Earlier this year, a technician waving a device resembling a magic wand became preoccupied with Adam Michaels’ downstairs shower. “Woah!” Michaels recalls him exclaiming. “We got a hotspot here!” 

This is never a good thing to hear about your shower. 

And especially not on this day. The technician was from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control and he was searching for vapor intrusions of the carcinogen tetrachloroethylene, a chemical commonly used by dry-cleaners which is — mercifully — better known as PCE. These vapors are odorless and, without a magic wand, undetectable. On this day they registered at more than four times the acceptable threshold. 

“It doesn’t look good for my home,” says Michaels, a 25-year teacher at Lowell who has lived in the Sunset with his middle-school teacher wife for two decades and raised two children in this house. “There are probably countless people who live near dry-cleaners and don’t realize what they’re breathing. At least we found out.” 

Michaels lives a stone’s throw from 2550 Irving St., which is now a large patch of dirt and was formerly a police credit union — and, notably, was also in close proximity to not one but two longstanding dry-cleaners. The parcel also once housed a former mortuary and was formerly bookended by a pair of gas stations. Elevated levels of toxic PCE were detected on-site at the police credit union in 2019. By March of that year, use of the second floor and eastern half of the first floor were cut off to employees.

In the not-too-distant future, this parcel is slated to be a seven-story, 90-unit, 100 percent affordable structure earmarked for families and the formerly homeless. The Mid-Sunset Neighborhood Association, incorporated in 2021 to, it seems, specifically combat this project, has lost at every turn — including a second reversal before the Board of Appeals last week.

Attempts to alter or derail this project followed the predictable playbook used by neighborhood groups who do not wish to endure alterations to their neighborhood. The neighbors complained about its “out of scale” size or impact or aesthetics. They’ve also gone to court: The Mid-Sunset Neighborhood Association has filed a suit against the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation claiming the future 2550 Irving developer didn’t do adequate outreach. This suit is ongoing. 

Other, more strident neighbors — but not, its members claim, the Mid-Sunset group — have objected to the affordable nature of the project. This is more than a little unseemly: The posters that an anonymous person or group littered the neighborhood with in 2021 read “No Slums in the Sunset,” a less-than-subtle allusion to the income level of the future inhabitants at 2550 Irving. And their race.

The future site of a large affordable housing project at 2550 Irving St. as it appears today

So, that was the backdrop heading into last week’s Board of Appeals hearing, during which the Mid-Sunset Neighborhood Association objected to the state’s approach to dealing with PCE on this site. As such “toxins!” was perceived by project proponents and city government officials as one more iteration of “wolf!” being cried by this group, following “out of scale!” and “not enough parking!” and “too darn tall!” 

It warrants mentioning that, at this point, nobody was (overtly) attempting to derail — or even delay — the project. That ship has sailed. Regardless, the appellants lost in what appears to be their final redress. This project, and any environmental remediation here, is out of their control.   

That the project is moving forward is, on the whole, fantastic. But this process was not. Neighbors’ bad-faith or feckless arguments about “scale” and “impact” have jaundiced most everyone else regarding their legitimate concerns about neighborhood toxins. As such, everyone dug in their heels, and what would’ve been a natural concession became untenable — yes, this is about building much-needed housing but it’s also about winning. “It would’ve been nice to not focus on all the other things, so we could focus on the toxic waste,” says District 4 supervisor Joel Engardio, who represents the neighborhood. “But that did not happen.” 

It most definitely did not. And this is a shame, because “toxins!” is not just a strategic ploy for Adam Michaels and his neighbors. The process here has taken its course. Their issues remain.

A day after I released my Housing for All plan, the SF Board of Appeals delayed the construction of 100% affordable housing at 2550 Irving. This obstructionism is unacceptable. This project must move forward & we need to reform our laws so we can build the homes we badly need.

— London Breed (@LondonBreed) February 10, 2023

Perhaps the most maddening takeaway from last week’s Board of Appeals hearing — itself a six-hour testament to the ritual nature of San Francisco public process — was that so much clarity could’ve been derived from a series of tests pegged at $20,000 and requiring perhaps a week’s work. When a project requires years of process and scores of millions of dollars, these sorts of numbers are negligible. 

But these tests have not been undertaken. 

We are doing our best to spare you the most mind-numbing details of government process and soil science — but this is a story laden with both. Here goes: Both the neighborhood association and the Board of Appeals thought an agreement was reached in February to undertake PCE testing in the footprint of a former dry-cleaners at 2550 Irving, with the testing method being identical to the tests already performed across the street at the site of a second dry-cleaner. This would enable an apples-to-apples comparison of toxins (PCE-to-PCE, less appetizingly). 

But this did not happen: The Department of Toxic Substances Control in fact, did different sorts of testing analyzing different sorts of things — which cost more than five times as much money. 

Separate and apart from the science here, this is confusing — even for neighborhood residents and city officials staunchly in favor of this project. “You would think that the tests they did on two sites on two different sides of the street would be the same so they’d have a true comparison,” said Engardio. Toxic Substances Control “is claiming it did all the testing, and everything is fine. But it does not match up to what the neighborhood asked for or what a layperson might see as apples to apples.” 

Engardio stresses that “it’s not my role to second-guess a state agency that’s in charge of keeping people safe.” But, if only to check off a box, “it is baffling to me they would not have done apples to apples tests just to take this argument off the table.”

Dan Grasmick, an engineer and environmental consultant speaking on behalf of the neighborhood association, went further. At last week’s meeting, he called the state’s tests “seriously flawed” and said its testing regimen “appears to have been designed to not identify a primary source.”

Let us not step between dueling soil scientists. This is not an area most of us know from a hole in the ground — and the credentials for both the neighbors’ consultants and the state authorities are impeccable. Let’s focus instead on procedure, and basic human relations. If the same set of tests had been undertaken on both former dry-cleaner sites, and the results showed negligible PCE on-site at 2550 Irving, then any attempts by the neighbors to prevaricate and continue their objections would’ve revealed them to be bad-faith obstructionists — and their case would’ve been righteously swatted away, Bill Russell-like, by the Board of Appeals. 

And if the apples-to-apples testing came back showing problematic levels of PCE — then wouldn’t it be nice to know? Wouldn’t that help inform what next steps to take on a site that the state continues to insist does not require environmental remediation? 

Again, let us render unto soil scientists what is soil scientists’. But, for any human being who occasionally relates to other human beings, the argument I didn’t do what you wanted, I did something else. And it cost waaaaaaay more money — and you should be grateful is not a winner. 

Our questions to a Toxic Substances Control  spokeswoman regarding why the agency chose to do things the way it did was not answered by press time. 

Wolf!

Looming over the entire Board of Appeals process like Banquo’s ghost was SB35, a Sen. Scott Wiener law that streamlines the construction of affordable housing and undercuts much local impediment-making of the sort San Francisco is famous for. It remains unclear if the appeals board could’ve legally returned any verdict other than approving the 2550 Irving development process — no matter what the arguments were. 

It’s hard to inveigh against SB35 in either the abstract or the concrete. San Francisco (and other municipalities) set up land-use procedures like something out of “The Lady or the Tiger” and the state has stepped in. The city had this coming. What’s depressing, however, is to see a query regarding toxic contamination handled via the familiar rote political script of partisans trading barbs in an endless public hearing. 

Do citizens owe state authorities respect in matters such as these? Yes. But they are not owed obeisance. The Department of Toxic Substances Control’s methodology and continued insistence that no environmental remediation is called for remain counter-intuitive and baffling — to the neighbors, to the neighbors’ hired subject-matter experts, and, notably, to area residents and elected officials who fervently support this affordable development.

And, perhaps most of all, to Adam Michaels. After testing revealed high levels of PCE at his home, he says state officials told him there may be some manner of contaminant throwing off the results. Perhaps paint, or a gun-cleaning fluid. But he has no gun, and, to the best of his knowledge, nobody dumped any cans of paint down the shower. 

Watching the hearings regarding 2550 Irving was troubling for Michaels and his wife. Neither of them missed the part where experts stated that PCE is most harmful for the elderly and the young — and they raised their children here. “It would be nice,” says Michaels with a sigh, “if someone said ‘Let’s get rid of that stuff.’” 

But that’s not the plan moving forward. 

“I understand why the developer wouldn’t want to pay to clean up the entire neighborhood,” he says. That wouldn’t be fair. “I understand why the Department of Toxic Substances Control would protect them.” 

“But I also thought they’d protect me.” 

Prior coverage:

Irving St. affordable housing to proceed after soil toxin appeal is rejected — again

After a six-hour Board of Appeals hearing on Wednesday, an appeal to delay a 100-percent affordable housing project at 2550 Irving St. was denied. The project will now almost certainly go ahead. The decision split the board down the middle in a 2-2 vote. Commissioners Alex Lemberg and John Trasviña favored granting the site permit…

90-unit Irving St. housing OKed despite toxin fears

On Wednesday night, the Board of Appeals struck down an environmental appeal that would have imposed extra requirements on the construction of a 90-unit affordable housing project in the Sunset in a 3-2 vote. The 2550 Irving St. project is poised to replace the former Police Credit Union building with a 100-percent affordable, seven-story apartment…

The post San Francisco land-use course of stays unusual, horrible — poisonous appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Pexels / RODNAE Productions

The cities with the most emigrants were Los Angeles, followed by the San Francisco area and Chicago.

As San Antonio grows more crowded due to the influx of newcomers, brace yourself: more are coming. and more people are on the way

According to a recent study by storage and moving company PODS, San Antonio is the #14 relocation destination in the United States. Overall, three Texas cities, including Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, made the company’s top 15.

Interestingly, Austin — once a hotspot for moving — didn’t make the list.

PODS analyzed its consumer movements and collected data on where and from where customers were moving to compile a list.

According to PODS, these are the 15 largest cities people will be moving to in 2023.

The resort town of Myrtle Beach in South Carolina took first place on the PODS list, followed by Sarasota and Orlando, both in Florida.

“The economy appears to be the biggest factor influencing consumers’ relocation decisions, with lower tax rates, warmer weather and more affordable house prices being the main drivers behind consumer decisions,” the report said.

A key difference in consumer trends between this year and last year is the dwindling importance of remote work, the study also notes.

Cities with higher crime rates, turbulent weather and higher living costs continued to see population declines, with Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area and Chicago the biggest losers, according to the PODS data.

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Nine people were injured in a mass shooting in San Francisco

Jun 10, 2023 3:16 am ET

• 2 minutes read

SAN FRANCISCO — Nine people were injured in a mass shooting in San Francisco’s Mission District on Friday night in what police say appeared to be a “targeted and isolated” incident.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the shooting happened just after 9 p.m. during a party hosted by a clothing store near the intersection of 24th Street and Treat Avenue.

San Francisco police initially said that all victims “are expected to have a reasonable expectation of surviving their injuries.” However, a statement from Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital said one of the victims remained in critical condition as of Saturday afternoon.

Another was said to be in serious condition, four were in good condition and three had already been released. According to the hospital, the victims were eight men and one woman between the ages of 20 and 34.

Police Chief William Scott called the violence “unacceptable”.

“People should feel safe going out in San Francisco without fear of gun violence,” Scott said. “Our investigators are working diligently on this case and we will continue to have a visible police presence in the community where this incident occurred.”

Dying Breed, a clothing store near the intersection where the shooting occurred, was scheduled to celebrate its sixth anniversary with a block party Friday night, according to a post on the store’s Instagram account.

A person who answered the phone at the store declined to comment.

The Mission District is one of San Francisco’s oldest neighborhoods and was named after the Mission Dolores – a Spanish mission from 1776. Historically Latino and increasingly gentrified in recent years, the lively neighborhood is home to numerous restaurants and shops.

Mayor London Breed said first responders responded quickly to the shooting, noting that “no life was lost”.

“I know there are a lot of questions and concerns in the community and people want answers,” Breed said. “We are still working to understand exactly what happened and why, and we will share information as soon as possible.”

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MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa — Winds of change sweep across this idyllic southeast Iowa community of 9,000, where an Amtrak station separates an old-fashioned town square from a charming college campus.

But the hospitable temperature and blue skies in early May belie this picturesque slice of Americana. After 181 years, Iowa Wesleyan, the small Methodist institution of nearly 800 students located 30 miles west of Illinois and 35 miles north of Missouri, will shut down for good. With the school unable to pay a $26 million loan to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the property becomes part of the federal government.

A proud university inaugurated five years before Iowa became a state now is relegated to the history books.

“On May 31, that’s when it’s probably going to really hit me,” says Mike Hampton, a 1972 Wesleyan graduate who has worked in the athletic department since 1995. “My wife graduated from here. I graduated from here. … It’s in the two-digit numbers of relatives that graduated from here. It’s a sad state of affairs.”

Of course it’s more than athletics that perishes with the school on May 31. Astronaut Peggy Whitson, a 1981 graduate, became the first female commander at the International Space Station in 2007. She wore purple Iowa Wesleyan Tigers socks on her three journeys and donated them to the school. Women’s college basketball in Iowa was born here in 1943, when Olan G. Ruble helped drive his players in station wagons from the East Coast to Texas.

“It was a really close-knit community where a lot of these professors stayed for 50 years for no pay and dedicated their lives to it,” says Jess Settles, a college basketball analyst for BTN and ESPN who coached the men’s basketball program for two seasons (2012-13). “It’s a huge blow to southeast Iowa to lose a campus like that.”

But when people recall Iowa Wesleyan’s legacy, it starts with its impact on college football as the birthplace of the most influential offensive trend in three decades, the “Air Raid.”

In a dingy basement beneath an old Iowa Wesleyan basketball gymnasium is where Hal Mumme and Mike Leach tested and perfected the fast-break offense that leveled football’s balance between size and speed.

But first, Mumme had to take a job nobody wanted. Two years removed from his job as UTEP’s offensive coordinator when the whole staff was fired, Mumme coached high school football and served as athletic director in Copperas Cove, Texas, years before Robert Griffin III starred there. Mumme ached for an opportunity to lead a college football program and wanted a wide-open offense like LaVell Edwards ran at BYU.

A winless campaign in 1988 didn’t sit well with Iowa Wesleyan President Robert Prins. He enlisted friend and then-Chicago Bears special teams coach Steve Kazor to find a new coach. Kazor tracked down Mumme, and after some banter over the school’s location, Mumme asked Kazor a few questions.

“I said, ‘Do they want to win?’” Mumme recalls. “He goes, ‘Yeah, I know the president. He really wants to win.’ And I said, ‘Well, how are they now?’ He goes, ‘They’re the worst team I’ve ever seen.’”

If Mumme was interested, Kazor said, he should send Prins a telegram. About a month later, Mumme was hired.

When Mumme arrived, two reporters attended his news conference. He called a meeting of returning players. He was told about 40 planned to return. Two showed up. Halfway through his speech, one walked out.

A few days later, Mumme swung by Mount Pleasant High to talk with football coach Bob Evans and recruit a few players, including star receiver Dana Holgorsen. Evans sent a student to bring Holgorsen to his office.

“About 20 minutes goes by and Dana never shows up,” Mumme says. “Bob calls the little girl in his office. ‘Did you go get Holgorsen?’ She goes, ‘Well, I tried. But he said he’d rather stay in English class than talk to Iowa Wesleyan.’”

Mumme had the same luck convincing coaches to join him. Only two resumes came in. When he described his pass-first offense with linemen in two-point stances and wide splits, line coaches laughed him off.

“Nobody would take it,” he says. “It paid $12,000. Even in 1989, that wasn’t very much money. So I decided that I’m just gonna hire the smartest guy I can find and teach him what I want.”

Leach had submitted one of the two resumes. Although he played rugby at BYU, Leach followed the football program closely. After several conversations, Leach and Mumme met in Provo to watch BYU spring practice together. It was there that Mumme decided to hire Leach.

“He was at the College of the Desert coaching defensive ends,” Mumme says. “He was only making $6,000 and he had to watch the rec gym at night. So teaching a couple of business law classes and getting $12,000 was a lot better deal. Then we hired Sharon (Leach) to be our football secretary so they could get two salaries. So it was a pretty good raise for him.”

A year later, Mumme hired assistant Mike Fanoga for $10,000 a year. Fanoga built a recruiting pipeline from American Samoa to Mount Pleasant. Among the first arrivals was Doug Elisaia, now Utah’s football strength coach. Epenesa “Eppy” Epenesa arrived a year later and became an NAIA All-American before transferring to Iowa. Epenesa met his wife, Stephanie, who played softball and volleyball at Iowa Wesleyan. Epenesa’s oldest son, A.J., led the Big Ten in sacks at Iowa and now plays for the Buffalo Bills.

Epenesa first described his experience as culture shock. Then he fell in love with the community.

Mumme persuaded his old high school quarterback, Dustin Dewald, to head north. They cobbled together enough players to go 7-4 in their first year. He convinced a businessman from nearby Burlington, Iowa, to stage an NAIA postseason event called the Steamboat Bowl. The Tigers competed in it twice and won it in Mumme’s second year.

Entering Year 3, the Tigers welcomed back 18 starters, including Dewald, who had thrown for 7,627 yards in two seasons. Iowa Wesleyan moved up from NAIA Division II to NAIA Division I and became an independent. Its schedule included three NCAA Division II teams plus three NAIA playoff squads.

“We started looking for an edge, and like we usually did when we needed an edge, we would take a road trip to get the creative ideas going,” Mumme says. “So I told Mike, ‘Find somebody to recruit in Florida, and I’ll get us some airline tickets from Dr. Prins.’ And Mike being Mike, he finds a kicker in Key West.

“We only had enough money to get us to Orlando, which turned out to be a blessing.”

Leach and Mumme stopped to see the Orlando Thunder, then a World League of American Football member and led by longtime CFL coach Don Matthews.

“On the way out to practice I asked Coach Matthews, ‘What’s your best drill?’” Mumme says. “He goes, ‘Well, at the end of practice, we do what we call Bandit drill. That’s our two-minute offense.’

“I’d seen people do two-minute offenses before, but I’ve never seen it this well-organized and this fast. I mean, they literally were just running a play about every 15 seconds. I looked at Mike and I said, ‘That’s our edge.’ He goes, ‘Yeah, we’re gonna do that all the time, aren’t we?’ I go, ‘Yeah, we are.’”

After initially rebuffing Mumme, Holgorsen asked to transfer home and the coach enthusiastically welcomed him. Marc Hill, like Holgorsen, was a Mount Pleasant graduate and grew up next to the Mapleleaf Sports Complex, where both the high school and college played sports. Hill spurned walk-on opportunities at Iowa State and Wisconsin but wilted under a recruiting barrage from Mumme and Leach. At Iowa Wesleyan, Hill played linebacker and saw up close how the high-tempo offense impacted games and practices.

“They wanted it to be fun,” says Hill, now Kentucky’s deputy athletic director. “College sports were supposed to be fun. Practice was supposed to be fun. We’re not gonna grind you to death. We’re not going to run you to death … And because of it, we had a blast. I mean, it was always fun. Going for it on fourth down when it didn’t make any sense. It was just always a good time.”

In the season opener, Iowa Wesleyan hosted NCAA Division II Truman State, then known as Northeast Missouri State. The Tigers trailed 24-7 at halftime yet the locker room was fired up in an eventual comeback victory.

“I was kind of envisioning 48-14 and questioning my own sanity for inviting those guys to our place,” Mumme says. “But (my players) knew what I didn’t know. They knew that the other team was worn out already. We had played so fast and made them run so many plays. I think we ended up running about 90 or 95 plays that night.”

In addition to his job as offensive line coach and teaching business law, Leach was the football sports information director. He wrote stories and shipped them to The (Burlington) Hawk Eye or The Des Moines Register. The outlets would publish a box score with a recap but rarely what he wrote.

It frustrated Leach to no end.

“The big goal was to get in The Des Moines Register because if you got in that, you’d made it in Iowa,” Mumme says. “He was trying hard, and he couldn’t do it. So he comes into my office and he says, ‘Look, we need a name for our offense.’ I said, ‘Why do we need that? We say offense and they run on the field.’ He goes, ‘I’m not talking about for the players. I’m talking about my articles.’

“‘Oh, OK. What do you got in mind?’ He goes, ‘Well, I think we should call it “Air Raid.”’ ‘Sounds good to me, go for it.’”

That year, Iowa Wesleyan finished 10-2 and qualified for the NAIA Division I playoffs. Dewald threw for 4,418 yards, while running back Bruce Carter caught 125 passes and scored 112 points. All remain school records.

Mumme, Leach and several players left after the season for Valdosta (Ga.) State, where they coached from 1992 through 1996. Kentucky hired Mumme in 1997, and in 1999, quarterback Tim Couch became the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. Holgorsen followed them to Valdosta and now is head coach at Houston.

“It’s truly remarkable that literally what you watch in football today was invented in the petri dish basement at Iowa Wesleyan in the dump of all dumps,” Settles says. “I’d walk by there, and I’d think, ‘This is where these mad scientists and their whiteboard did it.’”

Mike Leach, above, coined the term “Air Raid” for Hal Mumme’s uptempo offense. (Jamie Squire / Getty Images)

The good old days ended abruptly after Mumme and Leach left for Valdosta. Iowa Wesleyan employed replacement coaches in three consecutive years, including Kazor, and twice the Tigers recorded winning seasons. Then the football program fell apart. From 1995 onward, the Tigers were 59-227 with only one winning season at 6-4 in 2014.

MD Daniels, who now coaches receivers at Bethel (Tenn.) University, guided the Tigers to a 4-7 mark last fall, the program’s second-most wins since 1998. In early May, only three football assistants remained behind to help athletes in their transition to other schools and programs. In the same basement office, assistant Brett Guminsky still has formations diagrammed on that old Mumme-era whiteboard. Like any football coach, Guminsky wiped the board clean before allowing photos inside the office.

But this is when the nostalgia turns to heartbreak. The women’s basketball team had qualified for consecutive NAIA national tournaments under coach Steve Williamson. The football team was five practices into spring when employees were ordered to attend a March 28 meeting. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds denied the school’s last-ditch funding request and the Iowa Wesleyan’s Board of Trustees voted to close the school.

“My stomach just wrenched. Just turned upside down,” Hampton says. “The toughest part was walking down the steps of the chapel and seeing my team at the bottom of the steps. That’s when it really hit me. That, man, we’re closing.”

Coaches and administrators then found a new charge: helping their athletes find new schools.

“As soon as we sat down with all the coaches, reality set in,” says senior offensive lineman Miguel Flores, a Naperville, Ill., native who was 12 credits shy of graduation. “They were starting to tear up, choke up on their words. It was not very pleasant to hear that everything that we were working for was just taken away. There’s nothing left.”

There are other sports and other stories. Too many to name and too many will fade. One that stands out belongs to Edmund “Bub” Krieger. A week into football practice at Iowa, Krieger became homesick and transferred to Iowa Wesleyan, which was closer to the Mount Union family farm. Three years later, in 1940, Krieger was named the Iowa Conference’s first-team plunging back for a squad that finished 2-6-1. He turned down a contract from the NFL’s Chicago Cardinals to farm. That’s only partially his story.

He and his wife, Lugene (Lucky), had 10 daughters, some of whom competed in college athletics. Jan Krieger Kittle became an All-American women’s basketball player at Drake. Settles’ mother, Mary, played women’s basketball at Iowa Wesleyan. Even more prominent were Bub’s and Lucky’s athletic grandsons, highlighted by San Francisco 49ers Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle, former Los Angeles Rams tight end Henry Krieger-Coble, University of Iowa all-time home runs leader Brad Carlson and Settles, who scored 1,611 points for Iowa men’s basketball.

The Air Raid. Ruble’s caravan. Bub’s story, like all of the others, now pass on strictly as memories.

“It’s pretty devastating,” Settles says. “Obviously, the economic impact is massive. But just the tradition …”

“I’m afraid that all people are going to remember is the closure,” Williamson says. “I don’t think that’s the way that you should remember Iowa Wesleyan. There’s a lot of great history here.”

(Illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic; photos: Scott Dochterman / The Athletic)

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WASHINGTON — A 32-year-old man in Washington, DC told police he beheaded a handyman and cut off his arms before dumping some of his remains in the backyard of his apartment building, authorities said.

According to court documents filed Thursday, police said Lavaughn Barnes confessed to putting the victim’s head, arms and personal documents in a garbage bag, the Washington Post reported. According to the newspaper, prosecutors said the bag was picked up by city cleaners and taken to a landfill.

On February 3, Metropolitan Police Department officers discovered the remaining human remains in the yard behind a semi-detached house in the Brookland neighborhood of the city’s northeast. According to the Post, Barnes lived in the basement.

According to police, Barnes was arrested Wednesday in connection with the death of Abdulio Arias-Lopez, whose remains were found in the bag and in the yard, WJLA-TV reported. According to the television station, he was charged with second-degree murder.

According to court documents, Arias-Lopez showed Barnes paint he intended to use in the duplex’s kitchen. As Arias-Lopez walked away, Barnes reportedly followed him and pointed a stun gun to his back, WJLA reported.

Documents show Barnes confessed to stabbing Arias-Lopez twice before taking his body to the basement, according to the TV network. Barnes then allegedly said he went to a hardware store to buy an ax, which he used to chop up the handyman.

Police said the coroner had not determined a cause of death, but there was evidence the victim had stab wounds and was shot, the Post reported. Police said the remains found were skeletons and “mummified,” according to the newspaper.

Forest experts estimated that Arias-Lopez’s remains had been at the residence since November.

Police say the remains were found after Barnes’ sister told him on February 3 to clear the bamboo overgrowth in the garden, the Post reported. According to court documents, Barnes told his sister he found human remains and they both called police, the newspaper reported.

Police conducted a search of the property and continued their investigation, but Barnes reportedly called authorities on Wednesday and confessed to the killing, WRC-TV reported.

Officers using cadaver dogs found evidence of blood in the basement where Barnes lived, as well as on the back door of the basement and the back porch of the semi-detached house, the Post reported.

Police said they also found a machete, a large fixed-blade knife, four jackknives, brass knuckles, a stun gun, a drain cover, kitchen knives and cleaning supplies.

At a hearing in DC Superior Court Thursday, Barnes’ attorney Anthony Matthews argued police had “no probable cause” to charge his client, the Post reported. He also questioned the credibility of his statements to investigators, calling them “suspicious at best.”

But Judge Renee Raymond ordered Barnes detained pending a March 29 hearing.

“It seems incredibly random,” Raymond said. “The deceased happened to be there. The additional step of decapitating the deceased and removing his limbs—for no reason that Mr. Barnes himself can identify—makes it clear that there is no condition, or combination of conditions, that can reasonably ensure the safety of the community. “

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Handyman David Bonola, 44, pleaded guilty to stabbing Orsolya Gaal to death at her home in Queens, New York, after an argument, with her dismembered body later found in a holdall

Orsolya Gaal was stabbed to death at her home in Queens

A handyman has admitted stabbing to death a married ex-lover whose dismembered body was found in a gym bag.

David Bonola, 44, agreed to a 25-year sentence on the first-degree manslaughter charge when he pleaded guilty to killing Orsolya Gaal at her home in the Queens borough of New York.

The air conditioning repairman withdrew an earlier plea of ​​not guilty to Queens Criminal Court for killing Ms Gaal, 51, after going to her home at 12.30am on Saturday April 16 this year.

Bonola, who had worked at the home on various occasions, had entered the house after Mrs Gaal had returned from a night out.

“Bonola and the victim were in an argument when the defendant slit Gaal’s throat and stabbed her more than 50 times,” Queens prosecutors said in a statement.

David Bonola, 44, agreed to a 25-year sentence for first-degree manslaughter(Nice signature IG / SplashNews.com)

Bonola changed his plea to guilty in Queens Criminal Court(Nice signature IG / SplashNews.com)

“Hours later, around 4:15 a.m., Bonola is captured on security video surveillance footage of a nearby home carrying a hockey duffel bag belonging to one of the victim’s sons. The bag containing Gaal’s dismembered body was found around 8:00 a.m. on Metropolitan Avenue, near the Union Turnpike, near Forest Park.

“Police were able to follow the trail of blood from the bag to the scene of the crime – the house on Juno Street where the victim lived with her husband and two sons.

“During the ensuing investigation, police recovered the murder weapon hidden in the victim’s home and the defendant’s jacket in Forest Park.”

The defendant allegedly claimed he killed his former lover because he believed she had infected him with HIV during their two-year affair, the New York Post reported.

Ms Gaal’s dismembered body was found in a gym bag(facebook.com/orsolya.gaal.9)

The district attorney’s office also said the defendant made “incriminating statements” when questioned by police.

“Days later, the defendant offered to speak to police and made incriminating statements during questioning,” prosecutors said.

“He revealed that he went to a hospital in New York City sometime on Saturday for a cut on his hand.

Prosecutor Katz said the “heinous” crime left two boys without a mother.

She explained: “This heinous murder has devastated an entire family, left two boys without a mother and appalled the surrounding community.

“I would like to thank my prosecutors for their extensive efforts to enforce this plea. With his guilty plea, the accused has accepted responsibility and will be held fully accountable for his criminal acts.

“We offer our sincere condolences to the family of the victim and hope today’s request will enable them to begin healing.”

The post New York handyman butchered ex-lover earlier than stuffing her stays in a duffle bag appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

A A Washington DC man confessed to police that he beheaded and dismembered a handyman before leaving the remains in his backyard, authorities said.

Lavaughn Barnes, 32, told police that after killing his victim, identified as Abdulio Arias-Lopez, he put the handyman’s head, arms and documents in a garbage bag, according to a report referring to court documents filed Thursday.

A SUSPECT IN DETAINEE AFTER KINDERGARTEN TEACHER FOUND IN FAULTY GRAVE

That bag was later taken to a landfill by city sanitation officials, prosecutors said.

Metropolitan Police Department officers discovered the victim’s other remains on February 3 in the yard behind a duplex in Brookland where Barnes lived in the basement.

The 32-year-old was taken into custody Wednesday in connection with the death of Arias-Lopez, who reportedly showed color to Barnes before he was killed. Arias-Lopez had planned to paint the kitchen, but as he walked away, Barnes allegedly shot him with a stun gun, stabbed him twice and then dismembered him with an axe.

An official cause of death could not be determined, and Arias-Lopez’s remains were found to be skeletal and “mummified,” according to the report.

The report noted that investigators and experts suspect the remains may have been at the Brookland residence since November.

The remains in the yard were discovered when Barnes’ sister told him to clean bamboo in the yard, according to court documents. The remains were discovered in the process, and Barnes and his sister called the police, according to the documents.

A search warrant was carried out and Barnes later called and confessed to the gruesome murder, the report said. Cadaver dogs discovered traces of blood around the duplex, and various weapons were found, police said.

Barnes is charged with second-degree murder.

His attorney, Anthony Matthews, said at a DC Superior Court hearing Thursday that authorities had “no probable cause” to charge Barnes and that statements his client had given police were “suspicious at best.”

“This seems incredibly arbitrary,” said Judge Renee Raymond.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

“The deceased just happened to be there. The added step of decapitating the deceased and removing his limbs — for no reason that Mr. Barnes himself can point to — screams that there is no condition, or combination of conditions, that will adequately ensure the safety of the community.”

Barnes was jailed pending a March 29 hearing, according to the report.

The post DC man confesses to decapitating and dismembering handyman earlier than hiding stays appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SAN FRANCISCO — As San Francisco tries to bring the year-long crisis in the Tenderloin District under control, the role of the police has been hotly debated. Mayor London Breed has promised more order on the streets and asked for more police money to make it happen.

“We as a city need to take a tougher stance on the conditions that are happening in this particular neighborhood where we have large numbers of families and children and immigrants and people who are businesses just trying to make a living and survive in San Francisco,” Breed told KPIX. “We can do better and we’ll keep trying.”

This now includes stepping up the fight against the district’s sprawling open-air drug market.

“Finally the police, I guess they just gave them the OK because they’ve suddenly made a lot of arrests in the last month,” said Kirk Gordon of Tenderloin. “I saw them blocking st and leading these drug dealers to different corners.”

It’s not Gordon’s imagination.

“Extra bags,” said a San Francisco police officer, combing through a bag confiscated from an arrest for alleged drug dealing. “More fentanyl.”

ALSO READ:

It’s a typical bust of a six-man undercover team launched in late November. And just days later, more arrests on the same corner. There are new rules. A uniformed officer has to be on hand, but that doesn’t stop them. By early April, the department’s Tenderloin Station had made 217 arrests, exceeding last year’s total by more than 50%.

“We have seized three times the amount of drugs since the beginning of the year compared to last year,” said Captain Sergio Chin of the Tenderloin Station.

“Since I took office, we’ve billed almost twice as many cases as we did last year,” said San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.

Jenkins began her tenure by coming to this neighborhood and promising action against drug trafficking. While the busts really are old-fashioned police work, they do meet challenges. A complaint was filed against an officer alleging that Latinos were being unfairly targeted. Officers say they simply target fentanyl and problematic corners.

As for prosecutors, their drug arrest cases are just reaching the courtrooms, and the first two ended in hung juries.

“The defense that was offered in both of those cases was that the defendant was a victim of human trafficking and that’s why they were selling narcotics,” Jenkins said. “This is a new topic. When I was handling drug trafficking cases five years ago, there were no allegations of anyone being trafficked, so we need to adapt quickly.”

Back on the street, it’s not hard to find those who say the increased presence alone — at least on their corner — is long overdue.

“We’ve tried calling the police many times,” said Jessica, a travel agency owner. “Sometimes they come, sometimes they don’t. At the moment it’s really better if the police are on the street. I’d rather have the police on the street. That’s better.”

But similar to the complaints Urban Alchemy unarmed safety ambassadors only partially patrol the neighborhood, the police cannot be everywhere at once.

“They moved them all the way to Post Street,” noted Tony Kushmaul. “So they move them from block to block or they move them around the block.”

“Even if the vendors move and engage in other criminal activities,” Deputy Police Commissioner David Lazar promised, “we will keep an eye on them and their activities wherever they go.”

“We’re not going to have any more luck clawing our way out of this crisis by arresting street dealers than any previous administration of this country or that country,” said District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston. “If you haven’t addressed the underlying causes and reasons people are out there and taking action, you’re only moving people when you have an investor in the community.”

So the police make more arrests and take on a wave of drug dealers while residents watch and see what they can get.

“Police need to create more walking routes, you know,” Gordon said of what he’d like to see from SFPD. “Walk around. At least scare these guys.”

Wilson Walker

Wilson Walker joined KPIX 5 in July 2007. After 10 years as a news producer, Wilson became a Multimedia Journalist (MMJ) in 2012, meaning he shoots, writes and edits all his own stories.

The post Effectiveness of police crackdown on San Francisco Tenderloin crime stays to be seen appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

***As most of you know, Cigar Thoughts is now a podcast. One of the perks of the pod is getting these articles in audio form, in addition to our sit-downs with our amazing guests. You can listen to all the shows, including this article, right here:

—

The fact that this game carried as much import as it did says a lot about how far the Seattle Seahawks have come in such a short time. It also served as a litmus test, as the San Francisco 49ers came to town engorged on the blood of their last six foes. It wasn’t that long ago that this was the best rivalry in the NFL and with the Seahawks rising and the 49ers near the top of the heap, we may be headed back that way. But right now, in this moment, there is a clear difference in talent, execution, and experience between these two teams, and that disparity was on display for the entire country tonight.

—

The Seahawks started the game with the ball and immediately picked up a first down when Geno Smith followed up a six-yard Ken Walker III run with a five-yard completion to Tyler Lockett. It was a nice lil pop to keep a frenzied crowd titillated but the drive would stall after that. Damien Lewis got beat on a screen pass to Walker III for a loss of three and Smith threw consecutive incompletions, leading to a Michael Dickson punt that pinned the Niners at their own 10.

As the 49ers prepared for their first possession, Seattle’s much-maligned defense took the field having forced the fewest three-and-outs in the NFL. San Francisco’s offense, for their part, had committed the fewest, but the Seahawks immediately forced San Francisco off the field anyway. Cody Barton strung a Christian McCaffrey run out on first down, Jordyn Brooks snuffed a short completion to George Kittle, and Ryan Neal wrapped up McCaffrey short of the sticks to end the drive. Exactly what we needed to see and, more importantly, what that defense needed to feel.

From then on, however, the 49ers defense did what they’ve been doing all season, and it led to a quick three and out highlighted by a Talanoa Hufanga sack that knocked the ball from Smith’s hands. The Niners offense would be getting a lot more run if it wasn’t for the unmatched prowess of their defense, and they showed exactly what makes them so dangerous on their next drive. With their monstrous offensive line creating holes, McCaffrey used his shiftiness and explosion to exploit the gaps for big gains. And when he wasn’t rookie Brock Purdy calmly distributed the ball all over the field.

The steady march culminated in a beautiful play design that was executed flawlessly by Brock Purdy. On it, Purdy faked one swing pass, then turned and pantomimed another before pivoting back to the middle of the field to find a slanting Kittle wide open. Kittle caught the pass and weaved his way through the last two defenders and into the endzone to make it 7-0.

The Seahawks offense continued their struggle, going three-and-out on their next two drives, leaving them with just 11 total yards on their first 11 plays. Fortunately, the defense did their part, taking advantage of 49ers penalties to stop two promising drives themselves and the punt-fest continued.

Smith got rolling on the next possession, finding DK Metcalf on consecutive throws for consecutive first downs. And when it looked like the momentum would stop faced with 3rd & 13 a couple snaps later, Geno kept it pushin’. As he dropped back to pass, Smith found no one open and leaked out to the right. As he approached the line of scrimmage, he pump-faked to freeze the isolated defender then gained the edge for a 15-yard scramble. A Walker III run and an out route to Noah Fant gained another first down before the drive finally sputtered out at the 20. Jason Myers trotted out and banged home a 38-yard field goal to close the gap at 7-3 and the game suddenly felt different.

The 49ers got another first down on their next possession before Purdy finally made his first mistake. Standing in a clean pocket, Purdy tossed one over the middle— right to Quandre Diggs. The ball hit Diggs in the chest but he couldn’t clasp it and it fell incomplete. It happened on third down so the Niners had to punt anyway but the drop cost Seattle at least 40 yards of field position with less than two minutes to go in the half and made scoring a whole lot tougher.

Still, it was a big stop for a struggling defense and the good vibes continued when Smith found Lockett and Marquis Goodwin on consecutive plays for a first down. Feeling the flow, the Seahawks stayed no huddle and Travis Homer took it up the middle for five more. Smith went back to Homer with a little arrow route on the next snap, but Dre Greenlaw absolutely leveled him with a huge hit and the ball sprung free. Charvarious Ward scooped it up and returned it all the way down to Seattle’s 7. Two McCaffrey plunges later, the 49ers were knocking an extra point through the uprights to make it 14-3, where it would stay until halftime.

The 49ers opened the third quarter with a big kick return and stepped on Seattle’s throat on their next play from scrimmage. Purdy dropped back as Kittle exploded out of his stance, and then just… didn’t get covered by anybody. Purdy hit him with ease for a huge gain and Kittle summarily dismissed Diggs and Barton inside the 10 for the long score. 21-3, and what felt like a close game less than two minutes of clock time ago was suddenly on the brink of a blowout.

The Seahawks’ once burning fire had been reduced to embers and those were nearly stamped out completely when Geno underthrew Lockett a couple snaps later. The pass was undercut by Deommodore Lenoir, who returned it for a touchdown that was waived off by an admittedly bullshit roughing call against Nick Bosa. Granted a break, Smith was able to hit Metcalf three times on the drive, as the Seahawks inched it close enough for Myers to hammer a 51-yarder through the uprights. 21-6.

After that it was a whole bunch of not scoring, with nary a real chance at it, until the Niners missed a short field goal with five minutes left in the game. It didn’t seem like much at the time but it kept the Seahawks within two scores. Through 55 minutes, Seattle had managed just two field goals but they weren’t ready to give up the ghost on the division just yet. Smith and Co took the field and got to work.

Geno found Metcalf for nine and after Walker III picked up the first down, hit Will Dissly for 13. Two plays later, Smith slung it out to Walker III in the right flat and the rookie smoked the lone defender’s pursuit angle to the sideline and turned upfield for 33. Despite the urgency of the situation, Smith remained calm and followed that big completion up with a seam pass to Noah Fant for a 10-yard touchdown that brought Seattle within eight at 21-13 with three and a half minutes left.

One more stop, and the Seahawks would get the ball back with an improbable shot at tying the game. That stop never came, however, as McCaffrey picked up one first down and Purdy scrambled for another, barely sliding past the first down marker and costing Seattle their final timeout on the ensuing unsuccessful challenge. From there, Seattle’s best case scenario was to force one last stop and get the ball back with about 30 seconds left. Instead, Jordan Mason burst through a well-blocked hole on the left side and juked Ryan Neal in the open field, streaking all the way down to the 2 before Mike Jackson knocked him out of bounds. Still, that run served as the finisher, and Purdy kneeled out the clock from there.

—

SMOKE RINGS

~Games like this— scratch that— defenses like this make it tough to judge a quarterback. Geno Smith was under siege all night, with San Francisco’s monstrous front seven making it difficult to get through his reads and eliminating any of the boot-action / moving-pocket schemes Seattle likes to employ. And on the back end, the Niners secondary stuck to Seattle’s receivers like flypaper, providing exactly zero margin for error. They’ve been annihilating the stat lines of opposing quarterbacks all season long and today was no different, as they reduced Geno’s remarkable season-long efficiency to rubble until the final drive.

When the dust settled, Smith’s numbers were decent considering the circumstances. He dropped back to pass a career-high 47 times, completing 31 of 44 throws for 238 yards, a touchdown, and no picks while taking 3 sacks in the process. All told Seattle finished with just 207 net yards passing, or 4.5 yards per play. Sheesh.

Geno has narrowly avoided a lot of interceptions recently and that continued again today. An endzone shot in the first half went through Tanaloa Mufanga’s hands and the call that erased the pick-six was honestly brutal. His final numbers were fine, and he stayed true to his process until the bitter end, but this was not a great performance. No one’s is against these guys, though, and the 10 second half points Seattle scored was the most anyone has in seven games.

~Yards were just so difficult to come by today and that’s reflected in Ken Walker III’s final line. For the fourth time in five games, Seattle found themselves down early and never got their run game into any kind of rhythm. Walker III finished with an underwhelming 47 yards on 12 carries but chipped in 32 more on four receptions. 77 total yards is just fine considering the circumstances.

I love Travis Homer and my confidence doesn’t waver one iota when he’s on the field. His fumble really hurt Seattle’s chances today, and you could see how bad he felt after, but I’m not sure there’s anybody who holds onto the ball the way Dre Greenlaw hit him.

~DK Metcalf is the coolest for so many reasons but my favorite is the deep personal offense he takes at the gall of any cornerback daring to line up against him. It’s even better when that cornerback is someone like Charvarius Ward, who is just as fearless. These two tussled all game long, locking facemasks on every run play and battling for each pass like flags don’t exist. Just awesome to watch.

As far as his total output went, he was productive on a night when few others were. He caught seven passes for 55 yards on nine targets against phenomenal coverage and never backed down in the face of the best defense in the league.

Tyler Lockett also caught seven of nine targets, turning them into 68 yards and a bunch of first downs. He is the finesse to Metcalf’s power and he was out there wiggling his way into soft spots in the defense all night. He’s on his way to another remarkable season and remains the most consistent playmaker in the offense.

~Believe it or not, I think the offensive line did alright. I know I’m beating the hell out of this drum but it’s impossible to talk about any aspect of the offense without acknowledging just how good their defensive counterparts were in this one. Charles Cross and Abe Lucas were admirable against Nick Bosa and Samson Ebukam and three sacks is actually pretty good when you consider that they called 47 pass plays. The interior line held their own on most of the pass plays but were unable to create any holes big enough for Walker III to convert into long runs. That part of their game has really stalled out over the last five weeks.

~In the same way the 49ers defense creates constant tension for opposing offenses, their offense does the same. And that makes it tough on a team like Seattle, who still seems hesitant at the point of attack. Overall, I thought the defense played pretty well— certainly as well as any team has against the Niners lately— but the relentless pressure eventually creates, and then exploits, cracks in their opponents’ plumbing. And when those cracks give way, the 49ers explode. That’s what they did today, as Seattle kept them bottled up on the vast majority of their plays but when the opportunities were there, San Francisco maximized ‘em. The story of this game was the disparity in explosive plays.

Holding this offense to 21 points is really good but they allowed the Niners to wring out the clock with 170 yards rushing, pushing Seattle’s total over 1,000 yards allowed on the ground in the last five games. They gave up two long touchdowns to Kittle through the air but were actually excellent aside from those. Even with those two huge plays, they held the 49ers to 211 yards passing on 27 dropbacks and looked good in coverage aside from a couple blown assignments.

~Michael Dickson and Jason Myers might be the best players on this team right now. Dickson was sensational, punting 7 times at 50 yards per, pinning 3 of them inside the 10 including killing one inside the 1. Myers nailed both his kicks as he continues to be the most accurate kicker in the NFL this season, converting 96% of his field goals and 97% of his extra points. The crazy thing about it is almost every attempt he’s had this season has cleared the crossbar in the middle third. He’s not even making us sweat.

—

We lost a very close friend a couple days ago. Someone who fought so hard for the people in her life— who’s unrelenting optimism turned each occasion into a great time, and who went out of her way to help at every opportunity. Most importantly, she made everyone feel good about themselves whenever they were around her. There is a huge hole in my heart today, and in the hearts of hundreds of others. The world dimmed a little when she left us, but it’s much brighter than it was before she arrived.

Tonight’s outcome sucks, and it’s hard to watch the Seahawks stumble towards the finish line after such a promising start to the season. We care a lot about this team, this game, and it hurts to watch the 49ers clinch the division on the Seahawks’ field. But I’m reminded that this is just a game, and that I am so fortunate to be healthy, happy, and able to watch it with people I love.

Seattle’s arrow is still pointed up— maybe not as steeply as it was a month ago— but the team is young, fun, hungry, and brimming with potential. The postseason got a little further away today, but it’s very much still in play and the outlook for the ‘Hawks for the next few years is so much rosier than I would’ve imagined as recently as September.

I feel incredibly lucky to watch these guys play, and to have the opportunity to write about it for such a remarkable fanbase. I appreciate you guys so much and the fact that anyone reads this each week still blows me away. I’m grateful for y’all and I can’t wait to watch this team rise with you. Onward and upward. We love you Carmen.

—

Lit up one of the fanciest cigars I’ve ever had tonight. The Year of the Rabbit from Davidoff is very difficult to come by and I’m extremely grateful to the guys at Seattle Cigar Concierge for providing the rare opportunity to get my hands on some. Delicious stogie, it burns forever, holds its ash to the knuckle, and never pulls hot. Super enjoyable experience!

This is the 4th year of our incredible partnership with Seattle Cigar Concierge. They have the plug on some of the most insane stogies on the market and they’re offering them to Cigar Thoughts readers for 20% off. These are extremely special sticks, and among the most enjoyable I’ve ever smoked. To get the hook-up, just email SeattleCigarConcierge@GMail.com. They are carrying over 70 cigar brands with many rare releases, including Davidoff, Opus X, and Padron. You can also hit them up on Twitter: @SeattleCigars. Just be sure to mention that you’re a Cigar Thoughts reader. Many of you have taken advantage of this incredible opportunity and for those who have always wondered what elite cigars are like, this may the best chance you’ll get to step into that world.

The 2022 season of Cigar Thoughts is also proud to be sponsored by Fairhaven Floors and Brandon Nelson Partners in Bellingham, WA.

The post Cigar Ideas, Sport 14: Hole between Seattle and San Francisco stays evident as Seahawks fall to 49ers 21-13 appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

***As most of you know, Cigar Thoughts is now a podcast. One of the perks of the pod is getting these articles in audio form, in addition to our sit-downs with our amazing guests. You can listen to all the shows, including this article, right here:

—

The fact that this game carried as much import as it did says a lot about how far the Seattle Seahawks have come in such a short time. It also served as a litmus test, as the San Francisco 49ers came to town engorged on the blood of their last six foes. It wasn’t that long ago that this was the best rivalry in the NFL and with the Seahawks rising and the 49ers near the top of the heap, we may be headed back that way. But right now, in this moment, there is a clear difference in talent, execution, and experience between these two teams, and that disparity was on display for the entire country tonight.

—

The Seahawks started the game with the ball and immediately picked up a first down when Geno Smith followed up a six-yard Ken Walker III run with a five-yard completion to Tyler Lockett. It was a nice lil pop to keep a frenzied crowd titillated but the drive would stall after that. Damien Lewis got beat on a screen pass to Walker III for a loss of three and Smith threw consecutive incompletions, leading to a Michael Dickson punt that pinned the Niners at their own 10.

As the 49ers prepared for their first possession, Seattle’s much-maligned defense took the field having forced the fewest three-and-outs in the NFL. San Francisco’s offense, for their part, had committed the fewest, but the Seahawks immediately forced San Francisco off the field anyway. Cody Barton strung a Christian McCaffrey run out on first down, Jordyn Brooks snuffed a short completion to George Kittle, and Ryan Neal wrapped up McCaffrey short of the sticks to end the drive. Exactly what we needed to see and, more importantly, what that defense needed to feel.

From then on, however, the 49ers defense did what they’ve been doing all season, and it led to a quick three and out highlighted by a Talanoa Hufanga sack that knocked the ball from Smith’s hands. The Niners offense would be getting a lot more run if it wasn’t for the unmatched prowess of their defense, and they showed exactly what makes them so dangerous on their next drive. With their monstrous offensive line creating holes, McCaffrey used his shiftiness and explosion to exploit the gaps for big gains. And when he wasn’t rookie Brock Purdy calmly distributed the ball all over the field.

The steady march culminated in a beautiful play design that was executed flawlessly by Brock Purdy. On it, Purdy faked one swing pass, then turned and pantomimed another before pivoting back to the middle of the field to find a slanting Kittle wide open. Kittle caught the pass and weaved his way through the last two defenders and into the endzone to make it 7-0.

The Seahawks offense continued their struggle, going three-and-out on their next two drives, leaving them with just 11 total yards on their first 11 plays. Fortunately, the defense did their part, taking advantage of 49ers penalties to stop two promising drives themselves and the punt-fest continued.

Smith got rolling on the next possession, finding DK Metcalf on consecutive throws for consecutive first downs. And when it looked like the momentum would stop faced with 3rd & 13 a couple snaps later, Geno kept it pushin’. As he dropped back to pass, Smith found no one open and leaked out to the right. As he approached the line of scrimmage, he pump-faked to freeze the isolated defender then gained the edge for a 15-yard scramble. A Walker III run and an out route to Noah Fant gained another first down before the drive finally sputtered out at the 20. Jason Myers trotted out and banged home a 38-yard field goal to close the gap at 7-3 and the game suddenly felt different.

The 49ers got another first down on their next possession before Purdy finally made his first mistake. Standing in a clean pocket, Purdy tossed one over the middle— right to Quandre Diggs. The ball hit Diggs in the chest but he couldn’t clasp it and it fell incomplete. It happened on third down so the Niners had to punt anyway but the drop cost Seattle at least 40 yards of field position with less than two minutes to go in the half and made scoring a whole lot tougher.

Still, it was a big stop for a struggling defense and the good vibes continued when Smith found Lockett and Marquis Goodwin on consecutive plays for a first down. Feeling the flow, the Seahawks stayed no huddle and Travis Homer took it up the middle for five more. Smith went back to Homer with a little arrow route on the next snap, but Dre Greenlaw absolutely leveled him with a huge hit and the ball sprung free. Charvarious Ward scooped it up and returned it all the way down to Seattle’s 7. Two McCaffrey plunges later, the 49ers were knocking an extra point through the uprights to make it 14-3, where it would stay until halftime.

The 49ers opened the third quarter with a big kick return and stepped on Seattle’s throat on their next play from scrimmage. Purdy dropped back as Kittle exploded out of his stance, and then just… didn’t get covered by anybody. Purdy hit him with ease for a huge gain and Kittle summarily dismissed Diggs and Barton inside the 10 for the long score. 21-3, and what felt like a close game less than two minutes of clock time ago was suddenly on the brink of a blowout.

The Seahawks’ once burning fire had been reduced to embers and those were nearly stamped out completely when Geno underthrew Lockett a couple snaps later. The pass was undercut by Deommodore Lenoir, who returned it for a touchdown that was waived off by an admittedly bullshit roughing call against Nick Bosa. Granted a break, Smith was able to hit Metcalf three times on the drive, as the Seahawks inched it close enough for Myers to hammer a 51-yarder through the uprights. 21-6.

After that it was a whole bunch of not scoring, with nary a real chance at it, until the Niners missed a short field goal with five minutes left in the game. It didn’t seem like much at the time but it kept the Seahawks within two scores. Through 55 minutes, Seattle had managed just two field goals but they weren’t ready to give up the ghost on the division just yet. Smith and Co took the field and got to work.

Geno found Metcalf for nine and after Walker III picked up the first down, hit Will Dissly for 13. Two plays later, Smith slung it out to Walker III in the right flat and the rookie smoked the lone defender’s pursuit angle to the sideline and turned upfield for 33. Despite the urgency of the situation, Smith remained calm and followed that big completion up with a seam pass to Noah Fant for a 10-yard touchdown that brought Seattle within eight at 21-13 with three and a half minutes left.

One more stop, and the Seahawks would get the ball back with an improbable shot at tying the game. That stop never came, however, as McCaffrey picked up one first down and Purdy scrambled for another, barely sliding past the first down marker and costing Seattle their final timeout on the ensuing unsuccessful challenge. From there, Seattle’s best case scenario was to force one last stop and get the ball back with about 30 seconds left. Instead, Jordan Mason burst through a well-blocked hole on the left side and juked Ryan Neal in the open field, streaking all the way down to the 2 before Mike Jackson knocked him out of bounds. Still, that run served as the finisher, and Purdy kneeled out the clock from there.

—

SMOKE RINGS

~Games like this— scratch that— defenses like this make it tough to judge a quarterback. Geno Smith was under siege all night, with San Francisco’s monstrous front seven making it difficult to get through his reads and eliminating any of the boot-action / moving-pocket schemes Seattle likes to employ. And on the back end, the Niners secondary stuck to Seattle’s receivers like flypaper, providing exactly zero margin for error. They’ve been annihilating the stat lines of opposing quarterbacks all season long and today was no different, as they reduced Geno’s remarkable season-long efficiency to rubble until the final drive.

When the dust settled, Smith’s numbers were decent considering the circumstances. He dropped back to pass a career-high 47 times, completing 31 of 44 throws for 238 yards, a touchdown, and no picks while taking 3 sacks in the process. All told Seattle finished with just 207 net yards passing, or 4.5 yards per play. Sheesh.

Geno has narrowly avoided a lot of interceptions recently and that continued again today. An endzone shot in the first half went through Tanaloa Mufanga’s hands and the call that erased the pick-six was honestly brutal. His final numbers were fine, and he stayed true to his process until the bitter end, but this was not a great performance. No one’s is against these guys, though, and the 10 second half points Seattle scored was the most anyone has in seven games.

~Yards were just so difficult to come by today and that’s reflected in Ken Walker III’s final line. For the fourth time in five games, Seattle found themselves down early and never got their run game into any kind of rhythm. Walker III finished with an underwhelming 47 yards on 12 carries but chipped in 32 more on four receptions. 77 total yards is just fine considering the circumstances.

I love Travis Homer and my confidence doesn’t waver one iota when he’s on the field. His fumble really hurt Seattle’s chances today, and you could see how bad he felt after, but I’m not sure there’s anybody who holds onto the ball the way Dre Greenlaw hit him.

~DK Metcalf is the coolest for so many reasons but my favorite is the deep personal offense he takes at the gall of any cornerback daring to line up against him. It’s even better when that cornerback is someone like Charvarius Ward, who is just as fearless. These two tussled all game long, locking facemasks on every run play and battling for each pass like flags don’t exist. Just awesome to watch.

As far as his total output went, he was productive on a night when few others were. He caught seven passes for 55 yards on nine targets against phenomenal coverage and never backed down in the face of the best defense in the league.

Tyler Lockett also caught seven of nine targets, turning them into 68 yards and a bunch of first downs. He is the finesse to Metcalf’s power and he was out there wiggling his way into soft spots in the defense all night. He’s on his way to another remarkable season and remains the most consistent playmaker in the offense.

~Believe it or not, I think the offensive line did alright. I know I’m beating the hell out of this drum but it’s impossible to talk about any aspect of the offense without acknowledging just how good their defensive counterparts were in this one. Charles Cross and Abe Lucas were admirable against Nick Bosa and Samson Ebukam and three sacks is actually pretty good when you consider that they called 47 pass plays. The interior line held their own on most of the pass plays but were unable to create any holes big enough for Walker III to convert into long runs. That part of their game has really stalled out over the last five weeks.

~In the same way the 49ers defense creates constant tension for opposing offenses, their offense does the same. And that makes it tough on a team like Seattle, who still seems hesitant at the point of attack. Overall, I thought the defense played pretty well— certainly as well as any team has against the Niners lately— but the relentless pressure eventually creates, and then exploits, cracks in their opponents’ plumbing. And when those cracks give way, the 49ers explode. That’s what they did today, as Seattle kept them bottled up on the vast majority of their plays but when the opportunities were there, San Francisco maximized ‘em. The story of this game was the disparity in explosive plays.

Holding this offense to 21 points is really good but they allowed the Niners to wring out the clock with 170 yards rushing, pushing Seattle’s total over 1,000 yards allowed on the ground in the last five games. They gave up two long touchdowns to Kittle through the air but were actually excellent aside from those. Even with those two huge plays, they held the 49ers to 211 yards passing on 27 dropbacks and looked good in coverage aside from a couple blown assignments.

~Michael Dickson and Jason Myers might be the best players on this team right now. Dickson was sensational, punting 7 times at 50 yards per, pinning 3 of them inside the 10 including killing one inside the 1. Myers nailed both his kicks as he continues to be the most accurate kicker in the NFL this season, converting 96% of his field goals and 97% of his extra points. The crazy thing about it is almost every attempt he’s had this season has cleared the crossbar in the middle third. He’s not even making us sweat.

—

We lost a very close friend a couple days ago. Someone who fought so hard for the people in her life— who’s unrelenting optimism turned each occasion into a great time, and who went out of her way to help at every opportunity. Most importantly, she made everyone feel good about themselves whenever they were around her. There is a huge hole in my heart today, and in the hearts of hundreds of others. The world dimmed a little when she left us, but it’s much brighter than it was before she arrived.

Tonight’s outcome sucks, and it’s hard to watch the Seahawks stumble towards the finish line after such a promising start to the season. We care a lot about this team, this game, and it hurts to watch the 49ers clinch the division on the Seahawks’ field. But I’m reminded that this is just a game, and that I am so fortunate to be healthy, happy, and able to watch it with people I love.

Seattle’s arrow is still pointed up— maybe not as steeply as it was a month ago— but the team is young, fun, hungry, and brimming with potential. The postseason got a little further away today, but it’s very much still in play and the outlook for the ‘Hawks for the next few years is so much rosier than I would’ve imagined as recently as September.

I feel incredibly lucky to watch these guys play, and to have the opportunity to write about it for such a remarkable fanbase. I appreciate you guys so much and the fact that anyone reads this each week still blows me away. I’m grateful for y’all and I can’t wait to watch this team rise with you. Onward and upward. We love you Carmen.

—

Lit up one of the fanciest cigars I’ve ever had tonight. The Year of the Rabbit from Davidoff is very difficult to come by and I’m extremely grateful to the guys at Seattle Cigar Concierge for providing the rare opportunity to get my hands on some. Delicious stogie, it burns forever, holds its ash to the knuckle, and never pulls hot. Super enjoyable experience!

This is the 4th year of our incredible partnership with Seattle Cigar Concierge. They have the plug on some of the most insane stogies on the market and they’re offering them to Cigar Thoughts readers for 20% off. These are extremely special sticks, and among the most enjoyable I’ve ever smoked. To get the hook-up, just email SeattleCigarConcierge@GMail.com. They are carrying over 70 cigar brands with many rare releases, including Davidoff, Opus X, and Padron. You can also hit them up on Twitter: @SeattleCigars. Just be sure to mention that you’re a Cigar Thoughts reader. Many of you have taken advantage of this incredible opportunity and for those who have always wondered what elite cigars are like, this may the best chance you’ll get to step into that world.

The 2022 season of Cigar Thoughts is also proud to be sponsored by Fairhaven Floors and Brandon Nelson Partners in Bellingham, WA.

The post Cigar Ideas, Sport 14: Hole between Seattle and San Francisco stays evident as Seahawks fall to 49ers 21-13 appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.