Jeremy T. Ringfield's Blog, page 480

Austin Slater exits SF Giants-Reds game after crash into outfield fence

SAN FRANCISCO — Already banged up, the Giants took another blow early in Friday’s series opener against the Reds.

Giving chase to a fly ball in the top of the first, Austin Slater crashed in the center field fence and an inning later was lifted for a pinch-hitter.

Slater left the game with concussion-like symptoms, and manager Bob Melvin said afterward there was a “good chance” that he had sustained a concussion.

Slater was slow to get up from his encounter with the outfield wall and was shown walking down the dugout steps and into the clubhouse accompanied by head trainer Dave Groeschner.

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With left-hander Andrew Abbott on the mound for Cincinnati, Slater received his customary start while holding the platoon advantage but was only in center field because Jung Hoo Lee was already day-to-day with a bruised foot. Set to face another lefty, Nick Lodolo, on Saturday, the Giants were already missing two of their right-handed bats in catcher Tom Murphy (knee) and designated hitter Jorge Soler (shoulder).

Slater collided full-speed with the chainlink portion of the outfield fence in front of the Giants bullpen while the ball off Spencer Steer’s bat fell to the ground. Already on second base after a single and a steal, Elly De La Cruz scored to give the Reds a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.

Michael Conforto entered for Slater, and Tyler Fitzgerald shifted from left to center field.

In limited playing time entering Friday, Slater had five hits — none for extra bases — in 48 plate appearances this season, a .132 batting average and .444 OPS.

Guilty plea in case of stolen, destroyed Jackie Robinson statue

Associated Press

WICHITA, Kan. — A 45-year-old man has pleaded guilty in the theft of a bronze Jackie Robinson statue that was cut off at the ankles and found days later smoldering in a trash can in a city park in Kansas.

Ricky Alderete entered the plea during his arraignment Thursday. A judge signed off on it Friday.

Authorities arrested him in February, with court records alleging he entered a Wichita home with the intent to kidnap someone as part of an effort to interfere with law enforcement.

He then was charged later that month with felony theft and aggravated criminal damage to property in the statue theft, along with two other counts. Police said there was no evidence it was a hate-motivated crime. Rather, the intent was to sell the metal for scrap, police said.

The bronze statue was cut from its base in January at a park in Wichita, Kansas. Only the statue’s feet were left at McAdams Park, where about 600 children play in a youth baseball league called League 42. It is named after Robinson’ s uniform number with the Brooklyn Dodgers, with whom he broke the major leagues’ color barrier in 1947.

Fire crews found burned remnants of the statue five days later while responding to a trash can fire at another park about 7 miles (11.27 kilometers) away.

Alderete had a criminal record that includes burglary and theft, state correction department records show. His sentencing in the latest case is set for July 1.

Donations poured in after the theft, approaching $300,000, and work is underway to replace it.

Robinson played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers, paving the way for generations of Black American ballplayers. He is considered not only a sports legend but also a civil rights icon. Robinson died in 1972.

Back with SF Giants, Casey Schmitt has a new trick to crack big-league pitching

SAN FRANCISCO — An ill-timed shave meant Casey Schmitt arrived in the heavily mustachioed home clubhouse at Oracle Park lacking the facial hair to match most of his teammates. It was another recent addition to his face that could be more meaningful.

“The prescription is, like, minus-7.5, I think it is,” Schmitt said, turning to his locker and grabbing a packet of disposable contact lenses. “It’s not very significant. Just enough to kind of (help) at night. It was getting a little chippy.”

Getting the start at shortstop Friday night with Nick Ahmed (wrist) placed on the 10-day injured list, the change for Schmitt should be invisible to the viewing public but could make all the difference at the plate, where he struggled to keep up with major-league pitching toward the tail end of his rookie year.

“I wasn’t really seeing spin,” Schmitt said. “Now, I’m able to see it a lot better.”

Schmitt’s teammate, Blake Sabol, plays with eyeglasses and the 25-year-old infielder said he considered taking measures to correct his vision but it wasn’t until about two weeks into the season that he visited an eye doctor and was prescribed contact lenses for his mild nearsightedness.

“I was fine with how it was,” Schmitt said, “but I wanted that extra thing to help me out even more.”

In 33 games with Triple-A Sacramento, Schmitt was batting .276 with five home runs, six doubles and a .768 OPS with 10 walks to 32 strikeouts. What effect his new eyewear will have remains to be seen — he started heating up with a two-homer game on April 14 — but his production put him in line to get the call when a need arose at the big-league level.

With Ahmed, the Giants’ starting shortstop, set to miss at least the next week and a half with a sprained wrist he aggravated Thursday in Colorado, the Giants opted for Schmitt, 25, over Marco Luciano, so that they could “let Luci continue to play on an everyday basis,” manager Bob Melvin said.

Schmitt had been playing all over the infield for the River Cats, mostly ceding shortstop to Luciano except once or so a week, and offers Melvin more positional flexibility in the interim.

Ahmed will be eligible to return next Sunday, but Melvin indicated he might require a longer absence. He was struck by a line drive while playing defense in Philadelphia, then aggravated the injury on a swing Thursday in Colorado and was lifted from the game.

“He’d been dealing with a little bit of soreness day to day with it, but it was that swing that put it over the top,” Melvin said. “There’s going to be a period of time where he doesn’t do anything, and then ramp back up. It could be a couple weeks.”

More immediately, catcher Patrick Bailey is “on target” to be activated from concussion protocol when he is eligible Saturday, Melvin said.

Schmitt’s contact lenses weren’t the only new cranial accessory in the clubhouse.

After suffering two concussions in the span of seven months, Bailey decided to switch up catchers masks, trading in his traditional two-piece model that strapped over a protective helmet for a hockey-style mask with “enforced padding,” according to Melvin.

“So it’s supposedly a little bit safer,” the manager, a former catcher, said.

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Bailey was on the receiving end of approximately 30 pitches from Blake Snell, providing the Giants a two-for-one of positive health developments.

The next step for Snell, after his bullpen session “looked really good,” according to Melvin, will be a rehab outing Sunday with Single-A San Jose.

“There was just a crispness to it that we weren’t seeing before,” Melvin said of Snell’s pregame bullpen. “The velo was way better in the bullpen as well. He looked more balanced. The breaking ball was sharper. It was pretty encouraging.”

Notable

— OF Jung Hoo Lee (toe) was held out of the lineup for a second consecutive game but was “better today than he was yesterday,” Melvin said. Austin Slater started in place of the rookie center fielder, who fouled a pitch off his toe Wednesday in Colorado.

Trump campaign now sees Kennedy as a political ‘problem’

By Alayna Treene | CNN

As Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sustains his support in public polls and makes steady progress on gaining ballot access in states across the country, his independent presidential bid is confounding the campaign of former President Donald Trump and its Republican allies.

In recent weeks, Kennedy has gone from a perceived nuisance to a political problem that the Trump campaign is eager to swiftly extinguish, according to conversations with multiple people close to the former president.

Trump himself has noticeably escalated his attacks on Kennedy in recent weeks, including posting a lengthy video to social media on Thursday that labeled him as a “Democrat plant” who will pull votes away from his campaign to help President Joe Biden, and urged Republicans not to cast a “wasted protest vote.”

The shift comes as recent polls show that Kennedy could cut into Trump’s support just as much as he could draw votes away from Biden, with the results serving as an apparent warning for Republicans who have dismissed the independent candidate thus far, the sources say.

The consensus held by Trump’s top advisers and allies had long been that Biden has more to lose from the presence of independents, and Kennedy specifically, in November. But the former president’s team has taken notice of Kennedy’s standing in some state polls and uptick in media attention, including regular appearances on conservative networks like Newsmax and Fox News, during which he’s openly courted anti-establishment voters. That’s sparked a more concerted effort from Republicans to try and prevent Kennedy from eating into any pro-Trump support.

Trump’s advisers and those close to the former president told CNN they still view Kennedy as likely hurting Biden more. However, they privately acknowledge that his impact on Trump’s candidacy varies on a state-by-state basis. They also dismiss the notion that he could be perceived as a serious threat to the former president, but they argue their increased attacks against Kennedy are more an effort to halt any consideration from current or potential Trump supporters from casting their vote for the independent candidate.

“RFK is a problem, not a threat,” one senior Trump adviser told CNN, who singled out Pennsylvania as one critical battleground state where Kennedy could hurt Trump, arguing voters in the Keystone State may be drawn more to a candidate who is neither Trump nor Biden.

As CNN previously reported, there are some in Trump’s orbit who are concerned about Kennedy qualifying for the presidential debates and believe that having earlier debates would make it easier to keep Kennedy off the stage before he could gather further momentum in the polls.

“It’s not that he’s a threat. A lot of it depends on the state, and it’s still not clear who he’s taking more from,” a person close to Trump said. “If we can make people on the right, who might be open minded to him, hate him very easily because he’s so liberal. Why not weigh him down as much as possible with conservative or conservative leaning voters?”

CNN has reached out to Kennedy’s campaign for comment.

Trump’s team created a playbook months ago to go on offense against Kennedy and define him as a “liberal parading in conservative’s clothing,” as one senior Trump adviser described him to CNN, pointing to a series of his policies on climate change and abortion to paint him as part of the progressive wing of the Democratic party.

But in the months since, the messaging has varied. While Trump’s team and Republican National Committee officials stuck to the script and painted Kennedy as a far-left Democrat who doesn’t embody conservative values, the former president himself often had a different take.

At a campaign stop at a Harlem bodega during Trump’s criminal trial last month, the former president ignored questions about whether he would consider Kennedy as a potential running mate, after Kennedy suggested emissaries of Trump’s had reached out about the prospect — something Trump’s campaign adamantly denied. Trump instead offered mild praise of Kennedy.

Days later, he called Kennedy “a nice guy” during an interview with Real America’s Voice, adding he wasn’t sure whether Kennedy hurt him or Biden more.

“Well, I think he’s a nice guy. I’ve known him. He’s extremely liberal. He’s more liberal than anybody,” Trump told the radio host. “They say he hurts Biden, I think, I’m not sure that that’s true. But he might hurt Biden a little bit more, you don’t know.”

Flash forward to May, and Trump has adopted a more aggressive stance toward his independent rival. He has repeatedly attacked Kennedy on Truth Social, including labeling him as “a Radical Left Lunatic” and calling him “the dumbest member of the Kennedy Clan,” as well as needling Kennedy’s positions on vaccines and environmental policy, among others.

Asked about Trump ratcheting up his attacks, a Trump campaign adviser told CNN: “We’ve seen an uptick in the amount of coverage he’s getting. And you know, we just want to reiterate our message. We want Trump to do what he does, what he does with everyone else. He separates the person from the politician.”

CNN’s Aaron Pellish contributed to this story.

US says Israel likely violated international law with US arms in Gaza

By Ellen Knickmeyer, Aamer Madhani and Matthew Lee | Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration said Friday that Israel’s use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.

The finding of “reasonable” evidence to conclude that the U.S. ally had breached international law in its conduct of the war in Gaza was released in a summary of a report being delivered to Congress on Friday. It is the strongest statement that the Biden administration has made yet.

But the caveat that the U.S. was unable immediately to link specific U.S. weapons to individual strikes by Israeli forces in Gaza could give the administration leeway in any future decision on whether to restrict provisions of offensive weapons to Israel.

The first-of-its-kind assessment, which was compelled by President Joe Biden’s fellow Democrats in Congress, comes after seven months of airstrikes, ground fighting and aid restrictions that have claimed the lives of nearly 35,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

While U.S. officials were unable to gather all the information they needed on specific strikes, the report said given Israel’s “significant reliance” on U.S.-made weapons, it was “reasonable to assess” that they had been used by Israel’s security forces in instances “inconsistent” with its obligations under international humanitarian law “or with best practices for mitigating civilian harm.”

Israel’s military has the experience, technology and know-how to minimize harm to civilians, but “the results on the ground, including high levels of civilian casualties, raise substantial questions as to whether the IDF is using them effectively in all cases,” the report said.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, the Maryland Democrat who led the push in Congress, told reporters that even even though the administration had reached a general finding, “they’re ducking a determination on the hard cases, politically inconvenient cases.”

Biden has tried to walk an ever-finer line in his support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war against Hamas. He has faced growing rancor at home and abroad over the soaring Palestinian death toll and the onset of famine, caused in large part by Israeli restrictions on the movement of food and aid into Gaza. Tensions have been heightened further in recent weeks by Netanyahu’s pledge to expand the Israeli military’s offensive in the crowded southern city of Rafah, despite Biden’s adamant opposition.

Biden is in the closing months of a tough reelection campaign against Donald Trump. He faces demands from many Democrats that he cut the flow of offensive weapons to Israel and denunciation from Republicans who accuse him of wavering on support for Israel at its time of need.

Rep. Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the review was unnecessary “and only contributes to politically motivated anti-Israel sentiment.””Now is the time to stand with our ally Israel and ensure they have the tools they need,” he said in a statement.

The Democratic administration took one of the first steps toward conditioning military aid to Israel in recent days when it paused a shipment of 3,500 bombs out of concern over Israel’s threatened offensive on Rafah, a southern city crowded with more than a million Palestinians, a senior administration official said.

The presidential directive, agreed to in February, obligated the Defense and State departments to conduct “an assessment of any credible reports or allegations that such defense articles and, as appropriate, defense services, have been used in a manner not consistent with international law, including international humanitarian law.”

Nothing in the presidential directive would have triggered any cutoff of arms if the administration had more definitively ruled that Israel’s conduct had violated international law.

The agreement also obligated them to tell Congress whether they deemed that Israel has acted to “arbitrarily to deny, restrict, or otherwise impede, directly or indirectly,” delivery of any U.S.-supported humanitarian aid into Gaza for starving civilians there.

On this question, the report cited “deep concerns” that Israel played a significant role in preventing adequate aid from reaching starving Palestinians. However, it said Israel had recently taken some positive steps, although still inadequate, and the U.S. government did not currently find Israel restricting aid deliveries in a way that violated U.S. law governing foreign militaries that receive U.S. military aid.

Van Hollen accused the administration of glossing over what he said were clear Israeli blocks on food and aid deliveries during much of the war. “That’s why we have hundreds of thousands of Palestinians that have nothing to do with Hamas on the verge of starvation,” he said.

Lawmakers and others who advocated for the review said Biden and previous American leaders have followed a double standard when enforcing U.S. laws governing how foreign militaries use U.S. support, an accusation the Biden administration denies. They had urged the administration to make a straightforward legal determination of whether there was credible evidence that specific Israeli airstrikes on schools, crowded neighborhoods, medical workers, aid convoys and other targets, and restrictions on aid shipments into Gaza, violated the laws of war and human rights.

Their opponents argued that a U.S. finding against Israel would weaken it at a time it is battling Hamas and other Iran-backed groups. Any sharply critical findings on Israel are sure to add to pressure on Biden to curb the flow of weapons and money to Israel’s military and further heighten tensions with Netanyahu’s hard-right government over its conduct of the war against Hamas.

Any finding against Israel also could endanger Biden’s support in this year’s presidential elections from some voters who keenly support Israel.

At the time the White House agreed to the review, it was working to head off moves from Democratic lawmakers and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont to start restricting shipments of weapons to Israel.

Israel launched its offensive after an Oct. 7 assault into Israel, led by Hamas, killed about 1,200 people. Two-thirds of the Palestinians killed since then have been women and children, according to local health officials. U.S. and U.N. officials say Israeli restrictions on food shipments since Oct. 7 have brought on full-fledged famine in northern Gaza.

Human rights groups long have accused Israeli security forces of committing abuses against Palestinians and have accused Israeli leaders of failing to hold those responsible to account. In January, in a case brought by South Africa, the top U.N. court ordered Israel to do all it could to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in Gaza, but the panel stopped short of ordering an end to the military offensive.

Israel says it is following all U.S. and international law, that it investigates allegations of abuse by its security forces and that its campaign in Gaza is proportional to the existential threat it says is posed by Hamas.

Biden in December said “indiscriminate bombing” was costing Israel international backing. After Israeli forces targeted and killed seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen in April, the Biden administration for the first time signaled it might cut military aid to Israel if it didn’t change its handling of the war and humanitarian aid.

Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, in the 1980s and early 1990s, were the last presidents to openly hold back weapons or military financing to try to push Israel to change its actions in the region or toward Palestinians.

A report to the Biden administration by an unofficial, self-formed panel including military experts, academics and former State Department officials detailed Israeli strikes on aid convoys, journalists, hospitals, schools and refugee centers and other sites. They argued that the civilian death toll in those strikes — such as an Oct. 31 strike on an apartment building reported to have killed 106 civilians — was disproportionate to the blow against any military target.

Zeke Miller and Mike Balsamo contributed.

Report criticizes Monterey County fentanyl response

MONTEREY – A new report is critical of Monterey County’s effort to stem the fentanyl crisis that is continuing to kill people, including kids, throughout the county.

The data can be alarming. More than four in 10 Americans know someone who died from a drug overdose, according to a Rand Survey released earlier this year. In 2022, drug overdoses were the primary cause of death for both men and women between the ages of 25 and 54 in California. For young adults between the ages of 15 and 24, overdoses were the second leading cause of death.

The Monterey Civil Grand Jury investigated county efforts and released a report this week citing opportunities for Monterey County schools to provide outreach efforts to students and parents as well as a struggle by the county Health Department to finalize a plan to distribute some $2 million from settlements with drug manufacturers.

A civil grand jury is designed to review county and city performances and make findings and recommendations. Unlike a criminal grand jury, civil juries have no subpoena power and cannot issue fines or other punitive actions.

“Although Monterey County received more than $2 million in opioid settlement funds in 2022 and 2023, it has yet to approve the final plan for the allocation of the funds,” the report states. “This funding delay compromises equitable countywide responsiveness to the fentanyl crisis and puts lives at risk.”

Karen Smith, the public information officer for the Health Department, said in a statement Friday that the fentanyl and opioid crisis is complicated and continues to require many partners in a wide variety of disciplines to respond.

“(Health Department) staff continues to work with community partners to finalize a plan for disbursement of opioid funding for outreach and engagement of youth and residents through direct contact and social media campaign, and distribution of naloxone and fentanyl testing strips through community townhalls and kiosks in areas of greatest need,” the statement read.

“In addition, the plan will include community-based treatment services that are accessible to residents in areas of greatest need,” Smith added.

While a funding distribution plan is in the works, the health department and its partners had already come together to provide public educational campaigns, naloxone distribution, as well as health provider education in response to the fentanyl problem, the health department said.

Naloxone, also known by its brand name Narcan, can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose if it is administered in time to counter such symptoms such as respiratory depression that can turn fatal.

The health department will complete final plan by July 31, as requested by the grand jury, Smith said.

The grand jury also released concerns about the county Office of Education’s efforts to provide fentanyl education beyond what is required in the state Education Codes.

The jury specifically referenced state Senate Bill 10, which mandates that every public school in California provide training to school employees on opioid prevention and life-saving response under a formal plan known as a Comprehensive School Safety Plan. Additionally, the bill ensures that all students and adults understand the growing risk of youth fentanyl exposure and have access to the resources needed to prevent and respond to fentanyl overdoses.

The jury also recommends that county schools create more wellness centers and youth leadership programs for mental health and fentanyl awareness.

Deneen Guss, the county superintendent of schools, said in a statement that the report underscores the urgent need for coordinated action to address this growing threat, and that the Office of Education plays a vital role in the safety and well-being of students and is diligently working to combat this crisis through our Monterey County Safe and Healthy Schools and Communities Coalition.

“(The Office of Education) is also working in partnership with Montage Health’s Prescribe Safe program, local school districts and collaborating with many other community organizations to create effective prevention education programs, professional development opportunities for our educators, trainings for students and families, as well as many other strategies to strengthen collective efforts in addressing the fentanyl crisis amongst youth,” Guss said in the statement.

She continued saying that “while fentanyl has been present in our community for years, there has definitely been a notable surge with the rise of mental health challenges we are seeing in our schools and communities. Overall, the fentanyl crisis is a complex and urgent issue, and we need to engage our entire community in helping to address this devastating crisis.”

The Office of Education has already started putting together responses to the grand jury report, Guss added.

Some of the grand jury recommendations would require additional funding or additional staff time to carry out at a time when nearly all local government agencies are struggling with both staffing and budget challenges.

For a deeper look at the local fentanyl crisis see the Monterey Herald story at https://www.montereyherald.com/2024/01/27/monterey-county-the-local-battle-in-the-fentanyl-crisis/ .

SF Giants trade away two pitchers with strong Bay Area ties in separate deals

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Giants acquired minor league outfielder Rodolfo Nolasco from the Pirates on Friday in a trade that sent right-hander Daulton Jefferies to Pittsburgh.

San Francisco also dealt right-hander Mitch White, a San Jose native and former Santa Clara pitcher, to the Milwaukee Brewers for cash.

The 28-year-old Jefferies, who played collegiately at Cal and later made 10 starts for the A’s between 2020 and 2022, worked back from a second Tommy John surgery this season and was 0-2 with a 17.36 ERA over two appearances with one start, allowing nine earned runs on 14 hits with a pair of home runs over 4 2/3 innings.

He missed all of last season following his second elbow reconstruction surgery on Sept. 9, 2022, and the process had Jefferies contemplating quitting baseball altogether. He was 1-0 with a 3.44 ERA in four outings with Triple-A Sacramento.

Nolasco was playing for Pittsburgh’s High-A Greensboro affiliate, batting .173 with two homers and 12 RBIs in 21 games.

This marks the second time this season that White has changed teams. He is 1-0 with a 7.63 ERA in seven combined relief appearances with the Toronto Blue Jays and Giants.

After acquiring White from the Blue Jays for cash last month, the Giants designated him for assignment earlier this week. The 29-year-old went 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA in four appearances for Toronto and was 0-0 with an 11.81 ERA in three games with the Giants.

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He is 4-11 with a 5.20 ERA in 65 career appearances, including 22 starts.

The White acquisition was part of a series of pitching moves the Brewers made Friday. They also selected left-hander Robert Gasser from Triple-A Nashville, recalled right-hander Janson Junk from Nashville, placed right-hander Joel Payamps on the bereavement list, optioned right-hander Tobias Myers to Nashville, transferred right-hander JB Bukauskas to the 60-day injured list and designated right-hander Corbin Martin for assignment.

Myers started the Brewers’ 7-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday and owned an 0-2 record with a 5.29 ERA in four starts. Martin hadn’t pitched for Milwaukee this year but was 0-1 with a 6.43 ERA in seven relief appearances with Nashville.

Horoscopes May 10, 2024: Kenan Thompson, don’t settle for less

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Missy Franklin, 29; Kenan Thompson, 46; Bono, 64; Donovan, 78.

Happy Birthday: Discipline and desire can help you improve your life. Make personal decisions that encourage better health and well-being. Get your finances in order and lower your stress. Put your happiness at the top of your list, and don’t settle for less than what makes you happy. Take control, and you’ll discover the path that leads to personal contentment and satisfaction. Love and romance are in the stars. Your numbers are 7, 13, 20, 24, 32, 39, 47.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Don’t share personal information or allow others to misinterpret your words. Pay attention to where your money goes, and keep up with changes at work and in your community. Knowledge is your safety net to emotional and financial security. 4 stars

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Participate in something that interests or concerns you and will inspire you to make a difference or change your lifestyle. Don’t limit yourself, make excuses or set unnecessary boundaries. Be open to new beginnings and discover what life has to offer. 3 stars

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Being too chatty will be problematic. Know when to share feelings and when to keep things to yourself. You can rectify the problem by being a better listener, observer and coach. Focus on personal improvement, discipline and finishing what you start. 3 stars

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Research and keep an open mind, but don’t let anyone talk you into something you don’t need or get involved in something time-consuming with few benefits to you. Do your own thing and only contribute to pursuits that matter to you. Romance is favored. 3 stars

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Rethink your next move; research and look for hidden costs. Don’t be a follower, regardless of what others do or say. Think for yourself and focus on broadening your awareness rather than taking a risk on something foreign to you. Minimize debt. 4 stars

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Fact-checking is essential. Discussions may go differently than planned, but try to accept and move forward; the outcome will be better than anticipated. Be patient and accommodating; when you see an opportunity, take advantage, and something good will transpire. 2 stars

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The information you receive will mislead you. Ask questions, and you’ll discover how best to press forward and stick to a budget. A domestic change or move requires time, effort and energy. Don’t expect an outsider to look out for your interests. Handle matters yourself. 5 stars

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Plan to have some fun. A break will help you regenerate and spark your imagination. The people you connect with will give you food for thought and suggestions that can lead to an unexpected opportunity. Don’t be afraid to make a move or change your lifestyle. 3 stars

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Verify the information you receive and only adjust what’s necessary. Use your connections, intelligence and your backbone to get what you want without giving up too much. Someone you least expect will let you down. Be prepared to step in and take over. 3 stars

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Get out and about. Too much time spent at home or with negative people will lead to stress and anxiety. Focus on events and activities that challenge and inspire you to try something new and to surround yourself with like-minded people. 3 stars

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Don’t settle for less when you can have so much more. Be realistic about your situation and the changes happening around you. Discuss your intentions with someone you trust and know you can count on for help when you are ready to make a move. 5 stars

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Being in control of your emotions will give you the upper hand. Don’t let anyone know what you are thinking or how you feel. Conversations will reveal all the information you require to decide your next move. Do what offers stability and long-term security. 2 stars

Birthday Baby: You are dedicated, sensitive and strong-willed. You are energetic and traditional.

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.

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Skip the luau. Party like a cowboy in Hawaii’s paniolo country instead.

Hawaii may be famous for its crystalline waters, multi-hued beaches, lush rainforests and Polynesian vibe, but its cowboy culture is not to be missed.

Heaps of delicious food and dancing usually translate to a luau in Hawaii, but on the Big Island, it can also mean the Paniolo Sunset BBQ dinner in the rolling green pastures of Waimea. The weekly dinner and dancing event at Kahua Ranch is inspired by the Hawaiian Islands’ long history of cattle ranching, which reaches all the way back to King Kamehameha I.

The view from Kahua Ranch stretches across rolling green pastures all the way to the ocean. (photo by Darleene Powells)

In an entertaining account from Big Island country singer Dave Toland, cattle arrived in the Hawaiian Islands as a gift from British explorer Captain George Vancouver to the king in the late 1700s. That one bull and six cows grew to become a major industry out of Hawaii, which is historically better known for its sugar cane plantations.

‘Paniolo’ refers to cowboys in Hawaiian, and according to Toland, the word came from the interaction between Mexican vaqueros who arrived to assist the burgeoning industry and Hawaiians who did not yet know how to wrangle cattle.

“When them vaqueros came over here, they were called Espanols, and they spoke what they call Espanol,” Toland said. “Well, they couldn’t speak a word of Hawaiian. And them Hawaiian folks, they couldn’t speak one word of Espanol. And the problem is that in the Hawaiian alphabet, there ain’t no S. So when the Hawaiians tried to pronounce Espanol, it came out paniolo.”

Two people pose as a third snaps a photo of them against the setting sun on the Big Island of Hawaii. (photo by Darleene Powells)

I heard the brief history lesson over the flames of a fire pit, not far from an overlook with expansive views of rolling green hills stretching all the way to the ocean. The views can deliver spectacular sunsets thanks to Hawaii microclimates that can bring cream puff clouds over the horizon and, occasionally, a rainbow over the hills.

Dinner, eaten at communal tables, is a tightly curated menu of delicious offerings – prime rib, barbecue chicken, asparagus, potatoes, baked beans, sweet rolls and salad. Dessert recently included thick brownie slabs and macadamia nut pie. Alcohol is served at a cash bar, while water, canned sodas and fruit juices, coffee, and hot chocolate are free.

The plates are heaped high with food at the Paniolo Sunset BBQ dinner on the Big Island of Hawaii. (photo by Darleene Powells)

Multiple trips to the food table are encouraged, but given the large oval plates and heaping servings given on the first round, another trip may not be necessary. All that food can be worked off with some line dancing to live music, a game of horseshoes or cornhole, or attempting to learn how to rope a steer. Attendees can also brand a piece of wood as a souvenir, grab a freshly made s’more, or take advantage of the 2,000-foot elevation to view the stars  – if they’re lucky, an astronomer might be on hand with a powerful telescope.

Guests of the Paniolo Sunset BBQ Dinner enjoy some line dancing after the meal. (photo by Darleene Powells)

The three-hour dinner is priced at $85 per adult and $42.50 per child over 5 years old. For comparison, admission to a luau on the Big Island starts at $130+ per person.

Most of the year, the Paniolo Sunset BBQ Dinner occurs weekly on Wednesdays, but Monday nights are added during the summer tourist season. Reservations must be made in advance online.

CCS volleyball semifinals: Monterey, Carmel fall in Division II playoffs

SAN MATEO — There will be no rubber match to decide a Central Coast Section volleyball title — and perhaps equally important, bragging rights among two county rivals.

Monterey and Carmel’s postseason runs came to a halt Thursday, as both fell victim on the road in the Division II semifinals.

The Gabilan Division champion Toreadores gave No. 2 seed and 31-2 Aragon all it could handle before falling in five sets 25-19, 19-25, 25-21, 21-25, 15-12 in San Mateo.

Carmel’s bid for a fourth finals appearance in the last seven years didn’t materialize after being swept by top seed Monta Vista of Cupertino 25-16, 25-21, 25-17.

Monterey, which ended Carmel’s reign of supremacy in the Gabilan Division this year when it snapped a 12-game losing streak to them that dated back to 2015, split the two regular matches between the rivals.

Aragon 3, Monterey 2: On the heels of their first Gabilan Division title in 14 years, the Toreadores pushed Aragon to the limit before falling 15-12 in the final set.

“That was the best volleyball of the season for us,” said Monterey coach David Swartz, whose squad was in the semifinals for the second straight year. “Just a ton of heart and fight.”

The 23 wins this spring was the most for Monterey since it captured 24 in 2011. The school record is 26, set in 2010.

“We weren’t sure what we had when the season started,” Swartz said. “We didn’t expect to be league champs. But lets get back to the playoffs and improve ourselves. We came within three points of being in the finals. The plan is we’ll be there next year.”

The only time Monterey has played for a section volleyball title was in 1999.

Staring at elimination, the Toreadores reached back in the fourth set to post a 25-21 win and force a fifth and final set, just the second time all season they gone five sets.

Monterey forced a pair of ties in the final set behind the strength of its defense, evening it at 11 before Aragon turned to its big hitters to produce the final three points.

“Their two premier hitters overpowered us for the last couple of points,” said Swartz, whose undersized squad manufactured 14 blocks. “It wasn’t team errors. You can’t always win the net battle. But we were digging everything.”

Duran Lemasters finished with 19 digs for the Toreadores, while defensive specialist PK Swartz added 18. Of the 14 blocks that were recorded, Jonathan Companion and Andres Espinoza combined for 10.

“Putting up a fight against a more experienced bay area team is huge,” Swartz said. “These guys showed me something we haven’t seen at Monterey in a long time.”

Companion and Noah Bigelow each finished with 12 kills for Monterey, while Ryan Gallagher and Lamasters both collected nine.

Monta Vista 3, Carmel 0: Making their seven straight appearance in the CCS Division II semifinals, the Padres bid to return to the finals for the second straight year came up short against the top-seeded Matadors.

Carmel (19-12) came into the match riding a six-game winning streak, which included a sweep of Gunn on Tuesday, as well as a regular season ending sweep of Gabilan Division champion Monterey.

“It’s a tough way to end your season,” first year Carmel coach Jim Airola said. “Our boys were competitive and played hard. But Monta Vista was relentless all night. It’s a big school with a long volleyball tradition.”

Humbled in the first set, the Padres fought back in the second set, matching Monta Vista behind Sebastian Daste and Zachary Speakman before falling 25-21.

“They combined excellent ball control with some very big hitters,” said Airola, in speaking about Monta Vista. “They are well coached and disciplined. With five sophomores in the rotation this year, we had a great season.”

Daste, who is headed to Princeton to play volleyball, finished with 14 kills, 16 assists and 11 digs for Carmel, while Speakman added 11 kills, 14 assists and 12 digs. Nico Vitiello tallied 14 digs.