The B8kery by Selanne coming to Laguna Beach

• October 6, 2023

A new bakery has arrived in Laguna Beach. The B8kery by Selanne, located next-door to its sister restaurant, Selanne Steak Tavern, is currently in its soft-opening stage but will officially open Sunday, Oct. 8.

Pastry chef Rebekah Eastman, who previously worked at Bourbon Steak, Michael Mina’s restaurant at the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, has helmed the menu at the new Pacific Coast Highway bakery.

Located inside the storybook Tudor building that Andree’s Patisserie called home for over 60 years, the B8kery features such sweet treats as bang pies (an elevated nod to the Pop-Tart) in strawberry, brown sugar, and seasonal fruit varieties ($4 each); blueberry streusel muffins ($4); berries and cream croissants ($5.50); ginger molasses cookies ($3); peanut butter brownies ($5); gluten-free doughnut muffins ($4); orange rolls ($5); cinnamon rolls ($5) and more.

The new bakery also offers savory items, including the seemingly requisite avocado toast ($6), ham and cheddar scones ($5), and biscuits ($1.25).

Smoothies like the Super 8 (hemp and chia seeds, banana, berries, almond butter, vanilla protein, coconut milk,  and spinach), the Blue Laguna (blue spirulina, vanilla protein, mango, banana, dates, almond butter, and coconut milk, and Dominique’s Coffee Dream (coffee, almond butter, dates, hemp seeds, banana, toffee Stevia, vanilla protein, and almond milk) run $12 each. The B8kery also has a coffee menu featuring such standbys as iced coffee ($4), cappuccino ($5), and espresso ($4), as well as more whimsical drinks like lavender or churro lattes ($7 each).

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Fun fact: The bakery, like its neighboring Michelin Guide-recognized namesake restaurant, is owned by NHL Hall of Famer, former Anaheim Duck and Olympic ice hockey athlete Teemu Selänne and business partner, Kevin Pratt. “The B8kery,” simply pronounced “the bakery” (not “BAIT-KERY”), uses an “8” instead of an “A” in honor of Selänne’s jersey number, which was retired by the Ducks in 2015.

Open daily from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Find it: 1456 S. Coast Highway (at Calliope St.), Laguna Beach; instagram.com/theb8kery

​ Orange County Register 

Why these plants might be the toughest perennials of all

• October 6, 2023

Five things to do in the garden this week:

1. Alice Formiga, writing on the reneesgarden.com website expounds on the best time to harvest vegetable crops. She writes, “With few exceptions, vegetables are best harvested in the cool morning hours so that they stay crisp and store longer. Harvested too late, they become limp and wilt quickly, having evaporated much of their moisture and absorbed the midday heat. This is especially important for leafy greens like lettuce, chard, and fresh herbs such as parsley and basil. It also applies to crisp fruiting vegetables like peas, and anything in the cabbage gamily like broccoli and radishes.”

2. The first two weeks in October are probably the most favorable time to plant in Southern California. While benefiting from soil still warm from summer heat, days are cool. Conditions are perfect for germinating seeds of leaf and root vegetables, cole crops, and peas. Green manure crops such as clover also germinate reliably now. If you have a patch of clover and wish to increase it, you can achieve that goal by digging up pieces and planting them in bare ground. I have done this successfully by excavating six-inch by six-inch chunks of clover “sod” to a depth of three inches or so. If these chunks are taken from within a swath of clover, the bare spots created by their removal will quickly be filled in this time of year by the surrounding clover.

3. Pansies are the toughest fall/winter annuals and may be the toughest annual flowers of all. Planted in October, they have been known to still be flowering in July. You will need to deadhead – remove wilted flowers – almost daily to keep them blooming. They will also do best in half-day sun although full sun exposure is fine, even if it shortens their garden life. What you don’t want to do is plant pansies in the same garden spot year after year. If you do, they will eventually be killed by the Rhizoctonia fungus, which can persist in the soil for years. You therefore want to rotate your pansies with other annuals, just like farmers – and astute backyard vegetable gardeners – rotate their crops. To avoid this fungus issue, plant violas, pansy cousins commonly known as Johnny-jump-ups. Their flowers look like pansies only are less than half the size. Another benefit of violas is that they self-sow, something that pansies seldom do in our part of the world.

4. Leaf lettuces are the easiest to grow but certain head lettuces are much tastier. I refer to Bibb and Buttercrunch varieties, which are classified at Butterhead or loose head types. Four Seasons is another Butterhead that, as its name implies, can be grown throughout the year. It has a delicate, mouthwatering flavor. For Caesar salads, you will want to grow crunchy Romaine types, with elongated heads. The best head lettuce to grow for resistance to bolting – flower production when the weather turns warm – are crisphead varieties such as Summertime and Mission, which may also be planted throughout the year.

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5. Although there is much to-do this time of year regarding fall-planted, spring-flowering bulbs, a summer-flowering bulb that requires no maintenance whatsoever can be planted at this time too. I refer to the belladonna lily or naked lady (Amaryllis belladonna). It sends up foliage in the winter which is completely dead by the time flower stalks emerge in early summer. Thus, naked lady refers to the fact that its pink flowers, which bloom in profusion once the bulbs begin to spread, are bereft of foliage and thus completely exposed to ogling eyes.

Please send your questions and comments to [email protected].

​ Orange County Register 

Mortgage rates hit 23-year high as Fed plays ‘Grinch’

• October 6, 2023

“Memory Lane” takes a stroll through financial history because the economy has a funny habit of repeating itself.

Buzz: Mortgage rates have surged to their highest level since 2000 – with hints they’ll go higher – as the Federal Reserve plays housing’s “Grinch” to cool the economy.

Source: My trusty spreadsheet looked at the rates on the average 30-year fixed mortgage from a survey by Freddie Mac. To help explain home loan swings, I compared rates with the Consumer Price Index’s inflation rate.

Numbers: The average 30-year mortgage rate was 7.49% for the week, up from 7.31% a week ago and the eighth consecutive week above 7%. The last time it was higher was November 2000.

How much does that jump hurt house-hunting? A borrower seeking $600,000 today would have a $4,191 house payment at current rates, up 9% from financing costs at the 6.66% rate in October 2022 and up a stunning 66% from the 2.99% rate in October 2021.

How long ago?

Let’s jar your memory and go back to 2000 …

The news: The Supreme Court essentially chose the presidential election winner, George W. Bush. Turn-of-the-century Y2K computer fears prove unfounded. Microsoft was declared a monopoly.

The culture: “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” starring Jim Carrey, was the box office hit. The top TV show was “Survivor.” And the No. 1 song was “Breathe” by Faith Hill.

The sports: Pro champions were football’s Rams (St. Louis), basketball’s Lakers, hockey’s Devils and baseball’s Yankees.

The back story

Much like 2023, the 2000 economy was seen as too hot. It was fueled by a technology revolution, you know, those “dot-com” businesses that first monetized the internet.

Remember it’s the Fed’s job to keep inflation moderate. So in Grinch-like fashion, the central bank uses its rate-nudging powers to chill the economic party when the cost of living seems out of control.

The late 1990s were good times, economically. Gross domestic product growth ran above 4% for four straight years – an upswing not seen since. Unemployment was at a three-decade low. And the stock market was riding a long winning streak.

It’s also worth noting the inflation that put mortgage rates at 8% in 2000 was a seemingly meek 3.5%. But that was roughly double 1998 and folks had memories of 1970s double-digit inflation in their heads.

The result

The 2000 rate hikes came with the dot-com stock market crash.

A mild recession hit the nation in 2001 as joblessness rose to a four-year high. GDP growth, which was 3% in 2000, fell to almost zero the next year.

Then the slower business climate was further jolted by the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. So the Fed began moderating rates. Mortgage rates got 1 point cheaper in 2001 as US homes appreciated 13% over two years.

Still, the central bank got its prize: Inflation cooled to under 2% by mid-2002.

History lesson?

Consider how mortgage rates move vs. the cost of living. It may help explain why home loans seem extra expensive these days.

It’s a key relationship because lenders, and the investors who buy mortgages, want to get paid an interest rate well above the inflation rate. This premium rate varies over time. It’s a mortgage pricing variable that the Fed doesn’t control.

In 2000, the housing market faced a 5.5 percentage-point “gap” between mortgage rates and inflation.

Then consider August 2023, the latest month with full inflation stats. The 7.1% average mortgage rate came with 3.7% inflation – only a 3.4-point gap.

Could current rates be relative bargains by those 2000 standards?

Yet 2000 stands out as a turning point for mortgage rates. Soon afterward, inflation phobia seemed to break.

REAL ESTATE NEWSLETTER: Get our free ‘Home Stretch’ by email. SUBSCRIBE HERE!

From 1972 through 2000, mortgage rates averaged 9.9% as inflation ran 5.2% – that’s a 4.7-point gap. But since 2000, home loans averaged 4.9% as inflation cooled to 2.5% – only a 2.4-point gap.

Why the change in mortgage pricing? My guess is that the overall downturn in inflation eased the anxieties of lenders and investors. That lowered the need for hefty premium rates to cover the risks of a high cost of living.

Well, that is until the pandemic era jolted inflation, pushing it to the worst levels in four decades, including the CPI rising to a 9% rate by mid-2022.

If 2000 is a guide, interest rates of all sorts – including mortgages – will likely remain elevated until there’s prolonged evidence that this bout of inflation is over.

Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at [email protected]

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​ Orange County Register 

Bubbles redux: Marineland, closed for nearly 4 decades, recalled in new podcast

• October 6, 2023

Marineland of the Pacific closed its doors nearly 37 years ago, but there are lasting memories for those who worked or played there.

When he was a child growing up in the South Bay, Tod Perry visited the home of Orky and Corky, a pair of killer whales that were the park’s main attraction.

While the popular tourist attraction in Rancho Palos Verdes closed when he was around 10 years old, he still has vivid memories of the place.

“It almost felt like the animals were part of the community, like Orky and Corky were your personal pet whales and you could go see them,” said Perry, who now resides in Long Beach.

Perry brought together former employees to share some of the memories of the park that was open for more than three decades, from 1954 to 1987, in his new podcast “LA’s Own Marineland.”

The 12-part podcast, 10 hours in length, traces Marineland’s history, from its development to its closure.

At first, said Perry, the podcast was going to focus solely on the closure.

“When I started talking to people who worked there, that people had such a love for the park, there was such a passion, (they were) heartbroken about the closure,” Perry said. “I thought, okay, we’re going to tell the whole story.”

Perry used social media to gather interviews for the podcast including the “I worked at Marineland of the Pacific” Facebook page.

He received many responses to a Facebook post — from trainers to those who wore character costumes — to talk about their time at Marineland. In total, he interviewed about 20 people associated with the park.

One of those interviews was with head marine mammal trainer Larry Clark, who died in August at 85 years old.

Clark was one of the first trainers at Marineland, said Perry, so it meant a lot to get the interview with him.

Perry does not shy away from some of the controversial aspects of Marineland such as the issue of marine mammals in captivity, or the safety of those that care for the animals including trainer Jill Stratton, who nearly drowned while working with Orky in 1978.

There was also the controversial sale of Marineland to SeaWorld while the park suffered declining attendance and financial hardships.

The luxury resort Terrenea was completed in 2009 and now makes it home at the Marineland site.

During the opening minute of the podcast’s first segment, Perry said “rightfully so” there has been a “sea change in public opinion,” on the topic of marine mammals in captivity since Marineland closed.

“Throughout the course of this podcast, I hope to deal with these issues with honesty and sensitivity, while also acknowledging the tremendous awe, joy, and respect these animals have inspired in millions,” said Perry in the podcast.

That awe was first inspired in Perry, a Torrance native, during his first visit to Marineland when he was around 4 years old.

He remembered clearly the murky ocean water that filled the killer whale tanks.

“You sit there and as a kid you don’t really know what to expect and then suddenly, Orky comes up, who’s 14,000 pounds, and it’s thrilling and frightening,” Perry said. “I think it was probably such an intense experience that it really left a huge impact on me.”

Perry said because of that Marineland had more of an impact on him as a child than did Disneyland.

So, when the park closed, it affected him deeply, said Perry.

Years later, Perry began his career in media at 97.1 KLSX, as a “lackey” from 2002 to 2007, according to his website marinelandpodcast.com.

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From there he co-created and hosted “Low Budget FM,” a comedy show on iTunes, and began his podcast career in 2011 with radio’s Brian Whitman. That was followed by “What’s This Tao All About?,” a podcast on Eastern philosophy. Perry is currently the host of the “Upworthy Weekly” podcast with Alison Rosen.

Along with the spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean from the park, Orky and Corky were a main attraction for Marineland visitors along with dolphin shows and Bubbles, a star pilot whale.

In recent years there has been an effort by residents, Marineland fans, as well as the city of Rancho Palos Verdes to restore and find a new home for one of the last remnants of Marineland, Bubbles, a 26-foot fiberglass statue of the famed pilot whale that had marked the entrance of Marineland.

Jon Sansom launched the “Preserve Bubbles the Whale!” GoFundMe page, there was an anonymous $40,000 donation from a RPV resident in January, and the city voted to include $75,000 in its 2023-24 budget for a new request for proposals for an updated estimate, if needed, to design a monument on which the Bubbles statue would sit.

City staff plans to meet with the fundraising group and Bubbles supporters to determine next steps, said city spokesperson Megan Barnes in an email on Oct. 2.

Perry said the podcast is available on all major podcast platforms.

For more information, see marinelandpodcast.com.

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​ Orange County Register 

Los Amigos football pulls out victory over Rancho Alamitos with strong finish

• October 6, 2023

GARDEN GROVE — The Garden Grove League football game between Los Amigos and Rancho Alamitos on Thursday wound up being a turnover-marred contest.

It became apparent that the team that could play mistake-free football down the stretch would likely come out on top.

That team was Los Amigos, which turned a takeaway early in fourth quarter into the eventual winning touchdown, forced a punt on the ensuing drive and then put together a long, time-consuming drive late in the game to come away with a 13-12 victory at Bolsa Grande High School.

By preserving the victory, the Lobos (3-4, 1-1) were able to avert what could have been a second heartbreaking defeat in a row after giving up a last-minute touchdown in their 28-21 defeat to La Quinta last week.

The victory also keeps the Lobos in the mix for the league championship along with the Vaqueros (3-4, 1-1), La Quinta and Bolsa Grande.

Los Amigos turned the ball over five times over the first three quarters but also had takeaways of their own, including a 75-yard interception return for a touchdown from Miguel Radilla that gave the Lobos a 7-0 lead in the second quarter.

“We did everything tonight to lose the game,” Lobos coach Melo Guess said. “We’ve been beating ourselves quite a bit. That just shows we’ve got a lot of young boys. We’re still fighting injuries. We’ve got a couple of bodies back tonight. We’re going to get a couple more guys back next week. I’m a firm believer, man, everything happens for a reason. It’s part of God’s plan for whatever the reason.”

With two minutes left in the first half, the Lobos had possession on the Vaqueros 21-yard-line and were in a position to take a two score lead into the halftime.

But an errant snap sailed far over quarterback Maysen Navarro’s head and was recovered by the Vaqueros’ Luis Lopez, who picked up the loose ball and returned it to the Rancho Alamitos 47.

The Vaqueros drove to the Lobos 10 where quarterback Henry Garcia hit Omar Salazar for a 10-yard touchdown pass, making the score 7-6 after the missed 2-point conversion attempt.

Rancho Alamitos took a 12-7 lead on Henry Garcia’s 9-yard scoring pass to Jesus Diego.

But the Lobos got the lead back for good on Isaac Galindo’s 30-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

That score came off a fumble recovery from Marcelito Avilas.

Galindo finished with 181 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries.

“My blockers got that first hole for me,” Galindo said of his touchdown run. “I got to second level and I just had to make the most out of it.”

Isaac Galindo of Los Amigos rushed for 181 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown in a 13-12 victory over Rancho Alamitos on Thursday, Oct. 5. (Photo by Lou Ponsi)

After forcing the Vaqueros to punt on the ensuing possession, the Lobos put together a 15-play, 37-yard drive, and even though they didn’t score, the Lobos left only 1 minute and 17 seconds on the clock for the Vaqueros, who had no timeouts left.

“You know, last week it was a tough loss,” Guess said. “But it was really important to bounce back from last week’s loss. Because, I mean, it’s for the league title, the last league title.”

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​ Orange County Register 

Trevor Zegras, Leo Carlsson skate together in Ducks’ preseason loss to Coyotes

• October 6, 2023

ANAHEIM — The Ducks continued both their rousing week in the executive suite and the uninspired stretch they’ve endured simultaneously on the ice on Thursday.

In the morning, they exalted after signing defenseman Jamie Drysdale to a three-year, $6.9 million contract extension. That concluded protracted negotiations that went beyond those of center Trevor Zegras, who signed a $17.25 million pact of commensurate length on Monday. Having the two signed for at least three more seasons and back with their teammates offered closure that was more dramatic – and delayed – than most clubs typically experienced.

While Drysdale did not suit up Thursday, the Ducks offered an unexpected glimpse of two other young standouts juxtaposed: Zegras on the left wing of 2023’s No. 2 overall pick, Leo Carlsson.

“I want [Zegras] to be on the ice with guys that can make plays and think like he does, and Leo does,” Coach Greg Cronin said. “I know that there’s been talk about Zegras playing in the middle, but if he can play on the wall and he can play with a guy like Leo, there’s going to be some chemistry there.”

“I thought Trevor, for a guy who hasn’t played a hockey game since April, was dynamic. I thought he was physical, he got in on the forecheck and he created like he does,” he added. “Leo was arguably the best player on the ice. He could have had three or four goals. That line was really good.”

Yet overall Thursday night, the Ducks were once again undone by a game-turning sequence as they were Tuesday against the Kings, this time in the second period of a 4-2 loss to the Arizona Coyotes at Honda Center.

Defenseman Lassi Thomson turned the puck over behind his own net, leading to a goal by electrifying rookie center Logan Cooley, and 65 seconds later, Thomson had another defensive-zone turnover become a goal-against from Alex Kerfoot’s one-timer. In the third period, Jakob Silfverberg clipped the post with a sterling power-play chance from the low slot that soon gave way to a short-handed breakaway and a filthy penalty shot goal for Cooley. That made Matias Maccelli’s subsequent power-play marker as well as the Ducks’ late goals from Sam Carrick and Zack Kassian academic.

“The first two came directly off of our sticks on full possessions, those were kind of giveaways, that happens,” said Cronin, who described the effect of the goals as “sticker shock.”

“We as a staff will look at it and try to come up with a plan – like, it happened against L.A., too – to be more vigilant about the way we’re managing the area in front of our net,” he continued.

Cooley, who is a short-list contender for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, and Kerfoot, whom Arizona acquired from the Colorado Avalanche this offseason, put their stamp on the game. The Ducks’ newcomers included Thomson, who was claimed off waivers this week, and Alex Killorn, who remained sidelined with a broken finger. Defenseman Radko Gudas made his presence known, enmeshing a fighting major into a night when he racked up nine penalty minutes. Gudas, along with Ilya Lyubushkin and potentially Kassian could add some serious sandpaper to the Ducks this season.

“I think it’s great, at times I think that’s an area that can get overlooked,” forward Adam Henrique said. “Certain people don’t like fighting in the game but I think it’s an important role within a team still.”

DECISION LOOMING ON KASSIAN

Kassian, who is with the Ducks on a professional tryout, scored Thursday. But his hook has always been his physical play, from his time as a point-per-game power forward in his draft year to helping protect Edmonton Oilers megastar Connor McDavid for McDavid’s entire career until this season.

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Henrique played with Kassian in juniors with the Peterborough Pirates and expressed enthusiasm about the prospect of signing Kassian.

“He’s great, I’d played with him in the past and I’ve always loved his game. He’s a guy that works, mucks, grinds and knows what his type of game is. He plays the game hard and he has for a long time,” Henrique said. “It’s great to have him here, you kind of wait and see what happens here in the next few days and see how things fizzle out, but I thought he’s done a great job and brought to the table what is to be expected from a guy like him.”

INJURY NOTES

Chase De Leo will miss approximately eight weeks with an MCL sprain sustained in a knee-on-knee collision Tuesday with Kings winger Arthur Kaliyev, who was suspended for four games (two regular-season matches) by the NHL on Thursday for the hit.

Zegras (mouth) and Ryan Strome (elbow) both finished Thursday’s game in some apparent discomfort but there was no indication of any serious injury nor any official update.

​ Orange County Register 

Biden administration is resuming deportation flights for Venezuelan migrants as arrivals grow

• October 6, 2023

By MARK STEVENSON, MICHAEL BALSAMO and COLLEEN LONG

MEXICO CITY — The Biden administration will resume deporting Venezuelan migrants, the largest single group encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border last month, back to their economically troubled country as their arrivals continue to grow.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, speaking in Mexico City Thursday, cited the new measure as one of the “strict consequences” the Biden administration is pairing with the expansion of legal pathways for asylum seekers.

“Our two countries are being challenged by an unprecedented level of migration throughout our hemisphere,” Mayorkas said, referring to Mexico.

The repatriation flights are expected to begin shortly, said two U.S. officials, though they did not provide specific details on when the flights would begin taking off. The officials were not authorized to disclose details of the government’s plan and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

The resumption of deportation flights comes not long after the administration increased protected status for thousands of Venezuelans who had previously arrived in the U.S.: They must have entered the country before July 31 of this year to be eligible for temporary protected status.

In making the recent expansion of protections official, President Joe Biden’s administration said just this week that it had determined that “extraordinary and temporary conditions continue to prevent Venezuelan nationals from returning in safety.”

Mayorkas on Thursday addressed the contrast with the announcement just days later of more deportations, saying “we have made a determination it is safe to return Venezuelan nationals who arrived in the United States subsequent to July 31 and do not have a legal basis to remain here.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who led a U.S. delegation to Mexico, added that “we have an ironclad commitment to provide protection for those who qualify. That remains paramount in everything we’re doing.”

Administration officials would not discuss details about how frequently deportation flights would be going to Venezuela or describe how Venezuela agreed to accept back their citizens except to say that, like other countries around the world, the U.S. has long encouraged Venezuela to accept back its nationals. Cuba, another U.S. adversary, announced earlier this year that it would begin accepting Cuban deportees but there has only been one flight a month.

The U.S. had been returning some Venezuelans via commercial flights, but in relatively small numbers and through third countries.

In Venezuela, the government said it had reached an agreement with U.S. officials for a safe and orderly repatriation.

“Venezuelan migration in recent years is a direct result of the application of unilateral coercive measures and a blockade of our economy,” Venezuela’s foreign ministry said via X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. It said the government would support repatriated Venezuelans.

The U.S. move is the latest effort to deal with swelling numbers of migrants as the administration comes under increasing pressure from Republicans and mayors from the president’s own party to do more to slow arrivals.

The announcement came as Blinken and other top Biden administration officials met with their counterparts in Mexico City on security issues.

Blinken discussed migration flows with Mexico Foreign Affairs Secretary Alicia Bárcena, as well as foreign ministers from Panama and Colombia, Wednesday. Talks continued Thursday, including meetings by Blinken and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland with López Obrador.

Bárcena said Thursday that some 10,000 migrant encounters were registered at the U.S.-Mexico border on Wednesday.

“We are going to continue taking forceful actions, including continuing some efforts we already have in relation to assisted returns, coordinating the dismantling of trafficking networks and human trafficking,” Bárcena said.

Blinken said the U.S. government is working to support those efforts.

“We’re taking steps to aid the most vulnerable, those most vulnerable to organized crime, training nearly 200 Mexican immigration officials to better screen, identify and assist potential human trafficking victims,” Blinken said.

“The scale of this challenge demands that we redouble our efforts, that we do more to increase legal migration … more to address root causes and more to deter irregular migration humanely,” Blinken said.

López Obrador said Thursday during his daily news briefing that Mexico has reiterated in talks its position that there should be investment to spur development in the countries that migrants leave.

“The people don’t abandon their towns because they want to, but rather out of necessity,” the president said. He also criticized the Biden administration’s announcement Wednesday that it waived 26 federal laws in South Texas to allow border wall construction. López Obrador had previously praised Biden for not building more border wall during his presidency.

In August, the U.S. Border Patrol made 181,509 arrests at the Mexican border, up 37% from July but little changed from August 2022 and well below the more than 220,000 in December, according to figures released in September.

The U.S. has tried to get Mexico and countries farther south to do more. In April, the U.S., Panama and Colombia announced a campaign to slow migration through the treacherous Darien Gap dividing Colombia and Panama. But migration through the jungle has only accelerated and is expected to approach some 500,000 people this year – the vast majority from Venezuela.

Venezuelans were stopped 25,777 times the first 17 days of September, up 63% from the same period a month earlier, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection figures released by López Obrador. Those included some people admitted for scheduled asylum appointments, but the vast majority were illegal entries.

Venezuela plunged into a political, economic and humanitarian crisis over the last decade, pushing at least 7.3 million people to migrate and making food and other necessities unaffordable for those who remain.

The vast majority who fled settled in neighboring countries in Latin America, but many began coming to the United States in the last three years.

Deportation flights had been paused in part because the U.S. has few diplomatic relations with the nation.

U.S. and Mexican officials also discussed efforts aimed at combating the trafficking of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl.

Mexican officials continued to explain with some difficulty López Obrador’s blanket assertion — false according to available evidence and the U.S. government — that Mexico does not produce fentanyl.

Bárcena, the foreign relations secretary, said “there is no contradiction, chemical precursors are not produced in Mexico.” It was tacit admission that Mexican cartels import precursors, mainly from China, and process them chemically into fentanyl. But since the entire chemical process is not carried out in Mexico the government maintains that fentanyl is not produced here.

U.S. officials highlighted the recent extradition of Ovidio Guzmán López, a son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, to the U.S. on drug trafficking charges as a sign of cooperation between the two governments.

Balsamo and Long reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Rebecca Santana in Washington and Fabiola Sánchez in Mexico City contributed to this report.

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​ Orange County Register 

El Dorado football team overcomes tough times to beat Foothill

• October 6, 2023

TUSTIN – El Dorado football coach Zach La Monda was asked before the Golden Hawks played Foothill on Thursday night to list all of the injuries to starters on his team.

It was a long answer.

The Golden Hawks managed to play one of their best games of the season in a 41-19 win over Foothill at Tustin High in the final nonleague game for both teams.

El Dorado junior running back J.P. Murray rushed for 128 yards and four touchdowns. He scored on runs of 4 and 13 yards in the first half and of 1 and 40 yards in the second half. Senior quarterback Nate Bento passed for 166 yards and rushed for 140 yards and a touchdown.

Foothill quarterback Nicholas Miali threw two touchdown passes to Jack Zerkel.

The Golden Hawks had lost their previous two games, including a one-point loss to Chino and last week’s 35-7 loss to Villa Park. Their defense was giving up 32 points a game. And El Dorado’s first possession Thursday was a disaster.

Still, the Golden Hawks were the more physical and tenacious team for 90 percent of the game.

“We’re just resilient, coming back with all these starters being injured,” Bento said, “and keeping a good mentality is important going into league.”

El Dorado (3-4) plays its first North Hills League game of the season Friday, Oct. 13, against Canyon at Valencia High. Foothill (4-3) plays its Crestview League opener Thursday, Oct. 12. The Knights play Villa Park, undefeated going into this week, at El Modena High.

Foothill is No. 19 in the Orange County Top 25. El Dorado was in the lower portion of the Top 25 early in the season but dropped out of it a few weeks ago.

La Monda was impressed by the fight he saw in the Golden Hawks players.

“We’ve had a long grind this season,” he said. “Dealing with some injuries, some adversity. We kept things fairly basic on both sides of the football, knowing we needed to establish the run and stop (Foothill) from running the ball and I thought we did that.”

Thursday’s game started poorly for Bento and El Dorado.

Bento’s third pass of the game on El Dorado’s game-opening possession went right into the hands and chest of Foothill defensive end Zach Schutt at the line of scrimmage. Schutt returned it 26 yards for a touchdown.

El Dorado then got it going.

El Dorado QB Nate Bento passed for 166 yards and rushed for 140 yards and a touchdown on a 41-19 win over Foothill … pic.twitter.com/wvL21RKm2s

— Steve Fryer (@SteveFryer) October 6, 2023

The Golden Hawks responded impressively, driving 67 yards on 8 plays with Murray scoring on his 4-yard run to it 7-7.

After El Dorado’s defense stopped Foothill from getting a first down on the Knights’ following possession, the Golden Hawks took the lead on Cooper Larson’s 9-yard run for a 14-7 lead.

Foothill’s best drive of the first half started at the Knights’ 20-yard line and advanced to the El Dorado 8-yard line with a first down there. An incompletion and Foothill runs of 4 and 3 yards put the ball at the El Dorado 1. Foothill running back Aaron Mitchell, who had carried the ball on seven of the drive’s 12 plays to that point, was stopped short of the line of scrimmage with Brady Lacher making the first hit and Landen Sylvester finishing the tackle for no gain.

On first and 10 at El Dorado’s 1-yard line Bento took off on a 19-yard run to get the Golden Hawks out of danger of a potential safety. They punted on that possession but on their next one they got Murray’s 13-yard touchdown run with 31 seconds left in the second quarter for a 21-7 halftime lead.

Foothill got the ball to start the second half and put together a spirited and production drive that ended with a 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Nicholas Miali to Jack Zerkel to make it 21-13.

The Golden Hawks again responded with a touchdown. A 10-play, 90-yard drive ended with Murray’s 1-yard score. His 40-yard sprint through a massive hole in the middle pushed the lead to 34-13.

Foothill got an 8-yard touchdown pass from Miali to Zerkel. The pass for two points was incomplete, leaving the score 34-19. Bento concluded the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run with 4:53 left in the game.

El Dorado’s offensive line of Walker Andersen, Mitchell Jones, Bryson McComb, Meyson McComb and Ryan Scrivner and tight end Nathan Meek provided Bento protection and gave Murray, and Bento, wide running lanes.

“The O-line (offensive line) had a great performance,” Murray said. “They really made it easy for me and a couple of other running backs.”

J.P. Murray rushed for 140 yards and 4 TDs for El Dorado in a 41-19 win over Foothill… pic.twitter.com/WsiGOfC20j

— Steve Fryer (@SteveFryer) October 6, 2023

La Monda also is the El Dorado offensive line coach.

“I’m very proud of those guys,” he said. “I challenged them all week and I challenged them in practice and I challenged them today, and they went out and executed very well. They played the way we expect them to.”

Murray, who has 11 rushing touchdowns this season, said Thursday’s game said much about El Dorado’s mettle.

“It just shows we’re a hard-nosed team,” he said. “Everybody prepares, all the backups and everybody. Everybody’s ready for their time to show up and play some good football.”

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