FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP (White House photo).

Former president Donald Trump was indicted Tuesday on felony charges of conspiring to defraud the United States government in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol in a failed attempt to block certification of Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election.

The Associated Press is reporting that four counts will be brought against Trump as a result of a lengthy investigation by the Department of Justice. Trump is accused of repeated efforts to get then-Vice President Mike Pence to reject the counting of Electoral College votes, spreading “false claims” of widespread election fraud and lobbying supporters on Congress to delay the transfer of power.

Trump must now appear in federal court Thursday to answer the charges in the next step in what’s likely to be a  lengthy and dramatic process.

He is also facing charges in New York regarding allegedly falsifying business records and in Florida for allegedly illegally possessing classified documents after leaving office.

NJ Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver dead at 71

SHEILA OLIVER (WIkipedia).

The first Black woman to hold statewide office in New Jersey died on Tuesday. 

Sheila Oliver, 71, was rushed to the hospital on Monday with an undisclosed medical problem.

She had been serving as acting governor in the absence of Governor Phillip Murphy who is vacationing in Italy.

According to The New York Times, Oliver had served for over 15 years in the state Legislature and in 2020 was speaker of the state Assembly.

Good news for strawberry fans

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Garden Grove’s annual Strawberry Festival may be advocating more than just good fun and community spirit. 

United Press International is reporting that eating strawberries – a principal crop in the city’s agricultural days – may improve “cognitive function” in the elderly, lower blood pressure and serve as an anti-oxident.

Test subjects ate the equivalent of two daily servings of the berries for eight weeks. 

It was found that they could process thoughts 5.2 percent faster, have their blood pressure lowered by 3.6 percent and see their waist shrink by 1.1 percent.

Braves get even, Dodgers beat the A’s

The Atlanta Braves got even on Tuesday for their defeat on Monday by defeating the Los Angeles Angels 5-1.

Patrick Sandoval (6-8) pitched fairly well for the Halos, working five innings and giving up three hits and two runs. He struck out three batters and walked four.

The game was close until the home team scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Michael Harris hit two home runs for Atlanta, including one in the key seventh.

Spencer Strider (11-3) struck out nine Angels and yielded just five hits and one earned runs.

The Angels are now 56-52 and slipped into a tie with  the Seattle Mariners for third place in the American League West. The Braves are 68-37 and continue to lead the National League East, now by 11 games.

Newcomer Lance Lynn made his debut in blue a success Tuesday night, pitching well in his first start as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Lynn (7-9) went seven innings, giving up five hits – three of them home runs – and three earned runs as the Blue Crew defeated the visiting Oakland A’s by the score of 7-3.

He struck out seven batters and walked three

Lynn came to the Dodgers in a trade from the Chicago White Sox and is already slotted into the team’s starting pitching rotation.

Mookie Betts hit his 28th home run of the season and Freddie Freeman batted 4-for-5, with two runs scored and one RBI to push his batting average to. 334.

Betts and James Outman each knocked in two runs as the Dodgers improved their record to 60-45, still in first place in the National League West, leading the second place San Francisco Giants by 2.5 games.

The two teams will meet again on Wednesday and Thursday.

Weather: Partly cloudy for a week

Seven days of “partly cloudy” skies are in the forecast for our West Orange County area for seven days. Wednesday is expected to have a daytime high of 84 with an overnight low of 64. Thursday and Friday will be slightly cooler at 82 (64), but the thermometer starts to rise on Saturday up to 85 (65).