Jeremy T. Ringfield's Blog, page 260

More world leaders from Argentina and El Salvador invited to Trump’s inauguration

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON and DEBORA REY

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — More world leaders are confirming they have been invited to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, and Argentine President Javier Milei is disclosing his plans to travel to Washington, breaking an American political tradition that kept foreign heads of state away from the transfer of power.

Related ArticlesNational Politics | Trump’s lawyers allege juror misconduct in latest bid to get his hush money conviction dismissed National Politics | After investigating Jan. 6, House GOP sides with Trump and goes after Liz Cheney National Politics | Trump sues Des Moines Register, pollster for ‘election interference’ after inaccurate poll National Politics | Kamala Harris tells students to ‘stay in the fight’ after the election National Politics | Archivist says Equal Rights Amendment can’t be certified as Democrats push Biden to recognize it Milei’s spokesman Manuel Adorni told journalists in a text message that Trump had invited the Argentine leader, noting how it was the first time such an invitation had been extended to the president from the South American nation. And the Salvadoran ambassador to the U.S. said there had been an invitation to President Nayib Bukele and was still waiting to hear whether he would accept it.

No head of state has previously made an official visit to the U.S. for the inauguration.

On Monday, Trump spoke about his invitation to Chinese President Xi Jinping, revealing he had not declined it or confirmed his attendance yet. He was asked which other world leaders had been invited and whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was among them. Trump said the Ukrainian leader had not been invited, “but if he’d like to come, I’d like to have him.”

Trump’s transition team did not respond to a request for information, but last week, spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Trump had invited world leaders. On Monday, Trump said world leaders were calling him when asked a question about what other heads of state he had invited.

El Salvador’s ambassador to the U.S. Milena Mayorga said on a radio show that she was waiting to see if Bukele will accept the invitation saying it was still under consideration due to security reasons.

Milei was the first foreign leader to meet with Trump after the election, traveling from Buenos Aires to the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago club. Milei, who describes himself as an “anarcho-capitalist” receives praise frequently from billionaire Elon Musk and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who will helm the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” to fire federal workers, cut programs and slash federal regulations.

In his message to journalists, Milei’s spokesperson Adorni said Trump is creating an entity similar to his new ministry of deregulation in Argentina. Milei brandished a chainsaw while campaigning on budget cuts, and then implemented a series of austerity measures, laying off tens of thousands of government workers, freezing public infrastructure projects and imposing wage and pension freezes below inflation.

Many economists express cautious optimism that, as radical as some of the measures Milei has adopted, he is taking the right steps to rescue crisis-prone Argentina.

Milei hopes good relations between the two countries could help Argentina reach a new deal with the International Monetary Fund, which would relieve pressure on the billions of dollars in debt repayments due next year. ___

Rey reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Associated Press writer Yolanda Magaña contributed to this report from San Salvador, El Salvador.

After investigating Jan. 6, House GOP sides with Trump and goes after Liz Cheney

By LISA MASCARO

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wrapping up their investigation on the Jan. 6 2021 Capitol attack, House Republicans have concluded it’s former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney who should be prosecuted for probing what happened when then-President Donald Trump sent his mob of supporters as Congress was certifying the 2020 election.

Related ArticlesNational Politics | Trump’s lawyers allege juror misconduct in latest bid to get his hush money conviction dismissed National Politics | More world leaders from Argentina and El Salvador invited to Trump’s inauguration National Politics | Trump sues Des Moines Register, pollster for ‘election interference’ after inaccurate poll National Politics | Kamala Harris tells students to ‘stay in the fight’ after the election National Politics | Archivist says Equal Rights Amendment can’t be certified as Democrats push Biden to recognize it The findings issued Tuesday show the Republican Party working to reinforce Trump’s desire to punish his perceived enemies including Cheney and members of the Jan. 6 committee that the president-elect has said should be in jail.

House Administration Committee Chairman Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., wrote, “Until we hold accountable those responsible, and reform our institutions, we will not fully regain trust.”

The panel Republicans’ 128-page interim report arrives as Trump is preparing his return to the White House and working to staff his administration with officials at the highest levels, including Kash Patel as FBI Director, who appear like-minded in his efforts at retribution. Trump also vows to pardon people who were convicted for roles in the riot at the Capitol.

It revisits long-running Republican arguments that Trump is not to blame for the attack on the Capitol, which led the Department of Justice to prosecute some 1,500 people including the leaders of the militant Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, and indict Trump on four criminal charges, including conspiracy to overturn the election. Special counsel Jack Smith has since abandoned the case against Trump ahead of the inauguration in adherence to Justice Department guidelines that sitting presidents cannot be charged.

But the new report’s conclusion singles out Cheney, the daughter of the former vice president, and herself once a rising conservative star who was kicked out of GOP leadership after her vote to impeach Trump for inciting the insurrection. Once she became vice chair of the Jan. 6 committee, Cheney lost her own reelection to a Trump-backed challenger in Wyoming. By fall, Cheney was working to stop Trump from returning to the White House, having campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Cheney on Tuesday delivered a detailed defense of her committee’s painstaking work, the 900-page Jan. 6 report released in December 2022, and said Loudermilk’s own report “disregards the truth.”

“January 6th showed Donald Trump for who he really is – a cruel and vindictive man who allowed violent attacks to continue against our Capitol and law enforcement officers while he watched television and refused for hours to instruct his supporters to stand down and leave,” Cheney said in a statement.

“Now, Chairman Loudermilk’s ‘Interim Report’ intentionally disregards the truth and the Select Committee’s tremendous weight of evidence, and instead fabricates lies and defamatory allegations in an attempt to cover up what Donald Trump did.”

President Joe Biden is considering issuing pardons to spare members of Congress and others from Trump’s wrath. But several of the people involved have said they are not seeking or don’t want pardons from Biden.

Among those Trump wants prosecuted are Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Cheney and others members of the Jan. 6 committee, as well as Smith, the DOJ special counsel who indicted Trump.

The report’s release comes at a timely moment when Congress will be asked in the weeks ahead to confirm the results of the 2024 election. But unlike four years ago, when Republicans refused to accept Biden’s victory over Trump and claimed voter fraud, the Democrats say they trust and accept the election results.

The GOP panel’s findings revisit the multiple security failings on Jan. 6, 2021, and revive the dispute over the lag in calling in the National Guard, which along with police reinforcements, restored order at the Capitol by nightfall. Congress returned to work that evening and worked into the next morning to certify the 2020 election for Biden.

“This report reveals that there was not just one single cause for what happened at the U.S. Capitol on January 6,” Loudermilk wrote in an introduction. “The Capitol is no safer today.”

But Loudermilk focuses just as intently on the Jan. 6 committee that then-Speaker Pelosi stood up in the aftermath to investigate what happened, and its leaders Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Cheney.

The report singles out Cheney for prosecution for her role in working with one of the star witnesses against Trump, a former young White House aide, Cassidy Hutchinson, who provided some of the most detailed descriptions of the defeated president’s actions that day.

Hutchinson had testified before the Jan. 6 committee in 2022 hearing that she had not been forthcoming during her first interviews with the panel and had a “moral struggle” and wanted to return.

She eventually ditched her Trump-aligned lawyer and later delivered a blockbuster public hearing, describing Trump at the White House as the Capitol riot unfolded.

Cheney, in her own account in her book “Oath and Honor” of the committee’s work, had been crucial in meeting with Cassidy and worried for her safety as she decided to come forward.

Loudermilk’s panel concludes these actions are witness tampering and grounds for prosecution.

“Numerous federal laws were likely broken by Liz Cheney,” the committee wrote in its conclusion. “These violations should be investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

It also says Thompson broke House rules in the handling of files and transcripts.

Trump in an interview earlier this month revived his campaign promises to go after those who blamed him for Jan. 6.

“Honestly, they should go to jail,” referring to members of Congress who investigated the Capitol attack.

Sheriff’s office searching for bank robbery suspects

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an armed bank robbery at the U.S. Bank branch in Carmel Monday afternoon.

According to a news release, three male suspects were seen fleeing the bank which is located at 26380 Carmel Rancho Lane. Deputies responded to the report around 3:35 p.m.

It was reported that one of the suspects was armed with a handgun, but no one was harmed during the robbery. The suspects fled the scene in a grey Honda Civic or similar vehicle, according to the news release. It’s unknown how much money was stolen.

“We’re certain that there were people in that area who may have seen something and just dismissed it,” said Cmdr. Andy Rosas. “Anything that they may have seen…anything will be helpful at this point to help solve the crime.”

Tips can be called in to detective Rodrigo Lopez at 831-253-6050 or Detective Sergeant Nicholas Kennedy at 831-597-1228. Tips can also be anonymous.

Pacific Grove council to host second public hearing on districting

PACIFIC GROVE – The second public hearing to announce Pacific Grove’s intent to move to a by-district election system will take place Wednesday, reiterating the process the city will follow and how residents can participate and get more information.

The ballot measure to shrink the council by two seats failed, so the city is looking at six districts that will have about 2,500 residents each. Demographers determined that there are no neighborhoods in Pacific Grove with a majority of minority communities, and want to keep community hubs together, like a park that many neighborhood residents visit or schools.

The next steps are for the city council to hold two more public hearings on the district maps themselves.

“The maps must be publicly available for at least seven days before the public hearing, and if a change is made to the map after the first public hearing, the revised map must be available at least seven days before the districts are adopted by ordinance,” Wednesday’s agenda reads.

The council will vote on a final map in the future, but during the drawing process residents will be able to participate and submit their own maps.

The public hearings on the draft maps are scheduled for Feb. 5 and March 5. There will also be a community workshop hosted by city staff to educate residents on how to use the map drawing tools.

The council will also vote on hiring a management group to help  council members develop their Goals and Work Plan for the next two fiscal years.

The intention is to create a “shared vision” of medium to long-term future needs and services for Pacific Grove’s that the council can work towards. The process typically happens after an election cycle and new council members take seats.

City staff is recommending the council select Renne Public Management Group for $35,000 that has been allocated in the budget.

The next Pacific Grove City Council meeting will be at 6 p.m. Dec. 18 at Pacific Grove City Hall, 300 Forest Avenue. The meeting will be streamed online and can be watched via Zoom at https://www.cityofpacificgrove.org/Zo.... The public hearing will start at 7 p.m.

BSLT/OCEN project along Monterey-Salinas Highway gets grant funds

MONTEREY – A project of the Big Sur Land Trust and the Ohlone/Costanoan-Esselen Nation will be receiving a $69,493 grant from the California Council of Land Trusts to help in its efforts to conserve and protect an area with significant attributes.

Earlier this year, the Big Sur Land Trust acquired the 84-acre Hiss Parcel, a seemingly nondescript piece of land off Monterey-Salinas Highway 68 near the Monterey Regional Airport that holds important ecosystems and tribal cultural resources.

On Monday, the California Council of Land Trusts announced it has awarded nearly $2 million in funding to 23 organizations, including the BSLT/OCEN project, as part of the Project Advancement Grants for projects that advance the goals of the State of California described in Pathways to 30×30 and the Natural and Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy.

“We’re very grateful to them for developing this program,” said Big Sur Land Trust Vice President of Conservation Rachel Saunders. “Funding came from the Wildlife Conservation Board and we’re grateful to the California Council of Land Trusts and the Board for supporting this type of work.”

The California Council of Land Trusts says it aims to increase the capacity of land trusts and build the diversity of partners engaged by land trusts through specific support for partnerships with Tribes, Native-led organizations, and through projects benefiting underserved communities.

The Hiss Parcel holds cultural values of significant importance to the Ohlone/Costanoan-Esselen Nation, and the Big Sur Land Trust is committed to a shared goal of eventual ancestral land return.

Big Sur Land Trust is collaborating with the Ohlone/Costanoan-Esselen Nation on a conservation management and restoration plan for the long-term stewardship of the property.

“The funding will help support the development of the necessary documents and agreements to effectuate that land return and cover the costs associated with the land conveyance,” said Saunders. “Then it will support the development of the land stewardship plan.”

Saunders added most of the funding will go to supporting members of the tribes’ time, hire legal review of the documents, consultants for the stewardship plan, support some of Big Sur Land Trust time and tribal training time.

“With this land, my hope is for my people to learn how to protect the earth and to reclaim what was taken from them, their homeland,” said Louise J. Miranda Ramirez, Ohlone/Costanoan-Esselen Nation’s Tribal Chairwoman, in a previous report.

Ramirez said her hope is to provide a place for her people to spend as much time together as possible to build back their families, their culture, language, songs and stories.

Big Sur Land Trust acquired the 84-acre Hiss Parcel along the south side of Highway 68 across from the Monterey Regional Airport earlier this year. Conserving this land preserves a significant portion of the larger Canyon Del Rey watershed. This land also holds cultural values of significant importance to the Ohlone/Costanoan-Esselen Nation, and Big Sur Land Trust is committed to a shared goal of eventual ancestral land return. (BSLT)

Conserving this land also preserves a significant portion of the larger Canyon Del Rey watershed and supports rich wetlands, riparian habitat, perennial and annual grasslands, Coast Live Oak woodlands, and small patches of maritime chaparral and Monterey Pine forest, according to the Big Sur Land Trust. The conservation values of this acquisition are substantial. By preventing potential development, the Big Sur Land Trust says it is protecting important habitats that are part of a valuable wildlife corridor. Deer, coyote, and black bears have been spotted on the land.

The Hiss Parcel project is located within a corridor of protected areas on both the north and south side of Highway 68 including the Fort Ord National Monument, the Joyce Stevens Monterey Pine Preserve, Jacks Peak County Park, and Palo Corona Regional Park.

Since the acquisition of the land, the Big Sur Land Trust has been monitoring the property, performing land management and focusing on the conversation with Ohlone/Costanoan-Esselen Nation and how to work together, what documents are needed, planning and applying for funding such as the grant from the California Council of Land Trusts.

“Now that we have the money, we can start moving forward,” said Saunders. “It’s a great gift and a blessing at the end of the year.”

Trump sues Des Moines Register, pollster for ‘election interference’ after inaccurate poll

By DAVID BAUDER

President-elect Donald Trump sued the Des Moines Register and its pollster for “brazen election interference” in publishing a survey the weekend before the election that showed Democrat Kamala Harris with a surprising lead of three percentage points in the state.

Related ArticlesNational Politics | Trump’s lawyers allege juror misconduct in latest bid to get his hush money conviction dismissed National Politics | More world leaders from Argentina and El Salvador invited to Trump’s inauguration National Politics | After investigating Jan. 6, House GOP sides with Trump and goes after Liz Cheney National Politics | Kamala Harris tells students to ‘stay in the fight’ after the election National Politics | Archivist says Equal Rights Amendment can’t be certified as Democrats push Biden to recognize it The Register’s parent Gannett Co. on Tuesday dismissed the lawsuit as meritless and said it would vigorously defend its First Amendment rights.

The lawsuit continues the president-elect’s campaign against media outlets he feels have wronged him. ABC this past weekend agreed to pay $15 million toward a Trump presidential library in order to settle a defamation lawsuit against George Stephanopoulos for inaccurately saying Trump had been found civilly liable for rape.

The Des Moines survey, done by since-retired pollster J. Ann Selzer, was considered shocking for indicating that an earlier Trump lead in the Republican-leaning midwestern state had been erased. In the actual election, Trump won Iowa by more than 13 percentage points.

“There was a perfectly good reason nobody saw this coming: because a three-point lead for Harris in deep-red Iowa was not reality,” the lawsuit said. “It was election-interfering fiction.”

The poll increased enthusiasm among Democrats, compelled Republicans to divert campaign time and money to areas in which they were ahead, and deceived the public into thinking Democrats were doing better than they actually were, Trump charged.

The lawsuit was filed late Monday in Polk County district court in Iowa. It cites Iowa consumer fraud law, and doesn’t ask for specific monetary damages, but rather wants a trial jury to award triple the amount of what it determines actual damages to be.

Whatever happens legally, the case could have a chilling effect beyond Iowa. Trump said in legal papers that he wanted it to deter “radicals from continuing to act with corrupt intent in releasing polls manufactured for the purpose of skewing election results in favor of Democrats.”

Lark-Marie Anton, Des Moines Register spokeswoman, said the newspaper acknowledged the pre-election poll did not reflect actual results and released technical information to explain the data and what went wrong.

“We stand by our reporting on the matter and believe a lawsuit would be without merit,” she said.

Selzer did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. But she told PBS in Iowa last week that “it’s not my ethic” to set up a poll to deliver a specific response. She said she was mystified about what motivation people would think she had.

“To suggest without a single shred of evidence that I was in cahoots with somebody, I was being paid by somebody, it’s all just kind of, it’s hard to pay too much attention to it except that they are accusing me of a crime,” she said.

Associated Press correspondents Tom Beaumont in Des Moines and Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska contributed to this report. David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.

MLB study: Max velocity, ‘stuff’ likely causing pitching injuries; rule changes should be considered

By RONALD BLUM

NEW YORK (AP) — A yearlong study by Major League Baseball concluded rising velocities, pitch shaping and emphasis on maximum effort are the likely causes of the vast increase in pitcher injuries and recommended exploring rules changes to address the problem.

The 62-page report released Tuesday said the trends extended to high school and youth baseball because of the incentive to get noticed by professional scouts. The study said there is no evidence linking the pitch clock to injuries.

Illustrated with 26 tables of data, the report was based on interviews with more than 200 people that included players, front office executives, orthopedic surgeons, athletic trainers, physical therapists, biochemists, major league, college and independent coaches, and international trainers.

“This is a landmark event,” said Glenn Fleisig, director of biomechanics research at the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, Alabama, who participated in the study. “This is a very important first step, which is to identify the problem and identify the likely risk factors. I am pleased that there was such a consensus. … The next step is to do various types of research studies.”

Possible areas to be studied include offseason training and early season workload, non-game activity, defining and measuring fatigue, biomechanics and pitching style, obtaining more data from international leagues and differentiating results from domestic and international signings.

Major league pitcher IL placements increased from 212 in 2005 to 485 this year and days on the IL rose from 13,666 to 32,257.

“The most significant causes are likely the increased velocity of pitches, the emphasis on optimizing ‘stuff’ (a term referencing the composite movement characteristics of pitches, including horizontal and vertical break and spin rate), and the modern pitcher’s focus on exerting maximum effort while pitching in both game and non-game situations,” the report said.

“Some experts speculated on the potential influence of other factors on the short-term increase in injuries over the past several years, including the lasting effect of COVID-impacted seasons, the introduction of the pitch clock and perceived inconsistencies in the surface grip of the baseball. There was not sufficient consensus or evidence to establish a link between these other factors and pitcher injuries.”

The report said experts recommend MLB consider rules changes to “increase the value of pitcher health and durability and decrease the value of short-duration, max-effort pitching.”

“For instance, playing rules could be adjusted or designed to encourage or require starting pitchers to preserve enough energy to allow them to pitch deeper into games,” the report said. “These incentives could be supported by roster rules that more appropriately regulate the availability of pitchers on a roster or in a team’s bullpen for a given game, including potential changes to the number and frequency of transactions that allow clubs to replace pitchers on their rosters.”

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MLB experimented in the Atlantic League with a double-hook designated hitter from 2021-13, in which a team lost its DH if its starting pitcher didn’t finish at least five innings in the last two seasons. MLB lowered the maximum on pitchers from 14 to 13 on June 20, 2022, though it is 14 from Sept. 1 on after rosters expand from 26 to 28. The minimum pitcher IL was restored to 15 days in 2022 after dropping to 10 for the previous five years.

Factors in injuries may include use of weighted balls in training, increased intensity of bullpen sessions, a possible decline in cardiovascular and endurance training, and workload management that incentivizes harder effort over shorter spans.

“Multiple medical experts described new injury patterns that they believe are tied to the focus on velocity and max-effort pitching,” the report said, listing latissimus and teres major tears, rib fractures and oblique strains.

Among the data points:

1. Tommy John surgeries for major and minor league players increased from 104 in 2010 to a peak of 314 in 2020 and declined to 281 this year. Among those this year, 41 were in the major leagues or on minor league rehab assignments and 240 were with minor league clubs.

2. Since 2008, average mph velocity in the major leagues has risen from 91.3 to 94.2 for four-seam fastballs, 82.8 to 84.6 for sliders, 75.7 to 79.5 for curveballs and 81.7 to 85.5 for changeups. During that period, fastball usage declined from 60% to 48%. By comparison, fastball velocity in Nippon Professional Baseball was 91.1 this year.

3. IL days for pitcher elbow injuries rose from 3,940 in 2005 to 12,185 this year and for shoulder injuries increased from from 2,634 to 5,445.

4. IL placements from spring training through opening day rose from 61 in 2017 to 112 this year and from day two through the end of the regular season from 303 to 352.

5. Starts of five or more innings dropped from 84% to 70% in the majors from 2005-25 and from 68.9% to 36.8 in the minors.

6. Thirty-five players selected in the top 10 rounds of this year’s amateur draft had Tommy John surgery, up from four in 2005.

7. Prospects who threw 95 mph or higher at the Perfect Game National Showcase increased from three in 2018 to 36 this year.

8. UCL surgeries among youth and high school pitchers at the Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopedic Center rose from 10% of all UCL surgeries in 1995 to 52% in 2021 before dropping to 42% in 2023.

9. Pitchers per team during the season averaged 15.1 in 1980, rose to 34.4 in 2021 and declined to 32.5 this year.

10. International players had more UCL surgeries than domestic counterparts in 2023 for the first time since 2010.

11. Average innings over the previous season for college starting pitchers selected in the first three rounds of the amateur draft dropped from 101 1/3 in 2012 to 74 this year.

12. Pitchers selected in the first three rounds of the draft fell from 73.3% in 2014 to 41.7% this year.

Horoscopes Dec. 17, 2024: Eugene Levy, take hold of your future and turn it into your heart’s desire

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Milla Jovovich, 49; Bill Pullman, 71; Eugene Levy, 78; Ernie Hudson, 79.

Happy Birthday: Take more time to explore the projects that excite you and to venture down paths that offer growth and the chance to offset negatives in your life. Be the one to start the ball rolling. Your happiness is your responsibility, so stop expecting others to fulfill your dreams. Take hold of your future and turn it into your heart’s desire. Let charm and enthusiasm help you reach your destination. Your numbers are 9, 14, 22, 29, 34, 38, 42.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): What you do to help others will improve your life and bring you in contact with like-minded people who offer insight into something of interest. Socializing, volunteering and spending time with people who make you think will highlight your day. Romance and personal gain are favored. Live, love and laugh. 4 stars

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Weigh the pros and cons before taking on someone or something that challenges you. Sometimes, the best alternative is to change from the inside out instead of the reverse. If anger gets the better of you, prepare to retreat and rethink your strategy. Before judging others, recognize their situation. 4 stars

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Change can be invigorating. Consider what works and what doesn’t, and adjust your lifestyle, schedule or path to suit your needs. A personal change will work wonders for you regarding attitude, what you do next personally or professionally, and how excessive or prudent you choose to be. 3 stars

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Do what makes you feel good, and you will make headway. Taking a break from the hustle and bustle that comes with year-end activities and responsibilities will be rejuvenating and give way to a unique new outlook that can help you make better choices and leads to progressive action. 3 stars

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): It’s okay to get fired up about what’s happening in the world around you, but don’t let it consume you. Focus on doing something to make a difference. Pay attention to the ones you love and make a point to enjoy and be grateful for what you have. 3 stars

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Protect your home, your reputation, your position and your future. Don’t sit on the sideline waiting to see what happens. Jump in, size up your situation and change what isn’t working for you. The only way to gain ground is to control the outcome. Let your actions speak for you. 3 stars

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Cast your fate to the wind and do something you’ve always wanted. Explore the possibilities, step into situations and challenge yourself to do what makes you feel good about yourself and your future. Socialize and network, and doors will open. Love, romance and personal improvements are favored. 2 stars

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Stay focused on what you love to do most. Explore and express yourself creatively. Learn from past endeavors and picture the future you want to build for yourself and those you love. Don’t let frustration and stress take over when it’s up to you to create your future. 5 stars

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You can dream all you want, but action is necessary to make a difference or secure a spot that puts your mind at ease and allows you to grow. Use your insight, experience and knowledge to your advantage, and financial gain will follow. Update your appearance and embrace new beginnings. 3 stars

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Pin down an approximate budget for the remainder of the year and stick to it regardless of the temptations you encounter. A change at home that lowers your overhead will add to your mental and financial well-being. Don’t let uncertainty or someone’s power of persuasion disrupt your plans. 3 stars

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You’ll snap back quickly, so put yourself out there and accomplish your goals. Don’t fear criticism or let anyone deter you from pressing forward in a direction that’s meaningful to you. Don’t look back; satisfy your soul and do what’s best for you. 3 stars

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Take it upon yourself to make arrangements that you find exciting and that tempt you to engage in something unusual or personally satisfying. Reliving the past can help you avoid making the same mistake twice. Discipline will ward off temptation and instill the fortitude to dismiss uncertainty. 5 stars

Birthday Baby: You are enthusiastic, hands-on and charismatic. You are imaginative and opportunistic.

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.

Jill Biden says she is closing the book on teaching at Northern Virginia Community College

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jill Biden is closing the book on her teaching career at a Virginia community college.

Related ArticlesNational Politics | Judge rejects Trump’s bid to dismiss hush money conviction because of Supreme Court immunity ruling National Politics | RFK Jr. meets with senators as questions swirl about Trump’s pick to lead health agency National Politics | Trump migrant deportations could threaten states’ agricultural economies National Politics | The GOP stoked fears of noncitizens voting. Cases in Ohio show how rhetoric and reality diverge National Politics | Trump weighs in on NY mayor, vaccines and drones in freewheeling press conference at Mar-a-Lago The first lady, who has taught in classrooms for 40 years, announced Monday that she had taught her final class ever at Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria. The surprise announcement came during a virtual “thank you” event with teachers tuning in from around the country.

“Being your first lady has been the honor of my life. But being your colleague has been the work of my life,” she said. “Last Thursday, I taught my last class of the semester and my final class ever at Northern Virginia Community College.”

“I will always love this profession, which is why I continued to teach full time while serving as your first lady,” said Jill Biden, who has taught English and writing at NOVA for 15 years. She was the first woman to continue her professional career outside the White House while serving the United States as first lady.

The announcement comes as she and President Joe Biden are preparing to leave the White House in a little over five weeks after the Democrat dropped his bid for reelection after he performed poorly in a debate against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump over the summer.

Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris succeeded Biden on the ticket, but lost the presidential race to Trump, who is set to be inaugurated to a second term on Jan. 20.

Jill Biden started teaching English and writing at Northern Virginia Community College in 2009 after Barack Obama and Joe Biden were elected president and vice president. She continued to teach there after he left office in 2017, riding the train down from their home in Delaware.

She often said, “teaching isn’t what I do, it’s who I am.”

High School football: Villanueva steps down at Soledad

SOLEDAD – Instituting standards meant challenging players when dealing with adversity on the football field and in the classroom. Marc Villanueva feels those steps for the Soledad football program are now being embraced by players.

However, time restraints from his career in agriculture will keep him from seeing it through as the Aztecs coach sent in his letter of resignation Monday, announcing that he will not return for a fourth season as the school’s head coach.

“It is more work related,” Villanueva said. “My career in agriculture is starting to take off. I can’t provide the time needed to help this program take the next step.”

Villanueva’s departure creates a second opening in the county in the last five days, as Rancho San Juan coach Troy Emrey was not retained.

Over the course of being a player, assistant coach and head coach, Villanueva has spent 13 years on the Soledad campus.

“It was a difficult decision,” Villanueva said. “It’s very sad for me. But I’m at a point where I have to make decisions that are best for my family. At the end of the day, I have responsibilities.”

In Villanueva’s first season at Soledad as a head coach in 2022, he guided the program to a school record nine straight wins and a Cypress Division title.

While the Aztecs struggled in his second season as a member of the Mission Division South, the Aztecs regrouped this past fall, finishing with a 5-5 overall record.

“There is a lot of good in Soledad going forward,” Villanueva said. “We fixed a lot of things with the program, and it will be a good landing spot for someone.”

In three seasons as the program’s head coach, Villanueva went 16-15 overall. Soledad will have an 8-2 junior varsity team that went undefeated in the Mission Division last year to reload its varsity roster.

“I decided to do this early to help give the school enough time to find a head coach and have a good transition,” Villanueva said.

One of the things that Villanueva brought back was a committed off-season program, as well as a study period to ensure his players were putting time in the classroom as well.

“We wanted our kids academically sound and in football shape,” Villanueva said. “There were standards implemented. Standards and expectations are needed at Soledad.”

A former quarterback and 2008 graduate of Soledad, Villanueva challenged his players this past fall with non-league games against Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco and Branham of San Jose.

Both were playoff teams, with the Aztecs suffering a loss to Branham on the game’s final play with a hail mary pass.

The Aztecs went into the final two weeks of the Mission Division South season 3-1 and in playoff contention before falling to North Salinas and King City.

Soledad’s defense was built around linebacker Daniel Garcia, who became the first ever Aztec player to earn all-league honors in football as a freshman.

“If I had any regrets, it was that I wish I had a better second season in 2023,” Villanueva said. “There were things we should have instituted – and ultimately we did this past season.”

Current assistant coach Ivan Ruiz is a coach on the staff that Villanueva believes is ready to be a head coach, while former Soledad graduate Art Berlanga’s name is sure to pop up.

“I will miss coaching,” Villanueva said. “I would like to stay involved with the booster club. Financial stability is also an issue for the program. I just do not have time to be a coach.”