While the nation is bracing for what government officials and advisers call the most devastating period of the coronavirus pandemic, the military was catapulted into the narrative this week with a series of contentious actions and declarations.

On April 1, President Trump began his daily press briefing by filling the small stage with military brass and addressing the public with a barrage of militaristic lingo. The president said, “America continues to wage all-out war to defeat the virus...we’re attacking the virus on every front... every American will do their patriotic duty and help us to achieve a total victory.”

President Trump announced Sunday, March 29 that the United States Government is revising the social distancing guidelines put in place on March 13 to extend until at least April 30. The administration had been publicly touting a return to normal by Easter weekend, but the decision comes on the heels of Dr. Anthony Fauci making alarming statements regarding the potential number of infections and deaths.

Dr. Fauci estimated that 100,000-200,000 Americans could die from COVID-19, and he forecast that millions will test positive before the situation is under control. Dr. Deborah Birx, after analyzing the data, said the “models predicted anywhere between 1.6 and 2.2 million fatalities, if we didn’t mitigate...Some of them predicted half of the United States would get infected and have that level of mortality.”

With the novel coronavirus spreading across nations, citizens around the world face unprecedented restrictions on freedom in an attempt to slow the infection rate.

California was the first state to issue shelter-in-place orders, and more than one-third of the U.S. population is currently under similar orders, but if orders are not heeded or the outbreak progresses, tighter restrictions on movement could be implemented.

As businesses shuttered across the globe with governments responding to the coronavirus crisis by issuing shelter-in-place orders that restrict all but essential travel, financial markets are in a precipitous free-fall.

401(k) plans are losing trillions of dollars as global equity markets are reset by widespread economic disruptions. In an attempt to stop the bleeding, the Federal Reserve announced unprecedented emergency fiscal measures at 8 a.m. on Monday, March 23.

More than three years after a body was discovered buried on Sonoma State University’s campus, the wheels of justice are slowly beginning to turn. Dressed in prison garb, chained in shackles, looking thinner than he was the last time he appeared in court and sporting a goatee that he was physically incapable of growing when he was sent to juvenile prison, Daniel Carrillo appeared in Sonoma County court on Wednesday, March 4, for a hearing where he was officially charged with the murder of Kirk Kimberly.

The Student Center was filled with well-dressed business leaders, as Sonoma State University hosted the 27th annual North Bay Economic Outlook Conference on Thursday, Feb. 20.

Sonoma State University President Dr. Judy Sakaki graciously opened the conference with words of wisdom acknowledging the native history of the land Sonoma State’s campus resides on and by quoting Coretta Scott King, “The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.”

Dr. Sakaki said we live in a “welcoming region” filled with “energy and inclusive spirit,” and she noted that for the economy to be robust, it needs to “create more opportunities for young people...Together, we can make a difference,” she added, and in order to thrive, the region needs “economic innovation coupled with compassion.”

Sonoma State University is mourning the tragic loss of Kevin Brandon Patland, a 23-year-old fifth-year student killed in a broadside collision with a drunk driver on Browns Valley Road in Napa County, at about 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 2.

Napa Police Sgt. Kristofer Jenny told the Napa Valley Register that officers conducted field sobriety tests on the scene and arrested the driver of the Infiniti, 31-year-old Gary Lindstrom, and charged him with felony DUI in connection with the crash. The charges are tied to injuries his passenger, an unidentified Milpitas woman, sustained in the accident, and more charges could be filed in relation to Patland’s death, but authorities are awaiting toxicology reports and the conclusion of the investigation.

According to the police report, Patland was driving a Chevrolet Camaro and was attempting to make a left turn from Woodlawn Drive when he was struck by an Infiniti G37.

As a result of the crash, Patland suffered serious injuries and was treated on scene before being transported to Queen of the Valley Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8 p.m., according to a statement provided to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat by Henry Wofford, a Napa County Sheriff’s spokesman.