s awake through

the Christmas song of their days. So, hark! – Take a load off your heart, gather up faithful friends who are dear to you and bring them near to you because here comes Santa Claus’ recipe.

Since every recipe needs a list, before we start, be sure to check it twice. The ingredients are no farther than the cupboard of your heart and the only expertise needed is a pulse. Start with a pound of purpose. Have a reason and rationale to your life that does not start and end by looking in the mirror. Then, add a pinch of productivity. Just get your hands dirty and make something, anything more than it was to start with. Dirty hands, clean minds. Stir in cream of creativity. Simmer, not dwell. Quite a concoction ya got brewing, eh? Sort of like life. The joyous jambalaya of life is always better than the sum of its parts.

Next, lightly flour with forgiveness. Understand it, get it and give more than you receive. Pass giggle, move straight on to Ho Ho Ho and add two to three heaping helpings of humor. Then carmelize the entire concoction with kindness. It’s best that way. Now, strain the sauce through a smile collector; biggest size they make. Close your eyes and savor the aroma, especially when the stink of suffering or boredom chills your nose.

Of course, you have to have tunes. Make music with your eyes, your laughter and your love. Now run around the kitchen twice. Wow the world with your energy. Toss a tomato, juggle a ju ju bee candy and assault the pits, be they cherry or life. Do it with flare and keep moving to your groove.

If you get a scratch or two, singe a hair or burn your tongue, good for you! Every elf worth their weight in mistletoe knows there’s no fun cooking in life’s kitchen without bumps.

Now, then, head for a window of your heart and listen, listen carefully and you’ll hear it; children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile.

So, are you now dreaming of a white Christmas and need to see snow here in sunny California? Not a problem. Disconnect the cable TV.

Finally, turn up the heat of your heart in your life. There’s no need for frigid Jack Frost nipping at your soul. Keep cooking in the kitchen, and soon you, too, will be a jolly old elf, laughing, in spite of yourself.

Kevin Ryan is a retired colonel, physician, author and musician. He is a Fairfield resident and member of The Right Stuff Committee of the Solano County Republican Central Committee. Reach him at ryan_k@ comcast.net.

Dan Walters

Jack Batson

dismantling of the country’s once ubiquitous PCR testing apparatus and increased used of rapid antigen kits meant official data was virtually meaningless.

Yet deaths are much less likely to go under the radar than cases.

A spokesperson for China’s National Health Commission told Bloomberg News on Tuesday that people who are Covidpositive at their death are classed as virus fatalities, regardless of whether that’s the immediate cause of their death. Yet, the reports coming out of Beijing’s funeral parlors and crematoriums indicate that may no longer be the case, or that local authorities or hospitals are classing the deaths differently.

When contacted Sunday, the NHC had no comment on the reports of Covid-19 fatalities and stretched funeral parlors in Beijing.

The Beijing Dongjiao Funeral Home cremated 150 bodies on Wednesday, 30 or 40 with Covid-19, a worker who asked not to be named told the FT. Covid-19 deaths are being prioritized for cremation, the employee was reported to have said. FT reporters also saw body bags at a hospital designated for virus patients.

Dongjiao and another funeral home were designated by Beijing health authorities to cremate those who die after testing positive, a relative of one of the dead told the AP. People outside Dongjiao told the news agency at least two of the dead cremated there died testing positive.

Calls to Dongjiao and three other Beijing funeral homes weren’t picked up, while workers at others – in Shunyi, northeast of central Beijing, and the satellite town of Huairou – declined to answer questions on Covid-19 deaths or procedures.

China has reported just 5,235 Covid-19 deaths since the pandemic started in late 2019, with the first known cases in the central city of Wuhan. The system of lockdowns, mass testing and mandatory isolation was borne out of that crisis, and enabled China to go long stretches of the pandemic virtually virus-free.

President Xi Jinping closely aligned his rule with the “zero-Covid” policy, which he used to tout China’s superiority over the West, in particular the U.S. – which has seen more than 1 million official Covid-19 deaths.

That all shifted over the past few weeks, when extraordinary protests across major Chinese cities saw Beijing reverse course on a policy that has been hobbling the world’s second-largest economy all year. The official rhetoric has shifted from demonizing Covid-19 to downplaying it, with one top medical adviser telling college students last

described as a “cold.”

A Xinhua commentary on Saturday said lives have been protected to the utmost in China’s battle against Covid-19.

“One thing has become crystal clear now: China has honored what it has always said it would do – putting the people and their lives above all else,” according to the commentary. “After three years, the virus is weaker but we have grown stronger.”

A wave of Covid-19 fatalities would undermine the Chinese government’s narrative that it has handled the virus better than other countries, and that it chose this moment to pivot on scientific grounds.

The country is shedding restrictions in winter and when its vaccination rate among elderly people remains lower than that of other nations that reopened after pursuing virus elimination. China’s hospitals, especially outside major cities, are underresourced and its unclear whether the country has sufficient stockpiles of antivirals and other Covid-19 medications.

While projections vary, China could see almost 1 million deaths from Covid-19 as it finally reopens, according to a report by researchers in Hong Kong on Thursday. Modeling by the U.S.based Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation shows fatalities could top 1 million through 2023 as the abrupt reversal on “zero-Covid” results in a surge.

Covid-19 finally being allowed to circulate freely in China could disrupt global supply chains, with waves of absenteeism expected in what is often dubbed the world’s factory floor. Companies from Volkswagen AG to oil refining giant Sinopec are preparing for significant outbreaks.

The lack of any reported deaths since curbs were lifted is also raising questions among some Chinese, with people on social media platforms such as Weibo querying whether fatalities in places like Beijing had increased and complaining about long queues at funeral homes.

There have been questions about China’s Covid-19 data since the start of the pandemic, when reports of long lines and stacks of urns at Wuhan’s funeral homes fueled speculation the country – under fire at the time for being the source of Covid-19 – was obscuring the true number of dead. The official Covid-19 death toll was revised up by some 1,290 fatalities in April 2020, boosting the tally in one go by 40%.

China rejected suggestions at the time that there had been a coverup, saying the additions included cases where people died at home without seeing a doctor or being tested for Covid-19. Hospitals had been overwhelmed treating patients in Wuhan at the start of the outbreak, and the revisions also included late and incomplete reporting from medical workers, China

Trump

add to Trump’s mounting legal problems, including a federal special counsel’s investigation of his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents after leaving office. There’s also a Georgia grand jury probe into his attempts to pressure state election officials.

The panel’s nationally televised meeting at 1 p.m. EST Monday in Washington marks Trump’s latest woes since he announced his 2024 candidacy in November. In recent weeks his company has been convicted of tax fraud, his dinner with a white supremacist raised a furor and polls showed his support cratering after disappointing Republican results in the midterm elections. Surveys show him losing to President Joe Biden in a rematch.

Options for the committee include asking the Justice Department to prosecute the people for crimes or to pursue civil penalties. Referrals could also be made to the House ethics committee or state bar associations for other sanctions, including several members of Congress who did not comply with committee subpoenas.

For Trump, the committee’s findings will further tarnish his standing among swing voters who punished his party in key midterm battle-

grounds. It will also fuel increasing concerns among Republicans that Trump damages the GOP with voters it must win to recapture the White House and expand power in Congress.

The Senate’s secondranking Republican, John Thune of South Dakota, recently called Trump “an albatross” on the party in swing states. Arkansas Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson said a Trump presidential nomination would be the “worst scenario” for the GOP.

“It is yet another reason for independents to go elsewhere,” said Alice Stewart, a former senior adviser to GOP Sen. Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign. “None of that will matter to his base, but it matters to independents and independent voters are the key to Republicans’ future.”

The report is likely the final act of the committee before it is dissolved after months of televised hearings featuring blockbuster testimony. It will draw further attention to Trump’s continued promotion of false claims the 2020 election was stolen, something party leaders blame in part for the midterm results.

Two polls out last week illustrate Trump’s vulnerability. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis leads him 52% to 38% among likely Republican primary voters, according to a Wall Street Journal poll taken Dec. 3-7. A USA Today/Suffolk University poll taken Dec. 7-11 found

Republican and Republican-leaning voters prefer DeSantis to Trump 56% to 33%.

Among all voters, Biden leads Trump in a head-to-head matchup 47% to 40%, according to the USA Today poll.

Sen. Pat Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican who’s retiring at the end of the year, said Trump’s hold on the party is slipping after the GOP’s midterm performance and his campaign rollout.

“He still has a significant following, that’s for sure,” Toomey, who voted to convict Trump in the Jan. 6 impeachment trial, said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “But I do think his influence is waning.”

Trump may yet win the Republican nomination, with DeSantis still untested in a national campaign. The former president’s GOP rivals also could split the moveon-from-Trump vote and the winner-take-all rules in many Republican primaries would then allow him to capture the nomination even without majority backing.

Sarah Longwell, an anti-Trump Republican political strategist who has been doing regular voter focus groups, said even former Trump voters are looking elsewhere because “they think he has too much baggage and as a result he’s not electable.”

“There are a bunch of other people they can be for who scratch that itch of combative politics and owning the Libs,”

she added.”

Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, the panel’s influential vice chair, and other key committee members have made clear from the start that they are determined to stop Trump from returning to the White House, where they argue he would pose a grave danger to U.S. democracy in a second term.

The committee hearings, including riveting testimony from former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson and other former Trump administration officials, helped blunt efforts by Trump supporters to downplay the Jan. 6 insurrection and the former president’s role in it.

Longwell said in focus groups of Trump 2020 voters she saw resistance rise to another Trump presidential run soon after the televised hearings began.

The committee’s final report and a potential criminal referral are likely to help solidify the case against Trump, said Timothy Naftali, a presidential historian at New York University and former director of the Richard Nixon presidential library.

“It’s important for our current and future democracy that there be an authoritative connecting of the dots,” Naftali said. “This report and referral will always stand as a counterargument to any efforts by diehard Trumpists to wish away the conduct of the Trump years.”

darkness is to be a little light, you can’t get rid of it with brooms,” Zaklos said.

City Councilman Roy Stockton spoke on the message of Hanukkah, which is a story of resolve.

“Against astronomical odds, things can grow,” Stockton said. “Against the darkness, it is up to us to be the light. The message of Hanukkah lives on as an enduring flame.”

The rolling menorah parade took off after the lighting of the first light of Hanukkah, followed by attendees heading toward the Chabad House for a Hanukkah party with soups, salads and games.

no longer qualifies for an exemption.

Like cigarette or wildfire smoke, wood smoke contains carcinogenic substances, such as particulate matter and carbon monoxide, which the air district reports are harmful when inhaled. Exposure to wood smoke has been linked to respiratory illnesses and increased risk of heart attacks. The fine particulate pollution in wood smoke is especially harmful for children, the elderly and those with

respiratory conditions.

Low temperatures and calm winds trap smoke from wood burning around homes and increases fine particulate pollution buildup. Natural gas, propane or electric fireplaces are allowed during Spare the Air alerts.

The air district may call Spare the Air alerts for fine particle pollution up to three days in advance to prevent air pollution from exceeding federal standards.

First-time violators of the Wood Burning Rule are encouraged to take a wood smoke awareness course to learn more about the health effects from wood smoke and

the weather conditions that lead to unhealthy air quality in the winter. Those violators who choose not to take the course will receive a $100 ticket. Second violations are subject to a $500 ticket, with the ticket amount increasing for any subsequent violations.

There are also prohibitions on excessive smoke and burning garbage and other harmful materials like junk mail, plastic, wrapping paper, wood pallets and more in fireplaces and wood stoves. Residents concerned about wood smoke pollution may call 1-8774NO-BURN or visit www. baaqmd.gov to file a com-

plaint or to get more information.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is the regional agency responsible for protecting air quality in the nine-county Bay Area. The district extends into western Solano County to include Benicia, Vallejo, Fairfield, Travis Air Force Base and Suisun City. The neighboring Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District, which includes the remainder of Solano County and all of neighboring Yolo County, had a similar restriction in place Saturday and Sunday.

Sarah Rice/The Washington Post Former president Donald Trump speaks at a political rally in Warren, Mich., Oct. 1.

Susan Hiland/Daily Republic

The rolling menorah parade takes off after the lighting of the first light of Hanukkah for the 14th Annual Menorah on Main in Downtown Vacaville, Sunday.

Sharks activate one winger, place another on injured reserve

TrIbune ConTenT agenCy

The Sharks placed forward Luke Kunin on injured reserve Sunday as they made room on their 23-man roster for winger Matt Nieto, who was activated off of IR. Kunin hasn’t played or practiced with the Sharks since Tuesday when he was injured on his first shift in the team’s game with the Arizona Coyotes at SAP Center.

Kunin will miss the Sharks’ home games with the Calgary Flames on Sunday and Tuesday at least. He would be eligible to return Thursday for the Sharks’ game against the Minnesota Wild, their last before a four-day Christmas break, but a timeline for his return has not yet been announced.

Kunin, acquired by the Sharks from the Nashville Predators in the offseason

Analyzing the 49ers’ playoff path with three games until ‘the tournament’

Cam Inman BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

SANTA CLARA — The 49ers got their proverbial hands on a playoff berth Thursday night, though most everyone’s hand had a cell phone in it as they recorded their celebration after clinching the NFC West and beating the Seattle Seahawks 21-13.

Linebacker Fred Warner must have been bluffing at the postgame media podium when he said: “What happens in the locker room, stays in the locker room.”

Social media says otherwise. Player after player flooded their Instagram portals with videos of them singing, dancing, posing, hugging.

“Conference champs baby!!” defensive end Drake Jackson captioned his locker-room snapshot. He quickly realized his rookie mistake and corrected it to say: “Division Champs*** Was too hyped typing,” punctuated by a laughing emoji.

The 49ers’ hype is real, in so many ways. Their NFL-best seven-game win streak followed a 3-4 start, and Thursday’s win wrapped up the division with three games to go.

ANALYSIS

This is their third playoff trip in four seasons. This is one unlike any other, for a multitude of reasons, injuries and moves.

Let’s peek ahead at the 49ers’ upcoming path as they seek their first Super Bowl triumph since the 1994 season, when Kyle Shanahan was their ball boy:

Early RSVP

How does Shanahan, in his sixth season as coach, approach these remaining three games? The 49ers (10-4) are currently slotted as the No. 3 seed, and they would have climbed to No. 2 Saturday if not for the record comeback win by the Minnesota Vikings (11-3) over the Indianapolis Colts, who blew a 33-0 lead. The 49ers can do no worse than the No. 3 seed.

“You have to be smart. You never just want to stop. You can’t lose your edge,” Shanahan said on Friday’s media conference call. “It’s not something you can turn on or off.”

The 49ers remained in “on” mode en route to their previous two

and subsequently signed to a two-year, $5.5 million contract, has 13 points in 31 games this season as he’s mostly played as a middle-six forward.

Noah Gregor took Kunin’s spot in the Sharks’ lineup Saturday, playing on the third line with Nico Sturm and Evgeny Svechnikov in what turned into a 3-2 shootout loss to the Los Angeles Kings.

The Sharks entered

Sunday on a four-game point streak (2-0-2), but still remained in seventh place in the Pacific Division with a 10-16-6 record.

Nieto had missed the last four games after he was injured by a hit from Rasmus Dahlin in the Sharks’ 6-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Dec. 4. Nieto is projected to be in the Sharks’ lineup Sunday against the Flames.

TORONTO Jordan

Poole scored a careerhigh 43 points, Draymond Green made three straight 3s to open the game and Kevon Looney notched another double-double as the Warriors thumped the Toronto Raptors 126-110 Sunday as they finally broke through on this road trip.

Poole looked like the version of himself from late last season, playing with patience and poise. He scored 25 points in the first half and finished the night with his first 40-point game of his career. He went 14-for-23 from the field and 5-for-11 from 3-point land. He also added six assists.

The Raptors tied the

game midway through the first quarter, but the Warriors were in the driver seat from there on out. They were up 68-54 at the half and their lead swelled to as many as 24 points in the fourth.

Green scored 15 of his 17 points in the first quarter, marking the most points he’s scored in any stanza this season. Kevon Looney finished with his third double-double of the season, recording 11 points and 11 rebounds. Klay Thompson scored 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists. And JaMychal Green added 15 points and seven rebounds

Messi and Argentina defeat France for World Cup title

TMessi finally got the one prize that had eluded him, a World Cup title, but he and his Argentine team mates had to work for it, beating France 4-2 in a penalty-kick shootout Sunday after a game that ended in a 3-3 draw.

four of its penalties, the last by Gonzalo Montiel sneaking in at the left post as French keeper Hugo Lloris dove the other way.

Argentina keep Emiliano Martínez made one save and France’s Aurelien Tchouameni pushed his try wide of the left post.

Four of the last five World Cups have gone to extra time with two

tournament-high eight goals in Qatar and, combined with his goal in the 2018 championship game, four scores in World Cup finals, the most ever.

First-half goals by Messi and Ángel Di María gave Argentina what looked to be a com-

Thuram. With Mbappe charging into the box on the left side, Thuram gave the ball back and an off-balance Mbappe buried his shot as he slid to the turf.

Messi then appeared to win the game again three minutes into the second

ing in the rebound of a by Lautaro Martínez. But Mbappe pulled that back with a penalty shot

Argentina gave away lands in the final seven minutes, plus stoppage time, in the quarterfinals, eventually advancing on penalty kicks. It also gave away a 2-0 lead in the final 16 minutes of the World Cup final in 1986 before winning in extra time.

A seven-time world player of the year, Messi has won virtually everything there is to win in international soccer but has nonetheless played much of his career in the

Sacramento Kings get bigger beam; why huge homestand could be pivotal for playoff chances

-

Ranadive made the announcement Saturday on Instagram following weeks of playful banter from Brown, who said he wanted a bigger Kings victory beam so he could see it from his home in El Dorado Hills.

“Coach Brown, we heard you and made The Beam a lot brighter, just in time for our 6-game holiday home stand!” Ranadive said.

The next six weeks could be critical for the Kings (16-12) as they

seek to end the longest playoff drought in NBA history after 16 consecutive losing seasons. They will open a six-game homestand when they play host to the Charlotte Hornets (7-22) on Monday at Golden 1 Center, where the Kings will play 15 of their next 19 games.

Brown said it will be important for the Kings to stay locked in and handle their business at home.

“It’s extremely important,” Brown said. “We want to, whether we have six games at home or two, we want to protect home because it’s so hard to win on the road. You take your hat off to the fans here in Sacramento. They’ve been fantastic all year round, not just in the building, but around

town, too, but particularly come game time.

“The electricity that they bring to the arena is second to none, and so to be able to utilize that to give us energy in times when we may have

some lulls on the road is something that we need to take full advantage of any time we step on our court at home.”

This marks the start of a stretch in which the

TrIbune ConTenT agenCy

TrIbune ConTenT agenCy

Kings owner Vivek Ranadive has informed coach Mike Brown the team now has a bigger beam as it enters what could be a pivotal stretch in Sacramento’s quest to reach the playoffs.

Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group file San Jose Sharks’ Luke Kunin (11) waits for a face-off against the Los Angeles Kings at the SAP Center in San Jose, Sept. 25.

Juan Ignacio Roncoroni/EFE/Zuma Press/TNS

Lionel Messi of Argentina kisses the World Cup trophy after the final of the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament between Argentina and France at Lusail stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Sunday.

Sara Nevis/Sacramento Bee

The 916 Crew celebrates at half court after the win against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA basketball game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Nov. 13.

Poole scores careerhigh 43 points as Warriors finally pick up another road win

Chicago Tribune’s

Holiday Cookie Contest 2022

HERE ARE THE WINNING RECIPES

Lauryn a zu, Louisa Chu and TaTyana Turner CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Our three winning cookie recipes for the 36th annual Holiday Cookie Contest offer an ideal variety of cookies for spreading cheer this season.

Below, find the recipes for Decorated Snickerdoodle Sugar Cookies, the third-place recipe from Christine Mayer of Evan ston; Marbled Pistachio Almond Cookies from DeKalb Coun ty’s Andrew Yohanan; and our first-place winner, Chi cagoan Caroline Crispino’s Chocolate Salted-Caramel Sur prise Cookies. Happy baking.

THIRD PLACE:

DECORATED SNICKERDOODLE SUGAR COOKIES

Christine Mayer, Evanston, Illinois: These cookies are a buttery, cinnamon-y treat. Every year, I bake decorated sugar cookies for my family for the holidays, and these were a favorite – not only for the great taste, but also because the snow-dusted trees evoke a cozy feeling of holiday cheer.

Prep time: 2 ¾ hours, plus at least one hour of chilling. Icing can be made the night before.

Bake time: 10-12 minutes

Decorating time: 2 ½ hours

Yield: 96 cookies

For the dough:

2 cups unsalted butter

2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

5 cups flour

For the icing:

6 tablespoons meringue powder

2 pounds powdered sugar (about 8 cups)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 3 cup warm water

Gel food coloring

1. Sift together flour, cinnamon and salt and set aside.

2. Cream together sugar and butter on low to medium speed. Mix until thoroughly incorporated.

3. Add eggs one at a time and mix slowly. Add vanilla extract and stir briefly.

4. Add the flour mixture to the bowl one cup at a time until dough clumps together. Dough will be sticky; add additional flour as needed if too sticky to handle.

5. Divide dough in half and, working one half at a time, roll out to 3 8 -inch between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Place in fridge for 1 hour.

6. Cut out cookie shapes and

place on baking sheet. Reroll scraps, placing in fridge as needed to firm up before cutting out shapes.

7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While oven heats, put cutout cookies trays back in fridge for 10 minutes to chill to help hold shape if needed.

8. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes or until edges become golden brown.

9. Cool cookies completely before decorating with royal icing (recipe below).

Royal icing directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except food coloring in large mixing bowl.

2. Beat ingredients together using electric or stand mixer. Start slowly and increase speed to high until stiff peaks form.

3. Separate into batches for however many colors you are using for your design and add food coloring.

4. Use additional water to thin icing to desired consistency. Flood icing should dissolve back into itself within 10 seconds when a spoonful is dropped into the bowl; stiffer icing for details should be like cream cheese – soft enough to pipe but stiff enough to hold its shape.

SECOND PLACE: MARBLED PISTACHIO ALMOND COOKIES

Andrew Yohanan, DeKalb, Illinois:

Ring in the holiday season with these delightfully buttery and ohso-nutty cookies. Their sumptuous pistachio and almond flavor is so irresistible, there won’t be any left by the time Santa comes down the chimney. Pair these crisp yet tender treats with a spiced tea or your morning coffee. Yes, that’s right – cookies are an acceptable breakfast once December rolls around.

Perhaps the best part of this sliced cookie is just how easy it is to make, since the decoration is baked in.

two hours of chilling (or overnight) Bake time: 13-15 minutes Yield: 24 cookies

tablespoons (¾ cup plus one tablespoon) unsalted butter

cup powdered sugar

teaspoon vanilla extract

teaspoon kosher salt

cup all-purpose flour

1⁄3 cups almond flour, toasted (see note)

cup ground, lightly salted or unsalted pistachios

drops green food coloring

tablespoons red sanding sugar (more if needed) 1. Cream together room-temperature butter with powdered sugar. Once combined, beat in the egg yolks and both extracts. Continue beating the ingredients until mixture is light and fluffy. 2. Add in the salt and flour and mix until just combined. 3. Remove 1 3 of the dough and set in a medium bowl. Add in the pistachios and food coloring to the smaller portion of dough and stir until it is a uniform color.

4. With the remaining 2⁄3 of the dough, work in the almond flour until you have a uniform texture.

5. Spread out the almond dough on a lightly floured surface and spread out until it is about ¼-inch thick. Add dollops of the pistachio mixture over half of the almond dough. Fold over the almond dough without the pistachio dough on top of the other half. Flatten out the dough and fold it once more. Turn the dough 90 degrees, flatten it out and fold it over once more. Be careful to not over-roll, or the marbling will become too homogenous.

6. Form a log with the dough and press it into an 8-inch-by-4-inch rectangular loaf pan that has been lined with plastic wrap. Let dough chill for at least two hours, but preferably overnight.

Decorated snickerdoodle sugar cookies by Christine Mayer.

7. Remove dough from the refrigerator, take off the plastic wrap, and sprinkle all sides of the sanding sugar. Slice crosswise ¼-inch thick slices from brick of dough.

8. Place the sliced dough on a pan prepared with parchment paper and stick it in the freezer for 15 minutes.

9. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 13-15 minutes until ever so lightly golden on the edges. Allow cookies to cool, then serve.

Note: Don’t use almond meal in place of almond flour, as it will muddy the coloring. To toast almond flour, spread evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until fragrant and just starting to lightly brown. Toss at the 5-minute mark with a spatula for more even toasting. If marbling pattern isn’t working, try flattening pistachio dough into a flat disc and laying on top of almond dough, then rolling both into a tight log for a swirled pattern.

FIRST PLACE: CHOCOLATE SALTED-CARAMEL

SURPRISE COOKIES

1 cup brown sugar 1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2. Combine sugars, butter, vanilla and eggs in a bowl. Mix until blended well.

3. Combine all dry ingredients in separate bowl. Mix well. Then add to wet ingredients. Mix well.

4. Cover bowl or remove dough and wrap with plastic wrap and chill for 25-40 minutes.

5. Remove dough and form golfball-sized spheres, approximately 1 tablespoon each.

6. Press unwrapped Rolo into the center of one ball and be sure to cover the Rolo by the dough.

7. Repeat for the rest of the dough balls. (Just barely cover the Rolo with dough, without excessive dough around the candy.)

8. Roll dough balls (with embedded Rolo) through sugar spread out on a plate to coat. Place on baking sheet and press each ball with the bottom of a mug, measuring cup or mason jar to flatten slightly at the center.

9. Sprinkle with kosher or Maldron salt in the center on the flattened part of the cookie.

10. Bake for 9-10 minutes. (If you prefer soft and gooey, check after 8 minutes to see how they look.)

11. Cool on cooling rack for a few minutes then watch the caramel ooze out of the center and enjoy. For extra holiday oomph, roll edges in sugar once more for a snow-like dusting.

1 cup sugar

Marbled pistachio almond cookies by Andrew Yohanan.

E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/TNS photos

2022 Holiday Cookie Contest winner Chocolate Salted-Caramel Surprise Cookies by Caroline Crispino.

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

After charities experienced a gangbuster year in 2021 with record donations, philanthropic experts say that charitable giving is likely to plateau or decline this year after the stock market’s prolonged downturn.

Even though the generosity of Americans may be diminished somewhat by the market’s misfortunes this year, an increasingly popular tool for maximizing the tax benefits from charitable deductions is still attracting interest.

The number of donor-advised funds (DAFs), the charitable vehicles sometimes referred to as a “poor man’s foundation,” has nearly tripled to 1.3 million since Congress approved the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017, which dramatically reduced the need for many taxpayers to itemize their annual returns.

Americans contributed $72.7 billion to DAFs in 2021, up 47% from the previous year, according to the National Philanthropic Trust (NPT), a Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, charity that sponsors the accounts and also tracks the national DAF sector.

DAFs contained $234.1 billion in assets at the end of 2021 and made $45.7 billion in grants to individual charities last year, said Eileen R. Heisman, president of the trust, which analyzes the public tax filings of about 1,000 fund sponsors in its annual DAF Report.

“These were the most dramatic increases we’ve had in years,” said Heisman, who said her initial reaction to the tally was disbelief until the researchers assured her the figures had been double-checked.

Heisman said many donors were induced to donate more of their wealth in 2021 after the prolonged bull market had increased their exposure to capital gains taxes

Is a DAF right for your charitable giving? Here’s what you need to know about the funds.

What are donor-advised funds (DAFs)?

DAFs are a way for taxpayers of any means to group charitable contributions into a single year to reap tax benefits, and then to distribute the funds to their favorite charities over time.

What are the benefits of creating a DAF?

DAFs are a convenient method for philanthropists to donate appreciated stock shares, or other assets. The donor receives a tax deduction for the full value of the asset while avoiding capital gains tax on the increase in the assets’ value.

“People were sitting on highly appreciated assets, and a lot of advisers are telling them (a DAF) is a really easy tool, you can make the gifts relatively easily,” Heisman said. “You can have years of grant-making

out of a single gift in one year where you’ve had an abundance of capital gain.”

DAFs became more attractive after the new federal tax law went into effect, dramatically increasing the standard deduction for most taxpayers and putting limits on some itemized deductions, such as state and local taxes and mortgage interest. Charitable contributions are still deductible, and the new tax law created an incentive for taxpayers to consider batching or “bundling” deductible expenses in a single year, so those count toward reducing your taxes.

For some donors who have DAFs, the tax benefits of the funds are of secondary importance. A DAF offers a convenient and easy way to manage a family’s philanthropy, said Janet Wischnia, an owner and managing partner at Thomaston Mills, a family-owned Wyncote, Pennsylvania, firm that manufactures bedding and linens.

Wischnia is no newcomer to DAFs. Her father, Jerome Zaslow, set up a fund at National Philanthropic Trust more than 20 years ago to pay for scholarships in Philadelphia for young entrepreneurs, which she now manages. With NPT’s assistance, the fund now operates mostly on autopilot.

“The people at NPT are really nice and helpful,” said Wischnia, who founded an online bedding line in 2019 called American Blossom Linens. “To do it on your own would be a lot harder. They really supported us.”

What can I donate?

Most DAFs will let you donate cash as well as stock. Some may also accept other types of assets, such as real estate, private equity, insurance, retirement fund disbursements, or even art and cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin.

To whom can I make a grant?

You can make grants to charitable organizations that are tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code. DAFs cannot make grants to private nonoperating foundations, individuals, political candidates or political parties. Grants cannot be used for any personal benefit, such as tuition, dues, membership fees or any goods purchased at a charitable auction. Grants are not allowed for table sponsorship or tickets at charity events. The DAF sponsor will examine and approve any grants before releasing the funds.

How much do I need to start a donor-advised fund?

Josh Birkholtz, chairman of Giving USA, a Chicago organization that analyzes philanthropic trends for nonprofit clients, chuckles at the “poor man’s foundation” characterization, since DAFS still appeal largely to middle- and upperincome individuals. Indeed, the average DAF last year contained $183,000 in assets, according to the National Philanthropic Trust.

The amount you can invest varies, depending upon the sponsor. Some DAF sponsors have no minimums. National Philanthropic Trust has a $10,000 minimum. Vanguard requires a $25,000 initial investment, and $5,000 minimum on subsequent investments. The Community Foundation of New Jersey requires a $25,000 initial investment, but no minimum on subsequent investments. There are hundreds of DAF sponsors, so examine their terms closely.

For taxpayers who itemize, there are limits to the amounts they can deduct each year for gifts to public charities, including donor-advised funds, according to Schwab Charita-

ble. A taxpayer can claim 30% of adjusted gross income (AGI) for contributions of non-cash assets held more than one year and 60% of adjusted gross income for cash contributions. Contributions in excess of these deduction limits may be carried over up to five subsequent tax years.

How much will a DAF cost me?

Most DAFs charge annual fees based on the value of the fund – Vanguard’s fee is 0.6%, or $300 for a fund containing $50,000. The percentage fees go down for accounts with larger balances. The sponsors also assess fees on the investments, which vary depending upon the complexity of the investment. The fees on money market funds are minuscule, and the fees on index funds are less than those on actively managed funds. Most national DAF sponsors clearly spell out their fee schedules on their websites.

DAF sponsors also set minimums for investments and for grants. Vanguard requires an initial investment of $25,000 and allows charitable donations of no less than $500. T. Rowe Price has a minimum investment of $5,000 and a minimum disbursement of $100. Fidelity and Charles Schwab have no minimum investment and allow donors to make grants of as little as $50.

“Some donor-advised fund organizations have really focused on democratizing it,” said Giving USA’s Birkholtz. “I believe Fidelity was the first to drop the minimums.”

Is it complicated?

DAFs can be as simple or as complex as the donor chooses. Many large national investment management firms – Vanguard, Fidelity, and Schwab – have established 501(c)(3) charities

to sponsor DAFs and provide a wide range of investment funds where donors can put the assets to work until they make grants. The growth of online banking has also contributed to the growth of DAFs, allowing donors to conveniently create a fund online and transfer assets into it with a few keystrokes, said Heisman.

Sixty large national DAFs, including the National Philanthropic Trust, accounted for 70% of the $45.7 billion in grants that all DAFs made to individual charities last year. About 600 community foundations, such as the Philadelphia Foundation and the Foundation for Delaware County, also sponsor DAFs and made $9.6 billion in grants. Another 300 single-issue charities, which support specific religious faiths or institutions, also sponsor DAFs that made $4 billion in grants last year.

Why not set up a private foundation for charitable giving?

DAFs still offer many advantages over setting up a private foundation, which requires legal paperwork, and a staff to make grants and to prepare annual tax returns to verify that 5% of the assets are disbursed each year.

DAFs don’t require a minimum payout each year, a sore point for some critics who say the accounts are warehouses for capital. But the National Philanthropic Trust says that donor-advised funds on average disburse far more than 5% of their assets each year. Last year DAFs payed out 27% of their assets in grants, according to the trust.

“If I were a billionaire, I would still choose a DAF over a foundation,” said Birkholtz. “Although Elon Musk didn’t disclose this, he probably did $5 billion-plus in donations last year, and we assume he dropped that in some sort of a donor-advised fund.”

Jessica Griffin/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS file

Janet Wischnia, director of American Blossom Linens, at the office of Thomaston Mills and ATD-American in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, in 2019.

Biggest revelations from second part of ‘Harry & Meghan’ doc

By Sarah r appaport and helen Chandler-Wilde BLOOMBERG NEWS

Prince Harry said his final years in the royal family were like living in a soap opera. The series makes sure we’re all paying attention.

The final three episodes of Netflix’s “Harry & Meghan” documentary explore the gradual breakdown of his relationship with his brother William, accusing him of briefing the media against him, and the time leading up to the couple’s exit from the U.K. in early 2020.

The focus shifts toward how a fairy-tale romance turned into a nightmare for the two of them. It details the attacks on Meghan from the press that were rife with racial stereotypes, and how the couple wanted to leave. The British press dubbed it “Megxit,” but Harry says it was him who made the big push to leave.

Netflix said more than 28 million households globally have tuned in so far. There were no opposing voices in either part of the documentary: this is Harry and Meghan’s story from their point of view. Neither Buckingham Palace nor Associated Newspapers responded to requests for comment.

Here’s what we learned from the second half.

The rift between Harry and William

The tale of a deepening divide between brothers Harry and William is ongoing – and the Duke of Sussex explained why things have become so fraught between the two.

At the heart of their story, he said, is William’s inheritance, the crown, which means that the family stepped in to protect his brother but not his wife. “They were happy to lie to protect my brother, and yet for three years, they were never willing to tell the truth to protect us,” Harry said.

But he said their story involved broken promises too;

both brothers pledged never to brief against each other but William’s office didn’t abide by their agreement. Harry also said the “joint statement” from the brothers that denied bullying on William’s part was false, adding that he never agreed to sign his name onto it.

Harry also detailed the moments when he told his family he wanted to leave. “It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me, and my father say things that just simply weren’t true, and my grandmother, you know, quietly sit there, and sort of take it all in.”

In the end, “a wedge was created” between himself and his brother. “He’s now on the institution side,” Harry said.

Mail lawsuit and Meghan Markle’s miscarriage

One of the more shocking allegations in the documentary came when Harry said that he believed the stress of the (successful) lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, owners of the Daily Mail, MailOnline and The Mail on Sunday, caused Meghan to miscarry in July 2020.

“I believe my wife suffered a miscarriage because of what the Mail did,” he said. “Do we absolutely know that the miscarriage was created, caused by that? Of course we don’t. But bearing in mind the stress that that caused, the lack of sleep, and the timing of the pregnancy.”

A judge ruled that the publisher breached Markle’s privacy.

Meghan said in the program that she had a miscarriage on the first morning after relocating to their new home in Santa Barbara, with a friend saying that she had collapsed in pain as the couple were moving in.

Tyler Perry’s reticence to attend a big christening for goddaughter Lilibet

Perry – a producer, director

and actor – first reached out to Meghan ahead of her wedding to Harry in 2018 and later offered the couple a house to stay in when they left the U.K. The trio had never met prior to the housing arrangement, which included security detail that ensured six weeks of privacy. Harry called the respite “a slice of normal life.”

The documentary also reveals that Perry is godfather to the couple’s daughter Lilibet.

“They said, ‘Well, we’d like for you to be Lili’s godfather,’” he said in the documentary. “I got off the phone, took it all in, then I called them back and go, ‘Hold on a second, does this mean we gotta to go over there and do all of that in the church with them and figure all that out? Because I don’t want to do that.’” He suggested instead that they opt for a private ceremony in the U.S.

The double standards between other members

of the royal family

Their difficult relationship with the press continued as a theme in the final three episodes, with a particular focus on how Meghan’s treatment compared with that of Kate Middleton, now Princess of Wales.

British historian David Olusoga gave examples: If Kate wore an off-the-shoulder-dress, it was perceived as a fashion statement but it broke protocol when Meghan did the same. If Kate cuddled her baby bump it was sweet and maternal, but it was seen as attention seeking when Meghan did similar.

The documentary used academics to explain the alleged difference in approach. “Nobody wants to be openly racist. That wouldn’t be civilized. That wouldn’t be British. But it’s perfectly fine to kind of dog whistle. Give a nod to it. She’s a diva. She’s making people cry. This kind of angry Black woman trope. It just really came to the fore,” Kehinde Andrews, author of the “New Age of Empire” said.

SEEING DOUBLE IS TWICE AS GOOD

In “The Faerie Queen,” Edmund Spenser wrote, “So double was his pains, so double be his praise.” That’s only fair, and it can apply in a bridge deal – like today’s. How should South plan the play in three no-trump after West leads the heart queen? North might have overcalled one

Sudoku

Bridge

SEEING DOUBLE IS TWICE

by Phillip Alder

no-trump, but he did not like his heart holding. South had a close bid over his partner’s takeout double. He was a little strong for one no-trump and a little weak for two no-trump. However, he knew that his hand was not worth its face value, in particular because of the unsupported red-suit honors. When North invited game, though, South happily moved higher.

South had six top tricks: two spades, two hearts, one diamond and one club. From the bidding, it was likely that West held the spade queen and club king-queen. However, were the spades or the clubs breaking 3-3? Declarer found a line that allowed him to test both suits.

After winning the first trick in hand with his heart king, South led a club: queen, ace. Dummy’s club jack was won with West’s king, and back came a low heart to dummy’s ace.

The club 10 was cashed, but West discarded a heart. Now came a spade to the ace and the spade jack: queen, king. When declarer played a spade to his 10, both opponents followed. So a diamond to the ace allowed South to cash dummy’s spade six for his ninth trick. The more chances you have to make your contract, the better.

UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

2022,

COPYRIGHT:

by Wayne Gould

Bridge

Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images/TNS file Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, arrive at the 2022 Robert F. Kennedy

Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award Gala at the Hilton Midtown in New York, Dec. 6.

FAIRFIELD — Coming to local theaters this week is a musical tribute to Whitney Houston. Also showing is a film about the decadent 1920s Los Angeles, and the excesses of a longgone era. Finally, children can enjoy another tale of that famous cat, Puss in Boots, who finds himself out of all his lives after adventuring around the world for so many years.

Opening nationwide are:

“Babylon,” set in 1920s Los Angeles, which tells a tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess. The film traces the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in early Hollywood. This film stars Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Max Minghella, Flea, Samara Weaving, Tobey Maguire, Eric Roberts, Katherine Waterston, Lukas Haas and Adam Siegel. This film is rated R.

“Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” the story of the rise and fall of one of the most dynamic voices of an era.

Whitney Houston (Naomi Ackie) goes from New Jersey choir girl to one of the best-selling and most awarded recording artists of all time. The story is told in a musical tribute to the late singer. This film is rated PG-13.

“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” in which Puss in Boots discovers his passion for adventure has taken its toll: He has burned through eight of his nine lives. Puss sets out on an epic journey to find the mythical Last Wish and restore his nine lives. This film is rated PG.

“Corsage,” the story of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, who is known for

her beauty and fashion trends. But in 1877, she celebrates her 40th birthday and must fight to maintain her public image. With a future of only ceremonial duties in front of her, she rebels against her public image and comes up with a plan to protect her legacy. This film is not rated.

“Women Talking,” in which a group of women in an isolated religious colony struggle to reconcile their faith with a series of sexual assaults committed by the colony’s men. This film is rated PG-13.

Opening in limited release are:

“Joyride,” a film that follows 12-year-old Mully (Charlie Reid) who, after fleeing his father, steals a taxi and is shocked to find a woman, Joy (Olivia Colman), in the back seat with a baby. Joy has decided to give her child away to a friend, and Mully needs some distance from his debtridden dad, who’s after the cash Mully has with him. A complicated middle-aged mother and a troubled adolescent go on a journey across Ireland, gradually finding in each other the friendship, love and learning they never knew they needed. This film is not rated.

For information on Edwards Cinemas in Fairfield, visit www.reg movies.com/theatres/ regal-edwards-fairfieldimax. For Vacaville showtimes, visit www. brendentheatres.com.

For Vallejo showtimes, check www.cinemark. com/theatres/ca-vallejo. More information about upcoming films is available at www.movie insider.com.

Zits Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Pearls Before Swine Stephan Pastis

Dilbert Scott Adams

Baby Blues Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott

Baldo Hector Cantú and Carlos Castellanos

DreamWorks Animation/TNS Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) in

in Boots: The Last Wish.”

NOTICEOFPETITIONTOADMINISTERESTATEOF:

KELLIANNLELI CASENO.P051770

Toallheirs,beneficiaries,creditors,contingentcreditors,andpersonswhomayotherwisebeinterestedintheWILLorestate,orbothofKELLIANNLELI.

APETITIONFORPROBATEhasbeenfiledbyJAMESLELIintheSuperiorCourtof California,CountyofSolano.

THEPETITIONFORPROBATErequeststhatJAMESLELIbeappointedaspersonal representativetoadministertheestateofthedecedent.

THEPETITIONrequestsauthoritytoadministertheestateundertheIndependentAdministrationofEstatesAct.(Thisauthoritywillallowthepersonalrepresentativetotakemany actionswithoutobtainingcourtapproval.Beforetakingcertainveryimportantactions, however,thepersonalrepresentativewillberequiredtogivenoticetointerestedpersons unlesstheyhavewaivednoticeorconsentedtotheproposedaction.)Theindependent administrationauthoritywillbegrantedunlessaninterestedpersonfilesanobjectionto thepetitionandshowsgoodcausewhythecourtshouldnotgranttheauthority.

AHEARINGonthepetitionwillbeheldinthiscourtasfollows:01/11/23at9:00AMin Dept.22locatedat600UnionAvenue,Fairfield,CA94533

IFYOUOBJECTtothegrantingofthepetition,youshouldappearatthehearingand stateyourobjectionsorfilewrittenobjectionswiththecourtbeforethehearing.Yourappearancemaybeinpersonorbyyourattorney.

IFYOUAREACREDIT ORoracontingentcreditorofthedecedent,youmustfileyour claimwiththecourtandmailacopytothepersonalrepresentativeappointedbythecourt withinthelaterofeither(1)fourmonthsfromthedateoffirstissuanceofletterstoageneralpersonalrepresentative,asdefinedinsection58(b)oftheCaliforniaProbateCode, or(2)60daysfromthedateofmailingorpersonaldeliverytoyouofanoticeundersection9052oftheCaliforniaProbateCode.

OtherCaliforniastatutesandlegalauthoritymayaffectyourrightsasacreditor.Youmay wanttoconsultwithanattorneyknowledgeableinCalifornialaw.

YOUMAYEXAMINEthefilekeptbythecourt.Ifyouareapersoninterestedintheestate,youmayfilewiththecourtaRequestforSpecialNotice(formDE-154)ofthefilingof aninventoryandappraisalofestateassetsorofanypetitionoraccountasprovidedin ProbateCodesection1250.ARequestforSpecialNoticeformisavailable fromthecourt

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER

ESTATE OF: JIMMY EDWARD KENNON CASE NUMBER: P051847

Toallheirs,beneficiaries,creditors,contingentcreditors,andpersonswhomay otherwisebeinterestedinthewillorestate,orboth,of: Jimmy Edward Kennon

APetitionforProbatehasbeenfiledby: Dena Featherston intheSuperiorCourtofCalifornia,County of:Solano

ThePetitionforProbaterequeststhat: Dena Featherston beappointedaspersonalrepresentat ive toadministertheestateofthedecedent.

Thepetitionrequeststhedecedent'swill andcodicils,ifany,beadmittedtoprobate.Thewillandanycodicilsareavailableforexaminationinthefilekeptbythe court.

ThepetitionrequestsauthoritytoadministertheestateundertheIndependentAdministrationofEstatesAct.(Thisauthority willallowthepersonalrepresentativeto takemanyactionswithoutobtainingcourt approval.Beforetakingcertainvery importantactions,however,thepersonal representativewillberequiredtogivenoticetointerestedpersonsunlessthey havewaivednoticeorconsentedtothe proposedaction.)Theindependentadministrationauthoritywillbegrantedunless aninterestedpersonfilesanobjectionto thepetitionandshowsgoodcausewhy thecourtshouldnotgranttheauthority.

A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: DATE: JAN. 27, 2023 TIME: 8:30 a.m. DEPT. 4 SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, County of Solano 600 Union Ave., Third Floor 600 Union Ave., Third Floor Fairfield, CA 94553 Probate

If you object tothegrantingofthepetition,youshouldappearatthehearingand stateyourobjectionsorfilewrittenobjectionswiththecourtbeforethehearing. Yourappearancemaybeinpersonorby yourattorney. If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent, youmust fileyourclaimwiththecourtand mailacopytothepersonalrepresentative appointedbythecourtwithinthe later of either(1)four months fromthedateof firstissuanceofletterstoageneralpersonalrepresentative,asdefinedinsection58(b)oftheCaliforniaProbateCode, or(2) 60 days fromthedateofmailingor personaldeliverytoyouofanoticeunder section9052oftheCaliforniaProbate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may wantto consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court.Ifyouareapersoninterestedinthe estate,youmayfilewiththecourtaRequestforSpecialNotice(formDE-154)of thefilingofaninventoryandappraisalof estateassetsorofanypetitionoraccount asprovidedinProbateCodesection 1250.ARequestforSpecialNoticeformis availablefromthecourtclerk. AttorneyforPetitioner: RitaA.Holder,Esq. 3100OakRd.Ste100 WalnutCreek,CA94597 925-482-8910 DR#00060041 Published:December16,19,23,2022

CASE NUMBER: FPR051814

Toallheirs,beneficiaries,creditors,contingentcreditors,andpersonswhomay otherwisebeinterestedinthewillorestate,orboth,of: Dan Victor Chesada aka Daniel Victor Chesada aka Chesada Vuthanavisit APetitionforProbatehasbeenfiledby: Brendon Lee Wakefield intheSuperiorCourtofCalifornia,County of:S olano

ThePetitionforProbaterequeststhat: Brendon Lee Wakefield beappointedaspersonalrepresentative toadministertheestateofthedecedent. Thepetitionrequeststhedecedent'swill andcodicils,ifany,beadmittedtoprobate.Thewillandanycodicilsareavailableforexaminationinthefilekeptbythe court.

ThepetitionrequestsauthoritytoadministertheestateundertheIndependentAdministrationofEstatesAct.(Thisauthority willallowthe personalrepresentativeto takemanyactionswithoutobtainingcourt approval.Beforetakingcertainveryimportantactions,however,thepersonal representativewillberequiredtogivenoticetointerestedpersonsunlessthey havewaivednoticeorconsentedtothe proposedaction.)Theindependentadministrationauthoritywillbegrantedunless aninterestedpersonfilesanobjectionto thepetitionandshowsgoodcausewhy thecourtshouldnotgranttheauthority.

A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: DATE: JAN. 10, 2023 TIME: 9:00 a.m. DEPT.: 22 SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, County of Solano Old Solano Courthouse 580 Texas Street, Fairfield, CA 94533

If you object tothegrantingofthepetition,youshouldappearatthehearingand stateyourobjectionsorfilewrittenobjectionswiththecourtbeforethehearing. Yourappearancemaybeinpersonorby yourattorney.

If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent, youmustfileyourclaimwiththecourtand mailacopytothepersonalrepresentative appointedbythecourtwithinthe later of either(1)four months fromthedateof firstissuanceofletterstoageneralpersonalrepresentative,asdefinedinsection58(b)oftheCaliforniaProbateCode, or(2) 60 days fromthedateofmailingor personaldeliverytoyouofanoticeunder section9052oftheCaliforniaProbate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may wantto consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court.Ifyouareapersoninterestedinthe estate,youmayfilewiththecourtaRequestforSpecialNotice(formDE-154)of thefilingofaninventoryandappraisalof estateassetsorofanypetitionoraccount asprovidedinProbateCodesection 1250.ARequestforSpecialNoticeformis availablefromthecourtclerk. Petitioner: BrendonLeeWakefield 7937VantageAve NorthHollywood,CA91605 224-247-8914 DR#00060035 Published:December16,19,23,2022

AMENDED NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: DAN VICTOR CHESADA AKA DANIEL VICTOR CHESADA

playoff trips.

In 2019, the 49ers clinched a playoff berth in Week 15, after a last-minute loss at home to Atlanta. It took until the season’s final seconds – and Dre Greenlaw’s goal-line stop – to preserve a win at Seattle for the division title and the NFC’s top seed, the latter of which enhanced their path to the Super Bowl.

Last season, the 49ers opened 3-of-5 before winning 7-of-9, and their playoff berth wasn’t secured until the regularseason finale, which they won in overtime at the Los Angeles Rams’ SoFi Stadium. That’s also where the 49ers also would meet their demise three weeks later in the NFC Championship Game, but only after playoff upsets at Dallas and Green Bay.

“It’s very important to get home games, so, we’ll do everything we can to do that, but by no means at the expense of risking someone that we shouldn’t be playing,” Shanahan added.

Nos. 2 or 3 seed

The Philadelphia Eagles (12-1) have an 87-percent chance of securing the NFC’s No. 1 seed, according to FiveThirtyEight.com, which set the 49ers’ odds at 0.8 percent for the top seed (and 6 percent at a Super Bowl victory).

Only the top seed gets a wild-card bye, but the No. 2 seed means a home game in the divisional round with a win on wildcard weekend Jan. 14-15.

If the 49ers and Vikings finish with matching records, the first tiebreaker are records in NFC play; the 49ers are 8-2 with two NFC opponents left, while the Vikings are 6-3 with three NFC foes to go.

Below them, will be the NFC South champion, from a sloppy field

featuring the Tampa Bay Bucs (6-7), the Carolina Panthers (5-8), the Atlanta Falcons (5-8), and, the New Orleans Saints (4-9).

The NFC East is in position to nab all three wild-card spots, unless they cannibalize their chances in divisional games the next four weekends. Here are those wild-card contenders: the Dallas Cowboys (10-3), the Washington Commanders (7-5-1; they visit the 49ers on Christmas Eve), the New York Giants (7-5-1), the Seattle Seahawks (7-7) and the red-hot Detroit Lions (6-7). Last year’s No. 1 seed, the Green Bay Packers, are currently 10th at 5-8.

“Obviously they do have a great pass rush, a great front seven, great guys on the back end,” Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith said of the 49ers. “It felt like a championship game and we didn’t get it done.”

‘Keep fighting’

No, there were no champagne showers like those in baseball clubhouses for postseason salutations. But the 49ers certainly relished the moment, especially in a locker room where their predecesors shed tears of agony and pain with 16 losses in their previous 21 visits.

Aside from their Instagram selfies, they also posed for group shots, and, considering they own the NFL’s No. 1-ranked defense, that photo could end up framed in the 49ers’ museum.

Then their boss weighed in with a worthy reminder: “Proud of our fight to win the west. So happy for everyone who played a part. Still a long way to go. #KeepFighting,” CEO Jed York tweeted at 9:28 p.m.

Christian McCaffrey, who lost his only previous playoff appearance with the Carolina Panthers in 2018, also mixed gratitude with an alarm bell: “Obviously we still have a lot more left. But it’s nice

to be able to celebrate this one with an amazing group of guys.”

Added defensive back Jimmie Ward: “You have to work hard because every team is going to come in and give us their best shot. Everybody is saying ‘San Fran’ this and ‘San Fran’ that, and I can guarantee you these coaches are going to get their players as hyped, (saying) this is a playoff team and this and that. Washington is going to come in hot and it’s going to be a big challenge.”

The 2019 comparisons

Only 10 of the 49ers’ 22 starters in Super Bowl LIV remain on the roster, including running back Tevin Coleman on the practice squad.

Kicker Robbie Gould, punter Mitch Wishnowsky and another eight players also are still on the roster or injured reserve.

That team started hot (8-0) then went 5-3 into the playoffs, whereas this team started bad (3-5) before igniting this sevengame heater.

Fullback Kyle Juszczyk recalled Thursday night how the 2019 team endured “a lot of close, one-score games, and this season we haven’t had a lot of one-score games.”

True, as 7-of-9 such onescore games closed out the ’19 regular season; the 49ers’ closest scores this season are an 11-10 loss at Denver in Week 3, a 22-16 win last month over the Los Angeles Chargers, and Thursday’s 21-13 win at Seattle.

Comparing and contrasting The Then of 2019 and The Now is an exercise for later (though it also began in camp). One glaring difference: Jimmy Garoppolo started every game that Super Bowl season (on a repaired ACL), while this playoffbound team is now rallying around its third-string rookie quarterback, Brock Purdy.

Bubble wrap

The 49ers aren’t in

survival mode like their Decembers of 2019 and ’21, so they must weigh how to manage players’ health the next month.

No need to rush Deebo Samuel back from a sprained knee or ankle. Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw’s three-week practice window is slated to open next week, and the 49ers can use all that time to see if his surgically repaired knee is responding well enough to use one of their two remaining IR activations on him, with the other likely ticketed for running back Elijah Mitchell.

Bosa is in the hunt for the NFL sack title and defensive player of the year consideration, so he’ll figure to keep playing, perhaps with a lighter snap count. Linemate Arik Armstead also shouldn’t press too hard as he’s returned from ankle and foot issues. “I know this team is going to need me to be at my best down the stretch to get to where we want to get,” Armstead said.

Christian McCaffrey also could be eased up after his 32-touch workload Thursday night, although he’s an invaluable asset for Purdy, whose health is improving. Purdy obviously could use more reps to prepare for the playoffs, but the 49ers can’t afford to lose him and thus turn to their fourth quarterback this season, Josh Johnson; the door remains ajar for a Garoppolo return, most likely as a playoff backup if Purdy keeps does his them “rolling,” as he said Thursday night.

“This isn’t our final goal, by any means,” Shanahan said amid Thursday’s euphoria. “I’m very proud of our team, what we accomplished throughout the year to get to this. Our goal is to get in the tournament. We accomplished that today.

“Now it’s all trying to set that up to be the best situation we can.”

The best destination: Glendale, Arizona, for Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12.

CALENDAR

Monday’s TV sports

Basketball NBA

• Charlotte vs. Sacramento, NBCSBA (Vacaville and Rio Vista), 7 p.m.

Football College

• Myrtle Beach Bowl: Marshall vs. Connecticut, ESPN, 11:30 a.m.

NFL

• L.A. Rams vs. Green Bay, 7, 10, ESPN, 5 p.m.

• Monday Night Manning Cast, ESPN2, 5:15 p.m.

Tuesday’s TV sports

Basketball College Men

• Jumpman Invitational: Florida vs. Oklahoma, ESPN2, 6:30 p.m.

College Women

• Michigan vs. North Carolina, ESPN2, 4 p.m.

NBA

• Golden State vs. N.Y. Knicks, NBCSBA (Fairfield and Suisun City), TNT, 4:30 p.m.

• Memphis vs. Detroit, TNT, 7 p.m.

Football College

• Idaho Potato Bowl: Eastern Michigan vs. San Jose State, ESPN, 12:30 p.m.

• Boca Raton Bowl: Liberty vs.Toledo, ESPN, 4:30 p.m.

BASKETBALL

NBA

Kings will play 11 of 13 and 15 of 19 at home, where they are 8-4 this season. Twelve of those 19 games will be against teams that are currently at or below .500.

“I think the biggest thing for us is just focusing on one game at a time,” Kings forward Harrison Barnes said. “Sometimes when you get into these

long homestands, you kind of start looking ahead or saying this or that about this team or that team coming in, but I think we’ve seen that if we want to get to where we want to be, it just starts with one game at a time, so it starts with Charlotte and then just build from there.”

In addition to the Hornets, the Kings will play the Washington Wizards (11-19), Orlando Magic (10-20), Oklahoma City Thunder (12-18), San Antonio Spurs (9-20) and two games

were led by Pascal Siakam’s 27 points with Fred VanVleet adding 22.

against the Houston Rockets (9-20) during this 19-game stretch. The Kings will also play three games against the Los Angeles Lakers (12-16), who will be missing star center Anthony Davis for “multiple weeks” due to a right foot injury, according to ESPN.

The Kings will have a chance to get several games over .500 before they embark on a seasonlong seven-game road trip beginning Jan. 28.

“This is definitely big,” Kings center Domantas

a groin injury and Stephen Curry sidelined indefinitely with a partially dislocated shoulder.

Sabonis said. “In the NBA, you’ve really got to protect home court. You might play a better team, but at home you always have a slight advantage, so out of those 15 games at home, then we’ve got to have a high, high number of wins, and that’s going to be on us to come here and be focused. . . . We’ve got to come in and do our job, and that’s going to show some maturity in this group if we can handle that, and that will just allow us to make a bigger gap in the standings.”

NHL

off the bench.

Meanwhile, the Raptors

The Warriors were in desparate need for a road win like this, with Andrew Wiggins still dealing with

This is Golden State’s third road win of the season; the reigning champs have lost 14 others.

The Warriors (15-16) have two games in New York, against the Nets Tuesday and Knicks Wednesday, before they return to the Bay for an eight-game homestand.

shadow of Diego Maradona, who led Argentina to that last world championship in 1986. Sunday’s win removes that shadow.

And fittingly Messi’s fingerprints were all over both the tournament and the final, where he scored two goals and converted his penalty try in the shootout.

Six of Messi’s seven goals in Qatar have given Argentina a lead while his 13 goals and eight assists in 26 World Cup games have given him a hand in 21 scores, more than any player since at least 1966. He is also the first player to score in the group stage, round of 16, quarterfinal, semifinal and final of the same tournament.

But France, bidding to become the first repeat winner in the men’s World Cup since Brazil in 1962, wouldn’t go away. On rather Mbappe

wouldn’t. His hat trick Sunday gave him a tournament-high eight goals in Qatar and, combined with his goal in the 2018 final, gave him four goals in World Cup finals, the most ever. And he’s just 23.

After the loss he had to be consoled by French President Emmanuel Macron and Martínez, the Argentine goalie.

Injuries robbed France of as many as six starters, including reigning Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, who tore a muscle in his left thigh days before the team’s World Cup opener. But others stepped in in their absence, with Olivier Giroud replacing Benzema at striker and Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot filling the midfield void left by the absence of N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba, to get France back to the championship game.

France has played in the final of four of the last seven World Cups, winning twice.