Daily Republic: Friday, December 30, 2022

Flood watch warning issued for Friday to early Sunday

daily Republic sTaff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch warning for Friday and Saturday – and the whole of Solano County is within the warning zone.

“A flood watch is issued when conditions are favorable for flooding. It does not mean flooding will occur, but it is possible,” the Weather Service states.

tant to be able to communicate with your family and friends in the event of a disaster. Whether it is having a specific person identified to contact for status updates or a safe location to meet up with family members, having a plan in place will give you peace of mind if disaster does strike.

susan Hiland SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — It was a cool 49 degrees outside Thursday night for the inaugural Polar Bear Plunge. The plunge is a chilly dip into a body of water during the winter, this one being the swimming pool at the Walter V. Graham Aquatic Center.

Heide Clark, 14, of Vacaville, did a polar bear plunge with her dad, Matt Clark, on Christmas Day.

"We have a pool at our house," she said.

Heide also has done one at summer camp. Granted the temperatures were a bit warmer then.

"There is really no way to mentally prepare for it," she said. "Just don't hesitate to jump in and don't think about it." Her father's advice

Vacaville, came dressed in a bright pink cowgirl outfit with a tiny hat.

"I have never done this before," she said. "Physically I am dressed to the nines but mentally I know it is cold."

Reed had a cowboy friend who was going to join her but he got sick and stayed home.

Her grandmother was at home making potato soup to help her warm up when she returned.

The forecast, according to the National Weather Service, is for 2 to 4 inches of rain in the valley areas from 4 p.m. Friday until 4 a.m. Sunday, and 3 to 7 inches in the foothills.

Here are some “Before a Flood” preparedness safety tips:

n Create a communications plan: It is impor-

n Assemble an emergency kit: It is good practice to have enough food, water and medicine on hand at all times to last you at least three days in the case of an emergency. Water service may be interrupted or unsafe to drink and food requiring little cooking and no refrigeration may be needed if electric power is interrupted. You should also have batteries,

was the same, just do it and don't think.

"It is going to be cold no matter what," Matt Clark said.

Dalia Reed, 20, of

The temperature of the pool was 72 degrees, usually it is 82 degrees. A total of 21 people signed up this year for the event.

See Plunge, Page A8

Two flu deaths reported in county; Covid cases rising

Todd R. H ansen THANSEN@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Solano County and SMUD recently reached a settlement on the county’s suit against the utility company over placing larger wind turbines in the vicinity of Travis Air Force Base, the County Counsel’s Office confirmed.

The settlement was reached on Dec. 14.

On the surface, it appears that the Sacramento Municipal Utility District gets to do what it wanted to in the first place, which is to replace existing

Solano 4 Wind Project tur bines with larger towers in the Montezuma Hills area near Travis AFB.

The project calls for 19 turbines ranging from 492 and 591 feet tall, with rotor diameters ranging from 446 to 492 feet, SMUD documents state. The tur bines would generate 91 megawatts of electric ity, enough power to serve 40,000 homes in the dis trict, the utility stated.

However, SMUD has five years to show the new turbines will not further impact the radar system at Travis.

If those assessments

Regulatory authority over the project also was a key issue.

The county Airport Land Use Commission

FAIRFIELD — Two flu-related deaths in Solano County were reported as part of a state surveillance program in which Kaiser Perman-

Both individuals were over 75 years old, and would not have been reported to the county Public Health Division under normal regulations, Dr. Bela Matyas, the county public health officer, said in a phone interview on Thursday.

It is not known whether either person was a Solano County resident, Matyas said.

Matyas said the state

reporting program shows that there have been 91 influenza cases in Solano from Oct. 1 through Dec. 28, none of which fall into the usual reporting requirements.

The county has not had any flu-related deaths for anyone 65 or younger since 2019, Matyas said.

What the state report indicates is that influenza, along with Covid-19, are the only two winter diseases that are on the upswing, while the other seasonal ailments are declining.

Moreover, Matyas believes the Covid winter surge is nearing its peak.

“We are continuing

THANSEN@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

Cops will no longer be required to be “citizens” A3 Solano men

Susan Hiland/

photos

at

Walter

Graham Aquatic Center in Vacaville, Thursday.

Matt Clark and daughter Heide Clark of Vacaville splash around after the Polar Bear Plunge at the Walter V. Graham Aquatic Center in Vacaville, Thursday.

New school tech would’ve made old school stuff better

My old school bonafides are impeccable. I mean, just last week while others yelled for Alexa to play that same ol’ Mariah Carey Christmas tune, yet again to set the mood, I instead literally dusted off my record player and played my copy of the album, “The Star Carol” by Tennessee Ernie Ford, that my mom used to have.

That said, there were definitely times in the past when it would have been very cool to have some of today’s technology. For example:

Butt buffer: My dad would catch me and my brothers doing something stupid every other day, go get The Dreaded Belt™ and give us a whuppin.’ We got wise and would preemptively shove giant size X-Men comics or Mad magazines in the seat of our britches beforehand, which would numb the effects of the belt. But my dad could detect that the sound and the feel of the whuppin’ wasn’t right. That’s why having a 3-D printer that could make a shock absorbing buffer that fit snugly into my Fruit of the Looms and didn’t give away the ballgame would have been so helpful.

Teenage Awkwardness

Nullifier: When I went to see “Saturday Night Fever” at the Fairfield Cinema I in 1977 when I was 13 and ran into CC Davenport, it would have been

spot

just sit there trying to think of something clever to whisper to her for the whole movie until the credits rolled.

Age Appropriate Drive-In: Back in 1976, the newspaper was how locals read about what was playing at the Chief Auto Movies DriveIn. So what my parents read about “Ode to Billy Joe” was “A love story that’s joyous, funny and so touching you will never forget it.” They left out the part where the title character jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge. It was not really appropriate for kids and because neither a synopsis or reviews could be Googled up back then, there the whole Wade family sat in our Vista Cruiser station wagon with eyes as wide as saucers and me and my two younger brothers with question marks floating over our heads.

Superbad: When I was 17 I had no idea how to get a fake ID to get some beer like McLovin did in the movie ‘Superbad” so I instead wore my dad’s old bomber jacket and went to Travis Liquors near the Air Force base. The reasoning was that since I was a big kid, they would just assume I was an airman. I would add considerable bass to my voice, stroll in confidently while shooting the breeze with the clerk, pay for my Löwenbräu and jam. It worked a few times . . . until it didn’t. Now if I had had some

simile myself. By the way, as a middle-aged adult who doesn’t drink, I must say for the benefit of the two people who are under 21 who actually read my column, this would have been a terrible idea then and is one now.

Movie Magic: It would have been cool to have CGI back in the day to enhance the special effects for some movies and TV shows. I like the sci-fi movie “Total Recall,” but the scene where the former California governor’s disguise as a chunkified woman is revealed is quaint at best. That said, hands off episodes of The Three Stooges where someone throws a knife and it floats and you can see the strings, or the majestic stop motion in movies like “Jason and the Argonauts” or the groundbreaking special effects in the first three Star Wars movies aka the holy trinity.

Likes: Facebook would have been helpful back in high school to be able to see the similarities and not just the differences that people who moved in different spheres of friends had. I had no idea that my classmate Sarah Lytton liked AC/ DC and she probably did not know that about me. Now we can both join an AC/DC tribute band – well as long as they need a rhythm kazooist.

See it now: This morning I was reading “Ike and Dick: Portrait of a Strange Political Marriage” by Jeffrey Frank, and I come across something I wanted to check out. Thanks to Google I can get there in

I read where Checkers, the cute cocker spaniel that saved Nixon’s political career in 1952 (I ain’t gonna explain how, if you don’t know about it, you can Google that), was buried in a pet cemetery on Long Island and within seconds I was looking at his grave. There was also info I had never considered like had Nixon not been able to use television to pull the heartstrings of many Americans with his speech about his pooch and was dumped from the Eisenhower ticket, Watergate may never have happened. I’m sorry if this doesn’t interest you at all. I don’t have a depository for stuff like pictures of politician’s dead dog’s graves or political theories based on stuff I Googled . . . well, except for this column.

Say Cheese: Having a smartphone with a digital camera would have been so cool back in the day. To be able to check pictures, crop and edit and share them is still such a revolutionary thing to me. In November 1982, I went to see Judas Priest at the Cow Palace in Daly City and the opening band was some Canadian band I’d never heard of called Coney Hatch. I got super close to the stage and took several great pictures of Judas Priest with my Kodak Instamatic, which I then took to Long’s Drugs to get developed. About a week later, I got the pictures back and discovered that the only ones that came out were three of Coney Hatch. Then I happened to think of this incident a few days ago, looked

up Coney Hatch on YouTube music and listened to their 1982 debut album. Just as I suspected, I didn’t like it. Where am I?: In 1983, me and Klare Phillips left Solano College to go see Dio and Queensryche at the San Jose Civic. It would been super cool to have Google Maps to audibly tell me what exit to take and when to make a slight right and all that. Back then all I had was paper maps and I ain’t no one’s navigator. At one point we pulled off to get something to eat and I totally got lost. I remember driving through a corn field or something, several strip mall parking lots and finally, miraculously ending up at the venue mere seconds before the show started. And yes, I got lost on the way home too.

Social time: TikTok is a unique time suck in that it is basically people in real time all over the world desperately trying to get and keep your attention. While it excels at time wasting, back in the day all we had was this analog thing we had to use called our imagination.

Fairfield freelance humor columnist and accidental local historian Tony Wade writes two weekly columns: “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 Wade Back in the day

to be

Todd R. H ansen THANSEN@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Peace officers, starting in 2023, will no longer have to be U.S. citizens or perma nent residents, according to a new law that goes into effect on Jan. 1.

The new standard is that officers, and trainees, must be “legally authorized to work in the United States.”

“Existing law requires peace officers in this state to meet specified minimum standards, including, among other requirements, being at least 18 years of age, being of good moral character, as determined by a thorough background investigation, and being either a citizen of the United States or a permanent resident who is eligible for and has applied for citizenship, except as prescribed,” according to the text of Senate Bill 960, authored by state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 29.

“This bill would provide that those standards shall be interpreted and applied consistent with federal law and regulations, as specified. The bill would remove the provision that requires peace officers to either be a citizen of the United States or be a permanent resident who is eligible for and has applied for citizenship, and would instead require peace officers be legally authorized to work in the United States, and make conforming changes,” the text states.

Any agency that hires in violation of the standard,

the responsible individuals could face misdemeanor or even felony charges.

It is one of several new laws highlighted by the California Highway Patrol in a statement released this week.

And while another law essentially eliminates jaywalking as an offense, several others beef up statutes dealing with some troubling crimes, including the theft and sale of catalytic converters.

Senate Bill 1087, authored by Sen. Lena Gonzalez, D-Long Beach, and signed by Newsom on Sept. 25, limits who can sell catalytic converters and requires “recyclers to keep documentation such as the year, make, model, and

Two alerts added to state’s emergency notification system

Todd R. H ansen THANSEN@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD —

Two alert categories were added to notification system that is best known for the Amber Alert initiated when a child is believed to have been abducted.

The system allows law enforcement agencies to initiate public alerts in hopes the citizenry can assist in locating the subject of the notification.

There is also a blue alert, used when a law enforcement official has

been killed or injured, and a silver alert, which notifies the public about a missing senior citizen, usually with some kind of mental or physical disability.

Now a “yellow alert” and a “feather alert” are being added come the new year, the California Highway Patrol reported.

“The new ‘Feather Alert’ allows law enforcement agencies to request the CHP to initiate an alert when an indigenous person has been

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic

A pedestrian crosses in the middle of Texas Street in Downtown Fairfield, Wednesday.

essentially eliminates jaywalking as an offense.

Obituaries

Jan. 23, 1987 — Dec. 22, 2022

Matthew Scott Vickers passed away suddenly on Dec. 22, 2022, at the age of 35.

He is survived by his parents, Jeff and Cathy Vickers; and brother, James Vickers.

Private service will be held at a later date.

Kenneth D. Perkins was born Oct. 1, 1936, at St.

Francis Hospital in Hays, Kansas, to Corl and Margaret Perkins of Russell, Kansas. He was raised in Russell and attended school here before graduating in 1954, during this time Kenneth had also become an Eagle Scout in 1952. Kenneth then entered Kansas State Teachers college in Emporia, Kansas, before leaving in 1956 to join the U.S. Army.

Upon being discharged, Kenneth returned to school and married Rita Miser of Cottonwood Falls, Kansas, on Sept. 5, 1960, before graduating in 1961. Upon completion of school, Kenneth and Rita moved to Santa Ana, California, and began their careers in education.

In 1966, they moved to Fairfield, California, where Kenneth began teaching at Fairfield High School and driver’s training along with coaching football and baseball. He then left Fairfield High to become assistant principal of Crystal Intermediate School and later as principal. Kenneth served as principal to Grange Intermediate School and Armijo High School, where he was also Director of Personnel and Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources.

Kenneth retired from the Fairfield-Suisun School District in 1996 but continued consultant work in human resources for several school districts for eight years.

The Perkins family

purchased a condo at Tahoe Donner Golf Course in Truckee, California, where Kenneth enjoyed golfing, working with the yard, and spending time with his family and friends.

Kenneth was also a member of the Fairfield-Suisun Travis Lions Club for many years and had even served as president.

Kenneth passed away Dec. 17, 2022, at his home in Fairfield, California. He and his wife Rita were married for 61 years during which they had two children, his son, David of Sparks, Nevada; and daughter, Ann of Chico, California. They also share three grandsons together, Keith and Kyle Perkins of Chico, California, and Tanner Pettit also of Chico, California, as well as a great-granddaughter, Harmony of Sparks, Nevada.

He is survived by his older brother, Jack Perkins of Flippen, Arkansas.

Kenneth was preceded in death by his parents, Corl and Margaret Perkins of Fort Myers, Florida; and his wife, Rita Perkins of Fairfield, California.

A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, at BryanBraker Funeral Home, 1850 W. Texas St., Fairfield, California.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Alzheimer’s research, www.alz.org.

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

CHP starts holiday maximum enforcement period Friday

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD —

The CHP will begin its New Year’s maximum enforcement patrols at 6:01 p,m. Friday.

It continues through 11:59 p.m. Monday.

“Every year, people’s lives are impacted forever by making the decision to get behind the

wheel while under the influence,” retiring CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray said in a statement. “Driving impaired is never worth it and certainly not the way to ring in the new year – always designate a sober driver.”

During last year’s maximum enforcement period, 29 people in the state were killed and CHP officers arrested

495 impaired drivers. Additionally, the CHP issued more than 2,300 citations for speeding and 26 citations for seat belt violations.

“With this year’s ‘Eyes on the Interstates’ initiative, officers from Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho and Montana will be teaming up with the CHP to increase aware-

Touro professor recognized for achievements, diversity work

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VALLEJO — A professor at Touro University California has been recognized for her lifetime of work in the field of biological anthropology.

Andrea Taylor, professor of Basic Science, is the recipient of The Gabriel W. Lasker Service Award for 2022.

“What makes the Lasker Service Award so meaningful for me is that this award is given in the name of an individual who played such an important role in paving the way for making our association and our profession more diverse, more equitable, more inclusive; meaning, better for science and for those contributing to it,” Taylor said in a statement.

The award is viewed as one of the two most prestigious professional honors bestowed annually by the American Association of Biological

Anthropologists.

Taylor’s nom ination package states that she “has been the driving force behind some of the most important culture changes of the AABA.”

College of Osteopathic Medicine Dean Tami Hendriksz lauded the choice of Taylor for this honor.

“Dr. Andrea Taylor is very deserving of this honorable recognition. She is a role model to educators and learners who strive to create and be part of inclusive workplace and learning environments,” Hendriksz said in the statement. “Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine is very fortunate to have Dr. Taylor as a dedicated and beloved faculty member.”

Taylor teaches anatomy and runs a research lab at Touro.

“She is dedicated to

helping foster an inclusive campus environment, one that embraces diversity, in which every member of the community is respected,” the statement said.

“This work has been particularly meaningful to me as harassment in all its forms is rampant in academia but is particularly aimed at women and underrepresented minorities,” Taylor said.

“I believe in paying it forward. I do it because those in leadership have entrusted me to carry out this work. But most of all I do it because empowering others is incredibly important,” Taylor said.

“It is truly a privilege to be able to serve an association that has given so much to me, both professionally and personally.

To be recognized for this work with The Gabriel W. Lasker award is an incredible honor.”

Library upgrading computer system

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

David died of brain cancer on Dec. 15, 2022. He was born in Fairfield, California, on Dec. 14, 1963, to parents Ralph (Bud) and Dianne Cravea.

He attended Falls Elementary, Green Valley Middle School and graduated from Armijo High in 1982.

He worked several years at Macy’s-Fairfield and while living in North Carolina he worked for Replacements LTD. He last worked for Hope Chest in Ceres, California.

David is survived by his partner, Curtis Rollins; mother, Dianne Cravea; twin brother, Steven Cravea; nephews, Clayton and Chad Cravea; nine cousins; and extended family and friends.

He was preceded in death by his father, Bud Cravea. Service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 9, 2023, at Bryan-Braker Funeral Home, 1850 W. Texas St., Fairfield. Interment will be private at the Rockville Cemetery.

Arrangements are under the care of Bryan-Braker Funeral Home, 707-425-4697, www.bryanbraker.com.

FAIRFIELD — The Solano County Library Service is launching a new, more user-friendly computer experience in January.

The Polaris system is designed to “help customers discover the library’s extensive collection of books, eBooks, audiobooks, eAudiobooks, movies and more.

Cops

From Page A3

copy of the vehicle title from which the catalytic converter was removed,” the CHP statement said.

All the Solano County libraries and its partner libraries will have the new system, which will be ready Jan. 11. The branches will open at 11 a.m. that day.

Additional benefits of the new system are the system has “smarter, faster and more intuitive searching” capacity; “account customization, including the ability to log in with a unique user-

negligence.”

Senate Bill 1472 was authored by Sen. Henry Stern, D-Los Angeles, and signed by Newsom on Sept. 27.

name instead of a library card number and to choose text notifications;” and “auto-renewal, up to five times, of physical items borrowed from the library.”

The old computer catalog system and most online services will not be available, so physical library cards will be required for checking out

statewide safety and training programs for electric bicycles.”

ness about driving under the influence and removing impaired drivers from the roadways,” the statement said.

The agency encourages everyone to ring in 2023 responsibly by using a designated driver, whether a friend or family member, or some kind of taxi or ride service.

Saturday Club hosts annual tea tradition

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — The annual Sugar and Spice Tea returns in January.

The event will take place at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 21 at the Saturday Club of Vacaville, 125 W. Kendal St.

This children’s tea is a tradition for many local families and the biggest annual fundraiser for the club and its’ foundation, which supports the cultural arts, according to a press release.

The theme for this year’s event, the first held since 2020, is “A Teddy Bear Tea.” Children are encouraged to dress up and bring their favorite plushy animal friend to sit at the table with them.

Live entertainment and formal tea service will be presented by the members of the Saturday Club, complete with petite sandwiches, tiny bites and sweet treats. Children will be invited to march with their plushies in a Teddy Bear parade around the tables.

Tickets are $30 per person and seating is limited.

Reservations must be made by calling Pat Dennis at 707-455-0646.

Street parking will be available on the blocks surrounding the event. A free public parking lot is located two blocks away on the corner of Main and Cernon streets.

kidnapped, abducted or reported missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances, and specific criteria has been met to permit alert activation,” the CHP report states.

“Additionally, consistent with the department’s existing Amber, Blue and Silver Alert programs, this new ‘Feather Alert’ program encourages the use of radio, television and social media to spread the information about the missing indigenous person.”

The new alert is the result of Assembly Bill 1314, authored by Assemblyman James Ramos, D-Highland, and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 23. Ramos was born on the San Manuel Indian Reservation in San Bernardino County.

“Indigenous people experience high rates of

violence and are reported missing or are murdered at high rates. A 2016 study by the National Institute of Justice found that more than four in five American Indian and Alaska Native adults have experienced some form of violence in their lifetime,” the text of the legislation states.

“Indigenous women, girls and people are disproportionately affected by domestic violence, human trafficking and murder, and become missing at much higher rates than people of other racial groups,” the text adds.

The “yellow alert,” authored by Assemblyman Jim Patterson, R-Fresno, and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on July 19, can be initiated “when a fatal hit-and-run crash has occurred, and specific criteria has been met to permit alert activation. The law also encourages local media outlets to disseminate the information contained in a yellow alert,” the CHP reports.

The goal is by adding restrictions and making it more difficult to sell catalytic converters, there will be less incentive to steal them in the first place.

Another new law expands the criteria for what defines “gross negligence” in charging an individual with vehicular manslaughter.

“Drivers involved in sideshow activity, exhibition of speed, or speeding over 100 miles per hour, which results in a fatality, could now be charged with vehicular manslaughter with gross

Additionally, “parking lots and off-street parking facilities are now included as locations where it is a crime to engage in a speed contest, exhibition of speed, or sideshow activity,” and yet another law requires “vehicles passing or overtaking a bicycle in the same direction, to move over to an adjacent lane of traffic, if one is available, or slow down and only pass the bicyclist when safe to do so.”

In another cycling matter, the CHP will now be required to “work with other traffic safety stakeholders, such as the California Office of Traffic Safety, to develop

“This training program, which will consist of electric bicycle riding safety, emergency maneuver skills, rules of the road and laws pertaining to electric bicycles, will launch on the CHP’s website in September 2023,” the CHP statement said.

Finally, the CHP notes a new law that requires “the Attorney General’s Office to create an online reporting system for users of third-party online marketplaces to report listings of suspected stolen items. The reported information would be available to local law enforcement and the CHP’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force to assist with investigations.”

Matthew Scott Vickers

David Stanley Cravea Dec. 14, 1963 — Dec. 15, 2022

Kenneth D. Perkins Oct. 1, 1936 — Dec. 17, 2022

ARMY VETERAN

TAYLOR

Cyclist killed in hit-and-run identified

Todd R. H ansen THANSEN@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The man who was killed Wednesday evening while riding his bicycle along Cordelia Road has been identified as Christopher Sudat, the Solano County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office reported.

Sudat, 39, of Suisun

City, was struck around 5:20 by a pickup driven by a man the police later identified as Sean Miron, 46, of Fairfield.

Maron is accused of fleeing the scene, and later sideswiping another vehicle in Suisun, the driver of which tailed the Chevrolet Silverado pickup and notified the Suisun City police, the

Fairfield police release more details on fatal ‘DUI crash’

Todd R. H ansen THANSEN@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The city Police Department on Wednesday confirmed the identity of the man killed in a Christmas Eve car collision as Henry Blank, 62, of Vacaville.

A Vallejo man, Dominic Lyons, was arrested in connection with the incident, booked into Solano County jail on suspicion of felony DUI and vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

“Speed and alcohol/ drugs were likely factors on the part of Dominic Lyons, who was previously identified as the driver of the vehicle that struck the victims’ white Buick. Lyons was observed traveling eastbound on East Tabor in a Ford Explorer at around 10:15 p.m. on Christmas Eve at a high rate of speed and failed to stop at the stop sign posted to Clay Bank Road, just prior to the collision,” the Wednesday statement said.

Two passengers in Blank’s vehicle were identified as a man from Fairfield and a woman

from Vacaville. They were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and later released, the Wednesday police statement said. Blank died at the hospital.

A previous statement had indicated that the driver and two passengers in the car were all from Fairfield. None was identified at the time.

“Drinking and driving occurs year-round but is especially prevalent during the holiday season and, unfortunately, sometimes the seriousness of this issue doesn’t hit home, until the day it does. Don’t let it hit home for you,” the police added. “Don’t drive while intoxicated and don’t let the people you know drive under the influence either.”

The department urged motorists to use Uber, Lyft, taxi service or a designated driver if they intend to be drinking.

“Coming up with a transportation plan before indulging is a safety precaution that will ensure you, and those around you, live to ring in a new year,” the police said.

Application deadline nears for Suisun City commissions, boards

daily Republic sTaff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

SUISUN CITY —

Jan. 9 is the last day to submit applications for vacancies on the Planning and the Recreation, Park, Marina & Arts commissions, as well as three other boards.

Both commissions are advisory groups to the City Council. Applicants must be at least 18 and live in the districts for which they are appointed.

There are two fouryear term vacancies on the Planning Commission, and four vacancies –

Library

From Page A4

items. There will be no new library registrations until the new system is up and running either.

three four-year terms and one that expires January 2025 – on the Recreation, Park, Marina & Arts Commission.

There are also two Housing Authority Tenant Commissioner vacancies; three seats on the General Tax Oversight Committee; and one post on the Solano County Mosquito Abatement District board.

Call 707-449-5112 for additional information.

The online applications may be found at www. suisun.com/government/ citizen-governance.

The Library Service is asking its clients not to return library items until Jan. 17. The due dates will be automatically extended. Books cannot be put on hold until Jan. 12.

For more information, visit the new computer system information page

their clubhouse for private events such as weddings, birthday parties and anniversaries.

Fairfield police reported.

Suisun City officers detained Miron and his passenger, David Vernonrojo, 22, of Suisun City, and turned them over to Fairfield police. Miron, who has three prior DUI convictions, was booked into Solano County jail on suspicion of a felony DUI.

Vernonrojo also was arrested on weapons-

related allegations, the Fairfield police reported. A firearm found in the vehicle had a threaded barrel, in violation of law.

The incident occurred near Orehr Road, between Beck and Pennsylvania avenues, in Fairfield.

“Over the course of the last few days, we have repeatedly emphasized the importance of driving

sober, but we cannot stress it enough – no matter how lucky or how good of a driver you think you are, no matter what reason you fabricate, there is never an excuse for driving while intoxicated,” the Fairfield police said in a statement.

“A few seconds into one bad decision can cause the destruction of several lives, forever. The weight

of that just isn’t worth it. Hand over your keys, sleep it off, call a ride – but do not get behind the wheel.”

The department is seeking anyone who may have witnessed the hitand-run, or may have additional information. Call the Traffic Unit at 707-428-7300.

Study shows average monthly Fairfield utility bill is $402

Todd R. H ansen THANSEN@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Fairfield households have an average monthly utility bill of $402, according to a report released by the online firm, Doxo.

The utility cost can include electric, gas, water and sewer, and waste and recycling. Which services were included in Fairfield’s cost were not specifically spelled out.

Vallejo, also listed among the cities with a population of 40,000 or more, has an average household utility bill of $414. Vacaville was not listed.

Doxo reported that the average Fairfield household spends $2,595 per month on the 10 most common household bills such as mortgage or rent, auto loans and auto insurance, health and dental, medical insurance, cable and internet, cellphone service, alarm and security system and life insurance. Utilities are on the list, but does not include credit card payments, taxes and nonrecurring fees.

The average monthly mortgage payment in Fairfield is $1,956, while the average household rent is $1,577.

In brief

SafeQuest to benefit from fundraiser

SUISUN CITY — “Puttin’ on the Green” will be a St. Paddy’s Day party to benefit SafeQuest Solano in March.

The nonprofit provides a domestic violence shelter and rape crisis services.

The event will include craft beer, corned beef and cabbage, along with dancing to live music with The Breedloves and Friends.

Every ticket holder receives a free entry to the grand prize drawing and a chance to win a Caribbean vacation for up to six. Must be present to win.

The party will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. March 17 at Joseph Nelson Community Center, 611 Village Drive, in Suisun City.

at solanolibrary.com/ polaris, talk to staff in a library branch, or send an email to askus@splashlibraries.org. Updates will also be posted on the library’s social media: @ solanolibrary on Facebook and Instagram.

talent and plan to study at the collegiate level.

The average Fairfield household spends $2,595 per month on bills, according to

the $399 billion spent annually on utility bills in the country. It finds that the average utility bill for U.S. residents is $328 per month. Among the 78% of American households that pay a utility bill, this

$3,936 per year. When averaging across all households in the nation, this comes to $3,070, per year,” the report states.

The report states that utility costs were up 7% in the third quarter of

2022 compared to 2021, with electricity and gas costs up 10%.

“All in all, these numbers suggest that Americans continue to be in for an expensive winter in terms of paying bills,” the report states.

TeaFrom Page A4

The Saturday Club is a 113-year-old civic club dedicated to fostering the cultural arts in Vacaville. Monthly lunch meetings take place at their Kendal Street clubhouse where the club’s 50-plus members enjoy live performances from local performing arts ensembles and guest speakers. They also rent

The Saturday Club Foundation awards scholarships to high school students who show artistic

For more information on Saturday Club membership, to rent the clubhouse or to donate, call 707761-7108 or visit saturday clubvacaville.com.

Adobe Stock

Doxo.

Big Tech will get back to real tech in 2023

What to expect in 2023:

The tech bubble has finally popped. Big Tech’s expansion during the pandemic sparked a rush of over-hiring and preposterous valuations among tech startups, leading to a sharp correction at the end of 2022. As reality sets in through this coming year, expect tech firms to cut back on their infamously generous perks and refocus – I’m looking at you, Meta Platforms Inc. – on traditionally reliable business models like advertising and cloud computing.

Venture capital investors who help foment the industry’s latest trends will also reprioritize pure tech businesses – think enterprise software and cyber security instead of food delivery and telemedicine. Or, in more practical terms, higher margins over businesses that are capital-intensive and competitive.

Elon Musk’s radical streamlining of Twitter may inspire other social media bosses to go back to their age-old argument about being “tech firms” first and foremost, and tempt them to emphasize artificial intelligence development and engineering over policy work. That would be a mistake, as two major new laws from the European Union are coming down the pipe which will dictate how those companies should oversee content and data on their sites, and how they interact with competitors. One high-tech field probably won’t get much traction, though: the metaverse.

Software firms will also scramble to find ways to make money from generative AI, machine-learning systems that can write essays and create images and videos. The models underpinning those systems made several big breakthroughs in 2022. This year, companies like OpenAI, one of the leading generative AI producers, will have to answer tough questions about how they will prevent their systems from manipulating humans or spreading misinformation at scale. Apple Inc. has been lagging behind in its own AI development, and will likely need to buy a generative AI firm.

nnn

From the year behind us:

It’s Awkward Being a Woman in the Metaverse: Meeting people in virtual reality is fun but messier than Mark Zuckerberg’s vision. Also beware the foul-mouthed kids and the griefers.

Facebook Has Probably Peaked: The social network’s first ever drop in daily users was a landmark moment. As Zuckerberg steers quixotically toward the metaverse, it’s hard to see the company heading back to growth.

On the Internet Nobody Knows You’re a Kid – Yet: Lawmakers are pushing tech companies to make the web safer for children. But their proposals won’t do much without strict standards for age verification which nobody can agree on.

Wordle, BeReal and Even Facebook: Apps Get Less Addictive: The growth of apps that prize connection over obsession marks a healthy shift in social media. You only need to look at BeReal once a day.

Facebook, Beware: The Metaverse Is Flat: Most people are visiting virtual worlds through plain old screens on Roblox and Fortnite. Zuckerberg needs to make his metaverse less reliant on VR goggles, so that millions more people can access it.

Creative AI Is Generating Some Messy Problems: Generative AI that can write blog posts and create images is the hot new trend in tech circles, but it will come with thorny legal challenges.

Musk’s Twitter Won’t Die. Look at Telegram: Telegram is an even bigger social network run by a libertarian billionaire. Its popularity should dispel all notions that Twitter will disappear.

Parmy Olson is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering technology. A former reporter for the Wall Street Journal and Forbes, she is the author of “We Are Anonymous.”

COMMENTARY

Junk bond reckoning is coming in 2023

Ever so subtly, the high inter est rates of the past year have started to separate the viable businesses from the ones sustained by cheap money. Expect 2023 to kick that process into high gear.

Interest rates started surging in late 2021 as the Federal Reserve began to acknowledge that inflation wasn’t “transitory,” but relatively few companies have had to deal with the consequences. Many of them met their near-term borrowing needs during the first two years of the covid-19 pandemic, when rates were unusually low. Defaults and bankruptcies have begun to inch up since then, but only slowly and from extraordinarily low levels.

So far, prominent blowups have been few and far between. In June, the cosmetics giant Revlon Inc. – owned by billionaire Ron Perelman’s MacAndrews & Forbes – filed for bankruptcy amid struggles to keep pace with new brands. In August, drugmaker Endo International Plc initiated Chapter 11 proceedings, faced with lawsuits over its role in the U.S. opioid epidemic. Then there were the crypto implosions, punctuated by the collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX. Yet those episodes were idiosyncratic and, by total dollar amounts, still a far cry from the

COMMENTARY

fallout of a typical recession. But corporate America’s reckoning with its addiction to cheap debt is coming – and possibly as soon as next year. While high-yield bond maturities still look manageable for the next 12 months, the wall of expiring debt looks much more daunting in 2024. Companies will have to start refinancing well in advance of that, and they’re likely to find that the cost has risen too high for otherwise flimsy business models to withstand. At today’s rates, all-in yields on high-yield debt sit around 8.67% at the time of writing, far above the 2017-2021 average, according to Bloomberg data.

Much will depend on what transpires in the economy next year – and when. A Dec. 12-16 Bloomberg survey of economists puts the probability of a 2023 recession at 70%, but opinions vary widely in terms of when such a downturn would begin. UBS AG economists, for instance, project it will begin in April, while Bloomberg Economics forecasts it will start in September. For high-yield debt, the implication is that risk-free rates and credit spreads will pass like ships in the night at some point as the potential downturn comes into view, and the precise timing could matter tremendously for companies’

ability to pull off refinancing at palatable rates. As UBS strategists led by Matthew Mish noted in a report this month, spreads tend to tighten three to four months before the last Fed rate increase “and then gradually widen ahead of a recession.” In the words of the UBS strategists:

A key distinction is that this time, with our economists forecasting the Fed’s last hike in Q1 and an April recession, this window would be very compressed.

Credit spreads for junk bonds typically head toward 800 basis points over Treasury bonds in a typical recession, and at the current 452, they’re nowhere near discounting a genuine downturn. Even if inflation continues to ease and Treasury yields decline, junk-rated corporations may not find much of an opening to refinance inexpensively next year before credit spreads widen. As a result, many companies that got used to cheap money in recent years are probably going to have to settle for more sobering rates in 2023. Unfortunately, some of them won’t survive the process.

Jonathan Levin has worked as a Bloomberg journalist in Latin America and the U.S., covering finance, markets and M&A. Most recently, he has served as the company’s Miami bureau chief. He is a CFA charterholder.

Without shared morality, how can we call Putin evil?

Vladimir Putin is an evil man. But in an American society that is rapidly losing shared moral standards, how do we know that?

A moral judgment of the Russian president seems to cry out from the facts of his war of choice against Ukraine. Massacres of civilians, kidnapping of children and rapes of women, missile attacks on power plants, hospitals, schools and other facilities intended to ramp up the suffering of innocents – these war crimes and others are so fundamental to Russian war fighting that they must be countenanced if not ordered by Putin himself. Any fair observer must conclude that Putin is, simply put, a monster.

Similar judgments can be reached against the other dictators who join Putin in a quartet of tyrants that the United States must consider its greatest foreign threats as we stumble into 2023: Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

But again: In an increasingly secular age, where can we ground the moral consciousness that supports the value judgment “evil”? More and more Americans find appeals to Judeo-Christian teaching unpersuasive.

As recently as 40 years ago, a majority of Americans likely had some grounding in the Baltimore Catechism, the Westminster Confession or one of many cousin creeds that shaped moral judgments of many Catholics and Protestants. Christian doctrine no longer indoctrinates nearly as large a segment of the country. The number of Americans exposed to a weekly sermon is plummeting. Only 31% of Americans go to church, synagogue or mosque every

week or almost every week, Gallup reported this month; the same poll reported that 58% seldom or never go to church.

If the collective pulpit has lost its reach, what will transmit a shared morality from which we can venture judgments about good and evil? As social media and streaming platforms continue to divides us into self-chosen niches, even as ubiquitous a series of texts as the Harry Potter canon will reach only a minority of us.

In his most recent book, “Leadership,” the elderly sage Henry Kissinger concludes with a deeply pessimistic assessment of the “age of image” in which we live. “Reading a complex book carefully and engaging with it critically,” Kissinger writes, “has become as counter-cultural as an act as memorizing an epic poem in the earlier, print-based age.” We have, Kissinger concludes, given up complex thinking in exchange for learning via omnipresent “images.” But can images alone guide our moral judgments?

Among the complex books we should be reading is one published some 30 years ago – the effort of a great American public intellectual to establish by reason, and informed by science, whether humans possess an innate “moral sense” that does not depend on religious claims.

James Q. Wilson’s “The Moral Sense” demanded a response from high culture. Christopher LehmannHaupt, then-senior daily book reviewer for the New York Times, declared the book to be a “provocative meditation.” Indeed, a flood of thinking about American morals, prompted by Wilson’s work, led journalist Nina Easton to muse tongue-in-cheek about the “retro-

cons” – conservatives in search of lost standards – who they were, where they worked and what they read and wrote.

Wilson’s book is almost entirely forgotten now, and with it the retro-cons. That ship of common thinking about right and wrong has sailed -and might have sunk. It is at least lost.

What’s left? Netflix, HBO, Hulu or Prime Video? Can we salvage a shared morality from the melange of messages that form contemporary culture: Twitter and TikTok; “Breaking Bad,” “Game of Thrones” and “Yellowstone”; the Marvel Universe and the “Star Wars” galaxies? Perhaps we will return to the ancient mode of living by epics and sagas: not just “Lord of the Rings” and “The Chronicles of Narnia,” but their pagan relatives like “Wheel of Time,” “Malazan Book of the Fallen” or “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” The common moral DNA of a culture must come from somewhere.

Even the lawgivers and law enforcers of today’s imagination exist outside the moral compass. Consider Jack Bauer of “24,” Amazon’s Jack Ryan, authors Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon, Brad Thor’s Scot Harvath or C.J. Box’s Joe Pickett. They do what must be done, but the moral standards that determine the “must” are never explicit – much less argued or explained.

The words remain with us, “right and wrong.” But the momentum is running powerfully against them. In another 30 years, what will be left to allow Americans to call the monsters by their right names?

Hugh Hewitt is a nationally syndicated radio host on the Salem Radio Network.

He is also a professor at Chapman University School of Law, where he has taught constitutional law since 1996.

Hugh Hewitt

Parmy Olson

Jonathan Levin

In surprise interview Cosby announces plans to tour in 2023

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

Bill Cosby, having been released from prison after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court reversed his conviction, is planning a comeback tour.

“When I come out of this, I feel that I will be able to perform and be the Bill Cosby that my audience knows me to be,” the 85-year-old performer said in an impromptu radio interview on “WGH Talk” with Scott Spears, after answering “yes” to the question of whether he’d tour again.

Cosby served three years in prison after his April 2018 conviction on a criminal sex assault charge, before being

released in 2021 after the verdict was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

“Yes. Yes, because there’s so much fun to be had in this storytelling that I do,” Cosby said, according to Variety.

“Years ago, maybe 10 years ago, I found it was better to say it after I write it.”

Cosby still faces allegations, with five women suing both him and NBC earlier this month under the Adult Survivors Act, a New York state law that lifts the statute of limitations for one year. Their accusations mirror those of his previous alleged victims – that he drugged and raped them.

Zits Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Pearls Before Swine Stephan Pastis

Dilbert Scott Adams

Baby Blues Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott

Baldo Hector Cantú

Crime logs

FairField

TUESDAY, DEC. 27

5:17 a.m. — Fight with a weapon, 2700 block of SAVOY

PLACE

7:02 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 2700 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 7:53 a.m. — Grand theft, 1300 block of WEST TEXAS STREET 7:59 a.m. — Forgery, 1700 block of AUTUMN MEADOW DRIVE 8:02 a.m. — Commercial burglary, 100 block of EAST TABOR AVENUE 8:59 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 1300 block of WEST TEXAS STREET 10:03 a.m. — Reckless driver, GATEWAY BOULEVARD 10:08 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 400 block of TAYLOR STREET 12:36 p.m. — Forgery, 1200 block of DANA DRIVE 1:08 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 4300 block of CENTRAL PLACE 1:53 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 1000 block of QUAIL DRIVE 1:57 p.m. — Battery, 4700 block of ANTELOPE CIRCLE 3:49 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 1300 block of GATEWAY BOULEVARD 4:01 p.m. — Battery, 1000 block of WEBSTER STREET 4:12 p.m. — Trespassing, 1900 block of WALTERS COURT 5:09 p.m. — Trespassing, 400 block of UNION AVENUE 7:10 p.m. — Trespassing, 1700 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 11:03 p.m. — Prowler, 2900 block of CARMEL WAY WEDNESDAY, DEC. 28 12:51 a.m. — Reckless driver, OLIVER ROAD 7:47 a.m. — Commercial burglary, 1900 block of BLOSSOM AVENUE 9:26 a.m. — Vehicle theft, GULF DRIVE 10:35 a.m. — Indecent exposure, 1300 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD 11:23 a.m. — Commercial burglary, 800 block of WASHINGTON STREET 1:08 p.m. — Residential burglary, 1900 block of KIDDER AVENUE 2:08 p.m. — Battery, 300 block

From

to see an increase in Covid cases, but the rate of the increase is slowing,” he said.

There were 682 new cases reported, of which 642 are actually from the last report on Dec. 22. That is an average daily rate of 91.7, slightly down from the 95.57 average reported in the last update.

However, the 10-day daily average is up from 98 on Dec. 22 to 100.8 on Thursday, the county reported.

There were 35 individuals in area hospitals with positive coronavirus tests, up two from a week earlier, and three patients remain in the intensive care units with the disease.

There were no new Covid-related deaths reported, holding at 441.

Fairfield added 178 new cases to take its pandemic total to 31,295. Vallejo added 213 for a new count of 35,256. Vacaville is at

of PITTMAN ROAD 2:10 p.m. — Trespassing, 1900 block of BLOSSOM AVENUE 2:29 p.m. — Indecent exposure, 1900 block of GRANDE CIRCLE 2:44 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 100 block of OLYMPIC COURT 3:16 p.m. — Reckless driver, MANUEL CAMPOS PARKWAY 4:10 p.m. — Trespassing, 2400 block of MARTIN ROAD 4:14 p.m. — Trespassing, 1200 block of GULF DRIVE 6:09 p.m. — Vehicle burglary, 800 block of EAST TRAVIS BOULEVARD 8:52 p.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, LOPES ROAD 10:34 p.m. — Commercial burglary, 900 block of BECK AVENUE 10:42 p.m. — Fight with a weapon, 3000 block of CHESTNUT COURT 11:12 p.m. — Shots fired, 2900 block of TETON LANE

SuiSun City

TUESDAY, DEC. 27 6:51 p.m. — Hit-and-run no injury, SUNSET AVENUE / CANVASBACK DRIVE 11:14 p.m. — Shots fired, 600 Block of CIVIC CENTER BOULEVARD WEDNESDAY, DEC. 28 8:40 a.m. — Vandalism, 700 block of MAIN STREET 9:37 a.m. — Fraud, 200 block of BROOKSIDE DRIVE 11:33 a.m. — Vandalism, 600 block of CIVIC CENTER BOULEVARD 11:03 p.m. — Shots fired, 1400 block of HUMPHREY DRIVE

29,134 after 181 additional cases, the county reported.

Suisun City (8,072) added 35 cases; Dixon (5,467) added 23; Benicia (4,786) added 42; Rio Vista (1,634) added nine; and the total in the unincorporated area of the county climbed to 231 with one additional case, the county reported.

Vaccination rates did not change much, with just 88 individuals being boosted since Dec. 22.

The number of children 6 months to 4 years old who have received a vaccine shot is at 2,63o (11.7%), up 18, and shots given to children 5 to 11 are up 17 to 15,249 (41.1%).

While Christmas and other holidays explained some of the numbers, Matyas also thinks the county has likely reached its saturation point for individuals wanting to get shots or having their children inoculated.

There were also two additional Monkeypox cases reported, but were viewed as isolated incidents and not part of a growing trend. They put the total cases to 44.

tors, asserting it was exempt from county authority as a public utility, in August 2021 voted to move forward anyway.

Final state inflation relief payments coming

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

If you still have not received your California inflation relief payment, it could be on its way in the new year.

All direct deposit payments from the Middle Class Tax Refund program have been issued, according to the California Franchise Tax Board, and the remaining payouts will be sent as debit cards expected to be mailed out by Jan. 14.

The eligible residents yet to receive their debit cards are those who received their stateissued pandemic stimulus payments through direct deposit but changed their banking information after filing their 2020 taxes, according to the Franchise Tax Board.

As of Thursday, the state has issued more than 7 million direct deposits and more than 8 million debit cards for a total of $8.4 billion – representing most of the $9.5 billion set aside for the tax refund

program meant to help Californians with the soaring cost of gasoline, groceries and other goods over recent months.

The payments range from $200 to $1,050, depending on filing status and claimed dependents.

California began sending funds in early October, and direct deposits were completed by mid-November.

1. Am I eligible to get

money through the California Middle Class Tax Refund?

There are several important qualifications to keep in mind. According to the state Franchise Tax Board, eligible Californians must:

n Have filed a 2020 tax return by Oct. 15, 2021.

n Meet California’s adjusted gross income limits of $500,000 or less, with tiers depending on AGI.

n Not have been claimed as a dependent in the 2020 tax year.

n Have been a California resident for at least six months in the 2020 tax year and be a resident on the date the payment is issued.

2. Am I supposed to receive a debit card?

It depends on how you filed your 2020 income tax return and whether you still have the same bank account.

If you filed your 2020 income tax return electronically but have since changed your bank or account number, then you will receive a debit card.

3. When should the money arrive?

Direct deposit payments were issued by Nov. 14.

Those who changed bank information since electronically filing 2020 income tax returns began to receive debit cards Dec. 17, and the final payments should go out by Jan. 14.

had deemed the project to be incompatible with the Travis Air Force Base Land Use Compatibility Plan, and the county has a moratorium on all new wind turbine projects because of its concerns about the “negative impacts” on Travis operations.

But the SMUD direc-

The utility also pointed to comments from Travis AFB that the project would create only a “minimal negative increase” on radar operations.

The county contended, however, that any increase on what are already existing problems is unacceptable.

Flood

From Page One

blankets, flashlights, first aid kit, rubber boots, rubber gloves and a NOAA Weather Radio or other battery-operated radio easily available.

n Know your risk: Is your home, business or school in a floodplain? Where is water likely to collect on the roadways you most often travel? What is the fastest way to get to higher ground? Knowing the answers to these questions ahead of time can save your life.

n Sign up for notifications: The Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service provides RSS feeds for observed forecast and alert river conditions to help keep the public informed about

Plunge

Organizers attempted to do it last year but no one signed up, according to Elizabeth Cristane, recreation manager.

"We have waited two years for this. I am really excited to see it happen," she said despite having a bit of a cold herself.

The idea for the Polar Bear Plunge came out in a time when they were trying to plan a fun event for families.

"Some people have said that cold therapy baths are good for you," Cristane said. "I guess it's like washing off the old and welcoming in the new

local water conditions. Locals also can sign up for Alert Solano for local notifications. Go to www. solanocounty.com/depts/ oes/alertsolano/infor mation.asp.

n Prepare your home: Sometimes floods develop slowly and forecasters can anticipate where a flood will happen days or weeks before it occurs. Oftentimes flash floods can occur within minutes and sometimes without any sign of rain. Being prepared can save your life and give you peace of mind.

– If you have access to sandbags or other materials, use them to protect your home from flood waters if you have sufficient time to do so. Filling sandbags can take more time than you may think.

– Have a professional install check-valves in plumbing to prevent flood

waters from backing up into the drains of your home. Make sure your sump pump is working and consider having a backup. Make sure your electric circuit breakers, or fuses, are clearly marked for each area of your home.

– Since standard homeowners’ insurance doesn’t cover flooding, ensure coverage by contacting your insurance company or agent to purchase flood insurance. This must be done before there is even a threat of flooding as insurance companies stop issuing policies if there is a threat of flooding. (i.e., an approaching hurricane).

Many flood insurance policies take at least 30 days to go into effect so even if you can buy it as a storm is approaching, it may not protect your investment.

n Prepare your family/pets: You may be

evacuated, so pack in advance. Don’t wait until the last moment to gather the essentials for yourself, your family and/or your pets.

n Charge your essential electronics: Make sure your cellphone and portable radios are all charged in case you lose power or need to evacuate. Also make sure you have back-up batteries on hand.

n Leave: If it is likely your home will flood, don’t wait to be ordered to leave; evacuate yourself. Make alternative plans for a place to stay. If you have pets, take them with you or make arrangements to board them at a facility well away from the flooding danger.

For more tips, go to www.weather.gov/safety/ flood-watch-warning.

games but decided against that," said Jennifer Baker, recreation supervisor for Three Oaks Community Center.

This was her first year doing something with the pool.

After all was said and done about 20 people made the plunge, then splashed around a bit. A few went over to a secondary pool that was warmer than the first one.

for the year."

The event also offered a costume contest with prizes. A few people came dressed up including a Ghostbuster team and Olaf from "Frozen."

About 30 people showed up mainly to watch family members and friends take a dive into the pool. They were welcomed with hot cocoa to drink.

"We had planned some

Heide thought it was not much warmer.

"You think it is but then you are in it a few minutes and it feels like the same temperature," she said.

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic

Vehicles drive through a rainy downtown Fairfield, Thursday.

Susan Hiland/Daily Republic

Dahlia Reed, 20, of Vacaville, is dressed as a cowgirl for the Polar Bear Plunge at the Walter V. Graham Aquatic Center in Vacaville, Thursday.

Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times/TNS California has paid out $8.4 billion of the $9.5 billion set aside for the Middle Class Tax Refund program, according to the Franchise Tax Board. Above, the state Capitol in Sacramento.

. 707.427.6995

World-renowned soccer star Pelé dies at age 82

K evin Baxter LOS ANGELES TIMES

Pelé, the soccer player who rose from an impoverished Brazilian slum to become the most famous and, for a time, the bestpaid athlete in the world during a spectacular career that produced more World Cup titles and more breathtaking moments than any other, has died at the age of 82, according to The Associated Press.

Never far from the game he so loved, Pelé died of complications from cancer at a hospital in São Paulo on Thursday.

Pelé, who had a tumor removed

Pelé utterly transformed soccer during a 21-year career in which he scored an unprecedented 1,281 goals, although more than 500 of those came in “unofficial” matches on barnstorming tours popular during Pelé’s early playing days. As a result, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo‘s 819 goals is considered the all-time record, ahead of Pelé’s 757. But numbers alone couldn’t

define Pelé’s magic, which was so special that African armies on both sides of a bloody civil war in Nigeria agreed to a two-day truce so that soldiers could watch him play. The Shah of Iran once waited three hours at an airport just to speak with him, the Secret Service let him bounce a ball off President Gerald Ford’s head, and a survey in the waning days of his playing career showed that Coca-Cola was the only brand more popular than Pelé in Europe.

“Pelé is the greatest player in football history,” Ronaldo said. “And there will only be one Pelé.” “Pelé,” said Dutch star Johan

Solano men sink Alameda for first BVC win of season

M att Miller MMILLER@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

ROCKVILLE — Jonathan Cobbs scored a game-high 31 points and pulled down eight rebounds as the Solano Community College men's basketball team earned their first Bay Valley Conference victory of the season, beating Alameda Thursday night 86-78.

Cobbs continued to lead the Falcons after returning to the lineup recently. He had hip surgery in the offseason and has continued to show great progress.

The Falcons improved to 3-10 overall.

Cobbs played 35 points, was 10 of 20 from the field, hit 3 of 9 from long range and made 8 of 10 free throws. All his rebounds came at the defensive end. He also contributed four assists.

Solano head coach Jay Nagle said recently of Cobbs, "He's so skilled and a high-level shooter with good basketball IQ. He can score from three levels. He can get to the rim, can score off the bounce and is just a sniper from three."

Dwayne Crosse

LOCAL REPORT

Fairfield High’s boys basketball earns spot in consolation final

M att Miller MMILLER@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield High School boys basketball team came up just short after potentially getting run off their own floor Wednesday night in the opener of the Ronald D. Thompson Holiday Classic.

On Thursday, there was no such concern.

Fairfield opened the tournament with a 58-52 loss to Vintage. The results were far more appealing Thursday for the host after a 79-50 win over Castlemont, a school that played the entire game with just five men.

The Falcons advanced into Friday’s consolation finals and will meet Davis at 5 p.m. The Blue Devils were a 55-54 winner over Liberty Ranch Thursday.

Vallejo played Vintage in one semifinal Thursday night, and

Natomas took on Benicia. Those scores were not available at press time. The third-place game Friday will be at 6:30 with the tournament championship scheduled for 8. Liberty Ranch will play Castlemont at 3:30 p.m. for seventh place.

Vallejo beat Castlemont 82-43 on Wednesday and Natomas earned a 60-51 win over Liberty Ranch. Benicia beat Davis 79-66 in the late game.

Dylan Flores paced the Falcons with 22 points in the win over Castlemont. His team cheered him as he took advantage of extended minutes for a big night. A sly smiled came on his face as the points continued to pile up.

“The kids played hard,” Fairfield head coach Eddie Wilson said. “Dylan Flores was really good off the bench. He competed really hard and made some plays.”

Evan Smith added 16 points for the Falcons and Amire Price had

10 points. Fairfield had the game in control from the opening tip. The Falcons led 20-11 at the end of the first quarter and 43-20 at halftime. That gave Wilson the opportunity to give his bench plenty of game minutes.

On Wednesday, the Falcons trailed 40-25 with 5:02 to play in the third quarter after Brady Hearn sank a 3-pointer for Vintage. Fairfield eventually had a 15-14 edge in the third quarter and cut the Vintage lead to 48-37.

Twice in the fourth quarter the Falcons got the score down to a four-point game. Johnnie Jones threw down a thunderous dunk for Fairfield off an end bounds place to make it 56-52 with five seconds remaining. But Ben Jackson iced the game for Vintage with three seconds left by hitting a pair of free throws.

had 15 points for the Falcons and Anjani Monroe added 11.

Matthew Elliott came off the bench to score 16.

Elliott hit a team-high four 3-pointers, finishing 4 of 7 from behind the arc. He was also 6 of 10 from the field and contributed three rebounds, two assists and one steal in 17 minutes of action.

Jacque Jones, Isaiah Randle, Devin Wade and Leon Fong also contributed points for Solano.

The Falcons had a 44-42 lead at halftime and pushed the lead further with a 42-36 advance in the second half.

Solano had opened conference play last week but suffered a tough 98-92 loss in overtime at Napa Valley. Thursday's victory also snapped a three-game losing streak. The team will be in action Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in Marin.

Saji Muanza led Alameda with 20 points. Jordan Jackson had 17 points and nine rebounds. Wilson Tran had 14 points and seven rebounds. Petar Mijatovic contributed 12 rebounds and six points.

Vanden opens Modesto event with two wins

Daily r epuBlic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Vanden High School boys basketball team opened the four-day Modesto Christian tournament with a pair of wins Tuesday and Wednesday.

Vanden notched a 63-59 win over Pleasant Valley of Chico Tuesday before adding a 61-57 win over Weston Ranch of Stockton Wednesday.

The Vikings improved to 9-4 overall and played a semifinal game Thursday night against Clovis West. That game finished after the Daily Republic’s press run.

Sterling McClanahan led the Vikings with 17 points in the win over Pleasant Valley. Jayden Robinson and Elijah Lewis had 15 points apiece.

Against Weston Ranch, McClanahan had 19 points. Eric Dennis added 13 points and Rob-

inson scored nine.

Both games were played without leading scorer Tyler Thompson, who was out sick.

“It’s nice to see that we can play well in his absence,” Vanden head coach Micheal Holloway said. “We showed we can still get it done.”

Wood boys can’t fend off Fortune

VACAVILLE — The Will C. Wood High School boys basketball team lost to Fortune of Elk Grove 73-57 Wednesday night in the opening game of the Cordova tournament at Rancho Cordova.

Isiah Dixon led the Wildcats in scoring with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Nigel Rogers added 16 points. After being down 39-38 at halftime, Fortune broke away with

Warriors’ Poole has been playing like a starter B2

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic

Vintage HIgh School’s Luke Haeuser, left, blocks a shot by Fairfield’s Amarre Davis during the Ronald D. Thompson

Holiday Classic boys basketball game at Fairfield High School, Wednesday.

PELÉ

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic Solano’s Jacques Jones, right, shoots the ball against Alameda’s Saji Muanza during the men’s basketball game at Solano College in Fairfield, Thursday. See Legend,

CALENDAR

Friday’s TV sports

Basketball College Men

American vs. Lafayette, NBCSCA, 4 p.m.

USC vs. Washington, ESPN2, 4 p.m.

NBA

Portland vs. Golden State, NBCSBA (Fairfield and Suisun City), 7 p.m.

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

Football College

Duke’s Mayo Bowl: Maryland vs. NC State, ESPN, 9 a.m.

Sun Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. UCLA, 5, 13, 11 a.m.

Gator Bowl: Notre Dame vs. South Carolina, ESPN, 12:30 p.m.

Orange Bowl: Tennessee vs. Clemson, ESPN, 5 p.m.

Hockey College

Harvard vs. Boston, ESPN, 4 p.m.

Soccer

EPL West Ham vs. Brentford, USA, 11:45 a.m.

Saturday’s TV sports

Basketball College Men

Connecticut vs. Xavier, 2, 40, 9 a.m.

Louisville vs. Kentucky, 5, 13, 9 a.m.

Florida State vs.Duke, ESPN2, 10 a.m.

Arizona vs. Arizona State, 2, 40, 11 a.m.

Oklahoma State vs. Kansas, 5, 13, 11 a.m.

San Diego State vs. UNLV, 5, 13, 1 p.m.

Pepperdine vs. Gonzaga, NBCSBA, 2 p.m.

Saint Mary’s vs. Santa Clara, NBCSBA, 4 p.m.

College Women

Creighton vs. DePaul, 2, 40, 1 p.m.

Football College

Music City Bowl: Iowa vs.Kentucky, 7, 10, 9 a.m.

Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Kansas State, ESPN, 9 a.m.

National Semifinal, Fiesta Bowl: TCU vs. Michigan, ESPN, ESPN2, 1 p.m.

National Semifinal, Peach Bowl: Ohio State vs.Georgia, ESPN, ESPN2, 5 p.m.

Hockey

NHL San Jose vs. Dallas, NBCSCA, 5 p.m.

Soccer EPL

Wolverhampton vs. Manchester United, USA, 4:30 p.m.

Newcastle vs. Leeds, USA, 7 a.m.

Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Arsenal, 3, 9:30 a.m.

49ers’ opponents don’t rebound well from losses

Jerry MCDonaLD BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

SANTA CLARA —

Recent history suggests the Washington Commanders are in trouble this week.

The 49ers haven’t given their 37-20 win over Washington last Saturday a second thought, choosing instead to focus on Sunday’s road game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.

While the 49ers are 11-4, have won eight straight and will be no worse than the No. 3 seed in the NFL playoffs, the Commanders are 7-7-1 and clinging to the seventh and final seed in the NFC heading into their next game against the Cleveland Browns.

Even worse, the Commanders just faced the 49ers, and for whatever reason, teams that play the 49ers are doomed to defeat in their next game.

Thirteen teams have played the 49ers and had a game the following week. Thirteen times they have lost. And don’t bring up the Kansas City Chiefs, because 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan will be quick to remind you the Chiefs had a bye after they played the 49ers.

Shanahan is forwardthinking, but open to the notion his team may have softened up a vanquished opponent before its next game.

It was special teams coach Brian Schneider who first alerted Shanahan to stat.

“He keeps telling me every Monday,” Shanahan said. “He checks. He pointed out how cool it

was at six and I started paying attention.”

No team in modern football history has had its opponent lose the following week for an entire season. According to the sports data site SportsRadar and unearthed by Associated Press stats maven Josh Dubow, teams that played the 1997 Green Bay Packers were 1-13 the following week, followed by the foes of the 1989 Miami Dolphins (2-13) and 1984 Los Angeles Rams (2-13).

If Washington loses to Cleveland and then the Raiders fall to Kansas City in their finale, every team that faced the 49ers will have lost the week after they played them.

The ’97 Packers went 13-3 and the ’84 Rams were a 10-6 playoff team. Miami was 8-8 under Don Shula in 1989.

Shanahan acknowledges he’s not really sure if the stat means much, only that it’s “cool” to be associated with it,.

One piece that could factor in is an NFC West that was weaker than expected, with only the 49ers’ being over. 500. There is an element of randomness to 0-13, but the 49ers would like to believe their style of play has something to do with it.

“I think it’s just a testament to the physicality that we like to play with across the board,” left guard Aaron Banks said. “Our defense, our offensive line, our receivers blocking, our running backs running downhill . . . both sides of the ball, special teams, we try to put that at the forefront of what we do.”

Scoreboard

BASKETBALL

NBA

EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division

W L Pct GB Boston 26 10 722 Brooklyn 23 12 657 2½ Philadelphia 20 13 606 4½ New York 18 18 500 8 Toronto 15 20 429 10½

Central Division W L Pct GB Milwaukee 22 12 647 Cleveland 22 14 611 1 Indiana 19 17 528 4 Chicago 15 19 441 7 Detroit 9 28 243 14½ Southeast Division W L Pct GB Miami 18 17 514 Atlanta 17 18 486 1 Washington 15 21 417 3½ Orlando 13 23 361 5½ Charlotte 10 26 278 8½

WESTERN CONFERENCE Northwest Division W L Pct GB Denver 22 12 647 Portland 18 16 529 4 Utah 19 18 514 4½ Minnesota 16 19 457 6½ Oklahoma City 15 20 429 7½ Pacific Division W L Pct GB L.A. Clippers 21 16 568 Phoenix 20 16 556 ½ SACRAMENTO 18 15 545 1 GOLDEN STATE 18 18 500 2½ L.A. Lakers 14 21 400 6 Southwest Division W L Pct GB New Orleans 22 12 647 Memphis 21 13 618 1 Dallas 20 16 556 3 San Antonio 12 23 343 10½ Houston 10 25 286 12½ Wednesday’s Games GOLDEN STATE 112, Utah 107 SACRAMENTO 127, Denver 126 Detroit 121, Orlando 101 Washington 127, Phoenix 102 Brooklyn 108, Atlanta 107 Miami 112, L.A. Lakers 98 Chicago 119, Milwaukee 113 New Orleans 119, Minnesota 118 Thursday’s Games Charlotte 121, Oklahoma City 113

NHL

at Vegas,

a.m.

Philadelphia at L.A. Kings, 1 p.m. Montreal at Washington, 1 p.m.

at Tampa Bay, 2 p.m. Minnesota at St. Louis, 3 p.m. Toronto at Colorado, 4 p.m. Ottawa at Detroit, 4 p.m. Vancouver at Calgary, 7 p.m. Winnipeg at Edmonton, 7 p.m.

W L T Pct. PF PA

FRAN 11 4 0 733 375 230 Seattle 7 8 0 .467 365 379 L.A. Rams 5 10 0 333 281 334 Arizona 4 10 0 .286 292 372

Dallas 27, Tennessee

Sunday’s Games SAN FRANCISCO at Las Vegas, 1:05 p.m. Arizona at Atlanta, 10 a.m. Chicago at Detroit, 10 a.m. Jacksonville at Houston, 10 a.m. Denver at Kansas City, 10 a.m. Miami at New England, 10 a.m. Indianapolis at N.Y. Giants, 10 a.m. New Orleans at Philadelphia, 10 a.m. Carolina at Tampa Bay, 10 a.m. Cleveland at Washington, 10 a.m. N.Y. Jets at Seattle, 1:05 p.m. Minnesota at Green Bay, 1:25 p.m. L.A. Rams at L.A. Chargers, 1:25 p.m. Pittsburgh at Baltimore, 5:20 p.m. Monday’s Game Buffalo at Cincinnati, 5:30 p.m.

Jordan Poole is now playing like a full-time starter for Warriors

Connor Letourneau SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

SAN FRANCISCO —

Early in the Golden State Warriors’ Christmas Day win over the Grizzlies, Stephen Curry summoned Jordan Poole toward the sideline. As Curry peppered him with pointers, Poole grabbed his knees and stared ahead, nodding to acknowledge each tidbit.

Never mind that Poole was well on his way to a 17-point first quarter on the biggest stage of the NBA regular season. Ten weeks removed from a four-year, $140 million contract extension that cemented Poole as the face of the Warriors’ next generation, Curry views him as a sort of little brother: the audacious 23-year-old who wants nothing more than to be like Curry.

Lately, Poole has been. Since his mentor suffered a left-shoulder injury Dec. 14 at Indiana that should sideline him until around mid-January, Poole has kept the Warriors in playoff contention with Curry-esque passes, dribbling displays and deep 3-pointers. In doing so, Poole amplified a question that has lingered on the periphery for well over a year: When will he be a full-time starter?

Like many high-level scorers, Poole is at his best with the first unit. His 26.1 points per game as a starter this season are a far cry from the 14.1 points he averages off the bench. Though it might seem easy to tell Poole to wait his turn, the Warriors must weigh whether such an ask would be in the team’s best interest once Curry comes back.

It’s only a matter of time until Poole carves out a permanent role in the starting lineup. The longer

Local

From Page B1

a 21-10 edge in the third quarter and a 13-9 advantage in the fourth.

“We were in vacation mode,” Wood head coach Mark Wudel said in an email.”We were lethargic and couldn’t move on defense. We got outrebounded and outplayed.”

Wood played El Dorado Thursday. Game results were not made available at press time.

This all offers an intriguing backdrop to Curry’s extended absence. If Poole can continue to keep the Curry-less Warriors around.500, the more lineup complications head coach Steve Kerr should face when Curry returns: Can Kerr afford to move Poole back to a makeshift second unit known to sap Poole’s greatness? And if not, whom would Poole supplant in the starting five?

Curry and Draymond Green appear off limits for obvious reasons, which leaves Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney and Klay Thompson as the possibilities. However, the prospect of removing any of those three from the starting lineup brings significant downside.

There is a reason Curry, Green, Wiggins, Looney and Thompson have comprised the league’s most effective high-usage unit this season. When those five players are together, the Warriors boast an ideal mix of scoring, passing, floor-spacing and defense.

The problem has been Golden State’s bench,

The Wildcats are now 8-5 overall.

Vanden JV boys pick up big win

FAIRFIELD — The Vanden High School boys junior varsity team rolled to an 80-36 win over Pioneer of Woodland Wednesday in the first round of the Dixon Ram Jam tournament.

DJ Brown led the Vikings with 15 points. Malachi Vines scored 13 and Caleb Rafan added 10. Vanden improved to 5-5.

which ranks second-to-last in the NBA in net rating.

Over the past two-plus months, Kerr has made a slew of adjustments to the second unit, only for that group to remain unreliable.

Part of the issue is Poole, who is shooting just 40.9% from the field and 79.2% from the foul line when he comes off the bench. Conventional wisdom would suggest he struggles as the defense’s primary focus –a fair assumption to make about a young player fresh off one of the most meteoric rises in recent NBA history.

But even after Green and Wiggins joined the second unit in mid-November to take pressure off him, Poole continued to labor. Far too often, he slipped into bad habits, over-dribbling and flinging up ill-advised shots.

This was a stark contrast to his play in the starting lineup, where Poole has simplified his movements and appeared more at ease. In addition to averaging 12 more points per game as a starter than as a bench player in just six more minutes, he has shot 3.8% better from the field and 11.7% better from the foul line.

If the Warriors have

Vanden played in the semifinals of the tournament Thursday night. Results were not available at press time.

Girls Basketball Vanden loses opener at WC Jamboree

FAIRFIELD — The Vanden High School girls basketball team was beaten by Acalanes 71-54 Wednesday night in opening round of play in the Diamond Division of the West Coast Jamboree

learned anything about Poole over the past 3 1/2 seasons, it’s that he can power through learning curves. Some might wonder, though, whether his style just lends better to a starting role.

Poole tends to thrive when he can settle into a flow. With Curry injured, he has had the freedom to play off other proven pros, create for himself and others, and deliver a steady stream of highlights – all without the fear of getting yanked for a mistake or two.

It should come as no big surprise, then, that Poole has paced the Warriors in scoring in eight of the nine games Curry has missed this season. But when Curry returns, Poole could head back to the bench.

Kerr might not want to mess with a starting lineup as successful as Curry, Green, Wiggins, Looney and Thompson.

Pull Wiggins, and the Warriors lose arguably their best perimeter defender. Pull Looney, and they lose a stabilizing force on both ends. Pull Thompson, and they not only lose one of the best shooters in NBA history – they risk alienating an instrumental member of the dynasty.

The notion of limiting Poole’s greatness isn’t much more palatable, though. A day will come — perhaps next month, perhaps next season — when Kerr must anoint Poole a permanent starter, no matter the repercussions.

Waiting for Curry, 34, to retire is not an option. Still testing the limits of his prime, he could realistically play at an All-Star-caliber level for another three or four years, at least.

Now Poole will embrace being Curry’s pupil.

in Hayward.

The Vikings, 8-7 overall, did not have a game Thursday because an opponent could not make the tournament. Vanden advances into the consolation finals at 4 p.m. Friday.

Alyssa Jackson led the Vikings with 20 points. Gabby Wright and Jaylen Kuehnel scored eight points apiece. Kalyn Harris and Calonni Holloway had seven each.

“We were super flat and came out lethargic,” Vanden head coach Jake Johnson said. “We had a slow start.”

the Warriors delay the inevitable, the longer they might have to stomach not maximizing his skills.

Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group/TNS Jordan Poole (3) of the Warriors takes a shot over Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz in the second quarter at Chase Center in San Francisco, Wednesday.

My guilty conscience still plagues me 20 years later

Dear Annie: I worked part time for good friends now over 20 years ago. The wife was in charge of the medical office; her husband was a doctor whom my husband and I had known way before she met and married him. Two other ladies worked in the office full-time also and had been there years before me. After working part time for over four years, the wife hired a new lady as a receptionist. I became good friends with the new receptionist. She had a very dysfunctional life, was married to an abuser and had a young daughter who seemed mature way beyond her years and was a great kid.

She finally divorced the abuser husband and then set her sights on the doctor. I told her not to do this, as he had two young children, but she continued. The doctor fell for her hard. I had private conversations with him to stop this affair because he had a family, and I knew she was sleeping with other guys she had met in bars. He continued and said he was in love with her. His wife found out, and they divorced. He married this girl.

After all these years, I still have guilty feelings, as I think I should have told his first wife of the affair and maybe they could have worked things out. I know the other two ladies in the office also could have said something, but no one did.

Should I sit down with the ex-wife and tell her I am sorry

and that I should have told her what was happening in the office? She raised her two children and seems happy, but never remarried. We talk occasionally and meet occasionally for dinner. — Still

Feeling Guilty Dear Still Feeling

Guilty: Everyone involved in this affair is an adult who is responsible for making their own decisions. This man was not a faithful husband, and his marriage would have likely fallen apart with or without your interference.

If you are truly close to this woman, then she might have interpreted your silence as an act of betrayal. In which case, an apology and a chance to express herself might be exactly what she needs. But it doesn’t sound like that was the situation.

Feel free to apologize to ease your own guilty conscience, but don’t expect that it will make the wife feel better. In all likelihood, it will simply remind her of a memory that she is desperate to forget about.

Dear Annie: I lost my beautiful daughter three months ago to breast cancer. She was young, beautiful, kind, my best friend and secret keeper. She was just 43-years-old with two beautiful kids. She was hungry for life and thirsty for her kids. This pain is unbearable. I feel like a piece of my heart is gone. Her death has left a big hole. Everywhere are signs and memories of her. I cry

Horoscopes

ARIES (March 21-April 19).

You can avoid the trouble that comes from misreading a situation with simple measures: take your time, pay attention, ask questions, view the situation from many different angles and ask for input and feedback.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Your awareness of others increases after your own needs are met. That’s why it’s not selfish to focus on your own care. A more streamlined schedule and environment will allow for the nurturing your soul needs.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). If you believe it’s your job to make others feel better, people around you will sense this and gravitate to you, expecting you to fix things. Instead, be a guide for those who are willing to help themselves.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). This day is like a tricky recipe. Additional ingredients can throw it off and so can elements that are missing or happening in the wrong amounts. Go by the book whenever possible.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You’ll understand how to explore deeper into relationships. You’ll separate who people really are from what you assume about them. You’ll

by Holiday Mathis

forget your story of people and listen to the one they tell.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’d be hard-pressed to find an endeavor that won’t benefit from a lighter touch. For instance, a mild crush is fun, but a hard crush will squash your joy. Distractions can prevent you from getting overly obsessed with any one thing.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). It turns out that someone else’s framing has strongly influenced a vision you thought was uniquely your own. Since framing can change everything, investigate other ways of seeing it.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21).

Loyalty is the fine quality that brings people together and makes the group stronger as a unit than the sum of individual strengths. A culture of trust is essential to fostering loyalty.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21). You’ll solve whatever problem comes up and you won’t fuss over who it technically belongs to. If you can help, you will. Your lack of pettiness will earn you a place with the best and brightest.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19). The effort needed will feel small and repetitive, but that doesn’t make it futile.

day and night.

I don’t know what to do. I miss her every minute. Do you have any suggestions for me? I live in Sacramento and have family all around me. I have another daughter, a son and four grandkids, but nothing helps me. I don’t want to think about anybody other than my beautiful “Shelby.” — Drowning in My Daughter’s Death

Dear Drowning: I’m so terribly sorry for your loss. “Shelby” sounds like an incredible woman with a beautiful spirit whose time with us was cut far too short.

Grieving any loss is painful, but that of a child is especially excruciating. There will never be a day where you don’t miss her, but the burden will, over time, become easier to bear. Being in the company of others who’ve experienced a similar loss may bring a sense of comfort. Try attending a local grief group meeting when you’re ready. I’d also suggest seeing a therapist one-onone to begin working through your mourning.

Though it’s difficult right now, do lean on your family for support and companionship. They’re also adjusting to a life without Shelby and, I’d imagine, feel just as heartbroken and lost. It’s together that you will begin to mend the hole her death has created. Talk about Shelby, share your favorite stories of her and keep her memory alive. While she may no longer physically be here, she will always be with you in your heart.

Today’s birthday

“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” — Mother Teresa AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 18). It feels like the decisions are more important than they are. Take the pressure off. Give yourself the leeway to experiment and explore. There are multiple ways through this labyrinth.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Charm cannot be achieved through ordinary discourse. It delivers something unexpected. Even very charming people don’t hit that note every time. The unrehearsed freshness comes with an element of risk.

by Phillip Alder

wanted to play in clubs, where he had four-card support and a potentially useful diamond singleton.

It is often true that if the trumps are breaking badly, you do better not to touch them too soon. Here, if South wins the spade lead, plays a club to his king and returns a club to the ace, he is in trouble. In fact, he is in such dire straits that he can no longer succeed.

The key to this contract is remembering the bidding. You should expect West to have all 12 of the missing points, so, even if West has led a singleton spade, East cannot get in to give him a ruff.

MAKE SURE THAT YOU TIME THE TRUMPS

The auction should have reached an easy three no-trump, not five clubs, after West’s thin opening bid. Whose fault was it?

South was to blame. He should have bid three no-trump at both of his first two turns. When he didn’t, North naturally assumed his partner really

Sudoku

Where you used to have few choices, you now have options aplenty and an uncanny sense for finding excellent fits. You have much love to give and many worthy recipients. More highlights: a breakthrough in business, an important contribution to the minds of the next generation and an extraordinary vacation. Libra and Leo adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 8, 1, 4, 44, and 12. MAKE SURE THAT YOU TIME THE

The auction should have reached an easy three no-trump, not five clubs, after West’s thin opening bid. Whose fault was it? South was to blame. He should have bid three no-trump at both of his first

The right initial move is to run the diamond nine. West will win with the jack and, probably, return another spade. Cross to hand with a trump and lead the diamond king. West is likely to cover with the ace, and the dummy will ruff. (If West doesn’t cover, discard a heart from dummy and lead the diamond queen. If West still doesn’t cover, it is time to draw trumps.)

Now cash the club ace (noting West’s discard), play a trump to the 10, draw the last trump, take your two diamond winners and play off dummy’s spade winners, discarding the heart two. You concede a heart trick, but you have made your contract.

COPYRIGHT: 2022, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

by Wayne Gould

Bridge

Word Sleuth Daily Cryptoquotes

Annie Lane Dear Annie

Midori is among the performers on “United in Song 2022: Ringing in the New Year Together.’’

Grande still has love (and gifts) for Manchester years after bombing

Tribune ConT

Singer Ariana Grande spread some holiday cheer across the pond to Manchester, England, more than five years after a suicide bombing at her 2017 concert in the city left at least 22 people plus the bomber dead and injured dozens of attendees.

On Monday, the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity shared on Instagram that the “Just Like Magic” singer had donated Christmas gifts for “young patients across our hospitals.”

“The Christmas presents were distributed to babies, children and teenagers at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Trafford General, Wythenshawe Hospital and North Manchester General Hospital,” the post said. “It’s so wonderful that Ariana has once again been so thoughtful and made this special donation to our family of hospitals.”

The post showcased a pile of neatly wrapped presents under a Christmas tree and a framed card that simply read, “Thank you Ariana.”

“We know Manchester, and in particular Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, holds a special place in Ariana’s heart,” added Tanya Hamid, interim director of Manchester Foundation Trust Charity.

In 2021, Grande gave nearly 1,000 presents for children of all ages. The year before that, she donated vouchers and toys for young patients.

In 2017, the Grammywinning singer paid a surprise visit to several fans who were injured in the Manchester Arena bombing. In Instagram photos of her visit, Grande sat at the bedside of two young patients. She captioned one post with a heart emoji, and the other with “i love you.”

Days after the deadly concert, the singer released a lengthy statement about the attack, sending “prayers and deepest condolences” to the victims.

“Our response to this violence must be to come closer together, to help each other, to love more, to sing louder and to live more kindly and gener-

ously than we did before,” her statement continued. “I’ll be returning to the incredibly brave city of Manchester to spend time with my fans and to have a benefit concert in honor of and to raise money for the victims and their families.”

Among those who died in the explosion was suicide bomber Salman Abedi. In August 2020, his younger brother Hashem Abedi was found guilty of murder, attempted murder and conspiring to cause an explosion. He was sentenced to a minimum of 55 years in prison.

Judge Jeremy Baker said the brothers were “equally culpable for the deaths and injuries caused by the explosion.”

“Although Salman Abedi was directly responsible, it was clear the defendant took an integral part in the planning,” Baker said.

Grande has openly spoken about how the Manchester attack took a toll on her mental health. In an interview with British Vogue published in June 2018, she said she experienced post-traumatic stress disorder.

“It’s hard to talk about because so many people have suffered such severe, tremendous loss. But, yeah, it’s a real thing,” she told the magazine. “I know those families and my fans, and everyone there experienced a tremendous amount of it as well. Time is the biggest thing. I feel like I shouldn’t even be talking about my own experience – like I shouldn’t even say anything. I don’t think I’ll ever know how to talk about it and not cry.”

FF

Zits Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Pearls Before Swine Stephan Pastis

Dilbert Scott Adams

Baby Blues Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott

Baldo Hector Cantú and Carlos Castellanos

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/TNS file (2020)

Ariana Grande performs onstage at the 62nd Grammy Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles, Jan. 26, 2020.

When Marx met Cavett, there was magic in the air, on your TV sets

Rick kogan CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Dick Cavett is 86 years old and appears to be in fine physical and mental shape. His friend and idol Groucho Marx is dead, has been for a long time, having taken his last breath and offered his final witty remark in August 1977 when he was 86, his obituaries overshadowed by those of Elvis Presley, who died three days earlier.

They had met on a summer day in 1961 at the Manhattan funeral of playwright, director and humorist George S. Kaufman, when Cavett was a fresh-faced 25-year-old writer for television and Marx was a 70-year-old – no other word for it – legend.

After the funeral, Cavett sheepishly approached Marx and said, “Hello Groucho, I’m a big fan of yours,” to which Marx replied, “If it gets any hotter, I could use a big fan.”

From such a humble exchange, a deep and meaningful relationship was born.

The two are together again in the latest edition of “American Masters,” “Groucho & Cavett,” which premiered Tuesday on PBS.

Of course, Marx comes to us in very old clips, most of them from the more than a dozen appearances he made on Cavett’s various television talk shows. We do not get much from Marx’s film career, which includes such acclaimed movies as “A Day at the Races,” “Duck Soup,” “Animal Crackers” and “A Night at the Opera.” There is nothing at all from his successful run as the host of the 1947-1961 television game show “You Bet Your Life.”

Instead, for the uninitiated, this program might compel further exploration of the vanished star. The same is likely true of Cavett too. He has been out of the public eye for some time and, especially now, when most TV interview programs (and radio too) have devolved into shouting fests or celebrity massages, deserves new attention and respect.

Most of Cavett’s contribu-

tions to this documentary are of recent vintage, filmed at his home in Ridgefield, Connecticut. He is relaxed and forthcoming and self-effacingly charming.

Marx was famously acerbic and you’ll get a healthy dose of that. But did you know he loved to sing? I did not but was mildly delighted to hear his distinctive way with such relatively obscure but clever tunes as “Show Me a Rose,” “Everybody Works But Father,” “Lydia, the Tattooed Lady” and others.

He also tells of his aspiration to be a writer, saying that having a story of his published in an early edition of The New Yorker magazine under his full name – Julius Henry Marx –made him prouder than any of his films or other endeavors. And he speaks with some palpable awe of having been asked by the Library of Congress to donate his letters to its collection.

The film is primarily the work of director Robert S. Bader who has collaborated with Cavett before, producing a series of DVD compilations of his former talk shows and the 2018 documentary, “Ali & Cavett: Tale of the Tape,” about another of Cavett’s frequent guests, the boxer Muhammad Ali.

It wouldn’t surprise me a bit if some viewers had only a passing knowledge of Marx and perhaps even of Cavett. If this show is able to spur further exploration of both men, that would be a good thing. Though I was never an ardent fan

of the Marx brothers’ films, I can certainly understand their appeal and the brothers’ talents. As for Cavett, there is not enough about him in this film, though we are reminded that he was a Yale-educated Nebraskan who wrote for such TV hosts as Jack Paar, who he describes as “strange, odd, neurotic and brilliant;” Groucho for a week when he filled in on “The Tonight Show;” Merv Griffin and Johnny Carson. He did try to make it as a standup comic and we get only a flicker of that career when we glimpse the marquee he shared with Mel Torme at Chicago’s Mister Kelly’s.

His TV talk shows, primarily ABC’s “The Dick Cavett Show,” which started in the late 1960s, were oases of erudite, thought-provoking, enlightening and often contentious conversations. He talked and sparred and interviewed across six decades, and virtually every important figure from politics and entertainment, sports and letters sat across from him.

There is no doubt that Marx quietly nurtured Cavett’s career and there is, in old clips and contemporary conversation, a palpable affection expressed. One late TV clip has Marx sharing Cavett’s show, and more than holding his own, with Truman Capote.

There are some disturbingly touching moments near the end, when Cavett recalls Marx’s final years, his failing health, his idol’s suspicious relationship with a very young woman and his death.

“We had lost Captain Spaulding,” Cavett says, his voice halting with emotion, referring to Marx’s character in “Animal Crackers.”

FROM THE MISTS OF SWISS TIME

by Phillip Alder

In the French bidding of those days, South’s two-spade response showed the spade ace and no other ace. Presumably North continued with three hearts as a sort of trial bid, but a simple three spades seems clearly superior. Now South, lost for a bid, made a quantitative raise, as Roman Key Card Blackwood hadn’t been invented. East happily doubled. North, who guessed what was going on, retreated to six spades, putting West on lead.

The strategy succeeded. When West led a diamond, declarer calmly discarded a heart from the dummy. East won with the ace and switched to the heart king, but it was too late. Trumps were drawn, a club was played to declarer’s king, and dummy’s two remaining heart losers were thrown on the diamond royals.

East shouldn’t have been so greedy in doubling six hearts, but West, given his partner’s first double, should have worked out to lead a heart. (A spade or a club is also effective.)

After watching an hour and 20 minutes of “Groucho & Cavett,” it’s easy to understand why Cavett admired, perhaps even loved, his older friend and why Marx returned the feeling. They were two sides of the same comedic coin, as this fine program allows you to understand. Now it is up to you to explore further the

Over 40 years ago, before most of you were born, I took a summer vacation in Switzerland (the Senior Life Master said in his Saturday morning class). One day I found this deal in the bridge column of the Geneva Journal. It provides a pair of praiseworthy principles.

Sudoku

Finally, note that if East ducks the first diamond, South wins with his king, leads a trump to dummy, plays three rounds of clubs, ruffing the last in the dummy, and leads a low heart to endplay East.

Happy New Year, everyone.

2022, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

by Wayne Gould

and times of both men.

Bridge

FROM THE MISTS OF SWISS TIME

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

Over 40 years ago, before most of you were born, I took a summer vacation in Switzerland (the Senior Life Master said in his Saturday morning class). One day I found this

Bridge

talents

Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images/TNS file (2014)

Dick Cavett speaks onstage during the “Dick Cavett’s Watergate (40th anniversary of Nixon’s resignation)” panel during the PBS Networks portion of the 2014 Summer Television Critics Association at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, July 23, 2014.

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images/ TNS file (1960) Groucho Marx (1890-1977), left, with his co-host on the radio and television quiz show “You Bet Your Life,” George Fenneman (19191997), circa 1960.

US jobless claims rise slightly but remain near historic lows

TriBune ConTenT AgenCy

Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits rose last week, but remained near historic lows, underscoring the enduring resilience of the labor market despite the Federal Reserve’s aggressive efforts to cool demand.

Initial unemployment claims increased by 9,000 to 225,000 in the week ended Dec. 24, Labor Department data showed Thursday. That was in line with the median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists.

Continuing claims, or the number of people who have already filed an initial application and are now claiming unemployment benefits, rose to 1.7 million in the week ended Dec. 17, the most since early February. The sustained upward trend suggests it’s been more difficult for out-of-work individuals to find new jobs.

The data can be particularly difficult to seasonally adjust around major holidays. The four-week moving average in initial claims, which smooths out some of that week-toweek volatility, was little changed at 221,000.

The Fed has aggressively raised interest rates this year in an effort to tame elevated inflation. While higher borrowing costs have impacted certain parts of the economy, notably housing, the labor market has remained largely resilient throughout 2022.

That’s in part due to a persistent imbalance between labor supply and demand. Though whitecollar sectors like banking and technology have seen a wave of layoffs in recent months, industries such as leisure and hospitality are still struggling to fill open positions.

On an unadjusted basis, initial claims rose to 271,590, led by increases in Missouri and Kentucky.

Here are the 5 benefits employees want most

BloomBerg

Despite the headlines of massive layoffs in the tech industry, the job market is still running hot. Americans are dropping out of the labor force as an aging population and a lack of immigration mean that the competition for workers will remain fierce.

Of course, pay is paramount for most people – but beyond an attractive salary, in the current environment companies need to find new ways to distinguish themselves as an employer of choice, experts say.

“At first, companies were throwing money at the problem: You had retention bonuses, and you had pay adjustments. And those did serve a purpose,” said Melissa Swift, U.S. transformation leader at consulting firm Mercer. “But now we’re seeing a shift to sustainable retention strategies: What can you do going forward that will actually continue to retain people so you don’t keep trying to put out the fire with cash.”

Here are five of the top strategies and benefits experts say will be important in 2023. Hint: It goes beyond free lunch, commuting stipends and other sweeteners that dominated this year’s return-to-office push.

1. Remote work

The opportunity to work from home tops the list of priorities for most candidates with remotecapable jobs. Studies have shown that remote work improves engagement, cuts attrition and boosts productivity – despite many bosses placing a high value on getting employees back to their desks.

“I expect the move to hybrid work and workfrom-anywhere to be a long-term adjustment

given that flexibility helps companies attract and retain high-quality, diverse talent,” said Prithwiraj Choudhury, a professor at Harvard Business School who studies remote work.

“While the leading companies offering flexibility will benefit the most, laggards will be forced to catch up to prevent the drift of talent.”

2. Flexibility

“Flexibility” is the new magic word for recruiters. And for good reason: flexibility (or lack thereof) is consistently one of the biggest reasons employees cite for staying or leaving a job, according to Catherine Hartmann, global head of work, rewards and careers at consulting firm Willis Towers Watson.

Getting to work from home is just one aspect, though. This is about having control over your schedule in a more general way.

“Even the organizations that have returned to the office have made some

significant changes in how they think about flexibility,” said Ben Granger, chief workplace psychologist at Qualtrics. Some now allow parents to cut and paste schedules, like leaving midafternoon to pick up kids and then logging on later, or commuting late morning after getting kids to school.

3. Sustainable work Companies are redesigning work to build in proactive rest that prevents burnout rather than responding to it after the fact, said Caitlin Duffy, research director at consulting firm Gartner. Some strategies include meeting-free days, summer Fridays, four-day weeks, firmwide shutdowns, upping vacation time, reducing tech overload and even a daily nap.

This shift has just begun. “I don’t think we’re there on the really, truly sustainable retention strategy – I do think those are going to have to do more with everyday employee experience,”

Swift said. Are staffers overworked, are managers supportive? “The companies that really come out winners in this race will be the ones where six months from now, working there actually feels different,” she said.

4. Financial health

With compensation failing to keep pace with rising costs, workers are looking for employers that find other ways to take the edge off inflation. An analysis by Lightcast.io, a labor market analytics company, found that one rising benefit is tuition assistance – offered in about 8 percent of job postings in 2022, up from 7 percent in 2021.

“In the past, when people thought about financial well-being they were definitely focused more on retirement and longer-term wealth,” Hartmann said. “But there’s other ways people can have better financial well-being, like elder-care assistance or child care. That cost being covered

by the company is a way for you to have more money in your pocket.”

5. Job security

Even if the labor market has stayed strong so far, applicants will likely become more cautious as economic conditions shift. Start-ups and tech companies are especially unstable, as the easy-money era ends and a new wave of austerity begins.

In 2022, employees were penalized with a so-called “loyalty tax” for staying with their employer rather than leaving for a pay raise elsewhere, Hartmann said. This year, companies with track records of stability even in challenging economic times will be in a better position to attract top talent than flashy new start-ups that have yet to turn a profit.

“Job security is going to be a bigger thing,” she said, with applicants gauging the strength of an employer’s leadership, business prospects and financial resiliency.

Michael Nagle/Bloomberg file (2021)

Pedestrians walk along Wall Street near the New York Stock Exchange, July 22, 2021.

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Cruyff, a legend in his own right, “was the only footballer who surpassed the boundaries of logic.”

Growing up in Brazil, Edson Arantes do Nascimento so hated the nonsensical nickname his grade school playmates used to tease him that he would fight anyone who dared call him “Pelé.”

Before he had become an adult, however, the boy had turned the taunt into a word that came to define soccer greatness, embarking on a career that would produce more goals, more World Cup titles and more breathtaking moments than any other.

“People said, ‘Pelé! Pelé! Pelé!’ all over the world,” the boy once lamented long after he had become a man. “But no one remembers Edson. Edson is the person who has the feelings, who has the family, who works hard. Pelé is the idol.”

He wasted little time building that legacy, scoring in his debut with the Brazilian national team to become, at 16 years and 9 months, the youngest player in history to score an international goal. Two years later he would become the youngest man to play – and score – in a World Cup.

But it was the elegance and joy with which he played that gave birth to the Brazilian style known as “jogo bonito,” or “the beautiful game,” which relies on speed, improvisation and creativity more than brute strength.

“His great secret was improvisation,” said Tostao, a former World Cup teammate. “Those things he did were in one moment. He had an extraordinary perception of the game. Pelé was the greatest. He was simply flawless.”

Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born on Oct. 23, 1940 – his birth certificate reads Oct. 21, a date Pelé insisted was incorrect – in the southern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, his name inspired by the inventor Thomas Edison.

He was known as Dico by his family, but the neighborhood kids called him Pelé, mimicking his mispronunciation of the name of his favorite player, a Brazilian goalkeeper known as Bile. In time the slur would become the most famous name in sports.

He was the eldest of three children born to Celeste Arantes and Joao Ramos do Nascimento, a minor league soccer player whose career was cut short by a knee injury. Nevertheless he would leave an indelible mark on soccer by teaching the game to his son, who would be declared a national treasure by Brazil’s president before he had turned 21 and be voted international soccer’s player of the century and the International Olympic Committee’s Athlete of the Century more than

20 years after he retired.

The family, which included an uncle and grandmother, was poor, lived in a two-room house made of salvaged brick and washed plaster and with a roof that leaked. The children wore secondhand clothes, often went without shoes and sometimes had no more to eat than one daily meal of bread and a slice of banana.

The family’s situation improved only slightly when it moved to the crossroads city of Bauru, about 180 miles west of São Paulo. But in the fourth grade Pele quit his studies after being expelled for playing soccer during the school day. He soon took a job repairing shoes for $2 a day to help his family.

And because he couldn’t afford a soccer ball, he learned to play on the streets using grapefruits or cloth stuffed with newspapers and bound with string.

“The leather ball was very expensive,” Pelé told the Los Angeles Times in a 2014 interview. “We used to get my father’s old socks, my mother’s, then we’d fill them up with paper and play.”

His first memory of soccer’s vital place in Brazilian culture came in 1950 when the national team, heavily favored to win the World Cup final in Rio de Janeiro, was upset by Uruguay. At the final whistle one fan committed suicide and three others suffered fatal heart attacks.

Pelé’s father, who had followed the game on radio, burst into tears.

“It was the first time I saw my father cry,” Pelé remembered years later. “Then I made a joke and told him, ‘Don’t cry, don’t cry. I’m going to win the World Cup for you.’“

Eight years later the joke became a prophecy when a 17-year-old Pelé scored six goals — including two in the final game – to carry Brazil to the first of its record five World Cup triumphs. Pelé was also part of championship teams in 1962 and 1970, making him the only person in history to win three World Cups.

“I told myself before the game: He’s made of skin and bones just like everyone else,” said Italian defender Tarcisio Burgnich, who had the unenviable task of marking Pelé in the 1970 final. “But I was wrong.”

The boast to his father wasn’t the only one Pelé’s talent made good on. When he was only 15, his youth-team coach urged the directors of the formidable Brazilian club Santos to sign Pelé, insisting he would soon be “the greatest football player in the world.”

The directors listened and over the next 18 years Pelé led the team to six national championships and victories in six international tournaments before retiring at 33. Pelé earned nearly $1 million in his final season in Brazil in 1974 – more than $6.3 million in 2022 valuation – and donated it all to children’s charities.

Sharks’ goals against totals rise to record levels during poor start

Curtis Pashelka BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

SAN JOSE — Sharks coach David Quinn stopped his team’s prac tice on more than one occasion Wednesday, drilling home messages about proper position ing, battle level, and other defensive fundamentals.

A lot of issues had to be addressed after one of the Sharks’ poorest defen sive performances of the season the night before against the Vancou ver Canucks.

The Sharks had little interest in playing on the right side of the puck Tuesday night at Rogers Arena, allowing six even-strength goals –two in each period – in a 6-2 loss to the Canucks that dropped their record to 11-19-6, which includes a 2-6-5 mark against the Pacific Division.

The Sharks enter Thursday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers ranked 30th in the NHL with 95 goals allowed in 36 games (2.64 per game) during 5-on-5 play. Only Columbus (2.88) and Anaheim (2.66) are worse.

“Here we are 30-plus games into it, and we just don’t defend well enough,” Quinn said. “If we’re going to have a chance to win hockey games, we’re going to have to keep the puck out of our net.”

Forwards, defensemen, and goalies all have a hand in the team’s defensive struggles, as the Sharks haven’t allowed this many goals per game (3.64) in all situations since the 1995-96 season when they allowed a league-worst 4.35 goals on average through 82 games.

“Committing to defense is an integral part of the game,” Sharks captain Logan Couture said. “We need to get back to defending hard. When you defend hard, you create offensive chances because other teams are stretching for offense and everyone wants to score.

“It’s natural when you go on the ice, you want to score. No one wants to check for 60 minutes, but you’ve got to realize that if you’re going to check

hard, you’re going to get good chances to score. I think we’ve gotten away from that for periods of the year and it bites us.”

Turnovers and trying to force offense have been the Sharks’ biggest issues, Quinn said.

“There’s a loose puck. Are you going to get above it, or get below it,” Quinn said. “All of these are situations that put you in a better position structurally on defense that we just haven’t been consistently good enough at.”

There was plenty to chew on for all of the Sharks’ position groups after Tuesday’s loss, which marked the sixth time in the last 10 games that they had allowed five goals or more.

The Canucks’ first goal came on a 3-on-2 as three Sharks forwards were caught below the puck. The backcheck by all of those forwards wasn’t the most ardent, either, as Bo Horvat had time to backhand a loose puck past goalie James Reimer for a 1-0 Vancouver lead 4:26 into the first period.

“To me, you’ve got to care about defending as much you do about scoring a goal and I think that’s kind of suffered from our end of it a little bit,” Quinn said. “We’ve

got to get back to caring about defending.”

Elias Pettersson made it 2-0 less than 12 minutes later thanks to some soft defensive coverage by Erik Karlsson and Jaycob Megna. Lane Pederson wasn’t touched as he was able to get a second shot away on Reimer right in front of the Sharks’ net, and Pettersson chipped a loose puck forward that found its way in for his 16th goal of the season. Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes made it 4-0 in the second period. After his shot grazed off Brock Boeser’s stick and just past the far post, Hughes then skated around the Sharks’ net to grab his own rebound and went mostly untouched around Noah Gregor and Nico Sturm inside the Sharks’ zone. Hughes then had a clear path to the Sharks’ net before he fired a shot over Reimer’s right shoulder.

“We gave too much time to their skill,” Sharks center Tomas Hertl said. “We weren’t fast enough to close the gap. We just gave them too much time to skate around within our D-zone.”

The Sharks’ goaltending also needs to be better. Reimer, Kaapo Kahkonen, and to a lesser

extent, Aaron Dell and Eetu Makiniemi, had combined for a league-worst .881 save percentage prior to Wednesday’s games.

Reimer stopped just 19 of 25 shots Tuesday. His save percentage was .914 through seven games in October, but in five games this month, it has dropped to .882. Per moneypuck.com, Kahkonen’s goals saved above expected per 60 minutes (-1.132) ranks 58th out of 59 goalies who have played at least 10 games. Kahkonen will start against the Flyers.

The Sharks’ coaching staff, in its first year, is trying to lay a foundation and come up with an identity that everyone can follow. How long it takes for the players to adapt is a question that remains unanswered.

“We get distracted by the record or the score,” Quinn said. “Then all of a sudden there’s a sliver of, ‘maybe I’ll cheat offensively’ and that’s not how it works. That’s now how you get out of it, that’s not how you make situations better.

“We’ve got to learn how to make a situation better. Right now, we make it worse too often.”

From Page B1

“It’s frustrating so many different ways,” Wilson said Wednesday night. “We’ve had so much adversity with illnesses, injuries and discipline. It’s been hard to build any cohesion. We’re just trying to get ready for league play and be as good as we can be.”

Vintage used a 21-11 run in the second quarter to take a 34-21 lead at halftime. The Crushers did so by dialing up some defense, using active hands to produce some steals and getting the ball down court quick on transition.

But Fairfield was able

Falconsto play with more intensity in the second half and get more rebounds and better shots. The increased defense brought with it a change in momentum. The Falcons just ran out of time.

“We just haven’t been able to settle into a lineup yet,” Wilson said. “There were some things we can build on.”

Amarre Davis led the Falcons with 14 points. Jones finished with 12 and Smith added 10. Caidom Lain and Smith each pulled down 10 rebounds. Fairfield fell to 2-11 overall.

Miles MacPherson led the Crushers with 19 points. Jackson score 12 and Grayson Wyman scored nine. Vintage is now 6-5.

Meyer/Bay Area News Group/TNS file the Calgary Flames celebrate a goal by Flames’ Elias Lindholm (28) against the sharks in the third period at the sAp Center in san Jose, Dec. 18.