Jeremy T. Ringfield's Blog, page 390

Auto workers union seeks NLRB investigation of Trump and Musk comments about firing striking workers

By TOM KRISHER, AP Auto Writer

DETROIT (AP) — The United Auto Workers union has filed unfair labor practice charges against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk after the two discussed on social media about Musk supposedly firing striking workers.

In documents filed Tuesday with the National Labor Relations Board, the union alleges that both men interfered with workers who may want to exercise their right to join a union. The NLRB said it would look into the charges, which are a request for the agency to investigate.

UAW President Shawn Fain, whose union has endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris, said in a statement that Trump is anti-labor.

“Both Trump and Musk want working class people to sit down and shut up, and they laugh about it openly,” Fain said.

Brian Hughes, a senior advisor with the Trump campaign, called the allegations “frivolous” and a “shameless political stunt” designed to erode Trump’s strong support among American workers.

The NLRB said it would investigate the complaints, one filed against the Trump campaign and the other naming Tesla Inc., the electric vehicle, battery and solar panel manufacturer based in Austin, Texas, and led by Musk.

The charges stem from statements made by Trump Monday night during a conversation between the two men on X, the social media platform Musk now owns. The former president spent much of the discussion that lasted more than two hours focused on his recent assassination attempt, illegal immigration and plans to cut government regulations.

But during a discussion about government spending, Trump praised Musk for firing workers who went on strike. The UAW contends this could intimidate workers for the Trump campaign or at Tesla who might want to join a union.

“You’re the greatest cutter,” Trump told Musk. “I look at what you do. You walk in and say, ‘You want to quit?’ I won’t mention the name of the company but they go on strike and you say, ’That’s OK. You’re all gone.’”

Musk said, “Yeah,” and laughed while Trump was talking.

It wasn’t clear what employees Trump was referring to.

In June, eight former workers at SpaceX, Musk’s rocket company, sued the company and Musk, alleging he ordered them fired after they challenged what they called rampant sexual harassment and a hostile “Animal House”-style work environment at the company.

In addition, the NLRB determined that a 2018 Twitter post by Musk unlawfully threatened Tesla employees with the loss of stock options if they decided to be represented by a union.

Three judges on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans upheld that decision, as well as a related NLRB order that Tesla rehire a fired employee, with back pay. But the full 5th Circuit later threw out that decision and voted to hear the matter again.

Sanjukta Paul, a law professor at the University of Michigan, said the UAW charges have real substance because the comments from Trump and Musk could “chill” efforts by workers to act collectively, including union organizing, or just getting together to improve working conditions.

“You’re approvingly describing, you’re wholeheartedly commending the blatant violation of our main federal labor statute,” she said. “It would constitute interference with protected rights.”

Marick Masters, a business professor emeritus at Wayne State University who follows labor issues, said the UAW’s move “puts the spotlight on Trump and attempts to put him on the defensive in terms of his attitude and demeanor toward unions.” He added that the union is watching Musk’s comments because it has targeted Tesla’s U.S. factories for organizing drives.

Automobilia expo features international collection of vintage items

Car culture isn’t just about the vehicles, for many it’s about the community, the knowledge aspect and the memorabilia. Collectors of all kinds made their way to the Automobilia Collectors Expo during Classic Car Week, at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Seaside from Monday to Wednesday.

Hosted by What’s Up Monterey, this is unofficially the 20th year of the event. Formally known as Automobilia Monterey, the former founder of the expo retired and two new names took on the event planning.

Will Elkadi, owner of What’s Up Monterey and Ben Horton, owner of Hortons Books rebranded with a new name and invited many returning and new vendors to Seaside to continue the tradition.

Taking over in March, Elkadi and Horton had less than five months to pull the collectors show off, bringing together dozens of vendors from all over the country and internationally.

“It’s about vintage culture, antiques and memorabilia. These are things you couldn’t find anywhere else,” Elkadi said. “You can buy find old and antique car parts that aren’t sold in stores, purchase original racing suits worn by famous drivers, and get custom handmade gear from countries in Europe.”

Visitors could search through hundreds of items from GearHeads wall decor featuring colorful neon signs to automotive decor from Ben Harvey, who sold unique pieces like an espresso machine made out of a car engine. Big names in automobile art and paintings like Lynda Hinter, James Caldwell and Michael Furman were in attendance as well.

Christian Schimpke, from Los Angeles, is the founder of Crash, jewelry handcrafted from luxury cars. She repurposes discarded metal that doesn’t get recycled and creates bracelets, necklaces and other jewelry pieces with the original car paint and colors. From there, she lasers designs into the pieces, making each one unique.

“I’ve been an artist for decades, and my husband’s body shop worked with luxury vehicles. When he would bring these beautiful cars to the garage, I always admired the colors,” Schimpke said.

It’s not just car memorabilia either, Mike Headley from Yorba Linda, had an array of vintage radios from the 1930s and 40s.

“My grandfather gave me a small radio 37 year ago that he owned,” Headley said, “and I’ve been collecting them ever since.”

Hortons Books is a family-owned business that sells out of print motoring books and brochures. The owner, Ben Horton, is one of the new founders of the Automobilia expo, hoping to help grow the event even larger next year. (Kyarra Harris/Monterey Herald)

The vendor stand for Crash, sustainable jewelry made from the metal of luxury cars. The founder, Christi Schimpke said each item is hand made and retains the car’s original paint color. (Kyarra Harris/Monterey Herald)

The company Acaba Gantier sells leather racing gloves from France, and were a popular item amongst visitors browsing the tables. (Kyarra Harris/Monterey Herald)

The Central Coast Poker Rally volunteers each year setting up small games for guests at the entrance to the expo, the proceeds go to equipment for the Mid-Coast Fire Brigade. The lobby also featured a DJ and drinks for a mingling space. (Kyarra Harris/Monterey Herald)

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Hortons Books is a family-owned business that sells out of print motoring books and brochures. The owner, Ben Horton, is one of the new founders of the Automobilia expo, hoping to help grow the event even larger next year. (Kyarra Harris/Monterey Herald)

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Growing enrollment at Cal State Monterey Bay highlights lack of housing

SEASIDE>> Cal State Monterey Bay has been waiting for a boost in enrollment for years. Now that they’ve got it, the question has shifted from “how do we attract students?” to “where do we house them?”

A memo sent to university staff last Friday detailed the current dilemma: two weeks before the semester is set to start, 125 students remain on the housing waitlist. The email explained the university’s approach to housing the increase of first-year and transfer students, including increasing the number of students in main campus residence halls and moving students with families into staff housing.

“The university continues to explore short-term and long-term solutions for providing affordable housing options for students that will allow us to maintain a path of enrollment growth,” said Alan Fisher, interim vice president for administration and finance in the email.

School data shows since 2015, first-year enrollment has remained stagnant around or below 1,000 students each fall while transfers have fallen from 1,087 in 2021 to 857 in 2023.

This year, incoming first-year applications are up 25% compared to last year and transfer applications are up 47%. Confirmed first-year deposits are up 40% and transfers are up 60%. This is the highest increase for the university in over a decade, according to Ben Corpus, vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs.

In his email, Fisher explained that in order to accommodate the enrollment growth, some of the double and triple dorm options have been modified to accommodate one more student. The Schoonover Park community in the university’s East Campus housing is typically reserved for employees but some vacant units will now house students with families. Frederick Park, another East Campus neighborhood, will also see some units shift from two-person to three-person assignments.

Some residence halls at CSUMB will go from double and triple occupancy rooms to triple and quad occupancy in order to accommodate the rise in first-year students.(CSUMB)

As for the 125 students on the waitlist, there is no guarantee they will be able to secure on-campus housing, according to Jeff Cooper, director of Student Housing and Residential Life. “If a student is unable to be assigned on-campus housing, we are encouraging students to utilize our off-campus housing resources to find housing within the local area,” said Cooper.

According to Cooper, students who remain on the waitlist will be prioritized for Spring 2025 housing.

“As Cal State Monterey Bay continues to grow our enrollment, we remain true to our promise of providing a high-quality and affordable education rooted in care,” said Corpus. “We are actively exploring ways to expand campus infrastructure, enhance support services, and continue creating a unique and transformative academic experience for our students.”

The enrollment boost also comes amid financial struggle for the CSU. During a July board of trustees meeting, CSU staff said it could be facing a $1 billion gap in the 2025-26 school year, according to EdSource. A preliminary budget report released in April detailed an enrollment incentive for the 23 schools in the system.

According to the report, campuses who didn’t meet their enrollment targets in 2023-24 had funding shifted to campuses who met or exceeded their targets. The same plan will continue through 2027.

Declining enrollment has been a struggle for the university system as a whole. Since 2017, the CSU has declined in enrollment by nearly 30,000 students. Cal State Monterey Bay’s boost offers a shining light in otherwise bleak numbers.

According to Corpus, the university is currently working on plans to maintain an overall enrollment of 8,000 students. For the past year, the school has been exploring possibilities of “ optimizing existing residential facilities and other buildings,” and building a new residence hall to accommodate the enrollment goal.

“Given the popularity of the institution from across the state, as well as from other states around the country, and our desire to deliberately enhance the on-campus student experience and therefore not grow beyond our vision of excellence,” said Corpus, “it will undoubtedly become increasingly more competitive for future student applications, but not as much so for students who we traditionally serve in Monterey County who look to defray costs by commuting.”

Cyclist injured, rescued, after trying to cross Regent’s Slide near Big Sur

BIG SUR – There is no bicycle or pedestrian access on Highway 1 through Regent’s Slide due to its ongoing activity, steep slope and unstable material across the roadway, but a cyclist learned the hard way why that rule is in place.

Last Friday, Cody Lynn Mortensen, 28, of Lucerne Valley, ignored verbal and posted warnings, and tried to traverse Regent’s Slide, tumbling down the rock-strewn slope, resulting in injuries to himself and needing to be rescued.

“The repair at Regent’s Slide involves the top-down removal of slide material,” said Caltrans District 5 spokeman Kevin Drabinski. “The repair at Regent’s Slide is challenging in part because the slide begins some 450 feet above the roadway and because of the steepness of the slope.”

California State Parks Rangers requested search and rescue for Mortensen at about 11 a.m. the day of the incident, according to a report from the California Highway Patrol. A Papitch Construction crew member said that at about 9:30 a.m., Mortensen road his bike to where the worker was, about two miles south of the closure point and asked him for some water.

Highway 1 is accessible up to Lime Creek where a turnaround is required at the closure point – post mile 32.1 – due to the ongoing repair work on the scenic highway at Regent’s Slide.

The crew member gave Mortensen a bottle of water and advised him that the road was closed due to a rock slide, the CHP report said. He told Mortensen the road is not passable and if he attempted to cross he will probably die. The crew member also told him that if he gets caught by CHP in the closure he would be cited. Mortensen said he was going to try anyway.

About an hour later, a State Parks ranger arrived on scene and drove to Regent’s Slide where upon looking across the slide, a backpack and the injured man with a bleeding arm was spotted about 100 feet below. The ranger requested search and rescue at that point, while Mortensen climbed down to the beach below. He was later rescued from that spot by the parks ranger and Big Sur Fire personnel. Mortensen was treated by AMR, a medical emergency response service, for a laceration to his forearm and possible head trauma. Mortensen was then life flighted to Natividad Medical Center for his injuries.

“I’m not sure I can add any comment to that young man’s foolishness,” said Drabinski about the incident.

Mortenson is being charged for the wanton disregard of failing to obey a person directing traffic and failing to obey the traffic signs and signals, according to the CHP. He also endangered the lives of rescue personnel who had to traverse an active slide. Road Closures are put in place for the safety of the public as well as for the crews working within the closure. It is against the law to drive, ride or walk past a “Road Closed” sign.

CHP spokesman Saul Perez said “Monterey County courts will determine” what penalties Mortensen will face.

Regent’s Slide occurred on March 9 and started seeing top-down removal of slide material by crews on April 30. It is the last of three slides that will see repair work completed due to its challenging conditions associated with the extreme slope at the site. Repairs are slated to be completed by late fall and will open up Highway 1 to direct travel between Carmel and Cambria.

Two other slides on Highway 1, Paul’s Slide – post mile 22 – which occurred Jan. 14, 2023 and Dolan Point Slide – post mile 29.5 – which occurred March 8, 2024, have had repairs completed and opened within the last few months.

A slip-out occurred just south of Rocky Creek Bridge on Highway 1 at post mile 60 on March 30 resulting in the undermining of the southbound lane. Emergency stabilization measures have been achieved and one-way, 24-7, signalized traffic control established to allow traffic to flow freely south to businesses in Big Sur. The emergency project continues with the construction of a viaduct to support the roadway, and repairs to a concrete seawall at the base of the cliff.

Regent’s Slide starts about 450 feet above Highway 1 covering the roadway on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. Crews continue a top-down removal of slide material as part of the challenging repair work at the steep-terrain site. (Photo courtesy Caltrans)

At the ongoing repair project at Regent’s Slide, crews are using bulldozers at the top of the slide with smaller and more nimble spider excavators working material down the slope. Due to the severe slope, the spider excavators, which are designed to negotiate steep terrain, need to be tied to, and anchored by, bulldozers above them.

“As crews work their way down the slope they need to be sure that the slope behind them is stable,” said Drabinski. “Crews are continuously monitoring and adjusting their approach based on site conditions.”

Crews have had to suspend work entirely for days due to movement in the slope uphill of the repairs, but able to resume debris removal work soon after. The steep slope at the site will require repair work to continue with due deliberation and caution.

“The slide material that falls naturally or is pushed from above not only covers the roadway but continues down to the beach and ocean below,” said Drabinski.

The original estimate for construction repairs at Regent’s Slide is $31 million.

Road information and updates can be found on Caltrans District 5 Social Media platforms: Twitter at: @CaltransD5, Facebook at: Caltrans Central Coast (District 5) and Instagram at: Caltrans_D5.

High School Football Tour: Growing into their roles at King City

EDITOR’S NOTE: Herald sports writer John Devine is spending most of this month visiting Monterey County schools to get a sneak peek of their football teams. This and other previews will be available at www.montereyherald.com

KING CITY – Perhaps an indication of turbulence last season started over the summer when one of King City’s emerging team leaders was a freshman that hadn’t played a down.

The quarterback head coach Mac Villanueva expected to take the reins didn’t pan out. Then two days into the start of practice, a starting lineman and his featured tailback had a change of heart.

While it didn’t deplete King City, it did shrink Villanueva’s depth chart, forcing him to bring up players that endured growing pains through a 4-6 campaign.

“One was going to start on both sides of the ball in the trenches,” Villanueva said. “Both looked good all summer. It was like who do we use to fill those holes?”

The emphasis became building off the little things, as Villanueva watched players grow, develop and compete, while showing flashes of the future.

The building blocks, including maintaining the coveted megaphone over Gonzales, and a season ending win – have helped lay the groundwork for this fall from a confidence standpoint.

“We’re so much further along than we were this time last year,” quarterback Junior Manriquez said. “We had a great summer. It is a more mature group from a football sense.”

More importantly, there is a different mindset with this unit, an approach of togetherness that has Villanueva as excited as he has been in his 14 years with the program.

“Everything happens for a reason,” said Villanueva, who was greeted by a handshake by every player before practice. “The kids we brought up last year are our foundation for the future. We’re still a young team, but a hungry team.”

There’s a foundation piece on defense to work with in sophomore linebacker Rocky Villanueva and an eye-popping tailback in sophomore Carson Tidwell.

“I’ve had people tell me Rocky was the best player on our team last year,” said Villanueva, in speaking about his nephew. “I don’t disagree with that.”

Tidwell wasn’t a bad addition either after being brought up as a freshman, rushing for 738 yards in eight games for the Mustangs.

“The way this kid played last year, with his attitude for the game, at some point he would likely have been our starting tailback anyway,” Villanueva said.

The cornerstone of the defense will start with the 6-foot-3, 245-pound chiseled Villanueva, who became the first King City freshman to earn all-league honors as a defensive end.

“He was playing defensive end out of necessity last year,” Villanueva said. “He will go back to his more natural position as an inside linebacker.”

The just turned 15-year-old wasn’t too bad on the edge, finishing with six sacks and 70 tackles for the Mustangs.

“Absolutely, we’re going to build the defense around Rocky,” Villanueva said. “He’s not making every tackle. But he’s helping clean up.”

Helping solidly the front seven for King City will include Armando Villasenor, who was brought as a sophomore to fill a need, evolving on the offensive side as well last fall as a pulling guard.

With the aid of a 6-2-2 junior varsity team last year, Villanueva will count on six sophomores to fill needs and add depth to a youthful roster.

“We’re not bringing them up to watch,” said Villanueva, a former quarterback at King City. “Some of these sophomores opened our eyes over the summer.”

That would include a pair of sophomore receivers in Kody Lambert and JC Navarro, who tore up 7-on-7 games over the summer.

Depending on what Villanueva decides before the Mustangs first game, the offense could have sophomores starting at two receiver spots, tight end, tailback and H-back, as well as two defensive back spots and linebacker.

As a result, Villanueva has changed his off-season program, inserting more classroom time with film sessions and play reviews to get his players up to speed.

“We’re not holding our game plan back,” Villanueva said. “We have spent a lot of time getting them to understand how our plays take advantage of what an opposing defense does.”

The expectation is the offense will come out firing this year with Tidwell running behind a line that will include Villasenor at guard and the younger Villanueva at tight end or H-back.

“Armando will play multiple positions on defense,” Villanueva said. “But his big value for us is as a guard. He opens holes. He’s athletic and smart. He knows what everyone is doing.”

While Rocky Villanueva will be a menace in the middle of the Mustangs defense, he’s an opposing target as a tight end with his size and deceptive speed.

“We’ve made a point that all our formations will have a tight end set,” Villanueva said. “Rocky is like having a big tackle with pass catching capabilities.”

That was on display last year when Rocky Villanueva caught 14 passes and helped open holes for Tidwell to rush for 335 yards in his last two games.

Unlike last fall, Manriquez isn’t coming in blindfolded. He has a better grasp of the Mustangs system, while building chemistry with his receiving core.

“The game has slowed down for me,” Manriquez said. “I see everything so much easier. I watched a lot of film. I can read the defenses. And I trust my receivers.”

A multiple sport athlete, Manriquez put up respectable numbers last year, throwing for over 800 yards, while rushing for just under 400.

“He’s gained a lot of confidence,” Villanueva said. “He’s athletic and grown into the position. He’s also being pushed by one of our sophomores, which has created a healthy competition.”

The Mustangs also have a weapon on special teams with Johell Carrillo having kicked two game-winning field goals last year for the JV team, including a 48-yarder. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound junior will also see action as a tight end/defensive end.

King City’s offensive struggles were evident early in the fall when it was shutout in two of its first four games – one of those shutouts coming from eventual state champion Palma.

While non-league games are often looked upon as building blocks for league, Villanueva would like to reverse a trend that has seen King City — who opens the season at St. Francis of Watsonville — drop eight of its last 11 openers.

“We know some of our non-league games will be uphill battles,” Villanueva said. “But it shows we can line up and play with anyone in the area. It’s about preparation for a bigger picture.”

Barry Dolowich, Tax Tips: Entertainment, meal & gift expenses

Question: I am a real estate agent and I often entertain potential clients and provide them with gifts at closings. What am I allowed to deduct and what kind of records am I required to support these deductions before the IRS?

Answer: Special limits are imposed by the Internal Revenue Code on the deduction of business-related entertainment, meal and gift expenses. No deduction is allowed for the cost of entertainment, amusement or recreation. However, team-building activities or a companywide party for employees are deductible.

Generally, an entertainment-related meal expense is not deductible unless you establish that the expense is directly related to the active conduct of a trade or business. However, if a meal expense directly precedes or follows a substantial and bona fide business discussion, including a business meeting at a convention, then it is deductible if it is established that the expense was associated with the active conduct of your business.

50% Limitation Rule. The amount allowable as a deduction for qualified business meal expenses is limited to 50% of such expenses. Food and beverage costs incurred in the course of travel away from home fall within the scope of this rule.

Deductions for business gifts, whether made directly or indirectly, are limited to $25 per recipient per year. Items clearly of an advertising nature, such as hats embossed with the company name, that cost $4 or less do not figure in the $25 limitation. Signs, display racks or other promotional materials given for use on business premises are not gifts.

Substantiation Requirements. In order to claim any deduction, a taxpayer must be able to prove that the expenses were in fact paid or incurred. The following expenses, which are deemed particularly susceptible to abuse, must generally be substantiated by adequate records or sufficient evidence corroborating the taxpayer’s own statement: expenses with respect to travel away from home (including meals and lodging) and business gifts. The expenses must be substantiated as to (1) amount, (2) time and place, and (3) business purpose. For gift expenses, the business relationship of the person receiving the gift must also be substantiated.

A contemporaneous log or diary is not required (however, I highly recommend you maintain one!), but a record of the elements of the expense made near the time of the expenditure, supported by sufficient documentary evidence, has a high degree of credibility. Adequate accounting generally requires the submission of an account book, expense diary or log, or similar record maintained by you and recorded at or near the time of the expense. Documentary evidence, such as receipts or paid bills, is required for lodging and other expenses that exceed $75.

Barry Dolowich is a certified public accountant and owner of a full-service accounting and tax practice with offices in Monterey. He can be reached at (831) 372-7200. Please address any questions to Barry at PO Box 710 Monterey, CA 93942 or email:bdolowich@gmail.com 

Halle Butler’s new novel ‘Banal Nightmare’ will trap you inside the millennial mind

While reading Halle Butler’s new novel, “Banal Nightmare” I almost felt like I was being held hostage by the book.

Is this a good thing? Read on, friends.

“Banal Nightmare” is Butler’s third novel following 2015’s “Jillian” — described admiringly as “the feel-bad book of the year” in this newspaper — and 2019’s “The New Me.” Butler is considered one of those writers who is most tapped into illuminating the lives and minds of the millennial generation. She’s America’s answer to the UK’s Sally Rooney.

As an officially very middle-aged person, I now pick up a millennial novel out of a sense of curiosity, a desire to better understand where a generation that has come of age in a world different from the one I grew up in is coming from. It’s the inverse of how I was reading John Updike’s and Philip Roth’s novels of middle-aged angst when I was a teenager.

I’ve got enough middle-aged angst rattling around my skull now, thank you very much. I don’t need it in my fiction.

“Banal Nightmare” is loosely centered on the character of Moddie, a mostly failing artist who has retreated from her life in Chicago back to the regional college campus town she grew up in, following the break-up of a long, increasingly dysfunctional relationship.

Moddie is unmoored, haunted by the failed relationship, and another disturbing encounter that lurks through the first two-thirds of the book, until it is revealed in a truly stunning set piece that I will not spoil for readers. Moddie lives in a grim apartment, has no work to occupy herself and mostly flails as she tries to reconnect with her high school friends.

But while Moddie is at the center, we also spend significant time with other characters, Pam, a college arts administrator who has invited a visiting artist to campus for the semester and wonders if the artist is a way out of the town and the relationship she finds both emotionally slack and totally suffocating.

There is the artist, David, well beyond his past successes, and who has no idea how he wound up in such a place. Kimberly, a wannabe writer in Moddie’s circle is deeply envious of another character’s short essay published in The New York Times, but rather than writing, she spends her time making a proof-of-concept website if she were to become a writer at the level she’s certain she deserves.

At times, the way Butler mines the interiors of her good-sized cast of characters — those mentioned above and others — all of whom are seemingly possessed by a combination of towering self-regard and pervasive self-loathing, felt almost oppressive. These are deeply alienated people, bottomless wells of wanting who have no specific idea of what might fulfill their desires.

But even as I felt like I was drowning in misery, I was captured by Butler’s deft wit, particularly her way of illuminating the way performative online culture has seeped into the lives of these people. These characters literally don’t know how to live.

On the other hand, who does? Butler is often lacerating to her creations, showing them up as fools, but I also began to wonder if being foolish is simply the default mode for being human. Spending time close to these people was not pleasant, but it was fascinating and utterly absorbing.

“Banal Nightmare” is really the perfect title for this book. These lives seem utterly banal, devoid of meaning, but that lack of meaning is truly the stuff of nightmares.

And when there are glimmers of waking from the nightmare, as happens to Moddie late in the book, something unexpected shines through.

A truly fascinating reading experience.

John Warner is the author of “Why They Can’t Write: Killing the Five-Paragraph Essay and Other Necessities.”

Twitter @biblioracle

Book recommendations from the Biblioracle

John Warner tells you what to read based on the last five books you’ve read.

1. “The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America” by Elizabeth Letts2. “The Nature of Fragile Things” by Susan Meissner3. “Horse” by Geraldine Brooks4. “The Good Left Undone” by Adriana Trigiani

— Dee H., Fontana, Wisconsin (on behalf of her book club, which has only read four books this season)

Dee specifically asked for books set in the Midwest of Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota, which makes things actually kind of easy because I’m recommending the great bard of the region, Jon Hassler’s “Dear James.”

1. “The Book of Delights” by Ross Gay2. “What It Takes to Heal” by Prentis Hemphill3. “Living Buddha, Living Christ” by Thich Nhat Hanh4. “The Price You Pay” by Nick Petrie5. “Every Sinner Bleeds” by S.A. Cosby

— Joanne L., Chicago

I’m going to lean into Joanne’s penchant for thriller/crime and recommend the classic, “A Simple Plan” by Scott Smith.

1. “Camino Ghosts” by John Grisham2. “The Furies” by John Connolly3. “Wandering Stars” by Tommy Orange4. “I Am Pilgrim” by Terry Hayes5. “Calamity of Souls” by David Baldacci

— Dave S., Merrillville, Indiana

I recently turned a friend of mine on to John Sandford’s “Prey” series, and Dave looks like a good candidate for it too. I’ll go with “Phantom Prey” the 18th in the series, which need not be read in order or to completion.

Horoscopes Aug. 13, 2024: John Slattery, make changes for the right reason

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Shani Davis, 42; Debi Mazar, 60; John Slattery, 62; Dawnn Lewis, 63.

Happy Birthday: Learn as you go. Don’t question your instincts or spend what you don’t have. Set high standards and rules to live by that will encourage gratitude and good health. Respect yourself, and you’ll gain the respect of others. Don’t limit what you can do. Be novel but practical, and you’ll find victory. Make changes for the right reason. Your numbers are 6, 17, 21, 28, 32, 35, 46.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Pick up the pace, and handle your responsibilities. Don’t take unnecessary risks that have the potential to lead to injury, insult or illness. Stay focused on doing your part and living up to your promises. Stay within budget and stick to the rules. 5 stars

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Be direct, and respond with honesty and facts to back up your words. Refuse to let emotions set in if someone pressures you. Concentrate on doing, looking and feeling your best, and enjoy. Be grateful for your skills and life. Make romance a priority. 3 stars

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Take the high road. Refuse to get involved in someone else’s drama or limit what you can achieve because you gave someone the right to decide for you. Rethink your situation, and put guidelines in place that help you overcome negativity and poor decisions others make. 3 stars

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Reinvent how you use your skills. Keeping up with the times will help you access higher-income positions. Refrain from getting angry over something you can’t change. Find a unique route to help you bypass what’s holding you back. A positive approach will help clear the way. 5 stars

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Take the time to plan before you act. Change requires thought if you want to come out on top. Go into each scenario you face with an open heart and mind; observe, evaluate and do what’s necessary to keep the peace and win the battle. 2 stars

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Risks are off the table. Bide your time and do your due diligence; it will change your perspective and help you fit into trends. Smooth transitions come from preparation, adding to your qualifications and staying connected to the people you aspire to surpass. 2 stars

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Broaden your awareness and explore what’s available. Learning something new or exposing yourself to an activity or event will motivate you to make new acquaintances and introduce you to something that can augment what you already know or do. Traveling for educational purposes is favored. 4 stars

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Look, observe and follow through. Turn your ideas into something tangible. Make the effort, and you’ll reap the rewards. An emotional situation requires a shift. Implement suggestions that make your life flow better. Embrace what puts your mind at ease. 3 stars

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Recognize your limitations and strengths, and consider your options. Refrain from following the crowd if you want to find your path to happiness. Trust your instincts and believe in your ability to know what’s best for you. Change your lifestyle to meet your needs. 3 stars

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Discipline will help you conquer whatever you set out to do. Saving money, having a better health regimen and achieving your desired level of success will lead to better lifestyle changes. Use your ingenuity to attract the help you need. Romance is favored. 3 stars

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Change what isn’t working in your life. Focus on convenience and comfort. Talk to experts and partners, and you’ll discover how to achieve peace of mind in an orderly fashion. Set a game plan in motion and contribute time, effort and ingenuity to making your life easier. 4 stars

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Keep secret information to yourself. Share only what’s necessary and factual. Making promises prematurely will deter you from implementing a lifestyle change. Emotional issues will surface, and decisions will require thought, integrity and action. Working alone is in your best interest. 2 stars

Birthday Baby: You are persistent, changeable and emotional. You are curious and intent.

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.

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SF Giants drop opener of critical series in extras after epic pitchers’ duel

SAN FRANCISCO — The reigning National League Cy Young winner and favorite to win the distinction this year clashed on a chilly night at Oracle Park

The stars aligned for a pitchers’ duel, and Chris Sale and Blake Snell created a constellation above the China Basin. And they did it in a playoff atmosphere against the Braves, who entered one-and-a-half games in front of the Giants in the wild card race.

“It felt a little different, yeah,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said postgame. “Especially with the quality of the pitching. It felt like every at-bat, every pitch, there was something riding on it.”

Snell (6 ⅓ IP, 2H, 3BB, 11 K) no-hit the Braves for six innings and logged his third double-digit strikeout game as a Giant. Sale never flirted with a no-no, but lasted longer than Snell struck out one more batter than the Giants lefty. Snell and Sale combined to punch out 23 batters, marking the first time at Oracle Park since 2010 in which both starters registered double-digit strikeouts.

After the dominant starters were done, the Braves nudged themselves ahead of the Giants, scoring the automatic runner in the 10th inning to defeat San Francisco, 1-0. To open a critical series, the Giants (61-60) and Braves combined for 33 total strikeouts, with the difference being Travis d’Arnaud’s game-winning sacrifice fly.

The Giants’ defense was cleaner, they were better in the running game and they pitched just as well as Atlanta, but they still lost to start a series that could have wild-card ramifications based on how jumbled the middle of the National League standings are.

“We played a really good game on both ends,” Snell said postgame. “Tip your cap, get ready for tomorrow.”

Both Snell and Sale fanned six batters through the first four innings. Snell put just two base runners on in that span, retiring every other hitter besides walking Jorge Soler twice.

The best scoring chance either team had until the starters’ eventual departures was in the first inning, when the Giants put runners on the corners with no outs after Ramon Laureano overran a shallow fly and Mark Canha lined a single to center. But Sale easily danced out of the jam, establishing a rhythm.

“Based on the pitching against us, you just try fighting and scratching a run out,” Melvin said. “Didn’t happen early, couldn’t push one across late.”

Snell tossed his first career no-hitter two weeks ago, but was never quite in range of going the distance on Monday. Even though he didn’t surrender a hit until Marcell Ozuna’s double in the seventh, he didn’t have enough quick innings to keep his pitch count low anyway.

But the southpaw certainly had his best stuff. After walking Soler — the former Giants marquee signing who got shipped to Atlanta at the deadline — a second time, Snell retired seven straight. In the fifth, he struck out the side, freezing Adam Duvall on a curveball down the middle to end the frame.

That was part of one of two separate sequences in which Snell fanned four Braves in a row. After dealing with injuries in the first half of the season, Snell said he’s feeling stronger with every outing; over his past four starts, he has struck out 45 batters.

Snell and Sale made base runners a premium. For one reason or another, the Giants couldn’t reach. Marco Luciano stopped running down the line on a sharply hit grounder to third to lead off the fifth, ultimately getting thrown out by a double-bouncer. To end that inning, Casey Schmitt scorched a line drive back up the middle, but Sale somehow snared the 104-mph comebacker on the mound.

Snell didn’t even allow hard contact like that. With his 98th pitch, a curveball in the dirt, Snell ended the sixth inning with his 10th strikeout of the game.

The Giants had no one up in the bullpen as Snell trotted out for the seventh inning. He wanted to stay in the game, Melvin said. But moments later, Randy Rodriguez started warming up as Ozuna slid into second base with Atlanta’s first hit.

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Snell — the most dominant pitcher in MLB over the past month — departed after fanning Orlando Arcia on a high fastball, inspiring a bat-slam from the hitter and a standing ovation from the Oracle Park crowd. Rodriguez then finished the inning with back-to-back strikeouts, stranding the pair Snell left him.

Sale, who didn’t walk a batter, was slightly more efficient than Snell despite giving up one more hit. He surpassed Snell’s strikeout total by fanning Matt Chapman and Jerar Encarnacion while getting through the seventh.

Before Monday night, Oracle Park hadn’t hosted a pitchers’ duel quite like this since Tim Lincecum and Cole Hamels struck out 22 total batters on April 28, 2010.

Each team’s relievers picked up where Sale and Snell left off, sending the game into extras with a total of 30 strikeouts — 15 apiece.

One run in the top of the 10th, on a slicing single and sacrifice fly to score the automatic runner, put the Braves ahead for good. In a historic pitchers’ duel, an unearned run was the game-winner.

‘They’re important games’: SF Giants’ series against Braves carries major playoff stakes

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants are hovering over .500. Their thread-the-needle trade deadline is in the past. Their rotation is healthy and solidified.

And the Braves are in town to test them. Atlanta, one of three teams ahead of San Francisco in the wild card race, arrived to start this week for a four-game series at Oracle Park. If the series swings too far in one direction or the other, it could reshape what has become a four-team race for the final wild-card spot.

The Giants and Braves each enter the four-game series with 61 wins, though Atlanta has played three fewer games. At 61-56, the Braves currently claim the last wild-card spot but remain four games back of the Padres and Diamondbacks for the top two wild-card seeds.

San Francisco (61-59) is 1.5 games behind the Braves in the standings. So is St. Louis, at 60-58. The Mets, Atlanta’s National League East rival, are 61-57 — half a game back of Atlanta.

The jumble of teams puts major stakes on the Braves-Giants series in San Francisco. Those four teams have begun to separate themselves, and matchups between them could be thin the group out — even in August.

“It’s a good team,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said before the series opener. “When these teams are right in the mix where we are, just a little bit ahead. So obviously, they’re important games.”

Melvin, the 21-year veteran manager and former longtime player, seemed to catch himself there. In baseball, it’s almost sacrilegious to hype up any single game more than simply one of 162. Especially when it’s not even September yet. But the Giants’ position in the wild-card race — and that of the Braves — sets a certain type of stage.

“I mean, no one game is more important than another,” Melvin said. “But when you’re matching up against a team that’s right there with you, it seems to have a little more impact.”

Both the Giants and Braves have their best arms slated to go. In Monday’s series opener, NL Cy Young favorite Chris Sale and reigning NL Cy Young champion Blake Snell will face off. Sale has put together a resurgent season with the Braves after injury-plagued recent campaigns in Boston, posting a 2.75 ERA and matching the MLB lead for wins (13).

Snell, meanwhile, spun a no-hitter two starts ago and has been the best starter in the sport since returning from the injured list in early July. In six outings over the past month, Snell has a 1.15 ERA and is holding opponents to a .096 batting average.

The series is also scheduled to feature matchups of Charlie Morton and Kyle Harrison; Grant Holmes and Robbie Ray; and Max Fried and Logan Webb.

Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson, traded from San Francisco to Atlanta at the deadline, are making their Oracle Park returns. Soler in particular has been on a tear since the deadline, playing right field every day and posting an OPS over 1.000 for the Braves. The Giants never played him in the outfield, primarily because they had more athletic defenders available, so he’s playing left field at Oracle Park for the first time this season on Monday.

The Giants are playing better than Atlanta recently. Series wins against Washington, Detroit and Cincinnati have helped the Giants to a 7-3 record in August as the Braves have lost seven of 10.

Before the four-game series, the Giants have a 16.3% chance of reaching the postseason, per Fangraphs. The Braves’ odds are 62.1%, reflecting the Braves’ perceived talent advantage and perhaps strength of the remaining schedule.

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This series makes those odds subject to change.

“This will be a big series for us, even though we can’t get too caught up in that,” Melvin said. “It’s just about trying to win every game, every series we possibly can.”

NotableMelvin watched Camilo Doval’s rehab appearance on Sunday night and said he looked a “lot cleaner,” and that the demoted closer is doing what the team asked him to do. Doval struck out the first two batters he faced and came one strike away from an immaculate inning, but then threw four straight balls for a walk and then allowed two runs. Doval has struggled with command and controlling the running game.The Giants announced that infielder Thairo Estrada is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday. Estrada (left wrist sprain) has been playing through pain for much of the season, Melvin said. After back-to-back solid seasons, Estrada has registered an OPS of .601 in 87 games this year.Tristan Beck (vascular) is scheduled to throw three innings on a rehab assignment Tuesday. Tyler Matzek (left elbow strain) is also set to join Sacramento.