-
Natio
nalAwardWinning Newspapers
Your Hometown Web Site www.thepress.net
Vol. 8, No. 15 YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER April 9, 2010
This Week
Plus: Calendar ............................ 27BClassifieds
......................... 18BCop Logs
............................17AEntertainment .................
12BFood .................................... 14BHealth & Beauty
.............. 10BMilestones ........................ 16BOpinion
..............................16ASports
................................... 1B
Proposal could keep Old River flowing
A local developer has ap-proached the Knightsen School Board
with a proposal to convert the soon-to-be closed Old River
Elementary into a charter school possibly as soon as September.
Brentwood resident Ron Nunn and a coalition of local supporters
presented the idea to the school board during a special workshop
meeting on March 31.
Were just kind of develop-ing the idea at this point, said Nunn,
who has longtime roots in East County. But the prospect of a using
a vacant school that is very nice, and the opportunity to pro-vide
some alternative sites in East County, is appealing.
Knightsen School Superinten-dent Vickey Rinehart agreed that a
charter in Knightsen could be a good option for students
county-
wide, and cant deny the pos-sible fi nancial boon to her
district that has struggled to make ends meet since opening Old
River in 2008. The district owes an annual $265,000 on a bank loan
that was secured to fi nish Old River School, and Rinehart has said
coverage of that loan through a lease with Nunns group would be a
powerful incentive.
One of the obvious benefi ts to Knightsen would be to have the
yearly payments on our loan cov-ered, said Rinehart. It would also
be an advantage to other students who live in any area that touches
Contra Costa County because they would be able to enroll in the
charter. It (a charter) offers the possibility of drawing kids from
a variety of sources that might not otherwise be available.
Funded with public money, charter schools fall somewhere
be-tween private and public schools,
and their traditionally smaller class size and range of studies
make them attractive to students. Char-ter schools typically have
more lee-way in their curriculum than pub-lic and private schools
(although
they are required to adhere to state benchmarks and testing
schedules) and are generally believed to offer a more intensive,
rounded educa-
A local grassroots group is exploring the possibility of
convert-ing Old River Elementary School, above, to a charter
school. The Knightsen school is scheduled to close at the end of
the school year due to the districts nancial dif culties.
Photo by Ruth Roberts
by Ruth RobertsStaff Writer
see Old River page 22A
Boat pageant to salute PixarTo infi nity and beyond
Delta boaters and water enthusiasts will be setting sail for the
Discovery Bay Opening Day Parade on April 17.
The communitys offi cial kick-off to the boating season embarks
at Lighthouse Bay beginning at 1 p.m. and disembarks at the
Dis-covery Bay Yacht Harbor between 3 and 4 p.m. Those without
water-side access to the action can enjoy a birds-eye view of the
parade as it makes its way through the towns many sloughs and bays
before dropping anchor at the Discovery Bay Marina.
This years theme Its a Pixar Day will pay homage to Pixar
Stu-dios, the creative force behind such classic family fi lms as
Toy Story, Cars, Finding Nemo, Mon-sters Inc., The Incredibles, A
Bugs Life, and this years Acad-
emy Award winner for an animated fi lm, Up.
Our fl eet captain came up with the idea for this years
theme
and we thought it would be a fun and easy theme to work with,
said Pat Anderson, organizer of the event. Everyone has a
favorite
Pixar movie so we expect a lot of variety and creativity.
Anderson also expects good weather. Ive spoken to the weath-er
gods and its going to be a beauti-ful day, she said. Its going to
be a great success, just as it always is.
Sponsored by the Discovery Bay Yacht Club, the parade is a
family fun event open to the public. Members and non-members alike
are invited to enter their boat in the parade and enjoy a variety
of activ-ities and exhibits at the Discovery Bay Marina throughout
the day.
All participants in the pa-rade are invited and welcome to come
back to the yacht club for the awards ceremony and party
after-ward, said Anderson. There will be food and dancing; it
should be a fun day.
For a map of the parade route, or to sign up for the event, call
An-derson at 925-216-4411, or e-mail [email protected]. A map
can also be viewed at www.thepress.net.
This entry in last years Opening Day Boat Parade was
appro-priately decked out for the Circus-Circus theme. This year
boat-ers will draw their inspiration from animated motion picture
studio Pixar.
Press file photo
by Ruth RobertsStaff Writer
Takingthe plunge
Competitive divers know how to pack a lot of twisting, tumbling
and jackknifing into two short seconds. Page 1B
Images in memoriam Antiochs Memorial Day observances will
feature a display of photos contributed by the community that honor
the fallen. Page 3A
A recent bash honored the men and women who put their lives on
the line.
Having a ball go to multimedia/videosOnline
Now!www.thepress.netYour Hometown Web Site
A Los Medanos athletic trainer was honored as one of best in the
state.
Top trainergo to news/WebExtras!
An ingenious out-door environment will make rehab more fun and
realistic.
Rehab gardengo to news/press releases
Witness to grim fiction
The sobering consequences of drunk driving were driven home in
an enactment that left students shaken. Page 8A
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APRIL 9, 2010 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 3A
1300 Central Blvd. BrentwoodLori Abreu(925) 216-6317Owner/Broker
www.DeltaRanches.com
Cerelle Carstairs(925) 382-4307
Real Estate Agent
This 3 bdrm 2.5 ba bank owned home is inviting and 2,638 sf. The
kitchen has beautiful cabinets with granite counters, backsplash
and tile floors. Carpet throughout. Three car garage and large
backyard. Must see. $244,800
Bank Owned 5 bdrm 3 ba, 3,531 sf two story home with 3 car
garage. Nicely landscaped with built in bbq in backyard and patio
awning. Kitchen has granite counters, oak cabinets and island.
Raised fireplace in the family room with entertainment built-ins.
Must see. COMING SOON
Bank Owned two story condo with 2 bdrms and 2 ba, 1,354 sf. Cute
in nice area. Wood deck that overlooks the courtyard. Good commute
location. $157,080
Bank Owned 2bdrm 2.5 ba 2,308 sf duet on deep water. Gourmet
kitchen w/ large master suite, fireplace/retreat. Large loft, bonus
room w/wet bar and water view. Marina location, close to fast
water. $320,000
Cute 2 bdrm 1 ba home with 850 sf. Great starter home. Kitchen
is updated with laminate floors. Updated Bathroom. Nice paint
colors throughout. Covered patio. $95,150
Own 1 acre of beautiful Delta land with lots of potential.
Minutes from boating. All usable land. Views of agricultural land
around. Great opportunity. $110,000
This two story home, 4 bdrm, 3 ba, 2,244 sf has spectacular
views from the back of the house. When listed, this one wont last.
$300,000
5602 Newfields Drive, Dublin
5726 Marlin Drive, Discovery Bay
O E. Cypress Rd, Oakley 454 Oak Crest Place, Pittsburg
Good investment or starter home. Needs TLC. Bank owned 3 bdrm
1.5 bath, 1226 sf home has brick fireplace in family room and
indoor laundry room. Carport and nice size lot. $120,000
Two story home with 4 bdrms 3 ba 2,790 sf and three car garage.
Cherrywood floors in the front room, island in the kitchen. Very
cute. COMING SOON
202 Norcross Lane, Oakley 709 Black Oak Way, Antioch
4 bdrm. 2.5 ba. 1,487 sf home needs a little tlc. Nice laminate
flooring downstairs. Close to shopping and commute freeway.
$95,000
PREFERRED VENDOR:
Dan Peterson, Home Mortgage Consultant, FHA Specialist with
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. at 5611 Lone Tree Way, Suite 150,
Brentwood. Please call his office at 925-516-3367.
2 bdrm 2 ba, 944 sf bank owned condo on the bottom floor. Has
nice fenced patio area with storage she. Inside has white
appliances in kitchen, no fridge, but has stacking laundry.
$60,500
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Preparations are under way for the 2010 Memorial Day
ob-servances at Oak View Memorial Park in Antioch, and organizers
want it to be picture-perfect.
In addition to a motorcycle caravan, dignitaries and special
ceremonies, this years event will feature a continuous display of
photographs of service members that the day is meant to honor:
those who have passed away. Members of the public, service groups,
military clubs and anyone else who has a picture of a former member
of the armed forces are invited to contribute a photo of their
loved one for the display. Special emphasis is being given to
veterans of World War II.
Pictures can be e-mailed to
[email protected]. Prints can be dropped of
at Oak Views of-fi ce, 2500 E. 18th St. in Antioch. Prints cannot
be returned, so make a copy of one-of-a-kind photos.
The photo display will be part of an expanded event this year.
Areas will be set aside around the cemetery to convey various
aspects of Memorial
Day and what it means to be an American, and stations will be in
operation teaching fl ag fold-ing and fl ag etiquette, fl ag
history and military history.
The special displays will open at 9 a.m. and formal ceremonies
begin at 10 a.m. The displays will remain in place after the
ceremo-nies until noon.
The Brentwood Diversity Committee, some of which is seen here,
is hosting a free Celebrating Heritage Is Living Diversity (CHILD)
event this Saturday at Brentwood Elementary School, offering
visitors an opportunity to learn about the things that make each
culture unique, including food, entertainment, and arts and crafts.
The event takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Brentwood
Elementary School, 200 Grif th Lane. For more information, call
925-848-4860.
Emphasis on the CHILD
Photo by Kelly Chance
Committee seeks veterans pictures
Pvt. Armando Villa of Brentwood, who died during the Vietnam
War, will be hon-ored in a special video display at the Memorial
Day event in Antioch on May 31.
Press file photo
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4A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY APRIL 9, 2010
Aaron comes home, waits for donor
For the past six months, Elizabeth Tanner and her young son
Aaron have been living in Los Angeles in a rented apartment,
waiting for the call that could save Aarons life news that a new
heart and kidney have become available for transplant.
The wait continues, but now Elizabeth and Aaron are doing it at
home in Brentwood, surrounded by her husband and two older sons.
Doctors at UCLA Medi-cal Center agreed two weeks ago that Aaron was
stable enough to go home and wait for the news with his
fam-ily.
And for Elizabeth, the joy is indescribable. You know, we drove
past Lowes a few days ago, and Aaron looked at the sign and said
Mommy, were home. And for me that was so great to know that we are
really home after being gone so long. It was so hard just seeing
the boys and my husband on the weekends. This is so, so much
better.
Aaron was born with a heart that functions on only the right
side. Doctors discovered last summer that Aar-on who has undergone
seven open-heart surgeries since he was born needed a simultaneous
heart and kidney transplant. Renal failure has placed too much
stress on the boys heart, and without the rare double-transplant
surgery, Aarons chances of survival are low.
The family has been waiting for a donor for the double
transplant procedure and Aaron has been at the top of the donor
list since December. Doctors say a proper match could take as long
as six months to a year, and since Aarons condition appears to be
stabilized although he goes to UCSF Medical Center three days a
week for kidney dialysis the best medicine, for the mo-
ment, appears to be at home. Should the family get the call that
a donor has materialized, a medical air fl ight company will whisk
Aaron and Elizabeth from Byron Airport to Los Angeles within the
four-hour window of time. If theyre in San Francisco at a medical
appoint-ment when the call is made, theyll fl y out of SFO.
Im a nervous wreck, Im terrifi ed and Im over-ly cautious, said
Elizabeth. But Im still happy to be
home and Aaron is happy and playing and not so scared. It
(coming home) was the right thing to do.
But doctors have imposed some restrictions. Aaron must avoid
crowds and public places where he might compromise his immune
system. Elizabeth has ad-justed by taking Aaron with her to the
grocery store at
The Tanners pose for a recent picture at home in Brentwood.
Aaron and his mom, Elizabeth, arrived home a few weeks ago from
UCLA Medical Center. They are still awaiting word on a double organ
donor for Aaron.
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Tanner
by Ruth RobertsStaff Writer
see Tanners page 14A
-
APRIL 9, 2010 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 5A
Congressional forum in BrentwoodOpportunities to participate in
local government abound
Candidates hoping to unseat 11th Dis-trict Congressman Jerry
McNerney will discuss the issues at the fi rst-ever congres-sional
forum to be held in far East County. The event will take place
Monday, April 26 at The East Bay Pentecostals Church of Brentwood,
605 Harvest Park Drive.
Participants will include Tony Ama-dor, Elizabeth Emken, Brad
Goehring and David Harmer responding to pre-selected questions plus
questions posed by the candi-dates and members of the public. The
event will be moderated by Republican Women Federated of Eastern
Contra Costa County and TEA Party Patriots. The forum will be-gin
at 6:30 p.m. and is expected to conclude at 8:30.
Town-hall meeting to focus on budget
A town-hall meeting to discuss the impact of Contra Costa
Countys 2010-11 budget and expected cuts to services has been
scheduled for Monday, April 12 from 6 to 8 p.m., at The Commons at
Dal-las Ranch dining hall, 4751 Dallas Ranch Road in Antioch.
The economy continues to lag and revenues to the county are way
below ex-pectations, said District 5 Supervisor Fed-eral D. Glover.
This will be the third year
in a row in which the Board of Supervisors will have to order
cuts in all departments. Each year the budget cuts get more diffi
cult. This will be an opportunity for the public to voice their
ideas, concerns and priorities.
Also in attendance to discuss the bud-get challenges will be
County Administrator David Twa, Director of Employment and Human
Services Director Joseph Valentine and Health Services Director Dr.
William Walker.
Antioch to fill commission vacancy
The City of Antioch is considering candidates to fi ll a seat
for a four-year term on the Economic Development Commis-sion. The
function of the seven-member commission is to address economic
devel-opment issues within the city and make recommendations to the
City Council and staff regarding policies, regulations, mar-keting,
development strategies and plan-ning activities designed to enhance
the citys economic base and create quality jobs.
Candidates must be either city resi-dents or owners/operators of
a business lo-cated in the city. Regular meetings are held on the
fi rst Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. Members of the Economic
Development Commission are required to fi le an annual Statement of
Economic Interest.
Applications must be received in the offi ce of the city clerk
no later than 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 22.
Brentwood Youth Commission openings
The City of Brentwood is seeking stu-dents 11-18 to serve as
commissioners on the Brentwood Youth Commission. The two-year terms
begin July 1.
Founded in 1999, the Brentwood Youth Commission is made up of 10
students who care about the Brentwood community and have the drive
to make our community the best possible place for youth. The Youth
Commission has organized youth-oriented events such as a middle
school social, teen survey and participates in various city events.
Members of the Youth Commission represent middle and high schools
and must reside within Brentwoods city limits.
Applications may be obtained at the following locations:
Bristow, Doug Ad-ams and Edna Hill middle schools; Lib-erty,
Heritage and Freedom high schools, the City of Brentwood Parks and
Rec-reation Department offi ce, or online at www.ci.brentwood.ca.us
(click on the link for Youth Commission).
Completed applications must be re-ceived at the Parks and
Recreation De-partment offi ce, 101B Sand Creek Road, by 5 p.m.
Friday, April 16. Applicants are encouraged to attend the next
Youth Commission meeting on April 12 at 7 p.m. in the citys Council
Chambers, 101 B Sand Creek Road.
For additional information, call 925-516-5444.
-
The Knightsen community joined the Knightsen Town Advisory
Council (KTAC) and Contra Costa County Dis-trict 3 Supervisor Mary
Nejedly Piepho to celebrate the recent designation of a Heritage
Tree and the completion of a sidewalk project.
Also in attendance were Knightsen Elementary School District
Superinten-dent Vickey Rinehart, East Contra Costa Fire Protection
District Chief Hugh Hen-derson and former KTAC Chair Seth
Cockrell.
It was a great opportunity to cel-ebrate and recognize two
signifi cant achievements in the Knightsen commu-nity, said Piepho.
I am thrilled that we could fi nd a way to complete the down-town
Knightsen sidewalk project with the use of Community Development
Block Grant (CDBG) funds, American Recov-ery Reinvestment Act funds
and county local road monies. I am also extremely pleased that we
could preserve a piece of the history in the Knightsen community by
preserving the landmark eucalyptus as a Heritage Tree.
The sidewalk renovation began with a search for funding in late
2006. The Knightsen Garden Club was successful in 2008 in securing
a CDBG funds in the amount of $50,000. An additional $50,000 in
CDBG funds were secured under the American Recovery Reinvestment
Act of 2009 and the remainder of the project was funded by the
Public Works Department.
The project included the replacement of approximately 250 feet
of deteriorating irregular concrete to provide a safe and
accessible pedestrian route along Knight-sen Avenue. The work began
in late July of 2009 and was completed ahead of schedule.
The application to designate the 84-inch diameter eucalyptus
tree, located at the intersection of Delta Road and Bar-
tels Drive, as a Heritage Tree was received from KTAC by the
Department of Con-servation and Development on June 30, 2008. The
application was recommended 4-1 by the East County Planning
Com-mission at its November 10, 2008 meet-ing. The Heritage Tree
status was unani-mously approved by the Contra Costa Board of
Supervisors on April 21, 2009.
The tree is believed to have been plant-
ed more than a century ago by Knightsen founder George W.
Knight, who used it to mark his land. The Swainsons hawk, a
threatened species, is believed to be nest-ing in the tree. The
Heritage Tree project was a response to concerns that arose last
spring when the tree was pruned, and the desire for its
preservation as a community landmark and an object of ecological
and historical signifi cance.
6A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY APRIL 9, 2010
Something old, something new in Knightsen
Knightsen residents and county of cials, above left, help
Supervisor Mary Piepho cut a ribbon dedicating the new side-walk
theyre standing on in the towns downtown area. Above right, a newly
installed plaque now adorns Knightsens oldest living resident: a
tree planted by George Knight in 1885.
Photo courtesy of Marion Murphy Photo by John A. Gonzales
-
Advertisement
PRINCIPAL REDUCTIONS?!The banks, at the prodding of the gov-
ernment, have come out with multiple plans to modify mortgage
payments over the past several years, but theyve met with limited
success. Many experts say that if they really want to head off the
coming flood of fore-closures, what we need is across-the-board
principal reductions in mortgages to the value of the home. [Yes, I
realize this could be construed as rewarding someone who got into
debt over their head, but thats whole dif-ferent discussion.] Seems
like none of the big banks were ready to take that step as a
general policyuntil now!
Bank of America just announced a limited plan to consider
writing down certain mortgag-es. If you have a BofA loan, dont get
too excited just yet, as there is a lot of fine print to qualify.
BofA will be scouring their loans to see who might qualify, and
they will be contacting those borrowers directly, so theyve asked
people not to call BofA and flood their phone lines.
Here are the details: The loan must have originated from
Countrywide, and it is either a sub-prime loan, an option
adjustable-rate
loan, or a prime loan that has a fixed-rate for two years before
adjusting significantly higher. The loan must be at least two
months behind, and the loan balance must be at least 120% of the
homes value. There are also some complicated rules regarding if
there is a 2nd mortgage, and whether or not your 1st mort-gage is a
portfolio loan. If approved, you have to keep your account current
for the next 5 years, or the balance could go back up. Also, if you
sell the home within 5 years, youll have to repay part of the
forgiven balance.
They are just putting their toe into the water on this process.
If its a success, they (and other banks) may expand it. However, if
borrowers who are now current start default-ing in droves to try to
qualify for the principal reduction program, look for them to shut
the program down in a hurry!
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The crash heard round the campusLiberty High Schools junior and
se-
nior classes this week were escorted out to Ohmstede Field for
what they expected to be another boring assembly. Little did they
know many of their fellow classmates and friends had been
killed.
The Every 15 Minutes event, held
with the assistance of the Brentwood Po-lice Department, was a
simulated drunk-driving accident involving four Liberty students
Felix Navarro, Lindsay Hull, Jason Fancey, and Kayla Russick and 24
other students who had been killed in simulated accidents earlier
that day.
The program began with the somber announcement of deaths read by
a Brent-wood police offi cer, a school counselor
and a leadership student. Just seeing the reactions on the
students faces was emotional enough, said Zachary Ma-songsong.
Judging by the tears shocked expressions, you would have sworn a
fam-ily member had just died.
Fancey was chosen to be the student responsible for driving
under the infl u-ence of alcohol. He had sped head-on into an
oncoming car, ejecting his best
friend Russick through the windshield, killing her on
impact.
In the oncoming car was driver Hull along with her bud Navarro.
Both stu-dents were badly injured. Hull suffered broken bones, a
collapsed lung and mas-sive neck injury. Navarros liver was
lac-erated and windshield glass was plunged
by Haylee MatteriCorrespondent
see Crash page 18A
Photos by Haylee Matteri
Of cials read a classroom announce-ment re-garding the death of
a student. Fire ghters use the Jaws of Life to extract a pair of
accident victims dur-ing the Every 15 Minutes program at Liberty
High School this week.
-
APRIL 9, 2010 EDUCATION THEPRESS.NET | 9A
Free Checking thats still free!
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I love Free Checking because I dont have amonthly fee and there
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Brentwood: 3111 Balfour Road, Suite N Antioch: 5819 Lone Tree
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Yes. You can join. (800) 877-8328 www.traviscu.org
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to join.Certain membership requirements may apply.
The Liberty Union High School District Board of Trustees
recently recognized a pair of students for out-standing academic
performance and leadership.
Liberty High School senior and class president Chelsea Revel has
earned a 4.13 grade point average and is ranked fifth in her class
of 412. She is a member of the National Honor Society and the
California Scholar-ship Federation. Revel has partici-pated in
Libertys leadership program and was named Pre-calculus Student of
the Year and Calculus Student of the Month.
Revel played on the Lions varsity girls soccer team for three
years and was named to the All-League Second Team.
She has played on the EDYSL competitive soccer league and
coached Little Lions Soccer. Revel has been involved in church
leadership, plans on attending a university in Southern California
and hopes to study medi-cine.
Heritage High School senior Kev-in Harrity was also recognized
by the LUHSD board for outstanding ac-complishments as a student,
athlete and leader.
Harrity has maintained a 4.0 grade point average while serving
in Heritage student government for four years.
He is currently the Associated Stu-dent Body vice president and
member of the California Scholarship Federa-tion.
Harrity tutors fellow students in disciplines ranging from
algebra to calculus and statistics. He has played varsity baseball
for four years and varsity basketball for two. Named an NCS Scholar
Athlete all four years at Heritage, Harrity plans to major in
en-gineering at UC Berkeley and become a mechanical engineer.
Contributed by Sarah Singrin
District board salutes stellar students
Congratulations to the following stu-dents who earned fi
rst-quarter academic honors at Trinity Christian School in
Oakley:
High Honor RollBen Evans (3.91)
Honor RollEvan Corona (3.72); Trevor Dunning
(3.7)Andrew Topete (3.58)
Honorable MentionAngel Ramirez (3.0), Joey Domin-
guez (3.02), Morgan Bonner (3.05), Shi-ane Ebel (3.08), Esteban
Pult (3.08), Brendon Dellinger (3.13), Alexa Fortier (3.21),
Dominick Johnson (3.22) and Kei-lyn Mazariegos (3.43).
Trinity rolls out honors
LUHSD Board President Ray Valverde recently congratulated
Liberty student Chelsea Revel, far left, and Heritage student Kevin
Harrity for their outstanding success as schol-ars, leaders and
athletes.
Photos courtesy of Sarah Singrin
-
10A | THEPRESS.NET EDUCATION APRIL 9, 2010
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NoFundraisers
Odyssey champs challenge community
If youre smarter than a fi fth-grader or just think you are a
group of Brentwood Elementary School stu-dents have a challenge for
you.
On April 29, the schools two state-championship teams in the
recent Odyssey of the Mind contest will compete against community
organizations and business-es to help raise funds for their trip to
the Odyssey of the Mind world competition this May in Lansing,
Mich.
The teams, comprising 13 students and fi ve coaches, have been
recently knocking on the doors of local busi-nesses and groups,
challenging them to pit their problem-solving abilities against the
fi fth-graders impressive skill sets.
This is just a great way to pause and have a little fun and
hopefully raise some money for the trip, said Mary Black, Brentwood
Union School District director of curriculum. These kids have
worked so hard to get this far and we want to be able to help them
the rest of the way.
Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that
provides creative problem-solving oppor-tunities for students from
kindergarten through college.
The local event, to be held at the new Edna Hill Middle School
theater from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., will pit teams of adults against
the state champs in a series of spontaneous problem-solving
challenges. The problem will be presented to each team, and their
job will be to come up with as many possible answers/solutions as
they can in three to fi ve minutes. The teams with the most
so-lutions will be declared the winners.
Were asking community groups to register a team, and then each
team will go against the kids, said Black.
The fun of the spontaneous (questions) is that you nev-er know
what youre going to get and what the kids will come up with.
Examples of a problem might be; You have been sent to the local
jail for a crime you did not commit. You have a friend Jane who is
very clever at getting things in
to you and past the guards. What would you ask Jane to bring
you, and how would it help you get out of jail? Another example
might be a storyline problem in which someone starts a story and
each team member adds a sentence.
The teams hope to raise a total of $20,000 to subsi-dize the
trip to the world competition in Michigan. The event, an Olympics
for the mind, will include more than 800 international teams.
And there are ways to contribute without participat-ing in the
fi fth-grader challenge. The following local busi-nesses will be
contributing a portion of their proceeds to the Odyssey trip.
Fliers needed to take advantage of some of the offers are available
at all elementary schools in Brentwood and at the BUSD offi ces.
Wednesday, April 14 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Yogurt Pizzazzs Balfour
Road and Streets of Brentwood shops. Wednesdays, April 14, 21 and
28, all day Scrum-did-dly-umptious in downtown Brentwood. Saturday,
April 17 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Brentwood Bazaar at Brentwood
Elementary School. Thursday, April 22 from 2 to 8:30 p.m. Panda
Express Night (fl ier needed). Saturday, May 1, all day Willys Day
at Willys Bagels and Blends Second Street and Balfour Road
locations in Brentwood. Wednesday, May 12 from 2 p.m. to closing
Rubios (fl ier needed).
Businesses unable to participate in the challenge event but
desiring to contribute to the trip can do so by calling Mary Black
at 925-513-4902 or mailing a check to Brentwood Union School
District, 255 Guthrie Lane, Brentwood, 94513, Attention: Linda
Hanson. Checks should be made payable to BUSD-OM.
To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
Its knuckle-biting time for Brentwood Citizen of the Year Rick
Lemyre as hes challenged to participate in an Are You Smarter Than
a Fifth-grader? fundraiser by Brentwood Elementary Schools Odyssey
of the Mind teams.
Photo by Ruth Roberts
by Ruth RobertsStaff Writer
-
APRIL 9, 2010 THEPRESS.NET | 11A
-
14A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY APRIL 9, 2010
Trevors Weekly Mortgage MattersBy Trevor Frey
Offi cially coined in 1968, Cali-fornias Golden State nickname
is truly fi tting based on our states his-tory; Californias modern
development can be traced back to the discovery of gold in 1848.
With that said, fi rst-time buyers defi ned as someone who has not
owned a home in three years have a golden opportunity in the form
of a brand new tax credit! Just like the gold rush of 1848, this
credit will not be around forever. Once the program is out of money
its overfi rst come, fi rst served.
Th e Bill (AB183) was signed on March 22nd, 2010, and allocates
$200 million in funds for fi rst time buyers in the State of
California. Of that amount, according to Governor Schwarzeneg-ger,
$100 million will go for buyers of new, unoccupied homes; the other
$100 million will go to fi rst time buyers of existing homes. In
order to qualify for the credit, a fi rst-time home buyer must
purchase the home as an owner-oc-cupied home, and they cannot buy
the home from any relative, and they must live in the home as their
primary resi-dence for at least the next two consecu-tive years
starting from the date of close of escrow.
Th e actual tax credit will be 5% of the purchase price, up to a
maximum
credit of $10,000, and must be applied in equal installlments
over the buyers next three years California state income tax fi
lings. If the buyer sells, or moves out of the home within two
years following the close of escrow, any of the total tax credit
already claimed by the buyer in any California income tax fi ling
must be forfeited back to the State of California.
With the Federal tax credit set to expire on May 1st, 2010,
Californias new tax credit could not have come at a better time.
First time buyers who sign purchase agreements between May 1st and
December 31st of 2010, and close escrow by August 1st, 2011, are
eligible. But remember, this is a fi rst come fi rst served deal
were talking about. Aft er James W. Marshall found gold at Sutters
Mill an estimated 300,000 migrated to California. Bringing it back
to modern times, when a similar California state income tax credit
was available last year, with a $100 million limit, 10,659 fi
rst-time buyers used up all the money in the fi rst four months.
Dont miss out this time, if you qualify!
If you have any real estate lending related questions or
concerns, or wish to speak with a Streamline expert, dont hesitate
to write me at [email protected] or call me directly on my
cell phone, (925) 726-1444.
A Golden Opportunity
Advertisement
off-hours and keeping visitors to a bare minimum. And when Aaron
celebrates his fi fth birthday this week, it wont be the big bash
he wants, said Elizabeth, but a celebration all the same.
Well, of course he wants a big par-ty, hes 5, she laughed. But I
cant have him out and around so many people, so well have to keep
it more low-key. Well stay home, have some presents and pizza. Itll
be good.
And as the family prepares to cel-ebrate Aarons birthday, the
community continues to celebrate the Tanners with fundraisers to
help defray medical ex-penses not covered by insurance, plus the
familys ongoing struggle with the threat of foreclosure. A loan
modifi cation snafu in October placed the Tanners in arrears with
Bank of America for tens of thou-sands of dollars. Elizabeth said
she is working with a bank representative and hopes to soon reach
an agreement that is reasonable and possible.
But for the Tanners, certain things are simply more important.
We saw the car-diologist last week and he said he didnt see any big
changes in Aaron from when he saw him in June, said Elizabeth. So
if we can just hold on, well be OK. Ev-ery night we have a bag
packed and were ready to go. Wherever we go, we take the bag with
us. We know we are going to get that call and we are ready. Right
now its about being together and keeping things as normal as we
can. Time with each oth-er is the most important thing we have,
and were not taking a minute of it for granted.
Upcoming fundraisers for the Tan-ners include a benefi t called
Everyday Superheroes, hosted by the Womens Networking Alliance on
June 6 at the Santa Clara Convention Center. For more information
on the event, visit www.wnacommunity.com or call 408-448-61631. A
list of additional upcom-ing events in support of Aaron can be
found on the familys Web site, www.saveabrokenheart.com.
To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
Tanners from page 4A
Aaron, above, is happy to be home with his family as he waits
for news of his double organ transplant surgery.
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Tanner
-
APRIL 9, 2010 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 15A
Falcon cheerleaders win national title
The Freedom High School varsity cheerleading squad is known for
exuding a lot of spirit, celebrating Falcon football and basketball
victories. But now the squad has something new to cheer about:
themselves.
The 24-member squad took home top honors in the Super Varsity
Show Cheer Intermediate division at the United Spirit Associations
2010 High School and Dance/Drill National Championship competition
last month, beating 27 teams to take the prize.
After placing fi rst at three regional competitions to qualify
for the national competition held in Anaheim last month, coach
Sandra Torres knew her team had a good chance to out-cheer the
competition.
This team was not only talented, but they were hardworking and
dedicated, Tor-res said. They had the performance skills, energy
and showmanship along with the gymnastic and stunting skill level
that it takes to win nationals. I did believe that we were strong
contenders to win the title this year.
One of the cheerleaders asked me in a team meeting the day
before prelims, So what kind of realistic chance do we have against
27 other teams? I answered, A very good chance. You are defi nitely
one of the favorites.
Cheerleader Kirsten Hulsey never
expected to take home the title, but cred-its the squads success
to its dedication to teamwork. You always dream to win, but I didnt
realize how ready we were, as a team, until we got to nationals,
Hulsey said. In order to win, you have to be a team.
A few months ago I would have never thought we could do this.
Our team went through a lot of struggles this year with
relying on each other. Practicing every day over spring break
made us all closer and we became a family. We all felt a whole new
bond, and with that, we knew we could win.
Sophomore Arianna Smith said win-ning the title feels like
winning the lottery: During the year, we lost girls and gained
girls. We had our ups and downs as a team,
but in the end, we became sisters. After our fi rst (regional)
competition win, we knew we were destined for greatness and thats
what happened. We made it to nationals and through strength and
encouragement we won it all.
We shed tears and yelled cheers. We became a cheer family that
will never be broken, and we made (Freedom) history as champions
and no one can take that away from us.
For Tariah Cheney, the victory is not only a validation of the
teams hard work; it shows that cheerleaders work and practice just
as hard as other high school athletes: If someone says that
cheerleading isnt a sport, then I want to see them out on that mat,
in front of that many people, while dancing, yelling, fl ipping,
jumping, throwing, catch-ing, running with a smile on your face.
Its not as easy as it looks. It feels amazing (to win). We
practiced so hard and had so much dedication, and it fi nally all
paid off.
The 2010 United Spirit Associations National Champions are
Taylor Armas, Christyana Barber, Tariah Cheney, Kelsey Ertmer,
Haylee Garlock, Desiree Glynn, Tawni Hawley, Shelby Henriques,
Hayley Hodges, Kirsten Hulsey, Hannah Kline, Sasha Lahham, Alex
Lauderdale, Mikaila Lucido, Olivia Magoon, Julia Martinez, Jaclynn
Mullins, Brittney Regalado, Cait-lin Rice, Sara Sloan, Arianna
Smith, Holly Soares, Taryn Ternes and Alexa Torrano.
To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
The Freedom High School varsity cheerleaders performed at the
United Spirit Associations 2010 High School and Dance/Drill
National Championship compe-tition, where they took the top prize
in their division.
Photo courtesy of Sandra Torres
by Samie HartleyStaff Writer
-
Solution: Yes on FEditor:
If you are not part of the solu-tion, you are part of the
problem. For the safety of Brentwoods children and families, we
must fi nish American Av-enue and widen Balfour Road.
The county is broke and has ignored numerous requests. As long
as the south side of Balfour to Deer Valley is out-side of
Brentwood control, the City of Brentwood cannot do any of these
road improvements. Putting Brentwood in control by supporting
Measure F in June is the only way these roads will be fi xed.
Do not listen to the opposition and become part of the problem
that risks the bloodshed of Brentwoods children and families. Vote
Yes on Measure F in June and be part of the solution for the safety
of Brentwoods
children and families.Fred GarciaBrentwood
Keep Brentwood in controlEditor:
As a resident of Shadow Lakes, I am most concerned that we in
Shadow Lakes and those in Deer Ridge are being sacrifi ced by
partial truths from oppo-nents of Measure F. If we do not sup-port
Measure F and Antioch develops these areas, we risk losing our
ability as Brentwood residents and voters to have any input as to
what is proposed in the new neighborhoods to our west.
Our two neighborhoods will be most affected, as we are the
adjacent neighbors and will be most impacted by the quality of the
building and road improvements. The landowners in Measure F have
agreed to no apart-ments. They will have to go through all
environmental approvals. They will have to go through the Brentwood
Planning Commission and the Brentwood City Council for approvals,
but only if this Measure F passes.
This is the only way we can guarantee Brentwood control. Antioch
can have a land measure like this one or larger. An Antioch measure
would move their city limit west from Deer Valley Road to our
doorstep. It is not if but when they will come if we do not pass
Measure F. What input and control will we have as non-resi-dents of
Antioch if this happens? None!
The only way we can have input and control is to keep Brentwood
in control by supporting Measure F in June.
Dan PetersenBrentwood
Cause and effect flip-floppedEditor:
Ms. Kristine Stoker got it all backward in her letter to the
press on April 2. Her statement was If stop-ping development is
such a good idea, why have property values collapsed at the same
time that development has shut down?
Property values collapsed because the borrowers who were given
loans that they were unable to pay had to go into default or
foreclosure. The lenders had to do something with all those
properties, so they lowered the prices to make them more attractive
to poten-tial buyers. Developers were forced to lower their prices
to compete and most of them stopped building rather than sell
houses cheap.
You got the cause and effect backward, Ms. Stoker. I too am
proud of Brentwood. But I am not blind to the overcrowded streets,
the over-paid school administrators, under-paid teachers and
overall congestion brought about by bad planning. If you really
want more development in our city, then make the developers build
new streets, widen the Highway 4 Bypass and widen Balfour road
before they build all those houses.
Bill SumnerBrentwood
Animal welfare what you can do
Editor:I am writing in response to Erica
Calderons letter (Caring for animals is sign of humanity, April
1) regarding the high number of abused, neglected
and abandoned animals in this country.This is a huge problem and
I would
like to share a few ideas as to how to make a difference in the
lives of ani-mals. If you are planning to add a new pet to your
family, check out the ani-mals available at an animal shelter or a
rescue organization rather than buying from a breeder or pet store.
Two rescue groups in East County are HARP (Homeless Animals
Response Program) and HALO (Homeless Animals Lifeline
Organization). They hold adoption events at pet supply stores on
weekends, or you can go to their Web sites to see animals available
for adoption.
If you have pets, be sure to have them spayed or neutered. The
Contra Costa County Animal Shelter provides low-cost spay/neuter
services and some East County veterinarians do low cost
spay/neuters as well. (Well-Pet Veteri-nary in Pittsburg and Abbey
Veterinary in Antioch are two that I am aware of.)
Keep up with current animal welfare legislation and contact your
government representatives about supporting humane animal laws.
Both the Humane Society and the ASPCA have very informative Web
sites. You can even e-mail your representatives directly through
their Web sites. Donate to an animal welfare organization or
volunteer at an animal shelter or rescue group. Report any
suspected animal abuse or neglect to Contra Costa County Animal
Services.
I believe we can make a difference.Heidi Vaughn
Brentwood
I have read the proponents commentary with their appeal to the
residents of Brentwood to move the Urban Limit Line (ULL) so that
they may build on their land west of Heritage High. They claim in
moving our 2006 voter-approved ULL (adopted by our city in 2008)
for them, they will bestow on Brentwood millions
of dollars in revenue, amenities and road improvements.
They say its about control for Brentwood residents how so if you
embed the entire plan
you envision for our western border in the Measure itself ? We
have a border, we have control, we have a General Plan were voting
to stop their development plan.
You see, we too have lived in Brentwood for upward of 20 years,
and weve been attempting to pre-serve our agricultural heritage and
small-town charm since we arrived. We wanted a town that was
different from every other cookie-cutter town in the area: a sense
of community, less congestion, more quality.
Voters, if you buy Measure F, you are buying the landowners
development agreement: 1,300 homes, 35
acres of stores and 4,030 more residents. The local con-trol
they tout becomes their control to make millions, amending our
current General Plan for this area to twice the houses, one-third
the parks and open space, tying the hands of current/future
councils, planning commissions and residents and engulfi ng our
western hills.
If you check the landowners there, youll fi nd Fre-mont and San
Jose entities own most of that property. The developer consultant
they hired also championed the ability to build in Antiochs Deer
Valley in the fi rst place and is attempting to break the ULL in
San Ramon yet he asserts no confl ict of interest. Do you think
these supporters have your best interest at heart? Hardly.
Bottom line: If you acquire 740 acres in the western hills to
develop 560 acres (76 percent), how on earth will that alleviate
the problems of congestion, tapped services, overcrowded schools,
east/west Balfour Road safety and the American Avenue calamity? It
wont.
Simply put, the amenities they suggest are inappro-priate for
the geographical area they profess to safe-
guard. They lead you to believe Antioch or others can come right
in and build there. Not true. Its outside the ULL, only open to the
same parcels it has now agri-cultural.
When the economy does recover, Brentwoods al-ready approved
4,000 housing units and up to 1 million square feet of commercial
space should yield millions of dollars of improvements. We dont
need Measure F to direct developer or general funds for our road
and service enhancements theyre already in the works.
We arent anti-growth unless you go outside our Urban Limit Line,
you bind us to your development agreement, and frankly when your
plan defi es common sense. Measure F will ruin Brentwoods great
planning. Its patronizing claims offer uncertainties, not actuals.
Dont be fooled by these developers attempt to snatch our western
hills for their wealth and future enjoyment not in Brentwood theyll
be long gone and well be stuck on Balfour or the Bypass, yet
again.
Kathy Griffi n, Claudia Gemberling, Bob and Kim Schriver,
Patrick MacIsaac, Dick VrMeer, Johnny Mer-rill and Gretchen
Klaus
E-mail them at [email protected].
16A | THEPRESS.NET APRIL 9, 2010
OPINIONEDITORIALS, LETTERS & COMMENTARY National
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Dont sell Brentwood short hold the ULL
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APRIL 9, 2010 THEPRESS.NET | 17A
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email
Why not you?Free subscriptions at www.thepress.net
Send your email address to [email protected]
A sampling of recent law enforcement activity reported by East
County police de-partments.
BRENTWOODMarch 26, 8:43 a.m. A wallet was discov-ered in front
of a residence on Brentwood Boulevard.March 26, 10:58 a.m. An
unoccupied ve-hicle on Hedge Avenue was found to have been stolen
in Concord. The owner was contacted and the vehicle released to
her.March 26, 11:51 a.m. An unidentifi ed per-son stole three
bottles of perfume from a business on Sand Creek Road.March 26,
3:50 p.m. An unidentifi ed per-son tampered with an ATM machine at
a business on Second Street in attempt to defraud customers.March
26, 8:40 p.m. On Brentwood Boule-vard at Chestnut Street, a subject
stopped for vehicle code violations was found to be driving on a
suspended license. A pas-senger in the vehicle was found to have a
warrant for his arrest. The driver was cited, and the passenger was
arrested and taken to the Martinez Detention Facility.March 26,
7:50 p.m. An unidentifi ed per-son kicked down two doors of a
residence on Marina Way, broke a mirror on the residents vehicle
and fl ed the scene.March 27, 5:09 a.m. An unidentifi ed per-son
cut and removed copper wires from light pole junction boxes on
Armstrong Road at Wright Way.March 27, 2 p.m. A subject involved in
a minor collision in a parking lot on Brentwood Boulevard was found
to have a no-bail warrant for his arrest, and was driving under the
infl uence of alcohol. He was arrested and taken to the Martinez
Detention Facility.March 27, 5:29 p.m. At a business on Lone Tree
Way, a subject was found in possession of prescription medication
but was lacking the prescription. He was also found to be under the
infl uence of a cen-tral nervous system depressant. Another subject
was found to be under the infl u-ence of a central nervous system
stimu-lant and in possession of pepper spray. Both were arrested
and taken to the Mar-tinez Detention Facility.
March 27, 7:12 p.m. An unidentifi ed per-son stole a license
plate from a vehicle parked on Balfour Road.March 28, 1:36 a.m. A
resident of Glad-stone Drive reported that an unidentifi ed person
was continually yelling racial slurs through the common wall of
their resi-dence.March 28, 2:58 p.m. An unidentifi ed per-son stole
golf clubs from the driveway of a residence on Albertine Lane.March
28, 5:54 p.m. On Sand Creek Road, a subject was contacted regarding
a disturbance and found to be too intoxi-cated to safely care for
himself. He also lied about his identity and was found to have an
outstanding warrant for his ar-rest. He was arrested and taken to
the Martinez Detention Facility.March 28, 10:22 p.m. On Lone Tree
Way at Gann Street, a subject stopped for ve-hicle code violations
was found to be on parole and in possession of hydrocodone. He was
arrested and taken to the Marti-nez Detention Facility.March 29,
1:38 p.m. A subject contacted regarding suspicious activity near
copper wire at a light post on Brentwood Boule-vard lied about his
identifi cation. He was arrested and taken to the Martinez
De-tention Facility.March 29, 3:48 p.m. An unidentifi ed per-son
removed the screen of an open win-dow at a residence on Harmony
Street and stole jewelry and a TV.March 29, 8:26 p.m. An unidentifi
ed per-son entered a residence on Legend Lane by unknown means and
stole a Sony Play-Station 3 and an Xbox 360 game station.March 30,
9:37 a.m. Potentially hazardous materials were identifi ed on Sand
Creek Road at Fairview Avenue. HAZMAT re-sponded and collected an
unidentifi ed substance.March 30, 11:47 a.m. It was discovered that
a vehicle parked on Bayonett Court had been broken into four days
earlier and that a laptop computer and other electronics had been
stolen.March 30, 1:45 p.m. On Harvest Park Drive at Brentwood
Boulevard, a subject stopped for a vehicle code violation was found
to be driving under the infl uence of
alcohol. He was arrested and taken to the Martinez Detention
Facility.March 30, 3:52 p.m. Two subjects caught shoplifting at a
business on Lone Tree Way were arrested and released to their
parents on Juvenile Affi davits.March 30, 4:07 p.m. A subject
attempted to cash a fraudulent check at a business on Sand Creek
Road.March 30, 4:30 p.m. On Montana Street, two subjects were
involved in a verbal dis-pute regarding their marriage.March 31,
9:35 a.m. An unidentifi ed per-son entered an unlocked vehicle
parked on Windy Springs Lane, removed the ga-rage door opener,
entered the garage and stole several tools.March 31, 10 a.m. At a
school on Birch Street, a subject entered a locker room during P.E.
class and stole cash, two iPods and a cell phone from six
backpacks. The cell phone and iPods were located and re-turned to
the owners. The case is under investigation. March 31, 10:01 a.m.
An unidentifi ed per-son entered a vacant residence on Chris-tensen
Street and stole several tools.March 31, 11:33 a.m. Offi cers
responded to an alarm at a residence on Augusta Drive and
discovered that the residence had been burglarized.
To view the Brentwood Police Depart-ments public logs on the
citys Web site, visit
www.ci.brentwood.ca.us/department/pd/reports/index.cfm.ANTIOCHApril
4, 3:11 a.m. Izuchukwu Onyeago-cha, 22, and Fatima Amerson, 32 both
Antioch residents were southbound on Auto Center Drive when their
vehicle hit the curb, crossed the sidewalk and grass and struck a
large concrete pillar. The car fl ipped over and came to rest on
its roof on Costco Way. Upon arrival, offi cers ar-rived found the
vehicle engulfed in fl ames and the female passenger still inside.
The driver had gotten out of the vehicle under his own power. Some
offi cers worked to get the passenger out of the car as oth-ers
fought the fl ames with extinguishers. Offi cers were able to
extract the passenger and she and the driver were transported to
John Muir Hospital. The driver sustained
a moderate hand injury and the passenger multiple serious
injuries. The passenger is listed as critical but stable. Alcohol
is be-lieved to be a factor in the incident, which is under
investigation.April 4, 11:06 a.m. Oakley resident An-thony Romero,
18, was driving north-bound on Lone Tree Way at a high rate of
speed and failed to observe the red light at the intersection of
Davison Drive. His vehicle struck two vehicles, causing minor
damage to one and major damage to the other. Romero fl ed the scene
on foot but was tracked down and captured near the scene of the
incident. He and all four pas-sengers in the second vehicle were
taken to a nearby hospital. The two passen-gers in the fi rst
vehicle declined medical assistance at the scene, but did go to the
hospital on their own. Romero was taken to the Martinez Detention
Facility under suspicion of felony DUI, felony hit and run, and a
probation violation.April 5 Antioch police discovered infor-mation
that 22-year-old Antioch resident Javonee Deshaun Lumford was
respon-sible for the March 25 murder of a 16-year-old boy in
Antioch. On the night of April 5, Antioch and Brentwood police offi
cers stopped and arrested Lumford without incident as he drove away
from a house in the 2100 block of Thomas Road in Brentwood, where
Lumfords mother lives. A short time later, Antioch SWAT members and
Brentwood police served a search warrant on the home, searching for
evidence related to the murder. No signifi cant evidence was
located on the premises. When interviewed by Antioch police
investigators, Lumford admitted to shooting into the car as it
drove away. It appears he was just an onlooker and it is unclear
why he was compelled to shoot at the car. Lumford was booked at the
Contra Costa County Jail for a warrant charging murder. He also was
booked for a separate warrant held by the Brentwood Police
Department, charging him with possession of a fi rearm by a felon.
Lum-ford is on parole for robbery.
For information on law enforcement in Antioch, visit
www.ci.antioch.ca.us/citygov/police.
COP LOGSFROM EMERGENCY SERVICES DISPATCH LOGS On Montana Street,
two subjects were involved in a verbal dispute regarding their
marriage. March 30, 4:30 p.m., Brentwood
-
18A | THEPRESS.NET EDUCATION APRIL 9, 2010
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deep into his chest and what was left of his arm.
Firefi ghters, police offi cers and medi-cal personnel arrived
at the scene within a matter of 15 minutes. Fancey was escort-ed to
a squad car while Russick was taken off the hood by a group of fi
refi ghters af-ter being pronounced dead. Hulls car was in
shambles, trapping her and Navarro inside. After pulling Navarro
out of the car and laying him on a body board, the EMTs pulled Hull
from the car and put her in an ambulance, which sped away to the
nearest hospital. Navarro was airlifted out, but did not make it.
That left only Fancey, whom offi cer Bell escorted out of the car
to administrate a fi eld sobriety test. Fancey wobbled and swayed
and ad-mitted, I cant do it. He was handcuffed and arrested for
DUI.
The silence was almost deafening. According to Summer Rodriguez,
a fi ve-year veteran of the Every 15 Minutes pro-gram, The
emotional impact on the stu-dents follows them way past high
school. I still have students who graduated a cou-ple years ago who
are still affected by the program.
Amanda Blum was in tears one of her closest friends had just
been killed by a drunk driver. Felix is one of my best friends. I
was just with him not too long ago and now hes gone.
When asked what the programs impact on the campus would be,
Brent-wood police offi cer Justin Lou, the pro-gram director, said,
It causes a ripple
effect, changing students judgment and letting them share that
with others. Ac-cording to Lou, the program has helped move the
drunk-driving death rate from every 15 minutes to approximately
every 30 minutes. Thats better, he said, but thats still not great,
and this program is and will continue to be an eye-opener for
students.The funeral for Russick and Navarro
was to be held the following day after press time for this week
attended by the junior and senior classes along with fam-ily and
friends.
For a slide show of the event, visit www.thepress.net.
Crash from page 8A
Photo by Haylee Matteri
A CalStar helicopter arrives to evacuate an injured student at
Liberty High Schools Every 15 Minutes Program this week.
-
Choose the change you wantEditor:
Hard times are a windfall for would-be politicians. Time and
again the rally cry of theyve gotten it wrong rings out across
paid-for ads during political seasons, and the more diffi cult the
times, the greater the mileage the claim gets. During times of
diffi culty the populace gets desperate for relief and begins to
fall into an anything but this mindset and simply votes for a
change of guard.
I dont know that there could have been a more blatant case of
this than in 2008 when the winning campaign slogan was simply
Change. Complex, multi-faceted problems had been so success-fully
simplifi ed to a singular cause there was no need of a measurable
or identifi -able direction for the change. Change was just
accepted as the cure for an ambiguously defi ned, overly generalize
problem completely obscuring the very real possibility that change
could also be for the worse, much worse.
My goal in this letter is not to shed opinion on whether the
political turmoil of this past year has resulted in change for the
better or the worse, but rather to make a call for accountability
the change offered.
My concern is more in the number of surprises, the sheer number
of as-tonished voices I heard over what came about as a result of
the fi nal vote a year ago last November. I am stunned at just how
many people, everyday citizens and experts, dont understand what
exactly really changed or what it means. Most dont know what its
really intended to mean, including myself. My dismay has been in
the number of shrugged shoulders and rolling eyes followed by
statements of not much we can do. Nothing could be further from the
truth. As a matter of fact, only we can do it.
If you feel you have a solid handle on what is changing, where
it is going and you like it, then stand up and do ev-erything you
can to make sure it stays on track. If you are dismayed, feel
betrayed or never liked what was happening to begin with, then
stand up and get things back on track. But by all means possible,
avoid being the apathetic turd those who would do you wrong count
on you to be.
We need to stop being the children of abusive, divorced
political parents, running to one every time the other beats us.
Stand up and decree your emancipation. Dont let because Im running
against the candidate you dont like be the reason to vote for
someone.
There is a TEA Party event this Sat-urday, April 10 in Fresno
that will have 20 speakers, with nine being candidates for
California offi ces including gover-nor, senator and
congressperson. (www.forms.centralvalleyteaparty.com/pdf/april10_fl
yer.pdf) There will be 60-plus information booths. Go. Participate,
regardless of your views. Ask these candidates questions. Have them
explain why they should get your vote. Im not endorsing the event,
only offering it as an option.
Dont stop there even if you go. Write, read, question and talk
to keep the conversation going. Its time we take our home back from
what has become the two largest self-interested special in-terests
to call themselves our custodians: our Democratic and Republican
parties.
There have been a lot of close elec-tions lately, and that is
something that doesnt look like it is going to change any time
soon. You do matter.
Steve CichoszDiscovery Bay
Assistance thats not taxingEditor:
I wanted to thank the Eastbay Works Career Center in Brentwood
for
the fi ne job they do in assisting low-income people in fi ling
their tax forms. Rene and her fi ne staff of volunteers were
knowledgeable, professional, pa-tient and kind as they helped my
elderly mother. We are very grateful.
June ChristieBrentwood
Appreciating the appreciationEditor:
Please tell the local people in Brent-wood Thank You. We have
received some very nice gift boxes demonstrating their appreciation
of the service that our soldiers are rendering here in
Afghani-stan. Also, I have attached an article talking about the
unit which you have so
graciously sent packages to in Afghani-stan.
1st Lt. Jason C. Green267th Gun Truck Security Escort Co.
AfghanistanEditors note: The article to which 1st Lt. Green
refers can be found at www.thepress.net/bookmark/6957659
Super supeEditor:
I would just like to say thank you to Supervisor Mary Piepho and
her staff for all their help. We would not be where we are today
without it. Its really nice to know that someone is not only
listen-
APRIL 9, 2010 THEPRESS.NET | 19A
Join the Revolution
April 17th
Revolutionary new models and a new way to live.
Grand opening celebration. Join us for food, fun and giveaways
in Oakley from noon to 3pm on Saturday April 17th. Tour the Spaces
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Letters from page 16A
see Letters page 21A
-
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For more information please call Lyle Miller at the Chamber
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22A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY APRIL 9, 2010
tion for both gifted and struggling students.Nunn said possible
plans for the char-
ter school, which would initially serve grades K-4, would
include a variety of programs unique to area public schools,
including bilingual instruction for every student. The charter
could also provide job opportunities for teachers recently laid off
due to district budget cuts.
A new charter school in East County (currently there are two,
both located in Antioch) has the potential to open myriad
opportunities to students throughout Con-tra Costa, including those
who are home-schooled or simply unsatisfi ed with their current
schools. Students from any district could move to the charter
without permis-sion from local districts and take their
state-funded dollars with them.
Since California gives school districts an annual per-student
subsidy based on the size of the school district, many school
districts are alarmed by any loss of students
and the nearby Byron Union School Dis-trict is no exception.
The idea of having a charter school a stones throw from The
Lakes community is not a welcoming thought, said Byron
Su-perintendent Eric Prater of the Discovery Bay development
located within walking distance of Old River. I believe in
compe-tition as an important aspect to improving any organization;
however, these are dire times and every student is vital to the
suc-cess of our district.
In short, this creates an educational arms race of sorts in the
far East County in fairness, long-term goals in the By-ron district
refl ect a desire for innovation that includes the exploration of
charter schools. But once the genie is out of the bottle, it will
be very diffi cult to get it back in, and we are exploring this
option with extreme care.
Rinehart agreed that the presence of a charter in the area could
draw students away from her own district. Since the type of charter
being proposed is one in which
the charter school acts as its own entity, any funding received
would stay with the charter instead of being distributed throughout
the district. And although the charter school would be supervised
and overseen by the Knightsen district, it would remain fi
nan-cially independent.
For Rinehart whose small district cur-rently receives state
funding for its special-education students, as well as a
rural-school grant and county dollars for its small school district
should the district increase in size due to the addition of the
charter school, it stands to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars
in annual support.
So for us, the fi nancial benefi t is a bit of a mixed bag at
this point, said Rinehart. The leasing of Old River is a benefi t,
but another possible negative is that when you sponsor a charter
you are responsible for monitoring the charter and the kids, and
for that you get 1 percent of the income, which could be $10,000 to
$12,000 a year. But it takes an unbelievable amount of time to do
ongoing assessments, start testing, oversee
the payroll you are in essence acting as an auditor and you have
to be accurate and timely.
The next step in the process is the pre-sentation of a petition
to the Knightsen School Board, which Nunn hopes will take place at
the next regular board meeting on April 14. Once the petition is
presented, the district has 30 days to analyze the petition, hold a
public hearing on it, and respond to Nunn and his group with an
acceptance or rejection.
Now there is a huge time crunch in getting the charter written
and meeting the requirements at the state level for funding and
other items, said Nunn. This is all still in the formative stages,
but well see if we can get it done.
For more information on the proposed charter, call the Knightsen
School District at 925-625-0073. The Knightsen School Boards next
meeting is scheduled for April 14 at 6:30 p.m. at Knightsen
Elementary School, 1923 Delta Road.
To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
Old River from page 1A
Forty isnt typically a milestone that people fuss over too much.
Usually the 50th anniversary the golden celebration gets all the
attention. But one Brentwood elementary school isnt waiting another
decade for a rea-son to throw a party.
Brentwoods second elementary school, Garin, turns the big 4-0
this year, and to cel-ebrate, the school is pulling out all the
stops, especially after the passing of one of the Brentwood Union
School Districts most be-loved icons.
Life is too short, and we never know what tomorrow will hold,
said Principal Sta-cy Joslin. After the passing of (former Garin
principal and BUSD superintendent) Bill Bristow this past year, we
realized that we are all getting older, and we want to celebrate
each momentous occasion as it comes. Forty years is quite an
accomplishment in itself. Were the third oldest school in the
district. We are hop-ing to reach more people who will be able to
participate (this year) rather than waiting 10 more years, when
people may be harder to locate.
Joslin said the 40th birthday is also an ideal milestone to
acknowledge because in this time of massive education budget cuts
and economic gloom, people need a reason to celebrate, have a good
time and remember the happiness that comes from teaching chil-dren
and the success of those who have come through our halls.
Over the years, those halls have changed. Todays Garin barely
resembles the school that opened in 1970, and to highlight the
changes, the 40th birthday celebration will feature a Walk Through
Time display, a collection of photos and artifacts marking each
decade of Garins existence. Alumni are invited to sign and share
their favorite moments on the Memory Wall, and visit the Find Your
Face Display of class photos.
In keeping with the birthday theme, the celebration will feature
games, music, snacks, and of course, cake.
We want this to be an event not only for Garin alumni but for
the entire community, Joslin said. The school has physically
trans-formed over the years, but the Garin spirit remains the same.
Ive been principal for only three years, but Im always meeting up
with people who have attended Garin, and people always have such
great memories to share, so this is a party for everyone because
Garin is very much a part of the Brentwood commu-nity. So many
people have dedicated their lives to this school.
While more than 30 classrooms currently occupy Garins First
Street campus, Wanda Groseclose remembers when there was only one.
Groseclose, who taught at Garin for 21 years, said Garin started
off as a school for fourth- and fi fth-graders. She shared a large
open-space classroom with three other teach-ers, which made her job
exciting yet challeng-ing.
When I fi rst came to Garin, the main building wasnt divided
into classrooms as it is now, Groseclose recalled. The four of us
shared this one big room we each had our own corner. Open space
classrooms were all the rage at that time, but as education
evolved, as it always does, that method went out the window, so we
put up walls, and then we had six classrooms.
Groseclose stayed in Room 1 until she left Garin in 1995, but
her decades of service to Garin and the school district remain
preva-lent in the BUSD. Groseclose helped co-au-thor American Music
Through Time, a mu-sical performed by fi fth-grade students, which
originated at Garin but is now performed at the BUSDs seven
elementary schools. While Grosecloses musical has helped hundreds
of Brentwood students travel through time via song, a class project
she put together 26 years ago will help birthday guests do some
time traveling of their own.
In 1984, Grosecloses fi fth-grade class as-sembled a time
capsule that was buried near her residence on Payne Avenue.
Although she and her husband moved to another Brentwood
neighborhood a few years back, Groseclose always planned to
retrieve
the capsule one day, reassemble her 1984 class and open the
capsule and the birthday party seemed like an ideal time to do
it.
When we buried it, I fi gured wed wait 25 years and then open
it, Groseclose said. One of my former students lives next door to
my daughter and he told me that itd been 25 years already, and I
just couldnt believe it. Then I heard that Garin was going to have
this big party to celebrate the 40 years and people had been asking
about the time capsule, so I got in touch with the right people and
were going to open it up as part of the event.
Amy Ardzrooni, one of the celebration organizers, was thrilled
when she found out that Groseclose knew where the capsule was
buried, ending weeks of searching done by the party planners. I was
really excited to fi nd out that a class from 20-some years ago
buried this time capsule, but no one had any idea of where it was,
Ardzrooni said. I was afraid it was buried somewhere on campus and
that the district had built over it by now. I was worried itd be
under layers of concrete and thered be no way for us to get it
out.
Groseclose said she buried it on her property for that very
reason. Luckily, the new owners, the Bristow family, were more than
willing to allow a group to search for the capsule and dig it up. A
sprinkler system had been placed over top of the capsule, so a few
pipes were cracked along the way as part of the excavation, but in
the end, the capsule was located though it wont be opened till the
night of the birthday celebration.
Groseclose has forgotten whats in the capsule, but looks forward
to reuniting with her students at the birthday celebration and
rediscover the memories of 1984. I encour-aged the kids to choose
items that were syn-onymous with the times, she said. Each student
brought in an item and we placed it in this large metal garbage can
and taped it up really well, so everything should be protected.
I believe we put in some newspapers and magazines as well. I
think 1984 was the year that Michael Jackson recorded We Are the
World. I know there has got to be some-thing
Michael-Jackson-related in there. He
was extremely popular at that time.The time capsule is currently
resting in
Joslins offi ce, but shes been able to resist the temptation to
open it. Luckily, its sealed up nice and tight, so I cant sneak a
peek, but I cant wait to see whats inside. I remember the big hair
and the neon clothes of the 80s, but there could be all kinds of
things in there. Its going to be a lot of fun.
Now that the capsule has been located, the next challenge is
locating the students from Grosecloses 1984 class. So far,
Ardz-rooni has located about a third of the class, but is still
working on tracking down the rest. Groseclose has also joined the
search. If you were in her 1984 class or know someone who was,
e-mail Ardzrooni at [email protected].
The Garin 40th Birthday Celebration will be held at Garin
Elementary School, 250 First St., on Friday, April 30 from 4 to 8
p.m. Wristbands for access to carnival games are available in
advance for $8, or on the day of the event for $10. All proceeds
from the event will be donated to the Garin Parents Club to benefi
t Garin programs. For more informa-tion, e-mail
[email protected].
To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
Photo by Samie Hartley
Garin to go over the hill in styleby Samie Hartley
Staff Writer
It might seem like a trash can, but its a Garin School time
capsule holding memories and artifacts from 1984.
-
APRIL 9, 2010 THEPRESS.NET | 23A
-
24A | THEPRESS.NET APRIL 9, 2010
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