This beautifully redesigned and expanded Montclair gem has it all in a verdant and tranquil setting. The topography of this home’s land creates a perfectly sited private compound between two quiet streets.

The three-bedroom, two-bathroom property embraces soaring ceiling heights, while retaining some human scale rooms that create a cozy and inviting distinction in scale. Adorned with luxury modern finishes inside paired with warm and textural exterior materials.

Enter into a large front garden oasis with a detached Studio Shed office, Cor-ten retaining wall and raised bed planters full of organic food. A well-appointed eat-in chef’s kitchen comes with high-end Liebherr and Hallman appliances. Custom live-edge black-walnut island, mat-black cabinetry and built-in seating add richness. Large windows showcase the trees and sky, as well as the kitchen’s soaring ceilings.

Notable features include European-style bathrooms, walnut pocket doors, new roof and windows, a huge back deck overlooking a flat play yard, and a chicken coop.

Where: 6915 Ridgewood Drive, Oakland
Listing price: $1,295,000
Listing agent: Scott Leverette (510) 919-3333
Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty
Lic.#01371899

TODAY’S WORD — MARTYRDOM (MARTYRDOM: MAR-ter-dum: The choice of death or suffering for a belief or cause.)

Average mark 28 words

Time limit 45 minutes

Can you find 38 or more words in MARTYRDOM? The list will be published tomorrow.

YESTERDAY’S WORD — TOURISM tiro tour trim trio truism tumor omit ours oust riot roust
rout rust smut sort sour stir storm strum suit suitor sumo miso mist moist most must

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.

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Erin Chambers, 42; Candace Kita, 54; Nia Vardalos, 59; Kevin Sorbo, 63.

Happy Birthday: Laboring over something you have no control over will not help you get ahead this year. Step outside your comfort zone. Use your intelligence, not your brawn, to get things done. Broaden your horizons to avoid being trapped. It’s up to you to enjoy life’s journey. Don’t avoid the things you need to do; act and move forward. Your numbers are 6, 17, 23, 26, 31, 37, 44.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Bartering is to your advantage. You’ll captivate through imagination and spark interest in what you want to pursue. A partnership looks promising. The more you talk, the easier it will be to convince others to join the conversation. 3 stars

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): An unexpected change will result if you make demands or let someone push you. Keeping a balanced lifestyle will help you ward off anyone trying to infiltrate your plans. Be secretive; you’ll complete what you set out to do without interference. 3 stars

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Work diligently behind the scenes where no one will bother you. Aim to accomplish the most in the least amount of time, and move on to activities that offer mental and physical stimulation. Engage in social events that are safe and captivating. 3 stars

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Stick to what and who you know. Avoid outsiders; stay within your inner circle to avoid mistrust and harsh words. Put your emphasis on improvements and doing things in your unique fashion. Set trends rather than follow them. 4 stars

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Hold on to your emotions. Refuse to give someone the upper hand by showing your true feelings. Keep your life simple, and stay focused on what you can accomplish without giving too much away. Do things your way, and avoid meddlers. 2 stars

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Alter the way you do things, and you will learn something valuable. A change will revitalize your outlook and introduce you to a life choice you hadn’t considered in the past. A friend or relative will give you something to think about. 5 stars

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): An energetic approach to life will catapult you past anyone who interferes. Your desire to win will keep you revved up and ready to excel. Taking on a partner will slow you down. Go it alone, and shoot for the stars. 3 stars

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): A change is overdue. Put your plans in motion. Forgo the past, and move forward without looking back or letting any hurdles faced deter you from taking the first step. Embrace life and take charge of your future. 3 stars

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sharing too much information will slow you down. Be sure you take care of the necessary details to ensure your plans unfold without a hitch. Timing is everything, and letting outside interference intervene will disrupt the outcome. Focus on preparation and presentation. 3 stars

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Spend more time at home or working alongside people who share your goals and interests. A change at home will make your life easier and help eliminate stress. Learn from the experience you encounter, and you’ll achieve the happiness you deserve. 5 stars

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Stop and take inventory. Remember what’s happened in the past, and make the necessary changes to prevent making the same mistake twice. Trust your intelligence, not your emotions, and you will figure out the best way to move forward. 2 stars

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Put your energy where it counts, and you’ll find a position that intrigues you. Revamp your resume to fit trends. Self-improvement projects are favored, and spending time with someone you love will bring you closer together. 4 stars

Birthday Baby: You are enthusiastic, physical and open-minded. You are dedicated and loyal.

1 star: Avoid conflicts; work behind the scenes. 2 stars: You can accomplish, but don’t rely on others. 3 stars: Focus and you’ll reach your goals. 4 stars: Aim high; start new projects. 5 stars: Nothing can stop you; go for gold.

Visit Eugenialast.com, or join Eugenia on Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn.

If you can smile when something goes amiss, you must be a good sport or a repairman — or maybe you’ve thought of someone you can blame.

Against today’s slam, West led the king of hearts, and South took dummy’s ace and led a spade. East rose with his ace and led a trump. South won, ruffed a spade, ruffed a heart and drew trumps. He took the K-Q of spades and led his last trump at Trick 10.

West had to save the queen of hearts, so only two diamonds. Dummy threw the jack of hearts, saving K-8-7 of diamonds. East had to keep his jack of spades, so only two diamonds. So South took the A-K and won the 13th trick with the eight.

TRUMP LEAD

East smiled ruefully and told West he should have led a trump. True, but East could also blame himself: He can duck the first spade without fear of losing his ace.

South wins with the king and ruffs a spade in dummy, but if he tries to ruff a second spade, West ruffs in front of dummy. After that, the defense is sure of at least one more trick.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: S K Q 8 7 2 H 2 D A 6 C A K Q 10 5. South in today’s deal opened one club with this hand. Do you agree with that call?

ANSWER: Though most experts once opened one club (to prepare an economical second bid after a red-suit response), the consensus now favors one spade. The major-suit opening gets the suit into the auction quickly and makes it harder for the opponents to come in.

South dealer

N-S vulnerable

NORTH

S 3

H A J 5 3

D K 8 7 5 3

C 7 4 3

WEST

S 6 5

H K Q 10 6 4

D J 4 2

C J 9 8

EAST

S A J 10 9 4

H 9 8 7

D Q 10 9

C 6 2

SOUTH

S K Q 8 7 2

H 2

D A 6

C A K Q 10 5

South West North East
1 C Pass 1 H Pass
2 S Pass 2 NT Pass
3 S Pass 4 C Pass
4 D Pass 4 H Pass
6 C All Pass

Opening lead — H K

(C)2021 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

DEAR HARRIETTE: This summer, I spent time around a few people I have known for years, and it was troubling, to say the least.

Two of these family friends are frail and sick. It is hard to watch people who seem to be dying but are not accepting their situation.

One friend in particular is stubborn and bull-headed. I tried to help him a few times with simple tasks, but he wouldn’t accept any help. He still thinks he is strong and fit even though he is incredibly frail.

How do you help somebody who doesn’t want it? I can only imagine it’s going to get worse in the coming months. I know his wife could use some support, too.

Want To Help

DEAR WANT TO HELP: Perhaps the best way you can help is to be there for his wife.

Offer to support in whatever ways she may need. It could be picking up groceries or giving them a ride to the doctor. Just being a listening ear when things get tough could be helpful. Stay in touch with her regularly. Your support as a friend will likely count for a lot.

It is impossible for me to get all my work done when she is constantly interrupting me. What’s worse is that at the end of the week or month, depending upon when she checks on things, she will berate me for not completing something that was on my list. Never mind that I didn’t even have a second to do that thing because I was too busy putting out a thousand fires that she threw at me.

How can I become successful in this position if it seems like my boss is setting me up for failure?

Overwhelmed

DEAR OVERWHELMED: Rather than constantly reacting to the barrage of last-minute requests, it is time for you to be proactive.

Step back and do an evaluation of the work you have been completing and that which you are tasked to do. Review your hours and how you have been using your time. Look to see how you might be better able to complete the regular duties while also making space for last-minute requests. Look to see if you can create flexibility in your schedule to get them all done. Creating order may help you find time to be organized and fluid at once.

Learn to speak up. When your boss gives you tasks to complete, ask which ones should be the priorities. You can include the items already on the list along with the new tasks. If you do not believe you can complete everything in a timely manner, point that out and ask if something can be moved to the next day or week. Make a note of whatever your boss says so that it is documented.

Start giving daily written updates as to what has or has not been accomplished. Holding yourself accountable and sharing that accountability with your boss will demonstrate your productivity and help you feel less overwhelmed and more in control.

Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have been living with two other people in a three-bedroom, 2½-bath home for over a year now. “Carrie” has the main room and its bathroom. “Zach” has the half bath but has to share the shower in my bathroom. We are all single and never have guests over.

One of the problems is that someone is using my toilet when I’m not home. Carrie and I have similar work schedules, whereas Zach works nights and is home alone a lot of the time. I have tried talking to both of them, and both claim that they don’t use it.

I have no way to prove that my toilet is being used, other than seeing the pee or poop that is there. I have two cats, so I always put the lid down on my toilet because the cats like to sit there when I’m in the shower.

The second problem is the dirty dishes in the sink. I like to wash any dish as soon as I am done with it, while my roommates like to leave them in the sink until they feel like washing them. At times, it has been over a week before the dishes get any attention.  Carrie, in particular, likes to leave dishes in water to soak, but they start growing mold and it makes the house smell.

I truly don’t understand why they can’t wash them or stick them in the dishwasher. Do you think it’s a generational difference? I’m in my late 20s and they are both in their late 50s.

I really like living in this house, as do my cats and dog. They have so many accommodations that we were unable to have when we lived in apartments. Should I just give the house up and find my own place?

GENTLE READER: More likely it is the generational divide that is intimidating you from laying down roommate rules. You are sharing this house and its rent, so it should be amenable to everyone.

Sit everyone down and discuss how to divide the tasks at hand: dishes, showers, all of it.

And if the game of “Who pooped in my toilet?” continues not to produce a culprit, Miss Manners suggests that you leave a sign that says, “Please flush after you finish” — claiming that it’s for pets and guests.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: What should be expected if family members invite you to amateur sporting events? Might they provide water, snacks or other refreshments if you show presence of mind?

GENTLE READER: It depends. What kind of snack presence does your mind require?

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

DEAR ABBY: I’m a minor living at home with my parents and my brother. Everything’s pretty stable. Mom works, but she isn’t gone all the time or anything like that. However, I have a lot of problems with my dad.

He has Asperger’s syndrome, and his behavior has caused many issues for me. The least of them is that every time I try to talk about any concern I have (with him or not involving him), he takes it personally and makes it all about himself.

This and other emotionally invalidating behaviors have been happening for as long as I can remember, and it makes me feel guilty about my feelings.

But I’m tired of hearing about how hard things are for him, and I don’t think I should pay him any respect for his feelings if he doesn’t give me any. His behavior is especially hurtful while I’m struggling with various mental health issues. Do you have any advice?

GIRL IN TURMOIL

DEAR GIRL: Yes, I do. Listen more carefully to what your therapist is trying to convey. You share something in common with your father; you both have diagnosed mental disorders. What you expect from him may be beyond his ability to give.

This is a sad situation, but the sooner you accept it, the less often you will look to your father for the emotional support he is unable to provide. When you need to discuss your issues, talk to your mother or your therapist, and you may find the support you are seeking.

DEAR ABBY: For the last 20 years, my wife and I have had a Friday night happy-hour tradition. We use the time to get caught up and to reconnect.

Occasionally, we’ll invite others to join us, but it’s usually just the two of us, and we like it that way.

Some longtime friends from another state moved to our community recently. We invited them to a couple of happy hours and enjoyed the evenings, but we did not intend for our Fridays to become a foursome every week. Apparently, our friends think otherwise and keep showing up every Friday.

While we enjoy their company, we want our Fridays back! How do we get out of this arrangement and reclaim our connection time back without hurt feelings?

HAPPY HOUR FOR TWO, PLEASE

DEAR HAPPY HOUR: You describe this couple as longtime friends. Because their move is recent, they may be having trouble making friends and becoming involved in your community.

The next time they show up, you and your wife should suggest some activities and ways for them to widen their circle of acquaintances. Then, the following Tuesday or Wednesday — well before they show up on your doorstep — give them a call and explain that your Friday nights are usually reserved for you and your wife “to get caught up and to reconnect” after a long and busy week.

Let them know you will invite them to join you for happy hour when you are up for company.

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 Amy: My boss and I have a very positive and productive professional and personal relationship.

We’re two years apart in age, get along swimmingly, each have two children that are similar in age, and plan to work together well into the future.

We take monthly business trips together and every few months will get together at social events with our wives and families, among others.

My wife, “Sandra,” really likes him and is supportive of me spending time with him, but does not appreciate his wife, “Millie.”

In shared company I’ve seen Millie ignore Sandra and talk over her without listening.

Sandra no longer appreciates spending time with Millie, and I can’t say that Millie outwardly shows that she likes Sandra, either.

They share a birthday, and Millie gets my wife a somewhat lavish gift and does the same at Christmas.

Naturally, Sandra feels the pressure to reciprocate. Frankly, she doesn’t think their friendship is on a level that warrants gift-giving, but is unsure how to decline or end this tradition without making a scene.

She is adamant that she doesn’t want to spend any more time than required with Millie.

I can certainly understand her viewpoint and think it is valid. I would welcome any advice.

Helpful Husband

Dear Helpful: Your wife might feel more comfortable if she could actually view herself as “the help,” versus feeling pressured to maintain a personal relationship or try to build a friendship with someone she doesn’t like.

If Sandra sees herself mainly as Millie’s vendor (flower supplier), then she might be more tolerant toward how obnoxious Millie is.

Every time she is forced into Millie’s presence, she could tell herself, “Cha-ching — this evening could translate into future business for me.”

In terms of gifts, when Sandra receives an extravagant gift from Millie, she should thank her in writing, saying, “Thank you so much. That was very generous of you, but I do wish you weren’t so extravagant!”

Her own gifts for Millie should be business-building ones: She should “say it with flowers.”

Dear Amy: My father has realized his memory is failing and is using this to whitewash his questionable parenting skills.

Now I have no closure or recourse on events like his racist outburst of 2012 that led me to a very awkward Thanksgiving in a house full of people I did not know.

My dad will ask his partner if she remembers an incident, and if she says she doesn’t, then it “definitely didn’t happen” — but she is apt to ignore it like it didn’t happen, just to move off the subject.

I don’t need an apology (not that it would come), but it is just a new insult on top of an old one.

It makes me resentful when he literally says I must be wrong because:

1. Both of them don’t remember;

2. One of them doesn’t remember; or

3. Both remember, but act like they don’t.

My past has been checkmated by insecure septuagenarians. There is nothing I can do, is there?

Manipulated S

Dear Manipulated: Here is something you can do: Understand, deep in your bones, that “closure” is not something another person can grant you.

In fact, the very concept of closure and the chasing of closure is something of a red herring. Closure is a distraction, keeping you from doing the work you need to do in terms of accepting reality (“My father is a racist. But I can’t help him to change what he won’t admit.” “My father was a poor parent. Confronting him about this is useless, because he denies it.”).

Now that his memory is fading, the past will be mutable, and he will cling to his version just as you cling to yours.

If it helps you or feels good for you to continue to confront him with the truth that only you will admit to, then keep trying.

Unfortunately, confronting him seems to lead to frustration and more distress for you, and so maybe it’s time to stop.

Dear Amy: My heart broke reading the letter from “Not Meant to be a Mother,” who was grieving the loss of possibilities after having a hysterectomy.

This grief is absolutely understandable. People should never rush in with “solutions” for another person’s grief. What they need is quiet validation and understanding.

Empathetic

Dear Empathetic: Absolutely. I hope this writer recovers fully.

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.

PHOENIX — After months of delays and blistering criticism, a review of the 2020 election in Arizona’s largest county, ordered up and financed by Republicans, has failed to produce any evidence that former President Donald Trump was cheated of victory, according to a draft version of the report.

In fact, the draft report from the company Cyber Ninjas found just the opposite: It tallied 99 additional votes for President Joe Biden and 261 fewer votes for Trump in Maricopa County, the fast-growing region that includes Phoenix.

The full review is set to be released on Friday, but a draft version circulating through Arizona political circles was obtained by The New York Times from a Republican and a Democrat.

Late on Thursday night, the Twitter account for Maricopa County, whose Republican leaders have derided the review, got a jump on the official release by tweeting out its conclusions.

“The county’s canvass of the 2020 General Election was accurate and the candidates certified as the winners did, in fact, win,” the county said on Twitter. It then criticized the review as “littered with errors and faulty conclusions.”

Biden won Arizona by roughly 10,500 votes, making Maricopa County crucial to his win. Under intense pressure from Trump loyalists, the Republican majority in the state Senate had ordered an autopsy of the county’s votes for president. The review was financed largely by $5.7 million in donations from far-right groups and Trump’s defenders.

The draft report implicitly acknowledged Biden’s victory, noting that there were “no substantial differences” between its tally of votes and the official count by Maricopa County election officials. But it also claimed that other factors — most if not all contested by reputable election experts — left the results “very close to the margin of error for the election.”

Among other alleged discrepancies, the report claimed that some ballots were cast by people who had moved before the election, that election-related computer files were missing and that some computer images of ballots were missing.

One expert and critic of the review who had seen a draft report of the findings called those red herrings.

“The whole report just reflects on the Ninjas’ lack of understanding of Arizona election law and election administration procedures,” said Benny White, a Republican in Tucson who is an adviser on election law and procedures. “And instead of sorting them out with election officials, they made claims that election officials don’t do things properly.”

It was not possible to determine whether the conclusions in the final version of the report being released on Friday would differ from those in the draft. White said he had been told that some Republican Senate officials were unhappy with its findings. But if those findings stand, they would amount to a devastating disappointment for pro-Trump Republicans nationwide who have looked to the Arizona review to vindicate their belief that the presidency was stolen from him. For many loyalists, the investigation has been seen as the first in a string of state inquiries that would, dominolike, topple claims that Biden was legitimately in the White House.

State Sen. Wendy Rogers, a Republican who is among Arizona’s most ardent advocates of the stolen-election canard, underscored that faith in a single sentence posted Thursday on Twitter: “Tomorrow we make history.”

On Thursday night, without acknowledging the findings of the draft reports that had been rippling across Arizona for half a day, the former president said in a statement, “Everybody will be watching Arizona tomorrow to see what the highly respected auditors and Arizona State Senate found out regarding the so-called Election!”

Election experts said an inquiry run by Trump partisans that was granted unrestricted access to 2.1 million ballots and election equipment failed to make even a basic case that the November vote was badly flawed, much less rigged.

Critics said that would raise the bar for Republican politicians in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania who, under pressure from Trump and his supporters, have mounted their own Arizona-style investigations.

“If Trump and his supporters can’t prove it here, with a process they designed, they can’t prove it anywhere,” David Becker, the executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, said at a briefing on Thursday.

In fact, the Republican inquiry may not be completely over. Senate investigators still want to examine Maricopa County computer servers for evidence of tampering, even though county officials insist they have had no connection to election machinery.

In general, however, the report was a cap-gun ending to an inquiry whose backers hinted would turn up a cannonade of fraud.

Republicans in the state Senate pushed for the inquiry in December, spurred in part by a daylong meeting with Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.

The Republican president of the state Senate, Karen Fann, insisted that the review was a nonpartisan effort to reassure voters that the election had been well run, but faith in that pledge ebbed after she chose Cyber Ninjas, a firm with no prior experience in elections, to oversee the inquiry. The firm’s chief executive, Doug Logan, soon was shown to have suggested on Twitter that Biden’s victory in Arizona was illegitimate. Other firms and consultants hired for the inquiry also proved to have pro-Trump ties or were election conspiracy theorists. And periodic suggestions by them that the inquiry had uncovered blockbuster evidence of fraud were quickly and uniformly debunked.

While the report’s authors declared that their monthslong review of votes in Maricopa County represented the “most comprehensive and complex election audit ever conducted,” the hand count of 2.1 million ballots and a review of voting machines and systems was plagued from the start by missteps and accusations of incompetence and partisan influence.

Some elections officials said the draft review offered an unlikely vindication of what they have been insisting for months: that Arizona ran a transparent, credible election in November.

“The numbers match up,” said Adrian Fontes, who as county recorder oversaw the election in Maricopa County and is now a Democratic candidate for secretary of state. Fontes said some critiques and concerns raised in the report, such as the potential for duplicate votes, reflected a lack of knowledge about how the county conducts elections. Fontes said his office had put systems into place that reconciled in real-time voter lists with records of who has voted.

“They don’t understand the system,” Fontes said. “The report reveals to me their purposeful ignorance. They decided to go forward with all of this never familiarizing themselves with how the system works.”

While the top-line results are far from what many conservatives had hoped for, Republicans in the Arizona Legislature could in the next session seize on a host of recommendations in the report — based on the same faulty data and methodology — as both justification and a road map to enact more laws that restrict voting.

The report suggests, for instance, that the Legislature should consider whether a change of address would suspend a voter’s enrollment on the widely popular Permanent Early Voting List, which automatically sends ballots to some people who vote by mail. Roughly 75% of all voters in Arizona are on the list, and enacting such a change would inevitably remove thousands of voters, especially poorer and younger voters who tend to relocate more frequently.

This suggestion to further cull voters from the Permanent Early Voting List follows a law passed in May that removed voters from the list if they do not cast a ballot at least once every two years.

During the last legislative session, Republicans in Arizona had been prolific in drafting bills that would affect elections in the state, introducing 57 total bills, 32 of which would have added new restrictions to voting or shifted the balance of power in election administration, according to the Voting Rights Lab, a liberal-leaning voting rights group. Seven of those bills became law.

The report makes further legislative suggestions that would add more restrictions to voting. They include multiple ways to further purge voters from registration rolls, including if entries are not a “direct match” with government-issued identification. Voting rights groups note that strict direct match provisions can lead to erroneously removing legal voters from the rolls.

Further undermining the findings in the report are repeated allusions to common election conspiracy theories that have percolated among right-wing news sites and social media since the election. The report takes an extended look at marker bleed-through on ballots, which was the source of a conspiracy known as #Sharpiegate that claimed ballots marked with a felt-tipped pen could not be read by machines in Arizona and was thoroughly debunked. It also raises the prospect of fraudulent ballots being created and mailed, similar to a false claim by Trump that foreign countries would flood the 2020 election with fake ballots.

Election experts pointed to the corrosive effect of the decision to stage a partisan review of the election results, with copycat versions in other states and further eroding trust in democratic institutions.

“Those people stormed the Capitol because they believed the election was fraudulent when it was not,” said Matt A. Barreto, a professor of political science at the University of California, Los Angeles, and faculty director of the Voting Rights Project. “And had we had leaders who just accepted the results and encouraged their team to try harder next time, we could have avoided that very ugly fiasco.”

Reputable election experts have said for months that the Senate review would be wrong if it concluded that Trump won the Maricopa County vote. In fact, the explanation for Trump’s loss was available in public records of individual ballots cast in November, White said.

White joined last month with two retired executives of Clear Ballot Group, an elections consulting firm, in a point-by-point report explaining what actually happened in November.

Their analysis of the choices on each ballot cast showed that Trump lost Arizona because 74,822 Republicans, including 59,800 in Maricopa County, were unhappy enough with the former president’s performance in office that they decided not to vote for him. Roughly two-thirds of those voters cast ballots for Biden, the analysis stated, and the remaining third either voted for another candidate, such as the Libertarian Party nominee, or did not vote for president.

The Republican who is now Maricopa County’s chief election officer, Stephen Richer, published a 38-page broadside last month in which he rebutted fraud claims and excoriated Republican politicians who have remained silent in the face of efforts to undermine the November results.

“It’s disgusting,” he added.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Aaron Morrison and Astrid Galvan | Associated Press

The images — men on horseback, appearing to use reins as whips to corral Haitian asylum seekers trying to cross into the U.S. from Mexico — provoked an outcry. But to many Haitians and Black Americans, they’re merely confirmation of a deeply held belief:

U.S. immigration policies, they say, are and have long been anti-Black.

The Border Patrol’s treatment of Haitian migrants, they say, is just the latest in a long history of discriminatory U.S. policies and of indignities faced by Black people, sparking new anger among Haitian Americans, Black immigrant advocates and civil rights leaders.

They point to immigration data that indicate Haitians and other Black migrants routinely face structural barriers to legally entering or living in the U.S. — and often endure disproportionate contact with the American criminal legal system that can jeopardize their residency or hasten their deportation.

Haitians, in particular, are granted asylum at the lowest rate of any nationality with consistently high numbers of asylum seekers, according to an analysis of data by The Associated Press.

“Black immigrants live at the intersection of race and immigration and, for too long, have fallen through the cracks of red tape and legal loopholes,” said Yoliswa Cele of the UndocuBlack Network, a national advocacy organization for currently and formerly undocumented Black people.

“Now through the videos capturing the abuses on Haitians at the border, the world has now seen for itself that all migrants seeking a better tomorrow aren’t treated equal when skin color is involved.”

Between 2018 and 2021, only 4.62% of Haitian asylum seekers were granted asylum by the U.S. — the lowest rate among 84 groups for whom data is available. Asylum seekers from the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, have a similarly low rate of 5.11%.

By comparison, four of the five top U.S. asylum applicants are from Latin American countries — El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and Honduras. Their acceptance rates range from 6.21% to 14.12%.

Nicole Phillips, legal director for the Haitian Bridge Alliance, said racism has long driven the American government’s treatment of Haitian immigrants.

Phillips, whose organization is on the ground helping Haitians in Texas, says this dates back to the early 1800s, when Haitian slaves revolted and gained independence from France, and has continued through decades of U.S. intervention and occupation in the small island nation.

She said the U.S., threatened by the possibility of its own slaves revolting, both assisted the French and didn’t recognize Haitian independence for nearly six decades. The U.S. also loaned money to Haiti so that it could, in essence, buy its independence, collecting interest payments while plunging the country into poverty for decades.

“This mentality and stigma against Haitians stems all the way back to that period,” Phillips said.

The U.S. violently occupied Haiti from 1915 to 1934 and backed former Haiti dictator Francois Duvalier, whose oppressive regime resulted in 30,000 deaths and drove thousands to flee.

While the U.S. long treated Cubans with compassion — largely because of opposition to the Communist regime — the administrations of George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton took a hard line on Haitians. And the Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status for several nationalities, including Haitians and Central Americans.

Over and over, the U.S. has passed immigration legislation that excluded Black immigrants and Haitians, and promoted policies that unfairly jeopardized their legal status in the country, advocates said.

When they manage to enter the U.S., Black immigrants say they contend with systemic racism in the American criminal legal system and brutality of U.S. policing that has been endemic for people from across the African diaspora.

The Black Alliance for Just Immigration, a national racial justice and immigrant rights group, largely defines Black immigrants as people from nations in Africa and the Caribbean. By that definition, AP’s analysis of 2019 Department of Homeland Security data found 66% Black immigrants deported from the U.S were removed based on criminal grounds, as opposed to 43% of all immigrants.

Nana Gyamfi, BAJI’s executive director, said crimes of moral turpitude, including petty theft or turnstile jumping, have been used as partial justification for denying Black immigrants legal status. “We have people getting deported because of train fare,” she said.

Leaders within the Movement for Black Lives, a national coalition of Black-led racial justice and civil rights organizations, have pointed to the treatment of Haitians at the border as justification for their broader demands for defunding law enforcement agencies in the U.S.

Last year, following the murder of George Floyd, the coalition proposed sweeping federal legislation known as the BREATHE Act, which includes calls to end immigration detention, stop deportations due to contact with the criminal legal system, and ensure due process within the immigration court system.

“A lot of times in the immigration debate, Black people are erased and Black immigrants are erased from the conversation,” said Amara Enyia, a policy researcher for the Movement for Black Lives.

Ahead of a Thursday tour of the migrant encampment in Texas, civil rights leaders called for an investigation into the treatment of Black migrants at the border and for an immediate end to the deportation of Black asylum seekers.

The camp is “a catastrophic and human disgrace,” the Rev. Al Sharpton said after an hourlong tour with several Black American leaders in Del Rio. “We will keep coming back, as long as is necessary.”

At the border and in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where hundreds had already been sent on flights from the U.S., Haitians said there was no doubt that race played a major part in their mistreatment.

“They are grabbing people, they bother us, especially Haitians because they identify us by skin,” said Jean Claudio Charles who, with his wife and year-old son, had been staying in an encampment on the Mexico side near Texas out of fear of arrest and deportation to Haiti.

Claude Magnolie, a Haitian citizen removed from the U.S. this week, said he didn’t see Border Patrol agents treating migrants of other nationalities the way he and others were treated: “This is discrimination, that is how I call it, they are treating us very badly.”

And in Miami, immigrant rights advocate Francesca Menes couldn’t believe her eyes as she watched images of the asylum seekers being corralled by men on horseback.

“My family is under that bridge,” Menes said, referring to a cousin, his wife and their newborn who recently met up in a small border town in Texas. It took Menes’s cousin two months to make the trek from Chile, where he had been living with his brothers for three years to escape Haiti’s political tumult, violence and devastation.

“It made me sick,” Menes said. “This didn’t happen with unaccompanied minors. You didn’t see people riding on horseback, basically herding people like they were cattle, like they were animals.”

Menes’ outrage has only grown, as have her fears for her family. When she overheard her mother on the phone with family members this week, Menes said she wanted nothing more than to tell them to return to Chile.

AP staffers Maria Verza in Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, Fernando Gonzalez in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jasen Lo in Chicago and Elliot Spagat from San Diego contributed. Morrison reported from New York City. Galvan reported from Phoenix. Both are members of the AP’s Race and Ethnicity team. Follow Galvan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/astridgalvan. Follow Morrison on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronlmorrison.

In an effort to bolster the nation’s waning immunity against the surging COVID-19 virus, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky recommended the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine “booster” for people who are at risk of disease due to age, underlying medical conditions or jobs in high-risk jobs and institutional settings.

California vaccine providers are gearing up to begin administering the third dose as soon as the recommendation is approved by the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, which is likely to be imminent.

“We, along with our local and community partners, have been actively preparing for the possibility of administering booster doses and will be ready to administer immediately if approved,” according to a statement issued by California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly and State Public Health Officer Dr. Tomás Aragón.

As expected, the CDC endorsed one of the major recommendations — boosters for anyone age 65 and older —  made on Thursday by its own independent panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Also eligible for boosters are people who live in an institutional setting, such as a state hospital, jail or prison.

But it diverged from the panel in its other recommendations, instead sticking more closely to criteria used by  the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in its authorization on Wednesday.

Of people with underlying medical conditions, only older people ages 50 to 64 years should receive a booster shot, the CDC said. Its language was softer for younger people ages 18 to 49; they may choose get a booster, based on their personal assessment of their risk.

Significantly, the CDC expanded the eligibility list to include people who are at increased risk of disease because of their job, such as health care professionals, first responders and frontline essential workers.

The CDC’s panel had voted against this expansion. Members said there was no evidence of waning immunity in this group and worried that verification of employment would be too challenging.

Eligible people must be at least six months past their second dose of the vaccine to receive a booster. Of the 182 million Americans who are fully vaccinated, an estimated 27 million are at least six months past their second Pfizer dose and would be eligible, according to the CDC. Of these, about half are age 65 or older.

“If you’re not in a group that is universally recommended for boosters, it’s because we think you’re well protected,” said ACIP member Dr. Matthew F. Daley, a senior clinician investigator at Kaiser’s Institute for Health Research. “The decision we’re making today will be reevaluated as circumstances change.”

The two-dose regimen remains extraordinarily safe and effective in preventing severe disease, hospitalization and death. The pandemic is a disease of the unvaccinated: During the CDC’s two-day, 30-hour meeting, about 2,500 unprotected Americans died of COVID-19.

But there is emerging evidence that immunity begins to fade after five to six months, especially in elders. A Sept. 17 CDC report showed that four months after recipients got their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, the effectiveness in preventing hospitalization fell from 91% to 77%. Effectiveness of the Moderna vaccine remained stable, falling from 93% to 92%. While not enough participants had received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, it has been 71% effective in preventing hospitalization.

A third-dose booster dramatically increases the level of protective antibodies, providing a four- to 10-fold increase in immunity, according to Pfizer data presented at the meeting.

Here are the critical impacts of the CDC decision:

• Only certain groups are eligible for the booster, including:

People age 65 or older. These elders were prioritized because they show the most dramatic dropoff in immunity six months after their second dose, so face the greatest risk of severe illness and death. But this age cutoff means that many at-risk Black people and Latinos aren’t eligible, according to Stanford University infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. Yvonne Maldonado. About 39% of Latino deaths and 31% of Black deaths occurred in those under age 65, as compared to 15% in whites, she said.

People with underlying illnesses that put them at risk of severe COVID-19, such as cancer, cerebrovascular disease, heart disease, diabetes, lung disease or kidney disease.

People who live in long-term care facilities or other group institutions such as homeless shelters or prisons.

People who work in high-risk settings, such as health care professionals, teachers, day care staff, and grocery workers.

• Younger and healthier people aren’t eligible:

That’s because they are still protected from serious illness by the vaccine, the panel agreed. Additionally, most of these people haven’t yet hit their six-month mark since their second vaccine.

Their immunity will also likely wane over time, the experts agreed. But even if they suffer mild or moderately “breakthrough” infections, they will remain well protected from serious illness.

• There was no decision on “mixing and matching”: 

The CDC panel did not vote on whether people who received the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines could get the Pfizer vaccine. At this point, there is insufficient evidence to prove the safety and efficacy of this strategy, it said.

The FDA is still awaiting submission of J&J booster application. It is reviewing Moderna’s application; there is no date yet for a decision. If you are older or at risk, you can ask your doctor about getting a Pfizer booster.

• Pharmacies and medical providers are gearing up to offer boosters:

People will be able to sign up online through the state’s MyTurn site, and some counties, such as Santa Clara, will allow residents and people who work or study in the county to sign up through their own online or phone-based systems.

“We’re ready once the final approval comes from the CDC,” said Jennifer Tong, associate chief medical officer for Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.

People will also be able to get a booster shot through pharmacies such as CVS and health care providers such as Kaiser Permanente and Stanford. On Thursday morning, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said MyTurn will also send text message alerts to Californians when they are eligible for a booster shot.

Kaiser said it will also reach out to eligible groups after the CDC committee makes its recommendations.

Boosters will require only self-verified ‘attestation’ that you meet the criteria due to age or health status. Be prepared to show your vaccine card to prove that six months have passed since your second dose. If you don’t have it, it is likely stored in the state, pharmacy or health care provider database.

• There will be plenty of vaccines left for the unvaccinated:

“Supply for Pfizer vaccine is not an issue right now,” said the CDC’s Dr. Sara Oliver. “There is plenty of vaccine to continue to give the primary series, as well as the booster dose.”

The CDC’s first priority will continue to be on getting people their initial series, she said.

• There’s no rush:

You don’t need to get your booster at precisely six months, said the CDC’s Oliver. While protection starts to wane, most people are still very protected.

Staff writer Emily DeRuy contributed to this story.

REDWOOD CITY – The criminal case against a man accused of running over an unhoused woman Monday morning in Millbrae is on hold until doctors determine whether he is mentally competent to stand trial, San Mateo County prosecutors said.

Attorneys for Garrett Young, 23, of Millbrae, filed a competency motion Thursday afternoon, said District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. On Sept. 27, a judge will appoint two doctors to assess Young’s competency to stand trial on an attempted murder charge. Wagstaffe said such assessments typically take six to eight weeks to complete.

The 53-year-old woman Young is accused of running over remains on life support.

A San Mateo County sheriff’s deputy found the woman lying in the parking lot of a Starbucks at 513 Broadway at about 12:20 a.m. Monday. She had major injuries and showed signs of being hit by a car.

Investigators found surveillance camera footage of a gray BMW SUV hitting the woman at a “high rate of speed and then running her over several more times,” the sheriff’s office said.

Young was arrested at a residence on Henry Place after a deputy found an SUV parked outside that matched the vehicle in the video. The sheriff’s office said it had damage consistent with a recent crash.

Young, who worked at a Safeway close to where the woman was found, was angry with the woman because she had been “mean” to him in recent months, according to prosecutors. Wagstaffe said the woman reportedly yelled at Young about the supermarket’s restrooms not being clean and told him he wasn’t doing his job.

The case will resume if Young is found competent to stand trial. Otherwise, he will be sent to a state psychiatric hospital.

“That would stop the case until he is, if ever, restored to competency,” Wagstaffe said.

Young, in the meantime, is being held without bail at the Maguire Correctional Facility in Redwood City.

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Randy Booker is an international basketball player famous for his sharp analyses of the sport. Randy’s Youtube channel, RBTheBreakThrough, offers exhaustive breakdowns of everything basketball.

Randy has interviewed basketball legends like George ” Iceman” Gervin, 2-time NBA champion Lamar “The Goods” Odom, and Gilbert “Agent Zero” Arenas. For basketball fans, these videos are pure gold — primarily because of the legendary interviews.

Randy Booker himself learned a lot from these interviews, but there are five gems that he holds above all the others. Here they are.

“Our babies didn’t study history”  – George Gervin

This was spurred on by being compared with James Harden. But real fans will swear by the truth — no one scored like the Iceman.

“The media will say what they want to say…” – George Gervin

At national and international levels, sportspeople earn as much as Hollywood stars. With the money comes the fame and sickening levels of media attention. Players need to be able to shrug it off.

“When you’re around someone who emulates winning, it becomes contagious” – Lamar Odom

Lamar Odom said this about the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant while describing how Bryant’s attitude was his greatest weapon.

“I would pray that someone gets injured” – Gilbert Arenas

Gilbert Arenas wanted to win more than the next guy. And, the rest is history.

“Players need to know how to change gears” – Gilbert Arenas

Age, experience, and talent all count for nothing if you’re not open to change.

Since 2013, Randy’s channel has amassed 100 million views and 332,000 subscribers. Randy has an official plaque from YouTube and many international basketball appearances. That’s bound to happen because of the depth, sharpness, and inspiration his content offers. Randy Booker is also active on Facebook and Instagram.

The news and editorial staffs of the Bay Area News Group had no role in this post’s preparation.

Q: Parents, slow down!

I was on on a walk the other morning, and in the hour I was out I was almost hit three times by parents driving their kids to school by either not stopping and looking both ways or by blatantly driving through crosswalks.

I’m sure school dropoff is more painful these days with COVID procedures, but seriously you need to maybe leave a little earlier and slow it down! I’m sure if you happened to be walking your kids to school you’d want others to afford you the same courtesy.

Mark Fernandez

A: This is the time of year that these complaints pour in. And I mean pour in.

And it is getting worse as cell phone use continues to increase, even by people driving through school zones. A recent survey shows that nearly two-thirds of Californians believe that distracted driving is getting worse, including in school zones.

About 50% of drivers admitted to using their phones while driving. Also of note, the reported rates of phone usage while driving were 13% higher for women than men.

Q: Driving on the many two-lane roads in hilly areas is so dangerous. Will anything be done to make them safer?

Frank Pope, Livermore

A: Here’s a project you’ll like, near you. On Monday construction will begin on Kirker Pass Road between Concord and Pittsburg, in Contra Costa County and last until late January between 7 a.m. to 5.pm weekdays.

Guardrails will be installed, plus reflectors on median barrier, painting the existing curb with reflective paint, addition of delineators along the shoulder and installation of street lighting at the two Hess Road intersections.

Q: Head-on collisions are a constant threat on Frontage Road off I-80 as that very narrow stretch offers little or no way of escape for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists on the adjacent walkway. Reckless drivers routinely cross the double yellow lines on Frontage along 80 between Chevy’s in Emeryville and Sea Breeze Deli in Berkeley.

Maxine Butler, Oakland

A: Drivers, slow down, please.

Q: On our way home from the Martinez Shoreline for Coastal Clean Up Day, my husband and I couldn’t help but be appalled by the outrageous amount of trash littering the sides of I-680. Are  there any updates you can give on this shameful condition? Sadly, in addition to being an eyesore, most trash thrown on the road will make its way to the ocean once rains come.

Linda Waters, Pleasant Hill

A: Caltrans will be on it soon, after fires are brought under control and crews are freed up.

Join Gary Richards for an hourlong chat noon Wednesday at www.mercurynews.com/live-chats. Look for Gary Richards at Facebook.com/mr.roadshow, or contact him at mrroadshow@bayareanewsgroup.com or 408-920-5335.

That scream you heard over the internet was Twitter having a collective seizure over the September’s Nintendo Direct. Everyone expected a new “Kirby” game and others were excited for a sneak peek at “Bayonetta 3” but what has everyone in an uproar is that the Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto announced the cast for the upcoming animated “Mario” movie, and it stunned everyone.

Actor Chris Pratt will be playing Mario. Charlie Day will play his brother Luigi. Princess Peach will be voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy. Jack Black will take on the role of Bowser. Keegan-Michael Key will be Toad. In addition, non-members of the Mushroom Kingdom will be showing up in the film as well as Seth Rogen will play Donkey Kong. The cast is rounded out by Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong and Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike.

Charles Martinet, who voices Mario in the video games, will also have a several roles in the film, according to Miyamoto. The “Mario” film is scheduled for release Dec. 21, 2022.

No one other than this one guy on Twitter could have expected this. The choice of Pratt is curious and until we actually hear Star-Lord’s voice coming out of Mario’s face it will be tough to say whether it was the right choice. All the other names for the roles are solid, and I can imagine Day, Black, Rogen and Taylor-Joy will put in solid performances in their roles. I just never imagined Mario as a swashbuckler type.

NOW FOR THE VIDEO GAME NEWS
The other big pieces of news coming out of the Nintendo Direct is that a major expansion to “Monster Hunter Rise” is in the works. Unfortunately, fans won’t be able to play it until summer 2022. Titled “Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak,” it will include new locales, new moves and additional monsters such as Fatalis. Unlike previous content drops, this one will cost money.

“Kirby and the Forgotten Land” looked promising. It’s one of the rare times that Nintendo’s pink fluffball appears in a 3-D game. Normally, he stars in 2-D platformers. The intriguing part is how the game blends his trademark power-capturing abilities in a three-dimensional environment. It looks like Nintendo nailed that part right, so it’s up to the level designers to match that creativity. Setting the project in a post-apocalyptic world is surprising but it could also be one of the cooler ways the developers can squeeze out some creativity. “Kirby and the Forgotten Land” is scheduled for release in Spring 2022.

The other big headliner for the Nintendo Direct was the new footage of “Bayonetta 3.” This title was announced in 2017 and it has taken a long time, but it looks like it’s worth the wait. The game seems to retain the quick-twitch action gameplay that made the series a hit and it gives the female lead more ways to defeat her foes. “Bayonetta 3” looks great and it’s looking like it will make an already crowded 2022 lineup even better.

Fans looking forward “Splatoon 3” had more gameplay footage to whet their appetite. The game includes mechs and a single-player campaign called the Return of the Mammalians, taking place in Splattsville and the Splatsland.

The other third-party publisher that had a strong showing at the Nintendo Direct was Square Enix, which showed off a little bit of everything. It revealed more of its highly anticipated project Triangle Strategy. It’s game that will make fans of “Final Fantasy Tactics” and the “Disgaea” series happy. The title is still on track to launch March 4, 2022. During the announcement, the developers said that they took into account feedback from the demo earlier this year and they’ll incorporate that into the game. That includes several quality-of-life adjustments such as the ability to change difficulty, the ability to review previous dialogue and a streamlined gameflow.

Square Enix also added a bit of originality with its reveal of “Voice of Cards: The Isle of Dragon Roars.” It’s a card-based role-playing game from some of the team behind “NieR” and “Drakengard.” The game has a heavy card theme with the overland world depicted in cards as well as the combat taking place using dice and decks. It’s an interesting concept, and one that players will see soon. “Voice of Cards” is scheduled for release Oct. 28.

The publisher also satisfied plenty of fans with “Actraiser Renaissance.” It’s remastered HD version of the classic SNES game. It features new stages, boss battles and fresh music from the beloved score. If you haven’t played this title, then it’s a must to pick it up. It’s a combination of a god game along with a side-scrolling beat-’em. Yes, it’s an odd combination but strangely it works. The game comes out today on Nintendo Switch.

The last piece of big news from a packed Nintendo Direct was the announcement of the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. It’s a new membership plan coming in late October that gives players access to classic Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games such as “Super Mario 64,” “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time,” “Mario Kart 64,” “Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” “Streets of Rage 2 and “Ecco the Dolphin.” If you’re happy with your regular Nintendo Switch Online, you can keep it, but if you a retro fan looking for some older games for the console, this is your best bet.

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The real estate industry is a challenging sector to succeed in for entrepreneurs. We have so many new and old companies competing in buying and selling properties.

John Aaron is one such big player in the real estate industry. He is the owner of a company called Aaron Organization. He has worked from a very young age to learn and establish his company and convert it into a successful venture.

Aaron was from a small town in Sebring, Florida. His hometown had limited opportunities of either working at a local hospital or getting a football scholarship.

The scholarship would help in moving out of the town to a new city for a college education. He wanted to make a name for himself and be financially stable, so he moved to Miami, Florida.

He started working as a real estate agent in a real estate company building his contacts and knowledge on how the industry operates. He had grit and determination to succeed in the real estate sector.

Since the inception of his company, his team has flipped over 200 houses successfully over the years. They have also worked towards the renovation of single-family homes.

COVID-19 has affected many people and industries, including the real estate industry. Aaron made the most of this situation in the market and purchased distressed commercial assets affected by the pandemic. He would hold on to the assets till the markets improve and then flip it for a premium.

He comments, “It is sad how the pandemic has affected people, but the situation has presented an opportunity for us to buy the properties at a lower price.”

The company also believes in having a healthy work culture for its employees. They have undertaken projects to develop commercial properties, thus enhancing the standard of living in the region.

The COVID-19 situation has presented unique opportunities for the company to help grow society as well.

They have worked towards creating a positive environment for the community by providing job opportunities to the locals in this challenging time. It has helped the company build a good name and reputation and in creating a sense of loyalty.

New entrepreneurs should take note of an important piece of advice given by John Aaron – one should not only utilise the opportunities presented to profit but also contribute towards building a community.

The news and editorial staffs of the Bay Area News Group had no role in this post’s preparation.

Two executives at a Danville-based software company are facing federal charges for allegedly conspiring to defraud a Tennessee utility more than $300,000 after installing software at local schools, authorities said.

Autonomic Software President Anthony Gigliotti, 74, has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud and three counts of wire fraud, while the company’s Vice President Alexander Gigliotti, 36, was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

The duo was arrested Sept. 10 in Danville, the Department of Justice said in a news release. The case will be heard in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.

The case began in 2016, according to the DOJ, when Autonomic installed management software in school systems in Rutherford County, southeast of Nashville. The Tennessee Valley Authority utility offered an incentive program that provided funds to customers who installed energy-saving software.

Autonomic told the school district that it would not take on any costs associated with the installation, the DOJ said. But the company submitted $588,240 worth of invoices to the program administrator, Lockheed Martin, and claimed that the Rutherford County schools had paid $30 total for each computer and associated support.

Lockheed Martin provided incentive payments to Autonomic based upon those invoices, the DOJ said — even though the school district had not taken on the costs.

About a year later, when the software failed to function as promised, the county bought different energy-saving software that cost “substantially less” than what Autonomic claimed on its invoices, the release said.

Reached by cell phone Thursday, Anthony Gigliotti said that he has “a firm belief in our innocence” but could not comment on the charges or details of the case. “We’re going to weather the storm,” he said.

Alex Gigliotti did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Autonomic was founded in 2004 and provides software solutions to a variety of public and private clients, including those in government, education and technology, according to its website.

SAN DIEGO — The Giants and Dodgers played their last head-to-head matchup of the season on Sunday, September 5, but given the historic nature of the race for the National League West crown, each day feels as if the rivals are squaring off against one another.

If 19 back-and-forth games between the Giants and Dodgers this season were any indication of what’s in store for the final days of the schedule, then Thursday’s dramatic finishes for both clubs were hardly a surprise.

The Giants rallied from a pair of deficits against the Padres on Thursday, but lost 7-6 in 10 innings on a walk-off infield single from Victor Caratini against right-hander Dominic Leone. The Dodgers, meanwhile, took a bite out of San Francisco’s division lead by winning 7-5 in 10 innings over the Rockies at Coors Field.

Brandon Belt and Kris Bryant each found themselves ahead in the count 3-0 with a runner in scoring position in the 10th inning, but both players ended up popping out before the Giants saw their lead in the NL West shrink to 1.0 game with nine left to play following the Padres’ walk-off.

Shortly after the Dodgers jumped out to a 3-0 lead over the Rockies with leading Cy Young candidate Max Scherzer on the mound, the Giants fell behind the Padres 4-0 as ace Logan Webb struggled through a 45-pitch first inning.

The Giants, like the Rockies, were able to cut into their opponent’s lead as Mike Yastrzemski launched a two-run home run off Padres starter Yu Darvish while Colorado pitcher Kyle Freeland hit a game-tying, two-run single to even the score at 3-3 against Scherzer.

When Austin Slater stepped up and yanked a go-ahead three-run home run in the top of the sixth, the Giants could look up at the out of town scoreboard and see that the Rockies were one out away from securing an unlikely series victory over Dodgers.

Despite having the bases empty with two outs in the ninth, the Dodgers strung together three hits and a run, forcing their game into extra innings just as the Padres hit back-to-back homers to give San Diego a 6-5, sixth-inning lead. Within a minute of Dodgers star Max Muncy giving Los Angeles the lead for good with a two-run 10th inning homer, Giants pinch hitter Wilmer Flores and second baseman Tommy La Stella struck back-to-back doubles to tie the game at Petco Park.

Slater had only hit one home run since the All-Star break when he came off the bench in the sixth to bat for LaMonte Wade Jr., one of the top clutch hitters in the majors this season. Despite falling behind in the count 1-2 against Padres lefty Tim Hill, Slater battled back by hitting three foul balls and taking two more pitches off the plate before lining a three-run, go-ahead home run over the short left field wall in front of the Western Metal Supply Co. building.

Slater’s pinch homer was the 17th hit by a Giants player this season, matching the major league record set by the 2016 St. Louis Cardinals and giving the club a chance to capture another comeback win.

With most of their top relievers unavailable, the Giants weren’t able to protect the one-run lead for long.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Padres answered right away with back-to-back solo home runs from Trent Grisham and Ha-Seong Kim, who pushed San Diego ahead 6-5 against left-hander José Quintana. A Giants offense that’s been unfazed in the late innings this season rallied to even the score, and then the club received quality work out of the bullpen from 22-year-old Kervin Castro, who tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings to send the game to the ninth inning tied at 6-6.

Webb has easily been the Giants’ best pitcher through the second half of the season, but he suffered through a disastrous first inning on Thursday as his command evaded him against a Padres lineup that was able to score four runs on just three hits.

Webb threw more balls than strikes in his opening frame against San Diego as the right-hander issued two walks before hitting right fielder Jurickson Profar with a slider on an 0-2 pitch with the bases loaded. Following a sacrifice fly from Grisham and RBI singles from Kim and Caratini, the Padres took a 4-0 lead as Webb fell into the type of early hole he’s largely avoided during a remarkable run of post All-Star break success.

Kapler was one baserunner away from turning to Quintana, but Webb struck out Darvish to end the first and returned to the mound in the second inning despite having already thrown 45 mostly high-stress pitches.

At a different point in the season, Kapler may have pulled Webb following the first inning, but with a depleted bullpen and a three-game series at Coors Field upcoming, the Giants stuck with the 24-year-old right-hander. The decision to do so paid off as Webb regained the consistency he’s shown for most of the season and fired three scoreless frames to keep the Giants in the game.

Their lineup brought the Giants all the way back, but an inability to bring a run home in the top of the 10th wound up costing the club.

PALO ALTO – For the third time since early May, graffiti vandalism amounting to a hate crime has been found inside the men’s restroom at El Camino Park in Palo Alto, authorities said.

The latest incident was reported around 6:35 a.m. Wednesday, the Palo Alto Police Department said in a news release.

Inside the restroom, officers found “derogatory language” directed at White people written in black marker, police said. The vandalism likely occurred at some point Tuesday.

A public works crew removed the graffiti.

Similar incidents were reported May 7 and July 7 at the same location, police said, adding they believe the crimes are linked and were committed by the same suspect.

The city has recorded other graffiti vandalism hate crimes this year. On Sept. 15, racial epithets directed at Black people were found inside a parking garage on High Street. Racial epithets directed at Black people were also found at Heritage Park on March 21.

No arrests have been made in the cases.

Anyone with information related to the cases can contact the police department at 650-329-2413. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call or text 650-383-8984 or email paloalto@tipnow.org.

School districts in Oakland, Hayward and Piedmont this week became the Bay Area’s first to require eligible students to get COVID-19 vaccines in the coming weeks, and others soon may follow after California’s top health official said Thursday he’s mulling whether to issue a statewide mandate.

California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said state officials have been closely monitoring what steps local school districts are taking to ward off the virus’ spread, which has been driven by the highly contagious delta variant since early summer.

“That conversation is happening — certainly as part of what we’re considering as a state — but no definitive action or decision is being made at the moment,” Ghaly said.

He acknowledged the COVID vaccine has raised concerns even among some parents “who have their kids fully vaccinated against the number of other vaccine-preventable illnesses,” but emphasized that student vaccine mandates are “not new considerations” in California or the U.S.

Schools nationwide have a decades-long tradition of ensuring that students are protected against communicable diseases. In California, students must be inoculated against polio, measles, chickenpox, tetanus and other illnesses.

“To date, protecting young kids from COVID has been led by getting the adults around these young Californians to be vaccinated,” Ghaly said. “Soon, we hope, I hope — as a father of three kids under the age of 12 and a pediatrician — that we can soon vaccinate many of our students and wrap a thicker blanket of protection around these school communities.”

Los Angeles Unified last month became the first and largest school district in California to declare that students age 12 and older must be fully vaccinated to attend classrooms.

The Oakland, Hayward and Piedmont school boards approved similar vaccine mandates Wednesday night. Meanwhile, a handful of other school districts are on the verge of being next.

Berkeley Unified’s school board discussed such a proposal Wednesday night but did not take a vote and West Contra Costa Unified’s board had been scheduled to consider a vaccine mandate Tuesday until its meeting was cancelled so several logistical details could be resolved.

Two of the region’s biggest school districts — San Jose Unified and San Francisco Unified — have not introduced any vaccine mandates.

The hours-long discussion at Wednesday’s Oakland school board meeting mirrored the broader statewide debate over whether students should be forced to get COVID shots or lose their spots inside classrooms.

In a 5-1-1 vote taken close to midnight, the Oakland school board decided that students 12 and older must be vaccinated “unless prohibited by law.” They’re currently eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, which received the FDA’s emergency approval for that age group.

Exceptions will be made for “personal belief exemptions” if students provide a note from a doctor confirming that information about COVID vaccines was provided. It’s unclear what beliefs other than religious would qualify.

School board vice president Sam Davis, who called for the vaccine mandate, said he hopes it will persuade people hesitant about getting shots to talk to medical professionals about their concerns.

But school board member Mike Hutchinson said he worries about approving an order that — if enacted right away — would prevent many students from going to class.

“I’m concerned about passing a mandate that (says) half of Black and Brown students can’t come to school,” Hutchinson said. According to the district, roughly 34% of African American students and 55% of Latino students have been vaccinated.

Board president Shanthi Gonzales, who abstained from voting, shared Hutchinson’s sentiment.

“My concern is sending those families a message that they’re not welcome and not allowed to come to school anymore,” Gonzales said, adding that even allowing for a personal belief exemption with a doctor’s note, there would still be barriers for students without regular access to a doctor or full health care.

Samantha Pal, a student member of the school board and a junior at Oakland High School, said the students she’s heard from prefer an approach that would educate families about the benefits of getting vaccinated instead of issuing an “alienating” mandate.

Some parents and other community members expressed anger at the prospect of a vaccine mandate.

“Why do you want to force the vaccine that is still undergoing vaccine trials?” one speaker asked. “Not you, the CDC or the FDA can make guarantees as to outcomes.”

Others thanked the board for taking steps to protect the health of students and teachers.

“We support adding the vaccine for COVID to the list of vaccines already required at schools,” said Dr. Lynne Rosen, a pediatrician who works for health clinic La Clinica. “It will help minimize disruptions for school instruction.”

The district still needs to determine when the mandate should take effect and how it’ll be enforced. Board members directed Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell to return next month with recommendations.

In Piedmont, the school board decided all eligible students must receive both Pfizer doses by Nov. 17. Students younger than 12 must be fully dosed no later than eight weeks after they become eligible for shots.

Students who aren’t vaccinated would be referred to independent study and not allowed inside classrooms unless they’ve been excused from taking the vaccine by a licensed physician. Those students will be required to be tested for COVID-19 every week, however.

Hayward Unified trustees unanimously approved a policy similar to Piedmont’s, although students there won’t have to be fully vaccinated until Dec. 17.

“It’s a challenging choice,” Hayward school board member Gabriel Chaparro said about parents deciding whether their child should get vaccinated. “I know when someone tells me, ‘I will do this,’ I have a hard time holding my middle  finger down because no one is going to tell me what to do.”

The Centers for Disease Control and other prominent medical institutions have deemed the vaccines safe and effective in reducing the risk of dying or suffering severe respiratory and other health complications caused by COVID-19.

Staff writers Fiona Kelliher and Peter Hegarty contributed to this report.