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MONDAY | February 27, 2023 | $1.00
DAILYREPUBLIC.COM | Well said. Well read.
Russia’s war on Ukraine grinds into second year as Putin gambles on the long game Los Angeles Times
Susan Hiland/Daily Republic
Becky Johnston and Katelynn Springer look at dresses at the Village 360 Bridal Expo in Fairfield, Saturday.
Suisun Valley bridal showcase allows couples to explore wedding ideas Susan Hiland SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET
SUISUN VALLEY — Bridesto-be along with their prospective grooms got an opportunity Saturday to check out a pair of venues and do some idea shopping during the inaugural Village 360 Bridal Expo. Katelynn Springer came with her mom Becky Johnston from Vacaville – both seeking planning goals. “I am looking for inspiration and ideas for a future wedding,” Springer said. She is a second-grade teacher in Vacaville and hopes to have
an August wedding – just before 2023-2024 school starts. “They have a potential date but we are still looking for a venue,” Johnston said. Event organizer Cynthia Hoover of TBG Productions, who curates family friendly events for nonprofit organizations, fundraisers, private events, weddings, corporate functions, team-building experiences, conventions and/or trade shows, wanted this to be a fun day for anyone. “If people wanted to come just to look around, that is fine,” Hoover said. The venue for the Bridal
Expo covered not only Village 360 but also BackRoad Vines winery not far away. The day was filled with plenty of things to see with 40 vendors showing off everything from dresses to honeymoon deals. There were also DJs playing music, while singer Zena Jean, 15, of Brentwood, came and played guitar. “They provided tote bags for the brides with veils, and a sash that side ‘bride’ in capital letters, bubbles and other goodies,” Hoover said of the host venues. “Village 360 is this amazing hidden gem See Bridal, Page A7
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia’s war on Ukraine has entered its second year, with a universal realization that the world is witnessing a long, protracted conflict, the deadliest in Europe since World War II, in which Moscow and Kyiv are hoping against long odds for a decisive breakthrough in 2023. “This has become a grinding war of attrition,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said at a recent meeting of member countries’ defense ministers. And wars of attrition tend to end badly, with overwhelmingly deadly tolls. A year on, tens of thousands of Ukrainians and Russian soldiers are dead. The United Nations has counted nearly 10,000 Ukrainian civilian
fatalities, acknowledging that the toll is higher but cannot be tallied amid the chaos. Millions of Ukrainians are displaced from their homes; thousands of children have been reportedly kidnapped and spirited to Russian territory; scores of villages and cities lie in full or partial ruin; and global impacts include soaring prices for oil and food products that normally come from the region. Prospects for a diplomatic resolution remain low while more fighting is on the horizon. Both sides are gearing for a spring offensive, with Russians desperate for a major victory on the battlefield after numerous setbacks and Ukrainians determined to take back more captured territory, predominantly in the See Ukraine, Page A7
Israelis, Palestinians meet in Jordan as violence spirals Tribune Content Agency
Weeks after rail disaster, Biden still has no plans to visit East Palestine Los Angeles Times WASHINGTON — Republicans are continuing to criticize President Joe Biden for not visiting East Palestine, Ohio, where a train carrying toxic, cancer-causing chemicals derailed Feb. 3. Biden has yet to make a trip to the area, sending Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and federal officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Environmental Protection Agency to the disaster site in his stead. Biden’s visit to Ukraine last week was “the biggest slap in the face,” East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway, a Republican,
told Fox News. “That tells you right now, he doesn’t care about us,” Conaway added, saying he was “furious” the president was in Ukraine “giving millions of dollars away to people over there, not to us.” “My message to congressional Republicans: you can either be the party of Ukraine & the globalists or you can be the party of East Palestine & the working people of America,” Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, tweeted Friday. Biden said the same day that has no plans to visit the village, but emphasized that he has been in close contact
Dustin Franz/AFP/Getty Images/TNS file
Smoke rises from a derailed cargo train in East Palestine, Ohio, Feb. 4, 2023. with elected officials in the region. “The idea that we are not engaged is just simply not there,” Biden said. “Initially, there was not a request for me to go out even before I was
heading over to Kyiv. I am keeping very close tabs on it. We are doing all we can.” On Friday, House Republicans launched See Rail, Page A7
INDEX Arts B4 | Business B5 | Classifieds B6 | Comics A5, B3 | Crossword A6, B4 Food B2 | Obituary A3 | Opinion A4 | Sports B1 | TV Daily A5, B3
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TEL AVIV, Israel — Palestinian and Israeli officials on Sunday agreed during face-toface talks to take steps to build mutual confidence following a rash of deadly violence. But the ferocity of the situation was underscored Sunday evening when Israeli settlers rampaged through a northern town in the occupied West Bank, setting the homes and vehicles of Palestinians on fire, following the killing of two Israeli brothers by a gunman hours before. The talks earlier Sunday in Jordan’s port city of Aqaba were believed to be the first such meeting between the two sides in years, and were also attended by representatives from the U.S., Jordan and Egypt. The participants agreed to “strengthen mutual trust” and “to address outstanding
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Said Khatib/AFP via Getty Images/TNS
Supporters of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine group take part in a rally in Rafah town in the Southern Gaza Strip, Feb. 26, 2023. issues through direct dialogue,” Jordan’s state news agency Petra reported, citing a statement after the meeting. The talks resulted in an Israeli commitment to halt discussion of creating any new West Bank settlements for four months and stop authorization of any new settlement outposts for six months. Israel’s delegation was headed by National See Meet, Page A7
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