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Volume 79 Edition 243 ©SS 2021 FRIDAY,MARCH 26, 2021 $1.00

Gillibrand says EXTREMISM IN THE MILITARY military needs major reform on sex assault

BY ROSE L. THAYER Stars and Stripes AUSTIN, Texas — Congress has pro- vided the military more than $1 billion, enacted 249 legislative provisions and chartered panels, commissions and committees to ad- dress sexual assault in the military, yet the statistics from the past 15 years show lit- tle progress, Sen. Kir- sten Gillibrand, D- N.Y., said Wednesday during a Senate hear- Gillibrand ing. “Not one of these steps has reduced sexual assaults within the ranks. We are right where we were when we started, nothing has changed,” said Gillibrand, who is the chairwoman of the subpanel for military personnel on the Senate Armed Services Commit- tee. MARIE PIHULIC/U.S.Army Senators on Wednesday focused on Sgt. Maj. Viridiana Lavalle shares her role in ensuring extremism is not tolerated in the ranks March 15 in Haymond Conference Center at sexual assault in the military during Fort Sill in Oklahoma. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has directed all military leaders to discuss extremism with their units. the hearing, which had three panels featuring survivors of sexual assault and those who advocate on their behalf and those who study the problem for the government, nonprofits or for aca- demic research. Training gets mixed reviews “Nearly every secretary of defense since Dick Cheney” has promised to do better, yet the number of assaults have Soldiers divided on stand-down kicking off DOD’s fight against extremism remained at about 20,000 almost every year that the Defense Department has BY SARAH CAMMARATA RELATED Others said the training was effective when Stars and Stripes skilled instructors led honest, open discus- SEE GILLIBRAND ON PAGE 6 WASHINGTON — Faced with the hercu- Lawmakers voice concerns sions. lean task of combating extremism in the Stars and Stripes interviewed soldiers who RELATED ranks, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin di- over the Pentagon’s lack of completed training, some who spoke on the Civilian advocates, rected all military leaders to gather with centralized extremism data condition of anonymity. their units by the first week of April to discuss Page 5 A staff sergeant at Fort Sam Houston in veterans join Pentagon what it is, how and when to report it, and what San Antonio, Texas, said the training needed it means to serve. through the training. more real discussion about extremism. commission on military The extremism stand-down is taking place Some soldiers expressed frustration at “You had a few people who were very loud at bases around the world for all branches, “check-the-blocks” training led by military and boisterous about their opinion, but then sexual assault and it’s getting mixed reviews. The Army, as officials who were not prepared to answer Page 6 the largest force, has the most people going complex questions about extremist activity. SEE TRAINING ON PAGE 4 PAGE 2 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, March 26, 2021 BUSINESS/WEATHER

EUROPE GAS PRICES EXCHANGE RATES

Country Super E10 Super unleaded Super plus Diesel  Military rates South Korea (Won) 1136.36 Germany $3.140 $2.792 $3.791 $3.469 Azores .. .. $3.691 .. Switzerland (Franc) .9354 Euro costs (March 26) $1.15 Change in price +1.2 cents +2.4 cents +2.1 cents +0.3 cents Change in price .. .. +2.1 cents .. Thailand (Baht) 31.13 Dollar buys (March 26) 0.8255 Turkey (NewLira) 7.9551 Netherlands .. $4.022 $4.320 $3.990 Belgium .. $2.721 $2.952 $2.906 British pound (March 26) $1.34 Japanese yen (March 26) 106.00 Change in price .. +11.8 cents +11.9 cents +0.5 cents Change in price .. No change No change No change (Military exchange rates are those available South Korean won (March 26) 1107.00 to customers at military banking facilities in the U.K. .. $3.439 $3.690  $3.368 Turkey .. .. $3.576 $3.871* Commercial rates country of issuance for Japan, South Korea, Ger­ Change in price .. +2.4 cents +2.1 cents +0.3 cents Change in price .. .. +2.1 cents No change many, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Bahrain(Dinar) .3770 For nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., pur­ Britain (Pound) 1.3718 chasing British pounds in Germany), check with Canada (Dollar) 1.2605 your local military banking facility. Commercial China(Yuan) 6.5445 rates are interbank rates provided for reference PACIFIC GAS PRICES Denmark (Krone) 6.2974 Egypt (Pound) 15.7296 when buying currency. All figures are foreign Country Super E10 Super unleaded Super plus Diesel  Euro .8469 currencies to one dollar, except for the British Japan .. $3.579 .. $3.259 South Korea $2.939 .. $3.599 $3.269  Hong Kong (Dollar) 7.7695 pound, which is represented in dollars­to­ pound, and the euro, which is dollars­to­euro.) Change in price .. +2.0 cents .. No change Change in price +1.0 cents .. +3.0 cents No change Hungary (Forint) 308.64 Israel (Shekel) 3.3165 Okinawa $2.929 .. .. $3.259 Guam $2.939 $3.339 $3.589 .. Japan (Yen) 109.11 INTEREST RATES Kuwait(Dinar) .3021 Change in price +1.0 cents  .. .. No change Change in price +1.0 cents +2.0 cents +2.0 cents .. Norway (Krone) 8.6147 Prime rate 3.25 Philippines (Peso) 48.52 Interest Rates Discount rate 0.75 *DieselEFD **Midgrade Poland (Zloty) 3.93 Federal funds market rate 0.07 Saudi Arabia (Riyal) 3.7501 3­month bill 0.02 For the week of March 25 ­ April 1 Singapore (Dollar) 1.3466 30­year bond 2.31 WEATHER OUTLOOK FRIDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST FRIDAY IN EUROPE SATURDAY IN THE PACIFIC

Misawa 48/73

Kabul Seoul 75/52 63/49 Baghdad 67/45 Tokyo Drawsko Osan Kandahar Mildenhall/ 65/49 67/42 91/58 Pomorskie Busan Lakenheath 58/42 65/58 54/35 Iwakuni Kuwait City Bahrain 64/45 Brussels Zagan Sasebo Guam 82/66 74/64 Ramstein 59/43 70/52 58/39 53/30 86/78 Riyadh Lajes, 102/74 Doha Azores Stuttgart 97/74 63/52 36/29 Pápa Aviano/ 64/42 Vicenza 64/44

Naples 59/41 Okinawa Morón 73/68 71/46 Sigonella Rota 67/45 The weather is provided by the Djibouti 70/55 Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 86/75 55/42 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. TODAY IN STRIPES American Roundup ..... 35 Classified ...... 36 Comics ...... 39-40 Crossword ...... 39-40 Opinion ...... 38 Sports ...... 41-48 Friday, March 26, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 3 MILITARY N. Korea launches ballistic missiles, US and Japan say

BY SETH ROBSON curity of Japan and the region, and to monitor the situation in or- AND YOO KYONG CHANG and is a violation of U.N. resolu- der to protect the lives and prop- Stars and Stripes tions,” Suga wrote, referring to erties of Japanese citizens,” it North Korea has fired two bal- the U.N. Security Council ban on said. listic missiles into the sea off its North Korea developing and test- The launches come less than a eastern coast, according to re- ing ballistic missiles. “I strongly week after Pyongyang fired mul- ports from U.S., South Korean and protest and strongly condemn it. tiple short-range missiles in the Japanese officials Thursday The government has confirmed wake of a visit to Seoul by Secre- morning. that it has fallen into the Sea of Ja- tary of State Antony Blinken and AHN YOUNG­JOON/AP South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of pan outside Japan’s exclusive eco- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. People watch a TV showing a file image of North Korea's missile Staff announced the launch of a nomic zone.” North Korea topped a list of is- launch during a news program at the Suseo Railway Station in Seoul, single “unidentified projectile” at Japan’s coast guard has warned sues they tackled during two days South Korea, on Thursday. 7.06 a.m. and a second at 7.25 a.m. vessels in that body of water, of talks with their South Korean They traveled about 280 miles, re- which is known in South Korea as counterparts. yet again chose the ‘March of “While Biden’s comments and aching an altitude of about 37 the East Sea, to steer clear of any The allies’ goals are clear, Blin- War,’ the ‘March of Crisis,’ ” she chuckle were clearly not meant to miles. fallen objects and pass on their lo- ken said: the denuclearization of said. trigger a reaction, the North Ko- It was North Korea’s first cation, Nikkei Asia magazine re- North Korea, reducing the threat Biden, speaking to reporters reans will use any pretext that is launch of ballistic missiles since ported. that country presents and “im- Tuesday at the White House, said offered to raise the ante — moving President Joe Biden took office. U.S. Forces Korea has been proving the lives of all Koreans, he didn’t consider last weekend’s us closer and closer to the dark Analysts told The Associated consulting closely with South Ko- including North Koreans who suf- missile tests to be a provocation. days of 2017,” he said. Press they expect the North to rea and Japan and will continue to fer systematic abuses at the hands “No, according to the Defense In the months ahead, it’s likely gradually dial up its weapons dis- monitor the situation, spokesman of their leaders.” Department it’s business as usu- the North Koreans will test bigger plays to gain bargaining power as Col. Lee Peters told Stars and Last week North Korea, in its al,” he said. “There’s no new wrin- and more advanced missiles, he it angles to get back into stalled Stripes in an email Thursday af- first statement geared toward the kle in what they did.” said. talks aimed at leveraging nuclear ternoon. Biden administration, warned the Asked if the tests affect diplo- “We should also expect a fiery weapons for badly needed eco- “This activity highlights the United States not to ruffle any macy, the president laughed. response when the Biden North nomic benefits. threat that North Korea’s illicit feathers. The latest missile launch is Korea policy is announced, which The South Korean government weapons program poses to its “If [the U.S.] wants to sleep in most likely a reaction to Biden’s likely will be a pressure strategy convened an urgent meeting of neighbors and the international peace for coming four years, it had downplaying of the weekend mis- to get the Kim regime to give up its the country’s National Security community,” he wrote. “The U.S. better refrain from causing a stink sile tests, Harry Kazianis, senior nuclear weapons,” Kazianis said. Council at 9 a.m. in response to the commitment to the defense of at its first step,” North Korean director of Korean studies at the The stage is set for another launches. [South Korea] remains ironclad.” leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Center for the National Interest, round of North Korean interconti- Japanese Prime Minister Yosh- Recent launches by North Ko- Yo Jong, said in a statement pub- said in emailed comments Thurs- nental ballistic missile and poten- ihide Suga described the projec- rea have been a serious issue for lished March 16 in the state-run day. tially even nuclear testing — and tiles as “ballistic missiles” in a the international community, in- Rodong Sinmun newspaper. The North, just like during the another U.S.-North Korea show- tweet that morning. An unnamed cluding Japan, said a statement This month’s computer-simu- Trump administration, will react down, he said. U.S. official quoted by The New Thursday from Japan’s defense lated military drills between U.S. to even the slightest of what it York Times also referred to them ministry. and South Korean forces drew feels are any sort of loss of face or [email protected] as “ballistic missiles.” “We will do everything we can Kim Yo Jong’s wrath. disparaging comments coming Twitter: @SethRobson1 “It threatens the peace and se- to collect and analyze information, “The South Korean government out of Washington, he said. [email protected] DOD OKs request for housing migrant children at Texas bases BY CAITLIN M. KENNEY time that unaccompanied chil- Stars and Stripes dren have been housed at military WASHINGTON — Joint Base installations, the coronavirus pan- San Antonio and Fort Bliss in Tex- demic does add to health concerns as will soon house migrant chil- among the children and base com- dren who were detained crossing munity, Kirby said. the U.S.-Mexico border alone, the The children will be under the Pentagon announced Wednesday. care of HHS, including their su- “[The Department of Defense] pervision and meals, when they will provide [Department of are at the bases. The Defense De- Health and Human Services] offi- partment could help with con- cials access to these locations im- tracting support to help expedite mediately to begin initial actions the process, Kirby said. to prepare for receiving unaccom- HHS also conducted a site sur- panied migrant children as soon vey Wednesday of Peterson Air as preparations are complete,” Force Base, Colo., the headquar- John Kirby, the Pentagon’s chief ters for U.S. Space Command, as spokesman, said in a statement. ELI HARTMAN/AP an additional site to house chil- The approval comes a day after Migrant teenagers play soccer behind the fence of a temporary holding facility for migrant minors from thedren, Kirby said, but the results the Pentagon announced the two southern border of the United States on Wednesday south of Midland, Texas. from the visit are still unknown. bases had been requested by the HHS had looked at Fort Lee Department of Health and Hu- cording to a Department of Home- recent news reports. Antonio will stay in a vacant dor- near Richmond, Va., as a site for man Services to temporarily land Security statement issued Kirby told reporters earlier mitory. Land at Fort Bliss will be the children. It was determined, house the children. The U.S. bor- March 13. Wednesday at the Pentagon that used to build temporary housing however, that the infrastructure der with Mexico has experienced Children who are found by U.S. the HHS request for support at the facilities. The support is “on a ful- was not suitable for them and is no rising numbers in migration, in- Border Patrol agents must be bases would last until the end of ly reimbursable basis” and will longer being considered, Kirby cluding unaccompanied children, transferred to HHS within 72 the year. He would not say how “not negatively affect” military said. since April due to violence, natu- hours, but more than 3,000 chil- many children HHS expects to operations or readiness, accord- ral disasters, food insecurity, and dren have been held for longer house at each location. ing to the statement. [email protected] poverty in Central America, ac- and in unfit facilities, according to Children sent to Joint Base San While this would not be the first Twitter: @caitlinmkenney PAGE 4 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, March 26, 2021 MILITARY Training: One-day stand-down is start of prevention program

FROM PAGE 1 “The people that are actually af- fecting the mission, that’s where the majority of people were just they live. For us here at the Penta- [like], ‘This was kind of a waste of gon, we’re far detached from time,’ ” he said late last week. that,” Colón-López said. “So we The one-day stand-down is the have to trust those commanders in start of the Defense Department’s the field to be able to fix their be- renewed approach to preventing havior.” extremism. The Pentagon chief directed the Inconsistent experiences stand-down to address extremism Colón-López described the in February in response to the Jan. training as a “conversation” with 6 riot at the Capitol in Washington. legal experts, military police and Thirty-seven military veterans others. and active-duty service members Still, “death by PowerPoint” have been charged for their invol- came up in conversations with vement. members of the Army last week “This is just a step in what the after their training. Outside ex- DAVID CROZIER/The NCO Leadership Center of Excellence secretary believes will be [a] very perts were not always there to U.S. Army Master Sgt. Yairick McFadden, executive officer to the NCO Leadership Center of Excellence deliberate process to try and tack- help facilitate the discussions, commandant, kicks off an extremism stand­down training at the NCOLCoE on Fort Bliss, Texas, last week. le this problem. … It might bring which left supervisors without to light concerns and experience subject matter expertise on their warning signs. … They can hide it scribe things” and talk about what an environment of empathy and that he might not be aware of,” own. or lie to you,” he said. partisan means, she said. talking to each other, and not be- Pentagon spokesman John Kirby A sergeant at Fort Sam Houston The case studies, he said, were She said that having a rich dis- ing “afraid to send it up [the chain said in February. said his training was focused on blatant examples of extremism, cussion on what the First Amend- of command] if something’s going The Defense Department pro- Sexual Harassment/Assault Re- like a terrorist attack, which left ment is, the intent of the individu- wrong,” Santangelo said. vided loose guidelines on what sponse and Prevention training, or less-obvious “gray areas” for offi- als who were outside the Capitol “The idea now is that taking the form the stand-down should take, SHARP, as well as Equal Oppor- cers to figure out on their own. He and people who entered a govern- time to care about your soldiers including discussions about pro- tunity training, which is designed would have preferred a clear list ment building unlawfully would and talk to them and make them hibited activities, reporting extre- to prohibit discrimination. of examples with action items, a be fruitful. feel like they’re actually part of mist behavior, case studies and “It kind of felt like they were sentiment that was shared by oth- “You don’t have to have any the team is the No. 1 way to combat answers to common questions. trying to pack in all of the mandat- ers. type of partisan discussion on [extremism],” he said. Unit heads and supervisors could ed trainings in at once,” he said. The bulk of the training focused that,” she said, when you focus on then tailor the training. “A lot of people were like, ‘What on the examples, defining extre- the Constitution. What’s next The Army’s message: “Extre- was the point of this?’ ” mism and reporting extremist be- The DOD stand-down guide- mist activity is incongruent with A logistics officer at Fort Leo- havior, and the rest was giving Success story lines do not require unit heads to military life and will not be toler- nard Wood in Missouri said his “proof that it exists,” he said. Tyler Santangelo, a sergeant in provide feedback, but Colón-Ló- ated,” according to the office of training did a good job of focusing leadership school to become a pez said that the services will public affairs. on extremism, highlighting that a Political, not partisan staff sergeant at the Fort Sill Non- share lessons and identify gaps Active-duty members have un- person from any background can In interviews, soldiers drew Commissioned Officer Academy with the defense secretary. til April 6 to complete the training, be recruited or be active in an ex- equivalencies between the Black in Oklahoma, said his nine-hour- That could lead to more formal- while reserve forces have an addi- tremist organization. He said he Lives Matter racial protests last long training was valuable, but ized annual or professional mili- tional month to finish. was frustrated by how hard it is to year and the storming of the Capi- training at the academy was dif- tary training, or the establishment Ramón Colón-López, the senior identify red flags. tol on Jan. 6. They questioned the ferent than it is for most units. of a task force on extremism in the enlisted adviser to the Chairman In front of 50 soldiers in an audi- timing of the stand-down and “I got lucky enough to where I military, he said. of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told re- torium, the sergeant first class asked why it wasn’t done last year, did it at a noncommissioned offi- Bembenek, the U.S. Army War porters last week that the stand- leading the training asked the when protests occurred in Seattle, cer academy where there [are] College fellow, has ideas on ways down was delegated to the lowest group to point out the warning sparked by the murder of George trained instructors who know how to address extremism beyond the levels of unit command because signs after each case study. Floyd. to lead open discussion.” basics. the majority of troops are at that “That was the frustrating part Colón-López said last week that The training started with dis- Media literacy should be incor- level. because there really were no he was “concerned” over the num- cussing how the soldiers define porated into the training to equip ber of troops who shared that extremism and what it means un- soldiers with critical thinking view, from “every echelon.” der Army doctrine, and “how [ex- skills to decode fact from fiction The answer, he said, is simple: tremism] counteracts our values,” online, she said. “When the military was called up- Santangelo, 26, said in an inter- A bolstered civic education on to go ahead and support an ef- view last week. would also help, she said, so that fort, we did. We never got called Santangelo said that he and oth- troops better understand the mil- for the law enforcement issue that ers thought the training would be a itary oath. However, the most im- was happening in Seattle.” way to “weed out people on the portant part of combating extre- Christina Bembenek, an U.S. right side of the political spec- mism for her is having a constant Army War College fellow who has trum,” but that it opened his eyes dialogue so soldiers can openly ex- written about extremist theories to the types of extremism in the press their beliefs and views. and the military, said in an inter- ranks. “It’s good to be in an environ- view Monday that to ensure troops The Virginia native said he ment where soldiers can ask the know the difference between the learned how to identify red flags tough questions and leaders can two events, it’s important to make — noticing people who actively think about it, research it, talk to them understand that while the disengage from the group, no mat- outside sources and then come military is not partisan, it is politi- ter the situation, for example — back and say, ‘All right, let’s talk cal. and how to target young people to more about this,’ ” she said. “This “We follow the orders of the combat isolation early. is just the start of this conversa- KEVIN SPENCE/U.S. Army elected politicians in the govern- One way to prevent loneliness is tion.” Capt. Heath Kennedy, 1­409th Brigade Engineer Battalion Alpha ment. … We are political. But we to encourage new soldiers to con-

Team Observer, Coach and Trainer officer in charge, leads a are not partisan. And that’s where tact their parents when they get to [email protected] discussion on extremism earlier this month in Radcliff, Ky. I think we need to more clearly de- the unit. The key is also fostering Twitter: @sarahjcamm Friday, March 26, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 5 MILITARY Lawmakers seek Dutch to invest millions to expand US Army weapons depot in Europe

BY JOHN VANDIVER extremism data Stars and Stripes STUTTGART, Germany — The Netherlands will spend BY SARAH CAMMARATA ruary at a news conference, he more than $40 million to expand Stars and Stripes said he expects the numbers of a U.S. Army weapons depot in WASHINGTON — House law- extremists “to be small. But I the country, where gear is pre- makers on Wednesday voiced would just say that, you know, positioned for soldiers to draw concern over an absence of cen- small numbers in this case can from in a crisis, defense officials tralized Defense Department data have an outsized impact.” said. on how many extremists there are Lawmakers on the committee “The planned improvements in the military as Congress looks largely agreed Wednesday that are necessary due to the fact that for ways to tackle the issue after while the vast majority of those the U.S. wishes to expand and in- the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. who serve do not espouse extre- tensify its use of (the depot),” the Data on extremism in the mil- mist views, any risk to national se- Dutch Defense Ministry said in a itary “is indeed really poor. It is curity should be examined and statement Wednesday. hard to have a conversation about any military member who seeks The funds will be used to reno- this when we don’t have the data to delegitimize the government vate storage hangars at the site 405TH ARMY FIELD SUPPORT BRIGADE and when we don’t have the De- needs to be weeded out of the and improve infrastructure, in- Dutch Defense Minister Ank Bijleveld delivers remarks at the 405th partment of Defense to talk ranks. cluding a rail connection adja- Army Field Support Brigade's Army Prepositioned Stock­2 site at through these issues,” Rep. Elissa Cronin explained Defense De- cent to the site. Eygelshoven in the Netherlands, on Wednesday. Slotkin, D-Mich., said during a partment services and agencies U.S. Army Europe and Africa House Armed Services Commit- are not collecting centralized data has in recent years added nu- there, including 765 vehicles. around Europe will house an Ar- tee hearing on the issue. to measure “allegations, disciplin- merous pre-positioned stock During a visit Wednesday to mored Brigade Combat Team’s- The witness panel for the hear- ary infractions, discharges, or sites on the Continent. The pre- the site, Dutch Defense Minister worth of equipment, as well as ing did not include Defense De- reprimands related to extre- positioning program was devel- Ank Bijleveld said the expansion engineer, artillery, military po- partment officials and was made mism.” It is also unclear how oped as a way to add combat project “not only contributes to lice, logistical and medical capa- up of experts from the Southern many military members are iden- power that forces could quickly bilateral relations between the bilities, according to U.S. Army Poverty Law Center and the legal tified as extremists and how many access in a crisis or during exer- U.S. and the Netherlands, but al- Europe and Africa. nonprofit First Liberty Institute, crimes they have committed. cises, military officials said. Oth- so to trans-Atlantic and Europe- Earlier this month, about 35 as well as a professor from Amer- “Military leaders like to say that er stock locations are in Germa- an security.” next-generation M109A7 Paladin ican University. you cannot fix what you cannot ny, Belgium, Italy and Poland. Expanding Eygelshoven will Artillery Systems and M992A3 Slotkin said if the committee is measure, and no serious plan can The Dutch location in Eygel- “improve military mobility in Field Artillery Ammunition Sup- discussing Defense Department be built without defining the shoven, which opened in 2016, in- Europe and contribute to deter- port Vehicles were put into stor- action on extremism in the ranks, scope of the problem,” Cronin cludes 450,000 square feet of rence,” Bijleveld said. “It gives age at the Army’s Coleman Bar- Pentagon officials should be given said. warehouse space and 50,000 further meaning to our role as racks in Mannheim, Germany. the “opportunity to talk about the Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., square feet of paved storage for ‘gateway to Europe,’ as transit breadth of the problem, once agreed. heavy vehicles. Some 7,000 piec- and host nation.” [email protected] they’ve had a full chance to re- “We seem to lack an agreed up- es of Army equipment are stored By next year, Army depots Twitter: @john_vandiver view it.” on baseline in fact from which we During the hearing, lawmakers could even measure an increase sparred over ways to get at the or decrease in extremism,” he problem as extremism stand- said. downs take place at bases around Without clear data and without the world for all branches of the Defense Department witnesses to military at the direction of De- testify on the issue, Gallagher fense Secretary Lloyd Austin. said: “I fear we’re left making Military leaders must gather with somewhat wild suppositions their units by the first week of based on our ideological priors, April to discuss what extremism which is never a good place to be.” is, how and when to report it, and Rep. Mike Rogers, of Alabama, what it means to serve. the ranking Republican on the Austin ordered the stand- committee, said if “there’s better downs in February in response to data to be had, then we should ad- the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. Thir- dress that in the [National De- ty-seven military veterans and ac- fense Authorization Act],” the an- tive-duty service members have nual bill that sets Pentagon policy been charged for their involve- and spending priorities. ment, so far, according to a recent Cronin told lawmakers that one analysis from CBS News. way to collect data is to use com- Audrey Kurth Cronin, director mand climate surveys that are of the Center for Security, Innova- used to assess the readiness of a tion and New Technology at command. A question about ex- American University, told the tremism could be added to the as- committee Tuesday that the most sessment that service members urgent problem in finding ways to take anonymously to get a better address extremism is an “absence sense of the extent of the problem. of good data.” She also proposed creating a “The 2021 Capitol insurrection consistent discharge code that can leaves the impression that the be tracked. Congress should di- number of extremists in the mil- rect the services to provide them itary is increasing. Yet, DOD offi- with a regular report that includes cials repeatedly claim that the cases that are reported through number is small. No one truly the discharge process, as well as knows. No serious plan can be cases that naturally come up inde- built without defining the scope of pendent of that process. the problem,” she said.

When the defense secretary an- [email protected] nounced the stand-down in Feb- @Sarahjcamm PAGE 6 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, March 26, 2021 MILITARY Vets, experts are part of sexual assault board

BY CAITLIN M. KENNEY website regarding the commis- The commission was formally Stars and Stripes sion. announced Feb. 26 following an WASHINGTON — Military vet- The commission members are order from President Joe Biden to erans and experts on violence Cindy Dyer, retired Marine Corps establish the organization to find against women are among the 12 Brig. Gen. James Schwenk, Megh- solutions to sexual assault and new members of the Pentagon’s an Tokash, Dr. Debra Houry, Neil sexual harassment in the military. ANDREW HARNIK/AP Independent Review Commission Irvin, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Austin has tasked the top uni- Lynn Rosenthal, chairwoman of the Department of Defense's on Sexual Assault in the Military, James Johnson, Army Lt. Col. formed leaders for each of the De- Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military, the organization’s chairwoman Bridgette Bell, Kris Fuhr, Ky- fense Department’s five military speaks during a media briefing at the Pentagon, on Wednesday. announced Wednesday. leanne Hunter, Indira Henard, services to submit internal re- “I think that these folks who Kristina Rose and Kayla Wil- views of each service’s prevention duced sexual assault within the ally been solicited in this debate. we’re bringing in will be looking at liams. policies and also asked the under- ranks. We are right where we And I think that’s part of what’s this with fresh eyes,” Lynn Rosen- The organization’s first meeting secretary of defense for personnel started. Nothing has changed,” different, new voices at the table.” thal said during a news briefing at was held Wednesday and was at- and readiness to find data and in- she said in her opening remarks. Along with the 12 executive the Pentagon. tended by Defense Secretary formation on the latest initiatives But at the Pentagon, Rosenthal members, the commission has an The 12 members are split into Lloyd Austin as well as Gen. Mark for preventing violence. highlighted the untapped exper- “advisory support team” consist- four “lines of effort”: accountabil- Milley, the chairman of the Joint At the same time the commis- tise and experiences that the ing of senior Pentagon leaders, in- ity, prevention, climate and cul- Chiefs of Staff. sion’s members were announced, members bring to addressing mil- cluding members of the Joint Staff ture, and victim care and support. “Sexual assault and sexual ha- the Senate Armed Services Com- itary sexual assault. and the acting service secretaries. The commission is made up most- rassment in our military remains mittee was holding a hearing with “You will see that there are In addition, each “line of effort” ly of women and slightly more a significant problem, but we are victim advocates and experts on more women than men serving on has a working group made up of than half of the members are vet- taking action,” Austin said in a se- sexual assault in the military. Sen. this panel, that there are experts Defense Department leaders and erans, according to Rosenthal. ries of tweets about the commis- Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., was in gender integration into the subject-matter experts for the They include military academy sion. “Their recommendations skeptical that another commission forces serving on this panel, that military services. graduates, prosecutors, and vic- will be taken with the utmost grav- on the subject would really fix the there are civilian advocates,” she tim advocates, according to mem- ity, and I look forward to review- problem. said. “These are folks whose [email protected] ber biographies on the Pentagon’s ing them upon completion.” “Not one of these steps has re- views, quite honestly, haven’t re- Twitter: @caitlinmkenney Gillibrand: Retired airman says fewer cases are being prosecuted islative session. climate “permissive” of sexual as- being sexually assaulted, they single sex offense in the military. FROM PAGE 1 “There is no accountability sault and harassment. It also in- have no bug out plan. They can’t After 246 years, it’s time for Con- conducted prevalence surveys, right now in the military,” said cluded specific ways that the Ar- just go to a rape crisis center when gress to give the men and women Gillibrand said. “Military leader- Natalie Khawam, attorney for the my’s program to respond to and they’re in Afghanistan. They’re serving our nation, a justice sys- ship has come before us and said family of Spc. Vanessa Guillen, a prevent sexual assault and ha- not like a college student, they tem worthy of their sacrifices.” that the chain of command would soldier who was killed by another rassment is failing soldiers. can’t say, ‘Mom and Dad, come Retired Army Col. Lawrence J. solve this problem. They’re not soldier at Fort Hood, Texas, near- Military leaders have told Con- get me,’ ” she said. “They can be Morris, chief of staff and counsel- solving the problem. They have ly one year ago. Guillen told her gress that removing prosecution prosecuted if they just leave to or to the president of the Catholic failed.” family that she faced sexual ha- decisions from commanders un- make themselves safe.” University of America, was the Many of the witnesses, includ- rassment at the base but was too dercuts their authority and ability Meanwhile, Gillibrand said main objector among the hear- ing Quinton McNair, a retired Ar- afraid to report it because some of to maintain unit discipline. prosecution and conviction rates ing’s witnesses. my veteran with more than seven those harassers were in her chain Sen. Thom Tillis, of North Car- have gone down. In 2010, the mil- “If this act were to pass, com- years in the field of victim advoca- of command. olina, the ranking Republican on itary had a 24% conviction rate. In manders would be just as respon- cy, offered suggestions on how the “A lot of people have a loyalty to the committee, said Wednesday 2019, it dropped to 7%, which sible for their service members as military could do a better job, in- the chain of command, but it’s that he warned service secretar- amounted to 264 cases, she said. they are today. They would just cluding by holding perpetrators proven a failure. It’s proven to ies about a month ago that they In 2014, there were 422 cases with have an emptier toolbox. It’s para- accountable. have failed, and we need improve- are losing ground. convictions. doxical to leave this responsibility “People who commit sexual as- ment,” Khawam said. “I’m here to “There are members that are Retired Air Force Col. Don to commanders, but to take away sault are like sharks hunting. You support any kind of improvement beginning to wonder whether or Christensen, president of Protect a key element of authority and un- aren’t aware of them until they at- reform to the military so our sol- not we should keep the current Our Defenders, further broke dermine good order and disci- tack. Through accountability, we diers have a voice, they have the structure,” he said, citing the Fort down those numbers in his testi- pline and military readiness, even can make the water so hostile to rights that we all have and they Hood report for sowing doubt. mony. In fiscal year 2014, there more true in a deployed environ- the shark that they are afraid to have the protections that they de- Tillis said the challenge of sex- were 4,660 unrestricted reports of ment which the legislation doesn’t hunt,” he said. “Lack of account- serve.” ual assault in the military is no dif- sexual assault or rape. Of those, account for,” he said. ability emboldens them.” The attorney also worked last ferent than in society or on college 588, or about 12.4%, were prose- “Three percent of commanders No accountability also contra- year with the Guillen family to in- campuses. cuted and resulted in 204 noncon- have convening authority for felo- dicts the effort of service mem- troduce the I am Vanessa Guillen “I don’t want the young men sensual sex convictions. nies and above,” Gillibrand said. bers and civilians working within Act, which is similar to Gilli- and women who are considering By fiscal year 2019, the number “So your testimony is saying that units to support victims and pre- brand’s bill, but only applies to going into the military to think it’s of unrestricted reports rose to 3% of commanders will have less vent future assaults, McNair said. sex crimes. It also makes sexual a more dangerous environment 5,699, but prosecutions and con- tools in their toolbox. Is that not, Gillibrand introduced legisla- harassment a crime under the say at the service academies than victions plummeted to 363 with therefore, saying that 97% of com- tion in 2013 that would overhaul Uniform Code of Military Justice what they’re going to find in any 138 sex crime convictions, he said. manders will have the same tools the military justice system and and changes the options for ser- fine U.S. institution across this “They’re taking fewer, not they have today?” take the decision to prosecute cer- vice members who report as- country,” he said. more cases to trial, and they’re Morris disagreed. tain serious crimes such as sexual saults. Amy Braley Franck, founder of losing them at a much greater “It’s not just a matter of prefer- assaults out of the hands of com- Khawam said they intend to re- Never Alone, which provides ad- rate,” Christensen said. “Sexual ring a case to trial. It’s a collabora- manders and give it to independ- introduce the legislation this year. vocacy and support for victims, assault and rape appropriately tive in developing impact on the ent, trained military prosecutors. Guillen’s death also resulted in disagreed. put the military justice system un- case, from when it starts into the “The justice system simply is in the creation of the Fort Hood In- “All the Gold Star mothers that der the spotlight, but I … would system,” he said. the wrong hands,” she said. dependent Review Committee, I talk to [said] when their chil- strongly advocate for profession-

Gillibrand has not yet reintro- which released a report in De- dren, their soldiers, were de- alizing and modernizing the jus- [email protected] duced the bill into this year’s leg- cember that found the base had a ployed, or out of the country and tice system, even if there was not a Twitter: @Rose_Lori Friday, March 26, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 7 MILITARY IG: Ex-Navy auditor harassed female workers BY LOLITA C. BALDOR ship” with one subordinate in ex- conduct a 90-day assessment of tions are coming from as I stated his staff and advisors, including Associated Press change for job promotions and the problem and make recom- in my comments.” legal advisors, vet Mr. Booth and WASHINGTON — A former other professional help, the re- mendations for changes in pre- The inspector general did not other candidates before making a Navy civilian auditor sexually ha- port said. vention, the treatment of victims substantiate allegations that the selection,” the report said. rassed at least a dozen female em- The report said Booth’s interac- and the military justice system Navy’s former acting secretary, U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Cal- ployees for more than two dec- tions with female employees cre- for perpetrators. Thomas Modly, knew about sex- if., and Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, ades as part of a pervasive pattern ated a hostile and intimidating Booth resigned in September ual harassment accusations D-N.Y., have been pressing the of misconduct and retaliation, ac- work environment, causing a 2019, shortly after the probe into against Booth but promoted him Pentagon for action on the matter. cording to a government watch- number of the women to leave his behavior began. During his in- anyway. It found that Modly re- On Wednesday, Speier called dog report released Wednesday. their jobs or ask for transfers. It terviews, he denied sexually ha- lied on staff to alert him to any the report a “sickening and stun- The report by the Defense De- also concluded that employees rassing female subordinates and problems with Booth’s promotion ning indictment,” which is “all the partment’s inspector general had an “unfavorable perception” said “he had an open door policy and that he was told there were more appalling because he was found that former Navy Auditor of how complaints were handled, for mentoring” and there was “no none. allowed to retire with a full pen- General Ronnie Booth engaged in and so were discouraged from re- difference between how he men- The report noted that some em- sion.” “quid pro quo sexual propositions porting his behavior. tored men and women,” the re- ployees complained about Speier, who is head of the when interacting with female The release of the report comes port said. Booth’s behavior in anonymous House Military Personnel Sub- subordinates at the Naval Audit as the Defense Department con- According to the report, when comments in the 2018 job climate committee, added, “Every senior Service.” It said he requested tinues to struggle with efforts to the inspector general informed survey that workers fill out. federal agency leader must read “sexual favors in exchange for ca- curtail sexual assault and harass- Booth of its conclusions, he left a “We determined that Mr. Mod- this report and consider what reer advancement, all under the ment across the force. Soon after voicemail saying, “The com- ly complied with DoD and Navy they are doing to prevent, detect, guise of professional career ‘men- his confirmation, Defense Secre- ments that I gave during my inter- standards when he was informed and stamp out toxic sexual ha- toring’.” Booth also was in a “spo- tary Lloyd Austin created an in- view, I stand by those. Again, I of the sexual harassment allega- rassment anywhere it occurs in radic long-term sexual relation- dependent review commission to don’t know where these accusa- tions against Mr. Booth by having their agencies.” Airstrikes ‘pummel’ ISIS in Iraq as US preps for Baghdad talks BY CHAD GARLAND The new data were released halved its troop strength in the en- Stars and Stripes ahead of the latest round of talks suing months, closing several The U.S.-led coalition against between Baghdad and Washing- bases and consolidating forces on- the Islamic State has conducted ton about continued cooperation. to a few larger installations. more airstrikes in Iraq this month “The meetings will further clar- Rocket attacks, which the Pen- than it did all of last year, destroy- ify that coalition forces are in Iraq tagon has blamed on Iran-backed ing scores of enemy positions and at the invitation of the Iraqi gov- Shiite militias, continue to target killing dozens of terrorists. ernment and solely for the pur- diplomatic areas and military Coalition jets carried out over pose of training and advising Iraqi bases housing U.S. forces and oth- 150 strikes against ISIS fighters in forces to ensure that ISIS cannot er American personnel. the mountains south of Mosul this reconstitute,” White House press Some 8,000 to 16,000 ISIS mili- month, U.S. and Iraqi military of- secretary Jen Psaki said at a brief- tants also remain a threat in both ficials said earlier this week. An ing Wednesday. “We are commit- Iraq and Syria, the Pentagon’s In- analysis of previous coalition ted, first and foremost, to Iraqi spector General said in a Febru- TREVOR MCBRIDE/U.S. Air Force strike data shows fewer than 120 sovereignty.” ary report. A year earlier, those A U.S. Air Force F­16 Fighting Falcon aircraft departs after receiving airstrikes were carried out against A first round of the “strategic numbers were estimated to be at fuel from a KC­135 Stratotanker aircraft during a mission in ISIS in Iraq all of last year. dialogue” was held last year amid 14,000 to 18,000, it said. southwest Asia, on Feb. 16. Including Iraqi air force and ar- high tensions after a series of at- But since the group was ousted my aviation operations, a total of tacks between Washington and from the last of its territorial hold- kind” operation, Iraqi counterter- nounce their surrender to our 312 airstrikes have destroyed 120 Tehran since late 2019 that have ings, coalition and Iraqi forces rorism snipers have been watch- brave men.” enemy positions and killed 27 ter- played out largely on Iraqi soil, in- have been sweeping the deserts ing caves in hard-to-reach, high- On Tuesday, Marotto shared rorists, Col. Wayne Marotto, a cluding a drone strike outside the and mountains where insurgents elevation areas, where ISIS fight- one of Rasool’s tweets that said spokesman for the military coali- Baghdad airport that killed Maj. are holding out. ers have been hiding out, Iraqi De- coalition jets had carried out 133 tion, said in a tweet Wednesday. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, head of The coalition strikes this month fense Ministry spokesman Yehia strikes in the first 10 days of the “The mission was to destroy Iran’s elite Quds Force, a U.S.- were part of Operation Ready Li- Rasool said in a series of translat- operation. On Tuesday, coalition Daesh hiding out in some tough designated a terrorist organiza- on, which began March 9 in a rug- ed tweets Wednesday. jets conducted “another 18 preci- terrain of caves and tunnels, os- tion. ged mountain range near an inter- The strikes “caused their killing sion airstrikes pummeling 39 tensibly the last redoubt of the so- In the wake of the assassination, nal border between areas con- and fleeing,” Rasool wrote. “They Daesh dwellings,” Marotto said. called caliphate,” Marotto said in Iraqi lawmakers called for U.S. trolled by the Iraqi federal gov- received the fire of truth from the an email, using an Arabic term for and coalition forces to leave the ernment and others in the Kurdish anti-terror snipers, which [email protected] ISIS. country. The Pentagon roughly region. During the “first of its prompted ISIS members to an- Twitter: @chadgarland Mildenhall airman sentenced for possessing child pornography Stars and Stripes Charles J. Weidie to a reduction to under the alias Mdreader1982, sic analyst, testified that nearly punishment. I ask that (the court) RAF MILDENHALL, England E-1, forfeiture of all pay and a dis- which discussed fantasies involv- 8,000 files involving child pornog- show mercy.” — An airman who participated in honorable discharge. ing harm to their own family. The raphy were found on Souders’ lap- Following the trial, the 100th Air child pornography chat rooms and Souders was found guilty on wife left the home and reported top dating back to May 2018. Refueling Wing credited the trial collected thousands of illegal por- counts of viewing indecent mate- Souders to the Air Force Office of “I cannot begin to express how team for their efforts in a state- nographic files was sentenced to rial and possessing and viewing Special Investigations the follow- sorry I am for my actions,” Soud- ment. nine years in prison after being child pornography, but was ac- ing day. ers said in an unsworn statement “The Government is satisfied found guilty of related charges at a quitted of attempted sexual as- The first few weeks after leav- during the sentencing phase of the with the outcome of the trial … we court-martial Thursday. sault of a child and one count of ing home “were like a surreal trial. “I am deeply ashamed of my feel justice has been served,” the Tech. Sgt. Garret Souders, of committing a lewd act on a child. nightmare,” Souders’ wife said actions. statement said. the 488th Intelligence Wing out at An investigation began in Janu- during testimony. “I didn’t sleep, I “For the rest of my life, I will

RAF Mildenhall, was also sen- ary 2019 after Souders’ wife found forgot to eat.” live with the guilt of hurting my [email protected] tenced by military judge Col. chat conversations on his phone Eric Hernandez, a digital foren- family. I know I am deserving of Twitter: @Kalv2931 PAGE 8 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, March 26, 2021 VIRUS OUTBREAK Lawmaker urges vaccine required for US troops

BY COREY DICKSTEIN knowledged they have had diffi- Stars and Stripes culty convincing some troops to President Joe Biden should receive the shot, largely due to make coronavirus vaccinations skepticism about the vaccines’ mandatory for American troops, a safety and efficacy. They have House lawmaker wrote in a letter said at least some of that hesitan- AKIFUMI ISHIKAWA/Stars and Stripes sent Wednesday to the White cy is due to vaccine misinforma- People visiting an observation point check out housing towers and other buildings at Yokosuka Naval Base, House. tion rampant on social media. Top Japan, on March 19. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., Pentagon officials including De- urged Biden to issue a waiver to fense Secretary Lloyd Austin allow the Pentagon to make coro- have repeatedly implored troops navirus vaccinations mandatory to take the vacci- Adviser: Coronavirus rate among for troops, about one-third of nation as soon as whom are declining the inocula- they are eligible, US military in Japan is below 1% tions, according to Pentagon esti- insisting the mates. The Defense Department shots are safe. BY JOSEPH DITZLER ed five new coronavirus patients U.S. Forces Korea reported cannot mandate service members Other service Stars and Stripes Wednesday evening and Thurs- Thursday that seven service receive any of the three coronavi- members have TOKYO — The U.S. military in day. Marine Corps Air Station members have tested positive af- rus vaccines being provided to declined the Japan and South Korea reported Iwakuni on Thursday said one ter arriving on the peninsula since the American public because the shots simply be- 14 new coronavirus patients as of person tested positive and went March 8. Three arrived from the Panetta Food and Drug Administration cause they have 6 p.m. Thursday, some dating immediately into quarantine after U.S. at Osan on the Patriot Ex- approved them on an emergency the power to refuse it unlike other back nearly three weeks. recently arriving in Japan. press, a government-chartered authorization. fully FDA-authorized inocula- The winter coronavirus surge Kadena Air Base on Okinawa air service, on March 8 and Mon- Only the president has the pow- tions required by the Defense De- has tapered to a stubborn daily had four people contract the coro- day. Four arrived on commercial er to override that regulation, Pa- partment, defense officials have baseline of hundreds of fresh navirus, according to a base Face- flights at Incheon International netta said, asking Biden to issue a concluded. cases each day in both countries. book post Wednesday. One indi- Airport on March 11 and Monday. waiver as soon as possible. In his letter, Panetta, a veteran In Japan, however, the infec- vidual fell ill with COVID-19 Four tested positive before en- “Vaccinating every eligible ser- of the Afghanistan War and a tion rate is just 0.02% for the ap- symptoms and self-isolated be- tering the mandatory two-week vice member will improve read- House Armed Services Commit- proximately 107,000 U.S. troops, fore testing positive. The second quarantine, and three came up iness and have an immediate and tee member, insisted the Defense civilian employees, contractors person tested positive after con- positive on the test required to ex- positive impact on the communi- Department would undoubtedly and family members, the senior tact with a previously infected in- it quarantine. All were subse- ties in which they serve,” Panetta, make the vaccine mandatory enlisted adviser for U.S. Forces dividual, and the third patient quently isolated at Osan or Camp a Navy veteran, wrote in the letter once it gains full authorization, Japan said Thursday on Ameri- tested positive after a co-worker Humphreys. signed by six other House Demo- and speeding that process up via can Forces Network Radio. contracted the virus. The fourth Late Wednesday, Camp Hovey, crats. “Requiring DOD to obtain a presidential waiver could “save U.S. installations do not uni- person tested positive upon arriv- a small Army installation just informed consent prior to vacci- lives.” formly publicize the number of ing in Japan. south of the Demilitarized Zone, nation is not only harmful to our “The bureaucratic process of active patients, but USFJ report- South Korea reported 430 new had one person test positive Tues- national security, but contrary to final approval of these vaccines ed 35 on March 18. Public health infections Wednesday, according day after becoming ill with CO- the best interests of service mem- … will waste precious time in the measures like wearing masks and to the Korea Disease Control and VID-19 symptoms, according to a bers, their families, communities, department’s fight against this vi- washing hands, along with distri- Prevention Agency. New, one-day USFK news release. On Thurs- and colleagues.” rus,” Panetta wrote. “The end re- bution of vaccines, appear to help case numbers there have ranged day, the camp reported a second Reps. James McGovern, of sult of mandatory vaccinations stem the virus’ spread. from 469 on March 17 to 346 on person had contracted the virus Massachusetts; Sara Jacobs, of for members of the armed forces “We’re not out of the woods, Tuesday, according to the World from someone recently infected. California; Cindy Axne, of Iowa; will almost certainly be the yet,” Command Chief Master Sgt. Health Organization. Both patients are quarantined at Marc Veasey, of Texas; Marilyn same.” Richard Winegardner said Seoul reported 125 new cases Humphreys. Strickland; of Washington; and Thursday. “We’re close; we’re Wednesday, according to the Jahana Hayes, of Connecticut, al- Stars and Stripes reporter Caitlin M. Kenney close. But we’re not out of the agency. Gyeonggi province, the Stars and Stripes reporter Yoo Kyong Chang contributed to this report. contributed to this report. so signed the letter. [email protected] woods yet.” home of Camp Humphreys and [email protected] Defense officials have ac- Twitter: @CDicksteinDC Two U.S. bases in Japan report- Osan Air Base, had 147. Twitter: @JosephDitzler US jobless claims fall to 684,000, fewest since pandemic Associated Press from 18.2 million in the previous week. than double January’s total. ployment rate will reach 4.5% by the end of WASHINGTON — The number of peo- Roughly one-third of those recipients are Credit card data from JPMorgan Chase this year, down from the current 6.2%. ple seeking unemployment benefits fell in extended federal aid programs, which showed that consumer spending jumped Across the country, economic activity sharply last week to 684,000, the fewest means they’ve been unemployed for at last week as the $1,400 checks that are go- slowed in February as severe winter since the pandemic erupted a year ago and least six months. ing to most adults under President Joe Bi- weather caused sharp drops in home sales, a sign that the economy is improving. Their prolonged joblessness could prove den’s $1.9 trillion emergency aid package retail spending and orders for heavy facto- Thursday’s report from the Labor De- to be a long-term hindrance: Typically, began to be paid out. The Treasury says it ry goods. Most economists, though, say partment showed that jobless claims fell many people who have been unemployed has so far distributed 127 million payments they think the economy is now rebounding from 781,000 the week before. It is the first for extended periods struggle to find work worth $325 billion. as the weather improves and additional time that weekly applications for jobless even as the economy regains its health. Last week, Federal Reserve policymak- support from the new $1.9 trillion federal aid have fallen below 700,000 since mid- The economy has been showing signs of ers substantially boosted their forecast for rescue package kicks in. March of last year. Before the pandemic emerging from the pandemic crisis with the economy this year, anticipating growth There are still risks that could frustrate tore through the economy, applications renewed vigor, with spending picking up, of 6.5% for 2021, up from an estimate of just such hopes. The number of new daily coro- had never topped that level. manufacturing strengthening and employ- 4.2% three months ago. That would be the navirus infections has leveled off, though Still, a total of 18.9 million people are ers adding workers. Hiring increased in fastest pace of expansion in any year since hospitalizations and deaths continue to continuing to collect jobless benefits, up February, with 379,000 added jobs — more 1984. The Fed also projects that the unem- fall. Friday, March 26, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 9 VIRUS OUTBREAK Better US outlook: Vaccinations rise, deaths fall

Associated Press Public health experts in the U.S. More than three months into the are taking every opportunity to U.S. vaccination drive, many of warn that relaxing social distanc- the numbers paint an increasingly ing and other preventive mea- encouraging picture, with 70% of sures could easily lead to another Americans 65 and older receiving surge. at least one dose of the vaccine and Dr. Eric Topol, head of the COVID-19 deaths dipping below Scripps Research Translational 1,000 a day on average for the first Institute, sees red flags in states time since November. lifting mask mandates, air travel Also, dozens of states have roaring back and spring break thrown open vaccinations to all crowds partying out of control in adults or are planning to do so in a Florida. matter of weeks. And the White “We’re getting closer to the exit House said 27 million doses of ramp,” Topol said. “All we’re do- both the one-shot and two-shot ing by having reopenings is jeop- vaccines will be distributed next ardizing our shot to get, finally, for week, more than three times the the first time in the American pan- number when President Joe Bi- demic, containment of the virus.” den took office two months ago. Across the country are unmis- Still, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the takable signs of progress. government’s top infectious dis- More than 43% of Americans 65 ease expert, said Wednesday he and older — the most vulnerable isn’t ready to declare victory. age group, accounting for an out- “I’m often asked, are we turning size share of the nation’s more the corner?” Fauci said at a White than 540,000 coronavirus deaths House briefing. “My response is — have been fully vaccinated, ac- really more like we are at the cor- cording to the CDC. The number ner. Whether or not we’re going to of older adults showing up in be turning that corner still re- emergency rooms with COVID-19 mains to be seen.” is down significantly. Vaccina- What’s giving Fauci pause, he tions overall have ramped up to RICK BOWMER/AP said, is that new cases remain at a 2.5 million to 3 million shots per Porter Jones receives his Pfizer vaccination Wednesday in Sandy, Utah. All people in Utah age 16 and stubbornly high level, at more day. older became eligible to receive COVID­19 vaccinations Wednesday. than 50,000 per day. The United Deaths per day in the U.S. from States on Wednesday surpassed COVID-19 have dropped to an av- Control and Prevention, said dozen states, including Texas, Ari- The number of daily travelers at 30 million confirmed cases, ac- erage of 940, down from an all- Wednesday. That’s because “the zona, Utah and Georgia, are open- U.S. airports has consistently cording to data collected by Johns time high of over 3,400 in mid-Ja- early data are really encourag- ing up vaccinations to everyone topped 1 million over the past Hopkins University. The number nuary. ing.” over 16. At least 20 other states week and a half amid spring break of deaths now stands at more than Minnesota health officials on Nationwide, new cases and the have pledged to do so in the next at many colleges. 545,000. Monday reported no new deaths number of people hospitalized few weeks. States such as Michigan and Nonetheless, the outlook in the from COVID-19 for the first time with COVID-19 have plummeted Microsoft, which employs more New Jersey are also seeing rising U.S. stands in stark contrast to the in nearly a year. And in New Or- over the past two months, though than 50,000 people at its global cases. deteriorating situation in places leans, the Touro Infirmary hospi- Walensky remains concerned that headquarters in suburban Seattle, National numbers are an imper- like Brazil, which reported more tal was not treating a single case such progress seemed to stall in has said it will start bringing back fect indicator. The favorable than 3,000 COVID-19 deaths in a for the first time since March the past couple of weeks. New workers on March 29 and reopen downward trend in some states single day for the first time Tues- 2020. cases are running at more than installations that have been closed can conceal an increase in case day, and across Europe, where an- And Fauci cited two recent 53,000 a day on average, down for nearly a year. numbers in others, particularly other wave of infections is leading studies that show negligible levels from a peak of a quarter-million in New York City’s 80,000 munici- smaller ones, said Ali Mokdad, to new lockdowns. of coronavirus infections among early January. pal employees, who have been professor of health metrics sci- The gloom in Europe is com- fully vaccinated health care work- That’s uncomfortably close to working remotely during the pan- ences at the University of Wash- pounded because the vaccine rol- ers in Texas and California. levels seen during the COVID-19 demic, will return to their offices ington in Seattle. lout on the Continent has been “I emphasize how we need to wave of last summer. starting May 3. The more contagious variant slowed by production delays and hang in there for just a little while Biden has pushed for states to Still, experts see reason to wor- that originated in Britain has now questions about the safety and ef- longer,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, make all adults eligible to be vac- ry as more Americans start trav- also been identified in nearly ev- fectiveness of AstraZeneca’s shot. director of the Centers for Disease cinated by May 1. A least a half- eling and socializing again. ery state, he said. Most US personnel in Middle East could be vaccinated by early April

BY J.P. LAWRENCE The Johnson & Johnson vaccine Base in Qatar, Roxberry said in a ations in Afghanistan, Iraq and enough doses of their own to vac- Stars and Stripes is 85% effective in preventing se- statement. Syria. cinate everyone in the region who KABUL, Afghanistan — A large vere or critical cases of COVID-19 Troops and civilian personnel “We expect to fully finish vacci- wants it, Roxberry said in the batch of the one-dose Johnson & at least 28 days after vaccination, in Afghanistan first received the nating those troops soon,” Rox- statement. Johnson coronavirus vaccine according to the U.S. Food and Johnson & Johnson vaccine berry said. Those in other parts of The United States declined the heading to the Middle East and Drug Administration, which au- March 15, NATO Resolute Sup- CENTCOM will have increased vaccines despite shortages, de- Afghanistan could allow U.S. Cen- thorized the vaccine for emergen- port said. Inoculations with the access when more than 5,000 dos- lays and vaccine appointment tral Command to inoculate most cy use in late February. two-shot Moderna vaccine began es arrive in Qatar before the end cancellations at some bases in Eu- overseas personnel who want the About 20,000 military and civil- in mid-January. of March, she added. rope in recent weeks. shots by early April, military offi- ian personnel in CENTCOM, or Military and civilian DOD per- Prior to the arrival of the latest More than 170,000 service cials said Thursday. about 35% of the eligible popula- sonnel are eligible for the vaccine, batch of vaccines, the Qatar gov- members and about 90,000 com- About 26,000 doses of the John- tion, have completed vaccinations the statement said, in addition to ernment offered 5,000 doses from bined family members, civilians son & Johnson vaccine are ex- with either the Johnson & John- coalition and military members their supply to troops at Al Udeid and contractors have tested posi- pected to arrive at overseas bases son or Moderna vaccine, com- working with or training under Air Base a few weeks ago out of tive for the virus as of Wednes- in the next couple of weeks, mand spokeswoman Lt. Col. Ka- U.S. advisers. Troops will contin- “goodwill and generosity,” said day, the Defense Department’s CENTCOM officials said. The ren Roxberry said. ue to wear masks and practice so- Brig. Mohamed Al Nassr, security coronavirus website reported. new batch follows a shipment of That includes 3,600 personnel cial distancing. attache for the Qatari Embassy.

20,000 doses that arrived earlier in Afghanistan, 2,900 in Iraq and The initial batches of vaccine U.S. military officials said they [email protected] this month. Syria, and 460 at Al Udeid Air prioritized those supporting oper- appreciated the gift but have Twitter: @jplawrence3 PAGE 10 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, March 26, 2021 VETERANS DNA databases help unite US vets, children BY SETH ROBSON vorced in 2001 that he started Stars and Stripes searching for his child, making a David Clark traveled the world trip to Vietnam every year, he said. as an Army noncommissioned offi- Reichl found Hjort online and, cer, serving in South Korea, Ger- after a decadelong search, contact- many, Iraq and Vietnam in support ed Hoa, who responded to an ad- of President Bill Clinton’s historic vertisement placed in a Vietname- visit in 2000. se newspaper, he said. At the time, he never would have Hoa, who declined to be inter- guessed that he had Vietnamese viewed for this article, was living in family living nearby. the Mekong Delta, and the pair met Clark, 50, a civilian employee of for the first time since the war Military Sealift Command living in when Reichl visited in 2016. Norfolk, Va., got a surprise after “She said our daughter was born sending a DNA sample to Ances- Dec. 18, 1970, in Vinh Long at a clin- try.com in December. In addition ic,” he said. “A lady who was with to finding out he is 44% French and her offered to watch the baby and has Scottish, English, Irish and the lady took her and never came Jewish blood, he discovered a Viet- back. She had talked about taking namese cousin. her to an orphanage.” Phan Thi Nuoi, was born Nov. 15, It seems like DNA is the only 1971, and had her DNA sent to An- hope of finding their daughter, said cestry.com in September 2017, in Reichl, who plans to return to Viet- an effort to track down her father, nam once the pandemic recedes. an American GI who served there Courtesy of Jim Reischl during the war. Air Force veteran Jim Reischl reunited in 2016 with Nguyen Thi Hanh, the pregnant girlfriend he left Proof required That man turned out to be behind in 1970 after a tour to Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Vietnam. Meanwhile, Clark has been in Clark’s late uncle, Donald Pelkey, touch with his cousin, communi- of Fort Fairfield, Maine, who the girl’s mother. cating through Facebook with her served three tours with the Army “Her name was Hoa, which adult son, Nguyen Van Anh. at Cam Ranh Bay and Pleiku, Viet- means flower in Vietnamese,” he In a Facebook message, the son nam, between 1968 and 1971. said in telephone interview early said he’s interested in meeting his Pelkey had been in love with this year. newly found relatives and would Phan’s mother, Phan Thi Loan, but He keeps a photograph of Hoa, travel to the U.S. to visit them if lost touch after he came home from whose real name is Nguyen Thi possible. the war, Clark said in a recent tele- Hanh, and a friend singing Viet- Nguyen Chi, a U.S. Consulate phone interview. namese nursery rhymes in their worker in Ho Chi Minh City, has “Nowadays finding people is apartment. been helping Clark communicate easy, but in the 1970s it was just let- “I told her in late April of 1970 with his Vietnamese relatives and ters and telephone calls,” he said. that I was probably going to be said they’re excited by the news of “And I’m sure the telephone sys- leaving,” he said. “I told her I their American cousins. tem wasn’t that good.” would be with her another month, “I spoke with [Phan] on the but I don’t think she understood phone and she seems very happy to Copenhagen connection me. She didn’t speak a lot of En- find her father’s relation,” Nguyen When Clark saw that he had a glish.” Chi said in a recent email. long-lost cousin, he sent an email to A week later, Hoa told Reischl If Clark’s Vietnamese relatives the address listed with her name on BRIAN HJORT she was pregnant. want to move to the U.S., they must Ancestry.com. Brian Hjort, right, poses with friends in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in “It scared me at the time,” he submit evidence that Pelkey is He got a response from Brian 2016. The antique furniture repairman from Copenhagen, Denmark, said. “[The Air Force] had told us Phan’s father, said Clark, who is at- Hjort, 50, an antique furniture re- helps Amerasians in Vietnam and the Philippines find their American that women would tell us a lot of tempting to obtain his uncle’s ser- pairman from Copenhagen, Den- service member fathers. things, but it doesn’t mean it’s vice records to show that he was in mark, who has been helping Ame- true.” Vietnam at the time she was con- rasians in Vietnam and the Philip- U.S. Embassy and received a name American fathers to services such Hoa told Reischl she wanted to ceived. pines find their fathers since the and address. as Ancestry.com, MyHeritage, come back to America with him, he Pelkey, who has no other known early 1990s. “The first father I found was in 23andMe, Y-DNA and Family Tree recalled. children and served as command- Hjort first traveled to Vietnam as 1995,” he said. “After that, people DNA, he said. “The military told me, if I get to er of the Paul Lockhart Veterans of a 21-year-old in 1992 and was inter- started writing to me.” know a woman and want to bring Foreign Wars Post in Fort Fair- ested in meeting people his age Hjort estimates he has reunited ‘Never came back’ her back expect to be there longer field, would have welcomed his who called themselves Americans, dozens of GI dads with their Viet- Vietnam veteran Jim Reischl, than my original term,” he said. daughter and grandson with open he said in a phone interview. namese and Filipino children. But 73, of St. Cloud, Minn., hopes DNA Reichl left his pregnant girlf- arms if he was still alive, Clark said. Once back home in Denmark, he it has gotten easier in recent years will help him find the daughter he riend behind in Vietnam but wrote But, he added, the rest of their got a request from one of his Viet- thanks to the internet — he oper- left behind after serving as an Air to her soon after arriving in the American family won’t be able to namese friends to help find the ates a website called www.father- Force clerk from 1969-70 at Tan United States. He never heard help much. American father of a person in her founded.org — and DNA. Son Nhut Air Base, Vietnam. back, he said. village. Hjort filed a military re- Hjort has been sending samples Reischl shared an off-base apart- He eventually married in the [email protected] cords request with the help of the from Amerasians looking for their ment with the woman who became States, and it wasn’t until he di- Twitter: @SethRobson1 Under new law, VA required to offer vaccines to 24 million more people

BY NIKKI WENTLING Biden signed the Saves Lives Act, tion that the VA is responsible for es and caregivers, the new law also ed disability. Stars and Stripes which passed through Congress vaccinating from about 9 million to tasks the VA with vaccinating over- Under the new law, “veteran” WASHINGTON — The Depart- unanimously. The bill removes le- 33 million, VA Secretary Denis seas veterans who rely on the For- means any person who served in ment of Veterans Affairs must offer gal barriers that prevented the VA McDonough said. The department eign Medical Program, as well as the armed forces and who was dis- coronavirus vaccines to 24 million from vaccinating veterans who will need a greater supply of vac- recipients of the VA’s CHAMPVA charged or released under condi- more people after President Joe Bi- aren’t enrolled in the department, cines to reach the larger population, program. The CHAMPVA program tions other than dishonorable. den signed a bill into law Wednes- as well as their spouses and caregiv- he said, equating to an increase of serves spouses and children of vet- day requiring the agency to vacci- ers. about 400,000 doses each week. erans who are permanently and to- [email protected] nate all veterans and spouses. The action expands the popula- In addition to all veterans, spous- tally disabled due to a service-relat- Twitter: @nikkiwentling Friday, March 26, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 11 NATION Assessment Biden doubles goal of COVID sought for Colo. suspect vaccines to 200 million doses Associated Press BOULDER, Colo. — The sus- Associated Press international tensions, early signs ly 30 socially distanced chairs for pected gunman in the Boulder su- WASHINGTON — President of intraparty divisions and in- journalists were spread out in the permarket shooting that killed 10 Joe Biden opened his first formal creasing numbers of migrants expansive room. The White House people appeared in court Thurs- news conference Thursday with a crossing the southern border are limited attendance due to the vi- day for the first time, and a de- nod toward the improving picture all confronting a West Wing rus, and aides will sanitize micro- fense attorney immediately asked on battling the coronavirus, dou- known for its message discipline. phones before they are shuttled to for an assessment of his mental bling his original goal by pledging Biden had been the first chief ex- the reporters called upon by Bi- health. that the nation will administer 200 ecutive in four decades to reach den. Kathryn Herold, the lawyer for million doses of COVID-19 vac- this point in his term without hold- “It’s an opportunity for him to suspect Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, cines by the end of his first 100 ing a formal news conference. speak to the American people, ob- provided no details about what days in office. While seemingly ambitious, Bi- viously directly through the cov- EVAN VUCCI/AP condition he might suffer from. The administration had met Bi- den’s vaccine goal amounts to a erage, directly through all of you,” President Joe Biden speaks During the brief hearing, Alissa den’s initial goal of 100 million continuation of the existing pace White House press secretary Jen during a news conference in the did not speak other than to say doses earlier this month — before of vaccinations through the end of Psaki told reporters aboard Air White House on Thursday. “yes” to a question from the judge, even his 60th day in office — as the next month. The U.S. is now ave- Force One on Tuesday. “And so I who advised him of the 10 charges president pushes to defeat a pan- raging about 2.5 million doses per think he’s thinking about what he to hold a formal session, which al- of first-degree murder he faces. demic that has killed more than day. An even greater rate is pos- wants to say, what he wants to con- lows reporters to have an extend- He did not enter a plea, which will 545,000 Americans and devastat- sible. Over the next month, two of vey, where he can provide up- ed back-and-forth with the presi- come later in the judicial process. ed the nation’s economy. the bottlenecks to getting Ameri- dates, and, you know, looking for- dent on the issues of the day. Bi- Alissa entered court in a wheel- But while Biden had held off on cans vaccinated are set to be lifted ward to the opportunity to engage den’s conservative critics have chair, presumably because of the holding his first news conference as the U.S. supply of vaccines is on with a free press.” pointed to the delay to suggest that gunshot wound to the leg that he so he could use it to celebrate pro- track to increase and states lift eli- While Biden has been on pace Biden was being shielded by his suffered in the shooting. One of his gress against the pandemic and gibility requirements to get shots. with his predecessors in taking staff. attorneys leaned down to talk to passage of a giant COVID-19 relief The scene looked very different questions from the press in other West Wing aides have dismis- him before the hearing began, and package, he was certain to be from what Americans are used to formats, he tends to field just one sed the questions about a news Alissa nodded his head as the at- pressed at the question-and-an- seeing for formal presidential or two informal inquiries at a time, conference as a Washington ob- torney spoke to him. Four depu- swer session about all sorts of oth- news conferences. usually in a hurried setting at the session, pointing to Biden’s high ties with black bands of mourning er challenges that have cropped The president still stood behind end of an event or in front of a approval ratings while suggesting across their badges stood close by. up along the way. a podium against a backdrop of whirring helicopter. that the general public is not con- Alissa appeared alert and atten- A pair of mass shootings, rising flags. But due to the pandemic, on- Pressure had mounted on Biden cerned about the event. tive. PAGE 12 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, March 26, 2021 Friday, March 26, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 13 Fantasy titles to play WEEKEND as lockdowns drag on Video games, Page 18

‘Saul’ gets serious Bob Odenkirk excited to step into action-star role in ‘Nobody’

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Universal Pictures

Gadgets — 14 Travel & Food — 20-26 Television — 31 Health — 32 Crossword — 34 PAGE 14 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, March 26, 2021 WEEKEND: GADGETS & TECHNOLOGY The future is not quite ‘Rosey’ Robot butlers face many complex challenges before they take over your household chores

BY DALVIN BROWN where things can and do go wrong. What if The Washington Post it falls on someone, or a software update or at least a decade, robotics and causes it to go haywire? It’s funny on “The AI firms have flexed their ability Jetsons,” but it would not be so comical if to create machines that can com- your grandmother were on the receiving Fplete various practical household end. tasks. Last month, Boston Dynamics That’s a significant challenge. showed its Spot robot dog picking up cloth- The biggest problem is safety, according ing. Miso Robotic’s Flippy has been flip- to Marc Raibert, chairman and former ping burgers for years. Other start-ups CEO of Boston Dynamics, a robotics pio- have demonstrated laundry-folding ma- neer responsible for agile, animallike ro- chines. The list goes on. More recently, bots. news broke that Amazon may be closer to “The more complicated the robot, the introducing a home robot capable of carry- more safety concerns. If you have a robot in ing things and following its owner’s com- close proximity to a person, and anything mands. that goes wrong, that’s a risk to that per- But how probable is it that you’ll ever be son,” Raibert said. MISTY ROBOTICS/The Washington Post able to own a true robotic butler? Things have gone wrong on the job. In Misty Robotics created a droid to take users’ temperatures. The reality of having a robot Robots are getting more complex. As AI 2015, a 22-year-old man was killed while butler doing your household chores has many complex challenges to overcome. continues to advance, it allows machines to helping to set up a stationary robot at a figure out more complex problems and Volkswagen plant in Germany. The robot Robots also have a dexterity problem. That type of data requires collaborative reliably chat with humans. Still, robotics pushed him against a metal plate and Most can pinch, grasp or use suction to input from consumers, and it’s something and AI firms say you’ll have to wait quite crushed him. In another case that year, a hold an object. Meanwhile, humans can iRobot is working on by letting Roomba some time before you’re able to own any- robot’s arm malfunctioned, and it hit and manipulate things that come in various users mark where things are in their thing remotely similar to Rosey the Robot crushed a woman’s head in a Michigan shapes and textures. Robotic limbs with homes. from “The Jetsons.” auto plant. humanlike flexibility do exist, but they cost “The reason why iRobot doesn’t sell a In fact, companies are having a hard It’s not that the safety issues at home tens of thousands of dollars to produce. robot with an arm is because we don’t know time commercializing anything more com- cannot be solved. It’s that they have not “The age of grasping is still a long way where anything is,” said Colin Angle, chair- plex than a robot vacuum — which has been solved yet, robotics companies say. away,” said Tim Enwall, CEO of Misty man and founder of iRobot. “We’re trying been cleaning houses for 20 years. And making elaborate machines more Robotics, a hardware company that builds to get a better idea of what you actually “We’ve been talking about home robots household-friendly will raise the price. personal robots for homes and offices. “It is want to do. That’s useful for your cleaning coming for a long time, and all we have so Today’s mobile robots for factories can a very hard problem to solve at a mass robot, but it’s imperative for whatever next far is the vacuum cleaner,” said Jeff Burn- cost twice as much as an average new car. consumption price point.” robot you’re interested in buying.” stein, president of the Association for Ad- Take the robotic dog Spot. It runs for about Another challenge is that robots do not So when will something more advanced vancing Automation. “You see demos, but $75,000 without the arm attachment that know much about the world they’re oper- than a smart vacuum cleaner actually taking it from a demo to something that makes it useful for transporting things. ating in. You can teach them what an object make an impact? Most say it’ll be decades actually works, then something you can Without the arm, it’s basically a mobile looks like, but robotic butlers would also from now. afford, that’s the issue right now.” surveillance machine. A humanoid robotic need to understand where in your home it’s Robots probably will continue to crop up Chore robots are doing well in factories butler capable of autonomously completing located. in new places as firms lay the groundwork where there’s plenty of space, no small kids a variety of tasks today could easily cost 10 Take, for example, a simple task such as for something more advanced to come around and employees wearing protective times as much. putting a drink into the fridge. A machine along. gear. They’re really good at completing a And robotics experts say people on the would need to understand your command “I do think we’ll find uses for home ro- single repetitive task, such as screwing on a market for such a thing would not be will- and be capable of autonomously navigating bots in the next eight to 10 years,” Raibert wheel. ing to pay more than a few thousand dol- your home’s layout without spilling any- said. “Someone will pioneer a lower-cost But imagine introducing machinery with lars. It might be cheaper to pay a human to thing. It also needs to understand which mechanism that does a useful set of things. legs and lifting capabilities into your home do the job. And humans might do it better. room in your house is the kitchen. I do believe it; it’s just not tomorrow.”

On the other end of the wire- a special to save an extra 20 GADGETS less speaker spectrum is the percent when you buy two compact and solid Enacfire Soundtank speakers. Soundtank portable wireless Controls for power, selections, Bluetooth speaker. and pairing are on the side. The Rolling speaker that’s Inside the portable (6.3- Soundtank is built with an IPX7 by-2.91-by-2.91 inches) hexago- water resistance rating, so it can the life of the party nal-shaped speaker are two high- take a pool-side splash. performance 20-watt vibrating The battery life is rated to last BY GREGG ELLMAN There’s a microphone input to drivers, which produce true 24 hours, and recharges with a Tribune News Service sing along (there’s no one on the 360-degree surround sound. With USB-C connection. The iLive Bluetooth (5.0) Tail- planet who wanted me to test this the six sides, top and bottom, the Online: enacfire.com; $89.99, gate party speaker is an all-ev- part), color-changing LED light Soundtank can lay in any posi- or $49.99 on Amazon erything speaker. effects, a 3.5 mm auxiliary input, tion. It has wheels and a retractable and an FM scan with presets, to Boosting the bass is easy with ergonomic handle to easily trans- name just a few. the Bass+ feature; press a button port from tailgate gatherings to a The sound comes from the ILIVE ELECTRONICS/TNS on the speaker for 50 percent backyard dance party. Whatever bass-rich 8-inch full-range The iLive Bluetooth (5.0) Tailgate more bass. It without a doubt the atmosphere, it can adapt with speaker, which produced good has wheels and a retractable gives the bass a little oomph. endless features to be the life of sound in all the environments I handle for easy mobility. Bass heads will love it; my play- the party. rolled the speaker to. There’s lists sounded great. When you look at the list of the also a built-in microSD slot and six hours at 50 percent volume Bluetooth 5.0 is inside, allow- features packed into the 9.84- USB port to supports audio file and charges in four hours. A USB ing dual stereo mode to pair with by-9.25-by-16.93-inch speaker, playback. charging cable is included. a second Soundtank for stereo ENACFIRE/TNS it’s easy to see why it adapts The built-in rechargeable Online: iliveelectronics.com; sound, and doubling the amount Enacfire Soundtank portable easily to any environment. lithium-ion battery life will go for $69.99 of bass. The Enacfire website has wireless Bluetooth speaker Friday, March 26, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 15 WEEKEND: MOVIES

‘Operation Varsity Blues’ is little more than a recap BY NINA METZ and higher education experts) Chicago Tribune bridge the scenes that re-enact If you know nothing about the the many many many phone 2019 college admissions scandal conversations between Singer — and I mean nothing — have I and his demanding clients. got a film for you. The upside of this approach? For everyone else, the Netflix The names of parents willing to documentary “Operation Varsity cheat the system are once again Blues” offers little more than a at the forefront. There are all recap of the scam that enabled kinds of services one might hire wealthy parents to buy their kids to bury these kinds of embarrass- into elite universities. ing headlines in a Google search, Director Chris Smith, working but here’s a movie making sure with writer Jon Karmen, opens you know a few of them anyway with a collage of overlapping TV — and it’s a movie likely to be news clips. There have to be seen by plenty of people just by NETFLIX/AP more creative ways to introduce virtue of the fact that it’s on the Matthew Modine portrays William “Rick” Singer at left in a re­created scene for the documentary a film’s subject than this numb- country’s largest streaming plat- “Operation Varsity Blues.” At right, Singer exits federal court March 12, 2019, in Boston after he pleadeding and overused trope. The film form. guilty to charges in a nationwide college admissions bribery scandal. is visually slick and easy to fol- Interestingly — weirdly, ac- low, but not particularly ambi- tually — neither Lori Loughlin tious, thematically or even in nor Felicity Huffman get this terms of how it’s shot, especially re-enactment treatment, despite if you’re familiar with the facts of being the most famous of those Mechanics of a scheme the case. indicted. Their involvement is With an abundance of wiretaps handled with cursory attention, at their disposal, Smith and Kar- and it’s not really clear how or men transform those transcripts why the filmmakers decided to ‘Operation Varsity Blues’ doc into re-enactments, with an en- focus on who they did. semble of actors portraying the After a while, these endless explores wealth, privilege and real-life parents on one end of phone conversations bleed to- the phone line, and Matthew gether into sludge of sleaze, but college admissions scandal Modine as Rick Singer on the the film itself has no larger take- other. Singer was the linchpin away about either Singer as a BY KATE FELDMAN who set this fraudulent process person, or the circumstances that New York Daily News in motion. Working as an inde- enabled his scam to work. arents are supposed to do anything to help pendent college counselor, he “Operation Varsity Blues” is their children succeed. But where’s the guaranteed admission to Ivy simply a presentation of what line? League schools and other presti- happened. This gives the film a P That’s the question posed in “Operation gious colleges, for a price, view-from-nowhere quality that Varsity Blues,” a Netflix documentary released PHILIP MARCELO/AP through a combination of what he makes you wonder about what March 17, that explores the college admissions scan- Lori Loughlin departs federal court Aug. 27, 2019, called “side door” methods. His it’s missing. Every movie is an dal that imploded in 2019. in Boston after a hearing in the bribery scandal. strategies included monkeying opportunity for innovation. As a More than 50 people have been charged in the around with standardized tests, documentarian, if you’re not scheme to fraudulently get students into top schools, is based on these conversations he had, talking about submitting students as top-tier uncovering significant new in- most notably actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity the scheme and how it would work. You’d get little athletes in sports they never formation or telling a story lost to Huffman. But at the top of the food chain was mas- glimpses of his character, a small joke he would played, and deliberately mis- the sands of time, you have to ask termind Rick Singer, who took at least $25 million in make, some conversation with a soccer coach about identifying white applicants as yourself: What else can I ac- bribes from wealthy parents between 2011 and 2018 his relationships.” Black or Latino. complish? through his college counseling nonprofit The Key Around Modine and the re-created conversations The documentary notes this New Yorker staff writer Naomi Worldwide Foundation. Then, he either paid co- are interviews with journalists, lawyers and admis- last detail, but doesn’t actually Fry is among the journalists conspirators to cheat on college entrance exams like sions counselors. Only one person indicted in the think about it all that deeply, and interviewed, and her assessment the SAT or to bribe college coaches to have the pro- conspiracy agreed to talk on camera: former Stan- this might be one of its biggest of Singer is apt: “He’s a cipher,” spective students classified as athletic recruits. ford sailing coach John Vandemoer, who pleaded flaws. There is so much racism she says. When the person at the For filmmaker Chris Smith, he wanted more than guilty to accepting bribes between $110,000 and and cynical opportunism wrap- center of your film is opaque and the prison sentences. He wanted to know why. $160,000 that he then reinvested into the team to hire ped up in the idea of falsely pre- unknowable, that’s a creative “In terms of where to focus, there was so much assistant coaches. Vandemoer’s story is one of des- senting affluent white students as problem. media coverage that existed, but a lot focused on peration, but few if any others engender such sym- part of a marginalized communi- Singer’s web of deceit ulti- Felicity and Lori and I felt that that was well cov- pathy. ty, particularly when you consid- mately collapsed because some- ered,” Smith, who wrote and directed “Fyre: The Instead, the American elite who enlist Singer er there are the concerted efforts one ratted him out. And in turn, Greatest Party That Never Happened” and served rarely pause to consider the morality of the checks that also exist attempting to dis- the FBI was able to flip him to as an executive producer on “Tiger King,” told the they’re cutting. mantle these types of admissions gather evidence against his cli- Daily News. “We’re supposed to be a meritocracy,” Smith told policies that are meant to kind of, ents. “But that’s only going to “Our hope was to tell parts of the story that people The News. “If you work hard, you can achieve and sort of level the playing field. work with these white-collar didn’t know about. It was an opportunity to really realize all your dreams. This stood in the way of This demands more thought. professionals,” says a lawyer look at how the scheme actually worked.” that.” More analysis. More explanation interviewed in the film. “Histor- “Tiger King” had extensive interviews with the That’s why the scandal was so unsettling, Smith than the brief acknowledgment it ically, white-collar defendants wild cast of characters. “Fyre” had hours of social said, not just because of the corruption within the gets here of the racism that led have almost no filter on the media footage. But almost no one directly involved education system but because of how blatantly it Singer to this specific deception, phone.” in the college admissions scandal would talk to proved that we’re not all playing by the same rules. because people of color are still This is something else the film Smith on camera. So instead, his collaborator, Jon “There’s so many facets of American life where getting the short end of the stick, could have, should have, ex- Karmen, suggested using the wiretapped phone there’s two tiers, a different set of rules for people even after the fallout of this case. plored further. Imagine if the calls between Singer and his co-conspirators, col- who have wealth and privilege. It’s almost like, ‘oh Instead, Smith and Karmen filmmakers had not merely re- lected by the FBI as the scam fell apart, and having this is how this is done. This is how all the other peo- are more interested in spending enacted this truism, but exam- actors re-create the conversations. ple are doing it. This is the unspoken way that time with Singer and his rich ined how and why it exists — and Then they brought in Matthew Modine to play wealthy people or connected people get their kids clients, which strikes me as a what that means for everyone Singer, with his silver Caesar haircut and his gym into school,’” he said. damning commentary of the film else. clothes. “If you’re at an amusement park and you buy a itself. “Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions “Rick was sort of an enigma,” Smith told The fast pass and you cut the line, this is just an extension Drone footage and interviews Scandal” is rated R. Running time: 99 minutes. News. “We had to reverse engineer who this person of that.” (with an assortment of journalists Now playing on Netflix. PAGE 16 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, March 26, 2021 WEEKEND: MOVIES

Universal Pictures photos Bob Odenkirk plays a family man who snaps after burglars appear to have stolen a cat bracelet in “Nobody.” Becoming ‘Nobody’ ‘Better Call Saul’ actor Bob Odenkirk shares his journey to becoming an action star

BY PETER SBLENDORIO New York Daily News “Most of the ob Odenkirk got a kick out of playing a punch-throw- ing, weapon-wielding action hero. action stars, Known for his decades of comedy and leading role Bin the drama series “Better Call Saul,” the actor is we’ve just seen excited for the world to see him star as a suburban dad with a suppressed set of skills in the new thriller “Nobody.” them do so much “Most of the action stars, we’ve just seen them do so much amazing stuff, and they sort of live in that genre,” Odenkirk told amazing stuff ... the Daily News. “They stay there. You just don’t for a second buy them as a regular person. By having me do this, I think the You just don’t ... audience [knows] what they’re coming to see, but they still go, ‘I don’t know if this guy’s going to be able to win this fight.’” buy them as a Odenkirk, 58, portrays Hutch Mansell, a man with a myste- Bob Odenkirk, left, and David Leitch confer with director Ilya rious backstory who left behind a career in combat to start a regular person. Naishuller and producer Kelly McCormick on the set of family. He’s thrust back into action after a break-in at his home “Nobody.” Odenkirk says he makes a refreshing addition to the taps into the pent-up frustration he’s feeling amid the monotony By having me do action genre because it’s truly unclear if he’s going to be able to of his new life. win a fight, unlike other stars of similar movies. The concept for the movie, now playing in select theaters, this, I think the came together after Odenkirk’s brother-in-law texted him about Odenkirk trained with celebrated stuntman Daniel Bernhardt an advertisement in China for “Better Call Saul,” the popular — a process that saw the actor begin by practicing the basic spinoff of the crime drama “Breaking Bad” that stars Odenkirk audience moves and exercises “over and over and over,” he said. as lawyer Jimmy McGill. “It was a long road, man,” Odenkirk recalled. “Look, I was a The presence of that ad overseas inspired Odenkirk to consid- [knows] what comedy writer for 25 years. I started exercising when I was er other projects that could reach people all around the world. around 30, just cardio. The core of this screen fighting is move- “I started thinking about my character in ‘Better Call Saul’ they’re coming to ment from your hips, so I hadn’t really done any of that until I that people in other countries know me from,” Odenkirk said. started doing this training. It was a long road, man. It was em- “They don’t know my comedy. They know ‘Breaking Bad’ and see, but they still barrassing for most of it.” ‘Better Call Saul.’ That character is Jimmy McGill. He’s like a Odenkirk won Emmys as a writer for “Saturday Night Live” striver who fails over and over and never quits, and is very go, ‘I don’t know and “The Ben Stiller Show,” and has received nine nominations earnest in his drives and kind of puts his heart on his sleeve. I as an actor and producer for “Better Call Saul.” thought, that’s basically an action character, except he doesn’t if this guy’s going “Nobody” — which also stars Connie Nielsen, Christopher fight, but otherwise all the other components are there.” Lloyd and RZA — allowed Odenkirk to challenge himself in Derek Kolstad, creator of the “John Wick” movies, signed on to be able to win ways he never had before. to write the script for “Nobody,” while Ilya Naishuller joined as “No film as violent and bloody as this film was ever made director. this fight.’” with more love,” Odenkirk said with a laugh. “I’m not kidding. Preparation for the role included rigorous training for Oden- Everyone contributed. If you go down that list of credits, every- kirk, who learned how to do his own stunts and was coached on Bob Odenkirk one is the best at what they do, and all still very excited to do how to use guns for the movie. what they do.” Friday, March 26, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 17 WEEKEND: MOVIE REVIEWS Lean, mean and brutish Dadsploitation action flick ‘Nobody’ best enjoyed as the juicy piece of pulp it is BY KATIE WALSH Tribune News Service utch (Bob Odenkirk) is stuck in a rut. Or, perhaps he’s stuck in a Talking Heads song, finding himself in a beautiful house, with a Hbeautiful wife (Connie Nielsen), asking him- self, “how did I get here?” His existence has been distilled into a deadening middle-class suburban routine: jog, coffee, trash, bus, work. Jog, coffee, trash, bus, work. When people ask him, “who are you?” and he answers, “nobody,” he means it, and we believe him. PHOTOS BY UNIVERSAL PICTURES/AP But in Ilya Naishuller’s nasty little dadsploitation action Bob Odenkirk stars in “Nobody” as a father, Hutch, whose initial reluctance to engage burglars spurs him to action. flick “Nobody,” that moniker can have a loaded meaning. Hutch feels like a nonentity in his own life, beaten down all kinds of trouble. matic storytelling that best fits a film like this. The rapid- by the ennui of routine; cowed by his own reluctance to He finds some trouble, in gruesome fashion, on a city fire edit lends a sense of cheekiness, and Naishuller violently engage a few burglars, which garners ridicule bus, and it turns out that one of the obnoxious young shows off his musical talent and ability to master mood from his family, friends and the beat cop who takes his drunkards he’s rendered immobile with a broken pole is with sound, speed and music; the soundtrack of stan- statement. Yet, sometimes, the most menacing and dan- the brother of local Russian mob berserker Yulian (Alex- dards, jazz, soul and rock is a big part of the storytelling gerous people are the ones who are no one on purpose. ey Serebryakov). When Hutch went looking for trouble, and the film’s impish tone. Hutch happens to be both, and that menacing and danger- he was not expecting this particular scale of trouble Lean, mean and brutish, “Nobody” is best enjoyed as ous part of himself is about to be roused. (“well-funded and sociopathic,” as Yulian is described). the juicy piece of pulp that it is. But Odenkirk, stepping “Nobody” is a riff on the “John Wick” model, which But he has a very specific set of skills that come from his into an action-hero role for the first time, brings a sense makes sense, because it’s written by “John Wick” screen- top-secret past as an “auditor for the three-letter agen- of dolefulness and rue to this performance. Hutch’s char- writer Derek Kolstad, who’s had some fun with the for- cies,” and a file with such gruesome details that it in- acter arc is fascinating, because his turn to violence mula, adapting it for comedian-turned-dramatic-actor spires Yulian’s hired hacker to quit with a swift, “I’m out; doesn’t necessarily render him virile, but vulnerable, Odenkirk. While the highly trained assassin Wick was no need to pay.” which allows him to connect to his family, and himself. “I spurred to action by the loss of his pup, for Hutch, it’s a In 2013, Naishuller directed a bloody POV-style music got emotional,” he explains about one of his bombastic “kitty cat bracelet” that he assumes the burglars took. video for his band, Biting Elbows, which inspired his acts. Opening up means risking a body count, but staying Perhaps it’s because his young daughter (Paisley Cad- directorial debut, the clever POV action movie “Hardcore closed off killed Hutch’s soul. Nobody can stand that. orath) is the only person who deigns to give her father Henry.” With this more traditional action flick, Naishuller attention, but one plaintive request for the kitty cat brace- demonstrates his chops for shooting fight and action “Nobody” is rated R for strong violence and bloody images, language throughout and let, and suddenly the seemingly beta Hutch is spoiling for scenes, as well as the kind of ruthlessly efficient cine- brief drug use. Running time: 92 minutes. Now playing in select theaters. ‘Courier’ a throwback to spy thrillers not made anymore BY ANN HORNADAY hero named Oleg Penkovsky with the same jaunty, self-aware The Washington Post (Merab Ninidze), who wants to tone that gives “The Courier” its Benedict Cumberbatch deliv- avoid the nuclear confrontation lift and high spirits, at least until ers an appealing, technically he is certain Nikita Khrushchev the story takes a far darker and tricky performance in “The Cou- is about to unleash. more drastic turn. That emotion- rier,” in which he plays Greville Directed by Dominic Cooke al shift isn’t always quite as Wynne, a British salesman who from a script by Tom O’Connor, graceful as what’s gone before, in the 1960s became an improb- “The Courier” is enormous fun in with Cumberbatch at one point able player in Cold War tra- its first hour and a half, while literally overplaying his hand to decraft at its most high-stakes. Cumberbatch makes the most of portray Wynne at a terrifying Wynne really did exist, a fact his good-humored character, mental and physical breaking that bears noting because his who develops a genuine friend- point. story is often too wildly dramatic ship with Penkovsky, portrayed Still, “The Courier” makes a to believe. In “The Courier,” by Ninidze with touching soulful- smart, stylish stand for the kind Cumberbatch plays him with ness. The filmmakers use Prague of old-fashioned period spy thrill- sodden, people-pleasing bonho- as a convincing stand-in for Mos- er that is increasingly being mie; he’s a decent bloke but a bit cow’s drab postwar brutalism. turned into bingeable series for of a lightweight, simply interest- Fans of the wonderful “Dear streaming services. Its modesty ed in making his next sale and Comrades!” will appreciate see- and carefully managed ambitions getting home for cocktails with LIONSGATE AND ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS/TNS ing another side to the same define its strong suit at a time his witty, pretty wife, Sheila Merab Ninidze and Benedict Cumberbatch star in “The Courier,” period, as Wynne is entertained when such films are scarcer (Jessie Buckley), and their ador- about real­life British salesman Greville Wynne (Cumberbatch) who is with seemingly endless supplies every day. “The Courier” isn’t a able 10-year-old son. asked to spy for the CIA and MI6 in the 1960s during the Cold War. of vodka, caviar and ballet. When great movie, but it’s a good one. When Wynne is approached by Penkovsky informs him that his And right now, that’s enough. CIA operative Emily Donovan He’s not a spy. But that’s the ally do trying to drum up trade remit hinges on the ability to hold (Rachel Brosnahan) and her point. He’s above suspicion, with with a foreign market, and — oh his liquor, Wynne replies with a “The Courier” is rated PG-13 for violence, partial nudity, brief strong language and smoking opposite number at MI6 (Angus his only job being to travel to yeah, make the acquaintance of a twinkle: “It’s my one true gift.” throughout. Running time: 111 minutes. Now Wright), Wynne is nonplussed: Moscow, do what he would usu- Soviet official and World War II Cumberbatch delivers that line playing in select theaters. PAGE 18 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, March 26, 2021 WEEKEND: VIDEO GAMES ELECTRONIC ESCAPES

A year into the pandemic, digital distractions are still welcome. Here are some new and upcoming titles worth diving into.

505 Games Control: Ultimate Edition contains the original version of the third­person supernatural action­adventure title, plus all subsequent expansions and modes.

BY BRITTON PEELE Immortals Fenyx Rising The Dallas Morning News Do you like Greek mythology? Did you like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild? Do you want to play a colorful istorically, open-world game in which you can fly and also hang out with March is not Hermes? Then have I got the game for you. While it has some suggestive content and earns its T for exactly the Teen rating, you could also look at Immortals Fenyx Rising busiest time as a somewhat more family-friendly alternative to the most H recent games in the Assassin’s Creed series. Sure, it’s got for new video game re- some off-color jokes, but at least it doesn’t have gory decap- leases (though we itations. Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox lucked out last year Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC. when Animal Crossing Online: ubisoft.com/en-us/game/immortals-fenyx-rising and Doom Eternal ar- Bravely Default II rived just in time for If you’re an old-school gamer that misses the roleplaying games of the Super Nintendo era, Bravely Default II is likely Ubisoft the pandemic to lock up your alley. It’s as if the Final Fantasy series went back to Immortals Fenyx Rising puts players on a quest to save us all in). But as 2021 its ’90s gameplay roots but with a storybook-esque graphical Greek gods and their home from a dark curse. overhaul that takes advantage of the more modern Nintendo trudges on, a lot of peo- Switch hardware. game is intentionally (and amazingly) weird, drawing on all ple are still looking for Fair warning: The game does also have elements of an the intrigue of stories like “Twin Peaks” and “The X-Files” old-school RPG, so you’ll spend a lot of time walking back and pairing it with stellar shooting and some really fun para- things to do safely in- and forth in dungeons trying to get into fights with monsters normal powers. doors. So what can you just so you can level up before facing off against a boss. Still, Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and via cloud play? nostalgia is a powerful drug, so there are plenty of people streaming on the Nintendo Switch. Previously available on (myself included) for whom that game play is weirdly relax- PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. If you’re looking for ing. Online: 505games.com/games/control-ultimate-edition things to keep you bu- Don’t mind the “II” in the name, by the way. While it’s a Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 sequel (technically the third in a series — Square Enix is bad sy, here are some at naming things), knowledge of the previous game(s) is not As a teen, the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games almost got worthwhile games that required. me into skateboarding. Almost. The problem, though (aside Platform: Nintendo Switch from my complete lack of balance and fear of injuring my- came out this year, as Online: nintendo.com/games/detail/bravely-default-ii- self), is that unlike in a video game, I can’t grind my way switch through an abandoned mall or through a secret lab at Ros- well as some you might well. have missed as 2020 Control: Ultimate Edition Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 is, in many ways, an ideal wound down. One of my personal favorite games of 2019, Control, is remake. It doesn’t just mimic the original gameplay with a getting a new lease on life on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox fresh coat of paint. It re-creates these classic games in the Series X|S with improved graphics and frame rates thanks to the power of the new consoles. This supernatural action SEE ESCAPES ON PAGE 19 Friday, March 26, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 19 WEEKEND: VIDEO GAMES Escapes: Fantasy titles ever-popular

Activision Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 is a third­ person skateboarding video game designed to mimic a classic arcade­style experience.

FROM PAGE 18 Coffee Stain Studios way you remember them playing. Improve- The Viking­themed survival game Valheim is currently available only on PC and Steam, but it has already gained a legion of fans. ments made in later games have been retro- fitted (including the revert from THPS3), and pulling off tricks across iconic levels feels fantastic. All of the levels from the first two games are present here, alongside a decent level creator and some fun online Valheim’s legend grows multiplayer modes. Much of the memorable pop music soundtrack has made the transi- tion, too. Given the disappointing recent Developer reflects on bugs, updates and prospects of acquisition history of skateboarding video games, the fact that the developers stuck the landing on BY SHANNON LIAO begins almost naked and in a field sur- for individual employees to feel like just this one feels somewhat miraculous. The Washington Post rounded by rune stones. Collecting rocks a cog in a bigger piece of machinery,” Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One and e wary when you chop down a and branches nets them resources to Törnqvist said. Having a small team PC. Coming soon to PlayStation 5, Xbox tree in Valheim. Fans have craft their first tools, which are useful for means decisions get made quickly and Series X|S and Nintendo Switch. learned this the hard way, collecting food, crafting clothing and fewer approvals are needed. Online: Tonyhawkthegame.com Brunning out of the way when armor and eventually constructing a Valheim developers are planning four chopping down a large tree only to have home. The world map is expansive, and major content updates this year. One will Valheim the trunk swing back — defying physics as players venture further out, they face focus on building, another will expand on This is the game all the cool kids on — and crush them. more challenging enemies across a var- exploration and combat, a third is fo- Twitch are playing. Valheim is like if some- If you’ve died this way, it’s not just the ied landscape. cused on ships and fourth update later one took the survival elements of games like Norse gods who are laughing at your The attention the game has garnered this year will aim to complete the Mis- Rust and Ark and asked, “But what if there misfortune. in the past month has left the five-person tlands, an unfinished biome in the game. were vikings?” You must hunt, fight and “We kind of hoped that the tree falling team at Iron Gate Studio, based in Swe- Valheim may be in for some balancing, build your way through a randomly generat- on your head thing would be a thing that den, “quite overwhelmed,” said Törnq- too. The bow and arrow weapon is “prob- ed world, either alone or with friends. many got to experience because it was vist. ably a bit overpowered right now,” The game is currently only on PC and is kind of intended to work like that,” said Törnqvist said, adding, “it will probably unfinished (available in early access on Henrik Törnqvist, co-founder of Iron get nerfed in a later patch.” Steam), but it’s found its way into a lot of Gate Studios and designer on Valheim. “We’re still struggling He said that after the studio has dealt people’s hearts already. Also, it’s only $20 “We find it pretty hilarious ourselves.” with more serious bugs in the game, it and can be played online with up to 10 peo- Valheim, a Viking-themed survival to grasp exactly how will shift to adding more content. ple, so there’s a lot to love on your way to game, has attracted frenzied attention Ambitious fans have found ways to Ragnarok. from content creators and players with big this (game) can keep busy in the game. A Reddit user Platform: PC moments like these. The indie game, posted his replica of the Millennium Online: valheimgame.com which was released as an early access become.” Falcon in game, and another player re- title on Feb. 2, commands a large audi- Sebastian Badylak created Sauron’s gloomy tower from the Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity ence on the PC games storefront Steam, Lord of the Rings franchise. It sounds like we may still be waiting a at one time logging just under half a executive producer, Coffee Stain Publishing “After playing the game for probably while until we see the next great adventure million concurrent players. Coming in about a couple hundred hours, I just in the Zelda series. The latest original game just behind classic titles such as Play- While supporting the game, Valheim don’t understand how people can actual- to grace the Nintendo Switch doesn’t even erUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Counter- developers have had to work some week- ly come up with these things, let alone have the name Zelda in the title, and for Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2, ends and put in extra time. But the studio execute on those ideas,” said Badylak, good reason: It’s an action game in the vein Valheim is the most popular indie game has a no crunch policy, referring to a executive producer at Coffee Stain. of Dynasty Warriors in which you spend on Steam, according to Steam Charts. Its practice in the games industry that in- Some fans even started a player-ver- hours mowing down hundreds upon hun- publisher Coffee Stain estimates it has volves working extensive overtime to sus-player tournament, toggling a fea- dreds of enemies in a story that serves as a sold more than five million copies, at make deadlines, according to Törnqvist. ture that allows you to damage other sort of prequel to Breath of the Wild. $19.99 a copy. Iron Gate is now hiring for another players, and assembling teams to com- Still, it has enough of the right Zelda ele- “We’re still struggling to grasp exactly programmer, animator and a quality pete for three rounds. ments in it to tickle the right parts of my how big this can become,” said Sebastian assurance manager to “handle the flood “Valheim” is still mostly a player- brain, and as I celebrate the series’ 35th Badylak, Coffee Stain Publishing’s exec- of incoming bugs,” Törnqvist said. But versus-environment game, and the play- anniversary this year, I’m willing to spend utive producer. while Iron Gate is looking to expand, the er-versus-player mode is just for “bash- time with just about any Hyrule-based ga- The game is a potent combination of developers have said they don’t see an [ing] your friends over the head,” but if it meplay I can get my hands on. Minecraft and Terraria-like exploration acquisition in their future. grows more popular, the developers will Platform: Nintendo Switch and building features and combat that “The main drawback of working at the consider doing more with the mode, said Online: zelda.com/hyrule-warriors recalls the Dark Souls games. The player bigger AAA studio is that it’s very easy Törnqvist. PAGE 20 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, March 26, 2021 WEEKEND: TRAVEL Florence: Birthplace of the Renaissance

Here’s a reminder of the fun pressing the optimism of this that awaits us in Europe at the new age. The ultimate repre- other end of this pandemic. sentation of this: Michelangelo’s David. Poised confidently in the fter my first day in Accademia Gallery, David repre- Florence, I remember sents humankind stepping out of thinking, “I’ve seen medieval darkness Amore great art in a few — the birth of our hours than many people see in a modern, humanist lifetime.” outlook. Standing Geographically small but cul- boldly, David sizes turally rich, Florence is home to up the giant, as if some of the finest art and archi- to say, “I can take tecture in the world. In that sin- him.” The statue gle day, I looked Michelangelo’s Rick was an apt symbol, David in the eyes, fell under the Steves inspiring Floren- seductive sway of Botticelli’s tines to tackle Birth of Venus, and climbed the their Goliaths. first great dome of the Renais- The Uffizi Gallery holds the sance, which gracefully dom- finest collection of Italian paint- inates the city’s skyline today as ings anywhere, sweeping Rick Steves it did 500 years ago. through art history from the 12th The cathedral’s sublime dome dominates the skyline of Florence, a city chock­full of art treasures. After Rome fell in AD 476, through 17th centuries, with Europe wallowed in centuries of works by Botticelli, Raphael, Classical statues like this clear- The small, uncrowded Bargello the Baptistery. relative darkness, with little Giotto, Titian, Leonardo and ly inspired Sandro Botticelli, my Museum features the best collec- Across the street from the learning, commerce or travel. Michelangelo. In the long, arcad- favorite Florentine painter. His tion of Florentine sculpture any- Duomo Museum towers Florenc- Then, around 1400, there was a ed courtyard, a permanent line of greatest paintings, including the where, including works by Mi- e’s famous cathedral. Renaissance: a rebirth of the tourists (who ignored my guide- Birth of Venus, hang in this gal- chelangelo, Donatello, and Ghi- Gaping up at the first great culture of ancient Greece and book’s advice to book reserva- lery. According to myth, Venus berti. And hiding out at the un- dome built in Europe in more Rome. Starting in Florence, it tions online in advance) waits to was born from the foam of a derrated Duomo Museum, you’ll than a thousand years, I cele- swept across Europe. Wealthy buy tickets. wave. This newborn beauty with see one of Michelangelo’s Pietàs brated the structure that marked merchant and banking families For me, a highlight of the Uffi- flyaway hair floats ashore on a and Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise the start of the architectural showed their civic pride by com- zi is Venus de’ Medici. Revered clam shell while flowers tumble panels. Revolutionary in their Renaissance. missioning great art. as the epitome of beauty, Venus in slow motion. For me, Botticel- realism and three-dimensional- Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) writes Europe- With the Renaissance, artists is a Roman copy of a 2,000-year- li’s Birth of Venus represents the ity, these panels were created in an guidebooks, hosts travel shows on public TV and radio, and organizes European tours. You can rediscovered the beauty of na- old Greek statue that went mis- purest expression of Renaissance response to a citywide competi- email Rick at [email protected] and follow his ture and the human body, ex- sing. beauty. tion in 1401 to build new doors for blog on Facebook. Europe’s Stations of the Cross represent Good Friday On Good Friday — April 2 in 2021 — Christian commu- Kevelaer: This town in North Rhine-Westphalia is an nities worldwide commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus important Catholic pilgrimage location, attracting more Christ. The day is observed across Europe with somber than one million pilgrims annually. According to tradi- processions and poignant plays. In Rome, the Pope leads tion, in 1641, a local merchant heard a voice requesting the Via Crucis, a reenactment of the Passion of the Christ, him to build a chapel, while his wife saw a vision of a at the Colosseum. In Seville, Spain, La Madrugá proc- chapel alight. This Chapel of Mercy (Gnadenkapelle) essions begin on Holy Thursday and spill over into Good houses a copperplate engraving of Our Lady of Luxem- Friday. In the town of Sartène on the French island of bourg that is considered to have miraculous healing pow- Corsica, the “catenacciu” is a candlelit procession led by ers. Kevelaer’s Great Stations of the Cross, inaugurated in a penitent whose identity is a mystery to all but the priest. 1874, passes 15 stations along a ¾-mile route passing Measures meant to stifle the spread of through a leafy park. Online: tinyurl.com/8uw2whxu COVID-19 continue to scuttle large-scale St. Martin: This village along the German Wine Road in gatherings, religious and secular alike. Any the Rhineland-Palatinate has a Stations of the Cross that travel over Easter seems destined to be en.bamberg.info typically serves as a pilgrimage site on Good Friday local, should it take place at all. The oldest surviving medieval Way of the Cross in morning. At the intersection of Burgweg and Kreuzweg A visual representation of Jesus’ death Germany leads through Bamberg’s Altstadt. streets, a circa-1865 statue depicts Jesus in the Garden of inviting contemplation not just at Easter Gethsemane. The way with its 14 stations begins in front but through the year is presented in the Adenau: This community in the High Eifel of the Rhi- of the Kropsburg hill and concludes with a crucifixion Karen form of a Stations of the Cross. Also re- neland-Palatinate is known as a “Johanniterstadt” in group on the Ottilienberg. Online: tinyurl.com/af9dhjyw Bradbury ferred to as the Way of the Cross, Way of remembrance of a branch of the Order of Saint John Sorrows or the Via Crucis, the term refers established there in the 12th century. Within walking Italy to a series of images, often numbering 14, that depict distance of its handsome market square, a circa-1863 The Sacred Mounts of Piemonte and of Lombardia is a Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion. The route and neo-Gothic Stations of the Cross beckons exploration. collective name for nine groups of 16th and 17th-century stations are based on the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, held Rare plants and trees are planted along its approximately chapels and structures built on mountains in northern to be the actual route Jesus walked while bearing his half-mile route. Online: tinyurl.com/445hhmec Italy. They were designated a UNESCO World Heritage cross to Mount Calvary. Each image is meant to be ac- Bamberg: The Bamberger Kreuzweg is Germany’s site in 2003. companied by reflection and a specific prayer. Stations oldest, fully preserved Way of the Cross. A donation by Sacro Monte di Varallo in Varallo Sesia, the oldest of can be found inside churches, in church courtyards or Heinrich Marschalk von Raueneck to his town in 1503, he the group, offers the faithful a symbolic pilgrimage to along outdoor routes. Today we look at some sacred sites measured the distances between the stations on his own Jerusalem. The complex is comprised of a Baroque bas- appropriate for Holy Week exploration. trip to the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem and adjusted the ilica and more than 40 lavishly decorated chapels. Sacro Bamberg route accordingly. The representation unfolds Monte di Domodossola, the northernmost of the Sacred Germany across seven well-preserved sandstone panels. The way Mountains, is a Capuchin Calvary with 15 chapels dedi- Since the 18th century, Catholic churches in Germany starts in front of the portal of St. Elizabeth Church and cated to the Stations of the Cross. Sacro Monte di Bel- have been urged by the Vatican to erect “Kreuzwege.” depicts the house of Pilate where Christ took up his cross, monte, above the town of Valpergo, is a Calvary with a The number of stations has changed over time from two and ends inside the St. Getreu Church with the scene of sanctuary dating back to medieval times and is made up to 7 to 14 and most recently, to 15, with the final station the crucifixion and entombment of Christ. Online: tiny- of 13 chapels dedicated to the Passion of Christ laid out depicting the resurrection of Jesus. url.com/377k3ahp upon a circular route. Online: whc.unesco.org/en/list/1068 Friday, March 26, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 21 WEEKEND: QUICK TRIPS

PHOTOS BY IMMANUEL JOHNSON/Stars and Stripes A view of the iconic stadium in the Olympiapark in Munich, Germany. The stadium’s tent­like, Plexiglas roof was unique in 1972, when the Olympic Games were held there. A mental journey Recalling times past at Munich’s Olympiapark BY IMMANUEL JOHNSON three seconds. It was the first On the QT Stars and Stripes time the Americans hadn’t won he best daytrip can Olympic gold in basketball. They Location: Spiridon-Louis-Ring 21, sometimes be the one boycotted the medals ceremony. 80809 Munich we take in our minds The centerpiece of the park is Food: Occasional street vendors, and when restrictions are lifted, there’s a that reminds us of the Olympic stadium, where the T beer garden near the tower and stadi- places we once visited, and will U.S. won six track and field gold um and a cafe in the pool complex. be able to go to again when medals, including Dave Wottle’s Hours: The park is open 24 hours a things reopen. come-from-behind victory in the day, but facilities like the stadium, For me, that means remem- 800 meters. tower or swimming complex have bering the Olympiapark in Mun- The stadium has a tent-like, restricted opening hours and are cur- ich, which I visited last year, transparent roof, which is said to rently closed. The view from the Olympic Tower in the Olympiapark. The tower’s when lockdowns were lifted have been an architectural first. Cost: Entry to the park is free, but viewing platform is more than 620 feet above the ground. between the first and second It still hosts sports events, as there is a charge to visit the stadium or waves of the coronavirus pan- well as concerts — Michael tower, and to use many of the facil- ities. demic in Europe. Jackson, the Rolling Stones and More information: Online: olympia- Despite its sometimes tragic Bruce Springsteen have played park.de/en/olympiapark-munich; and controversial history, the there — and dayslong music Phone: +49 (0) 89 30 67 0 park became one of my happy festivals. But now, like similar Immanuel Johnson places. venues in Germany, it’s closed It was built for the 1972 Olym- because of the coronavirus. pic Games, the first games in A positive thing the 1972 above the park, offers a bird’s- Germany since 1936, when Adolf Olympics are remembered for is eye view of Munich and what Hitler tried to use the games to the record-breaking success by was the Olympic village. showcase the supremacy of the U.S. swimmer Mark Spitz, the The park is roughly two hours Aryan race. African-American first person to win seven gold away from Grafenwoehr and athlete Jesse Owens’ four gold medals at the games. Vilseck and can be accessed by medals helped show that to be a You can swim in the same car, or train and public trans- myth. 50-meter pool as Spitz did when portation. If you bring a bike or The 1972 games were marked Germany’s pandemic restric- your running gear, you could by tragedy, when 11 members of tions end. The swimming com- visit now and jog or cycle the Israeli team were taken plex has five pools, and houses around the park’s many outdoor hostage and killed by Palestinian the largest fitness center in trails. But make sure to come terrorists, and by controversy, Munich. back when things reopen and such as when the Soviet basket- I would also recommend going make a day of it. A view from the Olympic Tower in the Olympiapark of what was the ball team won gold by a single up the Olympic Tower when athletes’ village during the 1972 games. Tragedy unfolded in the point over the U.S. after officials restrictions are lifted. The view- [email protected] village when Palestinian terrorists took members of the Israeli twice extended the game by ing platform, more than 620 feet Twitter: @Manny_Stripes Olympic team hostage and killed them. PAGE 22 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, March 26, 2021 WEEKEND: FOOD & DINING Rich, savory Khichidi is staple in Indian cuisine

BY AMY DREW THOMPSON Orlando Sentinel Lentils and rice and veggies and spice. Funny how rhymes occur nat- urally when your belly is full and warm and happy. Also funny: how there are different kinds of full. When I’m full of say, giant, bacon-slathered hamburger, I AMY DREW THOMPSON/Orlando Sentinel don’t generally feel this wonder- Khichidi is a healthy, satisfying ful. Or energetic. Or healthy. staple of Indian cuisine. Nothing against bacon-slathered hamburgers — all things in mod- Khichidi eration, after all — but “re- Ingredients search” for the Orlando Sentinel 1 small onion, diced Foodie Awards is not a moderate ½ cup carrots, diced undertaking. ¼ cup edamame or green peas For the second March in a row, 1-inch piece ginger, minced I’m coming in like a lion — full of 2 green chilies or 1 jalapeño, meat. Fortunately, March is minced National Nutrition Month, and ½ cup cremini mushrooms, I’m looking to purge the wings chopped and tacos and barbecue and go 1 bay leaf out like a lamb on lentils. 1 teaspoon turmeric That’s where Hari Pulapaka 1 cup green, brown or red len- and his book, “Dreaming in tils — rinsed and drained Spice: A Sinfully Vegetarian 4 cups vegetable stock Odyssey” come in. 1 cup rice, rinsed several times Pulapaka is a jack of all trades and soaked to be sure, and though he strayed 1 teaspoon whole black pep- from his vegetarian roots not percorns PHOTOS BY DAVID EDGE/Stars and Stripes long after moving to the States 1 teaspoon cumin seed Lamb sac kavurma from the Istanbul Restaurant in Wiesbaden, Germany, is lamb sauteed with onions, from his native Mumbai, he’s ½ teaspoon cayenne or red peppers, tomatoes and spices. It came with rice and flatbread. found his way back with a tome chili powder featuring some 251 globally in- Pinch of ground asafoetida spired recipes. (substitute: onion and garlic Many are simple — like the powders) one I landed on for my first foray Salt and pepper, in stages and back to this cooking column: to taste It’s all in the technique khichidi. Suggested: fresh curry leaves, Pronounced with the same generally available at Indian cadence as “chickadee,” khichidi markets Istanbul in Wiesbaden delights with rich, flavorful Turkish cuisine has been a staple in Indian cui- Directions sine for centuries. In a shallow pot, heat some oil BY DAVID EDGE “It’s modest, nutritious, pro- and sauté onions, carrots, ginger, Stars and Stripes AFTER tein-dense and savory,” says bay leaf, mushrooms and chilies urkish food is often at HOURS Pulapaka of the dish. “In fact, over medium heat for about 10 its best when its tech- often in many households, it’s the minutes. niques bring out the GERMANY first type of solid food that a baby Season with salt, add lentils Tdepth in otherwise would eat, as it is savory and and turmeric. Cook about 15 humble ingredients. relatively soft in texture without minutes more, stirring frequent- Not unlike southern barbecue favorite Turkish dishes. Kavur- garnishes.” ly. masters, the country’s chefs take ma is a meat dish that has been Khichidi’s two staples: grain Add rice and edamame, stir the tougher cuts of meats and use fried or sauteed, in this case with and legume. Any two could form well, season with salt, then add low and slow cooking to make onions, peppers, tomatoes and the foundation of the dish, he stock. Taste to ensure it is sea- them tender, while giving them a spices. At Istanbul, it was served says, but the book’s version is soned to your liking. Cover pot deep, rich flavor. with rice and flatbread, and was Yaprak sarma from the Istanbul decidedly Indian: lentils and rice. reduce heat — low to medium — The Istanbul Restaurant has mouthwateringly delicious. Restaurant are grape leaves The dish is finished with a and cook 20 minutes. an extensive menu that offers I don’t normally eat dessert, stuffed with chicken and rice. technique known as tadka, or Open lid once at the end to everything from Turkish-style but I decided to try their baklava. tempering. Popular in Indian and ensure lentils are cooked. pizzas, doner kebabs, main It was made of layers of filo The Istanbul Restaurant other Asian cuisines, tadka is the This is the tadka, or tempering, courses and the decadent des- dough pastry and finely chopped process of briefly frying whole stage: heat some oil in small pan serts Turkey is known for. pistachios, drenched in honey Address: Michelsberg 28, 65183 spices in hot oil, releasing won- over medium-high heat. Once Because of the coronavirus and baked to a golden crisp. It Wiesbaden derful flavors and aromas. The hot, add peppercorns, cayenne, Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. daily restrictions in the German state was good, but super sweet. pan’s entire contents are then asafoetida cumin seeds and curry Menu: lieferando.de/en/menu/istanbul- of Hessen, I chose to have my The prices are reasonable, and poured over and incorporated restaurant-wiesbaden. It’s in German, leaves. Fry about 15 seconds. food delivered. It was still hot the portions are a good size. and they don’t speak English. into the dish. Pour everything, including in- when it arrived. Starters cost between 4 euros Information: +49 (0)611 5049557; Don’t skip it. Tempering is fused oil, over the rice and len- For starters, I ordered yaprak and 8.50 euros, and doners and Online: facebook.com/Istanbul easy and for the flavors in the tils. Gently mix. sarma — Turkish for grape leav- lahmacun — Turkey’s version of Wiesbaden dish, life-changing. And like the Serve with a wedge of lime and es stuffed with a tasty mixture of pizza — start at around 4 euros David Edge khichidi itself, tempering is also cilantro garnish. A dollop of minced chicken and rice — and for a small doner or lahmacun a great place for experimenting if yogurt is a nice optional add, as sigara borek, fried dough filled with salad and sauce, and go up start at around 8 euros and go up you’re keen. well. with feta cheese and served with to around 14 euros for a meal to around 19 euros. In the end, you’ll have a rich, Serves 4. a yogurt sauce. with all the fixings. Dishes for flavorful and gorgeous dish,

My main course was lamb sac vegetarians include falafel, start- [email protected] veggie-laden and exceedingly Recipe from “Dreaming in Spice: A Sinfully kavurma, one of my all-time ing at 5 euros, and main courses Twitter: @DavidEdge96798393 nutritive. Vegetarian Odyssey,” by Hari Pulapaka Friday, March 26, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 23 WEEKEND: TRAVEL A salvage operation Unable to sail ships, companies pivot to Alaskan ‘dry cruises’

BY FRAN GOLDEN these facilities would attract Bloomberg passengers who want to extend ruising may be on hold, their vacations to explore Alas- but thousands of Hol- ka’s interior. Typically it’s the land America Line and ancillary business; now it’s the MEG ROUSSOS/Bloomberg CPrincess Cruises loyal- only one. Boat slips stand empty at a dock last year in Juneau, Alaska. The Alaskan economy took a massive hit ists are still hoping to head to “The idea is salvaging some of when the pandemic brought cruising to a standstill. Cruise companies are hoping to inject some much­ Alaska this summer with their the season,” says Charlie Ball, neeeded money into that shattered economy and salvage some of the season with “dry cruises.” favorite travel companies. And who heads Alaska operations for they probably will manage to do the two cruise lines. “There are Both properties are considered so — just not on a ship. many hand-raisers who want to first class by Alaska standards. Call it a “dry cruise.” go to Alaska.” From those home bases — Instead of admiring glaciers Here’s how dry cruises in along with Holland America and frolicking whales off the Alaska will work in 2021: Those Line’s 400-room Westmark Fair- shores of Alaska’s southern who book escorted packages, banks Hotel and the independ- coastal towns, they will bus priced from $2,599 per person, ently owned Captain Cook Hotel through the wilds of Denali Na- will fly into Anchorage on their in Anchorage — the cruise lines tional Park and Preserve to spot own accord before joining a tour will be able to provide a revenue bear, moose and caribou. They’ll director and group of 26 for an stream to local tourism busi- glimpse North America’s largest all-inclusive vacation with train nesses, like flightseeing and peak and spend time in Anchor- tickets, activities and meals. rafting operators. Among them age, with a boat tour of Portage They’re designed to be like “a there’s even a local cruise com- Glacier. Rather than connecting cruise on land,” says Ball. pany called Riverboat Discovery, the dots on their itinerary via which does touristy yet popular 5,000-passenger cruise ships, four-hour trips on the Chena and they’ll traverse the state on trains “The idea is Tanana rivers from its three- TIM RUE/Bloomberg with viewing domes, hitting land- deck stern-wheeler. The Princess Cruise Lines Island Princess cruise ship passes in front locked Fairbanks to learn about salvaging some The goal is to expand these of Margerie Glacier in 2019 in Glacier Bay, Alaska. The cruise life up north. tour options to the financially company, along with Holland America, is hoping a shift to land­based All this is being facilitated by of the season. hard-hit communities in the tourism will help salvage part of the 2021 season. Carnival’s Princess and Holland southeast, including Juneau and America cruise lines, which have There are many Skagway, where Holland Amer- Alaska can walk down the street for so many families.” recently found themselves un- ica Line has another hotel. and get a new job in five days,” Whether on land or sea, cruise able to do business here other- hand-raisers “We’re still looking at that,” Ball says Ball, adding that a loss of companies will have to address wise. Cabotage laws dating to the says. “We have great ability to such talent would be detrimental COVID-19 protocols ahead of the late 1800s require foreign- who want to go scale this business pretty quick- to the company’s “intellectual season’s start. flagged ships like Carnival’s to ly.” capital.” The plan is to have 100% of the call at an international port along to Alaska.” Another summer without tou- The exact number of employ- staff vaccinated. Ball says that every U.S. voyage — making a Charlie Ball rism would be catastrophic for ees this year will depend on unvaccinated guests will be wel- trip to Alaska impossible without Alaska’s local communities. sales, he adds, acknowledging come, but all guests — regardless Canada’s cooperation. And in Head of Alaska operations for The economic loss is estimated that it will likely be a full order of of antibodies — will be asked to February the country banned Princess and Holland America at nearly $1 billion from missed magnitude lower than normal mask up and social distance. cruise ships from its ports until cruise passenger spending and years. “The model is to start Deep cleaning procedures will be March 2022. Unescorted packages, from taxes and fees paid by the cruise small and hope for growth.” in place, motor coaches and res- Enter Carnival’s land trips. $1,699 per person, offer the full lines to state and local communi- There are Hail Mary efforts taurants will operate at reduced They intend to salvage business itinerary without the group or ties. That big number has even under way to bring back cruises capacity, and a local health-care for two sister brands that togeth- guide. Bookings are via Gray bigger implications. In the tou- this season. If passed, legislation company will execute COVID er make up nearly half the lucra- Line Alaska, for a season that rism-reliant Denali Borough, for filed by members of the state’s testing for any visitor who ar- tive Alaska cruise market — stretches from late May into the instance, the bed tax at hotels congressional delegation in early rives without negative PCR re- which had projected a record- first week of September. pays much of the school system’s March would allow temporary sults or develops symptoms. breaking 1.4 million passengers The cruise lines are reopening budget. exemptions to those currently Ball says Carnival was confi- last summer before the pandem- two seasonal lodges for the trips, While it’s unclear how much of prohibitive cabotage laws. But dent about interest in its land ic brought that number to zero. initially at 25% to 28% capacity to that money can be salvaged with even then, the U.S. Centers for program based on preview dis- In 2019, of the nearly 2.5 million allow for social distancing. Near land tours, the trips offer a mini- Disease Control and Prevention cussions with travel agents and people who visited Alaska, more the entrance of Denali National mum guarantee for locals: hun- would have to clear ships to sail tour operators. Since bookings than half were on ships. Park is the 60-acre, riverfront dreds of newly available jobs. — which so far seems a distant opened earlier this month, he Dry cruises aren’t as radical as complex called McKinley Chalet Likely in the mix will be drivers prospect. says the company is “very they sound. Carnival may be Resort, which normally accom- to shuttle passengers on motor “We have seen double-digit pleased” with the initial re- most famous for its ships, but in modates almost 1,200 guests coaches and teachers-turned- employment declines in South- sponse. Alaska it also owns the massive (mostly Holland America Line tour guides. east [Alaska] and a more than “There are people who want to Gray Line Alaska ground oper- cruisegoers); farther south, on Carnival is also looking to 30% drop in revenue statewide,” get out and travel,” Ball says, ation, including a fleet of deluxe the Kenai River in Copper Land- retain its full-time Alaska work- said Senator Lisa Murkowski adding that Alaska has both motor coaches, 20 private rail ing, is the Kenai Princess Wilder- force of more than 600, which (R-Alaska) in a statement. “Mis- wide-open spaces and a high rate cars (pulled by Alaska Railroad ness Lodge, whose 86 bungalow- was temporarily furloughed sing another cruise season would of resident vaccination. “If not trains), and 10 hotels. style rooms have wood-burning during last year’s pandemic only compound the economic Alaska this summer, then In a normal year, many of stoves and private balconies. shutdown. “A decent mechanic in fallout that has been devastating where?” PAGE 24 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, March 26, 2021 WEEKEND: FOOD & DINING

Beans Address: 1 Chome-5-1 Numama, Zushi, Kanagawa 249-0004 Hours: Open daily, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Prices: Most 200-gram coffee bags cost between 800 yen and 1,400 yen. Dress: Casual Directions: A one-minute walk from Higashi-Zushi Station in Kana- gawa prefecture, Japan. Information: 046-872-2272 David Betancourt

A short stroll from Higashi­Zushi Station will bring you to Beans, a beautifully decorated shop serving coffee beans freshly roasted to your exact specification.

PHOTOS BY DANIEL BETANCOURT/Stars and Stripes Beans, near Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, sells a selection of raw coffee beans that are on display in wooden barrels. Roasted to perfection Spilling the beans on Beans, a one-man coffee roastery The roasting process at Beans takes about 20 minutes. near Yokosuka Naval Base There are seven levels available, from American to Italian.

BY DANIEL BETANCOURT Stars and Stripes one-minute stroll from Higashi-Zushi Station near Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, will land you inside a beautifully decorated shop serving Afreshly roasted coffee beans to your exact spec- ification. Coffee aficionados may take Beans’ high­quality roasted Beans is a quaint shop in the quiet town of Higashi- beans home whole or ground. Zushi. At first glance I was captivated by Coffee aficionados may take the roasted beans home AFTER little details, like the whole or ground. Bags are sold in quantities of 200 grams, coffee bean displays or 7 ounces. HOURS outside the shop, but The roasting process takes about 20 minutes with some JAPAN I was pulled in by variation depending on your selection. There are seven the alluring aroma of levels of roast available, from American to Italian. Each The owner of Beans prepares a fresh cup of coffee at his fresh coffee beans. type has a detailed description displayed in English in quaint roastery near Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan. I was greeted by the owner, a friendly, elderly man who terms of flavor profile so you can make the best decision speaks some English. Signage in English allowed me to for yourself. waited. The light roast I was offered highlighted the qual- move easily throughout Beans and take in everything on The shop has only one little bench that seats two. Many ity of the beans. offer. customers poke their heads in to give an order and return Coffee bean prices per bag range from 800 yen, about The shop sells a selection of raw coffee beans that are later for pickup. $7.40, to 1,400 yen, apart from the Jamaican Blue Moun- on display in wooden barrels. A variety of choices are I decided to stick around and enjoy the relaxing am- tain coffee beans that were going for 4,000 yen. available from places like Colombia, Indonesia, Jamaica, biance and aromas inside the store. The owner was kind

Guatemala and Yemen, and Beans will roast your selec- enough to spark some conversation with me and even [email protected] tion to your liking. brewed me up a fresh cup of coffee on the house as I Twitter: @Beta_Stripes Friday, March 26, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 25 WEEKEND: TRAVEL Lending a hand As Australia heals, there’s a host of ways for visitors to help

BY ELIZABETH HEATH australia.com.) Many of the hote- Special to The Washington Post liers and tour operators in fire- hile most parts of affected regions, as well as near the world suffered a the reef, already offered pro- terrible 2020, Aus- grams where visitors could lend a Wtralia’s trifecta of hand, and 2020 events have tragedies seemed especially brought those efforts into sharper cruel. Stoked by a yearslong focus. On Tasmania, for example, drought, fires ravaged huge 2019 bush fires scorched the swaths of the continent and killed remote Overland Track, home to or displaced billions of animals. A ancient stands of montane conif- massive coral bleaching event ers. The upside? The fires fueled by the warming ocean spurred the production of conifer SOUTH AUSTRALIA TOURISM COMMISSION/The Washington Post further threatened the already cones, which had not happened A koala and joey on Kangaroo Island. As Australia recovers from a multitude of disasters, tour companies fragile Great Barrier Reef. Then since 2015. On guided walking and hotels are educating visitors on ways they can help, from planting trees to counting endangerd birds. came the coronavirus, which shut tours organized by Tasmanian down international and most Walking Company in partnership lia and New South Wales wine two grape-based spirits.” Spirit politics, get organized and dra- domestic travel in a nation strug- with the Royal Tasmanian Botan- country, fires or smoke taint — Lab Mistelle and Spirit Lab Gin & matically adapt to the massive gling to recover — financially and ical Gardens, visitors map tree the infiltration of smoke in grapes Juice were top sellers last year, challenges facing their people.” emotionally — from the bush locations, collect seeds and learn on the vine — ruined the 2020 enough so that new releases are That ability to take it all in fires. about Tasmania’s alpine flora. vintage for several vineyards. But planned in 2021. stride and adjust course as cir- But in an almost on-brand On Kangaroo Island, restora- Reed & Co. Distilleries, based in Well-intentioned tourists aren’t cumstances require may not be a manner, Australia is bouncing tive tourism opportunities in- Bright, Victoria, teamed with going to slow global warming or uniquely Australian trait, but it is back. With some human assist- clude bird banding and re-wild- local vintner Billy Button Wines bring the Great Barrier Reef one that sparks national pride. ance, animal populations and ing, ride-alongs to check remote to make lemons out of lemonade. back from the brink. Yet for Ri- When visitors can finally return habitat are rebounding — even cameras and monitor wildlife “We were determined to not be dley and others, the collective to Australia, Nugent says, they the Great Barrier Reef is getting populations, and, depending on defeated by the fires,” says Ham- response to Australia’s 2020 di- will find a country rife with “cre- IVF treatments. Hotels left in the season, helping with tree- ish Nugent, who runs the distill- sasters was ultimately encourag- ativity, strength and determina- piles of ash are being rebuilt. planting programs for long-term ery and bar with his wife, Rachel ing. “For all the horrors of the tion” and that offers visitors plen- Smoke-tainted grapes are being habitat restoration. Reed. “So instead of the smoke- pandemic,” Ridley says, “it has ty of ways to take part in the com- used to flavor gin. Australians On the mainland, high-end tainted grapes going to waste, we proven the capacity for people pelling recovery of a natural themselves are discovering more Emirates One&Only Wolgan found new ways to showcase and governments in many places world that is altered but unbow- of the wonders of their own am- Valley runs a dedicated “Conser- them in the 2020 vintage of our around the world to step beyond ed. ple backyard. And, in a case of vation Experience,” giving guests tragedy spawning trend, a new the chance to participate in seed genre of travel has emerged from collection, habitat reconstruction, the annus horriblis that was 2020 animal counts and tree planting. — restorative tourism. Echidna Walkabout tours offer In this form of more engaged one- to three-day Koala Recovery travel, international visitors can Experience trips to habitats west participate in activities — such as of Melbourne, where participants replanting eucalyptus trees, plant eucalyptus trees and learn counting cockatoos or surveying about the importance of koalas to coral growth — that will help the the ecosystem. In Far North country’s many affected areas Queensland, FNQ Nature Tours come back to life. “People around takes visitors on daylong treks in the globe have such an affinity search of the spotted-tail quoll — with Australia’s unique wildlife,” a marsupial that is endangered says John Daw, executive officer and, like its cousin the Tasmanian of Australian Wildlife Journeys. devil, also carnivorous. “We believe that giving visitors a Over on the Great Barrier sense of custodianship over our Reef, experienced divers can join wildlife and habitats will make Passions of Paradise’s weekly them care about it even more.” eco-tour and collect data about As the pandemic nears a pos- reef health and coral gardening sible end, “people are craving efforts. Snorkelers can take a deeper, more meaningful connec- guided snorkel safari with Reef tions with the places they visit,” Magic Cruises and survey a coral says Phillipa Harrison, managing stabilization project installed director of Tourism Australia. over a cyclone-damaged coral “When borders are open once rubble field. When the Great Reef again, Australia is ready and Census resumes in October, Ri- waiting with exactly those sorts of dley says, tourists will be able to experiences.” take part via a range of reef tour Travelers keen to visit Austra- and dive companies by taking lia will still have to wait, because photos of the reef and submitting borders are unlikely to fully open them online. until at least late 2021. But once And for those who aren’t in- international visitors can enter, terested in counting coral, petting they’ll find ample opportunities to koalas or planting eucalyptus assist in bush fire and reef recov- trees, there are more passive ery. (Some restorative tourism ways to give back. Across wide opportunities can be found at swaths of Victoria, South Austra- PAGE 26 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, March 26, 2021 WEEKEND: FOOD

HAVEN DALEY/AP A customer drinks an alcohol­free cocktail Feb. 12 at San Francisco’s zero­proof bar Ocean Beach Cafe. Buzz without the booze A new wave of low- and non-alcohol bars

is opening around the world, catering to JOSEPH B. FREDERICK/AP Alcohol­free spirits for sale at Spirited Away, New York’s first “booze­free bottle shop,” are shown March the sober, curious or medically challenged 4. According to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, global consumption of zero­proof beer, wine and spirits is growing two to three times faster than overall alcohol consumption. BY DEE-ANN DURBIN outside of his bar. Associated Press “It’s just easier,” said Sondra 9-liter cases of low- and no-alco- day with a cocktail. He started into a coffee shop to weather the here’s something mis- Prineaux, a regular customer at hol beverages. But Rand notes experimenting with nonalcoholic pandemic. Owner Sam Thonis sing from a new wave Sans Bar. “I don’t have to worry that global consumption of low- beverages, and by August he had has added outdoor seating and of bars opening around about leaving my car here and and no-alcohol beer, wine and decided to open his store. Many hopes to reopen the bar soon. Tthe world: Alcohol. getting an Uber home. I’ll wake spirits is growing two to three of his customers are sober, he Billy Wynne, the co-owner of Aimed at the growing number up without a headache.” times faster than overall alcohol said, but others are pregnant or Awake in Denver, is also selling of people exploring sobriety, the Abstinence challenges like Dry consumption. have health issues. Some are coffee and bottles of nonalcoholic bars pour adult drinks like craft January — which began in 2013 An explosion of new products training for marathons; others spirits out of a carryout window cocktails without the booze. At — and a growing interest in is also fueling sales. There are just want to cut back on alcohol. for now. But he plans to open the 0% Non-Alcohol Experience, a health and wellness are behind drinks from smaller makers like “There are a lot of people, this doors to a nonalcoholic bar next futuristic bar in Tokyo, patrons the trend, said Brandy Rand, Chicago’s Ritual Zero Proof — past year more than ever, think- month. can sip a mix of non-alcoholic chief operating officer for the which opened in 2019 and makes ing more critically about what Wynne says the price of drinks white wine, sake and cranberries Americas at IWSR Drinks Mar- no-alcohol whiskey, gin and te- they’re drinking and how it’s will be comparable to a regular from a sugar-rimmed glass. On a ket Analysis. quila — and big companies like making them feel,” he said. bar. Alcohol is cheap, he said, recent evening at Sans Bar in Last year, alcohol consumption Anheuser-Busch, which intro- Joshua James, a veteran bar- and the process for extracting it Austin, Texas, customers gath- in 10 key markets — including duced alcohol-free Budweiser tender, had a similar realization from some beverages makes ered at outdoor tables, enjoying the U.S., Germany, Japan and Zero last year. during the pandemic. After a them more expensive. live music, bottles of alcohol-free Brazil — fell 5%, IWSR said. “I have the wonderful problem stint at Friendship House, a sub- Alcohol delivery site Drizly IPA and drinks like the water- Consumption of low- and no- of too many great options,” said stance abuse treatment center, charges $33 for a 700 ml bottle of melon mockarita, which is made alcohol drinks rose 1% in that Douglas Watters, who opened he recently opened Ocean Beach Seedlip Spice 94, a nonalcoholic with a tequila alternative. same time period. Spirited Away, a New York shop Cafe, an alcohol-free bar in San spirit. That’s slightly more than a Sober bars aren’t a new phe- Alcohol still far outsells low- that sells nonalcoholic beer, wine Francisco. 750 ml bottle of Aviation Gin, nomenon. They first appeared in and no-alcohol drinks. Drinkers and spirits, in November. “I wanted to destigmatize the which sells for $30. But Wynne the 19th century as part of the in those key markets consumed Watters said the pandemic words addiction, recovery and thinks customers are willing to temperance movement. But 9.7 billion 9-liter cases of alcohol lockdown caused him to rethink sober,” he said. “There’s a thou- pay for the craft that goes into a while previous iterations were in 2020, compared to 292 million his usual pattern of ending each sand reasons to not want to drink cocktail or a flavorful wine geared toward non-drinkers or as much.” whether it has alcohol or not. people in recovery, the newer The coronavirus, James said, He said his customers tend to venues welcome the sober as “This type of thing, it’s not a fad. “warp-speeded” the change in be in their 30s or 40s, and the well as the curious. many people’s drinking habits. majority are women. Some tell “A lot of people just want to People don’t wake up to the negative But it has also hurt the nascent him they’ve been waiting their drink less,” said Chris Marshall, nonalcoholic bar scene. whole lives for a bar like his to Sans Bar’s founder. impact alcohol is having on their life Some bars, like The Virgin open. Marshall, who has been sober Mary Bar in Dublin and Zeroliq “This type of thing, it’s not a for 14 years, opened the bar after and then change their mind.” in Berlin, have temporarily fad,” he said. “People don’t wake serving as an addiction counsel- Billy Wynne closed their doors due to regu- up to the negative impact alcohol or. But he estimates 75% of his lations. Getaway, a nonalcoholic is having on their life and then customers also drink alcohol Co-owner of Awake in Denver bar in New York, transitioned change their mind.” Friday, March 26, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 27 WEEKEND: BOOKS New places, new perspectives Comic novel about man on ‘journey of curiosity’ about his identity dedicated to teachers who helped author find his own BY CHRIS HEWITT “ready doorway to Asian culture,” had a big the mind does ... There’s so much sound in Star Tribune impact on his sixth novel. this book, with singing [karaoke plays a key hen Chang-rae Lee begins a “What is emerging from Tiller is his role] and Tiller hearing his mother’s thrum- project, the writer always asks Asianness and his interest in Asian things. ming sound. It’s really about the extremes of himself: “Why do I need this That’s always been something that is in the human fascination. That, to me, is a part of Wstory?” background for me,” said Lee, whose what Tiller is finding in the book: going to the “My Year Abroad,” his comic novel, is “Aloft,” “Native Speaker” and “A Gesture limits and maybe finding his own thing.” about a young New Jerseyan named Tiller Life” all grapple with cultural dislocation. His job as a teacher, of course, is to help who’s “twelve and one-half % Asian.” Tiller, “Some of my earlier books, the characters writers find their own things. 20, drifts from his father’s home to a relation- are much deeper in thinking about this but “Any book should unsettle, whether it’s a ship with an older woman to a series of men- Tiller is a young guy, and because of his humorous romp or a serious historical fic- tors, passively taking in smaller percentage ... he’s just beginning a tion. What’s the point otherwise?” he said. MICHELLE BRANCA LEE, MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE/TNS their business, relation- journey of curiosity.” Lee’s early jobs included dealing with the Chang­rae Lee says both he and the ship, food and sexual tips. Lee, too, has been on a journey of curiosity romantic fiction “slush pile” of novels sub- protagonist in “A Year Abroad” benefited Initially, Lee had anoth- about his identity. His family moved from mitted to Dell Publishing. He found Patrick from mentors who saw them not for who er main character. He first South Korea to New York’s suburban West- Suskind’s “Perfume” in the pile and loved it, they were but who they could be. dreamed up Pong, a shad- chester County when he was a toddler, and but another publisher already had snagged owy, Chinese American his earliest understanding of his new world the eventual bestseller about a man whose recalled. “It made me think, ‘Holy crap. Yes. businessman who meets came at the library. obsession with scents leads him to murder. I should take it seriously. This is not just a Tiller on a golf course and “My first-grade teacher and mother had a “This is what I tell students: It’s not about posture, not just me being cool.’” ends up spiriting him to little compact to help me try to learn En- comforting people. Uproot them and give The novelist thinks those teachers looked Hong Kong, where many of the picaresque’s glish,” Lee said. them a new rooting,” Lee said. “Get readers past the Chang-rae Lee in front of them to outlandish events take place. Instead of dictating what books to read, out of their place and put them in fresh the Chang-rae Lee he could become. “Pong is not cowed by being a minority or librarians made an effort to learn who he ground.” Now, he pays that forward in his teaching. immigrant in a culture. He’s someone with was. Chang-rae Lee’s tinkering with a few ideas “I try to be honest, not harsh, and I try to power and means and I thought, ‘Gosh, I “I remember winning a library contest for for a new book, but the end of a project al- see them not just as the writer of a particular really like this character,’” said Lee by reading the most books when I was in first ways makes him grateful for those who piece of fiction or essay but as a whole per- phone. “But I started to interrogate that story grade,” he said. “I was one of those kids who helped him become a writer in the first son,” Lee said. “I think good teachers can and think, ‘Why do I need it? Why do I find was voracious.” place. present a version of you that you haven’t yet this figure so appealing?’ And that’s when I Since then, Lee has had plenty of instruc- “It’s kind of an occasion to think about the come to subscribe to.” came up with Tiller.” tors who are adept, as a character notes in folks who have inspired me, or gave me great Throughout “My Year Abroad,” mentors Because Tiller is not sure what he wants “My Year Abroad,” at conning a student into advice, or sometimes yelled at me,” Lee said. do just that for Tiller. They help him discov- from life, he’s in a rut. That’s something Lee believing he’s better than he thought he was. Those inspiring yellers thought there was er skills he didn’t realize he had, just as men- could relate to. After 14 years as a creative “I would say the moments I have realized I something special in Lee’s work before he tors persuaded Lee to pursue a course that writing teacher at Princeton, he switched was really learning something, not even did, and — like the character in “My Year led to being a Pulitzer Prize finalist for 2010’s coasts and moved to Stanford University in necessarily from the subject at hand but Abroad” — conned him into believing it. “The Surrendered” and a PEN/Hemingway 2016, around the time he started the book. about life, was when these teachers startled “My best writing teachers would read winner for his 1994 debut, “Native Speaker.” “I was feeling fairly established and com- or challenged me,” Lee said. “It wasn’t about something I wrote, and I would be glib and All of which is the reason Lee needed to fortable, and I needed — as we all do — a a transfer of knowledge but a kind of human try to blow it off and be cool about it. But tell the story in “My Year Abroad.” It’s also new perspective,” said Lee, 55. moment when I felt something visceral. One they’d say, ‘No, don’t do that. You wrote the reason for its simple, profound dedi- Shifting to the San Francisco area, a thing I believe is that the body knows before something real here. Take it seriously,’” Lee cation: “For my teachers.” Cosimano’s adult novel a morality tale, screwball comedy BY OLINE H. COGDILL gossip, rumors and nasty co- Virginia restaurant has banned Harris, “a very, very bad man.” balances the morality of being a South Florida Sun Sentinel workers. her for life — a little matter of Finlay is appalled at the idea, hit woman with the morality of Years ago, a story circulated The story also parallels what dumping a bowl of soup over the though she wonders just how bad ridding the world of an evil man. about a woman telling a col- happens to Finlay Donovan, the head of her ex-husband’s girl- Harris is. And she’s appalled at Cosimano infuses her novel with league how she left her kids, ages stressed-out and hapless, but also friend. In discussing plot twists herself for realizing that $50,000 large swaths of humor while 3 and 5, alone at home all day, appealing, heroine of “Finlay in the novel she can’t seem to could solve many problems. As adding realistic terror. fed them once a day and had no Donovan Is Killing It,” the first write, Finlay is mistaken for a Finlay looks into Harris’ life, she “Finlay Donovan Is Killing It” plans to send them to school. The adult novel from YA author Elle real killer planning her next hit. finds an unlikely ally in her nan- sets a new career path for Cosi- conversation was overheard by Cosimano. Part screwball come- Eavesdropping at the next table, ny, Vero, who has school loans to mano, and Finlay discovers a another wom- dy, part morality tale, the amus- Patricia Mickler offers Finlay pay. new income stream as she will an with a ing “Finlay Donovan Is Killing $50,000 to dispatch her husband, “Finlay Donovan Is Killing It” find no shortage of bad men. reputation for It” is also a tale about parenting, causing prob- bad divorces, reinventing one- lems at work, self, rising above misery and, starting ru- well, becoming a hit woman. It’s mors and a solid, thoughtful and funny yet lying about poignant mystery that never once her co-work- becomes a one-note story. ers. Finlay is at a low point. She’s The next months behind even starting her day, the first latest romantic suspense novel; woman was surprised when the her darling children, ages 2 and 4 police and a children’s services (and they really are human kids), representative showed up at her are out of control; she is broke, home to rescue those youngsters, and her despicable ex-husband only to find two well-cared-for, wants her to pay him rent and is healthy and energetic shih tzus threatening to take custody of the — the “kids” in question. children. That story — whether true or Late to a meeting with her legend — became a cautionary agent, Finlay first must disguise tale about the intersection of herself because the suburban PAGE 28 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, March 26, 2021 WEEKEND: MUSIC

BY MARK KENNEDY song “Drank Up” came on, and Associated Press he immediately spent hours reshly minted Grammy- searching her SoundCloud pro- winning songwriter file. Starrah has long helped “From the first second I heard Fothers be stars. Now it’s her, chills went through my her turn to shine. whole body and I couldn’t believe The hitmaker for the likes of what I was hearing,” he says. “It Drake, Rihanna, Maroon 5, Ca- is really astonishing to see how mila Cabello, Nicki Minaj, Hal- far she’s come, but it’s no sur- sey and Katy Perry released her prise because she had that drive debut full-length album last inside her from the beginning.” week, a natural extension for the Her appetite for music is self-taught studio prodigy. broad. As a kid, she was raised “I just really love hearing new on a sonic diet of Britney Spears, sounds and experimenting with Eve, Ruff Ryders and Lil’ Bow music,” she says. “I just feel like Wow. These days, she feeds her a little mad scientist in the lab “eclectic palate” everything. when I put stuff together and just “I don’t limit myself to what I see what it does.” listen to, honestly,” she says. The 13-track “Longest In- “One day I could be listening to terlude” showcases her com- NBA YoungBoy or Kodak Black. mand of R&B, hip-hop and pop And the next day I’m listening to skills, all delivered in an achingly Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke or personal collection she likens to Coltrane or Skrillex.” opening her diary. CHRIS PIZZELLO, INVISION/AP Trust and mutual respect are “I personally feel like the only Grammy­winning songwriter Starrah poses for a portrait in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Sept. 16. The key whenever Starrah decides to thing that’s missing from a lot of hitmaker for the likes of Drake, Rihanna, Maroon 5, Camila Cabello, Nicki Minaj, Halsey and Katy help someone on their song, and music right now is just the raw Perry released her debut full­length album, “Longest Interlude,” last week. she hopes for just “good vibes.” emotion and honesty, like vul- She’s working on Normani’s next nerability,” she says. “Everybody album and the upcoming animat- wants to be cool. Nobody wants ed musical “Century Goddess.” to be vulnerable.” “When I’m writing for an art- Starrah has tapped some musi- ist, I feel like it’s important for cal royalty for producing help, including James Blake, Skrillex, me to sit down and have a con- Boi1da and Nile Rogers. She Leaving the lab versation with them and see recorded some of the songs at where they’re at in life and just Abbey Road Studios, where the what kind of music do they want Beatles recorded. She says it’s all A mad scientist in the studio, Starrah is rising to make,” she says. “I’m highly a bit surreal. empathetic so I can pretty much “The only time I heard about put myself in that person’s shoes the Beatles was a music class, so and write, if necessary for them, it’s crazy to think that I recorded More of her songs include The She also landed a spot in Forbes’ music and wake up to it the next from their perspective.” my music in the studio that they Weeknd’s “Starboy” album cut 30 Under 30 in 2019. morning. “When I was a kid, I Despite her impact, she usu- worked, with Rogers — a leg- “True Colors,” Rihanna’s “Need- Not bad for a Black, LGBTQ just used to just play around with ally shuns the limelight, even end,” she says. “It’s hard to wrap ed Me” and Beyoncé’s “Already” woman in a male-dominated field music all day,” she says. preferring to distort photo por- my mind around it sometime, but from “Black Is King.” She also who was working in public stor- Starrah experimented with traits or partially cover her face. it’s really cool. It’s like a dream.” worked on tracks for Madonna’s age when she first got noticed. online programs like FruityLoops She says she values her privacy She’s co-written songs that latest album, “Madame X.” “To see her go from public stor- and Audacity, watching YouTube and didn’t get into the music have more than 14 billion Starrah won a Grammy on age to the Forbes list is some- tutorials and learning how to loop business for fame. streams, among them Cabello’s March 15 for working on Megan thing nobody can take away,” instrumentals. “Anything I could “If you think of anything other “Havana,” Maroon 5’s “Girls Thee Stallion’s “Savage Remix” says her manager, Nick Jarjour. do to try to learn how to make than the music, it’s a distraction Like You,” Drake’s “Fake Love,” featuring Beyoncé. She previous- She grew up as Brittany Haz- beats or learn how to make mu- to me. If you’re focused on a Halsey’s “Now or Never,” Ma- ly scored a 2018 ASCAP Pop zard in a small town in Delaware, sic,” she recalls. personality attached to the mu- roon 5 and SZA’s “What Lovers Music Songwriter of the Year the youngest of eight siblings. Jarjour remembers first hear- sic, it just takes away from the Do” and Perry’s “Swish Swish” award — becoming the first Music was always a big part of ing Starrah while listening to a music,” she says. “I just feel like featuring Nicki Minaj. woman in nearly two decades. her life. She used to fall asleep to college radio R&B show. Her that should be the focal point.” Friday, March 26, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 29 WEEKEND: MUSIC REVIEWS

Paul Stanley’s Soul Station Now and Then (uDiscover) The love guns have all been unloaded and securely holstered, and Detroit is soul city, not rock city this time out as Paul Stan- ley, ringleader of the four-ring circus known as Kiss, pays homage to classic soul on a new solo album. The starry-eyed singer and guitarist covers Lana Del Rey’s some of the greatest soul songs ever written, and writes five new tracks very much in that spirit. It may surprise, if not shock, many Kiss fans. But then, they embraced Peter Criss’ orchestral ballad “Beth,” and didn’t dreamy escapism mind (much) when Gene Simmons covered the Disney classic “When You Wish Upon a Star.” Pop music’s most glamorous headline-maker There’s no arena rock to be found here. Crooning and falsetto abounds on The Spin- sings about getting away from the glare of fame ners’ “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love;” The Temptations’ “Just My Imagination;” and BY MIKAEL WOOD Smokey Robinson’s “The Tracks of My Los Angeles Times Tears.” Stanley even retains the electric sitar You can’t fire Lana Del Rey; she on “You Are Everything” by The Stylistics. quits. And not since Barack Obama crooned a Months after a cascading series of few bars of it has there been a more unex- attempted cancellations — here she pected cover of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay To- was centering her white privilege; here gether.” she was wearing a mesh face mask in Some of Stanley’s originals are quite good the middle of a pandemic; here she was as well, and would have had a decent chance insisting she’s obviously not racist of being AM radio hits in the ’70s, including because she’s had rappers for boy- “Save Me” and “Whenever You’re Ready.” friends — pop music’s most glamorous Lana Del Rey Current Kiss drummer Eric Singer is part headline-maker is back with a riveting Chemtrails Over the Country Club of the 11-member band of top-notch musi- new album about exiting the limelight (Interscope and Polydor) cians and singers Stanley has assembled. to find a simpler place where the haters — Wayne Parry Associated Press can’t get her down. actly an image in alignment with the MARK VON HOLDEN, INVISION/AP Again and again on “Chemtrails Over themes of glamour and danger that run the Country Club,” which dropped through her music. psych-folk zone that she and Antonoff Valerie June March 19, Del Rey sings of casting off This is the tricky thing about analyz- devised for its predecessor. The Moon and Stars: her renown as though it were a heavy ing Del Rey’s records. Since she If the sound is familiar — think of the Prescriptions for Dreamers coat. She dreams of leaving Los An- emerged a decade ago with “Video very sweet spot triangulated by Sandy (Fantasy) geles, the adopted home that figured so Games” — an instant-classic med- Denny, k.d. lang and the Velvet Under- At the heart of Vale- prominently on 2019’s “Norman F------itation on modern celebrity that tou- ground’s self-titled third album — the rie June’s fifth album, Rockwell!,” for “a little piece of heav- ched off countless debates about her scenarios can still flatten you, as in the there’s a 25-second en” in Arkansas or Nebraska. She de- artistic authenticity — the singer has gorgeous “Wanderlust,” about some- track called “African scribes doing the laundry and washing seemed alternately like the most and body defending her impulse to hit the Proverb” that’s read by Carla Thomas, the her hair with the kind of breathy sen- least media-savvy musician in pop. road, and “Wild at Heart,” in which Del Memphis soul singer that June has called suality she used to employ while sing- Often in the past year, as she set Rey draws a line connecting gener- “the fairy godmother of the record.” ing about getting high by the beach. flame to her accumulated goodwill, you ations of relentlessly examined women The saying goes: “Only a fool tests the In the LP’s piano-ballad opener, could wonder if she knew what she was from Princess Diana to Kim Kardash- depth of the water with both feet.” It’s a sly “White Dress,” the 35-year-old even doing — maybe her baffling moves ian: reference to Thomas’ 1963 hit “What a Fool looks back fondly to her pre-stardom were part of some larger creative pro- I left Calabasas, escaped all the I’ve Been,” and also a lead in to “Call Me a days as a struggling waitress: “I wasn’t ject about the diseased American soul ashes, ran into the dark Fool,” the luxurious, old-school soul song that famous, just listening to Kings of Le- in the age of Donald Trump. And it made me wild at heart features Thomas and is “The Moon and on,” she sings — an oddly poignant What’s inarguable is that she’s be- The cameras have flashes, they Stars’” first single. indication of how eager she is to get out come one of the finest songwriters of cause the car csrashes, but I’m not a The proverb advises caution. But “Call Me her generation, with a lyrical and melo- from under the microscope. star a Fool” endorses an opposite point of view. dic flair that encourages emotional If you love me, you love me ‘cause Del Rey’s unfolding PR crisis, which It’s a love song about letting go, taking chanc- investment in her music beyond what- I’m wild at heart began in May with an Instagram post es, dreaming big. Call June a fool if you like. ever it reflects of her life. On “Chem- In “Dance Til We Die,” which begins about how she’s treated differently than It’s not her style to dip a toe. She’s diving in. trails,” her singing reaches a new peak as a bleary last-call lament before other female pop stars — most of those What’s so impressive about “The Moon and as well; she’s never inspired as much erupting into a funky ’70s-rock strut, she named, including Beyoncé and Stars” is it expands that vision in collab- empathy as she does moving between Del Rey further populates the lineage oration with producer Jack Splash, who’s Nicki Minaj, were women of color — her airy head voice and her sultry chest she introduces in “Wild at Heart” with closely followed the rapturous recep- worked with mainstream acts like John Leg- voice in these vividly detailed songs shoutouts to Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, end and Alicia Keys, without losing sight of tion of “NFR!,” which earned best- about escape and loss and memory. Stevie Nicks and Courtney Love. of-2019 reviews and a Grammy nomi- what makes June’s spiritually entrancing Working again with Jack Antonoff, She closes with a stunning rendition American roots music unique. nation for album of the year and paved who produced “NFR!,” Del Rey invites of Mitchell’s “For Free” that she shares the way for the publication of a real- On the contrary, June sounds more herself comparisons to Taylor Swift’s double- with two of present-day ladies of Laurel than ever, whether being pushed forward by deal book of poetry by the singer. down approach on 2020’s “folkore” and Canyon: Zella Day and Weyes Blood. a martial drumbeat and swelling strings on The whiplash, then, was no doubt “Evermore” (which Antonoff also had a “Me, I play for fortunes and those “Stay” or experimenting with Fela Kuti po- severe. Yet, in fact it’s unclear how hand in): Where each of the singer’s velvet curtain calls,” Del Rey sings, lyrhythms or simply accompanying herself attentively Del Rey tracks her percep- previous records took up a distinct comparing herself a bit shamefully to a on banjo. The meditative “Moon and Stars” tion, or at least how seriously she takes sonic character — from the trip-hop of street musician plying his trade for was recorded pre-pandemic, but it soothes as it all. In interviews she talks about 2012’s “Born to Die” to the garage rock nothing. if designed for stressful times. Rooted in the living a happily basic life offstage; she of 2014’s “Ultraviolence” to the slow- Forgiveness she can ask for; her need real world, it gazes overhead, into the mystic. says she likes to go to Starbucks and to mo torch songs of 2015’s “Honeymoon” for attention may prove harder to — Dan DeLuca brunch with her girlfriends — not ex- — this one stays right in the gentle shake. The Philadelphia Inquirer PAGE 30 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, March 26, 2021 WEEKEND: LIFESTYLE Still worth celebrating Pisces and Aries, who turned a year older in lockdown, are evaluating how much effort to put into their second pandemic birthdays The Washington Post again. Some still feel too burned olette Komm and her by last year’s disappointment to friends walked up muster any effort, while others Central Park West on have decided on some sort of safe CMarch 13, carrying celebration, pandemic be what looked like an enormous damned. There’s no right answer coronavirus particle hanging here. Maybe you can turn these from PVC pipe, “like a giant pig lemons into lemon cake. But for we were going to roast.” some, it’ll still taste sour. New Yorkers enjoying the D.C.’s Sarah Rutherford, who gorgeous day kept stopping the just turned 31, is one of the few crew to request a photo and the whose celebration improved with answer to the natural question: her second coronavirus birthday, What the heck is that? Komm which she spent hiking in Big explained it was a seven-pound Bend National Park in West piñata that they were taking to Texas after two months as a Colette Komm the park to destroy with a wood- “digital nomad” in Austin. A far Colette Komm celebrates her second pandemic birthday in Central Park on March 13 with friends and a en stick. cry from her first, when her coronavirus piñata. She calls her last birthday, when she turned 38, “the birthday that was lost to history.” The group of 10 tied it to a tree co-workers were packing up the branch, and each took a swing or office and couldn’t buy her a pie from her home in New York to day messages from Parker’s many theaters have transitioned two. One swung underhand, from her favorite local shop — so London on her first solo trip. preschool teachers, classmates to staging shows on Zoom. imagining smacking the virus “in they handed her a photograph of Her flight would have been and extended family. When lockdown began, her its balls.” The death blow went to one instead. March 13. “We sat her down on her birth- mother, Heather Brooks,was just the respiratory therapist in the Then there’s Komm and her “I was very, very sad on the day and played it for her,” Kelly about to celebrate her 50th with a group because, Komm said, “if piñata. The cathartic Central day of. I was ready to push my- said. “She replayed it another 1970s-themed party replete with anyone deserves to smash this Park festivities were a far cry self out of my comfort zone,” five times.” a vintage breakfast cereal bar, thing to smithereens, it’s him.” from her 38th, which she calls Shanique said. The idea of trav- “She spent the next year talk- the drawing game Spirograph He put quite the hole in it, “the birthday that was lost to eling to a foreign country by ing about ‘When COVID is over, and candy cigarettes. She had a candy and hand sanitizer flying history.” She returned to New herself as a woman originally I’m going to have a party,’” Kelly rainbow-striped sequined jump- everywhere. But the bottom still York City from a trip minutes gave her pause, but she planned added. They live in California, suit picked out. Instead, she clung on. Like the actual virus into her birthday, a little after to push through her fear. She where cases remain high. Maybe opened gifts on Facebook Live. these days, it found itself on its midnight March 13, 2020. The never got the chance. they’ll have a small outside gath- This year will be another quiet last protein spikes. So Komm dinner she had planned with her This year, she doesn’t want her ering of Parker’s preschool one — just her, her husband and took one more big swing to finish friends was quickly replaced hopes dashed again. She’s going friends. Maybe she’ll see her her mother-in-law. She joked it off. with trips to five stores to stock to wait until things normalize and grandparents, who are vaccinat- she’s “holding on to 49 until we “Everyone was like, ‘This is up for shutdown. finally take her trip. She is grate- ed. “I just don’t know yet what to can have a party.” the most fun we’ve had in a “It was really the worst pan- ful that nothing like this ruined do.” Brooks now sees birthdays in a year,’” she said. demic birthday, because it wasn’t her childhood birthdays. Some families have seen mul- slightly different light. Sure, the The cause for occasion: cele- really a birthday,” she said. It “We’re adults. We can say, tiple pandemic birthdays. Jade pared-down events feel unsatis- brating her second pandemic was the day the United States ‘OK, fine. This happened. We’ll Brooks-Bartlett turned 26 a few factory. But the ability to have birthday. declared a national emergency, do something else,’” Shanique weeks after shutdown began, one offers ample cause for grat- Remember those birthdays last when everything shut down. “It said. “But if you’re a kid and this trading a night out for a couple of itude. Having a second pandemic March, when COVID-19 still felt wasn’t before it happened, when happens to you, I can’t even glasses of wine in her parent’s birthday is actually a blessing. new? Zoom was still a novelty. people could still celebrate, and imagine.” neighbor’s yard. Even more After all, more than 500,000 Friends drove by and honked it wasn’t after, when people could Parker Boynton can. Her first dispiriting to the self-described can’t, her father-in-law among their horns. They were decent commiserate.” pandemic birthday in April origi- workaholic who freelances in them. enough substitutes. Maybe even The second one had to be spe- nally promised to be a true barn- theater was that work was drying “It is an accomplishment to charming ones. cial. So, she made the coronavi- burner, by a 4-year-old’s stan- up as venues shut down. make it another year,” she said. Some didn’t get to have cele- rus piñata. dards. She’d been talking about it “I was in a state of work with- “I don’t care if you’re turning 25 brations at all. Plans were ruin- For some, the occasion of a nonstop for months, said her drawal,” Brooks-Bartlett, who or turning 75. The pandemic ed, trips canceled. Even still, it second pandemic birthday can mom, Kelly Boynton. It was go- lives in Silver Spring, Md., said. makes you understand how frag- all had the feeling of a once-in-a- conjure wistful memories of a ing to be her first big birthday “I was not doing well emotionally ile and precious life is, to a de- lifetime kind of thing — a story to first. party. at all.” gree we didn’t have to look at tell. Nicole Shanique had what Instead, Kelly was forced to Perhaps the best part of her before. So, I think I will give my But now these unfortunate promised to be a life-altering improvise. She used the video looming 27th is that she might birthdays a little more honor Pisces and Aries have to do it all 35th birthday. She was headed service VidDay to compile birth- get to spend it working, since than I used to.” “It is an accomplishment to make it another year. I don’t care if you’re turning 25 or turning 75. The pandemic makes you understand how fragile and precious life is, to a degree we didn’t have to look at before. So, I think I will give my birthdays a little more honor than I used to.” Heather Brooks Laurel, Md., resident who turned 50 in lockdown Friday, March 26, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 31 WEEKEND: TELEVISION NEW ON DVD

“Wonder Woman 1984”: The 2017 “Wonder Woman” was a critical and commercial success, with director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot infusing new life into a well-trod genre. Now the dynamic duo is back with “Wonder Woman 1984.” But this time around, things are different for the title character. As Tribune News Service film critic Katie Walsh explained: “The Diana of 1984 is no longer the wide-eyed innocent we met in the first film. She’s more mature but also sad, and lonely, having experi- enced war and lost her love, Steve (Chris Pine). In this world of ’80s excess, she saves kids from bur- glars at the mall and works at the Smithsonian as a cultural anthro- pologist. But her greater purpose is lacking, until she encounters a powerful ancient crystal, a wishing stone of sorts, being investigated by a new nerdy co-worker, Dr. Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig).” Walsh wrote that the film doesn’t hit the heights of the origi- nal, but it doesn’t disappoint: Netflix “‘1984’ doesn’t have the same Kirikoiu Muldrew stars as Eva and August Nunez as Zelda in “City of Ghosts,” a Netflix show about a group of kids who form a club to look for jaw-dropping impact of ‘Wonder ghosts around Los Angeles. In talking with the ghosts as well as living residents, they learn more about the city and its diverse neighborhoods. Woman’ (how could it?), but Jen- kins maintains a steady hand on the character and her story, giving us more of what we loved about the first film.” Learning from the living, the dead And ultimately, Gadot’s Wonder Woman is a hero worth rooting for: “Why does she want to save the ‘City of Ghosts’ showrunner suggests the show is a gentle love letter to Los Angeles, its diversity world? Because she believes in BY TRACY BROWN “When I was a little kid, I saw a ghost,” Ito hoods to spotlight wasn’t easy, but with the humanity, and that’s just what she Los Angeles Times said. “I think a lot of little kids see ghosts. help of writer Jenny Yang, who studied urban does,” Walsh wrote. ity of Ghosts” is Elizabeth They don’t always talk about it like that. [But] policy and planning at UCLA, she was able to Also available on DVD: Ito’s rebuttal to the people there’s a lot of really funny stories that little step back and consider what was happening in “Our Friend”: Dane (Jason that say they hate Los An- kids have about seeing ghosts.” the city before determining which stories Segel) moves in with Matt (Casey “C geles without really knowing Presented as a homemade documentary were approachable for kids. Affleck) and his family after a anything about her beloved hometown. series anchored by Ghost Club member Zelda, Some of the episodes were shaped by Ito’s devastating diagnosis. Based on a “There’s a lot you’re saying that you hate the show celebrates kids and their inquisitive- interest in learning more about neighborhoods true story. when you’re saying you hate Los Angeles,” ness, intelligence and quirky turns of phrase. and history she wasn’t as familiar with, such “55 Steps”: A patients-rights said Ito, the Emmy Award-winning “Adven- Everyone in the Ghost Club — which also as Koreatown. lawyer and her client help each ture Time” alum whose new animated series includes Thomas, Eva and Peter — lives in a “I wanted to do an episode about Korea- other transform their lives. Stars is streaming on Netflix. different neighborhood and they generally town, but I didn’t think any of [the episodes] Hilary Swank and Helena Bonham Mixing 2D and 3D animation over live- meet up at the library to discuss the cases were going to be so on the nose,” Ito said. Carter. action settings, “City of Ghosts” follows a they’re investigating. “Like, ‘It’s Koreatown, so we’re talking about “A Perfect Planet”: Sir David group of kids who have formed a club to look “The hardest part is writing dialogue for Korean culture.’ Because nothing in LA is Attenborough delivers dire warn- for ghosts around the city to learn about their kids that is as good as the funny way that kids really like that.” ings about our perfect planet in stories (often helping adults in the process). can talk sometimes,” Ito said. Fortunately, she The completed episode offers a nuanced this BBC documentary. Over the course of the six-episode season, found that recording sessions with the young and accurate look at the neighborhood’s di- “Another Round”: Four pals test their adventures take them from a new restau- actors were a good barometer: If a kid keeps verse communities — it features an Oaxacan the theory that life is better if you rant in Boyle Heights to a skate park in Venice stumbling over a line, it’s probably because music teacher, the Zapotec language and a are a little bit drunk all the time. to a vegan cafe in Leimert Park and beyond. it’s something they wouldn’t say. trip to a Korean barbecue restaurant. Trouble ensues. Through their interviews with ghosts as The ability to capture how people actually There are also episodes that involve loca- “The Toll”: A supernatural well as living residents, members of the Ghost speak when telling their personal stories is tions that are meaningful to Ito. threat haunts a driver and his Club learn about different LA neighborhoods one of the aspects of the documentary ap- “I knew I wanted to do one about Bob Baker passenger. and their histories. There is even an episode proach that appealed to Ito. The production [Marionette Theater] because that was some- — Tribune News Service where they learn about the Tongva, the Indig- process involved interviews with LA residents thing from my childhood where I was like, enous people of LA. The gentle love letter to who voice animated versions of themselves to ‘This is a weird thing that people outside of LA the city and its diverse communities is pre- convey an authenticity that Ito said can be lost do not have,’” she said. sented in a kid-friendly format, but it’s plenty in more traditional scripts. Before the kids get there, they meet the informative for adults too. “The documentary approach to stuff is ghost Atomic Nancy and learn about Little The series is partly inspired, Ito said, by really rewarding because it lets you let each Tokyo and Japanese American history. It’s a “reading a lot of articles about how our neigh- person dictate the way things are said,” Ito quirky mashup that works because it’s LA. borhoods are just changing and kind of being said. “The way that people talk and the things Ultimately, Ito hopes “City of Ghosts” can whitewashed over and [wanting] to talk about that they say … it’s so important to it feeling help people realize there is more to LA than what our communities are and what used to believable.” shallow generalizations and see how fun it is be here.” The show’s animation is layered over photos to learn more about the city’s rich diversity. As LA continues to change, she added, the of real locations and plenty of familiar local “It’s really a place that has a lot of history episodes can live on as a reminder of “all the sites — Koreatown’s Soot Bull Jeep, Leimert and a lot of stories to be uncovered,” Ito said. great cultures and things that exist here.” Plaza Park, the Bob Baker Marionette Theater “It was really rewarding to be connected to all Warner Bros. Pictures As for the series’ supernatural twist? It’s and the Central Library — make an appear- of these people and all of their cultures and all Gal Gadot stars in “Wonder inspired by the showrunner and executive ance. their families that I didn’t know before, so I Woman 1984,” now on DVD. producer’s experience with the paranormal. Ito admits that choosing which neighbor- feel really fortunate.” PAGE 32 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, March 26, 2021 WEEKEND: HEALTH & FITNESS Caregiving between classes Number of children who have become caregivers to ill or disabled family members has grown during pandemic BY HEIDI DE MARCO Kaiser Health News

n a recent Thursday after- noon, Rhianna Alvarado struggled to don her protec- tive gloves, which were too big for her petite hands. OWith her mom coaching her every move, she edged close to her father and gently removed the plastic tube from his throat that allows him to breathe. She then cautiously inserted a new one. “What’s next?” asked her mom, Rocio Alvarado, 43. “I know, I know,” replied Rhianna, her eyes constantly searching for her mom’s approval. Rhianna is only 13. When she finished the delicate task of changing her father’s tracheostomy tube, usually performed only by adults, she went back into her room to doodle on her sketch pad and play with her cat. Rhianna’s father, Brian Alvarado, is an Iraq War veteran and neck and throat cancer survivor. Like most kids, Rhianna has been stuck at her home in Long Beach, Calif., during the COVID-19 pandemic and attends school online. But unlike most other eighth graders, Rhianna is a caregiver, tending to her dad between her virtual classes. Rhianna is among more than 3 million children and teens who help an ill or dis- abled family member, according to Care- giving in the U.S. 2020, a national survey published by the National Alliance for HEIDI DE MARCO, KHN/TNS Caregiving and AARP. The survey also Rocio Alvarado watches over daughter Rhianna, 13, to make sure she takes the correct steps to change her father’s trach tube, which found that Hispanic and African Amer- must be done once a month. “I’ve been slowly teaching her for the past year,” Rocio said. ican children are twice as likely to be youth caregivers as non-Hispanic white Rhianna’s dad, Brian, 40, never smoked social work at the University of Wiscon- children. 3 million children and teens and was healthy before joining the Marine sin-Milwaukee. Carol Levine, a senior fellow at the Corps. He believes he got sick from in- Kavanaugh is researching Alzheimer’s United Hospital Fund, a nonprofit that help an ill or disabled family haling smoke from burn pits during the and caregiving in Latino and African focuses on improving health care in New member. Hispanic and Iraq War. American communities in Milwaukee. York, said the COVID-19 pandemic, com- African American children He was diagnosed with squamous cell “We had a number of kids who were bined with the worsening opioid epidemic, are also twice as likely to carcinoma of the neck and throat in 2007. much more stressed out because they had has increased the number of youth care- He also has PTSD, as well as an inflamma- no outlet,” she said. “Now they’re sudden- givers because more children are home- be youth caregivers as non- tory disease that causes muscle weakness ly 24/7 care, and there was absolutely no bound and must care for ill or addicted Hispanic white children. and a rash, and hyperthyroidism from break.” parents. chemotherapy and radiation. Adult and youth caregivers often suffer The pandemic has also made caregiving Caregiving in the U.S. 2020 national survey Rhianna’s mom is Brian’s primary care- from anxiety, depression and isolation, but harder for them, since many can no longer giver, but Rhianna helps her change her there is little data on how caregiving af- escape to school during the day. dad’s trach tube and feed him through a fects young people over the long term, “In school they have their peers; they “Sometimes they can act out and it can feeding tube in his abdomen. Kavanaugh said. have activities,” Levine said. “Because of be challenging,” she said. The hardest “I’m still learning how to do it,” Rhianna Connie Siskowski, founder of the Amer- the contagion, they aren’t allowed to do thing, she said, is that her grandmother said. “I get nervous, though.” ican Association of Caregiving Youth, the things they might normally do, so of can no longer remember Kaylin’s name. The two look after him on and off all helped care for her grandfather as a child. course there is additional stress.” COVID-19 has added another level of day. “I was not prepared,” she said. “It was Levine was an author of a national sur- stress to an already complex situation, “Our care for him doesn’t end,” Rocio traumatic.” vey in 2005 that found there were about Kaylin said, because she can’t decompress said. Her Florida-based group connects 400,000 youth caregivers between ages 8 outside the house. Rhianna is quiet and reserved. She has young caregivers and their families with and 11. The survey has not been updated, “Being around them so much, there has autism, struggles with communication and health care, education and community she said, but that number has likely been a little tension,” Kaylin acknowl- has trouble sleeping. She has been talking resources. The goal is to identify problems grown. edged. She uses art to cope. to a therapist once a week. such as stress or isolation among the chil- Kaylin Jean-Louis was 10 when she “I like to paint,” she said. “I find it very The trach has had the biggest impact on dren, and address them so they won’t started helping to care for her grand- relaxing and calming.” Rhianna, because Brian doesn’t join them harm them as adults, Siskowski said. mother and great-grandmother, who have Kaylin’s mother, Priscilla Jean-Louis, for meals anymore. But long-term care experts said caregiv- Alzheimer’s disease and live with Kaylin got COVID-19 last month and had to rely “I feel sad that he can’t eat anything,” ing can also enrich a young person’s life. and her mother in Tallahassee, Fla.. on Kaylin to care for the elder women she said. “It can help kids develop a sense of Now 15, Kaylin has assumed a larger while she recovered. Despite the growing number of youth responsibility, empathy and confidence,” caregiving role. Every afternoon after her “She isn’t forced to do it, but she helps caregivers, they have little support. Levine said. “The problem comes when online classes end, the high school sopho- me a great deal,” Priscilla said. “If there “If you look at all state and national their schoolwork, their friendships, their more gives the women their medicine, and are moments when I’m a little frustrated, caregiving programs and respite funding, lives as a child are so affected by caregiv- helps them use the bathroom, dress and she may pick up on it and be like ‘Mom- they all begin at the age of 18,” said Melin- ing that they can’t develop in those other take showers. my, let me handle this.’” da Kavanaugh, an associate professor of important ways.” Friday, March 26, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 33 WEEKEND: FAMILY

Living with a not-so- smoothie operator

My husband has been working from home since the pan- demic began more than a year ago. Francis took his cyberse- curity job in 2017 after retiring from the Navy, and initially commuted to New York City weekly. For those years, his neglected home office on the third floor of our house was more of a shrine than anything else. He would take friends up there on weekends to show off his military coins, plaques JEN GUYURON/AP and photos. This combination of photos shows Suzy and Ricky Stone visiting with their granddaughter Gigi Guyuron through a I called it his “Yay me!” room. window of their daughter Jen Guyuron’s home on April 18 in Cleveland, left, Guyuron’s brother Bryan Stone Now Francis uses his home office for work. He’s there visiting on March 21, center, and Jen and Jason Charet visiting with Gigi on April 23. from sunup to sundown, in virtual meetings and on phone calls, every weekday. A creature of habit, Francis takes short breaks I can set my clock by, to hit the head, refill his coffee, grab lunch or make a smoothie. During his breaks, Francis, an admitted narcissist, rattles ‘We were in survival mode’ off his work schedule to anyone within earshot. He’s very important, after all. “I had three meetings this morning, I’ve got to interview a candidate for that open position, then I’ll Moms detail how COVID affected the experience of labor, life with a newborn check the mail,” he’ll say, regardless of who’s listening. BY LEANNE ITALIE stuck in Nigeria and still hasn’t met her baby. When his break is over, he starts back up the stairs to his Associated Press Liz Teich and her husband moved with their 3-year-old office, but not before calling out, “Back to the salt mines!” regnancy, birth and life with a newborn in the in February 2020 from Brooklyn to suburban New Ro- We giggle at Francis’ inflated sense of self-importance, but middle of a pandemic has brought on high chelle before she gave birth to their second child about we keep the house quiet so as to not interrupt his work. anxiety, ever-shifting hospital protocols and two months later. They landed within a containment zone As a military spouse, I’ve worked from home for two dec- intense isolation for many of the millions of in one of the earliest COVID surges in the U.S. The hospi- ades. My writing, military nonprofit work and Zoom meet- P ings all take place at our kitchen island. After a year of women who have done it around the world. tal, under pressure from women due to deliver there, had As the pandemic stretches into a second year and eco- just lifted its ban on birth partners in the delivery room creeping around in hushed tones so as to not disturb Francis, nomic worry persists, demographers are studying the when Teich went into labor. one would think he would extend me the same courtesy. One would think. reasons for an anticipated pandemic baby bust. Women, Thirty hours after giving birth, Teich and her baby Last week, the house was empty. The girls were out, and meanwhile, have learned to go through labor in masks were home. Francis was at the VA Hospital getting his first COVID-19 and to introduce fresh arrivals to loved ones through “I didn’t even shower. I was too scared to touch the vaccination. All was quiet — the perfect time for a work- windows. bathroom. We didn’t know if the virus was airborne or related Zoom call. My other meeting participant was running Fear, anxiety and chaos were particularly acute in New whether it was on surfaces, or really anything about the late, so I sat at our kitchen island, waiting for her to click in. York City during the early months of the pandemic in virus at all. I mostly labored at home because I was too Suddenly, the front door opened, and I heard Francis rat- what was one of the country’s most devastating hot spots. scared to go,” she said. tling off his schedule. “The shot went quick, so I stopped and Nneoma Maduike was masked when she gave birth Teich found herself doubled over in a hospital parking got a haircut, but I’m gonna try to make my two-thirty meet- Aug. 1 to her second child, a son, after a pregnancy filled garage during contractions less than two minutes apart ing,” he announced as he clopped into the kitchen. with unknowns. after circling with her husband looking for a spot because I put a finger to my lips, “Shh, Zoom meeting.” But Francis “The anxiety was absolutely awful. Information was valet service had been eliminated. She didn’t want to be had more important matters to tend to. evolving as quickly as anything you can imagine,” said dropped off, fearing he wouldn’t be allowed in on his own. He scanned the kitchen counter, then opened the fridge. Maduike, who lives in Brooklyn. “I didn’t know what “I thought, you know, if I give birth in the car it might be “Where’s the smoothie cup?” he blared. I extended a leg and guidance to follow. My husband’s a doctor and he was still safer than in the hospital,” she said, laughing. kicked the fridge door closed, just as my meeting participant going in every single day, and that brought on even more Jen Guyuron, in Cleveland, gave birth last March to a appeared on my laptop screen. anxiety.” girl, Gigi, and she’s pregnant again. “Hi! Thanks so much for taking the time to —” I began, as Twenty-four hours after a cesarean section, Maduike “Nobody met Gigi and now we’re coming out with two Francis appeared, swung the fridge doors open again, and was cleared to go home. Hospitals at the time were at- babies,” she said. “The hospital was basically shutting put ice into his cup with a “CLUNKCLUNKCLUNK!” tempting to protect new mothers and babies from the down right as we walked in. I vividly remember telling “I’m sorry, my husband is making a smoo —” Before I virus by shuffling them out early, lightening the load as my husband that he better not cough or sneeze. We were could explain, the Nutribullet’s jet engines squealed, well on skeleton staffs. in survival mode.” “WHRRRRRRRR!” I held a finger up to my laptop, the While her husband was on hand for the birth, neither Her mom, who with her dad waited in their car at the universal sign for, “Just gimme a minute.” But Francis pre- knew the hospital would require their newborn to stay in hospital while she was in labor, wrote Guyuron a poem fers his smoothies thick, so he took his sweet time blending Maduike’s room, rather than the nursery, as a precaution. after Gigi arrived. It inspired Guyuron to write a poem to while we waited. Finally, the whirring stopped, and I dared, Her husband went home to be with their older child, her new daughter. She turned her words into a children’s “So, about the military scholarship program — ” leaving her to care for the baby alone soon after surgery. book, “The Baby in the Window,” which she self-publish- “Did anyone feed the dog?” Then it was a struggle getting her husband back inside the ed as a way to let other pandemic moms know they aren’t I shook my head, and Francis tsked his disapproval. Once hospital due to safety concerns. alone. again, I extended a leg and kicked the fridge doors closed. There were no visitors, of course, in stark contrast to The story looks forward to easier times, when parents “So, scholarship funding,” I re-started, but heard a loud her first delivery. No friends were permitted to drop by can freely let others hold their babies, visit with loved crash. Francis’ smoothie cup spun wildly on our tile floor, the hospital with balloons, flowers and food. Maduike’s ones without masks and let their children out to play splattering to a rest in the kitchen corner. mother, who lives in Texas, didn’t move in for an extend- without pandemic worry. “Oops, I dropped it!” Francis blurted, relieved that only a ed stay after the baby came home, a tradition in their In Gigi’s case, siblings, grandparents, cousins and little spilled where the cap had popped off. He set the cup on Nigerian culture. Her mother did manage a far shorter friends first met her through the windows of Guyuron’s the island beside my laptop, and pounded the cap back on visit, but with little time to gather the many ingredients home. There were socially distanced dinners in her par- with his fist, “THUMPTHUMPTHUMP!” for ji mmiri oku, a yam pepper soup offered to new moms ents’ garage and meals on her patio wrapped in blankets Sucking on his straw, Francis finally climbed the stairs after birth. by a heat lamp. back to his office — now able to finish his very important Maduike won’t soon forget meeting her baby in a mask. “There’s a lot of sadness being isolated in our houses work, thanks to the life-giving sustenance of an extra-thick “There’s something so sad about that,” she said. without family around,” Guyuron said. “It’s been really strawberry smoothie — but not before stopping to reassure “You’re terrified to eliminate that barrier because you hard as a new mom. You expect to come home to all these us, “Back to the salt mines!” just don’t know.” big hugs and happiness and family, and we didn’t have Read more at themeatandpotatoesoflife.com, and in Lisa’s book, The Meat and Potatoes of Due to pandemic travel restrictions, her father remains any of that.” Life: My True Lit Com. Email: [email protected] PAGE 34 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, March 26, 2021 WEEKEND: CROSSWORD AND COMICS

NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD

THEY ALL LAUGHED 123 45678 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 BY JACOB STULBERG / EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ 12029181 Jacob Stulberg, of Otis, Mass., is a second-year law student at New York University, currently taking classes remotely. He’s been making crosswords for The Times since 2013. Jacob is a longtime fan of the publication mentioned in 101-Across. When 52423222 he was 11, he wrote a letter to the editors, which they published, correcting their use of the term ‘‘gluteus maximus.’’ — W.S. 827262 ACROSS 45 Prop in a Shakespeare 84 Telephone feature 9 Language not 1 Some rappers tragedy jokingly predicted by traditionally written 53433323130392 101-Across in 1961 with spaces between 4 Music genre for 47 Abbr. at the end of a 89 Porters, e.g. words 0493837363 Carmen Miranda planner 10 Ambient musician 48 Classic board game 92 Stampede member in 44342414 9 Pioneer in 35mm. Brian derived from pachisi ‘‘The Lion King’’ cameras 93 Manual readers 11 Like Bach’s first two 15059484746454 50 Place to order a ‘‘Brandenburg’’ 14 Bit of bait 94 ‘‘____ fun!’’ cassoulet Concertos 55453525 18 His face overlooks 52 Writing aid jokingly 95 Early smartphone 12 Like dice, shapewise Havana’s Plaza de la model 160695857565 predicted by 13 Finding it funny Revolución 101-Across in 1967 96 Italian lager 14 Off the mark 6656463626 98 Square thing 19 Fire ____ 55 Therefore 15 Substance that helps a 100 Like some rights and 1707968676 20 See 67-Across 56 ____ block spaceship’s fuel burn engineers 57 Midnight trip to the 16 Direct 473727 21 Refurbish 101 Satirical cartoonist, fridge, say 17 It’s greener the higher born 3/13/1921, 22 Architectural it is, for short 9787776757 58 ‘‘Yellow Flicker Beat’’ known for dreaming innovation jokingly singer, 2014 21 Glow, in a way predicted by up ridiculous 38281808 59 Type of headsail 23 Narrow inlet 101-Across in 1982 inventions . . . or are 62 Super-duper they? 24 Part 1909988878685848 26 Actress Perez 63 Shake off 107 Ransacks 25 ____ of Man 59493929 27 Performer’s showcase 65 Hammer out, say 108 Peter the Great and 31 Exposed to high heat, others in a way 00199897969 28 Gave out 66 ‘‘____ Lisa’’ 109 Eponym of an M.L.B. 32 Cosmetics brand with 601501401301201101 29 God of love 67 With 20-Across, yearly hitting award ‘‘Face Anything’’ ads 68 Some sports car 30 Goofy images, 110 Jellied British 34 Ex-QB football analyst 011901801701 perhaps? options delicacy Tony 32 Kitchen brand whose 69 Painter Paul 111 Goes down 35 Word repeated before 411311211111 name becomes an 70 ‘‘Them’s the breaks!’’ 112 Fender product, for ‘‘again’’ animal after adding 72 Butler played by Gable short 37 Move stealthily a T 73 Winter sport jokingly 113 Windows forerunner 38 Big part of the S&P 51 How anatomy charts 64 Oodles 77 Egg holders 91 Alone are drawn 33 Old N.Y.C. subway predicted by 114 Droll 500 65 Hazard on an Arctic 80 Droop 97 Gobbles up inits. 101-Across in 1965 39 ‘‘It’s co-o-old!’’ 53 Mormon church, for voyage 81 Most sinewy 99 Suet alternative short 66 1960s style 36 Wish-list items 75 Treadmill settings DOWN 40 Toss in a chip, maybe 82 Its coat of arms 100 Survivalist’s stockpile 42 Hid 54 Blow 68 Blues ensemble? features a marlin and 101 It might come in a 38 Grooming tool 77 They’re not known for 1 Phil of ‘‘Dr. Phil’’ 55 ‘‘Mountain of God,’’ in 69 Slices easily (through) flamingo, with ‘‘the’’ yard glass jokingly predicted by neatness 2 Intensity of color 45 Org. concerned with performance rights Exodus 71 Brush brand 83 Baseball’s ‘‘Big Papi’’ 102 High toss 101-Across in 1979 78 Word connecting two 3 When the president 46 Mace, for one 58 Longtime name in 72 Command+Y, on a 85 Since 103 Crew’s control? 41 ‘‘Gotcha’’ place names may make a pitch cinemas Mac 86 Principles 79 Word connecting two 4 Ump’s call 48 Oodles 104 ____ diavolo (in a 43 ____ Sea, whose eastern 59 Hire calling? 73 Swizzle 87 Russian assembly peppery tomato last names 5 Comedian Wong 49 ‘‘____ From Muskogee’’ basin has become a (Merle Haggard hit) 60 Like slapstick 74 Cartoon speech 88 Gutter nuisance in sauce) desert 80 Taters 6 Gym array 50 Cartoonist Dave comedies bubble, often cold climates 105 Year-round Phoenix 81 Ragamuffin 44 Either spy to the other 7 Sweet bread famous for ‘‘The 61 Feature of a Care 75 Whirled around 90 Apt surname for a hrs. in ‘‘Spy vs. Spy’’ 82 Nominee’s place 8 Not as scarce Lighter Side of . . . ’’ Bear’s belly 76 Sting, e.g. ho-dog vendor? 106 Sticky stuff

GUNSTON STREET RESULTS FOR ABOVE PUZZLE

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“Gunston Street” is drawn by Basil Zaviski. Email him at [email protected], and online at gunstonstreet.com. R O Z A R E D A L B E E R H T S T N A W

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P U X I F M U N N A M R A L A E H C M R O W A C I E L A B M A S S C M Friday, March 26, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 35 AMERICAN ROUNDUP

3 fishermen rescued after ice drifts away on lake NORTH HERO — Fire- VT fighters on Tuesday res- cued three men trapped on ice that drifted out on Lake Champlain. The North Hero Volunteer Fire Department said the three men were fishing when the ice they were on drifted toward the Cana- dian border, WCAX-TV reported. Firefighters from Vermont and Quebec responded. They used an airboat to get to the men and bring them back to shore, the news sta- tion reported. Popcorn machine brings firefighters to Capitol BISMARCK — A pop- ND corn machine has been removed from the North Dakota Capitol after it twice triggered fire alarms that brought firefighters to the building this week and caused legislators to evacuate. Rep. Mary Johnson was on her third batch of popcorn Monday af- ternoon when the machine trig- gered the alarms for the second time that day. Johnson said she wasn’t aware of a policy that bans SHAFKAT ANOWAR/AP popcorn poppers, toasters and oth- er food appliances from the build- ing, with the exception of the Capi- A puncher’s chance tol Cafe. Sunny Akhibge, left, trains Ayo Ayodele during an outdoor fitness session at Grant Park on Tuesday in Chicago. House Majority Leader Chet Pollert said the popcorn helped Three other cards were unscathed, THE CENSUS resolution of the litigation” and bring together House Republicans, and they contained multiple imag- said that the city’s “position in this whose caucus has been “a little es and videos of child pornography. The approximate number of robberies authorities say mem- case was that HPD’s current poli- strained” due to the coronavirus He faces up to 20 years in prison 130 bers of a criminal ring committed. Federal prosecutors and FBI cies and standards of conduct were pandemic and the House expulsion when sentenced in June. officials in Connecticut said Josepher Cartagena, Alexander Santiago and Dou- sufficient in providing direction to of former Rep. Luke Simons, the glas Noble, all of New York City, and Justin Herrera, formerly of Levittown, officers and addressing conflicts of Bismarck Tribune reported. Fuel tanker catches on N.Y., stole millions of dollars of goods from businesses in multiple states. An interest in this particular situa- Facility Management Director fire, shutting down I-70 indictment against them was unsealed Monday. Prosecutors said the men usu- tion.” John Boyle said the policy was es- ally committed the crimes at night and often eluded police in high-speed car After the lawsuit was filed in Oc- chases that had to be called off for safety reasons. tablished to prevent the activation MOUNT AIRY — A tober, police spokeswoman Mi- of fire alarms. MD stretch of Interstate chelle Yu said Uemura and his su- 70 in Maryland was forced to shut gation determined that probable chainsaw. pervisor were disciplined, but she Man’s conviction follows down for several hours in both di- cause existed to arrest Natalie Wil- In July 2020, WRAL reported was unable to provide details. On attempt to eat evidence rections after a fuel truck caught lis, 42, for one count each of posses- Vanderburg was arrested in Santa Tuesday, Yu said Uemura is on full fire. sion of hallucinogenic drugs, traf- Monica, Calif., for carrying a load- duty and that “disciplinary action RALEIGH — A Mexi- The crash occurred Tuesday be- ficking contraband and possession ed gun on a beach. Witnesses to is pending.” NC can national has been fore 3 p.m. on eastbound I-70 near of a controlled substance. that incident told police Vander- convicted on child pornography the Mount Airy exit. Contract employees go through a burg said he was upset with liber- Drag strip closes its gates charges after authorities say he The Frederick News-Post background check before they are als and Black Lives Matter pro- after 63 years tried to swallow memory cards reported that Maryland State Po- allowed to work inside the deten- tests. containing pornographic images lice Frederick Barrack Lt. Stephen tion facility. OSCEOLA — A northern when he was detained following a Johnson happened to be on the $150K for teen arrested IN Indiana drag strip has traffic stop. highway in that area when the Man charged with wielding by classmate’s dad closed its gates after more than six Federal prosecutors say David tanker overturned. He was ap- chainsaw at motels decades of playing host to drag Sierra Orozco, 31, was convicted proaching the truck with a fire ex- HONOLULU — The Ho- races. Tuesday of possessing child por- tinguisher when it became fully en- RALEIGH — A white HI nolulu City Council has The Osceola Dragway an- nography after a two-day jury trial gulfed in flames. NC man arrested after po- approved a $150,000 settlement in nounced last Friday in a Facebook in Raleigh. Frederick County Fire and Res- lice say he menaced Black guests a lawsuit that accused a police offi- post that it will not be opening for Deputies in Harnett County cue said on Twitter about two hours with a chainsaw at a North Carolina cer of improperly arresting a boy the 2021 season and that “after 63 stopped Orozco in July 2017 after after the fire began that it had been hotel over the weekend was arrest- who had a personal dispute with his years, our gates will be permanent- they say he was driving his Lexus extinguished, but that closures on ed in California last year on charg- son. ly closed.” Track officials wrote erratically. During the traffic stop, I-70 were expected to continue into es of carrying a loaded gun on the The family’s federal lawsuit al- that the decision to close the site deputies noticed a hidden com- the evening. beach. leged that Officer Kirk Uemura “was not an easy one” but said the partment in the car and found more Jacob Vanderburg, 27, was ar- had the teen arrested because the coronavirus pandemic had affect- than $100,000 in cash. Kitchen worker arrested rested Sunday morning by Raleigh teen and the officer’s son were at ed ongoing efforts that began in Orozco was taken to the county after jail contraband probe police on nine charges, including odds and had fought after school in 2016 to sell the property, which is jail on a charge of driving without a kidnapping and assault. WRAL-TV 2018. The American Civil Liberties located a few miles west of Elkhart. license, While being searched, offi- WICHITA — A con- reported Vanderburg is accused of Union of Hawaii and attorney Eric The International Hot Rod Asso- cers found a folded $100 bill. When KS tract kitchen worker waving a chainsaw at three people Seitz represented the family and ciation-sanctioned track had they unfolded it, memory cards fell has been arrested on suspicion of at a Red Roof Inn, a Super 8 and a announced the settlement Tues- opened for a pandemic-shortened to the floor. bringing contraband into the Sedg- Claremont Inn in Raleigh. Chain- day. Their lawsuit said Uemura season in 2020, The Elkhart Truth At a preliminary hearing, an wick County jail, authorities said saw marks were left on at least one was “motivated solely by a person- reported. agent testified that Orozco grabbed Tuesday. of the guest rooms. al vengeance” in abusing his police The track was founded in 1957 the memory cards and tried to eat The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Police in nearby Garner say power. and features a quarter-mile drag them. He swallowed one and Office said in a news release that it Vanderburg also rammed his vehi- In a statement, the Honolulu De- strip with adjacent bleachers. chewed another that deputies were received information concerning cle into a home-improvement store partment of Corporation Counsel able to retrieve., the agent said. the worker on Monday. Its investi- Saturday night and stole another called the settlement a “reasonable From wire reports PAGE 36 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, March 26, 2021 Friday, March 26, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 37 PAGE 38 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, March 26, 2021 OPINION

Max D. Lederer Jr., Publisher Lt. Col. Marci Hoffman, Europe commander Lt. Col. Richard McClintic, Pacific commander Reopening as COVID-19 fades is not a science BY FAYE FLAM mate of what would happen if we did some- know if that one basketball rim was the cul- Bloomberg Opinion thing or if we did something else. But sci- prit. You just won’t have enough data to EDITORIAL he accelerating reopening of busi- ence can’t tell you how to value those things. tease that out.” Terry Leonard, Editor nesses in the U.S. doesn’t violate Those will always be decisions for the body It’s fine to warn people that the crisis isn’t [email protected] “the science” of COVID-19. Some politic.” over; we don’t know whether the new, more individual scientists are warning At this point most people know the vac- transmissible variants will cause a new Robert H. Reid, Senior Managing Editor T of increased virus deaths associated with cines aren’t perfect, but the signs are every- wave. But we’re seeing a more dysfunction- [email protected] these choices, but there’s no science that where that many people think they’re good al relationship in which scientists suggest Tina Croley, Managing Editor for Content can tell us precisely how to balance public enough to return to travel, restaurants and untenable rules and people get called self- [email protected] health with other human needs. Some peo- other activities. That means public health ish for failing to follow them. It could be Sean Moores, Managing Editor for Presentation ple want to minimize COVID-19 cases at all officials need to be more specific and less driving people toward indifference, fatigue, [email protected] costs — but that’s a moral stance. It’s not draconian. distrust and suspicion that rules are being “the science.” Sandman says he thinks the public health imposed with ulterior motives. Joe Gromelski, Managing Editor for Digital Yet as tension grows over governors’ de- community is still compensating for the Whatever the CDC says, Sandman says [email protected] cisions to reopen restaurants, gyms and oth- early 2020 blunders downplaying CO- he suspects even many compliant Ameri- er venues, U.S. Centers for Disease Control VID-19’s risks. “I think when they realized cans will go back to normal after vaccines BUREAU STAFF and Prevention director Rochelle Walen- their mistake they overcompensated and are widely available. “All along, they have sky not only warned that the U.S. could see a became excessively pessimistic instead,” assumed that vaccines, if and when they be- Europe/Mideast surge in new cases, but also pleaded with he wrote me in an email this week. He sees came available, would replace this menu of Erik Slavin, Europe & Mideast Bureau Chief [email protected] Americans to continue with public health this in the way they’re still recommending burdensome non-pharmaceutical interven- +49(0)631.3615.9350; DSN (314)583.9350 measures like masks, solitude and avoiding that fully vaccinated people shouldn’t trav- tions with a much less burdensome phar- Pacific travel. This sort of public health advice con- el, and the long months it took to allow pub- maceutical one: a shot, or maybe a couple of Aaron Kidd, Pacific Bureau Chief flates science, morality, values and partisan lic schools to open with a more realistic 3- shots,” he says. “Now they’re told that after [email protected] politics. We’ve seen too much of it in the foot social distancing rule. they’re vaccinated they should nonetheless +81.42.552.2511 ext. 88380; DSN (315)227.7380 past 12 months. When I asked him whether this pessi- keep taking most of the precautions they’ve Washington Risk communication consultant Peter mism is related to any conflict between sci- been taking for a year already. That doesn’t Joseph Cacchioli, Washington Bureau Chief Sandman made the distinction this way: “I ence and people’s needs, he said public just feel like a betrayal. It feels like an exer- [email protected] am simply not interested in an epidemiol- health officials’ excessive caution “is much cise in futility.” (+1)(202)886-0033 Brian Bowers, Assistant Managing Editor, News ogist’s opinion on whether schools should less grounded in ‘the science’ than they There’s a lot science can tell us about rel- [email protected] be reopened. I’m interested in an epide- would have us believe.” ative risks of returning to normal activities, miologist’s opinion on how much more the Prasad admits there has been a lot of edu- and it’s important for public health officials CIRCULATION virus will spread if schools are reopened. cated guessing about which restrictions to to keep people informed on any risks that Whether schools should be reopened — impose. “How many things did we do to might persist post-vaccine. But it’s time to Mideast that’s not their field. It bothers me when fight SARS-CoV-2? I conservatively esti- stop disguising their preferred goals and Robert Reismann, Mideast Circulation Manager [email protected] they try to pretend that it is.” mate ten thousand to a hundred thousand trade-offs as “the science.” [email protected] University of California, San Francisco different interventions,” he says. Those ran DSN (314)583-9111 physician Vinay Prasad took a similar view. the gamut from closing national borders to Faye Flam is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist and host of the Europe “Science can only articulate our best esti- removing basketball hoops. “You’ll never podcast “Follow the Science.” Karen Lewis, Community Engagement Manager [email protected] [email protected] +49(0)631.3615.9090; DSN (314)583.9090 Netanyahu now might have to work with Israeli Arabs Pacific Mari Mori, [email protected] BY HENRY OLSEN Netanyahu has said he won’t deal with ately annex West Bank settlements, to get a +81-3 6385.3171; DSN (315)227.7333 Special to The Washington Post Ra’am, but that stance could easily soften in majority. That’s a hard coalition to put togeth- srael’s fourth election in two years light of the election results. There’s also an- er. CONTACT US looks to have ended like the others: The other reason he might make the unlikely ar- The wily prime minister could try to get Washington country is about evenly divided be- rangement: Likud’s own campaign to gain Knesset members to defect from opposition tel: (+1)202.886.0003 Itween those who support Prime Minis- Arab votes. Likud has traditionally perform- parties and back him. That’s what he did last 633 3rd St. NW, Suite 116, Washington, DC 20001-3050 ter Benjamin Netanyahu and those who don’t. ed extremely poorly among Arabs, but the year, breaking up the main opposition party, Reader letters If he does survive, it will likely be because of party launched a strong effort to increase its Blue and White, while also persuading three [email protected] an unlikely demographic: Israeli Arabs. share of the vote on the basis of the Abraham members of the Meretz-Labor-Gesher slate Netanyahu faces a clear math problem. Accords. Netanyahu campaigned in some to join him. Hard-line Likudniks want Bibi to Additional contacts With about 90% of the vote counted, his Likud Arab communities, placed an Arab on the Li- try this route again, and they might only need stripes.com/contactus party is on track to win 30 seats in the 120-seat kud party list and even said there could be di- one or two defectors if Yamina joins the pro- OMBUDSMAN Knesset. Three religious parties allied with rect flights from Tel Aviv to Mecca if he were Netanyahu coalition. Netanyahu could then him — Shas, United Torah Judaism and Reli- reelected. have his cake and eat it too by making a pri- Ernie Gates gious Zionism — look to be winning another The unprecedented effort paid off. Likud vate deal with Ra’am to support its priorities The Stars and Stripes ombudsman protects the free flow 22 seats. That gives him 52 seats, nine short of received significantly more votes in Arab in exchange for it not propping him up. of news and information, reporting any attempts by the the majority he needs. Even if the right-wing towns such as Umm al-Fahm and Nazareth Likud’s first targets would likely be the for- military or other authorities to undermine the newspaper’s independence. The ombudsman also responds to concerns Yamina party, which is currently winning than it did last year, getting as much as 6% of mer party members who defected this year to and questions from readers, and monitors coverage for seven seats, were to join his coalition, he the vote in the predominantly Bedouin town join the New Hope party, led by former Li- fairness, accuracy, timeliness and balance. The ombudsman welcomes comments from readers, and can be contacted by would still be short. About 450,000 votes re- of Rahat. Coupled with a large decline in Arab kudnik Gideon Sa’ar. That party started email at [email protected], or by phone at main to be counted, but that will likely only voting overall, this means Likud’s share of the strong, polling as high as 22 seats when it was 202.886.0003. marginally change the final numbers. Only Arab vote, while still small, went up a lot. In launched to great fanfare in December. De- one other party with Knesset representation Israel’s proportional representation system, spite hiring chief strategists from the Lincoln Stars and Stripes (USPS 0417900) is published week- days (except Dec. 25 and Jan. 1) for 50 cents Monday is open to backing his re-election: the conser- that small rise is likely to be enough to have Project to run his campaign, Sa’ar’s break- through Thursday and for $1 on Friday by Pacific Stars and Stripes, Unit 45002, APO AP 96301-5002. Periodicals vative Islamist United Arab List. given Netanyahu’s party one or two extra, away effort fizzled. The party won a paltry six postage paid at San Francisco, CA, Postmaster: Send The UAL, known as Ra’am in Israel, broke crucial seats. Turning its back on Ra’am seats Tuesday, and it’s easy to imagine Neta- address changes to Pacific Stars and Stripes, Unit 45002, APO AP 96301-5002. This newspaper is authorized by the away from its previous alliance with three might show these new Arab Likud voters that nyahu telling former Likud members that all Department of Defense for members of the military services other Arab parties to run on its own in this the party’s apparent change was just a mi- will be forgiven if they return — and that their overseas. However, the contents of Stars and Stripes are unofficial, and are not to be considered as the official views election. Its leader, Mansour Abbas, has ar- rage. political careers will be over if they don’t. of, or endorsed by, the U.S. government. As a DOD newspa- gued that Israeli Arabs need to be able to lev- Alternatives to a Netanyahu-Arab alliance Netanyahu didn’t become Israel’s longest- per, Stars and Stripes may be distributed through official channels and use appropriated funds for distribution to erage their votes to gain tangible benefits for are fraught with difficulty. The anti-Netanya- serving prime minister by being a political remote locations where overseas DOD personnel are located. their communities, such as greater protec- hu bloc runs the gamut from the Arab Joint naif. It would be highly ironic, though, if his The appearance of advertising in this publication does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense or tion against soaring crime. He pledged that List, which includes the communist Balad legendary political skills resulted, directly or Stars and Stripes of the products or services advertised. his party was neither for nor against Netanya- party and the pro-Palestine Ahmed Tibi, to indirectly, in the first real rapprochement be- Products or services advertised shall be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, hu and that it would support any coalition that Ysrael Beytenu, whose leader Avigdor Liber- tween Israel’s Jews and Arabs. Politics religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical supports its aspirations. The party did well man has previously called for Arab towns in makes strange bedfellows, indeed. handicap, political affiliation or any other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user or patron. enough in its base among Bedouins to sur- Israel to be given back to any Palestinian

© Stars and Stripes 2021 mount the 3.25% threshold and gain at least state. The bloc would also need the hard-right Henry Olsen is a Washington Post columnist and a senior fellow four seats. Yamina party, which wants Israel to immedi- at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. stripes.com Friday, March 26, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 39 Eugene Sheffer Crossword Frazz Dilbert

ACROSS 51 Calligrapher’s 23 Leg joint 1 “GMA” network instrument 25 Lushes 4 Kate of “The 26 Dining Martian” DOWN surface, e.g.

Pearls Before Swine Pearls Before 8 Fibs 1 Oklahoma city 27 Make well 12 Pair with an air 2 Fella 28 Messes up 13 Big-screen 3 Type of surgery 30 Cash advance format 4 Breath 33 Rental 14 Ad agcy. client fresheners contracts 15 Anise-flavored 5 Quantities (Abbr.) 34 Animated liqueur 6 Fan’s cry figure 17 Head, to Henri 7 Chopper 36 Dish 18 Yoga class pads 8 Janet Jackson’s 37 “Neato!” 19 Fusses sister 38 Overdue Non Sequitur 20 Abounds 9 Chilled 39 Slangy suffix 22 Fine 10 Outside (Pref.) 40 “Citizen 24 Feedbag filler 11 Fr. holy women Kane” prop 25 Catch some rays 16 Pet food brand 42 Follower (Suff.) 29 Calendar abbr. 19 Bar bills 43 French “yes” 30 Theater boxes 20 Bean curd 44 Weeding tool 31 — Lingus 21 Deserve 45 A billion 32 Strip 22 Should, with “to” years 34 Slope transport Answer to Previous Puzzle 35 Right on the Candorville map? 36 Surveys 37 Pristine 40 — gin fizz 41 Galley supply 42 Gilbert & Sullivan opera 46 Oklahoma tribe 47 Fat

Carpe Diem 48 Tic-tac-toe win 49 Some July babies 50 Ocean motion Beetle Bailey Bizarro PAGE 40 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, March 26, 2021 Eugene Sheffer Crossword Frazz Dilbert

ACROSS 51 Standard 20 Conflict-ending 1 Get bigger 52 Sediment negotiations 5 Flag creator 53 Young foxes 22 Soprano Fleming 9 “The Office” 54 Devious 24 Palliative plants

Pearls Before Swine Pearls Before character 55 “Got it” 25 Gore and Pacino 12 Asta’s mistress 56 Sports figure? 26 Ultramodernist 13 Flightless birds 27 Dallas sch. 14 Flamenco cheer DOWN 29 Cardinal cap 15 Cold War initials 1 Wildebeests letters 30 Golf prop 16 Scruff 2 — Hashanah 31 Norm (Abbr.) 17 Opener at 3 Approximately 35 Low cards Vegas? 4 Heated 36 Read 18 “Scram!” debate 19 Inseparable 39 Microwaves Non Sequitur 5 “The Bathers” 20 Ritzy 40 Milky gem painter 21 Calendar abbr. 41 Nashville venue 6 Muscat’s land 23 “Norma —” 43 Swiss artist Paul 7 Excellent 25 Retort 45 “Act now!” 8 Away from NNW 28 Wild parties 46 Utah ski resort 9 Casual shirt 32 Troublesome car 47 Sail support 10 Regrettably 33 Quartet doubled 49 Will Smith biopic 34 Turned bad 11 Netting Answer to Previous Puzzle 36 Prepared Candorville potatoes 37 Ruby or Sandra 38 “Guinness Book” suffix 39 Madhouses 42 Kiev’s land (Abbr.) 44 First person 48 iPhone download

Carpe Diem 49 Rights advocacy org. 50 “Damn Yankees” vamp Beetle Bailey Bizarro Friday, March 26, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 41 SCOREBOARD/MLB

COLLEGE BASKETBALL GOLF DEALS

Men’s NIT Dell Match Play Wednesday’s transactions Andre Roberts and LB Kevin Pierre­Louis. At Frisco, Texas Wednesday Re­signed TE Pharaoh Brown. Signed RB BASEBALL Mark Ingram II and LB Christian Kirksey. League Quarterfinals At Austin Country Club Thursday, March 25 Austin, Texas Major League Baseball INDIANAPOLIS COLTS — Signed T Sam Colorado State vs. NC State Purse: $10.5 million American League Tevi. Re­signed WR T.Y. Hilton. Boise State vs. Memphis Yardage: 7,108; Par: 71 BOSTON RED SOX — Named Bekah Sal­ JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS — Signed QB wasser executive vice president, social C.J. Beathard. Mississippi State vs. Richmond Ian Poulter (60), England, def. Rory McIl­ W. Kentucky vs. Louisiana Tech impact. MIAMI DOLPHINS — Re­signed LB Elan­ roy (11), Northern Ireland, 6 and 5. DETROIT TIGERS — Agreed to terms with don Roberts. Cameron Smith (25), Australia, def. Lan­ RHP Julio Teheran. Placed RHP Spencer MINNESOTA VIKINGS — Re­signed RB watching College Basketball Invitational to Griffin (46), United States, 1 up. Turnbull on IR. Ameer Abdullah. Xander Schauffele (6), United States, Championship NEW YORK YANKEES — Reassigned RHP NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS — Signed LB halved with Andy Sullivan (57), England. Laroy Reynolds. Re­signed RB James Wednesday, March 24 Kyle Barraclough, OFs Socrates Brito and Scottie Scheffler (30), United States, def. Ryan LaMarre and RHP Asher Wojcie­ White. Re­signed DL Lawrence Guy to a Pepperdine 84, Coastal Carolina 61 Jason Day (44), Australia, 2 up. chowski to minor league camp. four­year contract. Daniel Berger (14), United States, def. OAKLAND ATHLETICS — Optioned C Aus­ NEW YORK GIANTS — Re­signed LB De­ NCAA Men’s Division II Erik van Rooyen (62), South Africa, 6 and 4. tin Allen to Las Vegas (Triple­A West). vante Downs to a one­year contract. baseballs Harris English (19), United States, def. SEATTLE MARINERS — Reassigned Cs Signed TE Kyle Rudolph. Tournament — Signed DE/LB Vinny Brendon Todd (47), United States, 1 up. Jose Godoy and Cal Raleigh to minor NEW YORK JETS BY RONALD BLUM Quarterfinals Jon Rahm (3), Spain, def. Sebastian Mu­ league camp. Curry to a contract. Signed RB Tevin Cole­ At Evansville, Ind. noz (56), Colombia, 1 up. TEXAS RANGERS — Announced that the man to a two­year contract. Associated Press Wednesday, March 24 Ryan Palmer (24), United States, def. club has exercised its 2022 option on the NEW ORLEANS SAINTS — Signed TE Nick Lincoln Memorial 90, Colorado Mines 76 Shane Lowry (38), Ireland, 4 and 2. contract of manager Chris Woodward. Op­ Vannett to a tghree­year contract. NEW YORK — Major League West Texas A&M 97, Daemen 83 Patrick Cantlay (10), United States, def. tioned LGPs Kolby Allard and Joe Palumbo PITTSBURGH STEELERS — Re­signed LBs Baseball is increasing its monitor- NW Missouri St. 98, West Liberty 77 Brian Harman (54), United States, 1 up. to Round Rock (Triple­A West). Robert Spillane and Cassius Marsh to a Flagler 70, Truman 69 Carlos Ortiz (42), Mexico, def. Hideki National League one­year contract. ing of baseballs in an attempt to Semifinals Matsuyama (23), Japan, 4 and 3. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS — Optioned C SAN DIEGO CHARGERS — Signed LB Kyle At Evansville, Ind. Patrick Reed (7), United States, halved Daulton Varsho to Reno Aces (Triple­A Fackrell to a contract. suppress any use of foreign sub- Thursday, March 25 with Bubba Watson (55), United States. West). SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS — Re­signed CB K’Waun Willinad and DE Jordan Willis. stances by pitchers. West Texas A&M vs. Lincoln Memorial Joaquin Niemann (26), Chile, halved with NEW YORK METS — Optioned RHP Jor­ dan Yamamoto to Syracuse (Triple­A SEATTLE SEAHAWKS — Re­signed DE NW Missouri St. vs. Flagler Christiaan Bezuidenhout (33), South Afri­ Benson Mayowa. Signed DE Kerry Hyder Mike Hill, newly hired as exec- ca. Northeast). Reassigned RHP Corey Os­ walt, C Bruce Maxwell and INF Brandon and G Jordan Simmons. Jordan Spieth (49), United States, def. utive vice president of baseball Women’s NIT Drury. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS — Re­signed Matt Fitzpatrick (15), England, 3 and 1. DT Ndamukong Suh. Signed LT Donovan operations and Semifinals PITTSBURGH PIRATES — Optioned RHPs Matthew Wolff (20), United States, def. Sean Poppen and Miguel Yajure and INF Smith to a two­year contract, $31.8M ex­ At Collierville, Tenn. Corey Conners (37), Canada, 3 and 1. Cole Tucker. Reassigned INF Will Craig, Cs tension. disciplinarian, Friday, March 26 Matt Kuchar (52), United States, def. Jus­ Joe Hudson and Andrew Susac, OF Troy WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM — wrote in a mem- Rice vs. Delaware tin Thomas (2), United States, 3 and 2. Stokes, Jr. Reassigned LHP Braedon Ogle Signed WR Cam Sims to his restricted free Mississippi vs. N. Iowa Kevin Kisner (34), United States, def. and OF Hunter Owen to minor league agent tender. orandum to team Louis Oosthuizen (22), South Africa, 2 and camp. HOCKEY officials on Tues- NCAA Women’s Division II 1. SAN DIEGO PADRES — Optioned RHP An­ National Hockey League Dylan Frittelli (64), South Africa, def. To­ derson Espinoza to San Antonio (Double­A ANAHEIM DUCKS — Recalled C Lukas day that “players Tournament ny Finau (12), United States, 6 and 5. South). Dostal, D Andy Welinski and Kodie Curran Semifinals Jason Kokrak (29), United States, def. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS — Optioned from the minor league taxi squad. are subject to Wednesday, March 24 Will Zalatoris (40), United States, 1 up. LHP Sam Selman and INF Jason Vosler to BUFFALO SABRES — Recalled G Michael Antoine Rozner (58), France, def. Bryson minor league camp. Reassigned RHPs Sil­ Houser and RW Rasmus Asplund from the discipline ... re- Drury 74, Lander 65 minor league taxi squad. Lubbock Christian 63, Cent. Missouri 61 DeChambeau (5), United States, 2 up. vino Bracho and Rico Garcia, OF Joe gardless of Championship Tommy Fleetwood (21), England, halved McCarthy and LHP Phil Pfeifer to minor CALGARY FLAMES — RecalledLW Zac Ri­ Hill Friday, March 26 with. Si Woo Kim (45), South Korea. league camp. naldo and C Clark Bishop from the minor whether evi- WASHINGTON NATIONALS — Optioned league taxi squad. Drury vs. Lubbock Christian Kevin Streelman (53), United States, def. dence of the violation has been Viktor Hovland (13), Norway, 4 and 2. RHPs Ryne Harper and Dakota Bacus to MINNESOTA WILD — Recalled C Joseph TENNIS Abraham Ancer (27), Mexico, def. Bernd Rochester (Triple­A Northeast). Cramarossa from the minor league taxi discovered during or following a Wiesberger (43), Austria, 3 and 2. FOOTBALL squad. Placed LW Zach Parise on Injured Collin Morikawa (4), United States, National Football League reserve COVID­19 protocol. game.” Miami Open halved with J.T. Poston (63), United States. ATLANTA FALCONS — Signed DB Fabian NEW JERSEY DEVILS — Signed F Tyce “Examples of prohibited con- Billy Horschel (32), Unied States, def. Moreau to a one­year contract. Thompson to a two­year, entry­level con­ Wednesday tract. Max Homa (35), United States, 1 up. BUFFALO BILLS — Signed DE Efe Obada duct include, but are not limited At Tennis Center at Crandon Park OTTAWA SENATORS — Recalled LW Alex Webb Simpson (9), United States, def. to a one­year contract. Miami CAROLINA PANTHERS — Signed K Matt Formenton from the minor league taxi to, handling foreign substances, Purse: $3,343,785 Talor Gooch (59), United States, 6 and 5. squad. Mackenzie Hughes (48), Canada, def. Ammendola to a contract. Surface: Hardcourt outdoor CHICAGO BEARS — Signed LB Christian PITTSBURGH PENGUINS — Recalled C Ra­ advising a pitcher how to use or Men’s Singles Paul Casey (17), England, 3 and 2. Jones and RB Damien Williams. dim Zohorna, RW Colton Sceviour, C Fre­ otherwise mask the use of foreign Round of 128 Tyrrell Hatton (8), England, halved with CINCINNATI BENGALS — Re­signed RB derick Gaudreau and RW Anthony Angello Pierre­Hugues Herbert, France, def. Pe­ Matt Wallace (51), England. Samaje Perine to a two­year contract. Re­ from the minor league taxi squad. substances, interfering with the dro Sousa, Portugal, 6­1, 6­3. Sergio Garcia (39), Spain, def. Lee West­ signed S Ricardo Allen. SOCCER Alexei Popyrin, Australia, def. Feliciano wood (18), England, 4 and 3. DENVER BRONCOS — Signed S Kareem Major League Soccer collection of game-used baseballs Lopez, Spain, 6­4, 7­6 (4). Sungjae Im (16), South Korea, def. Rus­ Jackson to a one­year contract. COLORADO RAPIDS — Loaned G Andre and failing to report observed vio- Cameron Norrie, Britain, def. Yoshihito sell Henley (50), United States, 1 up. DETROIT LIONS — Signed LB Alex Anza­ Rawls and D Jeremy Kelly to Phoenix Ris­ Nishioka, Japan, 6­1, 3­6, 7­5. Victor Perez (31), France, def. Marc lone and WR Damion Ratley. ing FC retaining right to recall either play­ lations of these rules by players or Mikael Ymer, Sweden, def. Alejandro Ta­ Leishman (36), Australia, 2 and 1. GREEN BAY PACKERS — Signed LS Joe er. bilo, Chile, 6­3, 6­1. Dustin Johnson (1), United States, def. Fortunato. Re­signed TE Marcedes Lewic COLLEGE staff.” Yen­hsun Lu, Taiwan, def. Sam Querrey, Adam Long (61), United States, 2 up. to s two­year contract. KANSAS STATE — Agreed to terms with Hill said team leaders may be United States, 6­3, 6­4. Bob MacIntyre (41), Scotland, def. Kevin HOUSTON TEXANS — Signed DB Ter­ Gene Taylor on a contract extension Marcos Giron, United States, def. Tom­ Na (28), United States, 2 and 1. rance Mitchell, WRs Chris Moore and through 2027 as athletic director. held responsible for violations by my Paul, United States, 7­6 (5), 6­4. Hugo Gaston, France, def. Dominik PRO BASEBALL COLLEGE HOCKEY staff. Koepfer, Germany, 6­1, 6­4. In a two-page memo to owners, Ernesto Escobedo, United States, def. NCAA Division I Tournament Paolo Lorenzi, Italy, 6­3, 6­2. Spring training L.A. Angels 4, Kansas City 2 CEOs, team presidents, general Yannick Hanfmann, Germany, def. Steve Boston 2, Baltimore 0 BRIDGEPORT REGIONAL Johnson, United States, 7­5, 6­2. AMERICAN LEAGUE Houston 11, Washington 8 At Bridgeport, Conn. managers and mangers first re- Ricardas Berankis, Lithuania, def. Feder­ Texas 6, Cincinnati 5 First Round ported by ESPN and the New York ico Gaio, Italy, 7­6 (4), 6­2. WLPct. Arizona 6, Cleveland 5 Friday, March 26 James Duckworth, Australia, def. Mis­ Chicago Cubs 6, Seattle 2 Wisconsin (20­9­1) vs. Bemidji St. (15­ Post, Hill outlined three new en- cha Zverev, Germany, 6­2, 4­6, 6­4. Kansas City 13 7 .650 San Francisco 7, San Diego 3 9­3) Lloyd Harris, South Africa, def. Emilio Toronto 14 8 .636 Thursday’s games UMass (16­5­4) vs. Lake Superior St. (19­ forcement components. Nava, United States, 6­4, 7­6 (7). Boston 13 8 .619 Tampa Bay vs. Atlanta at North Port, Fla. 6­3) ■ Gameday compliance moni- Mackenzie McDonald, United States, Arizona vs. Kansas City at Surprise, Ariz. Championship def. Vasek Pospisil, Canada, 6­3, 4­6, 6­3. New York 13 8 .619 Cincinnati vs. Chicago White Sox at Saturday, March 27 tors and electronics compliance Laslo Djere, Serbia, def. Jiri Vesely, Texas 12 8 .600 Glendale, Ariz. Wisconsin­Bemidji St. winner vs. officers will check for violations in Czech Republic, 6­3, 5­7, 6­1. Los Angeles 12 9 .571 Seattle vs. Oakland at Mesa, Ariz. UMass­Lake Superior St. winner Emil Ruusuvuori, Finland, def. Carlos Al­ L.A. Angels vs. Colorado at Scottsdale, FARGO REGIONAL dugouts, clubhouses, tunnels, bat- caraz Garfia, Spain, 6­4, 2­6, 7­5. Oakland 12 9 .571 Ariz. At Fargo, N.D. Frances Tiafoe, United States, def. Stefa­ Seattle 10 9 .526 Pittsburgh vs. Baltimore at Sarasota, First Round ting cages and bullpens, and they no Travaglia, Italy, 5­7, 6­4, 6­2. Detroit 10 11 .476 Fla. Friday, March 26 Women’s Singles Minnesota vs. Boston at Fort Myers, Fla. Minn. Duluth (14­10­2) vs. Michigan (15­ will file daily reports to the com- Round of 128 Minnesota 9 12 .429 N.Y. Yankees vs. Philadelphia at Clear­ 10­1) missioner’s office. Andrea Petkovic, Germany, def. Zhang Chicago 8 11 .421 water, Fla. North Dakota (21­5­1) vs. American In­ St. Louis vs. Houston at West Palm ■ Shuai, China, 7­5, 6­1. Baltimore 8 14 .364 ternational (15­3­0) Umpires, equipment authen- Danielle Collins, United States, def. Kris­ Beach, Fla. Championship tina Mladenovic, France, 6­3, 6­3. Tampa Bay 8 14 .364 Washington vs. Miami at Jupiter, Fla. Saturday, March 27 ticators and compliance person- Ana Konjuh, Croatia, def. Katerina Sinia­ Cleveland 8 16 .333 Detroit vs. Toronto at Dunedin, Fla. Minn. Duluth­Michigan winner vs. North nel will submit baseballs that L.A. Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs at Mesa, kova, Czech Republic, 7­6 (3), 7­5. Houston 5 12 .294 Dakota­AIC winner Anna Kalinskaya, Russia, def. Irina­ Ariz. ALBANY REGIONAL come out of play to the commis- Texas vs. San Diego at Peoria, Ariz. Camelia Begu, Romania, 6­4, 7­6 (5). NATIONAL LEAGUE At Albany, N.Y. Sara Sorribes Tormo, Spain, def. Bernar­ Milwaukee vs. San Francisco at Scotts­ First Round sioner’s office for inspection and dale, Ariz. da Pera, United States, 6­2, 2­6, 7­5. WLPct. Saturday, March 27 documentation, both suspicious Jelena Ostapenko, Latvia, def. Xiyu Friday’s games Boston College (17­5­1) vs. Notre Dame Wang, China, 6­4, 6­7 (4), 6­1. Miami 10 5 .667 Detroit vs. Pittsburgh at Bradenton, Fla. (14­13­2) equipment and randomly selected Renata Zarazua, Mexico, def. Nao Hibi­ Chicago 13 7 .650 Boston vs. Tampa Bay at Port Charlotte, St. Cloud St. (17­10­0) vs. Boston U. (10­ balls. A third-party lab will be no, Japan, 6­4, 4­6, 6­1. Fla. 4­1) Zheng Saisai, China, def. Fiona Ferro, Los Angeles 10 8 .556 Colorado vs. Cleveland at Goodyear, Championship used for examinations, and suspi- Sunday, March 28 France, 2­6, 6­4, 6­3. Milwaukee 12 10 .545 Ariz. cious balls will be traced back to Katie Boulter, Britain, def. Kristyna Plis­ Pittsburgh 12 10 .545 San Francisco vs. Chicago Cubs at Mesa, Boston College­Notre Dame winner vs. kova, Czech Republic, 4­6, 6­3, 6­3. Ariz. St. Cloud St.­Boston U. winner pitchers. Tereza Martincova, Czech Republic, def. St. Louis 8 7 .533 Chicago White Sox vs. Milwaukee at LOVELAND REGIONAL Yaroslava Shvedova, Kazakhstan, 6­4, 6­2. New York 10 9 .526 Phoenix At Loveland, Colo. ■ MLB Statcast data will be re- First Round Alize Cornet, France, def. Svetlana Kuz­ Atlanta 11 11 .500 Cincinnati vs. Arizona at Scottsdale, netsova, Russia, 2­6, 6­2, 6­1. Ariz. Saturday, March 27 viewed by the commissioner’s of- Wang Qiang, China, def. Aliona Bolsova Colorado 11 11 .500 Atlanta vs. Minnesota at Fort Myers, Fla. Minnesota St. (20­4­1) vs. Quinnipiac fice to analyze spin rate changes Zadoinov, Spain, 6­1, 3­6, 6­3. San Francisco 10 10 .500 Miami vs. Houston at West Palm Beach, (17­7­4) Caroline Garcia, France, def. Mihaela Bu­ Washington 8 8 .500 Fla. Minnesota (23­6­0) vs. Omaha (14­10­1) among pitchers suspected of using zarnescu, Romania, 6­1, 6­2. Washington vs. N.Y. Mets at Port St. Lu­ Championship Anastasija Sevastova, Latvia, def. Olga Philadelphia 10 12 .455 cie, Fla. Sunday, March 28 foreign substances, comparing Danilovic, Serbia, 6­1, 3­6, 7­6 (3). San Diego 9 12 .429 Baltimore vs. N.Y. Yankees at Tampa, Minnesota St.­Quinnipiac winner vs. Fla. game data with career norms. Nina Stojanovic, Serbia, def. Heather Arizona 8 11 .421 Minnesota­Omaha winner Watson, Britain, 6­4, 6­1. Philadelphia vs. Toronto at Dunedin, Fla. FROZEN FOUR “As a reminder, all club person- Tsvetana Pironkova, Bulgaria, def. Mar­ Cincinnati 6 16 .273 Kansas City vs. Texas at Surprise, Ariz. At Pittsburgh ta Kostyuk, Ukraine, 7­6 (4), 3­6, 6­3. Oakland vs. L.A. Dodgers at Glendale, National Semifinals nel are prohibited from assisting Storm Sanders, Australia, def. Elisabet­ Wednesday’s games Ariz. Thursday, April 8 players in the use of foreign sub- ta Cocciaretto, Italy, 6­1, 5­7, 6­1. St. Louis 3, N.Y. Mets 0 Seattle vs. San Diego at Peoria, Ariz. Fargo Regional Champion vs. Bridgeport Liudmila Samsonova, Russia, def. Cami­ Tampa Bay 7, Minnesota 6 MLB calendar Regional Champion stances and also will be subject to la Giorgi, Italy, 6­2, 6­4. Detroit 4, Philadelphia 1 Albany Regional Champion vs. Loveland Kristina Kucova, Slovakia, def. Hailey Pittsburgh 6, Atlanta 3 March 27 — Last day to offer a retention Regional Champion discipline by the commissioner, Baptiste, United States, 6­4, 2­6, 7­5. Toronto 5, N.Y. Yankees 0 bonus to an eligible player attending National Championship including fines and suspensions,” Sloane Stephens, United States, def. Oakland 14, Chicago White Sox 4 spring training with a minor league con­ Saturday, April 10 Oceane Dodin, France, 6­7 (6), 6­4, 6­2. Colorado 9, Milwaukee 8 tract. Semifinal winners Hill wrote. PAGE 42 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, March 26, 2021 NBA/NFL

ANALYSIS Don’t forget about CP3 Paul deserves to be in conversation NBA scoreboard when deciding who should be MVP Eastern Conference Atlantic Division BY TIM REYNOLDS Associated Press .600 WLPct GB here is no definition for Philadelphia 31 13 .705 — Brooklyn 30 15 .667 1½ what makes someone ISAAC BREKKEN / AP Minimum winning percentage of all New York 22 22 .500 9 the Most Valuable Play- five teams — the Hornets, the Los Boston 21 23 .477 10 Free safety Lamarcus Joyner was one of several veteran players cut Ter in the NBA. Angeles Clippers, Houston, Oklahoma Toronto 18 26 .409 13 by the Raiders. He then signed a deal with the New York Jets. If it’s the best player, LeBron City and Phoenix — during the regular Southeast Division James should have way more than season for which Chris Paul has WLPct GB four trophies. If it’s the best player played over the last 14 years when he Charlotte 22 21 .512 — on the best regular-season team, appears in a game. Miami 22 22 .500 ½ Lower cap means then Giannis Antetokounmpo has SOURCE: Associated Press Atlanta 22 22 .500 ½ been the correct pick in each of the Washington 15 27 .357 6½ Orlando 15 29 .341 7½ last two seasons. Of late, it’s often is better than that group was — Central Division more cuts in NFL been the leading scorer; Kevin Du- their veteran point guard being rant, Stephen Curry, Russell West- one of the big reasons why. WLPct GB BY JOSH DUBOW Les Snead said. “But again, I think brook and James Harden recently “He’s just such a smart player, Milwaukee 29 14 .674 — Associated Press many people on this planet, not just won MVPs in scoring-title seasons. man,” Philadelphia coach Doc Indiana 20 23 .465 9 If it seemed as if NFL teams have us in NFL football, have had to Chicago 19 24 .442 10 If it’s the player most valuable to Rivers said. “Still obviously Cleveland 17 27 .386 12½ been shedding contracts nearly as make sacrifices, some probably a contending team, a case can be skilled, still athletic. If you give Detroit 12 31 .279 17 fast as signing them in recent harder than others over the past made for Chris Paul. Chris Paul a team of guys that want weeks that’s because it’s almost year.” Let’s be clear: Paul is almost cer- to follow — and that’s the key, Western Conference true. Cutting high-salaried players is tainly not going to win the award Chris can be tough, but he’s with Southwest Division With a shrinking salary cap in a nothing new in the NFL, where this year. He’s averaging 16 points the right group, they want to fol- WLPct GB sport with few contracts that are most free-agent contracts have and nine assists. That’s not enough low, they want to be led — then fully guaranteed, teams have spent teams often committing to paying Dallas 23 19 .548 — to move voters. The last time some- there’s no better player in the NBA San Antonio 22 19 .537 ½ the weeks leading up to free agency lucrative signing bonuses and one with numbers that weren’t for that.” Memphis 21 20 .512 1½ and the first few days of the new guaranteed money in the first cou- eye-popping won the MVP vote They’re 29-14 so far this season, New Orleans 19 24 .442 4½ league year getting out of deals ple of years of a deal and then de- was when Steve Nash got his back- second in the Western Conference Houston 12 31 .279 11½ signed in recent years when there ciding whether to keep the player to-back trophies in 2005 and 2006. behind Utah. Anything short of all- Northwest Division was more money available to or get rid of him to create salary cap Every MVP since has averaged at out collapse will have the Suns in WLPct GB spend. room. least 23.8 points, and four have av- the playoffs for the first time since Utah 32 11 .744 — Whether it was Kansas City get- But the rate of it increased sub- eraged at least 30 points. 2010 and end the second-longest Denver 26 18 .591 6½ ting rid of banged-up and expen- stantially this season because of the This year’s race is as wide open current drought in the NBA; only Portland 25 18 .581 7 sive starting offensive tackles lowered cap with the total amount Oklahoma City 19 25 .432 13½ as it has been in years. And with no Sacramento, which hasn’t been in Minnesota 10 34 .227 22½ Mitchell Schwartz and Eric Fisher, of contracts cut in the same time clear favorite, there will likely be a playoff game since 2006, has the Raiders cutting ties with La- period equaling about $445 million Pacific Division even more debates about the waited longer. marcus Joyner and Tyrell Wil- in 2020 and $227 million in 2019. WLPct GB “most valuable” part of the MVP This should be no surprise. liams after building their free- One of the teams in a cutting award. Paul’s teams win. Phoenix 29 14 .674 — agent class around them, or Ten- mode was the Raiders. Coach Jon L.A. Clippers 29 16 .644 1 James seemed like the front- This is his 16th season and the L.A. Lakers 28 16 .636 1½ nessee shedding starting defensive Gruden bragged in 2019 about the runner, then the Los Angeles Lak- 14th consecutive in which Paul’s Golden State 22 22 .500 7½ backs Adoree Jackson, Malcolm free-agent haul he brought in after ers lost a few games without An- team has a winning record when Sacramento 19 25 .432 10½ Butler and Kenny Vaccaro, veter- trading away stars Khalil Mack thony Davis and now James is like- he plays. They don’t just win, they Wednesday’s games ans around the league have been and Amari Cooper instead of giving ly out for at least a few weeks with a win big: all five of Paul’s teams Indiana 116, Detroit 111 sent to the chopping block. them big extensions. Toronto 135, Denver 111 high ankle sprain. Philadelphia’s over those past 14 seasons — the Milwaukee 121, Boston 119 In all, according to transactions He said at the owners meeting Memphis 116, Oklahoma City 107 Joel Embiid moved into that unof- Hornets, the Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland 103, Chicago 94 data from SportRadar and contract that year that the Raiders wouldn’t ficial MVP favorite spot, then he Houston, Oklahoma City and now Orlando 112, Phoenix 111 information from Spotrac and Over have been able to get players such Dallas 128, Minnesota 108 got hurt, as well. Harden has been Phoenix — have at least a .600 win- Charlotte 122, Houston 97 The Cap, teams have released play- as Antonio Brown, Trent Brown, L.A. Clippers 134, San Antonio 101 brilliant since joining Brooklyn, ning percentage in his regular- Utah 118, Brooklyn 88 ers with a combined total of ap- Williams and Joyner without those which means he’s in the mix once season appearances. Sacramento 110, Atlanta 108 proximately $600 million left on the deals. again. Put another way, for every three Thursday’s games deals they originally signed be- Antonio Brown didn’t even last Portland at Miami Denver’s Nikola Jokic could win games Paul plays, his teams win Washington at New York tween the Super Bowl and the end with the team until the opener that it this year. So could Portland’s Da- two of them. That’s pretty good. L.A. Clippers at San Antonio of the first week of the league year. season because of run-ins with gen- Golden State at Sacramento mian Lillard. It would be foolish to On Sunday, he became the sixth Philadelphia at L.A. Lakers That figure excludes players who eral manager Mike Mayock and rule Antetokounmpo out in his player to reach 10,000 assists, and Friday’s games were on rookie or minimum-level frustration over the type of helmet quest for three in a row. James, either toward the end of this season Brooklyn at Detroit deals. the league made him wear. Boston at Milwaukee Embiid and Harden all still could or early next season — barring in- Phoenix at Toronto The cuts have come after the sal- The other three all were sent Denver at New Orleans be the winner. It’s as wide open as jury — he’ll have enough points to Houston at Minnesota ary cap was reduced from $198.2 packing this offseason, with Trent it has been in years. be the first member of the 20,000- Miami at Charlotte million in 2020 to $182.5 million in Brown traded to New England as Portland at Orlando If one criteria — though not usu- point, 10,000-assist club. James is Indiana at Dallas 2021 in response to the reduced part of a 2022 pick swap with two Memphis at Utah ally a top consideration — will be 331 assists away from joining him. Atlanta at Golden State revenues resulting from mostly years left on his $66 million, four- “player most valuable to a con- Paul was second in the MVP vot- Cleveland at L.A. Lakers empty stadiums last year because year contract, and Williams and tending team,” then Paul deserves ing 13 seasons ago. He was third in Saturday’s games of the coronavirus. Joyner cut this offseason with more Detroit at Washington a major look. 2012, fourth in 2013, has been sixth Houston at Minnesota The bloodletting could have been than $38 million remaining on their Let’s start with the obvious rea- or seventh three other times along New York at Milwaukee even more severe had the league contracts. Chicago at San Antonio son. The Suns are good. the way. And he’s never been to the Boston at Oklahoma City and the NFLPA not agreed to The Raiders also cut guard Ri- Dallas at New Orleans They weren’t bad before Paul’s NBA Finals, one of the few empty Memphis at Utah spread those losses over multiple chie Incognito and brought him arrival. Phoenix made some noise boxes on his résumé. Cleveland at Sacramento years. back on a cheaper deal, and traded Philadelphia at L.A. Clippers by going 8-0 in the restart bubble at No, he won’t win the MVP award “I think the unprecedented part away starting offensive linemen Sunday’s games Walt Disney World last summer in this year, either. Phoenix at Charlotte being, for the first time in modern Rodney Hudson and Gabe Jackson an ultimately futile longshot quest But, at minimum, he’s earned a Portland at Toronto era, the cap decreases instead of in- for mid-round picks when they re- Atlanta at Denver to make the playoffs, but this team spot in the conversation. Orlando at L.A. Lakers creases,” Rams general manager fused to take pay cuts. Friday, March 26, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 43 NHL

Scoreboard AROUND THE LEAGUE

East Division GP WLOT Pts GF GA N.Y. Islanders 33 21 8 4 46 98 73 Washington 31 20 7 4 44 106 92 Players look for ‘clarity’ on hits Pittsburgh 33 20 11 2 42 105 90 Boston 28 16 8 4 36 77 66 Philadelphia 31 15 12 4 34 97 111 N.Y. Rangers 31 14 13 4 32 94 82 Penguins’ Crosby, New Jersey 30 12 14 4 28 75 93 Buffalo 31 6 21 4 16 66 111 Capitals’ Wilson agree Central Division GP WLOT Pts GF GA there’s confusion Tampa Bay 32 24 6 2 50 117 74 Carolina 31 21 7 3 45 104 78 BY STEPHEN WHYNO Florida 32 20 8 4 44 107 91 Associated Press Chicago 33 15 13 5 35 98 108 idney Crosby and Tom Columbus 33 13 13 7 33 86 106 Wilson have found some- Nashville 33 15 17 1 31 79 103 Dallas 29 10 11 8 28 81 77 thing they agree on after Detroit 33 10 19 4 24 71 106 Syears spent battling on West Division opposite sides of the Penguins- GP WLOT Pts GF GA Capitals rivalry. Crosby, the longtime Pittsburgh Vegas 30 22 7 1 45 100 67 Colorado 31 20 8 3 43 106 71 captain, broached the topic of Minnesota 31 20 10 1 41 92 78 NHL players wanting to better un- St. Louis 32 16 11 5 37 97 104 derstand the line between clean Arizona 33 14 14 5 33 83 101 and dirty hits after teammate Los Angeles 32 13 13 6 32 91 90 San Jose 31 13 14 4 30 89 106 Brandon Tanev was given a major Anaheim 34 9 19 6 24 74 115 penalty for a hit on Boston’s North Division Jarred Tinordi that appeared to many to be legal. GP WLOT Pts GF GA After serving a seven-game sus- Toronto 32 20 10 2 42 107 83 pension for boarding, Wilson cited Winnipeg 33 20 11 2 42 109 92 Edmonton 34 21 13 0 42 116 97 Crosby’s comments when point- Montreal 31 14 8 9 37 100 87 ing out there’s some confusion Vancouver 37 16 18 3 35 100 120 around the league. NICK WASS / AP Calgary 34 15 16 3 33 89 102 “I hope as players we can get Ottawa 35 12 20 3 27 92 132 Washington Capitals right wing Garnet Hathaway, left, and right wing Tom Wilson, right, check Pittsburgh some clarity on what’s a good hit Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson. Wilson said he’s looking for clarity on what a clean hit is. Wednesday’s games and what’s not,” Crosby said. “I Ottawa 3, Calgary 1 Minnesota 3, Anaheim 2 know it’s fast, but right now it’s re- review it,” said Smith, who won- Knoblauch’s audition Pittsburgh 5, Buffalo 2 ally hard to know what is in fact dered if adding an off-ice official Winnipeg 5, Vancouver 1 The New York Rangers are 3-1 San Jose 4, Los Angeles 2 clean and what’s not and when with a clear view from high above Edmonton at Montreal, ppd with Kris Knoblauch filling in as you’re out there playing it’s im- the play with the ability to buzz Thursday’s games acting coach while David Quinn portant that you do know that.” down in major situations would Buffalo at Pittsburgh and his staff are in the NHL’s CO- Carolina at Columbus Wilson added: “There’s a lot of solve that problem. “Maybe that’s N.Y. Islanders at Boston VID-19 protocol. Knoblauch, N.Y. Rangers at Philadelphia guys talking out about it around not such a bad idea to try to clean New Jersey at Washington who’s in his second season coach- Toronto at Ottawa the game right now, captains on up the game or get those hits out of ing the American Hockey Detroit at Nashville other teams saying things about the game.” Florida at Chicago League’s Hartford WolfPack after St. Louis at Minnesota the physical aspect of the game.” Retired referee Paul Stewart Tampa Bay at Dallas two years as a Philadelphia Flyers Vegas at Colorado The history between these two said the onus is on officials to be in assistant, insisted players deserve Friday’s games players is dotted with controver- the right position to see potential the credit. Edmonton at Montreal, ppd sy. Wilson has been suspended KEITH SRAKOCIC / AP penalties when they happen. He New Jersey at Washington “Ultimately, it takes a while to Anaheim at St. Louis multiple times for questionable The Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney was always taught, “Look to where really coach a team the way you San Jose at Arizona hits, including one that gave Pitts- Crosby, center, said players your partner isn’t looking” so as Winnipeg at Calgary want to coach it,” he said. “The burgh’s Zach Aston-Reese a con- need better guidance on what not to miss something. groundwork has been laid out for Saturday’s games hits should be allowed. Buffalo at Boston cussion and a broken jaw. Crosby “Positioning is something that us and it’s been well-prepared and N.Y. Rangers at Philadelphia has all but called Wilson a head- needs be constantly coached,” Columbus at Detroit we’re just trying to follow the Vegas at Colorado hunter. how referees and linesmen were said Stewart, the first American to game plan.” Edmonton at Toronto N.Y. Islanders at Pittsburgh This season, Crosby and Wilson doing, especially given health and referee more than 1,000 regular- But this could be an opportunity Tampa Bay at Carolina appear to be on the same page for safety protocols limiting their season NHL games and a 2018 in- Florida at Dallas for Knoblauch to again show what Nashville at Chicago once and each acknowledged offi- time together. The league also has ductee of the U.S. Hockey Hall of he can do. He coached Connor San Jose at Arizona Winnipeg at Calgary cials have a tough job. a video rulebook of examples of Fame. “My suggestion is improve McDavid with the Erie Otters at Sunday’s games Joshua Smith, who runs the various penalties on its site. your positioning. Get the fellas to the junior level, won an Ontario N.Y. Rangers at Washington Scouting the Refs site that tracks There have been 22 major pe- skate closer to the play and see it Hockey League title and is likely a Columbus at Detroit Anaheim at St. Louis officials’ calls and more, said play- nalties this season, not counting and feel it.” future NHL head coach — some- New Jersey at Boston ers watching replays on iPads on fights. Some of the 95 fights, of Sometimes seeing is believing, Florida at Dallas where. Ottawa at Montreal, ppd the bench during games has had course, have come after big hits, which is why Smith said a lot of of- Nashville at Chicago Toronto goalie Scoring leaders an effect. with all divisional play increasing ficials don’t reverse their own “Guys aren’t just talking about a the fisticuffs. calls when given the opportunity. controversy? Through Wednesday GP GAPTS hit that happened in the first peri- The league recently gave offi- The NHL’s Department of Play- Frederik Andersen is the To- od: They’re watching it, they’re cials the ability to review certain er Safety has doled out eight sus- Connor McDavid, EDM 34 21 39 60 ronto Maple Leafs’ No. 1 goalten- Leon Draisaitl, EDM 34 18 32 50 critiquing it on the bench and situations, but only if it’s deemed a pensions for a total of 20 games der when healthy, but for how Patrick Kane, CHI 33 12 32 44 they’re talking about it and they’re major at first. Wilson’s hit that in- this season after 20 for 51 games long? Backup Jack Campbell has Mitchell Marner, TOR 32 12 28 40 seeing the replays,” said Smith, jured Bruins defenseman Bran- all of last season. battled his own injuries this sea- Mark Scheifele, WPG 33 13 26 39 who has run the site since 2013. don Carlo wasn’t called anything “It’s hard as a player to know,” Mark Stone, LV 29 12 26 38 son and only played four games, Mikko Rantanen, COL 31 19 19 38 “They’re more informed, and that on the ice, leading Boston coach Crosby said. “We look at a hit and but he has won all of them and Anze Kopitar, LA 32 8 29 37 leads to some sharper criticism.” Bruce Cassidy to yell from the we think, ‘Oh that’s a suspension’ leads the league with a .965 save Aleksander Barkov, FLA 31 13 24 37 The NHL declined comment on bench that it has to be a penalty be- and it’s not, or we think it’s a pen- percentage. Jonathan Huberdeau, FLA 32 11 25 36 player criticism of officiating, cause it was going to be a multi- alty and it’s not and then you see a “When he goes in the net, (play- Auston Matthews, TOR 29 21 15 36 Nathan MacKinnon, COL 27 10 25 35 which is nothing new in pro sports. game suspension. hit like (Tanev’s), you don’t expect ers) know that he’s going to com- Brad Marchand, BOS 28 12 22 34 In an interview earlier this season, “You can’t call what you don’t a five-minute major and it ends up pete and they want to compete Nicklas Backstrom, WSH 31 12 22 34 director of officiating Stephen see, so if they don’t know to call it a being one. It seems like it’s a little right alongside him,” coach Shel- Sidney Crosby, PIT 32 13 21 34 Walkom said he was pleased with major, there’s never any chance to gray right now.” don Keefe said of Campbell. PAGE 44 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, March 26, 2021 NCAA WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT

Scoreboard Few Black women Alamo Region Second Round coaches lead Power 5 Tuesday, March 23 Stanford 73, Oklahoma St. 62 Wednesday, March 24 Missouri St. 64, Wright St. 39 Oregon 57, Georgia 50 basketball programs Louisville 62, Northwestern 53 Regional Semifinals Sunday, March 28 Stanford vs. Missouri St. BY TERESA M. WALKER Louisville vs. Oregon Associated Press Hemisfair Region Dawn Staley and Joni Taylor Second Round embraced before and after the Tuesday, March 23 South Carolina 59, Oregon St. 42 Southeastern Conference Tourna- Georgia Tech 73, West Virginia 56 ment championship, savoring a Wednesday, March 24 Texas 71, UCLA 62 historic moment in women’s bas- Maryland 100, Alabama 64 Regional Semifinals ketball. Sunday, March 28 It took 41 years for two Black South Carolina vs. Georgia Tech Maryland vs. Texas women head coaches to meet in a River Walk Region tournament championship of a Power Five conference. For it to Second Round Tuesday, March 23 happen quicker was statistically Michigan 70, Tennessee 55 improbable with the few Black UConn 83, Syracuse 47 Iowa 86, Kentucky 72 women coaching at the highest lev- Baylor 90, Virginia Tech 48 Regional Semifinals el of the college game. Saturday, March 27 And it remains a longshot to hap- UConn vs. Iowa pen again in a Power Five league ERIC GAY / AP Baylor vs. Michigan Mercado Region other than the Southeastern Con- South Carolina head coach Dawn ference. Staley is one of only 13 Black Second Round Tuesday, March 23 In the last five years, there have women head basketball coaches NC State 79, South Florida 67 been a total of 16 Black women at Power Five schools, including Wednesday, March 24 seven in the SEC. Indiana 70, Belmont 48 head coaches at Power Five Arizona 52, BYU 46 Texas A&M 84, Iowa St. 82, OT schools, and this past season there RONALD CORTES / AP Regional Semifinals were just 13 — with four hired last success has come because she has Saturday, March 27 Maryland forward Mimi Collins grabs a rebound during her team’s year. Of those 13, seven resided in worked with people who believed NC State vs. Indiana 100­64 rout of Alabama on Wednesday in San Antonio. Texas A&M vs. Arizona the SEC. in her. “You can’t dream what you can’t Promoting assistants falls on ath- see,” said Taylor, whose Georgia letic directors, where there’s an ROUNDUP squad came up short against Staley even greater lack of diversity. and South Carolina on March 7. “So There are only five women ADs at (the SEC title game) was a chance Power Five schools, and two are in for people to dream something that the ACC. And of the five female they haven’t seen before.” athletic directors, only Carla Wil- Maryland routs Alabama The Big 12 was the only Power liams at Virginia and Vanderbilt’s Five league on the women’s side Candice Lee are Black. Associated Press reer-high 20 points with five pointer with 3:26 left. They had a this season without a Black head Lee became the third straight three-pointers, Jasmine Franklin chance to move closer, but Veron- coach — male or female. The At- Black athletic director at Vander- SAN ANTONIO — Maryland had a double-double and the fifth- ica Burton missed two free throws lantic Coast Conference had three bilt and the first full-time woman and its offensive juggernaut are seeded Lady Bears are going to 30 seconds later. Black female head coaches, and AD in the SEC last May. She also rolling fast and easy into the Sweet their second consecutive Sweet 16 Mercado two Black male head coaches; the played basketball for the Commo- 16, getting 19 points from Angel after knocking off Wright State. Indiana 70, Belmont 48:Grace Pac-12 had two Black women head dores. The Vanderbilt AD also Reese and overwhelming Alaba- Missouri State (23-2) pulled Berger scored 17 points and Indi- coaches, and Rutgers’ Hall of Fam- noted race and gender aren’t the ma 100-64 on Wednesday. away in the second half when Ruf- ana used another suffocating de- er C. Vivian Stringer was the only only factors to look at when scruti- The second-seeded Terrapins fridge had 17 of her points. Fran- fensive effort to beat the Bruins, Black female head coach in the Big nizing her peers around the coun- (27-2) came into the women’s klin had 11 points and 11 rebounds. sending the fourth-seeded Hoo- Ten. try. NCAA Tournament with the na- Oregon 57, Georgia 50:Sedo- siers to the program’s first Sweet It is clear there still is work to be Lee, one of only two Black ADs in tion’s highest-scoring offense and na Prince scored 22 points, Nyara 16. done when it comes to diversity the SEC along with Auburn’s Allen have yet to take their foot off the Sabally took over late and the Belmont was the first Ohio Val- even as women held 45 of the 65 Greene, said clearly white ADs gas. The Terps are averaging 99 sixth-seeded Ducks beat the No. 3 ley Conference team to win a tour- head coaching jobs at Power Five have hired Black coaches in wom- points in their two tournament Bulldogs to advance to its fourth nament game since 1990, but its conferences this season. en’s basketball. wins after scoring 91.3 per game in straight Sweet 16. chances of becoming the fifth No. Staley said her phone was “Sometimes we exclude people the regular season. Sabally scored six straight 12 seed to advance to the regional swamped by text messages from because we use words like pedi- Maryland hit the 100-point points — including a putback of semifinals were smothered by In- other Black coaches around the gree and pipeline when the reality mark for the seventh time this sea- her own missed shot — to break diana's defense and the Bruins’ country congratulating and thank- is that we’re not making it a prior- son. The Terps also played aggres- open a tie game and give Oregon a own dismal three-point shooting ing her and Taylor after the SEC ity,” Lee said. “And if we believe sive, suffocating defense against 54-48 lead with less than a minute through the first three quarters. game “for giving them hope that that representation matters, and the seventh-seeded Crimson Tide. to go. She finished with 15 points. Arizona 52, BYU 46: Aari one day they can be in this position, many of our women’s basketball Maryland advanced to play No. Louisville 62, Northwestern McDonald had 17 points with 11 assistant coaches as well.” student athletes are Black and 6 Texas in the Hemisfair Region. 53: Kianna Smith scored 16 points rebounds and the Wildcats out- The pipeline of potential candi- brown, then I think it would come Jasmine Walker led Alabama and the No. 2 seed Cardinals ad- lasted the Cougars, advancing to dates appears full, and hiring man- to bear that you would see more di- (17-10) with 23 points. vanced to the Sweet 16 by rallying the Sweet 16 for the first time since agers don’t have to look far to find versity in the coaching ranks. And I Texas 71, UCLA 62: Celeste from an early 18-point deficit to coach Adia Barnes was a player in them. Of the 65 Power Five schools, just think we’ve got to be intention- Taylor scored 24 points and Kyra beat the seventh-seeded Wildcats 1998. 62 have at least one Black assistant al about rewarding opportunities.” Lambert added 17, leading the Louisville (25-3) got off to an- The third-seeded Wildcats on staff. Taylor has a suggestion of how Longhorns to the victory. other rough start, trailing 25-7 late (18-5) finally went ahead to stay on But there is disconnect some- ADs can help improve diversity The start of the game was de- in the first quarter. The Cardinals a three-pointer by Sam Thomas where in the hiring process. when hiring new coaches. layed about 25 minutes because slowly started to chip away on of- with 3:47 left. “There are a lot of assistant “People who are making deci- Iowa State and Texas A&M went fense and played stellar defense. Texas A&M 84, Iowa State 82 coaches out there who have had as sions need to make sure they’re into overtime on the court on the The deficit was 40-28 midway (OT): Jordan Nixon banked in a long a career as I have assistant talking to different people when other side of the Alamodome. through the third quarter before short jump shot at the buzzer in coaching, Black, white, all of them. they’re compiling their list to make Louisville scored 17 straight overtime, giving her a career-high But Black women haven’t got a sure that list is diversified,” said Alamo points. 35 points and lifting the No. 2 Ag- whole lot of opportunities to be Taylor, who led Georgia to the sec- Missouri State 64, Wright Northwestern (16-9) closed to gies past the seventh-seeded Cy- head coaches in Division I basket- ond round of the women’s NCAA State 39: Elle Ruffridge had a ca- 53-50 on Jordan Hamilton’s three- clones. ball,” said Staley, who noted her Tournament. Friday, March 26, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 45 NCAA TOURNAMENT Sampson’s Cougars not only team getting boost from transfers BY AARON BEARD gion have transfers playing a key Associated Press role, too, from top-ranked Gonza- INDIANAPOLIS — Kelvin ga adding point guard Andrew Sampson never set out to take a Nembhard from Florida, to fellow once-proud Houston program No. 1 seed Baylor adding a third- back to national prominence by team AP All-American in Davion leaning on transfers. Mitchell (Auburn) and MaCio “Sometimes that’s just the way Teague (UNC Asheville) as dou- it works out,” Sampson said. ble-digit scorers. And there’s no reason to change “I think it all comes back to one that approach, either. Not after thing, and that is knowing your the transfer-led Cougars are back team and knowing your culture: in the Sweet 16 for the second who’s going to fit in and represent straight NCAA Tournament — your program the way you want it making them one of multiple represented, if you bring in peo- teams still alive in Indianapolis ple that add to that,” Baylor coach with a boost from players who Scott Drew said. “No matter

MARK HUMPHREY/AP started their college careers on which avenue you look to bring in Loyola Chicago’s Cameron Krutwig, left, grabs a rebound above Illinois’ Trent Frazier during the the other campuses. someone, do they meet what second round of the NCAA Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Sunday. “That’s just the way it is today,” you’re really looking for?” Sampson said. “Thirty years ago, In the case of No. 1 seed Michi- people that didn’t know what they gan and No. 3 seed Arkansas, didn’t know turned their nose up they’ve had transfers elevate their at transfers. They thought some- games to ensure their teams ad- thing was wrong with them. It vance out of tough second-round Senior shows you how little they knew, matchups. though. The Wolverines are playing “Now, if you’re not taking trans- without senior forward Isaiah fers, you’re behind.” Livers, who is out indefinitely savvy That philosophy has worked for with a foot injury. They needed the Cougars (26-3), the No. 2 seed and got a big game from Wake Experience pays dividends in the NCAA’s Midwest Region, in Forest transfer Chaundee Brown continuing the program’s best Jr. against LSU, with the 6-foot-5 as March Madness continues sustained run since the “Phi Sla- senior scoring a season-high 21 ma Jama” days of Hakeem Olaju- points to exceed his output from BY NOAH TRISTER won, Clyde Drexler and coach the previous three games com- Associated Press Guy Lewis in the 1980s. bined. Michigan’s second-round game Houston has started four trans- The Razorbacks, meanwhile, against LSU was intense from the fers in the past five games: Associ- have five transfers among their start. Up and down the court the ated Press third-team All-Ameri- top nine players — earning the teams went, trading runs and mo- PAUL SANCYA/AP can Quentin Grimes (Kansas), No. nickname “Transfer U” from mentum swings with the season Oregon guard Chris Duarte, left, drives on Iowa guard CJ Fredrick 3 scorer DeJon Jarreau (Massa- Sampson. That group includes In- on the line. during the second round of the NCAA tournament on Monday. chusetts), Justin Gorham (Tow- diana graduate Justin Smith, a One player for the Wolverines son) and Reggie Chaney (Arkan- 6-7, 230-pound forward who en- seemed calm and steady — guard Sweet 16. Baylor’s whole starting Wake Forest. sas). ters the Sweet 16 having gone Eli Brooks. lineup is juniors and seniors. Ore- In Oregon’s 95-80 win over Io- They’ve helped Houston rank from reliable contributor to the “I think just all the amount of gon’s three senior starters — wa, a key stretch came near the seventh in KenPom’s adjusted of- Razorbacks’ best player of late. reps we get in practice and being a Chris Duarte, LJ Figueroa and end of the first half. At one point, fensive efficiency (119.1 points per “I certainly think that NBA senior, you see a lot of things Eugene Omoruyi — combined for coach Dana Altman had Duarte, 100 possessions), 11th in defensive teams are taking note of his play,” through your time in college,” 61 points in a second-round win Figueroa and Omoruyi in the efficiency (89.9) and second na- Arkansas coach Eric Musselman Brooks said. “Just being able to be over Iowa. game together, even though each tionally by grabbing nearly 40% of said. “We’ve gotten several calls on the court and have those expe- Loyola coach Porter Moser, had two fouls. available offensive rebounds. of people just inquiring about him riences when I was younger I who started four seniors in his “I told them we’ve got to be real- The other top seeds in each re- as a player.” think really helped me out a lot.” team’s second-round victory over ly careful here, but we can’t get College basketball long ago re- top-seeded Illinois, mentioned behind these guys. We can’t be ached the point when a team could that type of experience when dis- chasing them,” Altman said. “I make a deep run in the NCAA cussing the factors that can create stressed to them when I put them Tournament while relying on more parity in the sport. back in, ‘Fellas, I trust you here, freshmen or sophomores. In fact, “I think there’s just kids getting can’t have stupid fouls, got to pull Brooks’ coach — Fab Five stand- developed and being old,” Moser back, no stupid reaches, let’s fin- out Juwan Howard — played a big said. “Having programs that have ish the half, let’s get in the half role in setting that trend. But un- kids in the program — two, three, with all three of you.’ ” der the pressure of a win-or-go- four years — that they develop Those players rewarded Alt- home scenario, experience can and learn a system, get better.” man’s trust, and Loyola’s seniors still be an asset. Brooks had 21 That kind of continuity is not a have certainly stepped up for points, seven assists and only one given at Michigan, where top play- Moser. Krutwig and guard Lucas turnover in Michigan’s 86-78 win ers often have NBA potential and Williamson both averaged over 20 Monday night. Chaundee Brown might leave early for the draft. minutes a game as freshmen in Jr., another senior for the Wolve- Isaiah Livers and Brooks have 2017-18, when the Ramblers went rines, scored 21 off the bench. been with the Wolverines for four to the Final Four. Now they need Elsewhere in this tournament, years, and this season Howard two more wins to repeat that run. seniors like Gonzaga’s Corey added some experience via the “The similarities are it’s just a Kispert, Loyola Chicago’s Cam- transfer route. Grad transfer Mike group of guys believing and play- eron Krutwig and Oregon State’s Smith has taken over at point ing for each other,” Moser said. MARK HUMPHREY/AP Ethan Thompson have been cru- guard, and Brown arrived at Mi- “They listen, they lock in, they ex- Quentin Grimes, right, an Associated Press third­team All­American, cial in leading their teams to the chigan after three seasons at ecute, they defend.” transferred to Houston from Kansas. PAGE 46 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, March 26, 2021 NCAA TOURNAMENT

Scoreboard This year’s Sweet 16 is historic East Regional First Round Saturday, March 20 Michigan 82, Texas Southern 66 LSU 76, St. Bonaventure 61 Sum of seed Colorado 96, Georgetown 73 Florida St. 64, UNC-Greensboro 54 UCLA 73, BYU 62 Abilene Christian 53, Texas 52 Maryland 63, UConn 54 numbers sets Alabama 68, Iona 55 Second Round Monday, March 22 Michigan 86, LSU 78 NCAA record Florida St. 71 Colorado 53 UCLA 67, Abilene Christian 47 Alabama 96, Maryland 77 Regional Semifinals BY NOAH TRISTER Sunday, March 28 Associated Press Michigan vs. Florida St. AFN­ Sports, 10:30 p.m. Sunday CET; 6:30 a.m. y at least one measure, Monday JKT. this is the most chaotic Alabama vs. UCLA. AFN­Sports, 1:15 a.m. Monday CET; 9:15 a.m. Monday JKT. Sweet 16 field to date. Regional Championship The seed numbers of Tuesday, March 30 B Semifinal winners the 16 remaining teams add up to 94, the highest total since the South Regional NCAA Tournament expanded in First Round Friday, March 19 1985. The previous record of 89 Baylor 79, Hartford 55 was set in 1986. Wisconsin 85, North Carolina 62 Villanova 73, Winthrop 63 This year’s regional semifinals North Texas 78, Purdue 69, OT Texas Tech 65, Utah St. 53 include 15th-seeded Oral Roberts, Arkansas 85, Colgate 68 12th-seeded Oregon State, 11th- Florida 75, Virginia Tech 70, OT Oral Roberts 75, Ohio St. 72, OT seeded Syracuse, 11th-seeded Second Round UCLA and eighth-seeded Loyola Sunday, March 21 Baylor 76, Wisconsin 63 Chicago. Villanova 84, North Texas 61 Three No. 1 seeds did make it Arkansas 68, Texas Tech 66 Oral Roberts 81, Florida 78 AJ MAST/AP through — Gonzaga, Michigan Regional Semifinals and Baylor. It’s the sixth straight Oral Roberts players celebrate after a victory over Florida in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Saturday, March 27 Oral Roberts won 81­78 to advance to the Sweet 16. Baylor vs. Villanova. AFN­Sports, 9:45 Sweet 16 appearance for Gonzaga p.m. Saturday CET; 5:45 a.m. Sunday JKT. and the fourth for Michigan, the Arkansas vs. Oral Roberts. AFN­ Sports, 12:15 a.m. Sunday CET; 8:15 a.m. nation’s longest two active well. Only two No. 1s and one No. 2 Sunday JKT. streaks. made it past the first weekend. Regional Championship Monday, March 29 Gonzaga coach Mark Few could 2018 Semifinal winners appreciate how difficult it was to Midwest Regional emerge from these first two Sum of seeds: 85 First Round rounds unscathed. Top-seeded Virginia was elimi- Friday, March 19 “There are a lot of good teams nated by 16th-seeded UMBC, Illinois 78, Drexel 49 Loyola Chicago 71, Georgia Tech 60 out there,” Few said. “When you which then lost to ninth-seeded Oregon St. 70, Tennessee 56 Kansas State with a Sweet 16 spot Oklahoma St. 69, Liberty 60 play them on the biggest stage, Syracuse 78, San Diego St. 62 and it’s just one game, it’s not a on the line. Another No. 1 seed West Virginia 84, Morehead St. 67 Rutgers 60, Clemson 56 seven-game series, anything can went out when Xavier lost to Flor- Houston 87, Cleveland St. 56 happen. And there’s a lot of great ida State in the second round. Second Round Loyola Chicago went to the Final Sunday, March 21 coaches out there. You give them Loyola Chicago 71, Illinois 58 enough time to game plan for stuff Four as an 11 seed, and Syracuse Oregon St. 80, Oklahoma St. 70 Syracuse 75, West Virginia 72 like this, they’re going to take also made the Sweet 16 as an 11. Houston 63, Rutgers 60 away your strengths.” Regional Semifinals 2013 Saturday, March 27 Here are the other seasons with Loyola Chicago vs. Oregon St. AFN­ the highest seed totals in the Sweet Sum of seeds: 81 Sports, 7:30 p.m. Saturday CET; 3:30 a.m. Sunday JKT. 16: This was the year Florida Gulf Houston vs. Syracuse. AFN­Sports, 2:45 Coast became the first 15 seed to a.m. Sunday day CET; 10:45 a.m. Sunday JKT. 1986 reach the regional semifinals. Regional Championship Joining FGCU were 12th-seeded Monday, March 29 Sum of seeds: 89 Oregon and 13th-seeded La Salle Semifinal winners In just the second year of the ex- — and ninth-seeded Wichita State West Regional panded 64-team tournament, the made the Final Four. First Round Saturday, March 20 Sweet 16 included eighth-seeded 2010 Gonzaga 98, Norfolk St. 55 Auburn, 11th-seeded LSU, 12th- Oklahoma 72 Missouri 68 Creighton 63, UC Santa Barbara 62 seeded DePaul and 14th-seeded Sum of seeds: 80 Ohio 62, Virginia 58 Southern Cal 72, Drake 56 Cleveland State. LSU became the The Ivy League made it to the Kansas 93, E. Washington 84 first 11 seed to reach the Final Sweet 16 in this tournament with Oregon vs. VCU, no contest Iowa 86, Grand Canyon 74 Four. 12th-seeded Cornell, and ninth- Second Round Seventh-seeded Navy, led by PAUL SANCYA/AP seeded Northern Iowa got there, Monday, March 22 too, with a memorable upset of Gonzaga 87, Oklahoma 71 David Robinson, made it all the Oregon State guard Ethan Thompson and head coach Wayne Tinkle Creighton 72, Ohio 58 way to the regional finals. celebrate beating Oklahoma State 80­70 in the second round. Kansas. Saint Mary’s made it as a Southern Cal 85, Kansas 51 10 and Washington as an 11. Oregon 95, Iowa 80 Regional Semifinals 1990 lowed 131 — the second-highest four were 10th-seeded Purdue, 2011 Sunday, March 28 total in tournament history — 10th-seeded Miami of Ohio, 12th- Gonzaga vs. Creighton. AFN­Sports, 8 p.m. Sunday CET; 4 a.m. Monday JKT. Sum of seeds: 88 against UNLV in the regional fi- seeded Missouri State and 13th- Sum of seeds: 80 Oregon vs. Southern Cal. AFN­ Sports, 3:45 a.m. Monday CET; 11:45 a.m. Three double-digit seeds made nal. seeded Oklahoma. There were four double-digit Monday JKT. this Sweet 16: 10th-seeded Texas, seeds in this Sweet 16, including Regional Championship Tuesday, March 30 11th-seeded Loyola Marymount 11th-seeded Virginia Common- 1999 2000 Semifinal winners and 12th-seeded Ball State. Loyola wealth, which ended up in the Fi- Final Four made it to the Elite Eight in the af- Sum of seeds: 88 Sum of seeds: 85 nal Four. VCU lost in the national A record five double-digit seeds Two 8 seeds reached the Final At Lucas Oil Stadium termath of star Hank Gathers’ semifinal to eighth-seeded Butler. National Semifinals death. The Lions scored a tourna- made the Sweet 16 in this tourna- Four in 2000: North Carolina and The regional semifinals also in- Saturday, April 3 ment-record 149 points in a sec- ment, although only 10th-seeded Wisconsin. Gonzaga made the cluded 10th-seeded Florida State, TBD National Championship ond-round win over defending Gonzaga went any further, losing Sweet 16 again as a 10, and 10th- 11th-seeded Marquette and 12th- Monday, April 5 champion Michigan. They also al- in the regional final. The other seeded Seton Hall was there, as seeded Richmond. Semifinal winners Friday, March 26, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 47 NCAA TOURNAMENT

ANALYSIS More madness likely in Sweet 16 BY JOHN MARSHALL ma Jama teams back in the ’80s. even on a team oozing with talent. Associated Press Jahvon Quinerly, Alabama — INDIANAPOLIS — Your The upstarts There’s almost nothing he can’t do bracket is shot. We know it. Ours Loyola Chicago — Sister Jean and nothing opponents can do is, too. and the lovable Ramblers are when he gets it going. A year after the NCAA Tourna- back in the Sweet 16 for the first Marcus Zegarowski, Creighton ment was canceled, the madness time since that 2018 Final Four — Forgot some of the shooting returned with an opening week- run. Seeing her on the sideline woes he had at times during the end full of upsets. warms the heart. The Ramblers regular season. This is the junior No. 1 seed Illinois, gone. So is have some heart of their own. sharpshooter’s time to shine, and Ohio State. High seeds Texas and Oral Roberts —The Golden Ea- he’s leaning into it. Virginia also are out, replaced by gles aren’t Dunk City, but they are Buddy Boeheim, Syracuse — upstarts and mid-major noise- the first No. 15 seed to reach the There’s a reason they call him makers. Sweet 16 since Florida Gulf Coast Buddy Buckets. He’s been filling And we have Sister Jean, the became the first eight years ago. it up in Indy, too. 101-year-old nun who serves as Oregon State — The Beavers team chaplain for Loyola Chicago. were picked to finish 12th in a con- Rising stars So good to have her back. ference with 12 teams. After two Max Abmas, Oral Roberts — It was a wild opening ride to be wins as a No. 12 seed, you’d be High-volume scoring from this sure and the tournament is all but wise not to pick against these un- biomedical chemistry major has guaranteed to have a few more un- derdogs. the Golden Eagles in the Sweet 16 expected twists and turns. UCLA — Hard to call the all- for the first time since 1974. Here’s what to look for: time leader in national champion- Cameron Krutwig, Chicago ships an upstart, but the Bruins Loyola — Remember that beefy, The regulars barely got into the bracket. With agile-footed, deft-passing big man Gonzaga —The Zags are the on- three wins and a trip to the Sweet during the 2018 Final Four run? ly team to reach the Sweet 16 in six 16, they proved they belong. Well, he’s back and he’s rockin’ a consecutive seasons. They’re also Arkansas — The Muss Bus has wispy mustache. The Krustache four wins from completing perfec- the Razorbacks chugging into plays the harmonica, too. tion, trying to become the first un- their first Sweet 16 appearance Quentin Grimes, Houston — defeated champion since Indiana since 1996. Quite a job by coach Leaving Kansas worked out out 45 years ago. Eric Musselman in two years. well for the high-scoring guard. It Baylor — The big, bad ball- wasn’t a bad deal for coach Kelvin hawking Bears appear to have Star players Sampson and his Cougars, either. found the form they had before a Corey Kispert, Gonzaga —All- Chris Duarte, Oregon — Play- second COVID-19 pause. American playing like one to put ing on the West Coast has limited Michigan — The Wolverines the Zags four games from the first his national visibility, but believe have looked like a No. 1 seed, even perfect season since 1976. us, he was one of college basket- without Isaiah Livers. Evan Mobley, USC — The ball’s best guards long before this Alabama — The Tide’s mauling freshman has the length of a big Ducks’ run. of Maryland in the second round man, the skills of a guard and the Ethan Thompson, Oregon shows just how potent this team ability to dominate both ends of State — He scores, dishes and re- DOUG MCSCHOOLER/AP can be. the floor. bounds. He’s a big reason the un- Virginia guard Casey Morsell walks off the court after the team’s loss Houston — The Cougars sport Jared Butler, Baylor — The ju- derdog Beavers have gotten this to Ohio in a first­round game in the NCAA men’s tournament on that same swagger as the Phi Sla- nior All-American stands out, far. Saturday at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind. Time: Gonzaga’s Timme had best game of career against Oklahoma

FROM PAGE 48 Kansas, Auburn, West Virginia, the game, quite frankly,” Gonzaga Iowa, Virginia, Oklahoma — Tim- coach Mark Few said. “Shooting, talented player.” me is averaging 24 points and 8.2 driving, making post moves, re- It was on display against Okla- rebounds. Of that group, only Au- bounding, defending the rim, all of homa on Monday. With Kispert burn did not make the tournament those. Just kind of hustling.” slowed early due to foul trouble, field. Gonzaga’s lack of depth on the Timme responded with a career- And this is not a Gonzaga team front line may not matter in the best game of 30 points and 13 re- with great interior depth aside round of 16 against Creighton. The bounds against the Sooners. from Timme and backup Anton Bluejays don’t have a player in At times, Timme outwitted Ok- Watson. Even without the guard- their primary eight-man rotation lahoma’s post defenders. In other oriented lineup, the Bulldogs still taller than 6-foot-7. moments, he was simply tougher, averaged 50.5 points per game in And while Creighton will cer- scoring through contact or being the paint during the regular sea- tainly be a challenge for the Bull- first to a loose ball. son, the most in the past 15 years. dogs, it’s hard not to look ahead The tournament is a pretty That was largely due to Timme. and what what might loom in the good time to have one of the best The Bulldogs had 38 points in region al final and a potential games of your career. the paint against Norfolk State and matchup against Southern Cali- “It’s great. Obviously, it’s a another 34 against Oklahoma. fornia should both the Trojans and childhood dream,” Timme said. Watson has played well in both Zags advace. “This feeling is only going to last games, including 17 points against The Trojans are led by 7-footer the rest of the night and then we’ve Norfolk State, and played 18 solid Evan Mobley, the Pac-12 player of got to prepare and a lot of work to minutes off the bench against Ok- the year, and his 6-foot-10 brother RICK BOWMER/AP do. We’ve got a lot of things we can lahoma. He could be an important Isaiah. It would be another for- work on.” Gonzaga forward Drew Timme (2) averaged 18 points and seven re­ complementary piece for the Bull- midable frontline for Timme and Timme averaged 18 points and bounds while shooting 65% from the field during the regular season. dogs the rest of the tournament. the Bulldogs to face. " seven rebounds while shooting an “This team needs that desper- There are a lot of good teams absurd 65% from the field during writing parts of the Gonzaga re- Timme to get shuffled back. ately out of Anton. We’ve been out there and when you play them the regular season. And his per- cord book and the talk of whether That would be unfair to what asking and begging, yelling and on the biggest stage and it’s just formances didn’t go unnoticed — Suggs could be in line for the No. 1 he’s provided his team. In six doing whatever we got to do to try one game, it’s not a seven-game he was a second-team All-Ameri- overall pick in the NBA Draft, it games against teams from Power to get him more aggressive and series, anything can happen,” Few can selection. But with Kispert re- was easy for discussion about Five conferences this season — more assertive in every phase of said. PAGE 48 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, March 26, 2021 Feeling the squeeze SPORTS Shrinking salary cap will mean more cuts ›› Page 42

NCAA TOURNAMENT Timme time Bulldogs’ big man is key to Gonzaga’s bid for perfection

BY TIM BOOTH Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS e was already enjoying a terrific season, and now Drew Timme is one of the stars of March after two games of the NCAA Tour- Hnament. His game? It’s pretty good, as evidenced by what he did in Gonzaga’s second-round victory over Oklaho- ma, helping keep the top-seeded Bulldogs unblem- ished in their quest for perfection. His mustache? It might be even better than his game, even if his mom isn’t a huge fan of his latest fa- cial hair experiment. “After this game, I think she’ll be OK if I keep it,” Timme told CBS after beating the Sooners. On a team filled with stars, all carrying the expectations of trying to complete the first undefeated championship season in 45 years, Timme could be the key for Gon- zaga in making that happen. He’s the big guy for the Bulldogs. The one who has to be respected by oppo- nents, but also the player who can some- times be left to feast at the offensive end because of all the other problems the Zags create. Corey Kispert was deservedly a first-team AP All-American selec- tion for Gonzaga. Jalen Suggs is likely to be the highest NBA Draft pick of the current crop of Zags. But the Bulldogs don’t sit at 28-0, riding a 32-game winning streak, if it’s not for the inside presence Timme provides. “We’ve talked a lot about kind of feeding off each other and make sure we get each other going on the floor,” Kispert said. “Drew’s put in the time and he’s an ultra, ultra

SEE TIME ON PAGE 47 INSIDE Gonzaga Record number: Sum of seeds in forward Sweet 16 sets new tourney mark Drew Timme RICH PEDRONCELLI Page 46 Associated Press

MLB will be monitoring balls for tampering ›› Page 41