Time for the annual Solano County quiz

It's beginning to look a lot like . . . Solano County quiz time!

That's right, for the 16th consecutive year (I'm guessing, because it's too inconvenient to check), I will provide the public service of testing knowledge of Solano County, its cities and its people.

Now that Christmas morning is over, it's time to put on your thinking cap. Get a No. 2 pencil, a pad of paper (or a pen and write in the newspaper margins) and see how well you know Solano County with this 20-question quiz.

QUESTIONS

1. In what year was Harry Price first elected mayor of Fairfield?

2. Within 10 percent, what percentage of Solano County land is covered by water?

3. What was the original name of the city we now call Dixon?

4. What is the only privately owned daily newspaper in Solano County?

5. Which Solano County city gets the most rainfall?

6. Name the seven cities in Solano County.

7. Within 10,000, how many military retirees live within 50 miles of Travis Air Force Base?

8. Which is larger in population, Suisun City or Benicia?

9. Name the two members of the House of Representatives who represent Solano County.

10. Of the 52 columns a year I write, which one will Mrs. Brad not even pretend to read?

11. Within 10 miles, how many miles of interstate freeway are in Solano County?

12. What was the top crop in Solano County in 2015 in terms of money?

13. Of which chain does Fairfield have more outlets, Starbucks or Taco Bell?

14. Who is a better newspaper columnist, Tony Wade or me?

15. What is the largest school district in Solano County?

16. Within 1,000, what is the combined population of Vacaville's California Medical Facility and California State Prison Solano?

17. Within $50,000, what was the median price for a home sold in Solano County in October, according to DataQuick?

18. Name the county's largest private (non-governmental) employer.

19. If you left the Fairfield Train Station on a Capitol Corridor passenger car headed south at 200 mph, how long would it take you to get to Stockton?

20. Which of the 12 days of Christmas is today?

ANSWERS

1. November 1997. Price's current term expires in 2018.

2. 9.2 percent (54,153 acres)

3. Silveyville.

4. You're reading it.

5. Technically, Fairfield, Suisun City and Rio Vista get the same, since Travis Air Force Base operates as the National Weather Service location for all three. It's a three-way tie for first.

6. Benicia, Dixon, Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun City, Vacaville, Vallejo.

7. An estimated 45,339.

8. Suisun City had 1,114 more people (28,111 to 26,997), according to 2015 Census estimates.

9. John Garamendi represents most of the county. Mike Thompson represents some northern part of the county.

10. This one, so don't tell her that her name is mentioned.

11. 74 miles (7.5 miles of I-780, 13 miles of I-680, 10.5 miles of I-505 and 43 miles of I-80).

12. Tomatoes, with just more than $42 million in crop value. Walnuts were second with $37.9 million.

13. Starbucks. There are eight Starbucks sites, four Taco Bell sites. (Note: Nine Subways!)

14. If you answered Tony Wade, subtract five from your "correct answer" total.

15. Fairfield-Suisun, and it's not even close. There are more than 21,000 students in Fairfield-Suisun and about 15,000 in Vallejo.

16. Roughly 6,700, as of last week's official count.

17. $534,000.

18. Kaiser Permanente, with nearly 6,500 employees.

19. TRICK QUESTION! The Fairfield train station isn't open yet, the Capitol Corridor runs east-to-west and the trains can't go 200 mph. Hah hah hah.

20. Today is the first, which is why we're eating that partridge right after we get it out of the . . . well, you know which tree.

SCORING

15-20 right: Expert.

10-14 right: Novice.

5-9 right: It could be worse. You could be Tony Wade.

0-4 right: I enjoy your "Last Laugh" column, which appears here Mondays.

Reach Brad Stanhope at bradstanhope@hotmail.com.

The year's biggest story? You know the answer

It's as much a part of the holiday season as eggnog, Big Crosby music, the Sun Miser-Snow Miser throwdown and the Suisun City boat parade: My annual story-of-the-year tournament.

We've done it several times and the concept is simple: The biggest stories of the year compete head-to-head, like college basketball teams in March Madness. And by "biggest stories," I mean the things that impacted me the most, which might not line up with what the mainstream media tells you is most important.

Previous winners are Giants win World Series (2010), n/a (2011), Giants win World Series (2012), Mrs. Brad and I see start of Pepperbelly's Fire (2013), Madison Bumgarner's epic World Series (2014), Warriors win title (2015). So there's a certain sports angle to them, although (spoiler alert!) that could change this year.

On to the tournament:

QUARTERFINALS
Year of Trump vs. Pokemon Go!

At the start of 2016, Pokemon seemed as good a bet to win the presidency as Trump – and for several months during the summer, the mobile-phone-based, character-hunting game was even more popular. But against all odds, Trump overcame Pokemon Go's 500 million downloads and Hillary Clinton's double-digit lead to become the first former United States Football League owner to capture the White House. Trump advances to the semifinals.

Brandy tears her ACL vs. Zika virus outbreak

Brandy Stanhope is my soon-to-be 9-year-old dog, who occasionally substitutes for me in this space. She also is rocket-fast and went on daily runs . . . until she tore the dog equivalent of the ACL in her back right leg this summer. Surgery is impossibly expensive, so Brandy now runs less, although she's making progress. Meanwhile, the Zika virus hung over everything within 1,000 miles of the equator (and maybe more) this year, including the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Still, Zika hasn't come to Suisun City, while Brandy's injury haunted my summer and fall. Brandy gingerly walks to the win.

Celebrity death avalanche vs. Blowing 3-1 leads

The Golden State Warriors miraculously overcame a 3-1 deficit against Oklahoma City to advance to the NBA Finals, where they became the first team to blow a 3-1 series lead. Months later, the Cleveland Indians couldn't close out their 3-1 lead in the World Series and the Cubs won. What could be worse? How about the deaths of David Bowie, Garry Shandling, Nancy Reagan, Morley Safer, Patty Duke, Garry Marshall and Gene Wilder? Celebrity death advances.

Battle of Nesjar vs. Brexit

In the Battle of Nesjar off the coast of Norway, Olaf Harraldsson defeated former co-regent Sweyn Haakonsson to confirm his status as King of Norway, but that is topped by Britain's shocking exit from the European Union in what turned out to be the second-most surprising election result of the year. Also notable: Brexit describes my departure. (Editor's note: The Battle of Nesjar happened in 1016, not 2016. We regret the error.)

SEMIFINALS
Year of Trump vs. Brandy tears her ACL

Even on election day, all the polls predicted a Clinton presidency – then Trump and the Republicans ran the table. Brandy, meanwhile, became the canine version of Gayle Sayers: Still great, but a shadow of her former self. But she can't top the first former reality show host to capture the White House. Trump wins again.

Celebrity death avalanche vs. Brexit

The referendum forcing the United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Union was a stunner. But you know what was more stunning? How about the deaths of Arnold Palmer, Fidel Castro, Glen Frey, Antonin Scalia and Muhammad Ali? Celebrity death advances.

FINALS
The Year of Trump vs. Celebrity deaths

Can you top the deaths of Merle Haggard, Prince, Gordie Howe, Pat Summit and John Glenn? Yes. With the most earth-shaking presidential election ever. And it marked the first time a member of the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame captured the White House. For everyone, 2016 goes down as the Year of Trump.

With that, it's time for me to Brexit.

Reach Brad Stanhope at bradstanhope@hotmail.com.

Conventional wisdom isn't always so wise

Conventional wisdom isn't always wise. Consider the fate of Jack Johnson, the British 19-year-old who has paid more than $25,000 on surgeries to look like soccer star David Beckham – and intends to spend another $30,000 to finish the job.

It's not working. Johnson looks more like Boy George. While he's paying $50,000, Beckham is getting older, which likely means that to look like Beckham when the money's spent, he'll have to pay for aging surgery.

Johnson disproves the old saying, "You get what you pay for." In addition to being bad grammar (dangling preposition!), that cliché is wrong. But not unique.

Because, as we know, misery loves company. Except in the case of James Caan, who took the lead role in the movie "Misery" after Kevin Kline, Michael Douglas, Harrison Ford, Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Richard Dreyfuss, Gene Hackman and Robert Redford all turned it down. "Misery," apparently, doesn't love company. It settles on James Caan.

Get the point? Our accepted sayings are often wrong. So as a public service, here are a few more to avoid:

"Actions speak louder than words" seems reasonable until you try to communicate with a crowd of 1,000 people by miming. Pretending to "pull a rope" or being "trapped in a glass booth" aren't as well-received as words spoken loudly over a public address system. Words usually speak louder than actions.

Nearly all of us have been told "you can't judge a book by its cover" at some point in our lives, which is baloney. A 2010 survey of readers found that 79 percent said the cover plays a decisive role in deciding whether to make a purchase. We always judge books by covers.

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree" usually means that a child is like his or her parent. But what if the tree is at der Wiese in Frauenroth, Germany? That tree is 40 feet high – the tallest living apple tree. So an apple that falls from it by definition falls far from the tree. And an apple tree on a sharp incline – say Suisun Hill at Rush Ranch or Mount Vaca – is quite likely to roll for a while. I'm OK if we just add the word "generally" between "doesn't" and "fall."

People have been saying for years – and Kelly Clarkson had a No. 1 hit doing so – that "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." No one believes that. Ask a shooting victim. Ask the person who gets a virulent virus. Ask anyone who reaches 90. What doesn't kill you usually makes you weaker and likely to bore others with the details of your near-death experience.

"There's no time like the present." Really? I would suggest that a minute ago was very much like the present. And a minute from now similarly will be very much like the present. There are plenty of times like the present. My favorite is the morning of Dec. 11, 1997. It was a lot like the present, just with less gray hair.

No saying is more false than "it's always darkest before the dawn," which is not even close to being true. Scientists say it's always darkest close to midnight on a moonless night. That is so far from dawn that it's laughable! The saying should be it's always coldest before the dawn, which is largely true if not particularly motivational.

Get the point? Clichés are comfortable, but many are not true. The lesson?

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but if I mime to a huge crowd, I probably deserve them.

Reach Brad Stanhope at bradstanhope@hotmail.com.

My emails were hacked by WikiLeaks

SUISUN CITY – Local resident Brad Stanhope denied accusations Saturday of involvement with drugs, foreign governments, internet espionage and sports fraud after a notorious hacking group released a trove of his private emails.

Stanhope is the latest entity whose private documents were made public by WikiLeaks, the organization that previously published secret documents and emails from the U.S. Department of Defense, Turkey's ruling party, Hillary Clinton and several overseas government and business entities.

Stanhope is the first entity generally unknown to the public.

Since leaked emails are by nature a point of fascination, several media groups immediately began poring over the documents, looking for suspicious activities or connections – and Stanhope immediately fell under suspicion for his obsession with a local drug purveyor.

"I'll get our drugs on the way home," he wrote to someone known only as "Mrs. Brad" on July 8. "How many prescriptions do you have?" When she replied "two," (which legal experts suspect is a code word), he replied "OK. Got it," apparently agreeing to a deal.

Reporters who viewed the emails also noted an obsession with passwords, suggesting Stanhope may have a number of secret accounts. In the six months covered by the email release, Stanhope received customer support help from Sutter Health, Sprint, State Farm, Comcast and AT&T, each time claiming that he "forgot password." Several times, Stanhope followed with another similar email just a few weeks later.

"It's almost like he was trying to crack their security code," said one email expert, who wouldn't reveal his name, but insisted that it contained at least eight characters and at least one capital letter, one numeral and one symbol. "Either that, or he just kept forgetting his passwords. So he's devious or stupid."

Stanhope, who has a history in the local sports community, also routinely made absurd trade offers to other teams in his Yahoo fantasy football league, something that raised the eyebrows of sports observers.

"He offers three people I've never heard of for Tom Brady, Dez Bryant and Ezekiel Elliott," one expert said. "I find that highly suspicious. Either he doesn't understand football or he's hoping another team will accidentally accept his trade request. Neither of those options are particularly honorable."

There was no immediate reaction from the commissioner of Stanhope's fantasy football league, who reportedly works in a cubicle adjacent to Stanhope.

Perhaps most concerning is that Stanhope appears to have a longtime relationship with a significant foreign leader. He received several emails from a Nigerian prince, asking for money – which observers say suggests Stanhope has been a supporter of a foreign government that is hostile to American interests.

"This prince obviously knows (Stanhope)," said a law enforcement source. "The level of familiarity and the boldness of the prince's request for money makes that clear. . . . That Stanhope didn't reply from this account likely means that he used another method to communicate with the prince."

Investigators continue to sift through the emails, with reports that Stanhope also receives a significant number of emails for "male enhancement" and for money-making opportunities.

"You can learn a lot about people through their email," said one source. "This guy seems to be obsessed with picking up drugs, helping foreign governments, recovering passwords and swindling other fantasy football team owners. He's a bad egg."

Stanhope denied the accusations and said he would respond in the comments for this article, once he recovers his password to do so.

Brad Stanhope is a former Daily Republic editor. Reach him at bradstanhope@hotmail.com.