Solano reports four more deaths as Covid cases climb A3
NFL icon, Raiders great coach Madden dies B1
wednesday | December 29, 2021 | $1.00
dailyrepublic.com | Well said. Well read.
CDC shortens coronavirus isolation time Tribune Content Agency People who have Covid-19 can leave isolation after five days if they are no longer experiencing symptoms, U.S. health officials said, cutting the previously recommended period in half as the omicron variant spurs a jump in infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement Monday that following the initial five-day isolation period, people with Covid-19 should wear a mask for another five days when around other people. The new guidance supplants previous recommendations that said people who have tested positive for the virus should isolate for 10 days. Covid-19 cases are expected to soar in the U.S. following the holidays, threatening to upend the lives of workers and students who are infected or exposed to the virus. Shorter isolation and quarantine periods will allow people to return to work or to school sooner, potentially helping reduce widespread disruptions that could close schools or snarl supply chains. Studies suggesting that illness caused by omicron isn’t as severe, especially for people who have been vaccinated and received booster shots, has increased pressure on public-health officials to ease their stance on when infected or exposed people can return to their routines. Last week, the CDC shortened its isolation guidance for health care workers, saying those with mild or moderate Covid-19 could return to work after seven days with a negative See CDC, Page A9
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A poll worker holds up an “I Voted” sticker in the California gubernatorial recall election at a polling station in Burbank, Sept. 14.
Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic
Coast Guard and crew from U.S. Ecology, a hazardous waste management company, work on a sunken vessel
in the Suisun Slough, near Marina Boulevard, in Suisun City, Tuesday.
Diesel spill inundating ‘Backwaters’ of Suisun Todd R. Hansen
thansen@dailyrepublic.net
SUISUN CITY — Neighboring property owners of what is being described as a “garbage barge” have watched for nearly a week as diesel fuel has leaked into several of the waterway cul-de-sacs and the Whispering Bay Slough of the Backwater area of Suisun City. It also has been described by Rich Campson, a past commodore of the Solano Yacht Club based in Suisun City, as a “Frankensteinlooking boat.” “It is a very old boat,” said Bob Ritchie, whose backyard is only about 40 feet from what appears to be a houseboat that is estimated to be 45 to 50 feet long. “Since it sank, it has leaked its diesel and whatever else is on board,” Ritchie added. Several neighbors have reported that their yachts and property edges
are coated with the fuel, which escaped the containment boom set down by the Coast Guard and state Fish & Wildlife Service. Ritchie said as many as 10 yachts have been affected, perhaps more than $1 million in total value, and the cleanup cost will be extensive. Rich Campson, who owns a 33-foot Grady-White that has been bathed in the fuel, said the vessel should have never been allowed to stay in the area. He looks at not only the property owners, but the law enforcement authorities. “It’s terrible,” he said. “I don’t know how they even let that boat stay there.” Some residents also expressed concern for the safety of their pets. “They are worried because all their cats and dogs go down and lap the water,” Ritchie said. He said the smell at his home is overpowering. Ritchie also lamented the fate
of a popular resident goose neighbors refer to as “Crooked Tail” and “Lucy.” The bird had become coated with the fuel and then cleaned several times, but also seemed to have fallen ill. That weakened condition, they believe, helped area coyotes to take the bird in recent days. The Coast Guard has hired Boise, Idaho-based US Ecology, a hazardous waste treatment and disposal company, to come in and clean up the waterway spill and to clean out any additional fuel and oil still on the vessel. “They are a little perturbed because they told the (vessel owner) . . . to stand down and not raise the boat, and they were going to take care of that,” Paul Carroll, who lives on nearby Neptune Court, said about his conversation with a US Ecology representative. See Spill, Page A9
Analysis
State’s political redistricting all about defining a ‘community’ John Myers
Los Angeles Times
SACRAMENTO — Californians who believe objectivity is the only thing that creates fairness in the once-a-decade redrawing of political boundary lines will probably be disappointed with the maps submitted to state elections officials on Monday. As the experience of the state’s independent Citizens Redistricting Commission showed, even when redistricting is removed from the hands of legislators, subjective decisions must still be made. Several of the 14 commissioners, who signed off on the final maps on Monday, candidly admitted they had no choice but to pick winners and losers. “We made hundreds of hard choices,” said Commissioner Russell Yee, an Oakland Republican. “And we tried to spread the pain and gain, as thoughtfully and as fairly as we could.” The commissioners did so by embracing two of the most far-reaching – and ultimately subjective – redistricting rules added to the California Constitution by the 2008 ballot measure that wrested redistricting away from the California Legislature. One requires that districts comply with See State, Page A9
The Athenian Grill rebuild has been done through love, patience, faith Matt Miller
mmiller@dailyrepublic.net
SUISUN CITY — Shelly Kontogiannis lives by the motto “Come to the Table” with her staff and customers at The Athenian Grill. “Come where you can fellowship,” said Kontogiannis, a strong woman of faith who has gone through a trying past three years, like so many others. “We want our staff to really lean into the table and not just take orders and serve food,” she said. “We want to lift up praise and good tidings every day.” Kontogiannis is lifting up praise simply for being back in business again. Her restaurant, and home above, were racked by fire on April 24, 2019. A grease fire took off above the gyro machine and did extensive damage. And then, two weeks into October 2021’s soft opening, an electrical
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Athenian Grill owner Shelly Kontogiannis, third from left, stands with the restaurant’s staff, Dec. 15. panel caught fire after a power outage and threatened a second burn. Thankfully, local fire-
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The whole rebuild has taken about 2 ½ years with Kontogiannis having to spend time living with friends and different places. Making matters worse were the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and having the difficulty of scheduling contractors and sub-contractors during that stretch. “I never considered not rebuilding,” Kontogiannis said. “I had to let go and sift through a lot of things. God is good. He kept providing through all of this. I’m thankful
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