mercurynews--2020-05-23--Photos: De La Salle High School Senior Send-Off Parade

De La Salle High School held a Senior Send-Off Parade today for two hours as school teachers and staff acknowledged @ @ @ @ @ of Students Joe Aliotti greeted each student as they entered the parking lot by announcing @ @ @ @ @ speaker .
Graduates waved and acknowledged their teachers while thanking them for their support .
@ @ @ @ @ schools are holding more of these parade graduations for seniors to give them a sense @ @ @ @ @ times .
Seniors Cameron Katz was selected as the Valedictorian and William Milosevich was selected @ @ @ @ @ and William will speak at the school ’ s commencement ceremony that is scheduled to @ @ @ @ @ , August 2 on the De La Salle High School campus .

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De La Salle High School held a Senior Send-Off Parade today for two hours as school teachers and staff acknowledged 238 senior graduates. Dean of Students Joe Aliotti greeted each student as they entered the parking lot by announcing their names over the loudspeaker. Graduates waved and acknowledged their teachers while thanking them for their support. Due to the coronavirus pandemic schools are holding more of these parade graduations for seniors to give them a sense of normalcy during these difficult times. Seniors Cameron Katz was selected as the Valedictorian and William Milosevich was chosen as the Salutatorian. Cameron and William will speak at the school’s commencement ceremony that is scheduled to hopefully take place on Sunday, August 2, on the De La Salle High School campus.


mercurynews--2020-05-23--Novato protesters demand end to virus restrictions

A large group of residents marched up Grant Avenue in Novato on Friday to call for the full reopening of the local and state economies .
Many demonstrators were carrying American flags or signs with phrases such as “ All Jobs Are Essential , ” “ Reopen CA Now , ” “ Corona Fraud ” and promoting the website WeHaveRights.com , which has been involved in organizing similar demonstrations throughout the state .
Some were wearing masks , and many were not practicing social-distancing recommendations by standing less than 6 feet apart .
“ I don ’ t have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a main street concern for each and every brick-and-mortar and for everybody who has lost a job or livelihood and may never get it back , frankly , ” said demonstrator and organizer Melanie Morgan of Novato .
Local public health officials say fully reopening normal operations too early would be ignoring high coronavirus infection rates occurring in the Bay Area that would put residents at unnecessary risk of infection .
This was the third such demonstration in Novato in the past few weeks .
Morgan , a former talk radio host @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the shelter-in-place order has worked to flatten the curve of infection rates and that continuing to keep businesses closed will result in the “ imminent collapse of our economy unless we reopen in every state.
” “ With those facts being known , why are we keeping Marin County shut down ?
” Morgan said .
“ Why are we robbing people of their essential livelihood ?
My deep , deep concern is the social issues that are going to result from this lockdown are going to be taking the lives of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ While retail has been allowed to begin curbside pickup as of Monday , Morgan argues that a full reopening is needed to give businesses a chance of survival .
The risk of infection is low , she argues , and the caution of the county ’ s public health officer , Dr. Matt Willis , is “ not merited.
” Willis said it ’ s a misunderstanding if people think that Marin ’ s infection rate is lower than that of the state .
Compared to other counties in the state , Marin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s coronavirus hotspots and is among the top 20 counties in terms of total infections and within the top 10 for mortality rates , Willis said .
The county has recorded 369 cases of the coronavirus , 14 deaths and 50 hospitalizations since March .
“ We will move forward as quickly as we can and to do so safely , ” Willis said of reopening more businesses and activities .
“ I think we all share the goal of restoring our economy , getting back to the social interactions that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school .
All of these are so important , but right now the threat of COVID-19 is very present and very real.
” The number of infections continues to rise , with the county seeing its second-largest spike in new cases on Sunday with 18 new cases .
“ I think people need to understand that we can ’ t have it both ways , ” Willis said .
“ We can ’ t just reopen and expect no surges in cases because the virus is even more present in our community than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shelter in place.
’ ” As for social impacts of the order on residents ’ health and mortality , Willis said there hasn ’ t been data showing any changes to death rates for all causes of death from before and during the shelter-in-place period .
Other demonstrators , such as Novato resident Vanessa Parvin , said they are concerned that the county ’ s middle-class sector becoming irreversibly impacted by an extended closure .
Parvin and Morgan both state that the elderly and other high-risk people should still practice social-distancing measures , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ open otherwise .
“ It ’ s sad people are going to die either way , ” Parvin said .
“ The virus is here .
It ’ s horrible , but that doesn ’ t mean that people who aren ’ t compromised and people who are healthy should be deprived of their God-given rights to life , liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
” Willis said there is no way to put a firewall between the elderly and at-risk population and the rest of the community .
Reopening too quickly would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vulnerable community members at risk unnecessarily , ” Willis said .
Although the state is loosening restrictions , Willis said the county needs to base its own decisions on the local data and risk factors .
If residents continue to practice social distancing , get tested if they have symptoms of COVID-19 or have been around someone who has , wash their hands frequently and practice good hygiene , it will allow the county to reopen business more quickly , Willis said .
Similar demonstrations have taken place in San Rafael in recent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dan Fink .
“ We ’ ve had no issues with them and we ’ ve been pretty proud of the community specifically here in San Rafael in how they have been reacting to this pandemic , ” Fink said .

A large group of residents marched up Grant Avenue in Novato on Friday to call for the full reopening of the local and state economies.
Many demonstrators were carrying American flags or signs with phrases such as “All Jobs Are Essential,” “Reopen CA Now,” “Corona Fraud” and promoting the website WeHaveRights.com, which has been involved in organizing similar demonstrations throughout the state. Some were wearing masks, and many were not practicing social-distancing recommendations by standing less than 6 feet apart.
“I don’t have a brick-and-mortar on Main Street, but I have a main street concern for each and every brick-and-mortar and for everybody who has lost a job or livelihood and may never get it back, frankly,” said demonstrator and organizer Melanie Morgan of Novato.
Local public health officials say fully reopening normal operations too early would be ignoring high coronavirus infection rates occurring in the Bay Area that would put residents at unnecessary risk of infection.
This was the third such demonstration in Novato in the past few weeks. Morgan, a former talk radio host and local independent television producer, argues that the shelter-in-place order has worked to flatten the curve of infection rates and that continuing to keep businesses closed will result in the “imminent collapse of our economy unless we reopen in every state.”
“With those facts being known, why are we keeping Marin County shut down?” Morgan said. “Why are we robbing people of their essential livelihood? My deep, deep concern is the social issues that are going to result from this lockdown are going to be taking the lives of more people than the virus itself.”
While retail has been allowed to begin curbside pickup as of Monday, Morgan argues that a full reopening is needed to give businesses a chance of survival. The risk of infection is low, she argues, and the caution of the county’s public health officer, Dr. Matt Willis, is “not merited.”
Willis said it’s a misunderstanding if people think that Marin’s infection rate is lower than that of the state. Compared to other counties in the state, Marin is located within one of the state’s coronavirus hotspots and is among the top 20 counties in terms of total infections and within the top 10 for mortality rates, Willis said.
The county has recorded 369 cases of the coronavirus, 14 deaths and 50 hospitalizations since March.
“We will move forward as quickly as we can and to do so safely,” Willis said of reopening more businesses and activities. “I think we all share the goal of restoring our economy, getting back to the social interactions that we all miss and getting kids back into school. All of these are so important, but right now the threat of COVID-19 is very present and very real.”
The number of infections continues to rise, with the county seeing its second-largest spike in new cases on Sunday with 18 new cases.
“I think people need to understand that we can’t have it both ways,” Willis said. “We can’t just reopen and expect no surges in cases because the virus is even more present in our community than it was when we initiated the ‘shelter in place.’”
As for social impacts of the order on residents’ health and mortality, Willis said there hasn’t been data showing any changes to death rates for all causes of death from before and during the shelter-in-place period.
Other demonstrators, such as Novato resident Vanessa Parvin, said they are concerned that the county’s middle-class sector becoming irreversibly impacted by an extended closure. Parvin and Morgan both state that the elderly and other high-risk people should still practice social-distancing measures, but that businesses should be able to open otherwise.
“It’s sad people are going to die either way,” Parvin said. “The virus is here. It’s horrible, but that doesn’t mean that people who aren’t compromised and people who are healthy should be deprived of their God-given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
Willis said there is no way to put a firewall between the elderly and at-risk population and the rest of the community. Reopening too quickly would “be putting ourselves and our more vulnerable community members at risk unnecessarily,” Willis said.
Although the state is loosening restrictions, Willis said the county needs to base its own decisions on the local data and risk factors. If residents continue to practice social distancing, get tested if they have symptoms of COVID-19 or have been around someone who has, wash their hands frequently and practice good hygiene, it will allow the county to reopen business more quickly, Willis said.
Similar demonstrations have taken place in San Rafael in recent weeks, said San Rafael police Lt. Dan Fink.
“We’ve had no issues with them and we’ve been pretty proud of the community specifically here in San Rafael in how they have been reacting to this pandemic,” Fink said.


mercurynews--2020-05-23--A woman claimed her 9-year-old son was abducted. Now she’s charged with his murder

Police in south Florida have arrested and charged a woman in the death of her 9-year-old son after they say she falsely accused two black men of abducting him .
Patricia Ripley , 45 , had claimed she was driving with her son Alejandro around 9 p.m. Thursday when two black men in another vehicle forced her to stop , Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a news conference Saturday morning .
Ripley told police that one of the men got out and demanded drugs , according to officials .
After Ripley said she didn ’ t have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had a knife , stole her phone and kidnapped Alejandro , who was autistic and nonverbal .
The boy ’ s body was found hours later still wearing a Captain America T-shirt , Rundle said .
During their investigation , officials obtained video that allegedly showed Ripley pushing Alejandro into a canal Thursday evening around 7:30 p.m .
ET , Rundle told reporters .
Nearby residents heard screaming , found Alejandro in the canal and rescued him , Rundle said .
But just an hour later , Ripley allegedly brought Alejandro to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unfortunately , there was no one there to save him , ” Rundle said .
Ripley was arrested and booked in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center early Saturday morning , according to Miami-Dade County Corrections records .
She faces charges of first-degree murder , attempted first-degree murder and premeditated murder , Rundle said .
She ’ s being held without bond pending her first court appearance .
CNN was unable to immediately determine Saturday if Ripley had an attorney who would comment on her behalf .
“ I want you all in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the only voice in his life that he depended on to get through this world was his mom ’ s , ” said Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramirez III .
“ And to think that that voice would be the one that would harm him the most.
” • Millions of cicadas are expected to emerge after 17 years underground because , of course , it ’ s 2020 • Biden says he was too ‘ cavalier ’ about black Trump supporters “ I ’ m deeply saddened for what happened to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ And then for her to displace blame of her crime on another community is just as well another crime that was committed .
”

Police in south Florida have arrested and charged a woman in the death of her 9-year-old son after they say she falsely accused two black men of abducting him.
Patricia Ripley, 45, had claimed she was driving with her son Alejandro around 9 p.m. Thursday when two black men in another vehicle forced her to stop, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a news conference Saturday morning.
Ripley told police that one of the men got out and demanded drugs, according to officials. After Ripley said she didn’t have any drugs, the man, who had a knife, stole her phone and kidnapped Alejandro, who was autistic and nonverbal.
The boy’s body was found hours later still wearing a Captain America T-shirt, Rundle said.
During their investigation, officials obtained video that allegedly showed Ripley pushing Alejandro into a canal Thursday evening around 7:30 p.m. ET, Rundle told reporters.
Nearby residents heard screaming, found Alejandro in the canal and rescued him, Rundle said. But just an hour later, Ripley allegedly brought Alejandro to a different canal.
“This time, unfortunately, there was no one there to save him,” Rundle said.
[vemba-video id=”us/2020/05/23/florida-mother-charged-murder-son-patricia-ripley-vpx.wplg”]
Ripley was arrested and booked in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center early Saturday morning, according to Miami-Dade County Corrections records.
She faces charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and premeditated murder, Rundle said. She’s being held without bond pending her first court appearance.
CNN was unable to immediately determine Saturday if Ripley had an attorney who would comment on her behalf.
“I want you all in the community to think about Alejandro, that the only voice in his life that he depended on to get through this world was his mom’s,” said Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramirez III. “And to think that that voice would be the one that would harm him the most.”
“I’m deeply saddened for what happened to that young boy,” he said. “And then for her to displace blame of her crime on another community is just as well another crime that was committed.”
The-CNN-Wire
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mercurynews--2020-05-23--Public remarks prompted Florida virus data curator’s firing

By Brendan Farrington and Bobby Caina Calvan | Associated Press TALLAHASSEE , Fla. — The woman who raised questions about Florida ’ s COVID-19 data after being ousted as the data ’ s curator had been reprimanded several times and ultimately fired for violating Health Department policy by making public remarks about the information , state records show .
Rebekah Jones ’ comments over the past week and a half in emails to researchers , interviews with a handful of media outlets and blog posts have sought to sow doubt about the credibility of the data now that she is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health officials strenuously deny any issue with the information ’ s accuracy as Gov .
Ron DeSantis seeks to make a data-driven case for a step-by-step reopening of the state ’ s battered economy following safer-at-home orders .
The Republican governor lashed out at a news conference earlier this week saying Jones had a pattern of “ insubordination ” and should have been fired months ago .
Jones has not alleged any tampering with data on deaths , hospital symptom surveillance , hospitalizations for COVID-19 , numbers of new confirmed cases , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any assessment of the outbreak and of federal criteria for reopening .
And Jones acknowledges Florida has been relatively transparent — for which she herself claims some credit — and relatively successful in controlling the pandemic .
She has , however , suggested Health Department managers wanted her to manipulate information to paint a rosier picture and that she pushed back .
In an interview late Friday on CNN she finally cited some detail , after several days of vague statements .
She said the state made changes in April to support its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , by altering the way it reports the positivity rate of testing in a way she disagreed with .
Instead of showing the rate of all positive tests , it began showing the rate of new positive tests — filtering out people who previously tested positive .
This was not a behind-the-scenes change .
DeSantis announced it at an April 24 news conference , arguing it was the better figure for assessing trends in testing and control of the outbreak .
Jones also said she opposed how health officials decided to exempt rural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criteria for reopening — such as showing a downward trajectory of new cases or case positivity in the past 14 days .
However , federal guidelines allow states to compute criteria at the state level or to tailor a regional approach that takes into account the severity of outbreak in regions .
Florida ’ s small rural counties have had fewer cases and deaths — 21 of them have had no deaths .
In such counties , a favorable 14-day trend could easily be upended by a small — but containable — spike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Jones was asked whether she was removed because of an attitude problem .
“ Somewhat , yes , if refusing to mislead the public during a health crisis is insubordination then I will wear that badge with honor , ” Jones answered .
Florida releases its data daily in three ways that Jones helped manage : Reports in text and graphics , a dashboard map and a raw data hub , including breakdowns at county and ZIP code levels .
Federal coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Brix has praised Florida ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jones was told to resign or be fired last Monday and her last workday was Thursday , after a pattern of overstepping her duties as data manager .
The final straw came May 15 , when she vented in emails to researchers and other data recipients that she ’ d been reassigned , suggesting they should now doubt the data ’ s integrity .
Documents obtained by The Associated Press show a supervisor warned Jones on April 9 after she posted a message on a newspaper Facebook page about the dashboard .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discussing the work .
Less than two weeks later , she was warned again when a mapping company ’ s online magazine published an extensive interview with Jones .
Her supervisor later found a public blog in which Jones discussed the dashboard , released unauthorized charts and added “ political commentary ” in posts that appear to have been taken down .
The supervisor , Craig Curry , detailed each incident in an email to the department ’ s human resources office on May 6 and was told he could begin the process @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same email , Curry also praised Jones , saying she did “ fantastic work.
” With an expertise in geography and tropical storms , Jones , 30 , also has cited her dismay over Health Department officials taking down a category field in line data for individual COVID-19 cases — but says all data was restored later unaltered .
Deputy Secretary for Health Dr. Shamarial Roberson said that Jones ’ s pushback was over the “ EventDate ” category , which is when a patient reports first remembering having possible symptoms and is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Event date is not the important field , ” Roberson said .
“ A case is deemed when you have that laboratory result as positive.
” Roberson said Florida ’ s data is updated as it becomes available daily .
“ Every day our data is accurate , it ’ s factual , it ’ s true , it ’ s transparent , ” she said .
• Four coronavirus clusters in Santa Cruz County traced to family gatherings • Pinnacles National Park reopens , but with some restrictions Jones has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Press for comment .

By Brendan Farrington and Bobby Caina Calvan | Associated Press
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The woman who raised questions about Florida’s COVID-19 data after being ousted as the data’s curator had been reprimanded several times and ultimately fired for violating Health Department policy by making public remarks about the information, state records show.
Rebekah Jones’ comments over the past week and a half in emails to researchers, interviews with a handful of media outlets and blog posts have sought to sow doubt about the credibility of the data now that she is no longer in that role.
State health officials strenuously deny any issue with the information’s accuracy as Gov. Ron DeSantis seeks to make a data-driven case for a step-by-step reopening of the state’s battered economy following safer-at-home orders. The Republican governor lashed out at a news conference earlier this week saying Jones had a pattern of “insubordination” and should have been fired months ago.
Jones has not alleged any tampering with data on deaths, hospital symptom surveillance, hospitalizations for COVID-19, numbers of new confirmed cases, or overall testing rates — core elements of any assessment of the outbreak and of federal criteria for reopening. And Jones acknowledges Florida has been relatively transparent — for which she herself claims some credit — and relatively successful in controlling the pandemic.
She has, however, suggested Health Department managers wanted her to manipulate information to paint a rosier picture and that she pushed back. In an interview late Friday on CNN she finally cited some detail, after several days of vague statements.
She said the state made changes in April to support its initial reopening May 4, for example, by altering the way it reports the positivity rate of testing in a way she disagreed with. Instead of showing the rate of all positive tests, it began showing the rate of new positive tests — filtering out people who previously tested positive.
This was not a behind-the-scenes change. DeSantis announced it at an April 24 news conference, arguing it was the better figure for assessing trends in testing and control of the outbreak.
Jones also said she opposed how health officials decided to exempt rural counties below 75,000 population from more stringent criteria for reopening — such as showing a downward trajectory of new cases or case positivity in the past 14 days. However, federal guidelines allow states to compute criteria at the state level or to tailor a regional approach that takes into account the severity of outbreak in regions. Florida’s small rural counties have had fewer cases and deaths — 21 of them have had no deaths. In such counties, a favorable 14-day trend could easily be upended by a small — but containable — spike in cases.
In the CNN interview, Jones was asked whether she was removed because of an attitude problem.
“Somewhat, yes, if refusing to mislead the public during a health crisis is insubordination then I will wear that badge with honor,” Jones answered.
Florida releases its data daily in three ways that Jones helped manage: Reports in text and graphics, a dashboard map and a raw data hub, including breakdowns at county and ZIP code levels. Federal coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Brix has praised Florida’s presentation as especially granular and user-friendly.
Jones was told to resign or be fired last Monday and her last workday was Thursday, after a pattern of overstepping her duties as data manager. The final straw came May 15, when she vented in emails to researchers and other data recipients that she’d been reassigned, suggesting they should now doubt the data’s integrity.
Documents obtained by The Associated Press show a supervisor warned Jones on April 9 after she posted a message on a newspaper Facebook page about the dashboard. She was told she needs approval before publicly discussing the work. Less than two weeks later, she was warned again when a mapping company’s online magazine published an extensive interview with Jones. Her supervisor later found a public blog in which Jones discussed the dashboard, released unauthorized charts and added “political commentary” in posts that appear to have been taken down.
The supervisor, Craig Curry, detailed each incident in an email to the department’s human resources office on May 6 and was told he could begin the process of firing her. But in that same email, Curry also praised Jones, saying she did “fantastic work.”
With an expertise in geography and tropical storms, Jones, 30, also has cited her dismay over Health Department officials taking down a category field in line data for individual COVID-19 cases — but says all data was restored later unaltered.
Deputy Secretary for Health Dr. Shamarial Roberson said that Jones’s pushback was over the “EventDate” category, which is when a patient reports first remembering having possible symptoms and is separate from when the illness is confirmed.
“Event date is not the important field,” Roberson said. “A case is deemed when you have that laboratory result as positive.”
Roberson said Florida’s data is updated as it becomes available daily. “Every day our data is accurate, it’s factual, it’s true, it’s transparent,” she said.


mercurynews--2020-05-23--Four coronavirus clusters in Santa Cruz County traced to family gatherings

SANTA CRUZ — Four separate clusters of COVID-19 transmission in south Santa Cruz County are being investigated by the Public Health Division .
All known transmission is associated with close contact between households during family gatherings , according to a news release issued by the county Friday afternoon .
These gatherings , according to the county , include interaction between people from different social cohorts , including a multi-generational Mother ’ s Day gathering and a large gathering involving individuals who traveled from out of state .
Over the past week , the number of Santa Cruz County residents who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % , a development that coincides with a lowering of restrictions on state and local shelter-in-place orders .
Under the orders , nonessential travel is prohibited and gatherings of any size are not allowed .
As of Friday afternoon , 186 people have tested positive for COVID-19 with 29 hospitalizations and 128 recoveries .
There have been two deaths .
Additionally , there have been 6,791 negative tests .
“ I want to thank the community for all they have done so far to stop the spread of COVID-19 , ” said Santa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a prepared statement .
“ But we can ’ t let our guard down now , there are still more lives to save.
” All clusters are being monitored and investigated by the Communicable Disease Unit , including contact tracing and isolation/quarantine guidance .
“ We understand that as the shelter-in-place orders enter their third month , people have a strong desire to gather with friends and family , particularly on holidays when the weather is good , ” said Jen Herrera , Santa Cruz County chief of public health .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may unwittingly place those they love at risk for getting COVID-19 , especially the most vulnerable among us.
” Should local counts continue to increase , the County ’ s efforts to reopen sectors of the community could be jeopardized or result in further restrictions , the county warned .
That ’ s why the Santa Cruz County Public Health Division is encouraging everyone to maintain social distancing and follow shelter-in-place orders during the extended Memorial Day weekend .
Local beaches remain off-limits between the hours of 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ water activities .
Residents are also advised to follow the order to wear face coverings while engaging others at work or in public .
Those 12 and under are not required to wear a face-covering and those 2 and under must not wear one .
Face coverings should be washed frequently .
In addition , residents should continue following basic hygiene practices including : • Washing your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds .
• Cough or sneeze into your elbow .
• Stay home when ill except to seek medical care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ populations served , hours of operation and contact information , can be found on the County ’ s website at www.santacruzhealth.org/savelives .
For local information on COVID-19 , go to www.santacruzhealth.org/coronavirus , call 211 or text “ COVID19 ” to 211211 .
Residents may also call ( 831 ) 454-4242 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. , seven days a week .

SANTA CRUZ — Four separate clusters of COVID-19 transmission in south Santa Cruz County are being investigated by the Public Health Division.
All known transmission is associated with close contact between households during family gatherings, according to a news release issued by the county Friday afternoon.
These gatherings, according to the county, include interaction between people from different social cohorts, including a multi-generational Mother’s Day gathering and a large gathering involving individuals who traveled from out of state.
Over the past week, the number of Santa Cruz County residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 increased 20%, a development that coincides with a lowering of restrictions on state and local shelter-in-place orders. Under the orders, nonessential travel is prohibited and gatherings of any size are not allowed.
As of Friday afternoon, 186 people have tested positive for COVID-19 with 29 hospitalizations and 128 recoveries. There have been two deaths. Additionally, there have been 6,791 negative tests.
“I want to thank the community for all they have done so far to stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Santa Cruz County Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel in a prepared statement. “But we can’t let our guard down now, there are still more lives to save.”
All clusters are being monitored and investigated by the Communicable Disease Unit, including contact tracing and isolation/quarantine guidance.
“We understand that as the shelter-in-place orders enter their third month, people have a strong desire to gather with friends and family, particularly on holidays when the weather is good,” said Jen Herrera, Santa Cruz County chief of public health. “We want residents to understand that they may unwittingly place those they love at risk for getting COVID-19, especially the most vulnerable among us.”
Should local counts continue to increase, the County’s efforts to reopen sectors of the community could be jeopardized or result in further restrictions, the county warned.
That’s why the Santa Cruz County Public Health Division is encouraging everyone to maintain social distancing and follow shelter-in-place orders during the extended Memorial Day weekend.
Local beaches remain off-limits between the hours of 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., unless traversing the sand to engage in water activities. Residents are also advised to follow the order to wear face coverings while engaging others at work or in public. Those 12 and under are not required to wear a face-covering and those 2 and under must not wear one. Face coverings should be washed frequently.
In addition, residents should continue following basic hygiene practices including:
Washing your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds.
Avoid touching your face.
Cough or sneeze into your elbow.
Cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces.
Stay home when ill except to seek medical care.
Testing locations, including information about populations served, hours of operation and contact information, can be found on the County’s website at www.santacruzhealth.org/savelives.
For local information on COVID-19, go to www.santacruzhealth.org/coronavirus, call 211 or text “COVID19” to 211211. Residents may also call (831) 454-4242 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., seven days a week.


Bridge: May 24, 2020

“ I can ’ t understand groceries , ” Cy the Cynic grumbled to me in the club lounge .
“ It ’ s fine if you ’ re in the produce section and eat one test grape .
But if you go to the deli and take one bite of a rotisserie chicken , they throw you out of the store.
” Cy was declarer at today ’ s six diamonds in a penny game — trying to make grocery money , I guess .
After he started with a strong jump-shift to two diamonds and rebid the suit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slam .
West led a trump .
Cy won in his hand , cashed his ace of hearts , led a trump to dummy and discarded his spade loser on the king of hearts .
The Cynic next ruffed a heart , hoping the queen would fall .
When East-West played low , Cy tried a club to dummy ’ s ten .
East won , and Cy later lost a second club to West .
Cy blamed the result on an unfriendly lie of the cards , but his play wasn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bites of the apple — or the deli chicken — by combining all his chances .
At Trick Three , he should lead a club to dummy ’ s ten .
East takes the queen and shifts to the jack of spades : queen , king , ace .
Cy then cashes the ace of clubs .
When both defenders play low , Cy discards his jack of clubs on the king of hearts and ruffs a club .
When clubs split 3-3 , Cy can return a trump to dummy and pitch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If the clubs broke 4-2 , Cy would still have a chance .
He could lead a trump to dummy and ruff a heart , making the slam if the queen fell .

“I can’t understand groceries,” Cy the Cynic grumbled to me in the club lounge. “It’s fine if you’re in the produce section and eat one test grape. But if you go to the deli and take one bite of a rotisserie chicken, they throw you out of the store.”
Cy was declarer at today’s six diamonds in a penny game — trying to make grocery money, I guess. After he started with a strong jump-shift to two diamonds and rebid the suit, a cue-bidding sequence got him to slam.
West led a trump. Cy won in his hand, cashed his ace of hearts, led a trump to dummy and discarded his spade loser on the king of hearts. The Cynic next ruffed a heart, hoping the queen would fall. When East-West played low, Cy tried a club to dummy’s ten. East won, and Cy later lost a second club to West.
Cy blamed the result on an unfriendly lie of the cards, but his play wasn’t best. Cy can get two bites of the apple — or the deli chicken — by combining all his chances. At Trick Three, he should lead a club to dummy’s ten.
East takes the queen and shifts to the jack of spades: queen, king, ace. Cy then cashes the ace of clubs. When both defenders play low, Cy discards his jack of clubs on the king of hearts and ruffs a club. When clubs split 3-3, Cy can return a trump to dummy and pitch his spade loser on the good club.
If the clubs broke 4-2, Cy would still have a chance. He could lead a trump to dummy and ruff a heart, making the slam if the queen fell.
North dealer
N-S vulnerable
NORTH
S A 4
H K J 5 3
D J 9 2
C A 10 6 3
WEST
S K 8 6 5
H 9 6 4 2
D 8 7
C K 9 8
EAST
S J 10 9 7 2
H Q 10 8 7
D 5
C Q 7 2
SOUTH
S Q 3
H A
D A K Q 10 6 4 3
C J 5 4
North East South West
1 C Pass 2 D Pass
2 NT Pass 3 D Pass
4 C Pass 4 H Pass
4 S Pass 6 D All Pass
Opening lead — D 8
(C)2020 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


mercurynews--2020-05-24--Horoscopes May 24, 2020: John C. Reilly and Bob Dylan share advice.

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY : Mark Ballas , 34 ; John C. Reilly , 55 ; Priscilla Presley , 75 ; Bob Dylan , 79 .
Happy Birthday : Use your imagination , intelligence and ability to turn what you want into a reality .
Taking physical action and manufacturing what you want to happen will give you a greater sense of achievement and encourage you to raise your expectations as you proceed .
Refuse to let change cause uncertainty instead of inspiring you to evolve .
Learn as you go .
Your numbers are 2 , 9 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 43 .
ARIES ( March 21-April 19 ) : You will meet with resistance if you don ’ t let things unfold naturally .
Take time to enjoy each moment .
Relaxation will ease stress and help you establish an excellent strategy that will promote personal growth .
Romance is favored .
4 stars TAURUS ( April 20-May 20 ) : Consider using social media as a springboard to launch something you want to pursue .
Expand your options and interests , and you will discover a skill you didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hand , and it will change the way you view life .
3 stars GEMINI ( May 21-June 20 ) : A personal change will help you realize what you want to achieve .
If you share your thoughts or reveal personal information , someone will use what you offer to manipulate you or put you in a vulnerable position .
Put your needs first .
3 stars CANCER ( June 21-July 22 ) : Reflect on what ’ s transpired , and consider what you may have done differently .
A change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a step forward , you should look over your options carefully .
Consider what will bring you the most comfort and joy .
3 stars LEO ( July 23-Aug. 22 ) : Do whatever is necessary to make a difference .
Get involved in a cause , and use your knowledge , skills and experience to help others .
What you gain will turn into more significant opportunities and favors that will come in handy .
4 stars VIRGO ( Aug. 23-Sept. 22 ) : Observation will be necessary before you make a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ live , how you earn your money or your relationships with others .
Sensitive issues will turn into an emotional battle if you aren ’ t pragmatic and compromising .
2 stars LIBRA ( Sept. 23-Oct. 22 ) : You ’ ll gain recognition for your contributions .
Refuse to let someone who tries to take advantage of you interfere .
Learn from the experience , and act accordingly .
Celebrate your success with someone you love .
5 stars SCORPIO ( Oct. 23-Nov. 21 ) : Don ’ t fold under pressure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when it comes to joint ventures or shared expenses .
An argument won ’ t get you any closer to resolving an issue , but a practical strategy might help persuade others to see things your way .
3 stars SAGITTARIUS ( Nov. 22-Dec. 21 ) : Integrity , honesty , fair play and common sense will be required .
Don ’ t be gullible or argue with someone who doesn ’ t share your beliefs .
A problem with a friend or relative should not be allowed to disrupt your relationship with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Dec. 22-Jan. 19 ) : Look at the scope of a situation before you get involved .
You may desire change , but if it isn ’ t right for you , it ’ s best to take a pass .
Time is on your side , and plenty of opportunities will come your way .
3 stars AQUARIUS ( Jan. 20-Feb. 18 ) : Spend more time sorting through what you need and what you can donate .
Decluttering your space will lift your spirits and encourage you to pick up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flourish if you are attentive and share your feelings .
5 stars PISCES ( Feb. 19-March 20 ) : Keep an open mind , but use discretion .
A proposal someone makes will not live up to your expectations .
Look at the logistics before you get involved in a joint venture .
Emotional , physical and verbal accidents are prevalent .
2 stars Birthday Baby : You are outgoing , inventive and proactive .
You are intellectual and motivating .

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Mark Ballas, 34; John C. Reilly, 55; Priscilla Presley, 75; Bob Dylan, 79.
Happy Birthday: Use your imagination, intelligence and ability to turn what you want into a reality. Taking physical action and manufacturing what you want to happen will give you a greater sense of achievement and encourage you to raise your expectations as you proceed. Refuse to let change cause uncertainty instead of inspiring you to evolve. Learn as you go. Your numbers are 2, 9, 23, 27, 30, 36, 43.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): You will meet with resistance if you don’t let things unfold naturally. Take time to enjoy each moment. Relaxation will ease stress and help you establish an excellent strategy that will promote personal growth. Romance is favored. 4 stars
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Consider using social media as a springboard to launch something you want to pursue. Expand your options and interests, and you will discover a skill you didn’t know you have. Lend a helping hand, and it will change the way you view life. 3 stars
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): A personal change will help you realize what you want to achieve. If you share your thoughts or reveal personal information, someone will use what you offer to manipulate you or put you in a vulnerable position. Put your needs first. 3 stars
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Reflect on what’s transpired, and consider what you may have done differently. A change is overdue, but before you take a step forward, you should look over your options carefully. Consider what will bring you the most comfort and joy. 3 stars
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Do whatever is necessary to make a difference. Get involved in a cause, and use your knowledge, skills and experience to help others. What you gain will turn into more significant opportunities and favors that will come in handy. 4 stars
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Observation will be necessary before you make a decision that can change the way you live, how you earn your money or your relationships with others. Sensitive issues will turn into an emotional battle if you aren’t pragmatic and compromising. 2 stars
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You’ll gain recognition for your contributions. Refuse to let someone who tries to take advantage of you interfere. Learn from the experience, and act accordingly. Celebrate your success with someone you love. 5 stars
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Don’t fold under pressure. You won’t think straight when it comes to joint ventures or shared expenses. An argument won’t get you any closer to resolving an issue, but a practical strategy might help persuade others to see things your way. 3 stars
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Integrity, honesty, fair play and common sense will be required. Don’t be gullible or argue with someone who doesn’t share your beliefs. A problem with a friend or relative should not be allowed to disrupt your relationship with someone you love. 3 stars
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Look at the scope of a situation before you get involved. You may desire change, but if it isn’t right for you, it’s best to take a pass. Time is on your side, and plenty of opportunities will come your way. 3 stars
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Spend more time sorting through what you need and what you can donate. Decluttering your space will lift your spirits and encourage you to pick up a new hobby. Personal relationships will flourish if you are attentive and share your feelings. 5 stars
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Keep an open mind, but use discretion. A proposal someone makes will not live up to your expectations. Look at the logistics before you get involved in a joint venture. Emotional, physical and verbal accidents are prevalent. 2 stars
Birthday Baby: You are outgoing, inventive and proactive. You are intellectual and motivating.
Visit Eugenialast.com, or join Eugenia on Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn.


mercurynews--2020-05-24--Word Game: May 24, 2020

Word Game: May 24, 2020

Can you find 55 or more words in PRAGMATIC ?
TODAY ’ S WORD — PRAGMATIC pact pair part pica pita pram prig prim ramp rapt riata agar amir amtrac apart aria armpit gait gimp girt gram grim grip grit maar magi magic marc mart mica taiga tamp tapa tapir tarmac tarp tiara tragic tram tramp trap trig trim trip impact impart camp carat carp cart cigar crag cram cramp crimp To purchase the Word Game book , visit WordGameBooks.com .
Order it now for just $ 5 while supplies last !
1 .
Words must be of four or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acquire four letters by the addition of “ s , ” such as “ bats ” or “ dies , ” are not allowed .
3 .
Additional words made by adding a “ d ” or an “ s ” may not be used .
For example , if “ bake ” is used , “ baked ” or “ bakes ” are not allowed , but “ bake ” and “ baking ” are admissible .
4 .
Proper nouns , slang words , or vulgar or sexually explicit words are @ @ @

TODAY’S WORD — PRAGMATIC (PRAGMATIC: prag-MAT-ik: Concerned with facts or actual occurrences; practical.)
Average mark 40 words
Time limit 60 minutes
Can you find 55 or more words in PRAGMATIC? TODAY’S WORD — PRAGMATIC pact
pair part pica pita pram prig prim ramp rapt riata agar amir amtrac apart aria armpit gait
gimp girt gram grim grip grit maar magi magic marc mart mica taiga tamp tapa tapir tarmac
tarp tiara tragic tram tramp trap trig trim trip impact impart camp carat carp cart cigar crag
cram cramp crimp
To purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!
RULES OF THE GAME:
1. Words must be of four or more letters.
2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.
3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.
4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.
Contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe at kzsaxe@gmail.com.


mercurynews--2020-05-24--Ask Amy: I’m an engineer with poor people skills, and I can’t calm these agitated callers

DEAR AMY : I ’ m president of my home owners association and generally enjoy the job in our 282-unit community .
I ’ ve noticed that ever since our area went on shelter-in-place , I ’ ve received several calls where the homeowner was extremely agitated .
Often , they begin the conversation at high volume and also halfway through their sentence .
I ’ m guessing that this agitation is coronavirus-related and has little to do with what ’ s happening in our community .
I ’ m an engineer with poor people skills .
Any suggestions on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
• Ask Amy : If they were good people , they would obey coronavirus rules • Ask Amy : I want out of our California bubble , but my wife says no • Ask Amy : My younger wife resents my common-sense rules • Ask Amy : My neighbor ’ s invitation was nuts , but of course I can ’ t say that • Ask Amy : I won ’ t be intimate if she won ’ t wear a mask DEAR HELPER : I appreciate your question , and what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community members .
During “ normal ” times , your engineering skills are probably an ideal fit when fulfilling your important function .
Unfortunately , these times call upon all of us to practice new skills .
You would be wise to always keep in mind how anxious many people are right now , even if you are not .
Anxiety has a way of scrambling the thought process , as well as magnifying problems until they can seem overwhelming .
Take a breath before you take a call .
Listen without commenting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to “ calm down ” ( this sort of directive leads some people to believe that they are not being heard or understood ) .
Your “ listening posture ” should be calm , affirmative , and supportive : “ I can tell you ’ re upset .
I ’ m sorry this is happening .
I know it ’ s hard.
” When appropriate , you could ask , “ How can I try to help you ?
” Be honest in your responses .
If a problem is well beyond your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say so .
If appropriate , you could also ask people to follow up with an email , in order to have a written record of their concern .
I wonder if there is another person in your community who might serve as a temporary “ community ambassador.
” You and this person could work as a team , to keep residents informed regarding latest updates .
You do not want to become the repository of community gossip or discord , but if it helps others for you to be something of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an important function .
Think of this as mastering a different kind of engineering .
DEAR AMY : I was with my man , “ Travis , ” for eight years .
Travis was the love of my life .
Our relationship ended due to his cheating and continuing in a relationship with another woman .
Sadly , Travis has found himself using drugs and living a life of crime now , so I guess breaking up was a blessing .
Recently , I found out that he is in prison .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also sent him a care package .
I made it clear that I am coming from the perspective of friendship .
I am wondering if I am “ too nice ” to this guy ?
It really didn ’ t end well between us .
He ’ s really never apologized , but I guess I just love him that much .
He has no family , so I just wanted to be there for him .
Did I overdo it ?
DEAR OVERLYE CARING : “ Travis ” does not sound like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lesser qualities ( the cheating , lying , etc . )
are likely to be amplified in prison .
You are probably not the only woman who cares about Travis , and it might help you to assume that he probably has other pen pals .
It is kind of you to get in touch , but if your contact with him compels you to put the brakes on your own progress and personal development , then you are basically incarcerating yourself along with him .
That would not be good for you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others who have loved ones in nursing homes and other health care facilities , we haven ’ t been able to see our 89-year-old mom since March .
She was in good health and mentally sharp until January .
She ’ s been back and forth between the hospital and rehab many times since then .
She went from being mentally sharp to having trouble with a simple phone call .
Someone from the family was with her every day until the lockdown .
This is a nightmare for us .
Well-meaning friends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and then proceed to give advice , and — worse — describe similar events leading up to their mothers ’ deaths .
I ’ ve had to tell them to stop .
I can ’ t talk about someone dying right now .
I am grateful for their friendship , but I am worn out and heartsick .
DEAR PLEASE : This is heartbreaking .
Yes , please stop .
You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy @ amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy , P.O .
Box 194 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also follow her on Twitter @ askingamy or Facebook .

DEAR AMY: I’m president of my home owners association and generally enjoy the job in our 282-unit community.
I’ve noticed that ever since our area went on shelter-in-place, I’ve received several calls where the homeowner was extremely agitated. Often, they begin the conversation at high volume and also halfway through their sentence.
I’m guessing that this agitation is coronavirus-related and has little to do with what’s happening in our community.
I’m an engineer with poor people skills. Any suggestions on how I can calm down these callers?
HOA Helper
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DEAR HELPER: I appreciate your question, and what you are trying to do for your community members.
During “normal” times, your engineering skills are probably an ideal fit when fulfilling your important function. Unfortunately, these times call upon all of us to practice new skills.
You would be wise to always keep in mind how anxious many people are right now, even if you are not.
Anxiety has a way of scrambling the thought process, as well as magnifying problems until they can seem overwhelming.
Take a breath before you take a call. Listen without commenting or interrupting. Do not tell someone to “calm down” (this sort of directive leads some people to believe that they are not being heard or understood). Your “listening posture” should be calm, affirmative, and supportive: “I can tell you’re upset. I’m sorry this is happening. I know it’s hard.”
When appropriate, you could ask, “How can I try to help you?”
Be honest in your responses. If a problem is well beyond your function as HOA president, you should say so. If appropriate, you could also ask people to follow up with an email, in order to have a written record of their concern.
I wonder if there is another person in your community who might serve as a temporary “community ambassador.” You and this person could work as a team, to keep residents informed regarding latest updates.
You do not want to become the repository of community gossip or discord, but if it helps others for you to be something of a sounding board, you would be serving an important function. Think of this as mastering a different kind of engineering.
DEAR AMY: I was with my man, “Travis,” for eight years. Travis was the love of my life. Our relationship ended due to his cheating and continuing in a relationship with another woman.
Sadly, Travis has found himself using drugs and living a life of crime now, so I guess breaking up was a blessing.
Recently, I found out that he is in prison. I wrote him a letter of support and also sent him a care package. I made it clear that I am coming from the perspective of friendship.
I am wondering if I am “too nice” to this guy? It really didn’t end well between us. He’s really never apologized, but I guess I just love him that much.
He has no family, so I just wanted to be there for him. Did I overdo it?
Overly Caring Ex-girlfriend
DEAR OVERLYE CARING: “Travis” does not sound like a good bet. All of his lesser qualities (the cheating, lying, etc.) are likely to be amplified in prison.
You are probably not the only woman who cares about Travis, and it might help you to assume that he probably has other pen pals.
It is kind of you to get in touch, but if your contact with him compels you to put the brakes on your own progress and personal development, then you are basically incarcerating yourself along with him. That would not be good for you.
DEAR AMY: Like thousands of others who have loved ones in nursing homes and other health care facilities, we haven’t been able to see our 89-year-old mom since March.
She was in good health and mentally sharp until January. She’s been back and forth between the hospital and rehab many times since then. She went from being mentally sharp to having trouble with a simple phone call.
Someone from the family was with her every day until the lockdown. This is a nightmare for us.
Well-meaning friends call to ask how mom is doing, and then proceed to give advice, and — worse — describe similar events leading up to their mothers’ deaths.
I’ve had to tell them to stop. I can’t talk about someone dying right now. I am grateful for their friendship, but I am worn out and heartsick.
Please Stop
DEAR PLEASE: This is heartbreaking. Yes, please stop.
You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.


mercurynews--2020-05-24--Dear Abby: I was horrified by this woman’s risky behavior at the chicken counter

DEAR ABBY : I went to the grocery store today .
I was wearing a mask and careful to keep my social distance .
The store employees were also wearing masks and keeping their distance .
An older woman stood in front of the chicken for at least 10 minutes .
When she finally moved aside , I went over to put some in my cart .
She came back and gave me a lecture on which chicken was the best deal .
I was horrified .
I know she was trying to be friendly , but at this time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be friendly is to give people their space in public !
• Dear Abby : She won ’ t sleep with me and doesn ’ t like talking , either • Dear Abby : I ’ m ready to move out because of her nighttime disturbances • Dear Abby : His cruel rant about me was caught on video • Dear Abby : I know the truth about my ‘ perfect ’ friend • Dear Abby : She eats all this junk and now she wants my kidney This scenario seems to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ store .
What ’ s the best thing to say to these people ?
TRYING TO KEEP SAFE DEAR TRYING : The woman may have forgotten for a moment what the new rules are .
The best thing to say in that situation would be , “ Thank you , but please , for your health and mine , step back and keep your distance.
” DEAR ABBY : I ’ m engaged to a younger man with a 10-year-old son from his first marriage .
My two daughters are grown .
My @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about my role in his son ’ s life after we ’ re married .
The boy ’ s mother will have him full-time ; my fiance will continue to do his part as far as picking his son up from school , taking him to baseball practices and his baseball games , taking him to movies , etc .
I have been told he and his ex will continue to co-parent , and I will not have to be responsible in any way for this child .
I have no problem with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boy ’ s parents have the right to raise him as they please .
Plus , as an older woman , I ’ m relieved I won ’ t have to be responsible again for a child at my age .
To me , this is a win-win , but my daughters think it is odd .
Who is right ?
DEAR HANDS OFF : You are .
That boy is lucky to have responsible parents who are able to cooperate with each other in raising him .
Your daughters are entitled to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you are also entitled to yours .
Ignore them .
DEAR ABBY : I read the “ Definition of Maturity ” in your column a while ago , and I would like to share a clipping I have been saving since the 1960s .
It ’ s from the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women Newsletter and titled , “ A Short Course in Courtesy.
” “ The SIX most important words : ‘ I admit I made a mistake.
’ The FIVE most important words : ‘ You did a good job.
’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What is your opinion ?
’ The THREE most important words : ‘ If you please.
’ The TWO most important words : ‘ Thank you.
’ The ONE most important word : ‘ We.
’ The LEAST most important word : ‘ I . '
” The clipping is disintegrating on my fridge , but the saying has provided a life lesson I ’ ve lived by .
In these times of uncertainty , it ’ s a good reminder of how to treat others .
DEAR N.Y .
TRANSPLANT : I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ item you shared .
It is something to inspire us .
Thank you for writing .
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren , also known as Jeanne Phillips , and was founded by her mother , Pauline Phillips .
Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O .
Box 69440 , Los Angeles , CA 90069 .

DEAR ABBY: I went to the grocery store today. I was wearing a mask and careful to keep my social distance. The store employees were also wearing masks and keeping their distance.
An older woman stood in front of the chicken for at least 10 minutes. When she finally moved aside, I went over to put some in my cart. She came back and gave me a lecture on which chicken was the best deal.
I was horrified. I know she was trying to be friendly, but at this time of social distancing, the best way to be friendly is to give people their space in public!
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TRYING TO KEEP SAFE
DEAR TRYING: The woman may have forgotten for a moment what the new rules are. The best thing to say in that situation would be, “Thank you, but please, for your health and mine, step back and keep your distance.”
DEAR ABBY: I’m engaged to a younger man with a 10-year-old son from his first marriage. My two daughters are grown.
My fiance and I have talked at length about my role in his son’s life after we’re married. The boy’s mother will have him full-time; my fiance will continue to do his part as far as picking his son up from school, taking him to baseball practices and his baseball games, taking him to movies, etc.
I have been told he and his ex will continue to co-parent, and I will not have to be responsible in any way for this child. I have no problem with this. In my opinion, the boy’s parents have the right to raise him as they please. Plus, as an older woman, I’m relieved I won’t have to be responsible again for a child at my age.
To me, this is a win-win, but my daughters think it is odd. Who is right?
HANDS OFF IN CALIFORNIA
DEAR HANDS OFF: You are. That boy is lucky to have responsible parents who are able to cooperate with each other in raising him. Your daughters are entitled to their opinions, of course, but you are also entitled to yours. Ignore them.
DEAR ABBY: I read the “Definition of Maturity” in your column a while ago, and I would like to share a clipping I have been saving since the 1960s. It’s from the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women Newsletter and titled, “A Short Course in Courtesy.”
“The SIX most important words: ‘I admit I made a mistake.’ The FIVE most important words: ‘You did a good job.’ The FOUR most important words: ‘What is your opinion?’ The THREE most important words: ‘If you please.’ The TWO most important words: ‘Thank you.’ The ONE most important word: ‘We.’ The LEAST most important word: ‘I.'”
The clipping is disintegrating on my fridge, but the saying has provided a life lesson I’ve lived by. In these times of uncertainty, it’s a good reminder of how to treat others.
N.Y. TRANSPLANT IN S.C.
DEAR N.Y. TRANSPLANT: I agree with the philosophy expressed in the item you shared. It is something to inspire us. Thank you for writing.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.


mercurynews--2020-05-24--Walters: California unwittingly experimenting with a parliamentary system

For the past decade , California has been a case study in one-party rule .
Democrats hold every statewide office and enjoy overwhelming majorities in the congressional delegation and both legislative houses .
Republicans , due largely to their own failures , are irrelevant .
With no partisan competition , whatever Democratic leaders decide behind closed doors is quickly written into law , including the massive state budget .
Even when hearings are held , committee chairs routinely limit testimony to a couple of brief presentations and require everyone else to just state their names and positions .
As worrisome @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be , we have now entered still another political phase in California — one-man rule .
On March 4 , in response to the COVID-19 pandemic , Gov .
Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency , allowing him to override virtually every law on the books .
The Legislature readily acceded , giving Newsom $ 1-plus billion to spend as he sees fit and abandoning Sacramento for the next two months .
Newsom has issued multiple orders to control personal and economic activity and executed many high-dollar contracts with no public input @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to question their efficacy .
Newsom has also not hesitated to crack down hard on those who don ’ t obey , an attitude tinged with irony since he first achieved political notoriety as mayor of San Francisco by defying a voter-approved state law prohibiting same-sex marriage .
In effect , we ’ re accidentally experimenting with how California would be governed were we to turn away from our current structure and adopt , instead , the parliamentary system used in Great Britain , Canada and most European countries .
Our structure , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of checks and balances — a separately elected chief executive , a two-house legislative branch and a court system to oversee acts of both .
It is , by design , an unwieldy system , requiring policy proposals to clear a series of procedural hurdles before becoming law , albeit truncated by one-party rule .
Under a parliamentary system , the party or coalition that controls the legislative branch also controls the executive .
The prime minister , as the head of the legislative majority , can govern by decree as long as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not lose a vote of confidence .
That ’ s pretty much Newsom ’ s position now .
He can continue to issue decrees with the force of law as long as his emergency declaration is in place .
So , how long will that be ?
The pandemic could fester for many months , even years .
The recession that Newsom ’ s shutdown orders induced could easily outlast the medical emergency .
Would he just continue to exercise emergency powers indefinitely ?
Legislators are beginning to be annoyed at being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , in his initial analysis of Newsom ’ s much-revised 2020-21 budget proposal , the Legislature ’ s analyst , Gabe Petek , said , “ In many cases , we are very troubled by the degree of authority that the administration is requesting that the Legislature delegate.
” Petek urged the Legislature “ to jealously guard its constitutional role and authority.
” Later , the chairwoman of the Senate Budget Committee , Los Angeles Democrat Holly Mitchell , echoed that position , complaining during a budget hearing that Newsom was bypassing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Newsom to declare an emergency says he “ shall proclaim the termination of a state of emergency at the earliest possible date that conditions warrant , ” but also allows the Legislature to end it “ by concurrent resolution.
” Two Republican legislators have introduced such a resolution .
Its passage would be analogous to a no-confidence vote in the parliamentary system we now seem to have adopted , as least temporarily .

For the past decade, California has been a case study in one-party rule.
Democrats hold every statewide office and enjoy overwhelming majorities in the congressional delegation and both legislative houses. Republicans, due largely to their own failures, are irrelevant.
With no partisan competition, whatever Democratic leaders decide behind closed doors is quickly written into law, including the massive state budget. Even when hearings are held, committee chairs routinely limit testimony to a couple of brief presentations and require everyone else to just state their names and positions.
As worrisome as those aspects of one-party rule may be, we have now entered still another political phase in California — one-man rule.
On March 4, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency, allowing him to override virtually every law on the books.
The Legislature readily acceded, giving Newsom $1-plus billion to spend as he sees fit and abandoning Sacramento for the next two months. Newsom has issued multiple orders to control personal and economic activity and executed many high-dollar contracts with no public input and only very limited ability of journalists to question their efficacy.
Newsom has also not hesitated to crack down hard on those who don’t obey, an attitude tinged with irony since he first achieved political notoriety as mayor of San Francisco by defying a voter-approved state law prohibiting same-sex marriage.
In effect, we’re accidentally experimenting with how California would be governed were we to turn away from our current structure and adopt, instead, the parliamentary system used in Great Britain, Canada and most European countries.
Our structure, mirroring the federal government, is one of checks and balances — a separately elected chief executive, a two-house legislative branch and a court system to oversee acts of both.
It is, by design, an unwieldy system, requiring policy proposals to clear a series of procedural hurdles before becoming law, albeit truncated by one-party rule.
Under a parliamentary system, the party or coalition that controls the legislative branch also controls the executive. The prime minister, as the head of the legislative majority, can govern by decree as long as he or she holds the majority and does not lose a vote of confidence.
That’s pretty much Newsom’s position now. He can continue to issue decrees with the force of law as long as his emergency declaration is in place.
So, how long will that be? The pandemic could fester for many months, even years. The recession that Newsom’s shutdown orders induced could easily outlast the medical emergency. Would he just continue to exercise emergency powers indefinitely?
Legislators are beginning to be annoyed at being left out of the loop.
Last week, in his initial analysis of Newsom’s much-revised 2020-21 budget proposal, the Legislature’s analyst, Gabe Petek, said, “In many cases, we are very troubled by the degree of authority that the administration is requesting that the Legislature delegate.” Petek urged the Legislature “to jealously guard its constitutional role and authority.”
Later, the chairwoman of the Senate Budget Committee, Los Angeles Democrat Holly Mitchell, echoed that position, complaining during a budget hearing that Newsom was bypassing the Legislature.
The state law allowing Newsom to declare an emergency says he “shall proclaim the termination of a state of emergency at the earliest possible date that conditions warrant,” but also allows the Legislature to end it “by concurrent resolution.”
Two Republican legislators have introduced such a resolution. Its passage would be analogous to a no-confidence vote in the parliamentary system we now seem to have adopted, as least temporarily.


mercurynews--2020-05-24--Eddie Sutton, Hall of Fame basketball coach, dies at 84

Eddie Sutton waited so long to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame .
He couldn ’ t hang on long enough to make it to the ceremony .
The man who led three teams to the Final Four and was the first coach to take four schools to the NCAA Tournament , died Saturday .
He was 84 .
Sutton ’ s family said in a statement he died of natural causes at home in the Tulsa , Oklahoma , area , surrounded by his three sons and their families .
His wife , Patsy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mom treated their players like family and always shared the belief that his teachings went beyond the basketball court , ” the family wrote .
“ He cherished the time he spent at every school and appreciated the support of their loyal fans .
He believed they deserved so much credit in the success of his programs.
” Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on April 3 , Sutton fell short as a finalist six times before finally being selected .
He had said he believed that a scandal that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the culprit for his lengthy wait .
The NCAA announced 18 allegations against the program in 1988 , and he resigned in 1989 .
He certainly had a worthy resume .
He was 806-328 in 37 seasons as a Division I head coach — not counting vacated victories or forfeited games — and made it to 25 NCAA Tournaments .
He led Final Four squads at Arkansas in 1978 and Oklahoma State in 1995 and 2004 .
He took Creighton , Arkansas , Kentucky and Oklahoma State to the NCAA Tournament .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 1978 at Arkansas and in 1986 at Kentucky .
Former Kentucky star Rex Chapman appreciated his time under Sutton .
“ Eddie Sutton was a fascinating and complicated person , ” Chapman wrote in a tweet .
“ He also was an unbelievable teacher of the game of basketball .
I was fortunate and lucky to have learned from him .
Grateful.
” Sutton ’ s retirement at Oklahoma State in 2006 came roughly three months after he took a medical leave following a traffic accident that resulted in charges of aggravated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrong side of the road .
He pleaded no contest to the charges , received a one-year deferred sentence and was ordered to pay a fine .
Through it all , he remained wildly popular at Oklahoma State , often attending games while confined to a wheelchair .
He would receive loud cheers as the camera panned to him and Aloe Blacc ’ s “ The Man ” played over the sound system .
“ Oklahoma State University is deeply saddened by the passing of Coach Eddie Sutton , ” Oklahoma State president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ A Hall of Fame Coach with more than 800 wins , he revived our historic basketball program and will always be revered and loved by the Cowboy family .
Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Sutton family.
” Even rivals had the highest respect for Sutton .
“ Seems like just a few days ago we were celebrating the news that Coach Eddie Sutton had been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame , ” Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione said in a Tweet .
“ Now this very sad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I had a chance to get to know him & his family .
Thinking about Steve , Sean & Scott .
RIP Coach.
” Sutton was born in Bucklin , Kansas , in 1936 .
He played at Oklahoma State under Hall of Fame coach Henry Iba , then stayed there to begin his coaching career as an assistant under Iba in 1958 .
Sutton got his first Division I head coaching job at Creighton .
He led the Bluejays to an 82-50 mark in five seasons from 1969 to 1974 .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the Razorbacks went 17-9 and 19-9 before beginning a nine-year stretch of 20-win seasons .
He finished his run in Fayetteville nine straight trips to the NCAA basketball tournament .
His 1978 Final Four squad featured versatile stars Sidney Moncrief , Marvin Delph and Ron Brewer .
Sutton left his mark at Arkansas — the practice gym there is named for him .
Former President Bill Clinton , who was the governor of Arkansas for part of Sutton ’ s run there , once sent a video message for a ceremony honoring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Your time as coach was a defining era in Razorback basketball , ” Clinton said .
“ You put our program on the map .
You helped mold a generation of student-athletes into winners on the court and after they left .
You made us think we could win again.
” Sutton moved on and replaced Joe B .
Hall at Kentucky in 1985 .
While there , he compiled a 90-40 record , including two Southeastern Conference titles .
But he slumped at the end , and his program endured NCAA scrutiny @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 2006 .
The Cowboys reached the Sweet Sixteen his first two seasons as head coach .
In 1995 , Bryant Reeves and Randy Rutherford led the Cowboys to the 1995 NCAA Final Four .
The Cowboys made it back to the Final Four in 2004 , with Tony Allen and Joey Graham leading the way .
Sutton ’ s final coaching stint came in 2007-08 as interim coach at San Francisco , where he earned his 800th win .

By CLIFF BRUNT
Eddie Sutton waited so long to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He couldn’t hang on long enough to make it to the ceremony.
The man who led three teams to the Final Four and was the first coach to take four schools to the NCAA Tournament, died Saturday. He was 84.
Among his 37 years of college coaching was a one-year stop at the University of San Francisco, where he won his 800th game in 2008.
Sutton’s family said in a statement he died of natural causes at home in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, area, surrounded by his three sons and their families. His wife, Patsy, died in 2013.
“Dad and Mom treated their players like family and always shared the belief that his teachings went beyond the basketball court,” the family wrote. “He cherished the time he spent at every school and appreciated the support of their loyal fans. He believed they deserved so much credit in the success of his programs.”
Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on April 3, Sutton fell short as a finalist six times before finally being selected. He had said he believed that a scandal that ended his stint at Kentucky was likely the culprit for his lengthy wait. The NCAA announced 18 allegations against the program in 1988, and he resigned in 1989.
He certainly had a worthy resume. He was 806-328 in 37 seasons as a Division I head coach — not counting vacated victories or forfeited games — and made it to 25 NCAA Tournaments. He led Final Four squads at Arkansas in 1978 and Oklahoma State in 1995 and 2004. He took Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma State to the NCAA Tournament. He was Associated Press Coach of the Year in 1978 at Arkansas and in 1986 at Kentucky.
Sutton had 798 career victories when he accepted USF’s offer to serve as interim coach after the mid-season departure of Jessie Evans. His retirement a year earlier from Oklahoma State had been precipitated by a traffic accident that resulted in charges of aggravated DUI, speeding and driving on the wrong side of the road.
Sutton lost his first four games with the Dons, then got win No. 799 with a 60-59 victory at Portland. With an 85-82 victory at Pepperdine on Feb. 2, 2008, Sutton became the fifth coach in NCAA history with 800 wins.
He will be the fifth person with USF ties to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, joining Bill Russell, K.C. Jones, and coaches Pete Newell and Phil Woolpert.
“We are saddened to hear of the passing of Coach Sutton,” said USF athletic director Joan McDermott said Sunday in a statement. “His legendary resume speaks for itself, but his real contributions will be the numerous lives he changed throughout his coaching career. Though his time at USF was brief, he is a part or our storied history, and we wish his family the best.”
Sutton led Oklahoma State from 1991-2006. The Cowboys reached the Sweet Sixteen his first two seasons as head coach. In 1995, Bryant Reeves and Randy Rutherford led the Cowboys to the 1995 NCAA Final Four. The Cowboys made it back to the Final Four in 2004, with Tony Allen and Joey Graham leading the way.
As such, he remained wildly popular at Oklahoma State, often attending games while confined to a wheelchair. He would receive loud cheers as the camera panned to him and Aloe Blacc’s “The Man” played over the sound system.
“Oklahoma State University is deeply saddened by the passing of Coach Eddie Sutton,” Oklahoma State president Burns Hargis said in a statement. “A Hall of Fame Coach with more than 800 wins, he revived our historic basketball program and will always be revered and loved by the Cowboy family. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Sutton family.”
Even rivals had the highest respect for Sutton.
“Seems like just a few days ago we were celebrating the news that Coach Eddie Sutton had been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame,” Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione said in a Tweet. “Now this very sad news of his passing. So grateful I had a chance to get to know him & his family. Thinking about Steve, Sean & Scott. RIP Coach.”
Sutton was born in Bucklin, Kansas, in 1936. He played at Oklahoma State under Hall of Fame coach Henry Iba, then stayed there to begin his coaching career as an assistant under Iba in 1958.
Sutton got his first Division I head coaching job at Creighton. He led the Bluejays to an 82-50 mark in five seasons from 1969 to 1974.
He took over at Arkansas in 1975, and the Razorbacks went 17-9 and 19-9 before beginning a nine-year stretch of 20-win seasons. He finished his run in Fayetteville nine straight trips to the NCAA basketball tournament. His 1978 Final Four squad featured versatile stars Sidney Moncrief, Marvin Delph and Ron Brewer.
Sutton left his mark at Arkansas — the practice gym there is named for him. Former President Bill Clinton, who was the governor of Arkansas for part of Sutton’s run there, once sent a video message for a ceremony honoring Sutton at Arkansas in 2016.
“Your time as coach was a defining era in Razorback basketball,” Clinton said. “You put our program on the map. You helped mold a generation of student-athletes into winners on the court and after they left. You made us think we could win again.”
Sutton moved on and replaced Joe B. Hall at Kentucky in 1985. While there, he compiled a 90-40 record, including two Southeastern Conference titles. But he slumped at the end, and his program endured NCAA scrutiny.
“Eddie Sutton was a fascinating and complicated person,” former Kentucky star Rex Chapman wrote in a tweet. “He also was an unbelievable teacher of the game of basketball. I was fortunate and lucky to have learned from him. Grateful.”