Mendocino County Today: Wednesday 7/23/2025

Below Normal | Hydrangea | DUI Crashes | Volunteers Needed | Jack Haye | Hay Bales | Not Guilty | Bear Cam | Rescind Annexation | Immigration Rumor | $126,000 Contract | Coast Cinemas | Gardens Art | Free Folk | Summer Events | Clover Dew | Excursion 1939 | Yesterday's Catch | Clouds | Walmart | Giants Win | Summer 1977 | Federal Abuses | Narco Raiders | No Cali | Ozzy Osbourne | Marijuana Bale | Trump Anxiety | Funnel Tomato | Redskins Revival | Ceasefire Now | Debating Russiagate | Mickey Spillane | Lead Stories | Inuits

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AN UPPER LEVEL system is expected to linger near the area through the week. Thunderstorms are possible in the interior through Saturday with the highest chances Thursday and Friday. Near-normal to slightly below normal temperatures expected this week. (NWS)

STEPHEN DUNLAP (Fort Bragg): Yep, a foggy 53F this Wednesday morning on the coast. While we have hints of sunshine this Sunday our forecast is for more of the same until then. I added a cumulative .10" of drizzle to my rain report.

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ONE DEAD, TWO ARRESTED AFTER DUI CRASHES ON HWY. 101 IN MENDOCINO COUNTY

by Matt LaFever

Two DUI crashes struck Highway 101 in Mendocino County Monday afternoon, both involving drivers who crossed into oncoming traffic. One crash left a driver dead, according to a press release issued by the California Highway Patrol Garberville office.

The first collision occurred around 2:40 p.m. near mile marker 76, north of Laytonville. CHP said 43-year-old Justino William Faenzi-Glass was driving a Porsche Macan northbound when, “for reasons still under investigation,” he crossed the solid double yellow lines and collided head-on with a southbound Honda CRV. The driver of the Honda, who was alone in the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene at approximately 3:05 p.m., according to the release. Their identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin by the Mendocino County Coroner’s Office.

Faenzi-Glass was arrested at the scene on suspicion of DUI causing injury or death, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and child endangerment, the CHP said. Two juveniles were in the Porsche at the time of the crash. Neither was injured, and they were released to a relative on scene, according to the press release.

Then, just over three hours later, at 6:09 p.m., the CHP Humboldt Communications Center received another 9-1-1 call — this time for a crash near mile marker 80 on US-101. According to CHP, 29-year-old Zachary Nathan Mostad was driving a gray Acura TSX southbound when he crossed into the northbound lane and struck a white Ford Explorer head-on.

The CHP determined Mostad was impaired and placed him under arrest for DUI, the press release stated. He was taken to Howard Memorial Hospital for a shoulder injury before being booked into the Mendocino County Jail. The Ford’s passengers were uninjured and drove away from the crash, according to officials.

In the press release, CHP thanked several good Samaritans who stopped to help at both scenes and credited Cal Fire Laytonville, Caltrans, and the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office for assisting with the response.

Anyone with information about either collision is encouraged to contact the CHP Garberville Area Office at (707) 932-6100.

(MendoFever.com)

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JACK HAYE

Jack Haye and his ex-wife raised 3 kids in Fort Bragg. He was an amazing carpenter, builder; napkin artist at Seagull Cellar bar; worked at Industrial Light and Magic with George Lucas and a legend at Burning Man over 25 years supervising the building of “The Man”! — Will Lee, Fort Bragg

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Jack Haye AKA Opa, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, artist, mentor, and cherished friend, passed away peacefully at his Petaluma home surrounded by family on July 3, 2025. As was his request, those in attendance sang along to Brokedown Palace by the Grateful Dead as he crossed over-a fitting tribute to a life lived fully and creatively.

Born on June 20, 1953, in The Hague, Netherlands, Jack was the son of Dutch-Indonesian parents, Willy Haije and Ilse Haije nee Boon. After generations in the former Dutch East Indies and a short time in the Netherlands following World War II, Jack and his family immigrated to the United States when he was five years old. The family survived four years in prison camps during the war-a time of profound hardship. Though he rarely spoke of it, that legacy of resilience and immigration echoed throughout Jack's life, reflected in his kindness, humor, generosity, belief in collective strength, and enduring faith in the outsider.

He grew up in the San Gabriel Valley east of Los Angeles and graduated from Sierra Vista High School in Baldwin Park in 1971.

Throughout his life, Jack wore many hats-both literally and figuratively. A skilled carpenter in his early years, he built custom homes around Mendocino, California, before joining the pioneering visual effects team at Industrial Light & Magic. There he contributed to films as diverse as Back to the Future Part III, Mars Attacks!, The Phantom Menace, Minority Report, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Transformers, to name just a few. He was a founding member of the Visual Effects Society and a proud member of IATSE Local 16, serving as a union representative, stagehand, and technician on countless productions.

For more than 27 years, Jack was an integral and legendary part of the Burning Man community, bringing art, light, and joyful irreverence to the desert and beyond. In 2000, he collaborated on the creation of The Temple of the Mind, followed in 2001 by The Temple of Tears. This space of contemplation and remembrance became a pivotal part of the Burning Man experience-a place to honor those we have lost. He later became a key member of the Man-Base team, contributing to the design, planning, and fabrication of The Man and its surrounding pavilion. For years, he led the scrappy team responsible for the beloved Opa Lights, which continue to encircle the heart of the festival.

A longtime resident of Sonoma County, Jack was deeply involved in the local community, serving as an advisor to the Petaluma Arts Council and on the board of the Phoenix Theater. An amazing, natural born chef, he would feed legions of people on "taco nights" or whip up some spectacular "sophisticated hors d'oeuvres" for visitors and family alike.

Alongside his wife, Drew, he helped nurture the playful spirit of the downtown fixture, Heebe Jeebe General Store-whether keeping Champion the Wonder Horse running, curating and nurturing young artists at the Back House Gallery, or maintaining the old black-and-white photo booth. He was also instrumental in creating the annual Dia de los Muertos altar in the Lanmart Building.

Known for his playful spirit and deep generosity, Jack was a tinkerer, builder, creator, fixer, and collector. He loved 'the dump' as much as the gallery, believing that art could be found just as readily in a pile of rusty metal as on a canvas. Forever curious and a lifelong learner, his home brimmed with books-on everything from Napoleon and the empires of Central Asia to architecture, Elvis, shipbuilding, and obscure bridge engineering. His love of music of every flavor was legendary, attending and working endless concerts, collecting vinyl records, and old guitars. He leaves behind a legacy of artistry, mentorship, and friendship that spans decades and creative communities.

He is survived by his wife, Drew and their beloved dog Walter; step-son Henry (Nicole) their daughters, Luna and Fiona Jack; and his ex-wife, Nancy, with whom he shared three children-Aaron (Bridget), Sarah (Chris), and Mikael (Jessica)-and grandchildren Isabela, Billie, August, Caspar, Nathaniel Jack, and Magnolia. He is also survived by his brothers Robert and Jesse, and sisters Linda, Willi, and Diana. He was preceded in death by his brother Edward and his step-daughter, Phoebe, who passed away in 2008-a loss that remained close to his heart. Jack is lovingly remembered by the vast extended family he fostered in communities across the globe and by coworkers, collaborators, co-conspirators, and comrades-many of whom knew him simply as Opa or #jackwiththingsonhishead

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you create something in Jack's honor-whether it be a song, a story, a piece of art, or a simple act of kindness.

"Fare you well, my honey, fare you well, my only true one…"

Hats Off to Jack! (AKA OpaPalooza)

Please join us for a celebration of the life of Jack Haye—husband, father, grandfather, artist, mentor, mischief-maker, and beloved friend to many.

Saturday, August 9, 3:00 PM, Spring Hill Gardens, 384 Spring Hill Road, Petaluma.

Parking is limited, so please carpool if you can.

In honor of the legendary #jackwiththingsonhishead, we invite everyone to wear something on their head. A crown of flowers, a cowboy hat, a colander—surprise us.

We’ll have space for art, memory objects, musical offerings, and spontaneous tributes. If you’d like to share or display something—an artwork, a song, a story, or even a photo of Opa—we welcome it all.

Let’s gather in creativity, joy, and good trouble—as Jack would’ve wanted.

Fare you well, my honey, fare you well, my only true one — Hats Off To Jack

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Brokedown Palace

by Robert Hunter (1970)

Fare you well, my honey
Fare you well, my only true one
All the birds that were singing
Are flown, except you alone

Gonna leave this brokedown palace
On my hands and my knees, I will roll, roll, roll
Make myself a bed by the waterside
In my time, in my time, I will roll, roll, roll

In a bed, in a bed
By the waterside I will lay my head
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

River gonna take me, sing me sweet and sleepy
Sing me sweet and sleepy all the way back home
It's a far gone lullaby sung many years ago
Mama, Mama, many worlds I've come since I first left home

Going home, going home
By the waterside I will rest my bones
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Going to plant a weeping willow
On the bank's green edge it will grow, grow, grow
Singing a lullaby beside the water
Lovers come and go, the river will roll, roll, roll

Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

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FELON FIRED A FATAL SHOT ON THE MENDOCINO COAST AND JURY FOUND HIM NOT GUILTY

by Matt LaFever

A Mendocino County jury has ruled that the 2024 shooting death of 54-year-old Kevin Taeuffer near Point Arena was a lawful act of self-defense — but the man who pulled the trigger, a convicted felon, now faces sentencing for illegally possessing the weapon he used.

According to a press release issued Tuesday by the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office, the jury found that Pan Jasper Brady, 48, acted within his rights under California’s self-defense laws when he shot and killed Taeuffer during a July 11, 2024, confrontation outside Brady’s home on the rural coast. But the jury also convicted Brady of two felonies: being a felon in possession of a firearm and being a felon in possession of ammunition.

Brady had previously been convicted in 2008 for possessing methamphetamine while armed with a loaded gun, making him a lifetime “prohibited person” under state law.

The shooting drew immediate law enforcement response after Brady called 911 around 8 p.m. that night and told dispatchers he had shot a man, later identified as Taeuffer. In the initial press release from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, deputies reported that Brady “secured the firearm” and waited for officers to arrive. Medical crews staged nearby were unable to assist before law enforcement cleared the scene. Taeuffer was pronounced dead from at least one gunshot wound.

Brady was arrested on suspicion of homicide and booked into the Mendocino County Jail with bail initially set at $1 million. But he was released the following day on a $500,000 bail bond. At the time, formal charges had not yet been filed.

Friends of Taeuffer described him as a hard-working, outdoors-loving man. “He was always making jokes and laughing. My children called him ‘Papa Kevin,’” friend Ilona Mary told MendoFever in the days following the shooting. She expressed outrage over Brady’s release, calling the incident “bullshit if that rich disrespectful guy gets away with this.”

But in court, Brady took the stand in his own defense and claimed he had acted to protect himself. Under California law, individuals may use lethal force if they reasonably believe they are in imminent danger of bodily harm or death, and use only the amount of force necessary to defend themselves.

In the DA’s statement, prosecutors acknowledged the difficulty of disproving self-defense when only one person survives the confrontation. “There’s always the unfortunate fact that in a murder case one of the two ‘best witnesses’ to whether the defendant truly acted in self-defense is necessarily dead,” the release stated.

The burden rested on the prosecution to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Brady’s use of force was not justified. Jurors, after deliberating, concluded the prosecution had not met that burden.

Still, Brady’s illegal possession of the firearm used in the shooting was indisputable. Prosecutors presented evidence that he had no legal right to own guns or ammunition due to his prior felony. The jury convicted him on both counts.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Robert Waner prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office and California Department of Justice’s forensic lab. The two-week trial was presided over by Mendocino County Superior Court Judge Keith Faulder, who will also sentence Brady on the weapons convictions on September 4, 2025.

Brady now awaits the outcome of a probation department report, which will inform his sentencing. Despite being cleared of homicide, the felon who called 911 to report his own shooting still faces prison time for illegally possessing the tools that killed a man.

(mendofever.com)

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URSA MAJOR, Nash Mill Road (KB)

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FARM BUREAU ASKS UKIAH TO OFFICIALLY RESCIND & RESTART UNPOPULAR ANNEXATION PLAN

Dear Mayor Douglas Crane and City of Ukiah Council Members,

(July 21, 2025)

We appreciate the mayor reaching out to us and wanting to meet to talk about our concerns regarding the City of Ukiah’s annexation plans. Before scheduling a meeting, we would appreciate it if the Ukiah City Council responded to our letter of July 2, 2025. In that letter, we encouraged the City Council to terminate and rescind the current version of the plan by vote of the Council. We also want to see the pre-application that was submitted to LAFCO withdrawn. Once that vote is taken and passed, we would like to see a fresh, new process to develop a plan that includes public input, involvement and transparency. Until the full Council publicly commits to a new process, we believe meeting would be premature.

Cordially,

Estelle Clifton

Board President, Mendocino County Farm Bureau

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POLLY GIRVIN:

Immigration authorities are in Ukiah. They went to a community clinic this morning demanding Medicaid records for the clinic's clients. The clinic did not give them to them. They stayed at Holiday Inn on Airport Blvd across from Costco last night. I have heard rumors that they are going to be here for the next two weeks and going to the scoop up field workers. It has been confirmed that they are indeed here today (Tuesday). I will keep you posted as more developments arise.

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UNCONFIRMED RUMOR:

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WHO IS ‘FRIEND OF BOON’ AND WHY IS HE GETTING $126K TO DO ‘HOMELESS OUTREACH’ FOR THE GREAT REDWOOD TRAIL?

by Mark Scaramella

(The below rambling text was presented to the Great Redwood Trail’s rubber-stamp board last week to authorize GRT Director Elaine Hogan to award a $126,000 contract to a one-person Ukiah-based “non-profit” organization calling itself “Friend of Boon,” basically an AA/NA group, run by a heretofore unknown operator named Sidney Burgess to “improve conditions in our shared public spaces” by “including clean-ups, and food gatherings.” They have no mental health or homeless/housing experience, are not involved with any on-going county homelessness programs, have no website or trained professional staff, and appear to be unqualified to provide the “services” the GRT claims to want. “Friend of Boon” was the only bidder, according to Ms. Hogan. But the RFP was only open for five days, despite Ms. Hogan’s claim that she has been “actively searching for partnerships with public, private and non-profit entities to improve conditions” along the trail. People in the Ukiah area are wondering if “a dedicated team of service-driven volunteers and staff … working directly with the court system [and] their volunteer base” will solve the problems that neighboring property owners are having with free-floating transients camping on or near the rail tracks/trail bed. They also wonder how the $126k will be spent if the people doing the “outreach” are simply volunteer members of Mr. Burgess’s AA group.

Ms. Hogan further claims that she didn’t need any kind of bid evaluation process because despite her efforts she only got one bidder, “Friend of Boon,” to cover Mendocino County.

If this doesn’t sound very fish to you, you’re a typical Great Redwood Trail cheerleader like Supervisors Maureen Mulheren and John Haschak who, along with the rest of the GRT Board, unanimously rubber-stamped this obvious fiasco-in-waiting.

Great Redwood Trail Board Agenda Item, July 17, 2025

“As GRTA moves toward transition [sic] the rail corridor into a non-motorized trail, we seek to restore areas of former industrial railroad use to more natural ecological conditions that enhance wildlife habitat and create opportunities for public recreation. Presently, no undeveloped trail segments are open to the public and no camping or trespassing is permitted on GRTA property, as no suitable facilities exist. However, there are areas of our property being inappropriately utilized and accessed, including for unauthorized camping, which cause significant challenges and impact our ability to meet our goals. Many of the unauthorized camping and other uses of our property stem from systemic issues that our region, state and nation deal with as a result of homelessness and addiction, which impact communities along current and proposed trail segments. We have been actively searching for partnerships with public, private and non-profit entities to improve conditions in our shared public spaces so they can be enjoyed by all. After significant initial work by the Executive Director to determine the scope of available services that existing community organizations and contractors could provide, staff released a Request for Proposals seeking property management-related services with an increased outreach frequency, enhanced support services and regular property monitoring and clean-up. We received one proposal for services in Mendocino County, and staff recommends move forward with a professional services agreement with Friend of Boon. Friend of Boon is a non-profit, 501 (c)(3) based in Ukiah, CA dedicated to aiding those in need with a history of creating supportive spaces through 12-step meetings, community events including clean-ups, and food gatherings. Their service model brings a community-focused approach to GRTA's property management efforts by enhancing outreach to the houseless community that may be found on our property. Their goal is to engage regularly with individuals experiencing homelessness on GRTA property, providing them with crucial services such as mental health support and housing resources. Additionally, to keep undeveloped trail areas clean and safe, regular monitoring and organization of clean-up activities will be conducted with a dedicated team of service-driven volunteers and staff. By working directly with the court system, their volunteer base for regular monitoring and clean-up of GRTA property includes people recovering from addiction, making community service a component of recovery. Prior to releasing the request for proposals, the Executive Director contacted multiple potential service partners, and evaluated the services needed and what entities would be able to provide them under the new direction of GRTA's intended management of unauthorized use of its real property. In order to maximize potential contractors, staff then released the request for proposals, and received one response for each of the two counties within which services would be provided. In light of the prior analysis by the Executive Director, and the submission of a single responsive proposal for each area, a formal Evaluation Committee was not convened pursuant to the adopted policy. Staff recommends the Board find that the selection of Friend of Boon substantially complies with Handbook Section 1206 and waive the requirement of creating a formal Evaluation Committee, in light of the submission of a single appropriate contractor that the Executive Director has determined meets the contracting need. Staff further recommends the Board delegate authority to the Executive Director to execute a contract with Friends of Boon for the services described. The proposed contract was anticipated for this Fiscal Year, and is within the adopted Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Budget.

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The only on-line reference to Friend of Boon we could find was in an unbylined press release from last April announcing that “Volunteers are encouraged to join a clean-up effort scheduled this Saturday in Talmage, [unnamed] organizers reported. Sidney Burgess, who founded a nonprofit in Ukiah called Friend of Boon, is one of the organizers of ‘a community clean-up project (tackling) the waste problem in the densely populated Talmage homeless camps’.” … “Burgess said the group had coordinated with the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, and spokesman Quincy Cromer confirmed that MCSO personnel plan to patrol the Talmage Bridge-area prior to any volunteers responding for the clean-up effort.” … Burgess described the clean-up event as a “fundraiser” called “Clean Ukiah” that is being hosted by another mystery group called the “ASPACE Alano Club,” which Burgess described as “a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization … which aims to provide a safe and supportive environment for individuals and families on their journey to recovery and wellness.”

“Aims to provide…”?

ASPACE “is inviting people to either: sponsor buckets to be filled for $25, $50, or $100; volunteer to go out into the community and fill the sponsored buckets; or bring a group of friends, neighbors or coworkers to sponsor a volunteer team. The event will run from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.”

Burgess’s press release says that “Clean Ukiah is sponsored by Blue Zones Project Mendocino, Mendo Mill, Friedman’s Home Improvement, Team Insurance, Black Oak Coffee, Radiant Yoga, CalTrans, and CNS Waste Solutions. To learn more about “A Clean Ukiah” and how to get involved, visit the ASPACE Alano Club website at: www.ukiahalanoclub.com,” which is the AA/alanon program in Ukiah.

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CITY OF FORT BRAGG:

At the City Council meeting on July 14th, Council Member Lindy Peters, along with the entire City Council, recognized Laurie Moore and the Lazzarini family for nearly 50 years of dedicated stewardship of Coast Cinemas. Their commitment has transformed the theater into a cornerstone of the community, providing diverse cinematic experiences and enriching local culture. We extend our sincere appreciation to Laurie, Tom, long-time manager Adrian Janousek, and all past and present staff for their enduring dedication to the art of film and to the Fort Bragg community.

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32nd ANNUAL ART IN THE GARDENS

A coastal celebration of creative expression and blooms…

Celebrate creativity in full bloom at Art in the Gardens — a vibrant summer tradition on the Mendocino Coast. The event returns for its 32nd year, welcoming guests from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturday, August 2, and Sunday, August 3. Set against a backdrop of ocean views and dazzling dahlias, this joyful weekend event blends art and community spirit into one unforgettable experience.

The festive community event is fun for all ages and a major fundraiser for our non-profit botanical garden. More than 50 talented artists will showcase their creative talents — think stunning ceramics, captivating photography, dazzling jewelry, exquisite woodwork, and more. Enjoy live performances featuring a vibrant lineup of Mendocino Coast musicians, including The Real Sarahs, Mama Grows Funk, Moon Rabbit, and The Runabout. Special appearances by Circus Mecca and the Sonoma County Pomo Dancers will add to the weekend’s celebration of movement and culture. Art, food, craft brews, wine, and wine tasting will be available for purchase on the Event Lawn.

Advanced tickets are strongly recommended to ensure availability. Proceeds from this delightful summertime event directly benefit the non-profit botanical garden. Parking is free, but limited; please plan to carpool. This year, we are also offering a free parking shuttle both days of the event. The shuttle will pick up from Mendocino College (details on the event web page). While the Gardens are usually pet-friendly, dogs are not permitted at Art in the Gardens due to the large crowds. Service animals are an exception to the rule.

Don’t miss this classic summer festival; join us the first weekend of August for a celebration of creative expression at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. For tickets and a full schedule of events, visit www.gardenbythesea.org/aig.

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AV BREWING SUMMER EVENTS

Friday, July 25 | 5-7 PM

What the Folk + Smash Daddy Burgers

Start your weekend with the foot-stompin’ acoustic energy of What the Folk. This fantastic band brings rich harmonies, fiddle-driven jams, and feel-good folk with a twist. Grab a juicy burger from Smash Daddy, sip a cold pint, and enjoy a golden summer evening in the beer garden.

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Saturday, July 26 | 5-7 PM

Back Porch Trio (https://www.backporchtrio.com/?mc_cid=a2dc3544c2&mc_eid=UNIQID)

Slide into Saturday with the laid-back, feel-good sounds of the Back Porch Trio. This local favorite blends Americana, blues, and a dash of front-porch soul, perfect for a relaxed evening in the beer garden with friends, family, and a full pour in hand.

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Saturday, August 2 | All Day - Music Starts at 2 PM

Boontstock — Our Big Summer Bash!

Join us for an epic day of music, community, and cold beer at our annual Boontstock celebration! Featuring a killer 4-band lineup.

No tickets, no cover - just good vibes and live tunes all day long. Come early, stay late, and dance your heart out!

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BoontFling Returns - August 8-10

Join us in Boonville for an unforgettable weekend of championship disc golf, glow rounds, food trucks, camping, and an epic live music lineup — all hosted at the legendary Anderson Valley Brewing Company. Whether you're throwing for the win or just vibing under the redwoods, BoontFling is the summer highlight you don’t want to miss.

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Friday, August 15 | 5-8 PM

Dirt Roosters - Fish Rock Bike Race Welcome Party

We’re welcoming Fish Rock Bike Race riders with a rowdy Friday night celebration! The Dirt Roosters bring boot-stomping Americana, gritty harmonies, and barn-burning energy you can raise a pint to. All are welcome — riders, locals, and music lovers alike!

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Saturday, August 16 | 3:30-6:30 PM

Blue Luke, Fish Rock Saturday Set

Post-race, it’s time to wind down and vibe out with the soulful blues of Blue Luke. His expressive guitar work and rich voice set the perfect tone for a Saturday afternoon chill. Whether you’re fresh off the bike or just in it for the beer, this is your moment to relax and recharge.

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Friday, August 22 | 5-7 PM

Grey Fox Trio

The Grey Fox Trio delivers some incredible music, and you won’t want to miss them! Ideal for sipping craft brews as the sun sets behind the redwoods. Bring a friend or two and settle in for a gorgeous night of music under the Mendocino sky.

Great Beer, Great Company, Great Music - Every Weekend Our shows are always free, family-friendly, and held in our spacious outdoor beer garden. Come for the music, stay for the vibes, and bring your friends — you won’t want to miss a beat.

(avbc.com)

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TREASURE ISLAND EXCURSION, 1939

Early on Monday morning, April 17, 1939, a caravan consisting of two 35-passenger school buses, five cars, and a luggage truck departed Mendocino with 100 Mendocino High School students, teachers, and several adult chaperones. In addition to the faculty, the group included Miss Chilquist, the school nurse, along with Mrs. Chester Bishop, Mrs. Vernie Brown, George Lamb, and William Conley. Their destination was the San Francisco Bay Area, and the trip was carefully planned to provide not just entertainment, but a rich and varied educational experience. For just $7.50 per student, the itinerary promised four unforgettable days filled with exploration, learning, and cultural enrichment.

The highlight of the trip was two full days spent at the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island. This World’s Fair showcased both the modern and the exotic, and the students enjoyed guided tours of the fairgrounds and numerous exhibits. Among the technological wonders were General Electric’s “House of Magic” demonstrations, which featured innovations like solar power, voice-controlled trains, and magnetic levitation. Other standout exhibits included early television displays and Bell Labs' “Voder,” a groundbreaking attempt to synthesize human speech. The students also visited the Palace of Fine Arts, the Federal Theatre, Chinese and Scottish villages, and an array of international pavilions. Of all the attractions, the Cavalcade of the Golden West stood out. This dramatic outdoor pageant, performed on a vast 250-foot stage, used music, dance, historical reenactments, and elaborate staging to tell the story of California and the American West. Featuring ships, trains, covered wagons, and a large cast, it left a lasting impression on everyone who saw it.

Outside the Exposition, the group toured many landmarks in San Francisco and the East Bay. Their itinerary included stops at the Presidio, Golden Gate Park, Fleishhacker Zoo (now the San Francisco Zoo), Chinatown, downtown Oakland, the Carquinez Bridge, Lake Merritt, and the Mare Island Navy Yard. They also enjoyed a special dinner in Chinatown and attended a San Francisco theater performance. For three nights, the group stayed at the Olympic Hotel, where the management praised the students for their excellent behavior.

On Thursday evening, the group returned home to Mendocino, tired but elated. Students described the excursion as the most memorable educational experience of their school years. A full reel of film shot by faculty members Mr. Parsons and Mr. Forney documented the trip and was later shown in the high school auditorium. Much credit was given to the faculty and chaperones whose careful planning and leadership made the journey so successful.

(kelleyhousemuseum.org)

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CATCH OF THE DAY, Tuesday, July 22, 2025

DUSTIN ALLEN, 35, Ukiah. DUI-any drug.

JULIAN CARRILLO-PALOMAR, 27, Fort Bragg. Battery, false imprisonment with violence.

PATRICK LILLO, 36, Willits. Failure to appear.

NATHAN MASSEY, 51, Probation revocation.

ZACHARY MOSTAD, 29, Rocklin/Ukiah. DUI-alcohol&drugs causing bodily injury, leaving scene of accident with property damage, controlled substance, paraphernalia.

JOSE RODRIGUEZ, 39, Redwood Valley. Vandalism.

SYDNEY SHACKMAN, 57, Ukiah. Burglary, entry into dwelling without owner consent.

ELIZABETH SMITH-VALLEY, 40, Hopland. Battery with serious bodily injury, appropriation of lost property.

MEGAN SPAIN, 32, Ukiah. Domestic battery, paraphernalia, probation revocation.

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WALMART

Get the kids in the car

I don't want to be late

It's time to shopping

At the store we all hate

.

The fearful own guns

The cheerful own smiles

Bullets and toothpaste

They're on different isles

.

You look at the shoppers

Like they don't have a clue

I'll tell you the truth

They look just like you

.

You rush past that greeter

When he says "Have a nice day"

You hate that you're there

But you're there anyway

.

Well that greeter was me

I just got hired

But later that day

I found myself fired

.

I'll tell you the story

Won't take but a while

But not 'till I'm done

WIth the guns and the smiles

.

So in walks this woman

With her two kids in tow

Screamin' and spankin'

She ignored my "Hello"

.

I told her her twins

Were just as cute as could be

She stopped in her tracks

Now she's screamin' at me

.

"How dumb can you be mister

These kids aren't twins

My boy's six years old

And my girl's almost ten"

.

I said "Oh my mistake

I was just tryin' to be nice

But I just couldn't believe

Someone slept with you twice"

.

The manager came running

When he heard all that fuss

He's looking at me

Like I must have been nuts

.

He told me "Greeters

Should be more polite"

And I said

"Okay--all right"

.

I told him the "Slept with you twice" bit

Was from an old joke

He thought that was funny

Until I lit up a smoke

.

He says "You can't smoke in here man"

I said "It's medicinal pot"

He fired my ass

Right there on the spot

.

So get the kids in the car

Don't want to be late

It's time to go shopping

At the store we all hate

— Steve Derwinski

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RAFAEL DEVERS STARTS AT FIRST BASE AND HELPS GIANTS BEAT BRAVES 9-0 TO SNAP 6-GAME SKID

Rafael Devers was error free in his first career start at first base and added two hits and an RBI as the San Francisco Giants snapped a season-worst six-game skid with a 9-0 win over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night.

Devers was traded from Boston to the Giants in June after his relationship with management deteriorated less than two years into a 10-year, $313.5 million contract he signed in 2023. The Red Sox signed Gold Glove third baseman Alex Bregman during spring training and asked Devers to move to designated hitter. He balked before agreeing, but when Boston first baseman Triston Casas suffered a season-ending injury, he was approached about playing the position and he declined.

San Francisco starter Landen Roupp (7-6) gave up four hits and a walk with six strikeouts in five scoreless innings. The Giants have won five of Roupp's last six starts.

Casey Schmitt hit a solo homer off Davis Daniel (0-1) to highlight San Francisco's four-run second inning. Devers doubled to lead off the fifth and scored on a single by Willy Adames to make it 5-0.

Devers added an RBI single before Wilmer Flores hit a three-run home run in the seventh.

Matt Olson had three hits and Michael Harris II added two for the Braves.

Sean Hjelle and Joey Lucchesi each pitched an inning before Carson Seymour worked the eighth and ninth. Four Giants pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts.

San Francisco RHP Justin Verlander (0-8, 4.99 ERA) is scheduled to pitch Wednesday against Atlanta RHP Spencer Strider (4-7, 3.59) .

(AP)

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HOW CAN CALIFORNIA STOP ICE OVERREACH? THE ANSWER MIGHT LIE IN A 1972 CASE FROM HUMBOLDT COUNTY

by Joe Mathews

Might the answer to Los Angeles’ present emergency — how to stop masked federal agents from seizing its people — lie in a half-century-old story from Humboldt County?

On April 4, 1972, a young hippie couple — Dirk Dickenson and Judy Arnold — were in their remote cabin near unincorporated Garberville when federal drug agents and county sheriff’s personnel, assisted by a U.S. Army helicopter, launched a raid. The sheriff promised reporters, who came along, that this would be the “biggest bust” in California history.

“Looks like an assault on an enemy prison camp in Vietnam,” one reporter wrote in his notebook.

Lloyd Clifton, an agent with the new federal Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (now the Drug Enforcement Agency), broke down the cabin door without knocking or announcing himself as law enforcement. He and other agents wore jeans and tie-dyed shirts instead of uniforms and kept their hair long. Dickenson and Arnold thought they were being robbed.

Dickenson, unarmed, ran out the back door. Clifton gave chase and shot him in the back. Dickenson died on the way to a Eureka hospital.

What happened next caused a scandal.

The agents couldn’t find the sought-after PCP lab or any evidence of a drug enterprise on the property or inside a cabin without electricity or running water.

The U.S. Department of Justice defended the federal agent, quickly declaring Dickenson’s execution a “justifiable homicide.” But Humboldt County District Attorney William Ferroggiaro, noting that federal agents must obey state and local laws, investigated and took his case to a grand jury, which charged Clifton with second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter.

Clifton’s indictment spared a court fight, which ended up establishing a legal path for holding federal agents accountable for abuses.

The existence of such a path may surprise today’s Californians. That’s because our police insist that they are powerless to challenge unlawful actions or abuses by federal agents. Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell advised officers that, when called to a scene where citizens allege federal abuses, all they can do is verify the identities of federal agents.

In this position, McDonnell and police are not just wrong — they are violating their oaths to enforce state and local laws. The Clifton case makes this plain.

In 1973, Clifton first asked state courts to drop the prosecution, but multiple judges refused. With the trial about to start, Clifton appealed to U.S. District Courts, arguing that as a federal agent, he was beyond the reach of state law.

The federal courts did not accept Clifton’s argument. But in 1977, Clifton succeeded in convincing the U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco to free him, on the theory that he “reasonably and honestly” believed Dickenson was a dangerous drug dealer (even though Dickenson wasn’t). In his Clifton v. Cox ruling, U.S. Judge Stanley Conti wrote that federal law enforcement officials could be prosecuted for state and local crimes when “the official employs means which he cannot honestly consider reasonable in discharging his duties or otherwise acts out of malice or with some criminal intent.”

Establishing malice and criminal intent is a high bar, but Californians eager to pursue Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel are revisiting the Clifton standard. In a June YouGov poll, commissioned by the Independent California Institute, 72% of respondents said police should arrest federal immigration officials who “act maliciously or knowingly exceed their authority under federal law.”

Recent federal abuses, captured on video, would seem to meet the Clifton test for prosecution. A federal agent’s repeated punching of a Santa Ana landscaper. A retaliatory attack by federal agents, using explosives, on the Huntington Park home of U.S. citizens.

The Clifton case, by making clear that federal agents are not above California laws, should open the door for local police to investigate every one of these lawless ICE raids. Given the scale of the federal assault, I’d suggest that police departments create a joint task force, perhaps in collaboration with a new state authority.

Some may object that 2025 Los Angeles and 1970s Humboldt are too different. But I was struck, while rereading Clifton case records and a 1973 Rolling Stone story by Joe Estzerhas, by the parallels of the two eras.

In the 1970s drug raids, as with today’s immigration raids, federal agents seized people based on little evidence, failed to identify themselves, received military assistance (that helicopter) and dressed like criminals rather than law enforcement. The Nixon administration, like the Trump administration, justified its lawlessness by claiming that federal agents were chasing “radicals.”

After the U.S. Court of Appeals canceled his indictment, Clifton continued his federal career. He died in 2013.

Dickenson was buried in Lincoln, a Sacramento suburb in Placer County, near where he grew up. But his precedent-setting case remains very much alive.

(Joe Mathews writes the Connecting California column for Zócalo Public Square.)

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'IT HAS BECOME CRINGE': THE CALIFORNIA NICKNAME NOBODY LIKES

"There's a lot of gatekeeping of authenticity because so many people come to California from other places"

by Tessa McLean

California is a state so big, it’s no surprise it’s full of divisions. NorCal versus SoCal, red counties versus blue, the state’s major metros versus the large swaths of rural land. But talking with native Californians, there does seem to be one thing they mostly agree on.

“Cali” is not a widely accepted nickname for the state.

An informal poll of more than 50 SFGATE staffers, most of whom were born and raised in California, resulted in a resounding “no” to the question of whether it was OK to use the nickname “Cali.” Most agreed the nickname wasn’t as offensive as saying “San Fran,” for example, but rather, it was just an obvious marker of a tourist or transplant. An informal poll on X came to the same conclusion.

Reddit has plenty to say on the subject, with multiple threads debating the term over the years.

Most comments agree that the nickname isn’t used much among those born here, but is common elsewhere in the U.S. “Native Californians never say Cali under any circumstance and the few who do are immediately stared at for their cringey comment,” wrote user Gattawesome.

Some Redditors suggest that the term is more accepted among those born after it became prominent in pop culture, indicating a possible generational divide. “I grew up in California and literally never heard it called Cali until LL Cool J said it,” user privacyishard said.

East Coast rap group Run DMC’s 1986 track “My Adidas” may have been the first song to feature the nickname. Two years later, LL Cool J’s “Going Back to Cali,” a tribute to a trip to Los Angeles, climbed the Billboard charts despite his New York roots. Nearly a decade later, Brooklyn-born Notorious B.I.G. released his own hit of the same name, also about visiting the West Coast.

2Pac’s “California Love” prominently features the term throughout the song and includes Dr. Dre, a Compton native. More recently, Kendrick Lamar, also from Compton, has used the term in tracks like “The Recipe.”

Even though it’s been used by Black rappers from California, it’s still not widely used in the Black community, said Nicole Holliday, an associate professor of linguistics at UC Berkeley with a specialty in African American English. “You can also see why if the genre is rap you would want to shorten it because California has too many damn syllables,” she said with a laugh.

Especially as these debates gain traction on social media, she’s noticed it’s a way to show how in-the-know you are about California culture. “There’s a lot of gatekeeping of authenticity because so many people come to California from other places. So I think that’s what has happened to the term,” Holliday said. “… It has become cringe over time.”

Norma Mendoza-Denton, a professor of anthropology at UCLA, has for more than eight years been conducting a project called “LA Speaks,” which collects research about the way Angelenos use language. Students carry out field research in different neighborhoods around the city to collect the data, and over the years she said they’ve found “over and over Cali comes up as something that people around here would never say.”

Especially in the Spanish language, Mendoza-Denton said, native speakers wouldn’t truncate California to Cali. Cali, Colombia, is a big city that many California residents already have an association with, so it would be confusing.

A 2025 video from TikTok influencer Yulia Gonzalez about the debate received more than 77,000 views and over 1,000 comments. Gonzalez, who grew up in Santa Barbara County, said she was surprised that so many people in the comments who claimed they were from California said they used the nickname. She guessed most of them were from Gen Z based on the responses, and also sourced it back to being “a hip-hop thing.”

In the book “Talk Like a Californian: A Hella Fresh Guide to Golden State Speak,” an entry reads, “Cali: a word for California that no Californian will ever use; it’s as horrible as saying ‘Frisco’ to a San Franciscan.” (Plenty of San Francisco residents do use the term Frisco, even though it’s often debated.)

Author Colleen Dunn Bates (the book is published under pen name Helena Ventura) said she ran each term by an advisory committee during the writing process, and many words or phrases had plenty of disagreement around them. But this one didn’t. Everyone agreed, from 20-somethings to 60-somethings — it’s just not something that native Californians say.

Instead, they all agreed that Californians are more likely to specify their region within the state when introducing themselves, rather than simply stating they are from California.

A journey through the California newspaper archives revealed that journalists don’t often use the nickname, though it appears in people’s quotes. It’s sometimes used in publicized event names, like the annual “Cali Vibes” festival in Long Beach, and printed on T-shirts. The most frequent use in media seems to be in dishes on restaurant menus. Apparently, it’s not OK to use “Cali” while chatting with a friend, but totally fine to name the burrito at your restaurant the “Cali burrito.” Snoop Dogg, a Long Beach native, has a wine called Cali Red.

An LA Times investigation found that the term shows up in Godfrey Irwin’s 1931 “American Tramp and Underworld Slang,” as well as Lester Berrey’s 1947 “American Thesaurus of Slang.” But Berrey’s book also name drops “Eureka State,” “Golden Poppy State,” and “Land of Perpetual Sunshine” as state nicknames, which are obviously used less than “Cali.” Neither author was from California.

Saul Rubin, a journalist and author of several California books, including “You Know You’re in California When …”, moved to California in the 1980s and said he “absolutely hates when people use that term.”

“It’s almost like people are trying to invent some kind of familiarity with the state that they don’t really have,” Rubin said. “and it’s usually people who aren’t really a part of California that might say it.”

After Gov. Jerry Brown named his dog Cali Brown in 2018, author and USC professor David Ulin begged people to retire the “Cali” nickname in an op-ed. He called the term an “unpretty and decidedly dismissive nickname for the state” and decried that “such names shrink the lens, narrow the focus, make us less than we are.”

So, as Ulin said, “Let’s call ourselves California and be done with it.”

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OZZY OSBOURNE, HEAVY METAL LEGEND AND REALITY TV STAR, DIES AT 76

by Aidin Vaziri

Ozzy Osbourne the legendary frontman of Black Sabbath whose growling vocals and offstage antics helped define the genre of heavy metal, has died just weeks after a farewell performance in his hometown. He was 76.

“It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning,” his family said in a statement Tuesday, July 22. “He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”

Osbourne had publicly revealed his diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease in 2020, following a serious fall the previous year.

His death follows a final reunion with original Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward on July 5, during a sold-out concert at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.

Seated on a leather throne, the ailing singer addressed 45,000 fans in person and millions more watching online.

“You’ve got no idea how I feel,” he said, tears visible beneath his smeared mascara. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Born John Michael Osbourne in Birmingham in 1948, he rose from working-class obscurity to international stardom as the voice behind Black Sabbath hits like “Paranoid,” “Iron Man” and “War Pigs.”

He was dismissed from the band in 1979 due to substance abuse.

“We knew we didn’t really have a choice but to sack him because he was just so out of control. But we were all very down about the situation,” Butler later wrote in his memoir, “Into the Void.”

Osbourne went on to launch a successful solo career with the release of the single “Crazy Train,” off his 1980 debut solo album “Blizzard of Ozz.”

Still, the bad behavior followed.

He famously bit the head off a bat onstage, snorted a row of ants up his nose and, before a 1982 concert, lifted up a dress he was wearing and proceeded to relieve himself on the Alamo memorial in San Antonio. In 1989, Ozzy attempted to strangle his wife, Sharon, after a five-day drinking binge.

“I used to black out a lot,” he said. “And my biggest fear was waking up in a police cell and having an old lady say to a police officer, ‘Yes, that’s the guy who ran my husband down,’ or, ‘That’s the guy who hit my son over the head with an ax.’ It used to terrify me, and then it happened.”

Asked if he was assured a rightful place in hell during an interview with the Chronicle in 1998, Osbourne responded, “No. I’m not evil. I’m f––ing crazy.”

In the mid-’90s, he co-founded Ozzfest, an annual heavy metal and hard rock music touring festival that ran through 2018, with Sharon.

It was also during that time that Osbourne’s personal life became a pop culture phenomenon. In 2002, MTV debuted “The Osbournes,” which brought him renewed fame as a reality TV star. He later teamed up with his son Jack for “Ozzy & Jack’s World Detour,” a travel series that took them across the United States.

In his later years, Osbourne remained active in music despite his health struggles. He scored his first Top 10 hit in decades in 2019 with a guest appearance on Post Malone’s “Take What You Want.” The following year, his album “Ordinary Man,” featuring a duet with Elton John, was well received.

At the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, actor Jack Black called him “the greatest frontman in the history of rock ‘n’ roll” and “the Jack Nicholson of rock.” Osbourne, in turn, thanked his fans, his late guitarist Randy Rhoads, and Sharon, who served as his manager since his departure from Black Sabbath.

In 2023, Osbourne withdrew from the Power Trip festival in Southern California, citing concerns about his physical readiness.

“Unfortunately, my body is telling me that I’m just not ready yet, and I am much too proud to have the first show that I do in nearly five years be half-assed,” Osbourne said in a statement at the time.

He ultimately returned to the stage for one final performance at Villa Park. Hosted by actor Jason Momoa, the show featured a star-studded lineup including Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Alice in Chains, Steven Tyler, Ronnie Wood, Billy Corgan and others.

Osbourne is survived by his wife, Sharon; their children Aimee, Kelly, and Jack; and his older children, Jessica and Louis, from a previous marriage.

(SF Chronicle)

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Crazy Train

by Bob Daisley (1980)

All aboard

Crazy, but that's how it goes
Millions of people living as foes
Maybe it's not too late
To learn how to love
And forget how to hate

Mental wounds not healing
life's a bitter shame
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train

I've listened to preachers
I've listened to fools
I've watched all the dropouts
Who make their own rules
One person conditioned to rule and control
The media sells it and you live the role

Mental wounds still screaming
Driving me insane
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train

I know that things are going wrong for me
You gotta listen to my words
Yeah

Heirs of a cold war
That's what we've become
Inheriting troubles I'm mentally numb
Crazy, I just can not bare
I'm living with something that just is't fair

Mental wounds not healing
Who and what's to blame
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train

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WHITE LIBERALS WITH TRUMP ANXIETY, WELCOME TO THE WORLD OUTSIDE YOUR BUBBLE

Editor,

Regarding “Suffering from Trump anxiety? I’m a psychotherapist, and here’s the advice I give my patients” (Open Forum, SFChronicle.com, July 15): When I finished reading the op-ed and looked at the accompanying photo of a white family holding cute “Dump Trump” signs, I thought it needed a different headline: “Now that it affects me: a beginner’s guide to activism.”

The author’s message is potent. Community, action and care will be essential in the years ahead. But these ideas aren’t new — they’re just new to many white, middle-class liberals. That framing erases how BIPOC communities have long practiced these principles for survival.

The fear President Donald Trump evokes isn’t new. State violence, government neglect and rights violations didn’t begin in 2016 — they’ve long persisted across presidential administrations.

When immigration agents terrorized neighborhoods, Latino communities organized watches and mutual aid — because no one else would. Grassroots organizations already had legal support, childcare and language access ready to deploy.

In the 1960s, Black communities built church-based mutual aid and neighborhood safety networks. During the AIDS crisis, queer communities created underground caregiving and health networks when the government turned its back.

So welcome, fellow liberals. Let’s honor those who’ve done this work — not as inspiration to extract, but as leaders to learn from, with humility and grace

Russell Cowan

Oakland

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AMID EPSTEIN CHAOS, TRUMP TURNS TO FOOTBALL TO DISTRACT AND DEHUMANIZE

by Dave Zirin

As Donald Trump’s followers formulate ever more fanciful reasons that explain why their cult leader is definitely not a pederast, our authoritarian president is desperately grasping for news-cycle distractions. Now it’s, “Don’t think about me sexually exploiting children with Jeffrey Epstein. Instead, think about making football racist again.”

In Monday’s toxic tweet, which I will not quote in full because of its use of a racist slur, Trump called for the Washington Commanders football team to go back to their previous name, the R*dskins, a derogatory term that Indigenous Americans spent decades trying to change. Trump threatened to bar the D.C. city council from using over a billion dollars of local public funds to build a new stadium unless the name reverts back to this dictionary-defined slur.

He also falsely claims that Indigenous people love racist old team name. In fact, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) as well as dozens of tribal councils called for it to change. It’s a demand that goes back at least to the American Indian Movement, which launched in 1968.

Yes, this is meant to be a distraction from Trump’s attraction to children. Yes, this move dovetails with the contempt and racism he has long shown toward Indigenous people. But that’s not all. This powerplay furthers Trump’s agenda to end home rule in D.C., something he has argued for through crime hysteria and feeding racism.

It is also a sop to billionaire Trump-backer Dan Snyder. The universally loathed Snyder was forced to sell the Washington football team after accusations that cheerleaders had been sexually trafficked and for being a sweaty creep around the women he employed. (When it comes to his friendships, Trump certainly has a type.) Even other NFL owners couldn’t stand Snyder, maybe because he hired private investigators to collect “dirt” on them in case they ever tried to force him out. That was a bridge too far: Snyder could be a trash human, the message was, but don’t be hacking into our search histories. In one last delicious humiliation, the belligerently racist Snyder had to announce that the R*dskins name that he so adored and defended, would be retired. But it wasn’t decades of Indigenous activism that moved him. It was sponsors—particularly FedEx, which owned the naming rights to his PG County stadium stadium—who told him in 2020 following the police murder of George Floyd that they no longer wanted to be in the racism business. (If you want to know the history of how the most racist owner in NFL history, George Preston Marshall, conjured up the name “R*dskins” as a projection of his own bigoted pathologies, read here.)

But this push to change the name back to a slur is not just about distraction. It’s about dehumanization. Central to the Trump agenda is the rehabilitation of violent white supremacy as a proud and guiding national principle. The only way to be able to justify his regime’s sick, smirking, gleeful torture of brown and Black immigrants is to dehumanize them in the eyes of the native born. The masked, warrantless racial-profiling gestapo known as ICE have even been arresting Indigenous people in the “immigration” raids—detained “accidentally” and “indefinitely.” Returning this brand to the mighty NFL—a league whose spineless leader Roger Goodell can’t stand up to Trump Trump—facilitates that agenda. The name change would also help erase the ways that the 2020 George Floyd demonstrations pushed corporate power to reevaluate their own racist practices. Trump’s followers want to eradicate any legacy of the largest demonstrations in the history of the United States and the protest movement’s efforts to dismantle institutionalized racism.

In the great local symbol of this, Trump (with the willing participation of Michael Bloomberg acolyte Mayor Muriel Bowser) had Black Lives Matter plaza jackhammered out of existence. Calling for a R*dskins renaissance is an obvious next step. The White House wants its base to believe that by humiliating brown immigrants, we can return to a fantasy of the 1950s. It’s fascist fan fiction.

Trump’s rant also muddies the real stadium debate taking place. The plan put forward by the mayor in conjunction with team owner Josh Harris, who can afford his own damn stadium, is a terrible deal for D.C. All football stadiums built with public funds are con jobs: Politicians send billions for structures that every economic study shows do not provide a return on their investment and also invariably starve a city’s social safety net. But even by NFL standards, this boondoggle is horrible. As D.C. council member Charles Allen said, "In stark financial terms, at a time when the district is facing a recession and tens of thousands of workers are losing their jobs, this proposal is asking D.C. residents to pay more than $4 million for each and every home game for the next 30 years, a proposal that doesn’t even include funding for a sorely needed Metro station expansion to give people alternatives to driving."

If built, this stadium will accelerate displacement and gentrification, hurting residents of the neighborhood who could never afford a $400 ticket to go to a game. Pro-stadium liberals will welcome a fight about the team name (a fight they would, I would bet, surrender if shove came to push) instead of whether this is worth building at all.

It all points to the need for an anti-fascist left that not only stands up to Trump’s revanchist racism but also puts the economic needs of working people first—an anti-fascist left that won’t excuse or ignore the sexual exploitation of children.

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DEBATING RUSSIAGATE WITH MICHAEL ISIKOFF

A NewsNation interview moderated by Chris Cuomo gets hot

by Matt Taibbi

Last night I was invited on NewsNation with Chris Cuomo to discuss Tulsi Gabbard’s Trump-Russia documents. Just before going on, I learned Chris planned to argue against Tulsi’s report as “dangerous” and a “conflation” and I’d be sharing the segment with Michael Isikoff, a central (if sometimes penitent) player in the Trump-Russia deception. At Yahoo! in September of 2016 Michael ran “U.S. intel officials probe ties between Trump adviser and Kremlin,” the first major story tied to the “well-placed Western intelligence source,” eventually revealed to be British ex-spy Christopher Steele. The piece, which called former Trump aide Carter Page a “possible back channel” to the Kremlin in September 2016, would eventually be used in a fraudulent FBI warrant application to obtain FISA authority on Page. That wasn’t Michael’s fault, but it wasn’t a proud moment, either.

There’s nothing unethical about springing a surprise like this on a guest. Such confrontations often make good TV. I’ve no ill will to Chris. But I didn’t know I’d be debating two people, and naturally felt annoyance before being introduced. I started by explaining that the core story behind Tulsi Gabbard’s documents is that the Obama administration at the 11th hour threw its weight behind paid, bogus opposition research of Steele, a source, I made sure to point out, my fellow guest Isikoff knew all too well to be unreliable. Isikoff, virtually alone among Russiagate journalists, took some responsibility for having his chain yanked by Steele in tales like the Page story, eventually saying on MSNBC: “[Steele’s Dossier] was endorsed multiple times on this network, people saying, ‘It’s more and more proving to be true.’ And it wasn’t.”

Now however he was brought in to chuckle at Gabbard’s claims, and say there was overwelming evidence that Russia was trying to help Trump, in the form of the DNC hack that by the way was never conclusively linked to Russia (or even proven to be a hack at all), and the absurd $100,000 worth of Facebook ads that supposedly turned an election. Then, when he pooh-poohed the idea thay the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment was based on “manufactured” or “made up” evidence, I began losing it. What the hell is the Steele Dossier if not “manufactured intelligence?” Hadn’t the country obsessed for 30 months over blatant lies about pee and a “well developed conspiracy” of at least five years? “It was all bull. It’s a lie. And it dominated American politics for years,” I said. When I pointed out to Michael that he shared some responsibility for this, he snickered and said, “Or I blew the whistle on some of it.”

I went ape. Blew the whistle? Michael and co-author David Corn wrote a quickie book, Russian Roulette, that was significantly based on Steele material, and presented him in chapter after chapter as an avenging angel (“Surely, Steele believed, that was more than a coincidence” or “On such matters, Steele was the man to see” are typical excerpts). Steele wasn’t exposed as a paid Clinton researcher until October, 2017, and the information only came out because a combination of Senate Judiciary and House Intelligence Committee investigations pried the fact loose. It certainly didn’t come from Michael or David Corn. It threw me for a moment, figuring the sheer stones it takes to claim to be a Steele whistleblower while authoring Russian Roulette.

Well into my fourth decade in journalism, I can’t remember a time when the business wasn’t dominated by a big lie. It’s been my bad luck to be in the middle of some of the worst episodes, with many of them coalescing in this idiotic Russia story that won’t die. Or maybe it’s better to say, it won’t die easy. As I learned again last night, it’s going to be fought to the bitter end.

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"I have no fans. You know what I got? Customers. And customers are your friends."

Frank Morrison Spillane was born in Brooklyn, New York. Young Frank's mother was a Protestant who bestowed on him his middle name "Morrison", but his Irish Catholic father, barkeep John Joseph Spillane, allegedly had his son baptized with the middle name "Michael", a traditional name for Irishmen. "Women liked the name Mickey", Spillane said, explaining why he chose the moniker that eventually became one of the world's best-selling novelists. In 1980 seven of the top 15 all-time bestselling fiction books published in the U.S. had been written by Spillane.

Reportedly, Spillane needed quick cash to buy some land for a house in 1946, so he wrote detective novel "I, The Jury" in less than a month. Although he was a professional writer for magazines, "I, The Jury" was his first novel. It sold over three million copies and made Spillane a celebrity due to his frank combination of sex and violence. He went on to write several more novels with his main character from "I, The Jury", hard living detective Mike Hammer. Several actors have played Hammer over the years in the movies and on television. Spillane even portrayed Hammer himself in "The Girl Hunters" (1963), and parodied his own image in some funny Miller Lite beer commercials in the 1970s.

Spillane stopped publishing Mike Hammer novels twice in his writing career. The first break with Hammer began in 1952, following the publication of "Kiss Me, Deadly" (and coincides with Spillane's conversion to Jehovah's Witness), and ended with the publication of "The Girl Hunters" in 1962. Spillane again stopped publishing Mike Hammer novels in 1970 after the publication of "Survival…Zero!" He did not release another Mike Hammer novel until 1989's "The Killing Man".

Despite the fact that his books were international bestsellers, as a writer Spillane was almost universally reviled by literary critics. He and his novels were attacked not only for their alleged illiteracy but were denounced by the U.S. Senate's Kefauver Commission as promoting juvenile delinquency. Explaining the extraordinary appeal of his novels, Spillane simply said, "People like them." He countered his critics by saying they were jealous of his success. "I'm a writer, not an author," was Spillane's mantra all through his literary life. "The difference is a writer makes money." As late as 1999 Spillane told an audience at London's National Film Theatre, "Authors write, writers get paid." When he was asked about his literary influences, Spillane replied, "Dollars". (IMDb)

Happy Birthday, Mickey Spillane!

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LEAD STORIES, WEDNESDAY'S NYT

Johnson Cuts Short House Business to Avoid Vote on Releasing Epstein Files

Trump Escalates Attacks on Obama and Clinton as Questions Swirl About Epstein

E.P.A. Is Said to Draft a Plan to End Its Ability to Fight Climate Change

U.S. and Japan Reach Trade Deal

G.M. Profit Shrinks on Billion-Dollar Tariff Hit

Hospitals Are Limiting Gender Treatment for Trans Minors, Even in Blue States

U.S. Olympic Officials Bar Transgender Women From Women’s Competitions

Iranian Officials Suspect Sabotage in String of Mysterious Fires

Ozzy Osbourne, ‘Prince of Darkness’ Turned Reality TV Star, Dies at 76

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In 1921, a poignant photograph captured Inuit father Allakairallak and his young son Phillipoosie in the Canadian Arctic, offering a rare, intimate glimpse into traditional Inuit life at a time of significant cultural transition. Dressed in carefully hand-sewn fur parkas and boots made from animal skins, the pair stood as a testament to the ingenuity and resilience required to survive in one of the harshest climates on earth. Their clothing reflected generations of knowledge passed down through family and community—practical attire designed not only for warmth but also as an expression of cultural identity deeply rooted in the land.

During this period, Inuit communities still relied heavily on subsistence hunting, fishing, and seasonal gathering. The father-son relationship was central to the continuation of traditional life skills, with fathers teaching their children to hunt, navigate ice flows, and live in harmony with the Arctic’s demanding environment. This bond went beyond survival—it was a spiritual and cultural inheritance. In this photograph, one sees not just family, but continuity: a younger generation learning to walk in the snow-covered footsteps of their ancestors.

However, the image also quietly signals a world on the cusp of change. By the early 20th century, colonial influence, new trade routes, and government policies were beginning to alter the rhythms of Inuit life. Missionaries, Western technologies, and administrative interventions were steadily reshaping Inuit communities. Yet this photograph endures as a moving document of strength and connection—of a culture grounded in the land, and of the powerful relationship between a father and son who, together, stood at the threshold of tradition and transformation.